You will have a second chance to present your individual projects when your group presents the group project. While some of you are ready to go, most of you still have some work to do in order to be prepared. Remember, this presentation will be your final for two classes.

Many of you need to rehearse. You should explain how your individual project is connected to the group project and tell us about the research you conducted. Please do not end your project by saying "and ya." That only tells us you weren't completely prepared.

Art Work - you need an information card and this must be mounted to some stiff material like poster board. This should be done neatly.

Short Stories - these should read like short stories, while making use of details from your research. In a short story we need to meet the main character, see some setting, and encounter some conflict in the first half page. Since we have written short stories this year, you can find detailed information about this on the blog.

Poetry - please add a note card about your research for your project and how this is presented in your poem.

Newspaper Articles - these should read like newspaper articles. Add a newspaper banner and add a picture with the story as well. Check the blog for a reminder on how to write a newspaper article.

I've decided to extend the deadline for the Individual Projects to Monday, to allow students time to to do the best possible work on these. Remember, your project should:
1. Reflect the research you have been engaged in since January.
2. Be directly related to your group's project.
3. Show a commitment to your writing and/or artwork.
You will present your project in class on Monday. Think about how you can best do this and practice your presentation before coming to class.

If you are doing an art project, you should include a short explanation of your project. Glue this to a piece of poster board (approximately 6" x 8") so it will look the type of written explanation you might find in an art gallery or museum.

Friday will be your final chance to graduate from the Grammar Club. I would strongly suggest you use Chomp Chomp Grammar to practice identifying run-ons, sentence fragments, and problems with subject/verb agreement and capitalization.

There will be two grammar club quizzes this week. I'll take the best score of the two. The quizzes will cover sentence fragments, run-ons, capitalization, and subject-verb agreement. Here's a website you can use for practice, but probably the best practice would come from reviewing your practice quizzes. http://www.chompchomp.com

Each book club member will have an assigned role, and roles will rotate with each book club meeting. The Passage Master, the Character Analyst, Summarizer, and Word Master will fill out their role sheets before class. The Discussion Leader will hers out after the Book Club meets. All role sheets are turned after the Book Club meets.

Monday, April 30 - Begin reading book club selection. Read through page 45 for Thursday.
Tues/Wed., May 1/2 - Assessment over Forge. You will have three assessments to choose from. Bring Forge and Chains with you to class. Memory Narrative handed back. The final draft will be due on Tues./Wed., May 8/9.
Thursday, May 3 - First Book Club. Fill out Individual Project update in class.

Monday, May 7 - Final draft of Memory Narrative due - hand in second and third drafts together.
Tues./Wed., May 8/9 - Grammar Club Quiz 1; reading and role sheet preparation.
Thursday, May 10 - Second Book Club.
Friday, May 11 - Individual Projects for Downtown Study due. Grammar Club Quiz #2.

Tues./Wed., April 24/25 - Write thank yous, review grade sheets, grammar practice.

Thurs., April 26 - Review Forge. Finish Forge and the Appendix by Monday.

Friday, April 27 - Last trip downtown - we will focus on group projects. Bring your lunch.

We will have some time to work on individual projects during class, but if you are doing artwork or a movie, you will need to do most of the work on your own.

Monday/Tuesday, April 16/17 - In English you will work on your individual projects and in social studies you will work on your group projects.

Wednesday, April 18 - Peer editing for memory narrative. Bring a printed copy of your memory narrative. You should have read through p 127 in Chains.

Thursday, April 19 - Review Chains. Work on Subject/Verb Agreement. You should have read through p. 159

Friday, April 20 - Downtown Tulsa Study - trip #4
Monday, April 23 - Second draft of Memory Narrative due (printed copy). Staple the first draft, the one with the peer edits, to your second draft. You should have read through p. 208 by today.

We will be reading Forge during the month of April. Be sure to stay current as we will discuss chapters in class.

You should have read through these pages by these dates:

April 10/11 - p 1-30
April 12 - p. 31-60
April 16/17 - p. 61-102
April 18 - p. 103-127
April 19 - p. 128 - 159
April 23- p. 160 - 208
April 24/25 - p. 209-231
April 26 - p. 232-251
April 30 - p. 252-280 and the Appendix

The test over Forge will be on Tuesday or Wednesday, May 1 or 2.

Monday, April 2 - Reviewing Chains, p.172-249. I will check the marginalia in your books, as well.
Tuesday/Wednesday, April 3 & 4 - Continuing to work on Downtown Tulsa Study. Researching historic photos from Beryl Ford Collection.
Thursday, April 5 - Review Chains, p. 250-300.
Monday, April 9 - Test over Chains. The test will be over the appendix as well. There will be two possible essay questions. You will pick one to write about.
Tues./Wed., April 10 & 11 - Quiz over Subject/Verb Agreement. We will also work on Memory Narratives. Begin reading Forge.

Remember to bring your lunch on Friday when we will be going downtown for our first day with DTS.

Marginalia should be done for each reading assignment with Chains.
1. Two important passages. Write in the margins why these are important.
2. Two examples of very good details about setting or characters.
3. Two new words. Write definitions in the margins.
4. Details about Isabel and Ruth. Write their names or R and I in the margins next to these details.

Date by which you should have read these pages:
Monday, 3/6 - p. 1-35
3/12 - p. 36-78
3/13 - p. 79-96
3/14 - 97-129
3/26 - 130-168
3/27 - 169-190
3/29 - 191-214
4/2 - 215-249
4/3 - 250-269
4/5 - 270-300
4/9 -Read appendix and begin Forge.

Thursday, March 1 - We will have an in class writing assignment over The Hunger Games.
Monday, March 5 - Bring the novel Chains to class. We will start reading this on Monday.
Tues/Wed, March 6/7 - We will talk about Chains and continue reading this novel.
Thursday, March 8 - We will finish discussing The Hunger Games in class. The final challenges will be on these days.

Your newspaper article is due after your English class on Friday. We will be working on these in class on Monday, and on Tuesday or Wednesday two students in class will provide you with additional suggestions for revising your work. You will also have the English class period on Friday to finish your piece.
Grading:
Beginning with your most important details - 15 points
Questions answered in your lede - 15 points
Specific details used throughout the article - 15 points
Complex, grammatically correct sentences - 15 points
Total = 60 points

I was very proud of the way you conducted yourselves during our interviews at Montereau Retirement Center. The seniors we talked with loved telling you their stories, and you were a great audience. Thank you for listening so closely and for writing such kind and thoughtful thank you letters back to them.

Monday, Feb. 20 - I am writing comments to you this weekend on your newspaper articles. We will share these with other students in class so that you can get more feedback on your writing. You will also have one class period on Friday to finish your final draft. This will be worth 60 points and will be the final grade of the trimester in English.
Tuesday/Wednesday - We will continue talking about The Hunger Games (p. 184-221). I hope you are continuing to enjoy the exciting story. There are questions to consider under The Hunger Games blog entry.
Thursday - Hunger Games review, p. 222-264.
Friday - Humanities Day - During English, you will finish the final draft of your newspaper article.

I hope you are hearing some very good stories on the trips to Montereau Retirement Center. Next week you will use your notes and your recordings to write about some of the best stories. We will also write thank you letter to the residents we interviewed.

On Friday, we will again work on writing the lede for your newspaper article. Since some of you will miss class in order to play basketball and soccer games at Casady, all ledes will not be due until Tuesday. At the top of this beginning to your article, please write out Who? What? Why? When? Where? How? and answer these questions. Make sure your answers to the questions appear in the lede for your article.

Again, all newspaper ledes will be due Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The next time we meet for humanities, we will work on writing the rest of the stories.

I chose to add this novel to the reading list because so many students loved it last year when it was a book club selection. I hope you will really enjoy the book as you also continue to practice close reading skills. Sometimes when you read a very fun book, you might skip over interesting and important details. Try not to do so with The Hunger Games. You will enjoy the book even more if you discover as much as you can about the world your author is creating here.

There are three things I want you to look for as you read. 1. Details about the 12 (or maybe 13) Districts. 2. Details about the tributes from each of the Districts. 3. Details about the history of Panem. When you come across these, you should underline or highlight the information. Just as Katniss knows very little about the true history of Panem, we the readers know little as well. However, Katniss slowly learns more and so will we. Katniss also must learn as much as she can about the other tributes. Keep track of these details; they will be important. Later there will be other information I will ask you to look for as well.

By this date you should have read this far in the book:
Thursday, Feb. 2 - p. 20
Monday, Feb. 6 - p. 60
Thursday, Feb. 9 - p. 102
Tuesday, Feb. 14 - p. 147
Thursday, Feb. 16 - p. 184
Tuesday, Feb. 21 - p. 221
Thursday, Feb. 23 - p. 261
Monday, Feb. 27 - p. 302
Thursday, March 1 - p. 330
Monday, March 5 - p. 374

Questions to Answer:
p. 3-20
1. The event that takes place once a year where the tributes are chosen is called "the reaping." Why is that a good name for this?
2. Why is the Seam a good nickname for District 12?
3. Why is Gale's name entered 42 times?
4. What were the Dark Days?

p. 21-60
1. What is a mockingjay?
2. In what states do you think District 12 and the Capitol would have been located?
3. How did Peeta save Katniss?

p. 61-102
1. What is a Career Tribute?
2. What is an Avox and how does Katniss know the Avox with dark red hair?
3. What happened to District 13?
4. What do we know about the other tributes we have met?

p. 103-184
1. After the interviews, Peeta and Katniss are referred to as star-crossed lovers. Where have you heard this phrase before? What does it mean?
2. How many tributes are left alive at the end of the first day?
3. Why does Katniss think that Peeta has betrayed her?
4. Who does Katniss meet in the branches of the tree?

p. 185-221
1. What is the first gift Katniss receives from sponsors?
2. Who has been raiding the supply stash of food?
3. How does Katniss blow up the supply stash?

p. 222-261
1. What is Rue's last request?
2. Why does Katniss search for Peeta? Give three reasons.
3. How do Peeta's cake decorating skills save his life?
4. How many tributes are left as of page 261?

p. 262-302
1. Which tributes were relying on the food stash?
2. Why do the sponsors send Katniss sleep syrup?
3. Who saves Katniss from Clove?

p. 303-330
1. Why do you think Haymitch became such a good mentor after being such a bad one at the beginning of the novel?
2. How do you think Haymitch won the Hunger Games?
3. Why does Katniss not want a victors house in District 12?

p 331-374
1. Does Caesar Flickerman try to protect Katniss and Peeta from President Snow and other people in the Capitol who might want to kills them? How does Caesar help?
2. Suzanne Collins is very good at creating mystery, of leaving you wanting to know what happens next. What questions are you left with at the ed of The Hunger Games. Do you think these will be answered in the next book?

Friday, Jan. 27 - Final draft of Time Travel Short Story due.
Monday, Jan. 30 - Final review of The Winter People.
Tues./Wed., Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 - Assessment over The Winter People. There will be two longer answer questions I will ask you to write about in class. Bring Hunger Games to class to read after you finish the test.
Thursday, Feb. 2 - Begin reading The Hunger Games in class.
Tuesday, Feb. 7 - Newspaper ledes due.
Tues./Wed., Feb. 7 and 8 - We will go to Montereau Retirement Center to interview residents as they tell us stories about growing up in Tulsa.