Wednesday, February 24

Journal: Do you think that what George did was right? Explain why or why not.

Today: 

Pop quiz on reading (see me to make this up!)

Review irony, parallels and contrasts in Of Mice and Men (see me for worksheet)

Homework:

Complete theme analysis of American Dream (see me for worksheet)

Of Mice and Men Scene project due Thursday, 3/4 (expect a test next week)

Independent Reading Project Write-up due Thursday, 3/4

Sign up for Ning - email me at mccartneychs@gmail.com if you have not received an invitation yet

Of Mice and Men Scene Adaptation Project

Of Mice and Men Scene Adaptation Project

Links to help you:

2. Create a graphic novel
Examples of graphic novels
Tips on making graphic novels
bistripsforschools.com - Use access code mcc203
 
4. Create a storyboard.
Intro to storyboards with examples
Storyboards Tutorial 
How to make a storyboard
Video on how to make a storyboard

Friday, February 19

Warm-up:What new information did you learn about Crooks last night? What feelings and thoughts does he confide to Lennie in? What is his opinions of Lennie and George's plan?

Today:
Independent Reading
Finish character inference chart
Discuss themes, symbols, motifs, parallels and contrasts in novel

Homework:
Read pages 75-98 and take four sides of notes (2 pages front and back)
Finish both sides of the character inference charts (if not already completed)

Thursday, February 18

Today:
Vocabulary and Reading Quiz
Review new vocabulary

If you missed class today, come and see me to make up the quiz and to get the new vocabulary words.


Homework:
Read pages 66-74.

Wednesday, February 17

Warm-up: Choose a character from Of Mice and Men and write a journal entry from his or her point of view. What does the character think about the other characters, the ranch or life in general? How does the character feel about events in the story?

Today:
1. Pop quiz on last night's reading
2. Review of Step Up to Writing organization and structure

Homework:
1. Read up to page 65 for tomorrow (you do not have to take notes)
2. Study vocabulary for quiz tomorrow
3. Warm-ups/Journals will be collected on Friday, 2/19 

Tuesday, February 16

Warm-up: Complete the following sentence starters.
1. I tried to stay impartial, but...
2. The lenient teacher...
3. Chris undermined the principal when he...
4. I do my best to live with integrity, but sometimes I...
5. To boost the team's morale, the coach...
6. Whenever I am in a new situation, I try to hide my naiveté by...

Assignment Checks:
1. Due last Tuesday (2/9)
    -     2 pages of Cornell notes (1 pg front/back) for pages 11-26 to be collected
2. Tuesday's classwork (to be checked)
    - Questions 6-10 on back of setting worksheet
    - 8 Questions from handout
3. Homework assigned Tuesday (to be checked)
    - Read pages 26-37 and take Cornell notes (1 pg front/back)

Today:
1. Review reading and assignments
2. Character Inference Notes

Homework:
Read pages 38 to 52 and take Cornell notes (2 pages)

Tuesday, February 9

I am at Ballard Spahr with the freshmen today, so I apologize for not being in class. Below are your assignments.

A.   Finish answering questions 6-10 on the back of the Setting worksheet.

B.    Answer the following questions in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper. I will collect them tomorrow, along with your notes from pages 11-26.

1. What is the story about the rabbits? What does this tell you about George and Lennie?
2. What is the setting of the second chapter of the book? Describe it.
3. How does the boss react to Lennie’s silence? Why does the boss find George and Lennie’s relationship unusual?
4. What is George’s fear at this point?
5. When Lennie questions George about telling the boss Lennie was kicked in the head by a horse, George says, “Be a damn good thing if you was… Save ever’body a hel of a lot of trouble” (23).  What does this mean?
6. Who is Candy? What is his relationship to his dog?
7. When George confronts Candy about eavesdropping, Candy says, “A guy on a ranch don’t never listen nor he don’t ask no questions” (24). What does this reveal about the lives of migrant workers?
8. Who is Curley? Candy describes him as “handy” (26). What does that mean?

C.    Read pages 26-37 and take Cornell style notes. I will check them tomorrow.

Friday, February 5

Journal: Do you think that George is right to be frustrated or annoyed with Lennie? How would you feel in this situation? Explain.


Today:
30 minutes of independent reading
Review activity of vocabulary (expect a quiz next week)
Discuss and continue reading Of Mice and Men

Homework:
Read up to page 26 of Of Mice and Men and take 1 page (front and back) of notes.

Thursday, February 4

Journal: Describe your favorite place to go. Where is it? What does it look, sound, smell, or feel like? Use adjective and details to describe it.

Assignment:
We read the first page of Of Mice of Men and analyzed it for imagery and descriptive language.

Homework:
Read pages 1-11 and answer questions 1-5.
Essay due tomorrow.
Bring in an independent reading book for tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 3

Journal: How would you describe the ideal friend? What characteristics and qualities must he/she have? Why? Do any of your friends exhibit these characteristics?

Assignments:
We reviewed the answers from your web search yesterday and discussed some of the themes and issues that will appear in Of Mice and Men.

Complete the Anticipation Guide (both sides).

Homework:
Write a paragraph about one of the topics discussed today in class. Try to use at least ten vocabulary words.
"Everyday Use" essay is due Friday!
Study vocabulary.

Tuesday, February 2

Journal: If you could live in any other time period, what would it be and why?

Assignment: See the Of Mice and Men web search below.

Homework: "Everyday Use" essay due on Friday. Study your vocabulary for quiz next week.

Of Mice and Men Background Search

With a partner, use the following websites to help you learn more about John Steinbeck, the setting and the time period of Of Mice and Men. 

Open a Word document and email your responses to mccartneychs@gmail.com. 

Use the following websites as starting points. You can also click on links and do your own searches.

The Great Depression: The Dust Bowl

1. What events and situations led to the Dust Bowl?
2. How many states did the Dust Bowl cover? In which area of the country?
3. What happened to the population as a result of the Dust Bowl?

The Migrant Experience

1. Why did so many farmers hurt by the Dust Bowl go to California?
2. Describe the working conditions and life styles for migrant workers. Where did they live? What were their jobs like?

The History Place

Migrant Workers

1. Take time to examine the photographs of migrant workers on these websites. Read the captions and study the photos for evidence of working and living conditions. In a response of 8-10 sentences, describe what you think life as a migrant worker would be like. 

Nobel Prize

National Steinbeck Center

1. Lastly, do some research on the author, John Steinbeck. Write a response of 8-10 sentences explaining how his life experiences would influence him to write about California migrant workers.

Monday, February 1

Warm-up: Choose five sentences for the vocabulary words you are having the most difficulty with.

Assignment:
We played charades to review the vocabulary words and took a vocabulary quiz. If you missed class today, you have a week to make up the quiz. We also got the next set of vocabulary words.

Homework:
Essay on "Everyday Use" is due Friday.
Get an independent reading book by Friday.