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 . . ."

Yup. I'm running a little behind. It's already THURSDAY. Sorry. But here's this week's vocabulary:

Voc. 20

1. unfeigned - adj.- genuine, real
2. inadvertent - adj. - accidental, unintentional
3. inscrutable - adj. - impossible to understand
4. sedulous - adj. - hard-working, diligent
5. lucid - adj. - clear, understandable
6. vituperative - adj. - abusive, scolding
7. partisan - adj. - one-sided, prejudiced, biased
8. placate - v - to soothe or pacify
9. ichthyology - n - study of fish
10. quandary - n - dilemma

Honors only:

11. bastion - n - fortress, defense, stronghold
12. complicity - n - participation, involvement
13. malingerer - n - one who pretends to be sick to get out of responsibility
14. toady - v - to flatter for favors
15. venturesome - adj. - bold, daring

Extra credit: scurf, saltatory, songfest, sobersided, sobriquet


HEY - Dialogue journals are due this Thursday and Friday for B,D,F,H. Drafting, too. B and F have polished writing pieces due Monday and Tuesday!!!

Also, new three-week project has been assigned - or will be, in F and H. Your task is to do something and do it BADLY - on purpose! Don't just screw up your homework accidentally. This assignment requires you to leap in and DO YOUR WORST! Are you up to the task?

Welcome back from that delightful, serendipitously long vacation! And congratulations on your three-week project achievements! People really tested themselves - snowboarding jumps and standing up to angry people and reading two books in one week and singing in front of lucky audiences and . . . AMAZING! And remember, I skiied a blue trail! So what if people were laughing at me; I did it! I love how brave we are.

So, you are wondering about what is DUE this week and in the near future, right? Let me enlighten you.

B period: Today (Tuesday, 3/4) I checked drafting and vocabulary 18 sentences from before vacation. We wrote three-week project responses - those are due by Thursday. We did vocab. 19 definitions - sentences and quiz due Thursday. On Thursday, drafting is due - include at least two stanzas of a sestina, please! Dialogue journals are due next Friday, 3/14.

C period: Today (Tuesday, 3/4) we had vocab. quiz 10. We worked on three-week project responses - those are due by Thursday.

D period: Today (Tuesday, 3/4) I checked drafting and vocabulary 18 sentences. I collected dialogue journals that were supposed to be due before vacation. Polished writing pieces were technically due today, but I've extended the deadline to Thursday. You should have drafting and three-week project writing and voc.19 sentences on Thursday, too. Remember to have at least two stanzas of a sestina in your drafting. Dialogue journals are due next Friday, 3/14.

F period: Vocabulary 19 sentences and three-week project responses are due Wednesday, 3/5. Quiz 19 is Friday, 3/7. Drafting is due Friday, 3/7. Make sure you have at least two stanzas of a sestina. Dialogue journals are due Thursday, 3/13.

H period: Vocabulary 19 sentences, three-week project responses, and polished writings are due Wednesday, 3/5. Drafting (including at least two stanzas of a sestina) and quiz 19 are on Friday, 3/7. Dialogue journals are due Thursday, 3/13.

Vocabulary Lesson 19:

1. clandestine - adj. - secret
2. invective - n - verbal abuse, mean comment
3. deference - n - respect
4. inveigle - v - to lead astray, to wheedle or persuade
5. disparity - n - lack of equality, difference
6. efface - v - to erase, to wipe out
7. emendation - n - correction, improvement
8. potable - adj. - suitable for drinking
9. truncate - v - to cut the top off
10. gratuitous - adj. - freely given and unnecessary

Honors:
11. beneficent - adj. - kindly, good
12. improvident - adj. - not thrifty, not careful
13. invidious - adj. - mean, designed to create ill will or envy
14. mien - n - demeanor, bearing
15. ramshackle - adj. - rickety, falling apart

Extra Credit: yawping - n, resile - v, tocsin - n, treen - n, keelhaul - v