Sunday, March 1, 2015

This Week in Preview

    This week's standard is L.8.1:  "Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking."
    Our focus is on parts A and B:
"Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences."
"Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice."

     This week's story selection is "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service (1907). A link to a reading by Johnny Cash is included below.

Monday——Make a list!
Quickly review last week’s skills as needed, introduce the story selection and Words of the Week, and take a skills prequiz. The Words of the Week are the words you must be able to spell, identify parts of speech for, and define by Thursday. This week, they are:
brawn (n.)
grisly (adj.)
hearken (v.)
homely (adj.)
scowl (n.) and (v.)
Once we cover these items, students may read "The Cremation of Sam McGee," this week's story selection. It is a poem by Robert W. Service about an unfortunate southerner who travels north in search of gold.

Tuesday——Time for work!
Cover skills and story selection for the week. Students who demonstrated proficiency in the skills on the content prequiz may sit in the back of the room today and read the story selection as a group, then answer questions about it collectively. The majority of students will take notes on the skills and practice their use individually and as a class.
This week, we discuss verbals and verb voice.

Wednesday——Write!
This is writing day in Language Arts. Answer a series of questions about the story selection. The Wednesday Write will always relate to both the skills and the story selection. For full credit, use and identify a gerund, a participle, an infinitive, and active and passive voice in your answers. You may write a short story with a surprise ending for more credit.

Thursday——Think it over!
In the first ten minutes of class, take the Thursday Think, a quiz on the Words of the Week; use it to spell, identify part of speech for, and define each word. After that, review the Wednesday Write as a class. In the remaining time, review verbals and verb voice in preparation for the Friday Finish.

Friday——Finish!
First, complete the Friday Finish, a review or quiz on the week’s skills and the story selection. Then, write a letter to Mr. DeMaris about your week; this Week in Review letter is only graded on completion, not on grammar or spelling.* Once complete, you may Review and Improve any missing or inadequate work. If you have none, you may read or write quietly or help a classmate with his or her work.

Each week is graded as follows:
Ten         (10) points apply to the             Wednesday Write.
Fifteen     (15) points apply to the             Thursday Think.
Twenty     (20) points apply to the             Friday Finish.
Five         (5) points apply to the             Week in Review letter.

This is a total of fifty (50) points per week. Extra assignments may be added or adjusted as negotiated by individual students and the teacher.


Sincerely, 


Mr. DeMaris


*——Mr. DeMaris always encourages proper spelling and grammar, though—— so try!

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