Sept. 06-26
Hello everyone. We've been at school for about 3 weeks and work is well under way. It's time for a blog. Here you will find a quick review of what's been covered so far, perhaps some hints about what's coming up in the future, and a posting of important dates and assignments. This blog is designed to be a "quick" reference to help keep you up to date and is not to be considered a substitute for talking to your teacher (me).
GRADE 9 LANGUAGE ARTS:
Grade 9 ELA has a strong focus on studying grammar in order to develop an understanding of language, its characteristics and rules. As well, this course involves a number of other skill areas where students will be assessed, including: writing, literature, poetry, presentation, etc.
Students are encouraged to spend as much time involved in "extra" reading as possible. Bonus points will be alloted to reading outside the classroom. Students are able to earn a maximum of 10% added to their in class work at the end of the year. Reading is the key!
Writing- Reviewed Block and Modified Block Letter formats
Assignment 1 - Fill out personal data sheet (participation mark)
Assignment 2 - Write letter of introduction to your English teacher using the Modified Block format. Length - approx. 1 page (graded assignment - 10 marks)
Assignment 3 (optional) - Rewrite letter fixing errors for an improved mark. (regraded assignment)
Grammar - introduced the study of grammar and the concept of parts of speech- first unit on nouns: basic definition, 5 types of nouns: proper, common, concrete, abstract, and collective
Assessment - oral quizz (15 questions) and noun identification exercise (35 marks)
Literature - introduction to short stories
- "The Unicorn in the Garden" by James Thurber
- reviewed the fable, morals, and puns
- "Dracula as a Young Fiend" by Violet Mendelsohn
Assignment - Find and hand in 3 puns (participation mark)
- introduced 2 plot models
GRADE 10 GUITAR CLASS
This course is designed to provide beginning guitarists with a firm foundation in the basics of guitar playing. It will include many aspects of this hobby / profession / discipline / way of life.
Students wishing to have any success with this course should either have their own instrument or have plans to purchase one in the immediate future. Students should also plan to practice on a daily basis a minimum of 15 minutes a day. Though some class time will be allotted to practicing more time must be made in one's daily schedule if one wishes to develop any proficiency on the instrument. (Remember: things are seldom as easy as they look.)
Material covered to this point:
1. Chords: G, C & D
2. open strings, reading on a staff, playing from sheet music
3. how to tune
4. weekly reading of Guitar Player magazine with weekly reports
5. Chord: A
6. experimentation with chords: moving the D shape up the neck, adding "left-over" fingers to
chord shapes
7. strumming patterns and styles
8. the "claw"
9. how to sit, how to hold a pick
10. basic C&W progression using chords: C, F, G, C
basic 50"s r'n'r ballad progression using chords: C, Ami, F, G
basic blues progression using chords: E, A, B7, E
11. how to read Tablature (Tab)
how to read the Treble Clef
12. chord sheet and lyrics to Green Day's "The Time Of Your Life"
13. the notes on the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings - reading & playing
14. practice writing music and making own exercises
15. the E chord family: E, Emi, Emi7 (2 shapes), E7 (2 shapes), E7#9
16. intro to Guitarplayertv.com
17. viewed a concert with Jeff Beck in Tokyo 1999, featuring Jennifer Batten & some discussion
of their histories and techniques
Assessment:
-9 participation marks for "small" assignments
-test on open strings - reading, writing, and playing - 20 marks
-test on 6th, 5th, and 4th, strings - names, reading, and playing & test on 12 chords - 20 marks
-quick check (visit/interview) on notes and chords - 10 marks
GRADE 12 - COMPREHENSIVE FOCUS
This course will delve into all aspects of Language Arts but will stress essay writing skills, and the understanding of thematic content and stylistic aspects of writing. Students will develop their writing skills while looking at ancient Greek material, Shakespeare's Hamlet, classic and contemporary poetry, modern novels, and much more.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of "bonus point" assignments through extra reading, viewing classic movies, and listening to great music. These assignments are provided with the hope that they will lead to enhanced cultural literacy as well as extra practice of reading and writing skills. Students have the opportunity to earn 10 bonus points which will be added to their overall mark at year's end.
Material covered to date:
Literature:
-Theme lecture: general definition, survey of common universal themes
-Style lecture: relation of stylistic elements to thematic content, elements of style including diction, didacticism, connotation, figures of speech, similes, metaphors, symbolism, sentence structure, pace, tone, allusion, etc.
-Reading individual classic novels due for Oct.2
Assessment: Essay due on Oct.3
Writing:
-Definition of an argumentative essay
-Explication of thesis and premises
-Practice creating good thesis sentences
-Discussion of the parts of an essay and how to construct them: introduction, body and conclusion
-Discussion and demonstration of how to develop coherence in an essay
-Explication of how to create good topic sentences in body paragraphs, how to establish coherence using transitional words and phrases, and how to properly end body paragraphs
-Crucial lesson on the analytical sentence outline
-Practice creating analytical sentence outlines using contemporary controversial topics
-Lesson on how to properly end an essay and an explanation of what constitutes an A+ paper
-Instruction on common writing errors
Assessment:
-preliminary argument
-intro paragraph practice
-2 analytical sentence outlines
-5 paragraph argumentative essay due 0n Sept.29
Poetry:
-introduction to poetry and poetics - what constitutes poetry
-introduction to poetic techniques: alliteration. onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, form, limerick, sonnet, free verse, rhyme, rhythm, art, etc.
-readings of the poetry of Charles Bukowski
Assignment:
-Write an example of free verse using the poems of Charles Bukowski as a model
GRADE 12 TRANSACTIONAL LANGUAGE & FORMS
This course is designed to appeal to those whose interests lie in areas other than literature. Its primary focus is reading and writing in the "real world". Accordingly areas of study will include journal writing, journalism, essays, biographies, transactional texts (manuals, research papers, non-fiction works, etc.) and grammar studies (empahasizing correctness of expression).
GRADE 9 LANGUAGE ARTS:
Grade 9 ELA has a strong focus on studying grammar in order to develop an understanding of language, its characteristics and rules. As well, this course involves a number of other skill areas where students will be assessed, including: writing, literature, poetry, presentation, etc.
Students are encouraged to spend as much time involved in "extra" reading as possible. Bonus points will be alloted to reading outside the classroom. Students are able to earn a maximum of 10% added to their in class work at the end of the year. Reading is the key!
Writing- Reviewed Block and Modified Block Letter formats
Assignment 1 - Fill out personal data sheet (participation mark)
Assignment 2 - Write letter of introduction to your English teacher using the Modified Block format. Length - approx. 1 page (graded assignment - 10 marks)
Assignment 3 (optional) - Rewrite letter fixing errors for an improved mark. (regraded assignment)
Grammar - introduced the study of grammar and the concept of parts of speech- first unit on nouns: basic definition, 5 types of nouns: proper, common, concrete, abstract, and collective
Assessment - oral quizz (15 questions) and noun identification exercise (35 marks)
Literature - introduction to short stories
- "The Unicorn in the Garden" by James Thurber
- reviewed the fable, morals, and puns
- "Dracula as a Young Fiend" by Violet Mendelsohn
Assignment - Find and hand in 3 puns (participation mark)
- introduced 2 plot models
GRADE 10 GUITAR CLASS
This course is designed to provide beginning guitarists with a firm foundation in the basics of guitar playing. It will include many aspects of this hobby / profession / discipline / way of life.
Students wishing to have any success with this course should either have their own instrument or have plans to purchase one in the immediate future. Students should also plan to practice on a daily basis a minimum of 15 minutes a day. Though some class time will be allotted to practicing more time must be made in one's daily schedule if one wishes to develop any proficiency on the instrument. (Remember: things are seldom as easy as they look.)
Material covered to this point:
1. Chords: G, C & D
2. open strings, reading on a staff, playing from sheet music
3. how to tune
4. weekly reading of Guitar Player magazine with weekly reports
5. Chord: A
6. experimentation with chords: moving the D shape up the neck, adding "left-over" fingers to
chord shapes
7. strumming patterns and styles
8. the "claw"
9. how to sit, how to hold a pick
10. basic C&W progression using chords: C, F, G, C
basic 50"s r'n'r ballad progression using chords: C, Ami, F, G
basic blues progression using chords: E, A, B7, E
11. how to read Tablature (Tab)
how to read the Treble Clef
12. chord sheet and lyrics to Green Day's "The Time Of Your Life"
13. the notes on the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings - reading & playing
14. practice writing music and making own exercises
15. the E chord family: E, Emi, Emi7 (2 shapes), E7 (2 shapes), E7#9
16. intro to Guitarplayertv.com
17. viewed a concert with Jeff Beck in Tokyo 1999, featuring Jennifer Batten & some discussion
of their histories and techniques
Assessment:
-9 participation marks for "small" assignments
-test on open strings - reading, writing, and playing - 20 marks
-test on 6th, 5th, and 4th, strings - names, reading, and playing & test on 12 chords - 20 marks
-quick check (visit/interview) on notes and chords - 10 marks
GRADE 12 - COMPREHENSIVE FOCUS
This course will delve into all aspects of Language Arts but will stress essay writing skills, and the understanding of thematic content and stylistic aspects of writing. Students will develop their writing skills while looking at ancient Greek material, Shakespeare's Hamlet, classic and contemporary poetry, modern novels, and much more.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of "bonus point" assignments through extra reading, viewing classic movies, and listening to great music. These assignments are provided with the hope that they will lead to enhanced cultural literacy as well as extra practice of reading and writing skills. Students have the opportunity to earn 10 bonus points which will be added to their overall mark at year's end.
Material covered to date:
Literature:
-Theme lecture: general definition, survey of common universal themes
-Style lecture: relation of stylistic elements to thematic content, elements of style including diction, didacticism, connotation, figures of speech, similes, metaphors, symbolism, sentence structure, pace, tone, allusion, etc.
-Reading individual classic novels due for Oct.2
Assessment: Essay due on Oct.3
Writing:
-Definition of an argumentative essay
-Explication of thesis and premises
-Practice creating good thesis sentences
-Discussion of the parts of an essay and how to construct them: introduction, body and conclusion
-Discussion and demonstration of how to develop coherence in an essay
-Explication of how to create good topic sentences in body paragraphs, how to establish coherence using transitional words and phrases, and how to properly end body paragraphs
-Crucial lesson on the analytical sentence outline
-Practice creating analytical sentence outlines using contemporary controversial topics
-Lesson on how to properly end an essay and an explanation of what constitutes an A+ paper
-Instruction on common writing errors
Assessment:
-preliminary argument
-intro paragraph practice
-2 analytical sentence outlines
-5 paragraph argumentative essay due 0n Sept.29
Poetry:
-introduction to poetry and poetics - what constitutes poetry
-introduction to poetic techniques: alliteration. onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, form, limerick, sonnet, free verse, rhyme, rhythm, art, etc.
-readings of the poetry of Charles Bukowski
Assignment:
-Write an example of free verse using the poems of Charles Bukowski as a model
GRADE 12 TRANSACTIONAL LANGUAGE & FORMS
This course is designed to appeal to those whose interests lie in areas other than literature. Its primary focus is reading and writing in the "real world". Accordingly areas of study will include journal writing, journalism, essays, biographies, transactional texts (manuals, research papers, non-fiction works, etc.) and grammar studies (empahasizing correctness of expression).
Material covered to date:
Reading: 13 non-fiction pieces
Writing: 13 journal entries & "first impression" piece
Assessment: 2 "master" journals
Grammar:
-Review of parts of speech
-Review of common writing errors
Assessment:
test-identification of parts of speech
-writing & purposefully including prescribed parts of speech
Reading-Journalism
Read John Hersey's Hiroshima by Sept.26
Assessment:
Essay test question of book-Sept.26
Research project & "artistic" piece - Sept.28-Oct.10
