Hello, folks! Look at me blogging EARLY! Who's the best English teacher EVER???

Okay, vocabulary for C period is the same this week as last week - you guys have a quiz this Friday!

Everybody else, your new list:

Vocabulary 28

1. iconoclast - n - a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions
2. incisive - adj. - keen, penetrating, cutting, sharp
3. insurgent - adj./n - someone who rises in revolt; revolt-ing, rebellious
4. laconic - adj. - brief or terse
5. marred - adj. - damaged
6. obsolete - adj. - outdated
7. peerless - adj. - having no equal, better than the rest
8. sally - n - a sudden rushing forth to attack; a quick witticism
9. prodigious - adj. - enormous, extraordinary
10. quixotic - adj. - idealistic and impractical

Honors only:
11. snivel - v - to cry and sniffle and whine and complain
12. imperious - adj. - overbearing, arrogant
13. rhapsodize - v - to gush, to speak enthusiastically
14. truculent - adj. - ready to fight
15. bedizen - v - to dress or decorate in a gaudy or tasteless way

Extra credit:

blatherskite, n
katzenjammer, n
colporteur, n
zarf, n


Due dates:

B pd. : sentences 5/14; quiz, drafting 5/16; polished piece 5/20
C pd. : quiz 5/16
D pd. : sentences, 5/14; quiz, drafting, dialogue journal 5/16
F pd. : sentences, drafting, quiz 5/15; polished piece 5/19
H pd. : sentences, drafting, quiz, dialogue journal 5/15

Hmmmm.... Ms. Wallace is posting on a WEEKEND. I wonder why? She must have run out of books to read!

Not a chance! I have plenty of books. I'm almost done with Killing Britney. Disturbing but fascinating.

I just wanted to thank all of you for the best birthday ever! Wow - I think this was the best birthday I've had since I was a little kid. There were delicious treats and presents and well wishers and kind and thoughtful people. You guys are GREAT! I love birthdays!

I also wanted to do a quick update for D period and the ice cream parlor writing. . . Remember, you are writing a dialogue - ALL dialogue - between the soda jerk and the guy who skipped his weight watchers meeting to get an ice cream and feels super guilty. You will reveal their individual characters through their dialogue ONLY. You only need to spend about 10 minutes on this one - it's not a polished piece! It's FUN!

Sorry to be posting so late - I KNOW! How could you POSSIBLY do your homework without the blog!?!?!?! I've been having some computer issues, okay? And my birthday is this week, so give me a break!!! And a present wouldn't kill you. . .

Okay. What's due? Hey - that sounds like "what's new" but replace the "new" with "due"! Cool!

B period: Make-up work was due Tuesday, 5/6; drafting and sentences and quiz and dialogue journals are due on 5/8 (MY BIRTHDAY); I think that's it.

C period: Writing pieces were due last week. Vocabulary definitions were done in class on Tuesday, 5/6.

D period: Make-up work was due Tuesday, 5/6; polished writing was due 5/6 also; drafting and sentence and quiz are due on 5/8 (Did I mention that's MY BIRTHDAY?).

F period: Drafting, quizzes, and dialogue journals are due on Friday, 5/9.

H period: Drafting and quizzes are due on Friday, 5/9. Polished writing was due on Monday, 5/5.

For C period students, your vocabulary is:
1. circumspect - adj. - cautious, careful
2. histrionic - adj. - overly dramatic
3. debilitate - v - to weaken
4. gesticulate - v - to make gestures when speaking
5. dismantle - v - to take apart
6. bucolic - adj. - rural, from the country
7. enervate - v - to weaken
8. evanescent - adj. - short-lived
9. didactic - adj. - instructive, meant to teach
10. garner - v - to collect

Everyone else, your vocabulary is:
1. coalesce- v - to combine or merge
2. corroborate - v- to confirm or verify
3. delineate - v - to describe in words or outline
4. diatribe - n - a bitter verbal attack
5. disposition - n - personality; tendency
6. egregious - adj. - extraordinarily bad
7. ephemeral - adj. - short-lived
8. expedite - v - to speed up
9. forlorn - adj. - neglected and sad
10. gullible - adj. - easily deceived

Honors:
11. raspy - adj. - harsh, grating
12. rancor - n - bitterness, hatred
13. ignominious - adj. - disgraceful
14. goad - v - to urge on
15. gamely - adv. - bravely, with spirit

Extra Credit:
brumal - adj.
quincunx - n
macaronic - adj.
opprobrium - n
prosody - n

Hello, my happy back-from-vacation friends! Long time no blog . . . I know. I slacked on the week before vacation. You missed me, didn't you? Many of you came in so annoyed - "Ms. Wallace, the words weren't on the blog!" "Ms. Wallace, how could I do the homework without the blog?" "Ms. Wallace, do you think you could update the blog sometime this month?!?!?!?!" Wow - I didn't know you cared! So here's this week's entry - and it's a day early so stop your caterwauling!

So much due, so little time. . .

B period: 4/30 - sentences, 3 week project, polished writing piece; 5/2 - drafting, quiz; 5/8 (my BIRTHDAY) - sentences, quiz, drafting, dialogue journals.

D period: 4/30 - sentences, 3 week project; 5/2 - drafting, quiz, dialogue journals; 5/6 - polished writing; 5/8 (my BIRTHDAY) - sentences, quiz, drafting.

F period: 4/29 - polished writing piece; 5/1 - sentences, 3 week project, drafting, quiz; 5/9 - drafting, quiz, dialogue journals.

H period: 5/1 - sentences, 3 week project, dialogue journals, drafting, quiz; 5/5 - polished writing; 5/9 - quiz, drafting.

Phew - that's a LOT of grading.

Vocabulary 26 -

1. tangential - adj. - touching on a subject, digressing
2. trepidation - n - fear, apprehension
3. untenable - adj. - can't be defended, can't be maintained
4. vindictive - adj. - revengeful, unforgiving
5. folderol - n - foolishness, nonsense
6. aesthetic - adj. - artistic, showing appreciation of beauty
7. analogous - adj. - comparable, similar
8. dodger - n - a dishonest person
9. buffoon - n - a clown, a fool
10. caustic - adj. - mean, stinging

Honors only:
11. virulent - adj. - extremely poisonous
12. wary - adj. - very cautious
13. protract - v - to prolong
14. puerile - adj. - childish
15. maelstrom - n - whirlpool

Extra credit: sibyl - n, elcubrate - v, tunesmith - n , tumefaction - n, graminivorous - adj.

Hooray! It's blogging time again! In case you weren't aware, today is exactly one month until my birthday. . . May 8 is coming soon. Save up your money, think about what I'd like, buy it, and wrap it up. I LOOOOOVE festive wrapping. If you're having trouble deciding on a gift, remember that books are ALWAYS a good choice.

Back to school business.

Last week, you were all assigned to write at least three wildly improbable goals. Remember that these goals should seem nearly impossible to achieve, and they should be goals that you would really LOVE to achieve. You should have these goals written down by THIS FRIDAY, April 11. Then you can watch and observe and wait and see what happens as you become more conscious of ways to accomplish your goals.

Coming assignments:

B period: Vocabulary sentences 4/9, drafting 4/11, dialogue journals 4/11, polished writing 4/29 or 4/30.
C period: Wildly Improbable Goals 4/11, Vocabulary 11 Quiz 4/11.
D period: Vocabulary sentences 4/9, drafting 4/11, dialogue journals 4/11, polished writing 4/15.
F period: Vocabulary sentences 4/10, drafting 4/10, dialogue journals 4/10, polished writing 4/29 or 4/30.
H period: Vocabulary sentences 4/10, drafting 4/10, dialogue journals 4/10, polished writing 4/14.

Vocabulary 24:

1. effervescent - adj. - bubbly; full of energy
2. agog - adj. - highly excited and eager
3. contraband - n - illegal goods
4. porcine - adj. - resembling a pig
5. ebullition - n - a sudden, violent outburst
6. verslibrist - n - a writer of free verse
7. incipient - adj. - beginning
8. insipid - adj. - dull, bland, boring
9. nebbish - n - a pushover, a timid and ineffectual person
10. rapscallion - n - a rascal, a troublemaker

Honors only:

11. prodigious - adj. - enormous in size or quantity
12. unfledged - adj. - not fully developed, inexperienced
13. warren - n - a place where rabbits live; a crowded tenement
14. benighted - adj. - being in a state of intellectual darkness, ignorant
15. tyro - n - a beginner or novice

Extra credit:

versicle - n
peckniffian - adj.
swank - adj.
floccinaucinihilipilification - n
slugabed - n

Back to blogging as usual this week! Language Arts MCAS tests are OVER!!! Phew!!! What a relief!!! Now we can get back to our English FUN - vocabulary, drafting, dialogue journaling, reading, grammar - YAY!!!

Did you do well on your tests? I'll bet you did. You were prepared, you've had the best English instruction known to humankind, and you're pretty smart. How could you go wrong?

So, upcoming English events:

B period: drafting and sentences and quiz due on Thursday (and 3 week project if you didn't turn it in on Tuesday); dialogue journals are due next Friday, 4/11.
D period: drafting and sentences and quiz due on Thursday (and 3 week project if you didn't turn it in on Tuesday); dialogue journals are due next Friday, 4/11; polished writing pieces are due Tuesday, 4/15.
F period: sentences due Wednesday (and 3 week project if you didn't turn it in on Monday); drafting and quiz due on Friday; dialogue journals due next Thursday, 4/10.
H period: sentences due Wednesday (and 3 week project if you didn't turn it in on Monday); drafting and quiz due on Friday; dialogue journals due next Thursday, 4/10; polished writing due Monday, 4/14.

Vocabulary lesson 23 (we did NOT have a lesson 22):

1. implacable - adj. - not able to be satisfied; unyielding or relentless
2. ameliorate - v - to make better, to improve
3. bombastic - adj. - use of impressive-sounding language with little meaning
4. catharsis - n - emotional purification or relief
5. atrophy - v - to waste away
6. clemency - n - mercy, mildness
7. pejorative - adj. - negative, unfavorable
8. prowess - n - bravery; skill
9. devoid - adj. - lacking, entirely without
10. truculent - adj. - fierce and cruel, brutal

Honors:

11. quagmire - n - bog, marsh
12. badinage - n - teasing conversation
13. desultory - adj. - aimless, jumping around
14. iniquitous - adj. - unjust, wicked
15. smattering - n - small amount

Extra credit:

singultous - n
vulpine - adj.
kakistocracy - n
abaction - n
hypermnesia - n


That's all, folks!

Hello, fellow lovers of all things reading and writing! I'm so inspired by all of the reading I've been doing lately - especially the Natalie Goldberg writing book . . . It's urging me to get ALL of us to do more WRITING!!! Yay!

Want the vocabulary?

Vocabular 21
1. refurbish -v - to make like new
2. respite -n - rest, break
3. scoff - v - to mock or make fun of
4. sporadic - adj. - irregular, inconsistent
5. sumptuous - adj. - lavish, extravagant, luxurious
6. talon - n- claw
7. tirade - n - long angry and scolding speech
8. unscathed - adj. - unharmed
9. vilify - v - to defame or slander, to talk badly about
10. wither - v - to dry up or shrivel

Honors:
11. polemic- n - a controversial argument, an argument supporting one point of view
12. mutable - adj. - changing in form
13. glower - v - to scowl
14. bandy - v - to discuss lightly
15. unwitting - adj. - unintentional

Extra Credit: discalceate, mistigris, volte, yare

Do you need to know what's due?

REMEMBER! Next week is MCAS! We're getting ready this week.

F period: vocab. due Wed., drafting and quiz due Fri. Your dialogue journals were due last week and polished writing was due on Monday. Did you get them in?

H period: vocab. due Wed., drafting and quiz due Fri. Polished writing is due on Tuesday. Dialogue journals were due last week. Did you turn yours in?

B period: vocab. sentences and quiz and drafting are due Thursday. Your dialogue journals were due last week. Polished writing was due today (Tuesday). Did you turn them in?

D period: vocab. sentences and quiz and drafting are due Thursday. Dialogue journals were due last week. Polished writing piece is due on Monday.

Wasn't rhyme scheme fun? "Twinkle twinkle . . ." "On top of spaghetti . . ."