Winter Break Assignments

I know you will all desperately miss English class over break, so here are your winter break assignments. Enjoy! :)

You must complete BOTH assignments!
Winter Break Assignments

Tuesday, December 21

We took a vocabulary test today. If you were not in class, please see me to make this up.

Writing prompts due today.

Read chapters 14-15 in Their Eyes Were Watching God for Wednesday.

Monday, December 20

Writing Prompt: What do you think of Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship? Is it just lust? Do they truly know one another? Will it last? Explain your point of view.  

Today’s Agenda:

1. Research Presentations
2. Chapters 12 & 13
3. Review vocabulary - Test tomorrow!!

Important Dates:

1. Story Slam – tomorrow
2. Research presentations – Wednesday
3. Vocabulary Test – tomorrow
4. Writing prompts due tomorrow
5. Read chapter 14 for Wednesday (reading notes will be due on Thursday)

Chapter 12 

1. What kind of activities do Janie and Tea Cake do together? 
2. What does Sam Watson say is the reason Tea Cake is spending money on Janie?
3. How does Janie feel about going places with Tea Cake? Why does Janie say she never went around before?
4. Why does Janie admit she wore the mourning clothes (black and white)?
5. What does Janie tell Pheoby she and Tea Cake are going to do?
6. Why is Janie planning on selling the store? Why does she feel that she must leave town?
7. What do we learn about the way Janie’s grandma wanted Janie to live her life? What does Janie want?
8. Do you think Janie is foolish to trust Tea Cake? Explain.

Chapter 13

1. What does the author mean by “It was hard to love a woman that always made you feel so wishful”?
2. How do we know Janie doesn’t entirely trust Tea Cake? 
3. Why do you think Janie thought of Annie Tyler and Who Flung?
4. What figure of speech is the following: “Janie dozed off to sleep but woke up in time to see the sun sending up spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark”? What does this sentence mean?
5. What does Tea Cake say he did with the money? Do you believe his story? Why or why not?
6. Why didn’t Tea Cake invite Janie? Do you agree or disagree with his decision? Explain.
7. How does Tea Cake say he will pay Janie back? What happens to him?

Friday, December 17

Writing Prompt: Can you love or adore someone and hate them at the same time?  Explain why or why not?  Has this ever happened to you? Explain.

Today's Agenda: 

1. Story Slam

2. Review vocabulary

3. Review chapter 11

4. Movie

Next Week

Research Presentations: Monday & Wednesday 

Story Slam: Tuesday

Vocabulary Test: Tuesday (40 new, 60 old)

Writing Prompts due Tuesday
This weekend: Read chapters 12 & 13  

Thursday, December 16

Writing Prompt:

Pretend you are either Janie or Tea Cake. From that character's perspective, write a diary entry describing how you felt after the night at the store. Write in first person point view.

Today's Agenda 

1. Research presentations (and the last performance of the dialect theatre) 

2. Review chapters 9-10 

3. Review vocabulary 

Important Dates 

1. Story Slam tomorrow 

2. Research presentations Monday and Wednesday next week! 

3. Vocabulary test Tuesday (40 new, 60 old)

4. 20 Writing Prompts - collected on Tuesday,  

Tonight: Read chapter 11 

Notes due tomorrow: end of 6; 7-8; 9-10; 11 

Wednesday, December 15

Writing Prompt: Write a short vignette about a bombastic person you know who tries to belie him or herself. Do you try to debunk this person's statements? Does this person become contentious when you confront them about their fallacies? Explain. 


Today's Agenda:

1. Review 7&8

2. Dialect Theatre presentations

3. Review vocabulary

4. Start chapter 9

Don't forget! 
Research Presentations tomorrow
Story Slam on Friday
Vocab Test on Tuesday, 12/21 (100 Words! Holla!)

Reading Notes for Friday:

End of chapter 6; chapters 7-8; chapters 9-10

Read chapters 9-10 for Thursday!!

Tuesday, December 14

Writing Prompt: Now that Janie has had two marriages, which one do you think was better for her? Was it right for her to leave Logan for Joe? Was her marriage and lifestyle with Joe better than it had been with Logan? Explain. 

Today's Agenda:

1. Story Slam

2. Dialect Theatre

Important Dates:  

• Read chapters 7-8 for Wednesday (Take notes as you read. Notes will be collected on Friday, 12/17)
• Story Slams - Friday
• Reading Notes - Friday
• Vocabulary Test - Tuesday, 12/21 (100 words - 40 new and 60 old)

Monday, December 13

Writing Prompt: On page 14, Nanny tells Janie, “De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see. Ah been prayin’ fuh it tuh be different wid you.”
a. Reread the paragraph on page 14. What do you think Nanny means by this?
b. What point is Hurston trying to make about women?

Today's Agenda:

1. Research presentations
2. Review chapter 6 & start chapter 7
3. Review vocabulary

Important Dates:

• Read chapters 7-8 for Wednesday (Take notes as you read. Notes will be collected on Friday, 12/17)
  
• Story Slam - Tuesday and Friday
• Research Presentations - Thursday
• Vocabulary Test soon (possibly Friday or early next week)

Friday, December 10

Writing Prompt: Have you ever been in a situation where you felt completely helpless or seen someone else be completely helpless? What was the situation? How did it make you feel? What did you do about it? Explain.

Today's Agenda:

1. Review vocabulary

2. Review 43-57

3. Finish chapter 6

4. Movie (20 minutes)

Important Dates:

• Reading notes due today
• Word Maps due Monday
• First presentations are Monday - be ready!
• First story slams are Tuesday - be ready!

 

Thursday, December 9

Writing Prompt: Write a tweet or a status update from each of the following character's point of view. What would these characters say about the events in chapters 3 & 4? You have limit your response to 140 characters (includes letters and spaces).

A. Janie
B. Logan
C. Joe Starks
D. Nanny


Today's Agenda:
1. Review vocabulary
2. Share "Girl" responses
3. Review chapters 3&4
4. Read chapter 5


Assignments:
1. Read pages 43-57 tonight
2. Reading notes will be collected tomorrow
3. Word maps are due on Monday
4. First research presentations are Monday
5. First Story Slam is Tuesday

Wednesday, December 8

Writing Prompt: What is true love? Does it exist? Is love necessary for a marriage or a committed relationship?What else is needed to make a strong, committed relationship? Explain. 

Today's Agenda: 

Story Slams: Visit http://www.firstpersonarts.org/ to see more examples. 

Story Slam Assignment

Story Slam Schedule

Assignments: 

1. Finish "Girl" responses tonight

2. Reading notes will be collected Friday

3. Word maps are due on Monday 

4. First research presentations are Monday 

5. First research presentations are Tuesday

Tuesday, December 7

Writing Prompt: Janie's grandmother more or less tells Janie how to live her life. What

type of advice and directives have you received from adults in your life? How do you feel when you hear others' opinions about your life? Do you think Nanny was right to say these things to Janie? Explain. 

Today's Agenda:

1. Finish new vocabulary (20 more words)

2. "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid

3. Review chapters 1-2

4. Close read of pear tree - symbolism and meaning

Homework:

1. "Girl" creative writing assignment - due Thursday

• Write your own piece about the demands and instructions given to you by an adult. Do your best to imitate the style of Kincaid's "prose poetry." 
•  You can write for a boy or a girl, in today's setting or in another place. Your piece should be at least 15 lines long.
• You can handwrite your piece.

2. Read chapters 3-4 for tomorrow

3. Word Maps due Monday, 12/13

4. Reading notes due Friday

Monday, December 6

Writing Prompt: In the movie clip, the narrator says, "There are two things everybody has to find out for themselves: living and loving." Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Based on this quote, when can you predict the book will be about? Explain.

Today's Agenda
1. New vocabulary (20 words today, 20 words tomorrow)
2. Reading Notes procedure
3. Mini-research project
4. Zora Neale Hurston background
5. Chapter 1

Homework
1. Read chapters 1-2
2. Word Maps are due Monday!
3. Mini-research project

Friday, December 3

Writing Prompt: Use your vocabulary word to create three mean, horrendous, awful insult you can. Keep it G! No profane words, just vocabulary words. :) 

Today's Agenda:
1. Finish Poetry Out Loud presentations
2. Vocabulary Quiz


If you missed today's quiz, see me during lunch, or Tuesday or Thursday after school to take the quiz!

Wednesday, December 1

Writing Prompt: Yesterday, you assessed your own performance in class. Today, write a letter to Dr. Davidson or my parents about my performance as a teacher in class. Use vocabulary to make yourself sound credible and astute!

PRACTICE YOUR POEM FOR TOMORROW!!!
Your poetry analysis is also due. Please email this to me or share a google doc. 

Presenting tomorrow:
Jordan
Maryliza
Sierra
Fajion
Eric
Lauren
Steven
Miguel
Marcus
Tynisha