Grammar Exercise Homework for 5/20/11

Use the following list to write a story and/or sentences utilizing the following grammatical concepts:

1. Use then AND than in a sentence (they can be in the same sentence or two different sentences).
2. Serial comma (lions, tigers, and bears)
3. conjunctive adverb (The man ran for pubic office; however he did not win the seat.)
4. Use all commonly confused words in one or more sentences: to, two, too
5. Use all commonly confused words in one or more sentences: its, it's
6. Use all commonly confused words in one or more sentences: your, you're
7. Correctly punctuated interrupting clause or appositive phrase (
8. Proper use of semicolon
9. Proper use of colon 
   10.Use of independent/dependent clause with coordinating conjunction

AND use 10 vocabulary words from sections 5.1-5.5 in your sentences. Please underline your 10 vocabulary words.

Be sure to number your sentences with the corresponding number. Sentences/stories are due on Monday, May 23 when you come to class. If you need additional help or have questions consult: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

Question of the Week (5/6/11)

In the book, Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer admits that Chris McCandless was rash, but he insists he "wasn't a nutcase, he wasn't a sociopath, he wasn't an outcast. McCandless was something else -- although precisely what is hard to say. A pilgrim, perhaps" (85).

Your question:
What precisely was McCandless? Use one of Krakauer's terms or invent your own term. Choose your term carefully, and note passages as you read. Your answer to the question is your central claim. Support this claim with evidence from the text and explain how the language of the quote -- the connotations of individual words in the quotes you cite -- prove your claim to be valid.

Question of the Week (4/29/11)

Finish the article on Everett Ruess and then answer the following question:

In what way are Everett Ruess and Chris McCandless both aesthetes?
Aesthete = a person who affects great love of art, nature, music, literature etc. and an indifference to practical matters. Post your answer by the end of the day of Tuesday and don't forget to respond to a classmates' response. Enjoy your weekend.

Questions of the Week (4/15/11)

Write a short descriptive piece about a time that you "went into the woods". Provide detail about what you saw and experienced. Think back to our reading of the excerpt from Thoreau's Walden. Be sure to post by Tuesday, April 19. For this post only, you do NOT have to comment on another person's post.

Question of the Week (4/8/11)

As we have discussed in class you will be writing about yourself and your life in the Upper Valley to a student in the Marshall Islands. Look at the beautiful Marshall Islands and the students, in the pictures above, with whom you will be sharing your writing.
Be sure to be very descriptive in your writing as the students you are writing to have probably never been to New England. You may write about the following: your school, sports, books you are currently reading, movies you like/dislike, pets, places you've traveled, summer camp, plans for this summer, or for the future in general. If you can, post a picture of yourself. You post is due no later than the end of the school day on Tuesday, April 12. A student from Marshall Islands High School will respond to you. Have fun with your new blogpal!

Question of the Week (3/11/11)

Write a brief summary and a brief analysis of chapter 10 or 11.  Think about the symbols, motifs, and themes prevalent in the chapter. Does the reader find out anything new about a character? If so, what? How does it add to the overall plot line? Use passages and quotes (in proper MLA format) from the text to enliven your work. Remember to comment on another students post for full credit. Enjoy your weekend.

Question of the Week (3/4/11)

In Chapter 1, author John Knowles reveals many of the ideas that will help the reader decide
upon the theme of the novel A Separate Peace.  Verify the following ideas by using passages or
quotations from A Separate Peace. Remember to post by the end of the school day on Tuesday and respond to a classmate's response. Enjoy your weekend.

Fear
Friendship
Change
Distrust

Question of the Week (2/4/11)

Using evidence from the text, how has Holden changed from the boy who left Pencey Prep with a bloody nose to the boy who wanders around New York City? Post your answer and a response to a classmate's answer by Tuesday, 2/8/11. Remember you won't have your x-day this week because we will be working on our classroom wiki. Enjoy your weekend.

Welcome 2nd Semester students! Question of the Week 1/28/11

Each Friday a question will be posted on the classroom blog. You will have until Tuesday, at the end of school, to post your thoughtful response and a reflection to a classmate's response to this question. Keep in mind that some weeks you will have your X-period to work on your blog responses, while other weeks you will be in class. The blog is timestamped and your complete response is worth a total of 20 points; 2 points will be deducted for each day blog responses are late and are considered a zero on the Friday of the following week when a new blog question is posted. Don't forget to post to the blog before this time, even if you are late it is much better to receive some points rather than no points at all. This is an easy way to earn points, but can be detrimental to your grade as the zeros add up. If you are FIRST to respond to the Question of the Week, you will not be required to respond to a classmate's response. Keep in mind that the blog is timestamped, so every minute counts. Click refresh on your browser to ensure that you are indeed first. Each complete blog response is worth 20 points unless otherwise stated.

The question of the week for this week 1/28/11 is as follows: 

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Read about First Principles of the First Amendment at:  

http://www.freedomforum.org/packages/first/Curricula/EducationforFreedom/FirstPrinciples.htm

After you have read about the First Principles and understand the rights guaranteed citizens of the U.S., define the word censorship and post your answer to this question on our classroom blog. 

What effect does book censorship have on an individual's ability to recognize the benefits of the First Amendment?

"Big Mac" Quote Sandwich Paragraph

Post your completed "Big Mac" quote sandwich here. Don't forget to bring your completed "Big Mac" Quote Sandwich worksheet to class, along with your VERY detailed outline. Enjoy your weekend.

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

Click on the link above (link= A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor) for the story to begin reading. After you have finished answering the following questions bring your answers to class.

1. What qualities of the grandmother do you like? What qualities do you dislike? How did you feel when The Misfit killed her? Why?
2. How would you characterize the other members of the family? What is the function of images like the following: the mother's "face was as broad and innocent as a cabbage and was tied around with a green head-kerchief that had two points on the top like a rabbit's ears" and the grandmother's "big black valise looked like the head of a hippopotamus"?
3. How does O'Connor foreshadow the encounter with The Misfit?
4. What does the grandmother mean by a "good man"? Whom does she consider good people? What are other possible meanings of "good"? Why does she tell The Misfit that he's a good man? Is there any sense in which he is?
5. What is the significance of the discussion of Jesus? Was he a good man?
6. What is the significance of the grandmother's saying, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children"?
7. What is the significance of The Misfit's saying, "She would of been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life"?

There are, of course, no absolute answers to these questions; the story resists easy solutions, and, therefore, violates the reader's expectations. This is why O'Connor is a brilliant storyteller.