April 9-13

READING 7:
We'll start this week with goal setting on Monday, then Tuesday-Thursday will be spent taking ELA PSSAs. Periods 4, 5, and 6 will be watching The Lightning Thief in class. On Friday, we will begin a short introduction into Wonder.

ENGLISH 9:
Monday is the due date for the argumentative essays. The remainder of the week will be spent introducing Animal Farm, our novel for our final unit of the year. We will begin with a focus on the concepts of satire, allegory, and utopia. Utopia posters are due MONDAY.

April 2-6

READING 7:
We will wrap up our study of short stories this week with classroom rotations. There will be no out of class work this week as my hope is you are taking advantage of the time to finish test corrections or practice on Study Island.

ENGLISH 9:
This week, we will rotate between the classroom for instruction on writing introductions and conclusions and the library for typing essays. It is your responsibility to meet the deadlines for work. If you know you will be missing a class period because of a sporting event or field trip, know that the expectation is that you keep up with the assignments.
Due dates:
Tuesday, 4/3 - Introduction paragraph
Thursday, 4/5 - Conclusion paragraph
Monday, 4/9 - Final essay

March 26-March 31

READING 7:
This week, we will continue our practice with short stories through annotating and identifying strategies to help us answer multiple choice questions. We will also work in-class on assignments in Study Island and PSSA coach books. There is no school on Friday.

ENGLISH 9:
Due to the snow days last week, we will need to push our assignments back. The final essay is now due on Monday, April 9. This week, we will rotate between the classroom for instruction and the library for typing essays. It is your responsibility to meet the deadlines for work. If you know you will be missing a class period because of a sporting event or field trip, know that the expectation is that you keep up with the assignments.
Due dates:
Tuesday, 3/27 - Body paragraphs
Thursday, 3/29 - Counterargument paragraph
Tuesday, 4/3 - Introduction paragraph
Thursday, 4/5 - Conclusion paragraph
Monday, 4/9 - Final essay

March 19-23

READING 7:
This week, we are beginning our review of short stories and literary devices. Monday and Tuesday will be spend working in groups to complete a flipbook to use for reference with short stories. Wednesday through Friday will take us into practicing with short stories through annotation and discussion.

ENGLISH 9:
This week, we are finalizing our body paragraphs and beginning work on our counterarguments and introductions. Please keep up with work as posted in Google Classroom, especially on Friday. The due date for the final paper will be Thursday, March 29.

March 12-16

READING 7:
This week, we will continue our study of poetry and how the elements of poetry work together to create a message. We will work through poems as a whole class, small groups, and individuals to prepare for our assessment on FRIDAY. If you will miss class because of the "Think Big" assembly this week, your quiz will be a take-home quiz and MUST be returned on Monday. If the quiz is not returned on time, you will receive a 0.

ENGLISH 9:
Please continue to check Google Classroom for HW assignments. We will focus on bringing evidence from the text together with our research and begin putting together our body paragraphs and reviewing transitions. By the end of the week, our focus will move to writing introductions. If you are absent, please make sure you are keeping up with your work. The due date for the entire project will be Thursday, March 29.

March 5-9

READING 7:
We will begin our week finishing our notes presentations for the poetry unit. Tuesday will be spent presenting, taking notes, and beginning our first poems. Throughout the week, we will continue reading and analyzing poems as a whole class. There will be no homework this week.

ENGLISH 9:
Please continue to check Google Classroom for HW assignments. We will be in the library again this week, spending Monday through Wednesday researching for our arguments. You may want to bring your textbooks with you to find support for your third reason. Thursday and Friday will be spent drafting body paragraphs and reviewing transitions.

TDA Options - Rephrased

OPTION 1: The authors of both texts share their opinions on volunteering. Analyze how the authors’ arguments are similar and different. Be sure to fully explain the similarities and differences between the passages and provide textual support.

OPTION 2: The author develops a claim that GMOs should not be used. Evaluate how effectively the author uses reasons and evidence to develop the claim. Support your response with details from the passage.

February 26-March 2

READING 7:
This week, we wrap up our study of Integration of Knowledge and Ideas in nonfiction text. Because of missed classes on Friday, PLEASE be sure that you are paying close attention to due dates since 5th and 6th period will be on slightly different schedules.

For periods 5 and 6, Monday is your quiz on opposing points of view. Tuesday is your review day and you will get your TDA assignment Tuesday as well. Your test will be Wednesday.

For periods 1, 2, 3 and 4, Monday is your review day and your test is on Tuesday. You will also get your TDA assignment on Tuesday.

ALL TDAs are due by THURSDAY.

The rest of the week will be spent working on presentations for notes on poetry.

ENGLISH 9:
We will continue working on argumentative writing in the library this week. Please check the Google Classroom page for due dates.

February 19-23

READING 7:
This week, we continue our work with opposing viewpoints in text by working in our final round of rotations. There will be a quiz on Friday and all rotation work is due Friday as well. If you are planning ahead, there will be a unit test on TUESDAY, 2/27.

ENGLISH 9:
After taking the Romeo and Juliet test on Tuesday, we will begin working on argumentative writing in the library using Google Classroom. Please make sure that you have signed into our Google Classroom and have signed up for PeerGrade and NoRedInk through the links provided in the classroom within the next week.

February 12-16

READING 7:
We will continue our evaluating arguments rotations on Monday and Tuesday. ALL rotation assignments are due on Wednesday. Wednesday will be the evaluating arguments quiz and synthesis paragraph assessment. On Thursday and Friday, we will begin our work with identifying opposing viewpoints in text.

ENGLISH 9:
We will spend the week reviewing Shakespeare's style and structure as well as review the plot and literary elements of Romeo and Juliet. The unit test will be on FRIDAY. Please utilize the pink study guide as you prepare for the exam.

February 5-9

READING 7:
This week, we will continue our practice with evaluating argumentative text by working on synthesis paragraphs and working through our practice rotations. There will be a quiz on Tuesday, February 13, on evaluating argumentative text.
TUESDAY: All classes -- synthesis paragraph due next class period if not finished in class.

ENGLISH 9:
This week, we will finish reading Romeo and Juliet Act 5 with a focus on what dialogue reveals about a character and how dramatic irony contributes to the plot. We will continue our close-reading practice and wrap-up the week with a review of the play and the concepts within it. There will be a unit test on Tuesday, February 13.