Tuesday, October 18, 2011


1) SSR and LOG (Turn in log as soon as you complete it; this log is a project grade!)

2) Focus Question: How does Steinbeck’s use of indirect characterization in chapter one of his novel Of Mice and Men engage the reader?

3) Complete reading of Chapter One in Of Mice and Men.
Assignment:

A) Find and write three quotes from the text that show Lennie’s childlike behavior.

B) Find and write three quotes from the text that show George’s personality as temperamental but caring.

Students shared responses for participation points.

NOTE: Study vocabulary words from Of Mice and Men Glossary handout: "confide -grizzled"
Quiz: Next Tuesday 10/25

Monday, October 17, 2011.

1) SSR and LOG (Period 1)

2) Of Mice and Men Notes:

a) The setting of the novel is a farming area/ranch near Salinas, California in the early 1930s.

b) The novel consists of six (6) chapters. Each chapter begins with a setting so the novel can be easily adapted into a play.

Ch. 1: A clearing in the woods/brush by a river.
Ch. 2: A bunkhouse at the ranch
Ch. 3: A bunkhouse at the ranch
Ch. 4: Crooks' room
Ch. 5: The barn
Ch. 6: A clearing in the woods/brush by a river.

3) Introduce Theme and Literary Device Locater chart. Active reading jotting down pg. numbers.
4) Of Mice and Men: Read Ch. 1

Friday, October 14, 2011

Complete reading of "The Flood" p. 923 from old literature book. Answer questions.
Of Mice and Men Vocabulary Quiz #1 anguished - complacently

Thursday, October 13, 2011.

Finished watching Steinbeck bio film. Students worked on questions relating to film and turned in work.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011.
PSAT TEST 17 min. classes.

SSR and log.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011.

1) SSR and LOG: Log will be picked up for project grade next week. Make sure it is neatly organized, written in pen, with the pages tallied for each page.

2) Read Steinbeck Author Study beginning on page 918 in old literature book. We discussed Steinbeck's driving force behind his work: An appreciation for the decency of the common person. Steinbeck was a voice for the common laborer, whose biased depiction in newspapers was negative. Read the excerpt "The Flood" from The Grapes of Wrath. (We only began reading this.)

3) Of Mice and Men Vocabulary List # 1

1. anguished - adj. : feeling great suffering, worry, or grief
2. appraise – v : to judge the quality or worth of; to set a price for
3. apprehension – n : an anxious feeling of foreboding [a strong inner feeling or notion of a future misfortune, evil, etc.; presentiment] or dread
4. apprehensive – adj. : feeling apprehension
5. avert – v : to turn away from
6. belligerently – adverb: showing a readiness to fight or quarrel; in a rude way
7. bemused – adj. : stupefied; preoccupied in thought;
8. bindle – n : slang for a bundle of bedding carried by a hobo
9. bridled – adj : harnessed; restrained
10.burlap – n : a coarse cloth made of jute or hemp used
for making sacks(ie for potatoes )
11.complacent - adj. : satisfied

Study for quiz on Friday, 10/14

Monday, October 10, 2011.

1) SSR and LOG

2) PSAT Practice TEST 5 (Per. 1: Reading)

Friday, October 7, 2011.

1) SSR and log
2) View biographical film on John Steinbeck. Take notes.


Thursday, October 6, 2011.

1) SSR and log. Book check.

2) View biographical film on John Steinbeck. Take notes.


Wednesday, October 5, 2011.

1) SSR and log.

2) Complete "Indirect Characterization in A Sound of Thunder" outline and conference with me. Then complete essay.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011.

1) SSR and Log

2) Conference with students about outlines; students who did not bring their "A Sound of Thunder" outline completed worked on their outlines. This is a process and a grade.

Monday, October 3, 2011.

1) SSR and log: Log check for grade.

2) Use chart to complete outline; if outline is completed for homework, check accuracy as discussed with document camera.