Irving--English 8, period 2 Semester 2
June 13: Final exam for English 8. Starts at 1:00 pm. In room 206 and room 207. 2 hour exam and bring any books that need to be handed in please.
May 29-June 8: Go over Poetic devices and fill in examples of poetic devices. Go over the following song lyrics and analyse: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (alliteration), Goodbye Blue Sky (symbolism, death), El Paso (ballad), Ironic (irony)
Read over: Road Not Taken, Swift Things are Beautiful, Out Out, Snow, Mushrooms, Wind Tapped Like a Tired Old Man, Shooting Baskets. Write a poem to mirror 'Swift Things Are Beautiful.' Go over grammar sheets and semi colons, capitals, commas and clauses.
April 23-May 27: Outsiders novel. We will read and do questions, journals and vocabulary assignments for chapters 1-10. Then we will have a test on the whole novel. We will finish by watching the movie
April 19-22: Start reading our novel study, 'The Outsiders.' Read Ch. 1 on Wednesday and work on questions on Thurs. Silent reading at beginning of class for 15-20 minutes. Friday read 'Chapter 2' and silent reading at beginning of class.
April 4-13: Continue reading aloud in class/discussing the following First Nations short stories: Sara's Gift, Hockey Game, and Charlie. Do a 8-10 sentences summarizing the story; what the story was about, plot, setting, meaning, protagonist/antagonist, conflict and resolution. For discusssion/verbal marks, read and discuss: My Father, We Missed the Bus, Blue Hand Shield. These stories are for discussion marks only, no written assignment.
Read: 'Reluctant Black Hawk' and do question at the end 1 abcde and a short paragraph on a Canadian athlete who has made a difference or who you want to write about.
Read Jack London's 'To Build A Fire.' Discuss the story with the teacher and then do a 'Short Story Elements' sheet identifying the parts of the story.
March 28-April 1st: Read 'Sooshewan, Child of the Beothuk'. Assignment is to write an essay on 'Rites of Passage', and questions at the end of the story. Start First Nations short story unit--Read 'Mountain Legend' and do a 8-10 sentences summarizing the story; what the story was about, plot, setting, meaning, protagonist/antagonist, conflict and resolution
March 21-25: Do silent reading each day for 15 minutes in class. Read (or finish reading) 'Catch' and go over short story elements verbally in class, with marks for verbal discussion participation. Read 'Out on the Ice', about Brian Burke being an advocate for the gay community but coming from the NHL and an unlikely advocate. Do assignment for 'Out on the Ice'.
Feb 28- March 4: Do Mini book report #3. Silent reading every class for 15 minutes with a novel of your choice.
Read and discuss: p. 98 Life Sentence (about eating disorders), p. 103 Making Hockey History (about women's hockey) and p. 52 'Catch'
Feb. 21-24: Read 'Hockey Sweater' on page. 44 and talk about stereotypes, French Canada, and the elements of the short story.
Watch the video version of 'The Hockey Sweater.' Read 'Truth', short story about First Nations and hockey. Do questions and hand in for 'Truth'. Watch Pingue Hockey Game cartoon to compare to Hockey Sweater, as the two represent 'Truth' and Hockey Sweater stories.
Feb. 14-18: Silent reading each day for 15 minutes. Read 'Day of the Butterfly' p 111 by Alice Munroe and discuss and questions for the story. Read 'Dreams' on page 265. Do assignment (an essay response) for 'Dreams' after discussion and hand in.
Feb. 7-11:
Silent reading each day for 20 minutes. You have one silent reading report for this week and this is #2 as we did one already 2 weeks ago. We worked on getting the Tell-Tale Heart questions and Elements of a Short Story sheet done for T.Tale Heart. We read 'The Monkey's Paw', in Sightlines p. 32 aloud and for verbal marks. Wednesday we will work on questions for the Monkey's Paw and the short story telling about the wishes. We will watch 2 versions of 'The Monkey's Paw' (2011 version 29 minutes) and (2016 version 9 minutes) and do a comparison of the play to the video interpretations. Finally, on Friday we will start the horror film from 2013 titled 'The Monkey's Paw.'
Feb 2-4: Silent read each day for 20 min.(x3 days) Read 'Tell-Tale Heart.' by Edgar Allen Poe. Talk about setting, characterization, point of view, motivation, and other short story elements. Go over questions and answers and then students write out responses in their own words. Work on question sheet with questions about the story, and then re-write the last scene of the story from the perspective of one of the police persons. Watch versions of the Tell Tale Heart: Animated (Annette Jung), Ryan Shovey 2009 version, and Professor Regina Buccola of Roosevelt University analysis of the short story elements and history of Edgar Allan Poe.
Feb. 1: Silent read for 20 min. Finish off 'Identifying Short Story Elements' sheet for 'Thank You Ma'am.' (finish other half the sheet done in class. Sheet should be completed now and hand in to your folder for mark. Go to theatre to watch another version of 'Thank You Ma'am.' We will go over comparisons of versions tomorrow in class.
Jan 31: Silent read for 20 min. Go over what short story elements are for 'Thank You Ma'am '. Go through the 'Identifying Short Story Elements' sheet for 'Thank You Ma'am.' (got half the sheet done in class, so fill out sheet if you haven't). Go to theatre to watch another version of 'Thank You Ma'am.' We will go over comparisons of versions tomorrow in class and finish the short story elements sheet for 'Thank You Ma'am.'
Jan. 24-28:
Silent reading each class for 15-20 minutes. You will write your book paragraph to let me know what you're reading with the details included below and aim for 5-8 sentences. Work on your grammar, usage, and spelling, as well as writing in complete sentences.
Tues/Wed Jan 25/26: Read 'The Street that Got Mislaid', pg 4-11 in Sightlines 8. I have an assignment with questions, vocabulary and short journal entry.
p. 176 Read together and discuss p. 176 'Why Canada Has to Beat Its Literacy Problem.' Talk about illiteracy, what it means, how it affects people, and how language ties in to everything we do in daily living.
Thur Jan 27: Silent read and finish up assignment for 'Street That Got Mislaid' (10-15 minutes max). If everybody is done, we'll mark it in class and hand it in. If everybody not done, then we'll read short story, 'Thank You, Ma'am' p. 14 and give out assignment for this story.
Fri Jan 28: Work on all assignments for the week and hand in if not done so: 'Street..Mislaid,' 'Thank You, Ma'am', 'Canada Has to Beat Literacy Problem.' Also one mini book report paragraph handed in.
Jan. 17-21: Go over class expectations and rules. Talk about how marks are given, writing, participation in discussions, bathroom and cell phone rules, and homework. First assignment is an intro letter. Students will write out or type out a rough copy. I will help them edit the rough copy. Then the good copy will be edited and handed in. Irving will edit your rough draft and conference with you so you can make changes. The good copy will have all grammar and spelling errors fixed up and all parts of the business letter done.
Get silent reading books from library. These will be read each class for 15-20 minutes and you will write a quick report on what you're reading once a week. This week we will also work on writing paragraphs. These paragraphs will have at least 5-8 sentences with a topic statement, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence (kind of a mini essay, but only a paragraph). Mini book report paragraphs will include:
author, title of book, what it's about, why you chose it. I will add in other details to include over the semester.
Ms. Irving's English 8 assignment page:
DEC 15TH: Novel project is due--hand in a writing project and an artistic project.
Dec. 16,17,18: Start poetry unit
Dec 16: Do a novel-movie comparison essay of the Outsiders. Assignment sheet has been given out in class, so if you are not here you need to get it.
Dec. 14/15: Watch 'Outsiders' movie in class
Dec 11: Read out 'Outsiders' play in class.
Dec. 10: Time to work on novel project.
Dec. 8/9: Test on 'The Outsiders.' Test must be done in class (if you are absent, you will be required to do it at lunch time)
Dec. 7: Give out Outsiders novel project. Students will have time to work on it this class. Tomorrow (Tues) we will have a test on the novel, in class.
Dec 4: Work on chapter 10 questions for 1/2 hour, and read 11/12 to finish the novel.
Dec. 3: Silent read, check homework for ch 9, and read ch 10.
Dec. 2: Silent read, time to work on ch 9
Dec. 1: Silent read, read ch 9 in class
Nov. 30: Silent read, work on ch 8 and if you're missing anything else
Nov 27: School off
Nov 26: Silent reading and work on ch 8 (homework over the weekend)
Nov 25 Silent reading and read and discuss ch 8
Nov. 24 Silent read, work on ch 6/7 assignment
Nov. 23: Silent reading--Read and discuss chapter 6 and 7.
Nov. 20: PD day. Ch 5 is due on Monday and will be homework checked then, and marked on Tues.
Nov. 19: Silent reading; finish reading chapter 5, and time to work on chapter 5 assignment
Nov. 18: Silent read. Correct chapter 3 assignment and hand in. Time to finish off Chapter 4 assignment, and read chapter 5 in class.
Nov. 17: Silent reading. Chapter 3 questions due, but will be marked tomorrow (Wed). Time to work on Chapter 4 assignment.
Nov. 16: Silent read. Read chapter 4 and discuss in class.
Nov 13: Silent reading. Write a letter to a student in Nova Scotia, through a pen pal program. You will work on this over this class.
Nov. 12: Silent reading. Finish up reading chapter 3 and time to work on it over class.
Nov. 11 Holiday-Remembrance day
Nov. 10: Remembrance Day lecture and school virtual ceremony.
Nov.9: Silent reading, read chapter 3 in class.
Nov. 6: Silent reading, book report #9, work on and finish chapter 2 questions
Nov 5: School survey, time to work on chapter 2 questions.
Nov 4: silent reading, mark questions for chapter 1 of Outsiders, read chapter 2 of Outsiders
Nov. 3: Silent reading, finish off chapter 1 of Outsiders--questions, journal, and cross word
Nov. 2: Crazy snow day, no class work assigned as most students not here.
Oct. 30: Silent read, read 'Beowulf' as a class and 'Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde' plays aloud and discuss. Work on Chapter 1 of Outsiders assignment.
Oct 28-30--Silent read, finish reading Outsiders chapter 1 and work on questions, crossword and journal assignment
Oct. 27: Silent read--hand out Outsiders books and start chapter 1
Oct. 26: Silent read and catch up on any overdue work.
Oct 23: Silent read and silent read book report #8. Catch up on any overdue work.
Oct. 22: Silent read. Go over test together in class. Finish off any grammar sheets not completed and hand in.
Oct. 21: Test on grammar. Write out paragraphs and 5 multiple choice questions
Oct. 19/20: Silent reading and do application on p. 22. Write out corrected sentences and form paragraphs on lined sheet of paper.
Oct 16: Mini book report and silent reading. p. 19-22 Do practice exercises 1,2, 3, 4, 5
Oct. 15: Silent read and work on grammar sheets p. 16-18 and write out application for Bermuda Triangle on page 18. Write out corrected sentences and paragraphs on separate sheet of lined paper.
Oct 14: Silent read and work on grammar sheets. p. 12-16 Practice exercises 1,2,3,4 did in class together on the sheets. Sheets were handed out in class.
Oct. 13: Silent read, and time to finish off questions for 'Day of the Butterfly.' If not finished in class, then for homework. Ensure that you use complete sentences in your answers, and include the question in the answer.
ie: Who is the protagonist? answer: The protagonist is Helen, because they story centres around her perceptions of Myra and the other girls' treatment of Myra.
Oct 9: Silent read, silent reading mini report #6, finish off 'Day of the Butterfly' and start questions
Oct 8: Silent read, start reading 'Day of the Butterfly' p 111
Oct. 7: Silent read, finish up 'Out on the Ice' and hand in questions
Oct 6: Start reading article 'Out on the Ice', do discussion and written assignment.
Oct. 1, 2, 5: Silent read. Mon. Oct 5th is a mark update and day to catch up on any overdue assignments.
Sept 30: Silent read. Do #5 silent reading mini book report. Work on 'Truth' assignment.
Sept 29: Silent read. Read WP Kinsella's short story, 'Truth'. Talk about stereotypes, politically correct language, pre conceived ideas of First Nations and French Canadians. Answer questions together in class.
Sept 28: Silent reading, finish off the play in Sightlines, See Saw, pg 82 and discuss characterization. Then read 'The Hockey Sweater', and discuss irony, moral, theme, protagonist, antagonist, symbolism, setting, dialect, and cultural significance to the story. Watch the NFB's version of the story, animated, on Youtube and read the presentation analysis of the story on this website: https://prezi.com/jxvx2gt7piyd/the-hockey-sweater/
Sept 25: Silent reading, mini silent reading report #4, and start to read play on p 73 See Saw.
Sept 24: Fire drill (period 1) silent reading, finish 'The Cool Crowd' reading and discussion
Sept 23: Finish up discussing short story elements and read short story, 'Ambush' on pg 60 and discuss what it means to kill somebody in a war situation. Start reading 'The Cool Crowd' on pg. 68 and discuss cliques in school, negatives and positives of belonging to a social group
Sept 22: Silent read and go over elements of a short story for CATCH (sheet given out)
Elements of a Short Story Short story title and author: _________________________
Identify each of the elements for short story being studied.
1 Antagonist: The antagonist is the major character or force that opposes the protagonist
2 atmosphere: is the mood of the story
3 characterization: is a method for presenting qualities or features of a character in a story
Pick 3 characters to give descriptions for:
4 Climax: Is the highest point of emotional intensity or the main crisis
5 Conflict: struggle between two opposing characters or forces. There are 3 main types:
A Conflict between a character and the environment, nature or society (external)
B Conflict between 2 characters (external)
C Conflict within a character (internal); a conflict with their thoughts/emotions
Which type of conflict is this story? How do you know?
6 Crisis: a moment of intense conflict leading up to the main crisis, which is the climax
7 denouement: the resolution of the conflict; matters are explained or resolved
8 dialect: is a form of speech characteristic of a region, social class, or people
9 dilemma: situation in which a character must make a difficult choice between two undesirable choices or alternatives
10 foreshadowing: gives a hint of what is to happen later in the story
11 irony: is a device which reveals contradictory meanings (like Alanis Morsette’s song: ‘It’s Like Rain on Your Wedding Day.’
12 Moral: Implied lesson in the story
13 motivation: what causes a character to do what they do
14 plot: organization of incidents within a story is the plot
15 Point of view: is the perspective from which the story is told. There are 3 types:
A First person narrative: protagonist telling their own story directly to the reader (uses ‘I)
B Limited Omniscient narrative or third person: refers to main character as ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘them’ and shows us only what the one character thinks/feels- from the perspective of somebody outside of the story
C Omniscient narrative: reveals the minds of several or all characters
Which type is this story?
16 Protagonist: is the main character of the story or who the story centers around
17 rising action: is the event(s) that lead up to the climax or to the most imp. part of the story
18 setting: is the time and place of the story
19 stereotype: a widely held but fixed or oversimplified image or idea of a person or thing
20 symbolism: is something that stands for something else
21 theme: central or main idea of the story
Sept 21: Silent read and then read 'Catch' p 51 from Sightlines and discuss elements of a short story
Sept 18 Terry Fox Run
Sept 17: Work on Tell Tale Heart assignment --this was handed out in class.
Sept 16: Silent reading. Watch second film about Tell Tale Heart and then work on questions
Sept 15: Read 'Tell Tale Heart' and watch film about the story
Tell Tale Heart Questions by Edgar Allen Poe
1 Why does the narrator lead the policemen to the old man’s room? Why does he say the police ‘knew’ that the body was hidden there? Do you agree with his perception? Comment.
2 What is the narrator’s motivation for murder? Is it valid? Why or why not?
3 What is the narrator’s nervous disease? Have you ever known or heard about somebody developing a nervous reaction after doing something they felt guilty about? What kind of nervous disorder did the person develop? What happened?
4 What are some of the conflicts in the story? What effect does telling the story from the narrator’s point of view have on the development of conflict?
5 What are the two main symbols in the story? What does each one represent? What is one other symbol Poe might have chosen?
6 Rewrite the final scene of the story from the perspective of one of the constables (policepersons) You might wish to write the official report filed by them.
Spelling: schizophrenia
Sept. 14: Silent read and mini book report 2 due. Finish up Terry Fox business letters, if not done
Sept. 11: Time to work on your Monkey's Paw assignment. Do questions and write your short story. We will watch a short film of the Monkey's Paw.
Sept. 10: Read aloud as a class 'The Monkey's Paw' play in Sightelines 8. Assignment sheet:
Monkey’s Paw p. 32-41 Sightlines 8
Questions: Answer in complete sentences incorporating the question into the answer.
1. Suspense: How does the author create suspense in the story? (think of hints of what’s about to come, or foreshadowing)
2. Coincidence: What does coincidence mean? (you can look up a definition or explain it in your own words). How does coincidence play a role in the play?
3. Write a short story about how the first owner of the paw ended up wishing for death. In your short story, include the following:
-a title for your story
-your character’s name, and a description of that person (elderly or young, man or woman, etc.)
-where your story takes place (setting—time and place, with description)
-what the three wishes are, in detail, and make sure it’s clear how they are linked
-use paragraphs and complete sentences to write your story
-a beginning, middle and an end
Length: A minimum of one page, maximum of two pages.
Sept. 9: Silent read 20 minutes. Finish Terry Fox donation letters, edit with teacher, and print and sign.
Sept. 8: Silent read 20 minutes. Work on Terry Fox donation request letters. Use the class to write a rough copy and type it up.
Sept 4: Silent read for 20 minutes. Give assignment update sheet--students will go through their folders and have a work period to get any work not handed in done. Anything not done from Aug. 20-Sept 4th is due on Tuesday, Sept. 8th.
Sept. 3rd: Silent read for 20 minutes. After your reading time, you will write me a quick 5 sentence paragraph telling me what your book is about (I will put some prompters on the board). After you do your silent reading report, you will have time to get 'The Street That Got Mislaid' assignment done, or any other assignments done that are not yet handed in.\
Silent reading mini report:
In a paragraph (5-8 sentences) tell me about the book you’re reading. Include the following:
Your name
-title of the assignment which is: Silent Reading Mini Report
-title, author
-protagonist (main character) and supporting characters
-antagonist (person, force, thing causing conflict for the protagonist)
-Setting-where it takes place (location, era, 50’, 60’s, etc)
-Conflict in the story
-What you like or find interesting so far
Use descriptive writing and add details from the story. I don’t want a whole big recount of the story; I just want a simple summary of what you’ve read so far. I don’t want more than 8 sentences, as it is only a summary.
Sept. 2nd: Read story in class, 'The Street That Got Mislaid.' p 4 Sightlines. Upon finishing the reading, you will answer the following questions: (handout given in class)
The Street that Got Mislaid by Patrick Waddintion. Pg. 4 Sightlines 8
Find these vocabulary words in the story and give a definition of them as the word is used in the story.
Mislay (verb)
Incantation (noun)
Diminutive (adjective)
Infallible (adjective)
Cobblestone (noun)
Make sure you answer all questions in complete sentences in order to get full marks.
1.What is Marc Girondin’s job? In what department does he work?
2. What was the importance of “his files”?
3. What happened one day to shock Marc?
4. What does he decide to do about it?
5. How does Marc find Green Bottle Street?
6. What does Marc learn about the little community that lives on Green Bottle Street?
7. What decision(s) does Marc make at the end of the story?
8. What would you do in Marc’s place? Why?
9. Do you think if Marc turned in the residents of Green Bottle Street they would charged for not paying their taxes? Explain.
10. Creative response: Write a journal entry, pretending that you are Marc Girondin. You have moved to Green Bottle Street and you will write about how your life is different living with Miss Trusdale and the others. How will you keep your secret of living there? ½ a page to a page
Sept. 1st: Read the story in class, 'Thank-You Ma'am.' p 14 Sightlines 8 After reading, do the following assignment:
Thank You Ma’am p. 14 Sightlines 8
1) Write a paragraph (5-8) sentences, telling me if you think Ms. Luella Jones did the right thing.
2) Pretend that you are Roger (in a few years, so future). You will write a short journal about your experience with Ms. Jones and trying to steal her purse. Write about your reflections of whether the experience changes you and your criminal behavior, or not. Give solid reasons to back up your viewpoint in your writing. (also 5-8 sentences or ½ a page)
Aug 28-Sept 1st (due on Sept. 1st): Read in 'Sightlines 8' on page 265 'Dreams'. You will respond to the story dreams with the following writing assignment:
Dreams p. 265 Sightlines 8
Write a respons to the story, ‘Dreams.’ Contrast some activities or jobs associated with living in the Yukon to activities/jobs that are more associated with living in a big city, like Toronto or Vancouver. Towards the end of your writing, tell me where you see yourself living and working as an adult. Length: ½ a page to a page or (8-10 sentences).
If you aren’t sure how to start it, you can borrow my intro: (you will write the rest of it; this is just to get you started if you’re stuck)
In our English 8 class, we read about a man and his dream for his career. He ended up not following his dream and working in Toronto. I’m going to contrast jobs/activities associated with the city to jobs/activities associated with the Yukon.
August 25-27: Get silent reading books from library. These will be read each class for 15-20 minutes and you will write a quick report on what you're reading once a week. This week we will also work on writing paragraphs. These paragraphs will have at least 5-8 sentences with a topic statement, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence (kind of a mini essay, but only a paragraph). Students should aim to do 3 paragraphs but one or two (minimum)
August 20-25: Worked on an intro letter to teacher. The letter is a formal business letter, typed up and with lots of detail and description. Ms. Irving will edit your rough draft and conference with you so you can make changes. The good copy will have all grammar and spelling errors fixed up and all parts of the business letter done.
June 13: Final exam for English 8. Starts at 1:00 pm. In room 206 and room 207. 2 hour exam and bring any books that need to be handed in please.
May 29-June 8: Go over Poetic devices and fill in examples of poetic devices. Go over the following song lyrics and analyse: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (alliteration), Goodbye Blue Sky (symbolism, death), El Paso (ballad), Ironic (irony)
Read over: Road Not Taken, Swift Things are Beautiful, Out Out, Snow, Mushrooms, Wind Tapped Like a Tired Old Man, Shooting Baskets. Write a poem to mirror 'Swift Things Are Beautiful.' Go over grammar sheets and semi colons, capitals, commas and clauses.
April 23-May 27: Outsiders novel. We will read and do questions, journals and vocabulary assignments for chapters 1-10. Then we will have a test on the whole novel. We will finish by watching the movie
April 19-22: Start reading our novel study, 'The Outsiders.' Read Ch. 1 on Wednesday and work on questions on Thurs. Silent reading at beginning of class for 15-20 minutes. Friday read 'Chapter 2' and silent reading at beginning of class.
April 4-13: Continue reading aloud in class/discussing the following First Nations short stories: Sara's Gift, Hockey Game, and Charlie. Do a 8-10 sentences summarizing the story; what the story was about, plot, setting, meaning, protagonist/antagonist, conflict and resolution. For discusssion/verbal marks, read and discuss: My Father, We Missed the Bus, Blue Hand Shield. These stories are for discussion marks only, no written assignment.
Read: 'Reluctant Black Hawk' and do question at the end 1 abcde and a short paragraph on a Canadian athlete who has made a difference or who you want to write about.
Read Jack London's 'To Build A Fire.' Discuss the story with the teacher and then do a 'Short Story Elements' sheet identifying the parts of the story.
March 28-April 1st: Read 'Sooshewan, Child of the Beothuk'. Assignment is to write an essay on 'Rites of Passage', and questions at the end of the story. Start First Nations short story unit--Read 'Mountain Legend' and do a 8-10 sentences summarizing the story; what the story was about, plot, setting, meaning, protagonist/antagonist, conflict and resolution
March 21-25: Do silent reading each day for 15 minutes in class. Read (or finish reading) 'Catch' and go over short story elements verbally in class, with marks for verbal discussion participation. Read 'Out on the Ice', about Brian Burke being an advocate for the gay community but coming from the NHL and an unlikely advocate. Do assignment for 'Out on the Ice'.
Feb 28- March 4: Do Mini book report #3. Silent reading every class for 15 minutes with a novel of your choice.
Read and discuss: p. 98 Life Sentence (about eating disorders), p. 103 Making Hockey History (about women's hockey) and p. 52 'Catch'
Feb. 21-24: Read 'Hockey Sweater' on page. 44 and talk about stereotypes, French Canada, and the elements of the short story.
Watch the video version of 'The Hockey Sweater.' Read 'Truth', short story about First Nations and hockey. Do questions and hand in for 'Truth'. Watch Pingue Hockey Game cartoon to compare to Hockey Sweater, as the two represent 'Truth' and Hockey Sweater stories.
Feb. 14-18: Silent reading each day for 15 minutes. Read 'Day of the Butterfly' p 111 by Alice Munroe and discuss and questions for the story. Read 'Dreams' on page 265. Do assignment (an essay response) for 'Dreams' after discussion and hand in.
Feb. 7-11:
Silent reading each day for 20 minutes. You have one silent reading report for this week and this is #2 as we did one already 2 weeks ago. We worked on getting the Tell-Tale Heart questions and Elements of a Short Story sheet done for T.Tale Heart. We read 'The Monkey's Paw', in Sightlines p. 32 aloud and for verbal marks. Wednesday we will work on questions for the Monkey's Paw and the short story telling about the wishes. We will watch 2 versions of 'The Monkey's Paw' (2011 version 29 minutes) and (2016 version 9 minutes) and do a comparison of the play to the video interpretations. Finally, on Friday we will start the horror film from 2013 titled 'The Monkey's Paw.'
Feb 2-4: Silent read each day for 20 min.(x3 days) Read 'Tell-Tale Heart.' by Edgar Allen Poe. Talk about setting, characterization, point of view, motivation, and other short story elements. Go over questions and answers and then students write out responses in their own words. Work on question sheet with questions about the story, and then re-write the last scene of the story from the perspective of one of the police persons. Watch versions of the Tell Tale Heart: Animated (Annette Jung), Ryan Shovey 2009 version, and Professor Regina Buccola of Roosevelt University analysis of the short story elements and history of Edgar Allan Poe.
Feb. 1: Silent read for 20 min. Finish off 'Identifying Short Story Elements' sheet for 'Thank You Ma'am.' (finish other half the sheet done in class. Sheet should be completed now and hand in to your folder for mark. Go to theatre to watch another version of 'Thank You Ma'am.' We will go over comparisons of versions tomorrow in class.
Jan 31: Silent read for 20 min. Go over what short story elements are for 'Thank You Ma'am '. Go through the 'Identifying Short Story Elements' sheet for 'Thank You Ma'am.' (got half the sheet done in class, so fill out sheet if you haven't). Go to theatre to watch another version of 'Thank You Ma'am.' We will go over comparisons of versions tomorrow in class and finish the short story elements sheet for 'Thank You Ma'am.'
Jan. 24-28:
Silent reading each class for 15-20 minutes. You will write your book paragraph to let me know what you're reading with the details included below and aim for 5-8 sentences. Work on your grammar, usage, and spelling, as well as writing in complete sentences.
Tues/Wed Jan 25/26: Read 'The Street that Got Mislaid', pg 4-11 in Sightlines 8. I have an assignment with questions, vocabulary and short journal entry.
p. 176 Read together and discuss p. 176 'Why Canada Has to Beat Its Literacy Problem.' Talk about illiteracy, what it means, how it affects people, and how language ties in to everything we do in daily living.
Thur Jan 27: Silent read and finish up assignment for 'Street That Got Mislaid' (10-15 minutes max). If everybody is done, we'll mark it in class and hand it in. If everybody not done, then we'll read short story, 'Thank You, Ma'am' p. 14 and give out assignment for this story.
Fri Jan 28: Work on all assignments for the week and hand in if not done so: 'Street..Mislaid,' 'Thank You, Ma'am', 'Canada Has to Beat Literacy Problem.' Also one mini book report paragraph handed in.
Jan. 17-21: Go over class expectations and rules. Talk about how marks are given, writing, participation in discussions, bathroom and cell phone rules, and homework. First assignment is an intro letter. Students will write out or type out a rough copy. I will help them edit the rough copy. Then the good copy will be edited and handed in. Irving will edit your rough draft and conference with you so you can make changes. The good copy will have all grammar and spelling errors fixed up and all parts of the business letter done.
Get silent reading books from library. These will be read each class for 15-20 minutes and you will write a quick report on what you're reading once a week. This week we will also work on writing paragraphs. These paragraphs will have at least 5-8 sentences with a topic statement, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence (kind of a mini essay, but only a paragraph). Mini book report paragraphs will include:
author, title of book, what it's about, why you chose it. I will add in other details to include over the semester.
Ms. Irving's English 8 assignment page:
DEC 15TH: Novel project is due--hand in a writing project and an artistic project.
Dec. 16,17,18: Start poetry unit
Dec 16: Do a novel-movie comparison essay of the Outsiders. Assignment sheet has been given out in class, so if you are not here you need to get it.
Dec. 14/15: Watch 'Outsiders' movie in class
Dec 11: Read out 'Outsiders' play in class.
Dec. 10: Time to work on novel project.
Dec. 8/9: Test on 'The Outsiders.' Test must be done in class (if you are absent, you will be required to do it at lunch time)
Dec. 7: Give out Outsiders novel project. Students will have time to work on it this class. Tomorrow (Tues) we will have a test on the novel, in class.
Dec 4: Work on chapter 10 questions for 1/2 hour, and read 11/12 to finish the novel.
Dec. 3: Silent read, check homework for ch 9, and read ch 10.
Dec. 2: Silent read, time to work on ch 9
Dec. 1: Silent read, read ch 9 in class
Nov. 30: Silent read, work on ch 8 and if you're missing anything else
Nov 27: School off
Nov 26: Silent reading and work on ch 8 (homework over the weekend)
Nov 25 Silent reading and read and discuss ch 8
Nov. 24 Silent read, work on ch 6/7 assignment
Nov. 23: Silent reading--Read and discuss chapter 6 and 7.
Nov. 20: PD day. Ch 5 is due on Monday and will be homework checked then, and marked on Tues.
Nov. 19: Silent reading; finish reading chapter 5, and time to work on chapter 5 assignment
Nov. 18: Silent read. Correct chapter 3 assignment and hand in. Time to finish off Chapter 4 assignment, and read chapter 5 in class.
Nov. 17: Silent reading. Chapter 3 questions due, but will be marked tomorrow (Wed). Time to work on Chapter 4 assignment.
Nov. 16: Silent read. Read chapter 4 and discuss in class.
Nov 13: Silent reading. Write a letter to a student in Nova Scotia, through a pen pal program. You will work on this over this class.
Nov. 12: Silent reading. Finish up reading chapter 3 and time to work on it over class.
Nov. 11 Holiday-Remembrance day
Nov. 10: Remembrance Day lecture and school virtual ceremony.
Nov.9: Silent reading, read chapter 3 in class.
Nov. 6: Silent reading, book report #9, work on and finish chapter 2 questions
Nov 5: School survey, time to work on chapter 2 questions.
Nov 4: silent reading, mark questions for chapter 1 of Outsiders, read chapter 2 of Outsiders
Nov. 3: Silent reading, finish off chapter 1 of Outsiders--questions, journal, and cross word
Nov. 2: Crazy snow day, no class work assigned as most students not here.
Oct. 30: Silent read, read 'Beowulf' as a class and 'Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde' plays aloud and discuss. Work on Chapter 1 of Outsiders assignment.
Oct 28-30--Silent read, finish reading Outsiders chapter 1 and work on questions, crossword and journal assignment
Oct. 27: Silent read--hand out Outsiders books and start chapter 1
Oct. 26: Silent read and catch up on any overdue work.
Oct 23: Silent read and silent read book report #8. Catch up on any overdue work.
Oct. 22: Silent read. Go over test together in class. Finish off any grammar sheets not completed and hand in.
Oct. 21: Test on grammar. Write out paragraphs and 5 multiple choice questions
Oct. 19/20: Silent reading and do application on p. 22. Write out corrected sentences and form paragraphs on lined sheet of paper.
Oct 16: Mini book report and silent reading. p. 19-22 Do practice exercises 1,2, 3, 4, 5
Oct. 15: Silent read and work on grammar sheets p. 16-18 and write out application for Bermuda Triangle on page 18. Write out corrected sentences and paragraphs on separate sheet of lined paper.
Oct 14: Silent read and work on grammar sheets. p. 12-16 Practice exercises 1,2,3,4 did in class together on the sheets. Sheets were handed out in class.
Oct. 13: Silent read, and time to finish off questions for 'Day of the Butterfly.' If not finished in class, then for homework. Ensure that you use complete sentences in your answers, and include the question in the answer.
ie: Who is the protagonist? answer: The protagonist is Helen, because they story centres around her perceptions of Myra and the other girls' treatment of Myra.
Oct 9: Silent read, silent reading mini report #6, finish off 'Day of the Butterfly' and start questions
Oct 8: Silent read, start reading 'Day of the Butterfly' p 111
Oct. 7: Silent read, finish up 'Out on the Ice' and hand in questions
Oct 6: Start reading article 'Out on the Ice', do discussion and written assignment.
Oct. 1, 2, 5: Silent read. Mon. Oct 5th is a mark update and day to catch up on any overdue assignments.
Sept 30: Silent read. Do #5 silent reading mini book report. Work on 'Truth' assignment.
Sept 29: Silent read. Read WP Kinsella's short story, 'Truth'. Talk about stereotypes, politically correct language, pre conceived ideas of First Nations and French Canadians. Answer questions together in class.
Sept 28: Silent reading, finish off the play in Sightlines, See Saw, pg 82 and discuss characterization. Then read 'The Hockey Sweater', and discuss irony, moral, theme, protagonist, antagonist, symbolism, setting, dialect, and cultural significance to the story. Watch the NFB's version of the story, animated, on Youtube and read the presentation analysis of the story on this website: https://prezi.com/jxvx2gt7piyd/the-hockey-sweater/
Sept 25: Silent reading, mini silent reading report #4, and start to read play on p 73 See Saw.
Sept 24: Fire drill (period 1) silent reading, finish 'The Cool Crowd' reading and discussion
Sept 23: Finish up discussing short story elements and read short story, 'Ambush' on pg 60 and discuss what it means to kill somebody in a war situation. Start reading 'The Cool Crowd' on pg. 68 and discuss cliques in school, negatives and positives of belonging to a social group
Sept 22: Silent read and go over elements of a short story for CATCH (sheet given out)
Elements of a Short Story Short story title and author: _________________________
Identify each of the elements for short story being studied.
1 Antagonist: The antagonist is the major character or force that opposes the protagonist
2 atmosphere: is the mood of the story
3 characterization: is a method for presenting qualities or features of a character in a story
Pick 3 characters to give descriptions for:
4 Climax: Is the highest point of emotional intensity or the main crisis
5 Conflict: struggle between two opposing characters or forces. There are 3 main types:
A Conflict between a character and the environment, nature or society (external)
B Conflict between 2 characters (external)
C Conflict within a character (internal); a conflict with their thoughts/emotions
Which type of conflict is this story? How do you know?
6 Crisis: a moment of intense conflict leading up to the main crisis, which is the climax
7 denouement: the resolution of the conflict; matters are explained or resolved
8 dialect: is a form of speech characteristic of a region, social class, or people
9 dilemma: situation in which a character must make a difficult choice between two undesirable choices or alternatives
10 foreshadowing: gives a hint of what is to happen later in the story
11 irony: is a device which reveals contradictory meanings (like Alanis Morsette’s song: ‘It’s Like Rain on Your Wedding Day.’
12 Moral: Implied lesson in the story
13 motivation: what causes a character to do what they do
14 plot: organization of incidents within a story is the plot
15 Point of view: is the perspective from which the story is told. There are 3 types:
A First person narrative: protagonist telling their own story directly to the reader (uses ‘I)
B Limited Omniscient narrative or third person: refers to main character as ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘them’ and shows us only what the one character thinks/feels- from the perspective of somebody outside of the story
C Omniscient narrative: reveals the minds of several or all characters
Which type is this story?
16 Protagonist: is the main character of the story or who the story centers around
17 rising action: is the event(s) that lead up to the climax or to the most imp. part of the story
18 setting: is the time and place of the story
19 stereotype: a widely held but fixed or oversimplified image or idea of a person or thing
20 symbolism: is something that stands for something else
21 theme: central or main idea of the story
Sept 21: Silent read and then read 'Catch' p 51 from Sightlines and discuss elements of a short story
Sept 18 Terry Fox Run
Sept 17: Work on Tell Tale Heart assignment --this was handed out in class.
Sept 16: Silent reading. Watch second film about Tell Tale Heart and then work on questions
Sept 15: Read 'Tell Tale Heart' and watch film about the story
Tell Tale Heart Questions by Edgar Allen Poe
1 Why does the narrator lead the policemen to the old man’s room? Why does he say the police ‘knew’ that the body was hidden there? Do you agree with his perception? Comment.
2 What is the narrator’s motivation for murder? Is it valid? Why or why not?
3 What is the narrator’s nervous disease? Have you ever known or heard about somebody developing a nervous reaction after doing something they felt guilty about? What kind of nervous disorder did the person develop? What happened?
4 What are some of the conflicts in the story? What effect does telling the story from the narrator’s point of view have on the development of conflict?
5 What are the two main symbols in the story? What does each one represent? What is one other symbol Poe might have chosen?
6 Rewrite the final scene of the story from the perspective of one of the constables (policepersons) You might wish to write the official report filed by them.
Spelling: schizophrenia
Sept. 14: Silent read and mini book report 2 due. Finish up Terry Fox business letters, if not done
Sept. 11: Time to work on your Monkey's Paw assignment. Do questions and write your short story. We will watch a short film of the Monkey's Paw.
Sept. 10: Read aloud as a class 'The Monkey's Paw' play in Sightelines 8. Assignment sheet:
Monkey’s Paw p. 32-41 Sightlines 8
Questions: Answer in complete sentences incorporating the question into the answer.
1. Suspense: How does the author create suspense in the story? (think of hints of what’s about to come, or foreshadowing)
2. Coincidence: What does coincidence mean? (you can look up a definition or explain it in your own words). How does coincidence play a role in the play?
3. Write a short story about how the first owner of the paw ended up wishing for death. In your short story, include the following:
-a title for your story
-your character’s name, and a description of that person (elderly or young, man or woman, etc.)
-where your story takes place (setting—time and place, with description)
-what the three wishes are, in detail, and make sure it’s clear how they are linked
-use paragraphs and complete sentences to write your story
-a beginning, middle and an end
Length: A minimum of one page, maximum of two pages.
Sept. 9: Silent read 20 minutes. Finish Terry Fox donation letters, edit with teacher, and print and sign.
Sept. 8: Silent read 20 minutes. Work on Terry Fox donation request letters. Use the class to write a rough copy and type it up.
Sept 4: Silent read for 20 minutes. Give assignment update sheet--students will go through their folders and have a work period to get any work not handed in done. Anything not done from Aug. 20-Sept 4th is due on Tuesday, Sept. 8th.
Sept. 3rd: Silent read for 20 minutes. After your reading time, you will write me a quick 5 sentence paragraph telling me what your book is about (I will put some prompters on the board). After you do your silent reading report, you will have time to get 'The Street That Got Mislaid' assignment done, or any other assignments done that are not yet handed in.\
Silent reading mini report:
In a paragraph (5-8 sentences) tell me about the book you’re reading. Include the following:
Your name
-title of the assignment which is: Silent Reading Mini Report
-title, author
-protagonist (main character) and supporting characters
-antagonist (person, force, thing causing conflict for the protagonist)
-Setting-where it takes place (location, era, 50’, 60’s, etc)
-Conflict in the story
-What you like or find interesting so far
Use descriptive writing and add details from the story. I don’t want a whole big recount of the story; I just want a simple summary of what you’ve read so far. I don’t want more than 8 sentences, as it is only a summary.
Sept. 2nd: Read story in class, 'The Street That Got Mislaid.' p 4 Sightlines. Upon finishing the reading, you will answer the following questions: (handout given in class)
The Street that Got Mislaid by Patrick Waddintion. Pg. 4 Sightlines 8
Find these vocabulary words in the story and give a definition of them as the word is used in the story.
Mislay (verb)
Incantation (noun)
Diminutive (adjective)
Infallible (adjective)
Cobblestone (noun)
Make sure you answer all questions in complete sentences in order to get full marks.
1.What is Marc Girondin’s job? In what department does he work?
2. What was the importance of “his files”?
3. What happened one day to shock Marc?
4. What does he decide to do about it?
5. How does Marc find Green Bottle Street?
6. What does Marc learn about the little community that lives on Green Bottle Street?
7. What decision(s) does Marc make at the end of the story?
8. What would you do in Marc’s place? Why?
9. Do you think if Marc turned in the residents of Green Bottle Street they would charged for not paying their taxes? Explain.
10. Creative response: Write a journal entry, pretending that you are Marc Girondin. You have moved to Green Bottle Street and you will write about how your life is different living with Miss Trusdale and the others. How will you keep your secret of living there? ½ a page to a page
Sept. 1st: Read the story in class, 'Thank-You Ma'am.' p 14 Sightlines 8 After reading, do the following assignment:
Thank You Ma’am p. 14 Sightlines 8
1) Write a paragraph (5-8) sentences, telling me if you think Ms. Luella Jones did the right thing.
2) Pretend that you are Roger (in a few years, so future). You will write a short journal about your experience with Ms. Jones and trying to steal her purse. Write about your reflections of whether the experience changes you and your criminal behavior, or not. Give solid reasons to back up your viewpoint in your writing. (also 5-8 sentences or ½ a page)
Aug 28-Sept 1st (due on Sept. 1st): Read in 'Sightlines 8' on page 265 'Dreams'. You will respond to the story dreams with the following writing assignment:
Dreams p. 265 Sightlines 8
Write a respons to the story, ‘Dreams.’ Contrast some activities or jobs associated with living in the Yukon to activities/jobs that are more associated with living in a big city, like Toronto or Vancouver. Towards the end of your writing, tell me where you see yourself living and working as an adult. Length: ½ a page to a page or (8-10 sentences).
If you aren’t sure how to start it, you can borrow my intro: (you will write the rest of it; this is just to get you started if you’re stuck)
In our English 8 class, we read about a man and his dream for his career. He ended up not following his dream and working in Toronto. I’m going to contrast jobs/activities associated with the city to jobs/activities associated with the Yukon.
August 25-27: Get silent reading books from library. These will be read each class for 15-20 minutes and you will write a quick report on what you're reading once a week. This week we will also work on writing paragraphs. These paragraphs will have at least 5-8 sentences with a topic statement, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence (kind of a mini essay, but only a paragraph). Students should aim to do 3 paragraphs but one or two (minimum)
August 20-25: Worked on an intro letter to teacher. The letter is a formal business letter, typed up and with lots of detail and description. Ms. Irving will edit your rough draft and conference with you so you can make changes. The good copy will have all grammar and spelling errors fixed up and all parts of the business letter done.