Periods 5 & 6 Vocab Review & Color Purple

Hey there, guys and gals! Click on the link below to review your vocabulary words for this week's test. You can review your words in four formats: flashcards, a memory or concentration game, or in a word search. You shouldn't need a log-in. Just click on the activity once you are in. Then you click on PLAY THE GAME.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE REVIEW ACTIVITIES!

Have fun with this!!!



In addition, if you want to see a clip from "The Color Purple," click HERE! Please take a look and sign up for our field trip on 10/29!!!

Periods 1-6

For those of you who did not do this activity, you still have a chance for 5 FREE points. I need you to respond the post WELCOME TO TEAM C-ROD. Leave a comment about one thing you are looking forward to this year in English or Reading class. (BTW, the last day of school is NOT an answer! LOL!)

Saturday, August 22, 2009
WELCOME TO TEAM C-ROD!

I want you to get those easy points, so please do it.

SMILE, and I love ALL of you...even if I get grumpy sometimes. LOL!!!!!

Periods 2, 4, & 6 - I missed our time together today. I hope you enjoyed Twilight - my treat to give you a much-needed rest. Period 3 - It's for you to see on Tuesday.

Periods 1 & 2

After reading "Skins," we got a small snapshot of Native American customs. Not to mention, we learned several life lessons during the course of the story! The narrator, Mitchell, used many of Uncle Tommy's aphorisms to teach us to be comfortable in our own "skin." An aphorism is a brief saying that embodies a general truth, a life lesson or an astute observation. A theme in a story is very similar - it is the moral message, the life lesson that is implied.

With that said, my sweetie-pies, you have an assignment. It is NOT optional, and it is in two parts. You must do both.

Part 1: Find an aphorism or a theme in "Skins." Explain what this taught you and how you will follow that advice from now on. Make sure your response is grammatically correct, please. I will allow you to look through the book during class...unless you can access it now through the Student Portal. I want the quote from the story in your response.

Part 2: Click HERE to generate an Indian name. When you are on the webpage, just click "Get Your Name." Once you get your Indian name, tell me what it is in a comment/post. What do the words mean in English? Does your Indian name symbolize you, does it define you or reflect who you are? Explain this in a short paragraph on our blog.

You can submit both responses in ONE post, or you can can do it in two different ones. This is due on 9/30 by 11:00 p.m.

Have fun with this :o)

My Indian name, by the way, was WALLOWING TURKEY! Hilarious!

Periods 5 & 6: Make-Up of Summer Readings

I am not one for failing students; I am one to foster learning. With that said, here here is ONE LAST OPPORTUNITY to pull up your summer reading grades and, more importantly, learn about reading essays and articles with a critical eye.

Be reminded that this opportunity applies only to the summer ESSAYS AND EDITORIALS.

For those of you who did not attempt and/or finish these, and for those who did score as well as they'd hoped, please do the following:

For all eight essays, do the SOAPStone questions...not the chart. You must type your responses, and be sure to address EACH of the SOAPStone categories and support your ideas with quotes from the text. It must be in essay form.

For the eight editorials, you must do ten instead. You must use the "Style and Rhetorical Appeals Terms to Know," along with your "Style and Rhetorical Appeals Graphic Organizer" to complete the information. Be sure to use specific examples to bolster your claims.

You will have until 10/1 (5th period) or 10/2 (6th period). I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY MAKE-UP WORK AFTER THIS DATE...even if you are absent on the due date!!!!

If you still choose not to do these assignments, it's all on you. I have provided every opportunity for you to learn and succeed, now it's your call. Remember, I love you...don't let me down!

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
~ Colin Powell

New Moon Homework: Chapters 1-3

Periods 3 & 4 - Due by September 28th at 11:00 p.m.

You know how I am always pointing out AWESOME WRITING in our readings. Remember when Bradbury, the author of "A Sound of Thunder," described the T-Rex??? Well, now it's your turn to discover it for yourself in chapters 1-3 in New Moon. For this assignment, I want you to choose three different sentences that appeal to your sense of smell, sight, taste, touch AND/OR hearing. You will need to type the full sentence in the comment section, identify the sense it's playing on, as well as the page number the sentence is located. YOU CANNOT USE SENTENCES THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY USED.

Here is an example, but you will have to do this for three different sentences:
SIGHT - "That was me. Me in a mirror. Me-ancient, creased and withered." (Page 6)

Be reminded that THIS IS NOT EXTRA CREDIT. Feel free to use a class computer during lunch, or before/after school if you need to.

As you read, underline the sensory images (which is active reading, a trait of a GREAT READER). You should also try to employ Meyer's strategies whenever you write. She is gifted at luring in the reader with her sensory details! Have fun with this!

Our Class!

These are photos of some of the firsts this year. Hope you like! I am so blessed to making Hialeah Gardens' history with my champion students!

The Butterfly Effect Extra Credit - Periods 3 & 4

In the short story, "The Sound of Thunder," we learned that traveling through time can be dangerous. The characters from the story realize how they impact nature when one of the hunters steps on a butterfly. Through the destruction of one small element of the ecosystem, the future was changed. This is known as the “Butterfly Effect.” Man is causing changes in the ecosystem today.

Choose one of the topics below and write six sentences about how “tomorrow” will be affected by that topic.

Example:
Today: There is an oil spill off the coast of California.
Tomorrow:
1. Fish are poisoned.
2. People must buy expensive fish from the east coast.
3. People can no longer afford fish so they eat more meat.
4. More and more people get high cholesterol.
5. Some people die from heart attacks due to high cholesterol.
6. A president who creates positive change in the world is never born.

Choose one topic:
Topic 1: More oil is pumped to lower the price of gas.
Topic 2: A park is made into a parking lot.
Topic 3: A new landfill opens in your neighborhood.
Write your topic here.
Today:
Complete six sentences.
Tomorrow:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The deadline for this activity is 9/21 at 11p.m.

Periods 3 & 4 - This is for you!

This is the newest New Moon trailer (aired on the VMA's on 9/13). Click on the photo if you would like to see it.

Have your books ready for Monday! I AM SO EXCITED TO GET STARTED!

Below, you will find the links for the reading calendars for the novel. Print them and put them in your notebook.

September Reading Calendar
October Reading Calendar
November Reading Calendar

Periods 5 & 6

Hey there, guys and gals! Please bring your summer reading books everyday for the next week or two. Smile!

Periods 1 & 2 Playlist

You all compiled a playlist for our reading theme of the month, "When Do You Really Know Someone?" For some of the songs, I could not find the clean versions, but I still think the playlist represents the joys and pitfalls of getting to know someone. To listen, pause the playlist at the bottom of the page then press play on this one. ENJOY!

Feel free to leave feedback. Love you!

GREAT JOB, GUYS! Way to go!

Vocab Review for Periods 3 & 4

ROOTS:
LUC, LUM - light; to shine or glitter
SPECT - see, view or look
PATH/PATHY - feelings, emotions, disease

Apathy - having no feeling (remember, the prefix "A" means NOT, WITHOUT)
Antipathy - having a strong feeling against (remember, "ANTI" means AGAINST)
Empathy - understanding of another's feelings
Pathos - arousing pity; the expression of feeling pity
Elucidate - to shed light on
Lucent - giving off light
Lucubration - hard or difficult study (from the old days of "done by the lamp light")
Luminary - one who sheds light on a subject
Translucent - partly transparent; allowing light to get through
Circumspect - to see things from all angles; watchful and discreet (remember, "CIRCUM" means AROUND)
Introspective - the ability to look within oneself (remember, "INTRO" means WITHIN)
Retrospect - the contemplation of things in the past (remember, "RETRO" means BACK)

YOU WILL DO GREAT! Just study! Love you....

Periods 1, 2, 5, 6

Ever heard of the Rock Bottom Remainders? Well, by day, they’re authors...really famous authors! But once a year they shed their pen-and-pencil clutching personas and become rock stars, complete with roadies, groupies and a wicked cool tour bus.

Amy Tan (the author of "Two Kinds" and The Joy Luck Club), Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie) and Stephen King (The Green Mile, It, and other thrillers) are just three of the famous authors in this band.

Click HERE to see a performance of RBR (with Mitch Albom singing lead).
Click HERE to see their Good Morning America interview.

For some extra points, give me some feedback on their performance and, more importantly, their interview. Tell me why you believe they made their own band, why they continue to perform, and why they wear costumes in their performances. Please also tell me the name of another author in the band and name one literary piece that person penned.

You will need to post your comment by 11 p.m. on 09/09/09. Enjoy!!!!

PERIODS 5 & 6 ONLY

If you are still in need of this book, I can get them for $20 with my teacher discount at Barnes and Noble. During the week of 9/4 to 9/11, I will collect money from the students who want me to order their books. Remember, if you have financial issues at home, we can help. There are libraries that check them out, I can lend out my copy, or we can try and find a used one. Just let me know if this is your case, please. I cannot help you if I do not know what's going on.

In addition, our class texts, The Language of Composition, will be here soon. The school ordered these for you because they were a little expensive.

Please DO NOT buy any AP Language practice books. We will be doing plenty of practice in class (and the occasional Saturday), there are practice tests online through College Board, and I have copies of several books for you to borrow. PLEASE DON'T SPEND YOUR MONEY ON PRACTICE BOOKS!!!!!

OK, remember I love you all!!!!! Happy Labor Day Weekend.

Periods 3 & 4 - This is for you!

Since we have been reading about grandparents in our reading classes, you are going to write a poem and make a card for your "abuelo or abuela" for Grandparents' Day in English class. Read the document below for some background on this special day and see the rubric for this assignment.

By the way, if you share a comment here about your grandparent using a literary tool learned in class, you will receive some bonus points for the nine weeks (periods 3 & 4 only). The tools we've learned so far are: simile, metaphor, allusion, alliteration, onomatopoeia.

If you're one of the ones (like me) with no grandparents, you can create your poem and card for a special older person in your life who reminds you of an abuelo...like an aunt or family friend, etc.

I look forward to working on this with you as you honor that special someone.

SMILE!

National Grandparent's Day Poetry Activity

WELCOME TO TEAM C-ROD!

Hello! Welcome to Team C-Rod! This school year is going to be an exciting SEASON of victories and triumphs, and I am honored to be your learning coach.

We are going to use this blog as part of our PLAY BOOK to better us as a TEAM! On this blog, you will find tips for homework and projects, extra credit assignments, recaps of activities, a list of upcoming assignments, videos and slideshows of our BEST PLAYS, among many other resources. Below this post, I included some of last year's MVP performances to motivate and inspire you!!!!

As your COACH, I expect my PLAYERS to view, learn from, and comment on our PLAY BOOK. I recommend that you look at our PLAY BOOK at least every other day.

Your first assignment is to create an ID and/or email account then post a comment. Your ID/Email MUST include your first name, only your last initial and your period number (Google e-mail is free, by the way). For example, a student named Christy Lopez in period 2 would have an ID/email of ChristyL2. This will help me identify you easier. If I have you for two classes, you only need to add one of the two period numbers, not both. I highly recommend that you ALL jot down your ID somewhere visible (maybe put it on a post-it note and stick it on your computer). You will need to use this every time you post.

Once you create your ID, comment under this post. I want a quick blurb on what you would like to see happen this SEASON in Team C-Rod's English class. Please know that "doing nothing" and "sleeping" is not an ideal response. haha! I promise you, that will never happen! I really would like to know what you want to get out of my class! Please remember that your blogs should be mature and "limpia!"

If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to let me know. I am here to guide, lead, and coach you!

See you on the playing field for PRACTICE, and be ready to help create our TEAM GOALS!

GO TEAM!

Love,
C-Rod
Your Coach & Teacher

Our Student STAR Spectacular!

Below is a video of the photos from our Student Spectacular on May 28th. (Give it time to buffer, and pause the playlist at the bottom of the blog.)

I want to thank you and your parents for coming out and sharing our successes. It was my privilege to be your teacher this year! I love you all!

It was CELEBRATION WEEK FOR MY STELLAR WRITERS !

May 14th - It was dinner for the top dogs at Buca di Beppo's! YUM!

May 15th - The 100 students who passed from my class had a SUNDAE social during lunch. Though you all got rained on, you still came in droves for ice cream and the fixings!

May 19th - All you level 4's and up were treated to doughnuts and juice (that's 90 of you)! What is better is each of the 5's, 5'5's and 6's received "five for a five." There were 15 writers in total to get $5 for getting a five or higher.

To see all of the FCAT Writing stats, scroll down a couple posts in the middle column!

I wish I could do more for all of your efforts! I am so proud of you. Just remember the real reward (and motivation) should be that AWESOME feeling you had when you heard you passed! That is PRICELESS!

It was time to celebrate

The state average of passing students was 77%; you all were 98%. The state average of students earning a score of 4 or higher was 60%; you all were 87%. The state's mean score was 3.8; your mean score was 4.4!!! That's AMAZING! My hat's off to you!

Here are my TOP DOGS:

Level 6 - Heather, Adrian, Michael L., Jessica Mart. (The only four in our school to earn a 6)

Level 5.5 - Yovanni T., Blanca R., Maite, Angel V., Marvin M.,

Level 5 - Fanny, Kassandra, David, Javier, Ivana, Michelle G., Karina, Carel, Jennifer M., Gina, Pablo, Jessica Men., Nelson M., Richard P., Nahobi, Katherine

There were 30 4.5's; and 34 4.0's, which is INCREDIBLE!

Be ready for your rewards and recognition - YOU ALL DESERVE IT!

Pinwheels for Peace

Thanks to Mr. Binder, our trust counselor, for gathering all of us to show that peace reigns at HGHS. Now, lets take that out into our homes and community! Many of you wrote amazing haikus! I am so impressed with your talent, enthusiasm, and kindness! Keep up the good work!

A special thanks to Mrs. Davis for arranging for Mr. Louis Schneider, a Holocaust survivor, to come and speak to the tenth graders. This week our classes have been reading Night, which recounts Elie Wiesel's ordeal in Auschwitz. All of these wonderful activities have made this week a vital learning experience to remember! I hope my students will always use this experience as a guide for how to be instruments of peace throughout their lives!

Shakespeare Day Slideshow

I wanted to thank those of you who made our Shakespeare Day/Renaissance Fair so special! I had a wonderful time, and it looked like you all did, too! A special shout out to Mrs. Davis and her crew for a JOB WELL DONE! We look forward to our school-wide fair next year!

Make a Smilebox slideshow