A Day of Swine

Today we began the day by looking at Atwood's poem "Pig Song," and spent the rest of the period on the 10 & 11 work we started yesterday.

Monday and Tuesday

Monday: The Cyclops and Hospitality

Today, after adding the word "beguile" to our vocab charts, we examined the Greek rules of hospitality, as infered from various passages in The Odyssey, contrasting them with Polyphemus' behavior in book 9.

Tuesday: Circe

Today we discussed and handed in the work done yesterday. The rest of the period we spend reading books 10 and 11.

Friday: The Cyclops

Today, after our vocabulary quiz, we read about Odysseus and the cyclops, the most famous story in The Odyssey.

Practice Vocab and More Odyssey

We began the day reviewing the vocabulary words for tomorrow's quiz. Then, after a brief discussion of grades, progress reports and back to school night, we spent the rest of the day finishing books 6-8 and summarizing them in the notes.

Books 5-6

Today we began with the vocabulary word "contemptible," followed by a discussion of possible study strategies for Friday's quiz. We spent the rest of the day on books 5 and 6 of The Odyssey.

Summaries and Part 2

Today we added the word "supplicate" to our vocab charts, then spent much of the rest of the period recapping books one through four, talking about the questions from yesterday and then adding a short summary to the notes. We wrapped up the period by starting book five of The Odyssey.

Wrapping Up Part 1

Today we added the word "mandate" to our vocab lists. I returned the introductory business letter assignment and discussed scores. Finally, we finished the discussion questions on part one of The Odyssey (these were collected in period 1).

HW Vocab/Spelling Quiz on Friday.

More Odyssey

Today, after adding the word "insolent" to our vocab charts, we continued The Odyssey, reading through the end of book 4 and starting some comprehension questions. We'll finish those Monday.

The Odyssey: Book 1

Today we added another word to the vocabulary list--lucid--and read and took notes on book one of The Odyssey.

Hero essays were collected.

The Odyssey Begins

Today we began with our first vocabulary warm up, took a few more preliminary notes on The Odyssey, and then began book one.

HW Rewrite or reformat the hero essay that was stamped in class today. Make sure you have a good title!

The Hero: Part 2

Today we talked about journeys, initially our own (in warm-up) and then those of the typical hero. This discussion included notes on the definition of the classic hero and the typical steps of the "Hero's Journey."

HW The hero essay assigned yesterday is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.

Defining the Hero: Part 1

Today's warm-up asked students to come up with their own definition and examples of a hero. We discussed this at some length. After assigning the homework (below), students had the rest of the period to wrap up their webquests, do the extra credit, and begin their hero essay.

Homework:

Due 9/16--In a short story or essay, tell us about your hero. Who is s/he (or who are they)? What is it about him/her/them that makes him/her/them a hero in your opinion?

• Write carefully and with specific, vivid detail. 
• Use paragraphs.
• One page minimum.
• Reread (aloud preferably), checking for spelling, grammar, and coherence.

The Greeks

Today we began by talking in general about the Greeks and Greek mythology and then moved on to the Greek Web Quest, which many groups finished in class.

Warm-Up & Pictures

Today we had a bit of fun inventing our own words using the word parts we've been studying. Pretty much the rest of the period was spent on school pictures, though depending on the period, there was a bit of work time afterwards.

HW By tomorrow, students should have an organized binder with four sections and lots of paper. Expect a binder/planner check for points.

Binders, Roots, and the Greeks

We began the day with a bit of a binder check. By now, all students should have a binder (or section of a binder) devoted to this class. Most everyone has finished the roots and prefixes assignment. Several students moved on to the Greek Webquest assignment which will be completed tomorrow.

The Greeks: A Webquest

Use the link below to start your webquest. Read the directions carefully.

http://staiano.mauro.googlepages.com/odyssey_webquest

Planners and Letter Wrap

Today I distibuted planners to all the freshman and talked about how we'll use them.  We spent the rest of the period on the letter assignment (this should be handed in at the beginning of class tomorrow if it's not already in) and the roots assignment. Tomorrow, more root work and the Greeks.

A useful dictionary site for the root work assignment: http://www.etymonline.com/

HW Typed letters should be complete. Root work should be done or very close to it.

Work Time

Today we started with a short quiz on and discussion of the course description. The rest of the period was spent typing business letters and working the Greek roots assignment.

Roots and the Business Letter

Today, after a brief look at a famous Socrates quotation, we reviewed the business letter format and started to transition from the introductory phase of class to some work on Greek and Latin word parts. There is no new homework tonight, but students should be prepared to work on the final draft of their business letter or the Greek roots assignment tomorrow in class.

Introductions Continue

Today we began the day with a short warm up about you and your first few days at EHS. Each student then shared one thing that s/he wrote with the rest of the class. We spent the rest of the period working on the business letter assignment. Handwritten rough drafts should be complete by class-time Thursday.

Welcome to Freshman English

The campus looks great and classes are full. It's good to be back!

Monday: Today we set expectations by starting with some analytical writing about a photograph of students reading. This assignment was collected. Additionally, I passed out the course description.
HW: Read, Discuss, Sign, and Return the Course Description. Be prepared fro a brief quiz. Due 9/4.

Tuesday: Today we started the day by making name tags, handing out picture packets, and going over some basic expectations from the course description. Next we took a short introductory quiz about Mr. Staiano. In 1st and 4th periods we moved on to the introductory letter assignment. Students in 1st period should have at least two paragraphs of their letter written for tomorrow.