Last class - the one where you didn't write the diagnostic exam, I asked you why you were taking Language Arts...the discussion didn't last long because we had to go get our chromebooks but let me tell you why I teach language arts...because language is powerful.  It has the ability to draw others into ones thoughts and ideas and connect with people in a way not possible in any other endeavor.  Who hasn't heard a stirring speech at a wedding or funeral?  Or read a quotation (idea) that has inspired them or connected with them? Or been manipulated into buying something or seeing something because it "sounded so good"?  Our task, over the course of this semester, is to learn to harness the power of language and use it for our own purposes AND to learn to find the truth within it so that we are not easily manipulated by what we read.  In a world where the internet and social media plays such an important role, my job as a teacher of English language Arts, is to help you learn to travel these pathways with grace and understanding allowing you to forge your own trail and to encourage others to follow.

AND SO...

Today we are going to start class by looking at Euphemisms and creating some of our own...there's some home baking on the line for the group that can create the most imaginative ones!  See the assignment in your google classroom.

This will roll us into a discussion about perspective and I'm going to show you a cool powerpoint and we're going to discuss a little about what perspective is.

For your tutorial work today, you should read the essay "A New Perspective" by Janice Fein (30-1 students should also read Margaret Atwood's essay "Bread" and answer the questions...we will take these up tomorrow.

Today we have a bunch of house keeping items.  First, please bring in your camp forms so that we can get these filed and out of the way.  Second, in my class you will be getting your time tables, lockers and chromebooks.  I predict that this will take some time AND most of what I want to cover with you is on the computer...so we will go over the course outline today as well and be TOTALLY ready to get started with a great day tomorrow.

Whew!!  Done the most stressful part of the exam and now it's time to enjoy some poetry and coast through our last week of classes.  This week we will be working through some vocabulary and reviewing our terms (online games and quizzes each day) and then exploring some poetry.  Please feel free to bring in song lyrics or poems that you really enjoy.

Most important for everyone in these final weeks leading up to exams is to try and create a balance in your lives.  Attend classes, eat well, exercise, sleep well and study for short periods of time every day.  Last minute cramming is not a successful studying strategy.  As well, staying up late and not looking after your physical needs can cause problems with brain functioning.

On Monday January 19th, you will rewrite your diagnostic and then go over the answers.  The diagnostic exam is the MOST recently released exam items and will help you to gauge where you are at going into the diploma and allow you to ask any questions you might have.

All late writing assignments should have come in on Monday, January 12th.  I will accept late reading comprehension assignments up until this Friday, January 16th.

We got through most of what we needed to yesterday.  Not much time for the writing.  I will hand out two more sample personal response/ visual response assignments as requested by the class yesterday.  Reminder that you can do these and hand them in if you choose.

Today we will do a quick sentence structure activity and a quick review of All My Sons.

Welcome back!!  I hope that everyone is well rested and ready to get their brains back in gear for the final weeks of grade 12 English.  I will put our week plan below so that you can see our plans for review this week.  I feel confident that we are ready but need to do some polishing with our writing this week.

Monday Day 4 - 2 classes
Mechanics review - spelling- 15  mins - this will be a review on powerpoint...just a good reminder
Socrative - Lit Review for "Identities", "On the Rainy River", All My Sons - 20 mins
Hand out review packages - to be worked on at home and when we have left over time in class
Personal Response to text/ Visual reflection - practice - timed writing - 20 mins to plan a response for the 2013 diploma exam - reminder about the choices for writing and the marking.  Discussion about writing from the heart.  Make the writing real.  Try to avoid discussing things you know little about.  Show empathy and understanding.  Avoid generalizations.  Show shades of grey.  Avoid absolutes.  Choice -write this for homework tonight and I will mark...can replace a previous personal response to text assignment.

Specific details practice - write about...a childhood toy….take out the blue writing cards.  Discuss.

Finally, Reread previous personal responses - learn from your previous mistakes...it’s what makes us better.

Tuesday Day one - 1 class

Mechanics review - sentence structure - 10 mins
Socrative Lit Review - Lit Review for Identities, On the Rainy River, All My Sons continued- 20 mins

Review - Choose three texts.  Go back through and remind students to reread and review all the important details.  Place names and character names and minute details of the text.

Wednesday Day Two - 2 classes


Mechanics review - comma usage - 10 mins
Socrative lit Review - "The Destructors" and Othello

30-1 - Lit Review - preparing and organizing two essays based on previous topics
30-2 - Letter writing with me - go over the assignment and exemplars

Thursday Day Three - 1 class

Mechanics Review - Point of view, sing/plural, tense shifts
Socrative lit Review - The Kite Runner/ Night
Exemplars - paragraphs




Friday Day Four - 2 classes
Diploma practice  - Critical Response - 30-1, Literary Response and letter - 30-2

Monday Day One - 1 class
Mechanics review - editing a paragraph
Socrative lit review - building a bank of your own questions

Look over practice diplomas and learn and prepare.
Go over final preparation needed for tonight

Tuesday - DIPLOMA EXAM be at the school at 8:30.  Exam begins at 9:00 am SHARP

Whew!  It's been a crazy time of year and it's now time to regroup and refocus on academics.  We have to complete our course work prior to Christmas break...And this is only 4 short weeks away!! It is imperative over the next little while to waste no time.  Today we will finishing up our unit exams from yesterday and preparing to write our critical essay on Passion tomorrow.  You have all had a document shared with you.  It is a sample paragraph from an essay at a 40-60% grade and your task is to get it to an 80-100% grade.  We will take these up on Wednesday.

For those of you who have not submitted your personal response for marking, this needs to come in immediately.

Remember to start reading your novels!!

Ms. C

Today we will first be looking at reviewing what will be on your unit exam.  We will take a quick quiz on socrative today and then do an explanation activity where we're moving around the room.  Finally, we will start planning and looking at our personal response assignment which was sent to the ELA 30-1 students and the ELA 30-2 students already have theirs.

Today we will finish watching the film for Othello, complete the passion chart and then do a reading comprehension quiz to see how we are doing with reading and understanding Shakespeare.  If there is time, we will then review the personal response to text assignment and begin planning and writing it.

Here's a schedule of what next week looks like:
17 Monday: Review for unit exam - Personal response to text writing
18 Tuesday:  Essay topics - Working with Exemplars - Essay planning - Final Review
19 Wednesday:  Unit Exam - Passion
20 Thursday: In Class - personal response to text writing assignment (hand out novels)
24 Monday - Writing exercise - style and vocabulary
25 Tuesday - In Class essay - Passion