Monday 11/30/15 ~ Welcome back from break. Three weeks to go!

Best part of Thanksgiving?

Do you like awkward family photos?

How's your story coming along?

West's class: It is due to Turnitin.com tonight by midnight! Bring a digital copy tomorrow.

Bridgette's class: Rough draft (digital or paper) due for peer editing on Wednesday. Final draft (MLA) due on Monday, December 7.

Have you bought The Power of One yet?
Today, let's look at some of the background info to our book.

• Check out this Prez

Discussion Questions: Do you Know? 

• What language is spoken in South Africa?
• Who is Nelson Mandela? Why is he so famous?
• What is Apartheid? 
• What do you think would happen in the U.S. if the government gunned down 600 students at a protest? 
• How can one country keep another in check in the case of serious injustice, without going to war? 

Journal #32 - After watching the prezi and reading through this outline, write a one paragraph synopsis explaining the historical background of our next novel, The Power of One.



A Quick History of Apartheid in South Africa

I. History:

• The first European settlers come to the Cape of Good Hope around 1600.
• 1652- Dutch, German and French come to Cape for religious and economic motives.
• Dutch Boers (farmers) begin to move north and live with native Africans and a new culture develops: the Afrikaner or the white African tribe. Their language was a mix of Dutch and various African languages.
• 1795 the British seize control of the Cape and surrounding area and more Boers are driven north. 
• Many Afrikaners died in battles with "natives" while adapting to the harsh land and climate.
• Hatred of the British and Blacks deepened in the Afrikaner solidarity.
• The Boer War 1899-1902: British wanted gold and diamonds were discovered on Afrikaner land. A fierce war ensued with atrocities on both sides, Britian wins ultimate control and makes South Africa a commonwealth territory.
• Independence was granted in 1910. While the Afrikaners made up only 13% of the population, they dominated the government.

II. Apartheid:

• IN 1948 the Afrikaner Nationalist Party gained control of the South African Parliament, and established the system known as apartheid.
• Apartheid means "separateness" or "apartness" and included 317 laws which reserved civil rights for 5 million whites and denied them to 25 million blacks.
• All citizens were classified by race.
• Marriage and sexual relations across color lines were made illegal
• Separate residential areas; whites get all fo the best, over 80% of the population was crowded into areas which covered less than 13% of the total land mass. 
• Economic development was outlawed in the black "homelands." Jobs were made available only in white areas.
• All non-whites must carry a passbook at all times.
• All public places were segregated.
• Black schools were intentionally underfunded.

III. Resistance

• Resistance began in the 1950's, the first outbreak of violence occurred in 1960 and was known as the Sharpville Massacre, 69 people were killed and 180 wounded by South African police.
• Nelson Mandela rose to leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), but was arrested in 1964 and imprisoned for 26 years. 
• In the early 1970's Steven Biko founded the "Black Consciousness" movement patterned after the "Black Power" movement in the U.S. Biko was arrested, tortured, then killed while in police custody in 1977. 
• in 1976 thousands of students protested in the black township of Johannesburg, this became known as the Soweto Riot. The government killed 600 students and arrested thousands.
• In 1983 as protests continued the government declared a state of emergency and 30,000 more blacks were jailed. 
• International pressure began to mount. South Africa was expelled from the UN in 1974
• They were banned from the Olympic Games in 1976, in 1986 the U.S. Congress banned new investments by U.S. companies.

IV. Apartheid Ends:

• F.W. deKlerk becomes Prime Minister in 1989 and bowing to international as well as internal pressure negotiations begin.
• in 1990 Nelson Mandela is released from prison and the ANC works with the government to write a new constitution which would put an end to Apartheid.
• In 1994 Mandela is elected as the first black President of South Africa

HW: Finish paragraph for Journal 33 and turn in short story on turnitin.com tonight by midnight (West only).

Finals Study Guide

Here's a study guide list for starters....

Roots & Prefixes

• Prefixes (Dominus-Mortis)
• Roots (Gest-Pac)

Grammar

• Complex sentences (how to use a semi-colon, colon, and conjunctions to combine sentences)
• Pronoun agreement

Writing Instruction

• What makes a good thesis statement? What is CAB?
• What is a TIED paragraph?
• How can you use the TIE method to incorporate quotes? 

Short Stories and Vocab

• Be able to identify which story is being discussed or quoted:
• "The Masque of the Red Death " by Edgar Allan Poe
•  "By The Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benét 
• Fishcheeks by Amy Tan
• Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing
• 
  
• Know these Literary Devices:
• Allegory
• Symbol
• Irony
• Theme
• Tone
• Allusion
• Conflict (internal and external)
• Point-of-View (first, various versions of third and unreliable)
• Direct Characterization
• Indirect Characterization (STEAL)
• Plot (exposition, complication, rising action, climax, epiphany, falling action, denouement)

SAT Vocabulary

From Two Kinds

1. prodigy - child of highly unusual talent or genius
2. lamented - said with regret or sorrow
3. listlessly - without energy or interest
4. mesmerizing - fascinating
5. discordant - clashing; not in harmony
6. dawdled - wasted time; lingered
7. stricken - heartbroken
8. fiasco - total failure
9. nonchalantly - without interest or concern
10. betrayal - failure to fulfill another's  hopes

From Through the Tunnel

1. Contrition - a state of feeling crushed by guilt
2. luminous - bright or shining
3. supplication - the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly
4. sputtering - spitting or spraying
5. beseeching - urgently requesting someone to do something
6. minute - tiny
7. clambered - to climb, move, or get out of something in an awkward or laborious way
8. incredulous - unbelievable
9. gout - a type of arthritis

From The Masque of the Red Death

1. profuse - plentiful
2. sagacious - wise
3. voluptuous - characterized with luxury or pleasure
4. contagion - the spreading of disease
5. imperial - majestic
6. emanating - coming forth
7. sedate - calm; quiet
8. pervaded - spread throughout
9. piquancy - a pleasantly sharp or appetizing flavor
10. phantasm - a figment of the imagination; an illusion
11. cessation - ceasing or stopping
12. disapprobation - strong disapproval, usually on moral grounds
13. propriety - quality of being proper
14. tangible - something that can be touched
15. impetuosity - impulsive or rash 

Block Day, 11/19 & 11/20 ~ He Said/She Said ~ POV and Dialogue

ROOTS

• nat, nasc - to spring forth, to be from
• neo - new

EQ: What effect does POV have on the our stories so far? Why would an author use the unreliable pov?

LIT NOTES: Do you know your point of view? If you don't, now you do. Add this to your notes in your journal section. 

• First-person point of view
• Why don't we talk about second person?

• Third-person point of view
• limited
• objective or dramatic
• omniscient

• Unreliable

WHAT ABOUT DIALOGUE?

"Hi Tony," said Katy.

"Hey," Tony answered.
"What's wrong?" Katy asked.
"Nothing," Tony said.
"Really? You don't act like nothing's wrong."

         Pretty tiresome dialogue, right?

Instead of writing a dialogue like the one above, a writer could condense the scene:

"Hi Tony."
Tony looked down at his shoe, dug in his toe, and pushed around a pile of dust. "Hey," he replied.
Katy could tell something was wrong.

Formatting Tips
1. The first thing to remember is that punctuation goes inside quotations.
    "I can't believe you just did that!"
2.  Dialogue tags (the he/she said of the quotation) SHOULD BE USED SPARINGLY. The dialogue and narration should be used to show the emotion or action stated in the tag. One of the most important rules of writing fiction is: show, don't tell.

DON'T DO TOO MUCH OF THIS:
"But I don't want to go to sleep yet," he whined.

TRY THIS INSTEAD:
He stood in the doorway with his hands balled into little fists at his sides. His red, tear-rimmed eyes glared up at his mother. "But I don't want to go to sleep yet."

**A good writer will describe the scene in a way that conjures the image of a whining little boy.

3.  Paragraphs are very important to the flow and comprehension of the dialogue. Remember to start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes within the dialogue. This helps the reader know when someone new is speaking (and who it is).


Journal #31
Please answer these three questions for three kids' stories or one adult story of 5+ pages.
1. What point of view is the story written in?
2. What noble truth or lesson is in the story?
3. What gift could be paired with this story? How would it enrich the story's meaning?

*Click here for another collection of Christmas Stories.
*Want to read some adult stories that are not holiday themed? Click here

 

Wednesday 11/18 ~ A Christmas Blessing

ROOTS

• mor, mort - mortal, death
• morph - form
• multi - many

SHORT STORY

• We will complete "Through the Tunnel" on Block day. 

CHRISTMAS BLESSING

• Pair Share: Share your Protagonist Sketch with a partner or two in class. As you read the sketch, write down a couple of questions to help the writer develop the character more. Will this character be revealed via direct or indirect characterization? 
• Next, work on your story outline by using the Plot steps. Simply copy the bullet points and fill them out on the same google doc you've started for the character sketch. This should be turned into our Google Classroom before block day begins. 

Plot -

• Beginning
• exposition: What other characters will be part of this story? What is the setting? Antagonist?
• complication: What is the inciting incident or first challenge that gets the story going?
• rising action: How will you build tension toward the climax?
• crisis points:
• 
  
•  

• Middle
• climax: or ultimate crisis?
• Darkest moment in the climax? 
• Epiphany or moment of truth? 

•  End
• falling action:
• How are all the loose ends tied up? 
• What is the meaning that the reader leaves the story with? 
• What gift item will accompany this story? How is it related to the story? 

HW: Please use this Plot outline to create an outline of your story on the same Google document as your character sketch. Then turn in the whole document in Google Classroom before block day.

Tuesday 11/17/15 ~ Out of the Tunnel

ROOTS

• mit, miss - send
• mob, mot, mov - move
• mon - warn, remind

SHORT STORIES

• Begin Short story #5 "Through the Tunnel"

Journal 29
1. Have you ever taken a risk to prove yourself before? Record a quick story to share.
2. Write a sentence using five of the SAT words from the list above.
3. Write an overview of the plot of Through the Tunnel using the bold terms from yesterday's notes (exposition, complication, rising action, climax, epiphany, falling action, denouement).
4. Do you find it convincing that Jerry takes such a large risk and survives? Why/why not?

SAT Vocab - Write a sentence using FIVE of these SAT words.

1. Contrition - a state of feeling crushed by guilt
2. luminous - bright or shining
3. supplication - the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly
4. sputtering - spitting or spraying
5. beseeching - urgently requesting someone to do something
6. minute - tiny
7. clambered - to climb, move, or get out of something in an awkward or laborious way
8. incredulous - unbelievable
9. gout - a type of arthritis

• Click here to check out your Christmas Blessing Story assignment.

HW: Journal 30 ~ Short Story Start Up

1. Create a character sketch 100-200 word character sketch for your protagonist. Consider all the bits of the Indirect Characterization acronym, STEAL: How will you communicate to the reader how your protagonist speaks & sounds, thinks, interacts with others, acts and look?
2. Write a few ideas of the lesson or truth you'd like the reader to gain from your story.
*Please complete this assignment on a google doc so that it is ready to turn in digitally tomorrow. 

Monday 11/16/15 ~ Weeping by the waters...

ROOTS

• meter - measure
• micro - small
• migra - wander

SHORT STORIES

• Finish Journal 28 "By the Waters of Babylon"
• Begin Short story #5 "Through the Tunnel"

Journal 29
1. Have you ever taken a risk to prove yourself before? Record a quick story to share.
2. Write a sentence using five of the SAT words from the list above.
3. Write an overview of the plot of Through the Tunnel using the bold terms from yesterday's notes (exposition, complication, rising action, climax, epiphany, falling action, denouement).
4. Do you find it convincing that Jerry takes such a large risk and survives? Why/why not?


SAT Vocab - Write a sentence using FIVE of these SAT words. 

1. Contrition - a state of feeling crushed by guilt
2. luminous - bright or shining
3. supplication - the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly
4. sputtering - spitting or spraying
5. beseeching - urgently requesting someone to do something
6. minute - tiny
7. clambered - to climb, move, or get out of something in an awkward or laborious way
8. incredulous - unbelievable
9. gout - a type of arthritis

HW: Complete Journal 29 (#s 1-2 only)

Block Day 11/12-13/15 ~ Weeping by the waters....

QUIZ
Roots & Grammar Quiz

SHORT STORIES

• Short Story #5 "By The Waters of Babylon" 
• Journal 28
• 1. To understand what is really happening in this story, you have to draw conclusions based on the writer’s clues and your own experience and knowledge. What do you think John is really seeing (and how are you able to tell) when he describes each of the items below? (You might want to work with a group to solve these puzzles.)
  

  • the Great Burning
  • Ou-dis-sun
  • the statue of a man named ASHING
  • the temple in mid-city with a roof painted like the sky at night
  • the caves and tunnels where John thinks the gods kept their slaves

  2. Find a place in the story where John achieves a breakthrough, and explain what he discovers. How does the first-person point of view help you appreciate his breakthrough?
  
  
  3. Explain how the words of Psalm 137, verses 1-6, connect with Benét’s story.
  

  • "Longing for Zion in a Foreign Land"
    1 By the rivers of Babylon,
    There we sat down, yea, we wept
    When we remembered Zion.
    ² We hung our harps
    Upon the willows in the midst of it.
    ³ For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
    And those who plundered us requested mirth,
    Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
    ⁴ How shall we sing the Lord’s song
    In a foreign land?
    ⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    Let my right hand forget its skill!
    ⁶ If I do not remember you,
    Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
    If I do not exalt Jerusalem
    Above my chief joy.
     

  4. Near the end of the story, John says, “Perhaps in the old days, they ate knowledge too fast.” What do you think he means? Are we “eating knowledge too fast” today? Explain.
  5. Benét wrote this story in 1937, before the first atom bomb was invented. World War II and the Cold War are over now. Do Benét’s warnings about the complete destruction of a civilization still have relevance today? Why?
  6. Do you think Benét made the secret of the Place of the Gods too easy to guess, or too hard, or were the clues just difficult enough? Explain.
  7. What is the narrative perspective of this story?  How does this perspective play a role in the reader's experience and theme of the work?
   

HW: Start "Through the Tunnel"

SAT Vocab - Write a sentence using FIVE of these SAT words. 

1. Contrition - a state of feeling crushed by guilt
2. luminous - bright or shining
3. supplication - the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly
4. sputtering - spitting or spraying
5. beseeching - urgently requesting someone to do something
6. minute - tiny
7. clambered - to climb, move, or get out of something in an awkward or laborious way
8. incredulous - unbelievable
9. gout - a type of arthritis

SHORT STORY #5: Through the Tunnel