Tues.Nov. 29 - Fri. Dec. 2: Novel Reading

This week, you will complete your reading of the novel The Bear. If you finish early, you will use the time to work on your independent novel study; if you read slower, you will have the weekend. We will discuss the novel as a whole on Monday.

Thurs. Nov. 24, and Fri, Nov. 25, 2016: Reading Class

I have instructed you to read part one of The Bear and have given you reading questions to answer (see Wed. blog). You are to have these completed for Monday; however, as this is a day off for you, I also want you to read ahead. This is a relatively uncomplicated novel. Read Chapters 10 to 14 for a writing assignment on Tuesday.

Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016: Part One: The Bear

·         

Today, students were instructed to quietly read Part One of the novel The Bear. They were then instructed to do the following:

·         Answer the reading questions in order to help with comprehension and understanding of terminology and inference.

·         You will be writing an essay using this novel as your source.

·         You will also be able to use this novel for the final.

·         You are to have these activities completed for next Monday (November 29).

If you weren't here, print out the questions that I have pasted below:

The Bear

Part One: Pages 1 – 77 Reading Questions

INSTRUCTIONS: These are reading questions. They are meant to help you understand the material and to be able to participate in the discussion. Your exams are based on your understanding of the text, which ties into these questions. I will provide a completion mark for each section. Be as detailed as you feel you need to in order to retain information for essays/exams. Do these on a separate sheet.

Chapters 1-4: The First Night (pages 3-24)

1.      What point of view is this story written from? How do you know this? Provide examples to support your assertion.

2.      Write a well formatted summary for this section of the text. Be sure to include the five Ws as well as the setting and attribution information.

3.      Explain the personalities of the parents from the narrator’s perspective. In order to do this correctly, be sure to pay attention to the details the narrator finds odd.

4.      Describe the narrator’s home environment (away from the camping trip!). Provide details to back up any assertions that might need them.

5.      What is pathetic fallacy? How is pathetic fallacy developed in this section (1 to 5)?

6.      The narrator uses a number of similes. Describe three that stand out for you. Why do they stand out? What impact do they have on your understanding of the story?

7.      Anthropomorphism is present in this section. What is anthropomorphism? How is it used? Why is it used? What suspense or irony does its usage add to this section?

8.      The narrator uses a number of examples of personification. List ten here. Why are they so important in our understanding of the way the narrator interprets what is happening to her? How do they add to the mood at any given time?

9.      The narrator uses a number of examples of onomatopoeia. How do these contribute to the mood of the story?

10.  Children are, by their very natures. Egocentric. This means that they focus on self when examining what is happening around them. For example, when parents of small children divorce, the children often think it is due to some fault of their own. How is the narrator showing she is egocentric? How is this ironic?

11.  At the end of chapter four, the night will end. Chapter five will start at daylight. What immediate needs or concerns will the children have upon awakening? Focus on the reality of their situation as well as the emotional impacts.

12.  What is the initial incident in this novel?

The Bear

Part One: Pages 1 – 77 Reading Questions

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer all of the following questions with as much detail as possible.

Chapters 5 - 7: Reunited

1.      Why is it important for the narrator to be able to personify Coleman?

2.      What do we learn about the narrator’s grandparents while she is contemplating the bear’s nose?

3.      How does the narrator describe the colour she sees on the bear’s mouth? How does the narrator describe the smell she gets from the bear’s mouth? How does she describe what the “dog” is doing after he leaves the Coleman? What is she literally seeing, smelling or hearing?

4.      Why is it important for the narrator to be able to come up with analogies when faced with the unfamiliar?

5.      In many situations, motivations come from the negative. What negative situation leads to the kids abandoning Coleman?

6.      How realistic is the narrator’s assault on her brother while they are in Coleman? Explain providing an example from your own experiences/observations.

7.      There are a lot of comments in chapter six about daddy being gone. Some of these comments involve the mother. From this, what can be inferred about the parent’s relationship?

8.      Another analogy appears when the narrator sees meat on the ground. How does she interpret what she sees? What is she really seeing?

9.      Describe why Anna has animosity toward her brother. Is this animosity normal? From your own observations, provide an anecdote to back up your assertion.

10.  What final promise does the mother give Anna in way of getting her to take her brother off the island?

The Bear

Part One: Pages 1 – 77 Reading Questions

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer all of the following questions with as much detail as possible.

Chapters 8 and 9: Into the Boat

1.      Colloquial dialect, and jargon, are all terms that indicate language usage. Colloquial means informal or everyday language, dialect means the unique accent one has, and jargon means the sort of nonsense language a group may use. In this story, Stick’s age is demonstrated through his use of language. What nonsense words does Stick use that help support his age? What do the mean?

2.      What motivates Anna to get Stick in the boat? What is her main objective? What is her secondary objective?

3.      What game does Anna play with Stick to get him to come to the canoe?

4.      Humans have a hierarchy of needs that can take precedence over wants. What needs are presented in chapter 8? How do Stick’s needs lead to his overall behaviour?

5.      Animals also have a hierarchy of needs. Compare stick’s need for food to that of the bear.

6.       Is behaviour without civilized control that different from behaviour of animals? Explain.

7.      Understanding consequences is a skill that comes with maturity. How are Anna and Stick different when it comes to consequences? Site examples.

Part One Question

Both parents attempt to save their children in their own way. What ways did they incorporate? In this situation, what would you have done differently?

Tues. Nov. 22, 2016: The Bear Before Activity Marking

Today, we marked the "Before" activity questions you were provided with yesterday. Keep in mind that this is an afternoon class. Those who were absent yesterday had this morning from 8 a.m. thru lunch to get this book and do the activity. If you did not do it, you will need to do an alternative using the same questions (see yesterday's blog) and, if you were in class, your notes will suffice for the question on reading time; however, you will have to do an alternative for the rest for the questions. See me for an explanation.

Mon. Nov. 21, 2016: Assess & Reflect & Novel Questions (Before)

Today, you were given your Poetry unit exam back and an assess and reflect activity to do in order to improve self awareness and self regulation.
You were then instructed to go to the library and take out the novel The Bear by Claire Cameron.
I then gave you the "Before" questions to answer prior to reading it. These need to be done for tomorrow's class. I have pasted them below:

Before Activity for The Bear

1.      Examine the book. What colours are present on the cover (front and back).

2.      Symbolically, what do these colours most often represent (think positive and negative connotation and then expand)?

3.      Create a citation for this book using MLA formatting (Fit to Print).

4.      What is the image on the cover? What mood in the reader should this image reflect? Why (again, think positive and negative connotation and then expand).

5.      There is also an image on the binding (side). What does this image reflect about the personalities of both characters represented? Provide as much detail and connotation as you can.

6.      Paraphrase the information presented on the cover about what the book is about. Think of the five W’s to do this. From this, and from the visual clues, create a well-formatted three sentence summary. Don’t forget to include author, genre and title.

7.      Open the book up and read “Praise for The Bear.” After reading it all, determine the following:

·         How many reviews are presented?

·         How well-known are the “sources” of the reviews? How many have you heard of yourself? Write them down and then determine if what you know makes them positive or negative sources to rely on for an accurate review.

·         What stands out the most in the reviewers’ minds about the text?

·         Based on these reviews, what might “click” with you and allow you to have some interest in the text? Explain.

8.      There is a quote by Thornton Wilder prior to the “Contents” page. Read it and reflect. What do you think this means?  Explain.

9.      Examine the “Contents” page. How many sections are you going to have to read to complete this story? Write them down and then write down the number of pages per section.

10.  When the pages without writing and ends/beginnings of chapters are calculated, there are, in total, 229 pages of reading you will have to do. Through calculations, the average number of words on a page is 243. This means you will have to read 55647 words in total. The average reading time for this text is based on the grade nine objective of 215 – 260 wpm. To figure out the time, I divided the total word number by the reading time to get the time in minutes and then divided this number by 60 to get the hours. At 215 words per minute, it will take 4.5 hours. At 260 wpm, it will take 3.5 hours.

Ask your instructor for your reading time (based on your Reading Plus assessment). How long will it take you to read each section if the word count per page is 243? 

Fri. Nov. 18, 2016: Unit Exam

Today, you wrote your unit exam for poetry. If you were absent and did not write it prior, you will need to arrange to write the alternative at lunch next week. I am suggesting Tuesday.

Thurs. Nov. 17, 2016: Test Prep

Today, you were given time to study for your exam, which you will write tomorrow. If you are not here for the exam, you will have to write an alternative at lunch next week.

Wed. Nov. 16, 2016: Marking and Test Prep

Today, we marked "1956: Ambition of the Eldest Son." We examined the readings and answered the questions.
I then presented information on the test you will be writing on Friday. If you will not be here Friday, you may write Thursday at lunch.
The notes on the test are below: in addition, I told the class that there will be three poems to read and that they will get to work into the RTI (no break until after, though).

Poetry Test: Test Prep Sheet: ELA A30

 In order to do well on the upcoming exam, you will need to study and apply the steps to reading poetry. On an exam, I will NOT mark you on questions, summary, purpose or topic so you will NOT need to demonstrate these. I WILL mark you on title analysis, rhyme scheme, stanzas, lines, punctuation, highlight, layout anomaly identification, highlighting unknown words (though you will not be able to look them up; it still helps with identification), and highlighting and defining literary devices.

You will also need to know the following literary devices from your literary devices sheet:

onomatopoeia               simile                    metaphor             imagery

paradox                        oxymoron                     personification

allegory                         irony                             alliteration

allusion                          cacophony                     apostrophe         

In addition, you might also be confused about some of the following words that appear. I recommend defining them and then using them in sentences to determine meaning in context.

Aloofness

Hypocrisy

Impartiality

Contempt

Integrity

Arrogance

Cynical/ cynicism

Melancholy

Gaudy

Restraint

Ornamentation

Drab

Lenin

Russian Revolution

Initiate

pathos

monotony

apathy

commuting

disillusionment

reflective

resignation

irrevocable

susceptible

apathy 

Tues. Nov. 15, 2016: Marking Poetry: "Sisters" by P.K. Page

Today, we marked the answers for "Sisters," by P.K. Page. Students were then reminded that the poetry exam is Friday and that the deadline for the novel study is Friday, January 6. There is little time to waste.

Thurs. Nov. 10, 2016: "Sisters" Questions

Today, I gave students the short multiple choice questions for "Sisters" by Dorothy Roberts. All three poems need to be actively read and have their questions answered for Tuesday's class (you don't need to hand in "Sister's" by P.K. Page's reading as we completed it as a class).

If you are missing the poem "1956: Ambition of the Eldest Son," Sisters" by Dorothy Roberts, or the questions for any of the three above, they are posted on earlier blogs.

Keep in mind also that you will have a unit exam on Friday.

Wed. Nov. 9, 2016: "Sisters" Active Reading

Today, students were to hand in the questions for "1956: Ambition of the Eldest Son."
I then gave them the poem "Sisters" by Dorothy Roberts to actively read and supply a theme and a summary for tomorrow's class.

KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU WILL HAVE A SHORT STORY/POETRY READING COMPREHENSION EXAM NEXT FRIDAY.

I have pasted the the poem below for those who were not here:

SISTERS

My sister and I when we were close together

Clear to each other

Used to slide down beneath the river surface

And in a twist of current see the race

5                Of water break us from our sunny grace.

Wavering, shattered, glimmering each saw

No happy girl she knew

But underwater strangeness, shift and flaw,

Until the bubbles of our laughter drew

10              Us bursting up to the air.

Then we lay bare

And sure and shapely in each other's eyes -

We who no more to certainty can rise

But caught submerged in current of the years

15              See, wavering, each a shape that never clears.

Wed. Nov. 9, 2016: "Sisters" Active Reading

Today, students were to hand in the questions for "1956: Ambition of the Eldest Son."
I then gave them the poem "Sisters" by Dorothy Roberts to actively read and supply a theme and a summary for tomorrow's class.

I have pasted the the poem below for those who were not here:

SISTERS

My sister and I when we were close together

Clear to each other

Used to slide down beneath the river surface

And in a twist of current see the race

5                Of water break us from our sunny grace.

Wavering, shattered, glimmering each saw

No happy girl she knew

But underwater strangeness, shift and flaw,

Until the bubbles of our laughter drew

10              Us bursting up to the air.

Then we lay bare

And sure and shapely in each other's eyes -

We who no more to certainty can rise

But caught submerged in current of the years

15              See, wavering, each a shape that never clears.

Tues. Nov. 8, 2016: Poetry Continued

Today, students were given the questions for the poem "1956: Ambition of the Eldest Son." They are to have these questions answered for tomorrow.

Mon. Nov. 7, 2016: Poetry Analysis

Today, you were to hand in the questions for the poem "Sisters," by P.K. Page.
I then handed out the poem "1956: The Ambition of the Eldest Son." you are to have it actively read for tomorrow's class.
I am pasting it below for those who were not here

1956: The Ambition of the Eldest Son

Running the horses,
my shirt flicking behind me like wings
when the land made room for me
I did not see my ambition then,
how it turned my head to peer down the road.

I dreamt car instead of animal
and trusted non of the women
home-grown by the same tall teachers
(it would have been lilke marrying
my sister, I needed distant flesh, not
the mouths that held old words about me), and walking down the lane
nothing reached out to hold:

I saw green drown or burn or
knocked to the ground, as the dead are
laid out, punctured and dry.
I embraced the road instead, my father's
not-speaking as if he knows
we must ride as the mother says
into the cities, into the houses
keep wordless between the white lines
steadying the self as we pound home
toward the bright children sprawled before
gadgets, in the rec room I am building
under the ground, out of love, I stay
ahead of longing: which is a wasted field
nothing to plow under
a narrow field where the hot animals
must stand day after day
waiting for the gate to come open.

                                       Dale Zieroth

Fri. Nov. 4, 2016: "Sisters" Discussion and Questions

Today, we discussed how to read a poem (I provided you with a sheet on this. I have pasted it below).
We then analyzed the poem "Sisters" by P.K. Page.
I then provided you with questions. These are to be answered actively and submitted for Monday's class.

I have pasted the questions below:

How to Read a Poem

The steps to analyzing a poem are almost the same as the steps to analyzing any other text. You are trying to gain understanding through this process while NOT wasting your time by reading without connecting. Active reading of poetry is effective, especially if you read a poem a few times while doing the steps.

1.      Look at and analyze the title.

2.      Look at how the poem is laid out (stanzas, lines,

rhyme, deviation in shape).

3.      Read it – highlight words or phrases you don’t understand. Look up the meanings and put them in the margin in your own words (draw a line to attach the definition to the word)

4.      Read it again and look for examples of figurative language (highlight and label).

5.      Read the whole thing again and, in stanzas or breaks in direction, paraphrase it in the margins.

6.      On the back, summarize (three sentence) the poem (include attribution information)

7.      On the back, explain what the author is attempting to get across to you (what you should take away from this piece that you can apply to your own experiences)

II.        Read "Sisters" and answer questions 11 to 18.

11.       The imagery in the first stanza conveys the contrast between

A. harshness and mildness

B. rebellion and authority

C. distraction and attention

D. enthusiasm and acceptance

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

12.       The solar system metaphor in the second stanza is effective in that it helps to

A. illustrate the contrast in the setting

B. illustrate the sisters' social inadequacies

C. establish the youthful desire for protection

D. establish the egocentric behavior of the sisters

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

13.       The sisters ' confidence and independence is MOST STRONGLY suggested by

A. "These children split each other open like nuts" (line 1)

B. "they own the sun and spin on separate axes" (lines 6-7)

C. "their joint gentle laughter" (line 11)

D. "leads them into pastures of each others eyes" (lines 11-12)

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

14.       The phrase that serves as an IMMEDIATE contrast to the imagery in the third

stanza is

A. "break and crack" (line 2)

B. "Fierce on the street" (line 6)

C. "attract about them in their motion" (line 8)

D. "in violence hold hatred in their mouths" (line 10)

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

15.       In the third stanza, the position of the phrase "beyond, the world is barren"

reinforces the sisters'

A. boredom with life

B. absorption in each other

C. immunity from responsibility

D. perception of the hardships of others

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

16.       The phrase "contract tenderness from each other like disease" (lines 13-14)

implies that

A. gentleness is contagious

B. the sisters encourage conflict

C. the sisters disturb each other

D. gentleness prevents unhappiness

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

17.       The image in the last line of the poem serves both to describe the quality of

the sisters' speech and to reflect the

A. universal appeal of beauty

B. universal nature of fragility

C. dramatic metamorphoses in the sisters' behavior

D. mysterious metamorphoses in the sisters' growth

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

18.       The poem MOST STRONGLY suggests that the sisters' relationship is both

A. exciting and dull

B. dangerous and safe

C. volatile and nurturing

D. calculated and innocent

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________

It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

Thurs. Nov. 3, 2016: Essay Revison

Today, you were given class time to make your final revisions on your essay and hand it in. If you have time left over, you were to use it to work on your novel study.

Wed. Nov. 2, 2016: Writing Class

Today, students worked on their essays. After some discussion, I decided to extend the writing time by an extra day. The paper will now be due at the end of the day tomorrow.

Today, I handed out a sheet entitled "How to Capitalize Titles in MLA Style." If you were not here, see me for this.

I also explained a law and order example of an essay:

Not Guilty OR guilty (both are thesis until proven)

Wasn't there                Main point 1
No motive                   Main point 2
No capacity                 Main point 3

For each of these points, evidence is needed:

1. Wasn't there:   1.  video from 7 Eleven (time stamped)
                            2.  debit slip at time of crime
                            3. a witness who was with him

Main point 1 would appear in the first paragraph, followed by the evidence explained and the tie in to proving the main point. Then add a concluding sentence. This is how one develops a body paragraph.        

Tues. Nov. 1, 2016: Writing Class

The students have an essay due by the end of the day tomorrow. They will have today and tomorrow to meet this objective.