Due to the early dismissal, periods 4 and 9 will follow yesterday's post and continue work with "O Captain! My Captain!"

Everyone else will be reading and working with "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  This narrative poem (poem that tells a story) is based on the famous journey of Paul Revere on the eve of the Revolutionary War.

Here's a link to the poem: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15640

***Classwork is questions 1-10 on page 515 on brown literature books.  All answers should be written using complete sentences.

Here's a link to an informative site on Walt Whitman.  You'll find a brief biography, as well as access to some of his other poetry.

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/126

Quick Assessment:

Rewrite the following sentences inserting commas where necessary.

     1.  Mr. Manley packed a tent a fishing pole bait and a book for his camping trip.

     2.  Walt Whitman was a talented fascinating poet.

Classwork for today:

In the brown literature books, answer all questions on page 535 dealing with "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman.  Be sure to use complete sentences.

Today's Class:

1. Go over homework on "Using Commas"

2. Introduce "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

3. Group activity focusing on metaphors in the poem.


Here's a link to a reading of this famous poem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSAymj4hp7Y&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Notes for this week:

“O Captain!

My Captain!”

-Poem by Walt Whitman  American Poet (1819-1892)

extended metaphor- a comparison between two unlike things that extends through an entire poem or piece of literature.

symbolism- when one thing is used to represent something else

tone- the author’s attitude toward a subject

irony- the opposite of what is expected or intended.

Tonight's Homework:

Finish the back side of the worksheet on "Using Commas."

Today in class, we finished a video focusing on the important elements of fiction.  We also went over some of the basic rules for when and when not to use commas.

Quiz tomorrow on the vocabulary terms from "Stop the Sun."  Study!!

Homework:

Bring novels to class for independent reading.

If you're interested, here's a site with more information on the Vietnam War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

Quick Assessment:  What literary elements fit the following examples?

1.  The embarrassment ate into Terry.
2.  He had the eye of a vulture.
3.  I've told you to be quiet a billion times.
4.  Big Bob ate both burritos.
5.  The boom and pop of the gun hurt my ears.

We are finishing "Stop the Sun" in class today.  Students are to complete the selection questions using complete sentences.  What is not finished in class should be done for homework.

There will be a vocabulary quiz for the new terms on Friday.

Tonight's Homework:
Complete front and back of worksheet on punctuating titles properly.

Our literary focus this week will be a short story called "Stop the Sun" written by Gary Paulsen.  http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/

Here are the notes:

“Stop the Sun”

by: Gary Paulsen

setting- present day

main character- Terry Erickson

Literature Elements

Theme- the message that an author wishes to get across

***3^rd person point of view- the narrator of the story is an outsider that is not a character in the story

a.     objective- the narrator only has limited knowledge of the characters

b.     omniscient- the narrator is all knowing

Words to Know

persist (verb)- to continue stubbornly

          ex. At times, students persist at being obnoxious.

dry (adjective)- direct and without emotion

          ex. After winning the World Series, the players seemed dry.  They weren’t even excited.

founder (verb)- to get stuck or to break down

          ex.  Cars that don’t have four-wheel drive often founder in the snow.

inert (adjective)- having no power to move or act; lifeless

          ex.  After being struck by the winning punch, the boxer became inert.

chant (verb)- singing or speaking in monotone.

          ex. One will often hear the crowd chant at a football game.

Quiz Tomorrow on "The Great Rat Hunt."  You will need to study your vocabulary terms as well as the following literary elements.

onomatopoeia- words that sound like the actions they describe.
  ex. buzz, pop, fizz, thump

metaphor- a direct comparison of two unlike things.

hyperbole- an exaggeration

simile- a direct comparison of two things using "like" or "as."

personification- giving human qualities to non-human objects.

alliteration- the repeating of beginning consonant sounds in literature.
  ex. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.