Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh...It's a pleasure to be back at school after Thanksgiving, isn't it? I'd had enough of sleeping late and eating when I wanted and curling up with a good book and taking walks and shopping and . . . Actually, I think I'd like a little more of that. Oh, well. We ARE back at school, so we may as well have a good attitude about it! And the sun is shining and our next vacation is right around the corner and we have reading and writing and vocabulary and ENGLISH class to enjoy . . .

So does everyone know what's new and what's due? (I'm a rhyming fool; that's cool; especially at school; I can follow the rule; I don't want to fight in a duel. . . I could go on FOREVER!)

B period: Vocab. sentences due Wed., 11/28; vocab. quiz on Fri., 11/30; drafting pages due on Fri., 11/30; polished writing due by Tues., 12/4; dialogue journals due Fri., 12/14; 3-week project selfless act due Tues., 12/18.
C period: Selfless act due Tues., 12/18
D period: Vocab. sentences due Wed., 11/28; vocab. quiz on Fri., 11/30; drafting pages due on Fri., 11/30; polished writing due by Fri., 11/30; dialogue journals due Thurs., 11/6; 3-week selfless act due Tues., 12/18.
F period: Vocab. sentences and quiz due on Thurs., 11/29; drafting pages due on Thurs., 11/29; polished writing due by Wed., 12/5; dialogue journals due Thurs., 12/13; 3-week selfless act due Mon., 12/17.
H period: Vocab. sentences and quiz due Thurs., 11/29; drafting pages due on Thurs., 11/29; polished writing due by Mon. 12/3 or Wed. 12/5; dialogue journals due Fri., 12/7; 3-week selfless act due Mon., 12/17.

How about a little vocabulary?

Vocabulary List 10:

1. quisling - n - traitor; one who betrays his/her country
2. painstaking - adj. - very careful
3. nefarious - adj. - extremely wicked and evil
4. preclude - v - to prevent or make impossible
5. provincial - adj. - unsophisticated or countrified
6. recalcitrant - adj. - unmanageable, refusing to follow rules
7. sybarite - n - a person devoted to luxury and pleasure
8. juxtapose - v - to place side-by-side to compare or contrast
9. fecund - adj. - fruitful, productive
10. gamesome - adj. - merry, playful

Honors only:

11. dolt - n - a stupid person
12. agape - adj. - open-mouthed
13. impeccable - adj. - perfect, flawless
14. resplendent - adj. - brilliant, lustrous
15. perorate - v - to lecture, to give a sermon

Extra Credit:

caduceus - n
extremophile - n
dilatory - adj.
fenestration - n
targe - n

Get to work!

I have to applaud all of you. I am impressed by the amount of writing you've been doing and your positive attitudes and your reading. I am proud of you and happy to be your teacher. Thank you for your effort and your willingness to learn.

Hello, my friends!

Whew - this is a short week and next week's even shorter. Savor every word of this week's blog, because next week, in honor of Thanksgiving, there will be NO BLOGGING!

School has been so much fun lately, hasn't it? And by school, you know I mean English class. Has anyone else bought or checked out my boyfriend Nick Hornby's new book Slam? It sure was good. That man is a genius! No wonder he's my boyfriend! I'm thinking about sending him a letter. What do you think? I'm sure he'll fall head-over-heels-in-love with me based on my poetic and lyrical writing style. Hmmmmm...I'm swooning.

Anyway, lots of stuff due. Here's the rundown:

B period: Dialogue journals due Thursday; grateful lists due Thursday; vocabulary due Thursday; drafting due Monday.
C period: Grateful lists due Thursday
D period: Same as B period above
F period: Dialogue journals due Friday; grateful lists due Friday; vocabulary due Friday; drafts due Friday (wink).
H period: Same as F period

And I want to start getting polished pieces in. I'm thinking Wednesday and Thursday after T'giving for Honors and Friday and Monday after T'giving for C1. What do you think about that? I think it's a BRILLIANT idea!

This week's vocabulary . . .

Vocabulary 9:

1. duplicity-n - deceitfulness, lying
2. emulate - v - to try to equal or surpass
3. euphemism - n - a nice way of saying something harsh
4. fastidious - adj. - hard to please, fussy, particular
5. garbled - adj. - confused, jumbled
6. hierarchy - n - organization by rank or class
7. impassive - adj. - without feeling or emotion
8. indigent - adj. - poor, poverty-stricken
9. jargon - n - specialized vocabulary of members of a group
10. lethargic - adj. - drowsy, dull, sluggish

Honors only:
11. panache - n - flair, flamboyance
12. inept - adj. - incompetent
13. disconsolate - adj. - sad, inconsolable
14. somnolent - adj. - half-asleep
15. nepotism - n - favoritism to a relative

Extra credit:
scofflaw - n
perspicuous - adj.
perspicacious - adj.
operculum - n
interstice - n

That about does it; I'm burning dinner! See you tomorrow!

Hello, Rock Stars!

Yes, you! You rock!!! I mean, how could you not? You are lucky enough to have ME for an English teacher!

Are you getting scared because the end of the quarter is rapidly approaching and you have a 47 in class and you don't know what to do? Don't be afraid! You should all know exactly what you are missing and know exactly what to do to correct it - remember, I gave you your grade sheets! (If you were absent or daydreaming, see me! I'll get you the info. you need.) And you'll bring it in to me on Thursday, not Friday. And being scared won't solve the problem anyway. You just have to face up to the situation and tackle it. Don't be PUSILLANIMOUS! Be BRAVE!

Okay, what's on your new TO-DO list? (Did you see that new and to-do rhyme? That's assonance, you know!)

B period: vocabulary 8 - Thursday, 3-5 pages of draft - Thursday, dialogue journal - Thursday, 11/15 (next week), grateful lists - Thursday, 11/15, polished draft - after Thanksgiving

C period: vocabulary 4 - Thursday, grateful lists - Thursday, 11/15

D period: vocabulary 8 - Thursday, 4-6 pages of draft - Thursday, dialogue journal - Thursday, 11/15 (next week), grateful lists - Thursday, 11/15, polished draft - before Thanksgiving

F period: vocabulary 8 quiz - Friday, 3-5 pages of draft - Friday, dialogue journal - Friday, 11/16, grateful lists - Friday, 11/16, polished draft - after Thanksgiving

H period: vocabulary 8 quiz - Friday, 4-6 pages of draft - Friday, dialogue journal - Friday, 11/16, grateful lists - Friday, 11/16, polished draft - before Thanksgiving

And now you want this week's vocabulary? You are SOOOOOOOOOOOO demanding!

Vocabulary Lesson 8:

1. adulterate - v - to corrupt, contaminate, or pollute
2. aloof - adj. - standoffish, indifferent, disinterested
3. apochryphal - adj. - false, counterfeit
4. belittle - v - to trivialize or make unimportant
5. capitulate - v - to surrender, to give in
6. crestfallen - adj. - disappointed, discouraged, SO SAD
7. conciliatory - adj. - meant to soothe or reconcile
8. dearth - n - shortage
9. desecrate - v - to treat with disrespect
1o. diffident - adj. - shy, unassertive

Honors:
11. spectral - adj. - ghostly
12. mendacious - adj. - lying, false
13. guffaw - n - boisterous laughter
14. bilk - v - to swindle or cheat
15. pusillanimous - adj. - cowardly

Extra Credit:

aviophobia
arachibutyrophobia
coulrophobia
pharmacophobia
emotophobia

Don't you love phobias?

Coming soon: Smiley-face tricks on the blog! Can't wait!