Since I flubbed up last week's entry, I'm starting early this week. Sorry sorry sorry for the inconvenience and confusion . . . But now I'm back on track and all should be right with the world.

So, where are we? In terms of our learning, we've been spending time on details in writing - especially on distinguishing between GOOD details (potatoes) and BAD details (snoozers) and on working to include more of the potatoes in our writing. We're even getting started thinking about characterization - how authors develop characters and how to use potatoes to better develop them. We're going to be SUCH GOOD WRITERS! In C period, we're working on smiley-face tricks: magic three, repetition for effect, expanded moments, and hyphenated modifiers to begin. We read The Rattletrap Car - remember how much fun that was? "Junie shook her head. Jakie shook his head. The baby shook her three-speed, wind-up, paddle-wheel boat."

We've also been working on the strategies of good readers. We've explored the strategy known as "ACCESSING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE." We've made text-to-self connections, text-to-text connections, AND text-to-world connections. The text-to-world connections piece led to some excellent discussion about racism and segregation in the past, in society, and in our school. Next we'll be talking about how to practice these strategies when you are faced with a difficult text on your own.

Let's quickly review the upcoming assignments:

B period - Vocabulary 13 sentences and quiz due Thursday; drafting pages due Thursday; polished writing piece due Friday 1/4.
C period - Vocabulary 7 quiz due Thursday; writing piece due Thursday.
D period - Vocabulary 13 sentences and quiz due Thursday; drafting pages due Thursday; polished writing piece due on
Thursday. Let's have dialogue journals due on 1/4.
F period - Vocabulary 13 sentences due Wednesday; Vocabulary 13 quiz due Friday; drafting due Friday; polished writing piece due Thursday, 1/3.
H period - Vocabulary 13 sentences due Wednesday; Vocabulary quiz 13 due Friday; drafting due Friday; polished writing due on Friday; dialogue journals due Thursday, 1/3.

Okay? Also, we've discussed the mid-term exam. Start planning now.

Vocabulary 13 -

1. bellicose - adj. - war-like, quarrelsome
2. abjure - v - to renounce; to shun or avoid
3. ingratiate - v - to get on someone's good side
4. judicious - adj - wise, showing good judgment
5. levity - n - lightness, lack of seriousness
6. corrosive - adj. - acidlike, eating away; bitterly sarcastic
7. pariah - n - outcast
8. stentorian - adj. - extremely loud
9. obviate - v - to anticipate and prevent; to eliminate
10. retrogress - v - to move backward

Honors only -

11. browbeat - v - to bully or intimidate
12. brazen - adj. - bold and shameless
13. jubilation - n - joy, rejoicing
14. reprehensible - adj. - terrible and deserving blame
15. waggish - adj. - mischievous

Extra credit:
kobold -n
pandect - n
polyhistor - n
tummler - n
ziggurat - n