Mr. Beer

Over the past two weeks we have started our drama unit with the play Fences by August Wilson.  I have really enjoyed the work you all have done so far and look forward to having discussions as a class about the issues the play brings up. 

If you have missed days over the past two weeks, the big thing you need to do is keep up with the reading.  Falling behind will make it very difficult to be successful in this unit.  You can also check out a book from the Public Library so you have your own copy to read and work with at home.

I have attached the packet that we are using for the majority of our work and notes for this unit.  If you lose this packet, go ahead and print it off from here. 

Remember, all the work from this unit is worth 450 POINTS!  By far the biggest grade of the year.  Your grade in this unit will largely determine your grade for the semester.  So be in class everyday, complete all assignments on time, and come see me if you need any help.

Keep up the good work!

fences-packet

Mr. Beer

Happy March to you all!

I hope you enjoyed your three-day weekend, even with the blustery snow and cutting lake-shore gusts.  I feel like those of you who put a lot of effort towards your poetry books and performances did a great job!  There were some outstanding projects, and there were even three of you who memorized your poetry performance.  You have a lot to be proud of.

This week we begin a new unit - 5 paragraph essays.  We will be writing argumentative or persuasive essays based on the prompts you select in class.  Each day over the next two weeks we will be working on a different aspect of completing the essay, so it is crucial to be in your seat each and every day.  And you will receive five points per day for completing the daily objective.  Lots of incentive for working hard each and everyday.

Lastly, last week was the first week for Student of the Week.  There were several students eligible for the award, and I hope that number increases each and every week.  If you were one of those who met the criteria but did not receive the award, keep up the good work and soon enough you will be enjoying the five-dollar footlong.

Student of the Week:

1st. Corey Bates

3rd. Courtney Rutherford

5th. Tresjor Rogers

6th. Donnetta Lewis

Here are the handouts for the new unit.  If you miss days or if you just need an extra copy, go ahead and print one off.

five-paragraph-essay-prompts-handout

five-paragraph-grading-rubric

See you in class!

Mr. Beer

Here is the rubric for the Poetry Anthology assignment.  I have also included the 5-Day Break Checklist.

If you missed this past week, you really missed out on some awesome opportunities to improve your creative writing and poetry skills.  I really enjoyed working with you all and loved seeing your improvement!  If you missed, here’s the scoop:

Assignments and Activities:

- Students completed Overcoming Writer’s Block Activities: Free Writing exercise (where you simply write without stopping for five minutes, even if it does not make any sense), and Cluster Maps to help them generate ideas when they are feeling stuck.

- Poetry Draft checks.  Each day of the week there were a certain amount of poetry drafts due.  By this upcoming Tuesday (February 17) all 10 drafts should be completed.  See the attached “poetry break checklist” for more info.

- We worked on writing Sonnets!  Students completed the first stanza of a sonnet, focusing on rhyme skill.

- We worked on using poetic devices: similes, metaphors and personification.

Make- up work:

- Several of you are still missing your Object Creative Story.  For this assignment you simply chose an object from Mr. Beer’s bag, described it using imagery (the five senses), and then wrote a one-page fictional history/story that involved your object.  You can just pick your own object to describe.  50 POINTS!!!!

- Also, there are still some of you who have not made up the Figurative Language Quiz.  You need to get this done in the next couple of weeks.  Remember, quiz grades are worth more than everyday assignments.  Do not take a zero on this quiz!

Have a wonderful weekend!

poetry-anthology-grading-rubric1

poetry-break-checklist1

This week we began our Writer’s Workshop.  Our focus will be on developing individual student writing skills while at the same time, learning how to recognize and use poetic devices.  This is all part of our Poetry Anthologies that each student will be making. 

The Poetry Anthology project is worth a total of 230 points!  By far our biggest grade of the year.  This is a must for doing well for the second semester.