Oct 31. Happy Halloween

Hello Everyone!

A year ago today we were in the clean up stages of Super Storm Sandy.  Many of us were displaced and had to spend the Halloween season somewhere other then our homes.

For Homework:

Please read the article  Surviving Hurricane Sandy and answer the questions at the end of the article (you have to click the arrows  <--  or  --> to get to the next page).

**What is neat about this online article is that there is an option for the article to be read aloud.  Click the purple Listen button the on bottom right and the article will be read aloud.

Have a safe Halloween!

Oct 30

Happy day before Halloween!

As I mentioned in class, tomorrow I will tell the story of the Headless Horseman.

For Homework:

Please read some quick information about the Headless Horseman (or read the excerpt below) and answer the following questions.

1.) Where does the tale of the Headless Horseman take place?

2.) Who are the main characters in the Headless Horseman tale?

3.) Who is the Headless Horseman?

4.) What happens to Ichabod Crane?

The story of the Headless Horseman takes place during the 1790s in a community referred to as "Sleepy Hollow" near Tarrytown, New York. Ichabod Crane (a schoolmaster from Connecticut) competes with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt (the local thug) for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel (daughter of a wealthy farmer). 

According to the story, a Hessian trooper (who lost his head to a cannonball during the American Revolution) was buried near the Old Dutch Church and was known to haunt the area every night in search of his missing head, harming anyone who stands in his way. One autumn night as Crane leaves a party at the Van Tassel Home, he encounters this Headless Horseman and is never heard from again.

Oct. 29

Hello Everyone!

Reminder:  Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up!  Please let me know if someone from home plans on attending!


For Homework:  Edit the following sentences

1.)  Mary went to the stor and did not buy nething

2.)  steve wen to school and sat with his frinds.

3.) we should all try to do an ac of kindness everyday

Oct 28

Hello Folks,

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  It was great to read some of the events (things you did) over the weekend. 

For Homework:
Read the following article and answer the questions (the questions are similar to the ones you answered in class today).

Bats Article

Questions:

1.) What do bats eat?

2.) What does the word nocturnal mean?

3.) Bats are the mammal that can: (Circle the right answer) 
                           Sing                   Fly                Sleep

4.) What is one new thing you learned about bat?



Answer in the comment section below or hand in during class.

October 24

Good day folks!

Today we started talking about plot and the elements of a story that make up plot.

For Homework:

Label each of these sentences either:     EXPOSITION            RISING ACTION          CONFLICT

1.) Two people are arguing. One bought a piece of land from the other. When he went to the land to build a house, a neighbor claimed he owned some of the land and showed an official document to prove it. 

This is an example of : ______________________________________


2.) Romeo and Juliet meeting each other for the first time at the Capulet's party and announcing their love for each other  (Their families are enemies). 

This is an example of :______________________________

3.) A little girl with a red capes walks through the woods to deliver food to her sick grandmother 

This is an example of: __________________________________

Oct 22

Hello Everyone!  

As we are nearing the end of Grapes of Wrath, I want you to start thinking of the implications of the text (why do we care about Grapes of Wrath, how does it affect me now?).


For Homework:

Compare the lives of the Joad family to the lives of the Native Americans in Wounded Knee.

Hint: The Joad family had to leave their farm because of the Dust Bowl and their inability to pay back the banks.  Why did Native Americans have to leave their homelands?

1.) Use at least three sentences 
2.) Provide specific examples
3.) Show your knowledge of the books!  Now is your time to show off!

You can answer int he comment section below OR turn in a hard copy during class.

Oct 21

Hello Hello,

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

For Homework:

Symbolism is when writers use animals, elements, things, places, or colors to represent other things.  When you understand the symbol being used, you connect its meaning to the story you are reading and understand the story on a deeper level.

Here are some examples of symbols used in literature:
In movies, the good guy often wears white (Luke Skywalker).  White is a symbol for goodness.

The bad guy (like Darth Vader) often times wears black.  Black is a symbol for evil.









Purple is thought to symbolize royalty.  It used to be that only kings and queens could wear the color purple.

What do you think the colors   GOLD  and  BLUE symbolize?

How are the colors GOLD, ORANGE, RED and YELLOW used in Grapes of Wrath?

Oct 17

Hello Folks,

I hope you all had a wonderful day.

For Homework:

Read the following quote

"Few people realize that virtually every vegetable and pice of fruit we eat was hand picked by a farmworker, a member of our nation's poorest and most disadvantaged class of laborers."

-With These Hands: The hidden world of migrant farmworkers today
By: Daniel Rothenberg

1.) What does this mean?

2.) Is this fair? (Hint: Farm workers are not paid minimum wage, but they work hard to provide us with fruits and vegetables)

3.) Why or why not?

Oct 16

Hello Folks!

For homework:

Look at the photo gallery here.  Click through all 8 pictures.

Answer the following questions:

1.) What do you notice?

2.) Describe the life of one person from the pictures (Ex: In picture number 5, I could say "The older woman worked every day of her life.  She worked so hard she got hurt and had to go to the doctor.")

3.) Compare the people in the pictures to the Joad family.

Oct. 15

Hello Folks,

Today we went a little further into the lives of the Joads from Grapes of Wrath.  The Joad family became migrant workers when their farm was destroyed during the dust bowl.

Today, there are migrant families throughout the US harvesting and growing all the fruits and vegetables we eat.

For Homework:

Read the information provided by this link and answer the following questions.


1.) What is a migrant worker?

2.) Migrant families 

a.) live in poverty
b.) have limited access to health care
c.) work in dangerous conditions
d.) all of the above


3.) Farmwork is considered the _________________ most dangerous job.

a.) First
b.) Second
c.) Third

Oct 8

Hello Folks!

Let me just start by giving major shout outs to VO4!  They had an amazing conversation today on whether or not Tom Joad was justified in killing another man.  They further discussed whether or not his qualities would make him a good friend.  I am impressed by how well you communicated your thoughts and how respectful you were towards your peers opinions.  Great Job Rusey, Randy V, and Michael.

As mentioned in class today, there will be a quiz tomorrow on the terms from this weeks classes (Those of you who will be on the trip have no fear, the quiz will be ready for you next week!).

Please review the terms with a classmate and go over the notes below.

There will be a quick review at the beginning of class before the quiz.


Terms to know:

• Point of View
• Narrator
• Omniscience
• Selective Omniscience 
• Character Traits
• Protagonist 
• Antagonist

Questions that could be asked?

• What is Point of View
• Why does Point of View matter?
• What is the purpose of the Narrator?
• Which time of Narrator is all-knowing and all-seeing?
• What character traits would you give Ma Joad?
• Many people say Tom Joad is the protagonist, who do you think is the antagonist?

Please sure you can support your answers with evidence from the book.

Oct 7-9

Hello Class!

This week we have talked about Point of View, Narrator, and Character Traits.

We discussed how point of view provides the reader with information and how the meaning of the text can change because of the point of view.

We discussed how the Narrator is the person telling the story and how the narrator can be a character in the story (like in Bunnicula) or outside the story (like in the Grapes of Wrath).

Today we discussed the importance of character traits.  Character traits are determined by what the character says and does and what other characters say about the character.

*This is an important idea because what we do and say determines what other think about us.

For homework:
Read the following quote

“The quality of owning freezes you forever in "I," and cuts you off forever from the "we.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath  

What does this quote mean?
Hint: Think about what it means to be part of a  "we" and what it means to say "I"

Next Steps:
Friday there will be a quiz on the topics covered in class this week.  Please look on the blog tomorrow for a study guide for tomorrow's quiz. 

Oct 3

Hello Group!

Today we looked at photo essay the Great Depression.  Please feel free to look at the pictures again.

For homework: 

Read the poem "Why We Come to Californy" by Flora Robertson

Here come the sudt-storm
Watch the sky turn blue.
You better git out quick
Or it will smother you.

Here come the grasshopper,
He comes a-jumpin' high.
He jumps away across the state
An' never bate an eye.

Here comes the river
It sure knows its stuff.
It takes our home and cattle,
An' leaves us feelin' tough.

Californy, Californy,
Here I come too.  
With a coffee pot and skilley,
I'm a-comin' to you!

Please answer the following questions:
1.) Why was the author going to go to California?
2.)  Look at the author's choice of words, why did she do that?
3.)  What could be a possible next verse for this poem?

You can either submit it in the comment section or turn it in tomorrow in class.

Oct 2

Hello Folks,

I hope you all had a wonderful day today.

For homework:

Have you ever felt like you wanted to move?  
Where would you go?
What are you reasons for moving?

Please write your answers and bring them to class or comment below.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

DEBATE TEAM!  If you are interested please let me know!

Thank you,
Ms. Tuck

Next Steps:  Photo Story.  We will be looking at pictures from the Great Depression and discussing reasons why people would want/have to move.  Then we will discuss is the grass really greener on the other side?