The California High School Exit Exam will take place on March 13th and 14th. Tuesday is the English test and Wednesday is math. The tests mostly cover what you learned in 9th and 10th grade, so you know most of it already - that doesn't mean, however, that you can't study.
Here are two links to handy on-line CAHSEE study guides. Many teachers also have paper copies of these guides available if you ask.
English/Language Arts Study Guide
Math Study Guide
We will also be reviewing/preparing for the English test in class. Good luck!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lord of the Flies
Semester 2 is here at last! This gives us all a chance to start over - new grades, new study units, and for some students even a new class or two. We even have a few new students in Ms. Naylor's class (welcome)!
For our class, semester 2 starts with two things: CAHSEE preparation and our first novel: William Golding's Lord of the Flies. We will get the book from the book room on Thursday. March 2nd, but if you want to buy your own copy you can check out nearby bookstores or try Amazon.com here:
In case you misplaced your calendar, here is our reading schedule. You will be asked to read one chapter a night Monday-Thursday until you finish the book.
Monday, March 6th: Chapter 1
Tuesday, March 7th: Chapter 2
Wednesday, March 8th: Chapter 3
Thursday, March 9th: Chapter 4
Tuesday, March 14th: Chapter 5
Wednesday, March 15th: Chapter 6
Thursday, March 16th: (Test on Chapters 1-6) Chapter 7
Tuesday, March 21st: Chapter 8
Wednesday, March 22nd: Chapter 9
Thursday, March 23rd: Chapter 10
Monday, March 27th: Chapter 11
Tuesday, March 28th: Chapter 12
Monday, April 2nd: Test on Chapters 7-12
Tuesday, April 3rd: Essay
Of course, you can read ahead if you like, but try not to fall behind - we will have several reading quizzes!
I know you'll enjoy this book. The boys in it are from England so they might use some language you are not familiar with (they call glasses "specs" which is short for spectacles, for example) but there is a lot of violence and excitement. The book also features some of the most famous examples of symbolism in literature.
Happy reading!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Poetry OUT LOUD!
Winter Break is over and it is time to prepare for finals. For the last few weeks of school, we will be studying poetry. The final exam will be a test on poetry terms, but it will also include something else - a poetry reading BY YOU!
Each student will choose a poem from the Poetry Out Loud website to memorize and perform for the class. You can see the list of poems here:
There are MANY poems to choose from - some of them have only 25 lines of fewer. Look around and read some poems until you find one you like - or you can hit the "random poem" link and see what you get.
While we do not have any homework over the break, you can still take this time to choose and practice your poem.
Enjoy your break!
While we do not have any homework over the break, you can still take this time to choose and practice your poem.
Enjoy your break!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Found Poems
The week before Winter Break we spent one class period making Found Poem posters to hang on the wall. The classroom looks very colorful!
Below are a few selected poems "written" by students in our class. Enjoy!
"Someone Was Watching"
They ran past their food.
"If this is some kind of joke - "
The room blurred and faded out.
Piggy banks were opened.
Maybe you think I was supposed to read your mind.
- Kevin. W (per. 2)
"The Moon's Full Silver"
Outside, the rain dripped
Shizuko wondered.
In fact, the truth surpasses imagination
but the sense of evil lingered.
You shall be the wolf.
- Andrea Z. (per. 1)
"Virtue, Knowledge, and Ignorance"
I am the wing.
The delicious cool saved us from the heat above
black as Black Beard's beard.
Very, very ugly.
They are awful berries.
- Raymond T. (per. 1)
"By the Midnight"
Three years ago on a spring evening
Seething, but not wanting to make a scene
I put the sunglasses on.
The window itself was different.
Of all the bouncing balls, the football is the most predictable.
- Patrick L. (per. 3)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Grammar
We're reviewing several grammar points this week to prepare for the Benchmark (which is on Thursday) and the CAHSEE (which is in March). Here is a good website to help you study (try taking the quizzes):
- Capitalization
- Parallel Structure
- Passive/Active Voice
- Possessives
- Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement and
- Punctuation (commas, colons, semicolons, ellipses, quotation marks, inside quotation marks, hypens, brackets, and parenthesis).
Friday, December 9, 2011
Commonly Confused Words
Have you ever been confused when you are writing and have to choose between words like "there, their and they're" or "affect and effect"? Well, you are not alone! These are among (not between) some of the most commonly confused words in English.
Commonly Confused Words (also sometimes called homonyms, commonly misused words, common mistakes, etc.) are often included on tests like the CAHSEE, the SAT, the CST, and the English Benchmark. Often, you just need to study and learn them to get them right.
One way to learn the rules when it comes to commonly confused words is to use tricks or mnemonic devices such as "The principal is your pal" to remember the difference between (not among) the words Principal and Principle.
Below you will find some links to websites that provide lists, tricks and tools, practice quizzes, etc. to help you learn proper usage. Good luck!
Here is a copy of the List of Commonly Confused Words we went over in class (of course, it doesn't cover ALL of them).
Here is a handy chart listing many of the words.
This list is pretty long.
This one focuses mostly on verbs and has examples with pictures!
This list of commonly confused words and phrases comes from the style guide at Sparknotes.
You can take a practice quiz here and here.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Coming Up: The CAHSEE (Practice) Essay! UPDATED
All 10th grade students at our school will be taking a CAHSEE practice essay in English class on THURSDAY, December 8th. (Originally it was scheduled for Tuesday, but it has been moved to Thursday).
We will be going over the CAHSEE essay in class this week.
In the meantime, here is a helpful study guide with information about the CAHSEE essay.
And here is some more information about how to write a business letter (our assignment).
Finally, here is a copy of the CAHSEE Essay Practice Sheet we filled out in class, if you need an extra.
More details to follow.
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