HOLY COW! It's *almost* Christmas break...

Today we'll be watching Animal Farm...We'll also be sentence combining for Flex.

IF you have NOT presented for your BOOK REPORT, I will be SENDING NOTICES HOME over CHRISTMAS BREAK. 
Be WARNED. You still have time to prepare your BOOK REPORT for TOMORROW during FLEX TIME! :) See you THEN!

Mystery Novel

For 3rd Quarter
Choose a mystery novel. It should be a main-stream, bestselling mystery novel, on an adult reading level. It should be at least 300 pages!

• James Patterson (The Women's Detective Club)
• Mary Higgins-Clark (Where are the Children)
• Dan Brown (Angels & Demons)
• Iris Johansen
• Faye Kellerman
• Harlan Coban
• Lisa Scottolini
• John Grisham (The Firm)
• Patricia Cornwell (The Body Farm)

Honors Book Reports

Today you should be presenting your book report in a group. There should be 4-5 of you.

List those of you in your group.
You should NOT be in the same group you were in last time.
You should not be reporting out on ANY of the same books that were in the group last time.
None of the same people should be in the group.

Talk about what what was GOOD about your book. RELATIVE MERITS... (symbolism, theme, characters)
What did you NOT like... ONE SENTENCE
QUICK WRITE:
If you could change the book you chose or the way you did your book report, what would it be?
What PLAY are you considering for your book report NEXT quarter? (It can NOT be one you have read before).

Flex for this week

"Catalyst" by Linkin' Park symbolism & propaganda
Writing on Wednesday-- Sentence combining 
Thursday -- Sentence combining 
Friday -- Book report make-up

Book Report Presentations

You need a rubric for your book report.
You will be in groups of 4.
You will fill out the rubric for this report...


If you did NOT present today in class you must COME ON FRIDAY to FLEX and present!

Animal Farm Chapter 6

What did we do for Animal Farm chapter 6? We read, in groups of 6, chapter 6. We answered questions from THIS study guide.

What did we do for Chapter 5?

The FIRST thing we did was talk about your... BOOK REPORT!! It is DUE next week! (ACK. FREAK OUT!!!) 

Then, we read chapter 5 out loud in class. We answered questions in class, but you did NOT have to turn them in (luff you!!) We WILL have a quiz next time in class though, and it will be BIG. :D
We also did a pink study guide about who people symbolized, and we looked at a PowerPoint.

Schaffer Model Paragraph

What did you do well?
What could you improve?
What is the THESIS statement?
Are your quotes of appropriate length?

Flex for this week!

Tuesday is "Crossfire" by Brandon Flowers (if you haven't seen the video, it's one of my all time *FAVORITES* for situational irony! It makes me laugh EVERY TIME I WATCH it. Seriously.)
Wednesday is Van Halen's "Right Now" which is *classic* propaganda! Can't wait to show it to you... we'll be discussing what it was like when it hit MTV back in the day, and how differently bands do it in their lyric videos today. (Of course, you know all about that!)
Thursday is "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins
& Friday is Nickelback's "If Everyone Cared" which I would also class as great propaganda! :)

Animal Farm Chapter 4

Today in class, we reviewed what your BOOK REPORT looks like.
Then we read chapter 4.
We filled out the BLUE study guide. We also REWROTE "The Battle of the Cowshed."

Your book report is DUE Tuesday, December 13th. See the Alpine School District calendar HERE to download the A/B schedule calendar.

SOAPStone review

S: Speaker (author/title)
O: Occasion (title)
A: Audience (title) To the Virgins, To My Friend
P: Purpose
S: Subject
tone


Quick Write: 
Write about your favorite poem (that we've studied) so far. What have you liked about the poetry unit? Is there anything we could do you would enjoy more? An author? Something you have seen, or heard? 


YOU HAVE A THOUGHT EXERCISE DUE--LAST ONE! Next time! 2 paragraphs! 2 quotes per paragraphs.

Have a great weekend!!

Retell the Battle of the Cowshed

Imagine that you are a reporter for the local newspaper in the village. You have been assigned by the editor to write about the Battle of the Cowshed. Write about the events, but try to avoid passive voice! 
Here's the list of BE verbs

Try to avoid: AM, IS, ARE, WAS, WERE, BE, BEING, BEEN, HAVE, HAS, HAD, DO, DOES, DID, SHALL, WILL, SHOULD, WOULD MAY, MIGHT, MUST, CAN, COULD. :)

Go for *S*P*A*R*K*L*E*

      Choose a character from Animal Farm and write about the battle from his or her perspective. You'd also fill in the reporter's questions. Tell the whole battle. Some perspectives to consider:

• The pigeons
• "Fly on the wall"
• Napoleon
• Snowball
• Mollie
• Clover
• Boxer
• Pilkington
• Mr. Fredrick
• The dead sheep
• The injured groom

When is your book report due?

You need to read your book completely by December 8th (B day) or December 9th (A day).

      Your book PROJECT will be due on MONDAY December 12th (B day) or TUESDAY December 13th.

HERE are the project directions.

What'd we do with Animal Farm Chapter 3?

We looked at these questions with 6 different groups... then you handed in the dark pink paper.
Then *I* read chapter 3 out loud and you filled out a reading guide about the leadership on Animal Farm regarding Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer. You should have HANDED THIS IN before you left class.