Today we got our preposition project and looked over it. the plan must include the job descriptions and responsibilities. Then we found our managers and groups. We have to finish our red pony essay and start our jobs. The Red Pony 1st draft is due Monday. You must submit it through Criterion.
Preposition Project
Over the next two weeks you will be working on a project with several co-workers. I will choose the project managers and together you will delegate responsibilities and carry them out. It is your duty to contribute to the project in a meaningful way. If you choose not to do this, your project manager(s) can opt to fire you. In the event that you are fired, you will be required to complete the project on your own or receive a zero. You will be evaluated by three sources; your co-workers, yourself, and me.
Assignment:
You must present a lesson to the class no less than 15 minutes in length on prepositions. You may choose to use one or more visual aids, practice for the class, a homework assignment, etc. You have total creative freedom. In order to use your 15 minutes to their fullest you will need to research BOTH prepositions AND qualities of effective presentations. You will need to use multiple sources including, but not limited to interviewing a professional, online research, and reference books. These tools are readily available to you.
Schedule:
Monday, April 2
Submit to me a plan for your project by 3:30. Your plan must include the job descriptions and responsibilities of each member of your team. It also needs to outline the details of the project in terms of time. Please put each team members name on the top of the plan.
Your plan will be worth 10 points and will be graded as follows:
2 points for turning it in on time
4 points for planning effective use of time
4 points for clear job descriptions
Tuesday and Wednesday, April 3-4
These days, we will use class time for research. You will have the opportunity to interview teachers/faculty, conduct online research, or read. You must submit a list of your resources to me by Wednesday afternoon at 3:30. It is very important that you keep track of what information comes from where.
Your list will be worth 10 points as well and will be graded like this:
9-10 List was turned in on time and consists of no less than 10 different sources including and interview, website, and text.
6-8 List was turned in on time, but had less than 10 sources or was missing either an interview, website, or text.
<5 List was missing substantial amount of sources and/or was turned in late.
Thursday and Tuesday, April 5th and 10th
You will use class time on these days to prepare your presentation and write a paper on your presentation. This paper does NOT need to be a five paragraph essay. The format is up to you, and I will gladly offer my opinion. The goal of the paper is to explain to me what your presentation will include and WHY. The “why” part should come from your research on effective presentations. In other words, tell me what you’re going to do, and why you are doing it that way. Length in not important, but content is. This will be due Tuesday by 3:30 and will be worth 20 points.
19-20 points
Paper shows deep knowledge of effective presentation skills and plans to use them.
16-18 points
Paper shows basic to proficient knowledge of effective presentation skills and plans to use them.
12-15 points
Paper shows limited knowledge of effective presentation skills and lacks evidence of using them in presentation.
0-11 points
Paper is not done or missing major content.
Wednesday, April 11th and Thursday, April 12th
You will be presenting on Friday or Monday. Your audience will have a chance to ask you questions and rate your presentation on a scale of 1-10 in two areas, effectiveness and depth of knowledge. This will be worth a total of 20 points. Not everyone in the group has to present. You may choose to have only one person present, and have another work a computer presentation, and have two others acting out a skit. Your presentation is up to you.
You will then complete a self-evaluation in which you reflect on your work. This too will be worth 20 points. You will score yourself on the following questions:
1) Did I do my part?
2) Did I work well with the team?
3) Did I know when to speak and when to listen?
4) Was I an important part of the project?
Notes
-Grammar and spelling count ONLY on documents turned in to me. You have the tools you need to be consistent in these areas.
-Your groups are assigned and you may not request a change.
-While working on the project you should have fun, but stay focused too.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Write and Review Day
Today in class we started in criterion. You have to create a new class, to be able to get the Red Pony assignment. If you want to start in word, Mr. Watson said that was ok too. The first draft is due Monday, the final draft is due Wednesday, though. The whole essay is worth 50 points. Then half way through class, we looked over our Red Pony tests. Some of the most commonly missed questions were numbers 3 and 6 on the true or false part of the test. Most people said false to number 3 when it was actually true. On number 6 most people said false but it was true too. Question number 3 was: Jody’s mother said it was too bad that Gitano couldn’t say, question number 6 was: Jody’s father put down $5 for a new horse for Jody. Then we went over the essay questions. Most people did fairly well on the test.
Scribes ( THE BEST IN THE WORLD)- Dana Grace, Taylor B., and Cody
Scribes ( THE BEST IN THE WORLD)- Dana Grace, Taylor B., and Cody
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Test Day
Hey Guys,
Sorry I'm just now getting to post this. I had appointment in West Palm Beach that I had to run to after school, and I just got home. Anyway we just took the final test on The Red Pony today, which most of you seem to have done really well on so far. I'm posting your scores as I grade them. Hopefully I'll have them all graded by time for your class tomorrow so we can go over them. I'm working hard on it, but as you know there was a great deal of writing on the test which translates to a great deal of reading for me.
Anyway there's not any homework tonight. Bring your tablet and The Red Pony to class tomorrow and be ready to write. See you then!
Mr. Watson
Sorry I'm just now getting to post this. I had appointment in West Palm Beach that I had to run to after school, and I just got home. Anyway we just took the final test on The Red Pony today, which most of you seem to have done really well on so far. I'm posting your scores as I grade them. Hopefully I'll have them all graded by time for your class tomorrow so we can go over them. I'm working hard on it, but as you know there was a great deal of writing on the test which translates to a great deal of reading for me.
Anyway there's not any homework tonight. Bring your tablet and The Red Pony to class tomorrow and be ready to write. See you then!
Mr. Watson
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Study Guide
Today we reviewed our study guides and asked any final questions we had before the test tomorrow. Here are our notes from the study guide:
Characters:
JODY: Jody is the main character in this story. Jody Tiflin is a young boy living on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. Jody is often very shy and quiet. Jody learns how to be responsible for animals and experiences the pain of losing animals to death. He begins to show signs of maturing and becoming a man. Jody is also very sensitive to his grandfather’s feelings. Jody knows his father has broken his grandfather’s spirit and Jody tries to repair it. He is a very curious boy and knows about Gitano’s impending death. Jody is very curious to know about life. Jody is a dynamic character and changes through out the story.
BILLY: Billy Buck is the ranch hand that lives on the ranch in the Salinas Valley. He knows very much about horses. He made a promise to Jody that his new red pony will not become sick. But the sickness the pony has Billy Buck can not fix. The pony dies of strangles and Billy Buck feels horrible about his mistake. When the mare, Nellie becomes pregnant Billy knows not to promise anything about the colt to Jody. Billy Buck is more sensitive, compassionate and understanding than Carl Tiflin.
CARL TIFLIN: Carl Tiflin is not likeable at all. He is a very hard worker and he recognizes his son needs to be rewarded for being good. After Carl brings home the red pony he has nothing to do with taking care of it. Billy Buck is the one taking care of the red pony with Jody. After the pony dies Carl tries to replace it by buying Jody another horse. But once again Billy Buck is the one taking care of the horse with Jody. Carl Tiflin is not very sympathetic when Gitano comes to the Tiflin’s house. Carl does not even notice that Gitano has taken Easter to the mountains so they can die together. He even breaks the spirit of his father in law. He is incapable of showing him any respect. Carl is very strict about most things.
MRS. TIFLIN: Mrs. Tiflin is always seen outside of the kitchen. She comes to life in the last story when her father in law comes to town. She finally talks back to her husband and lets him know her feelings about his impatience with her father. Other than that one moment Mrs. Tiflin is ether cooking or cleaning.
GABILAN: Gabilan was Jody’s red pony. Jody was very proud of having Gabilan. One day when Jody went to school Gabilan got left outside. Then it rained. Gabilan got sick with a disease Billy Bick could not cure. Then Gabilan died out near the mountains. Gabilan was one of the lemons that God gave to Jody.
NELLIE: Nellie was a horse who was going to have the colt Jody wanted. When she was ready to have the colt the colt turned the wrong way in her stomach. Then, Billy Buck killed Nellie and cut her open to get the colt out.
EASTER: Easter was the old horse that lived at the ranch. Easter was very old nearing death. When Gitano came he took Easter and they both went to the mountains to die.
GITANO: Gitano is an old man called a Pisano that comes back to the Tiflin’s house to die. In this same property that he and his father were born and living. Gitano insists he lives their until he dies. Gitano is not welcome on their property. He is told he does not have any other place to go so early in the morning he disappears with the old horse Easter and they both go away to die in the mountains.
GRANDFATHER: Mrs. Tiflin’s father comes to visit the family. He is a proud man whose time has passed. He has nothing to look forward to so he lives in the past. The highlight of his life occurred when he crossed the plains into California. Once he reached the ocean, he had nowhere else to go. Since that time he has been mad at the ocean for stopping him. To give himself a sense of worth, he constantly repeats his stories. He does not understand that other people do not get the same feelings that he gets in retelling them. His spirit is broken when Carl tells him he is tired of hearing his stories.
1. What is the setting of the novel? Why is it important to the story?
The setting of the story is a ranch in the Salinas Valley in northern California. The book takes place in the 1933. On the ranch the Tiflin’s have all kinds of farm animals. The ranch is near the Gabilan Mountains. The setting is important to the story because Jody sees basic elements of life, sex, sickness, birth, and death by watching the animals around him. He gains his knowledge from nature. The Gabilan Mountains are important because the old man Gitano and Easter go there to die. Jody always wonders about the mountains. The setting is also very important because back when the story took place the Tiflin’s might have not been able to save Gabilan. But now we are more advanced so we might be able to save the pony, Gabilan.
2. Describe the death of the red pony, Gabilan. What was the real underlying cause of the pony's death? What is Steinbeck's message behind the death?
Gabilan was dying of strangles which is like being choked, then one night Gabilan tried to go to the mountains many times to die. Then he did. The death of Gabilan was caused because the pony was left outside while it was raining. The pony came down with the strangles. At night a few times the pony tried to get outside to the mountains to die. Just like Easter and Gitano. The cause of the pony’s death was a disease called the strangles.
3. Did Jody have any right/reason to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan? Explain your answer.
I think Jody had a reason to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan because Billy Buck is the one that promises Jody everything will be ok and then it is not. He told Jody it would not rain while Gabilan was outside and it did. He promised Jody he would be ok and Gabilan died. I think Jody had reasons to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan.
4. Compare and contrast Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck. What is Jody's relationship to each of them?
Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck are similar because they are both adults and they also play big parts in Jody’s life. They also live on the ranch together. The differences between them is Billy Buck is more sensitive, compassionate, more understanding, and less harsh. Carl Tiflin is all of these. Carl Tiflin is harsh not understanding, and is not sensitive. Jody’s relationship with Carl Tiflin seems very awkward because Carl never hugs Jody or barely even is nice to him. But Jody’s relationship with Billy seems better because Billy understands him and is more like a father.
5. How do the sudden appearance and the mysterious departure of Gitano affect Jody?
The sudden appearance and the mysterious departure of Gitano makes Jody realize about getting old, death and dying. Gitano has gone to the mountains and Jody was very interested in the mountains.
6. In what ways does Jody change after the death of Nellie, the mare?
After the death of Nellie, Jody becomes more like a man he also becomes less selfish than he used to be. He learns to see death as it happens. He sees Billy Buck has to kill Nellie to save his colt.
7. Why is lemonade important to the novel?
Lemonade is important in the novel because in Jody’s life many things have given him lemons, like bad things in his life. There is a saying when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Jody’s life gave him many lemons or bad things. Jody has not let the lemons ruin his life. The literal reason is it shows him being unselfish and more caring.
8. What does grandfather teach Jody?
Jody’s grandfather teaches him many things about the plains and about his grandfather’s life. His Grandfather always tells Jody about where he used to travel out in the plains until he reached the Pacific Ocean. Jody also learns about Indians crossing the plains from his grandfather because that’s all he talks about.
9. What does Jody learn in the course of the novel? Be specific.
In the course of the novel Jody learned about life, death and old age. First, with the death of Gabilan, his red pony. Then with Gitano, the old man who comes back to die. He learns about getting old and Gitano’s need, like an old animal to find some place to die. Gitano and Easter go to the mountains to die. Jody sees his old grandfather and understands the loss of purpose that comes over some old people when they are no longer appreciated. Jody learns about life when he watches the mating of his mare with his neighbor’s stallion. He watches Billy deliver the colt at the expense of the mare’s life.
You can find additional notes on pink monkey's website or on sparknotes or my delicious page. Email if you have questions. You'll do great!
Characters:
JODY: Jody is the main character in this story. Jody Tiflin is a young boy living on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. Jody is often very shy and quiet. Jody learns how to be responsible for animals and experiences the pain of losing animals to death. He begins to show signs of maturing and becoming a man. Jody is also very sensitive to his grandfather’s feelings. Jody knows his father has broken his grandfather’s spirit and Jody tries to repair it. He is a very curious boy and knows about Gitano’s impending death. Jody is very curious to know about life. Jody is a dynamic character and changes through out the story.
BILLY: Billy Buck is the ranch hand that lives on the ranch in the Salinas Valley. He knows very much about horses. He made a promise to Jody that his new red pony will not become sick. But the sickness the pony has Billy Buck can not fix. The pony dies of strangles and Billy Buck feels horrible about his mistake. When the mare, Nellie becomes pregnant Billy knows not to promise anything about the colt to Jody. Billy Buck is more sensitive, compassionate and understanding than Carl Tiflin.
CARL TIFLIN: Carl Tiflin is not likeable at all. He is a very hard worker and he recognizes his son needs to be rewarded for being good. After Carl brings home the red pony he has nothing to do with taking care of it. Billy Buck is the one taking care of the red pony with Jody. After the pony dies Carl tries to replace it by buying Jody another horse. But once again Billy Buck is the one taking care of the horse with Jody. Carl Tiflin is not very sympathetic when Gitano comes to the Tiflin’s house. Carl does not even notice that Gitano has taken Easter to the mountains so they can die together. He even breaks the spirit of his father in law. He is incapable of showing him any respect. Carl is very strict about most things.
MRS. TIFLIN: Mrs. Tiflin is always seen outside of the kitchen. She comes to life in the last story when her father in law comes to town. She finally talks back to her husband and lets him know her feelings about his impatience with her father. Other than that one moment Mrs. Tiflin is ether cooking or cleaning.
GABILAN: Gabilan was Jody’s red pony. Jody was very proud of having Gabilan. One day when Jody went to school Gabilan got left outside. Then it rained. Gabilan got sick with a disease Billy Bick could not cure. Then Gabilan died out near the mountains. Gabilan was one of the lemons that God gave to Jody.
NELLIE: Nellie was a horse who was going to have the colt Jody wanted. When she was ready to have the colt the colt turned the wrong way in her stomach. Then, Billy Buck killed Nellie and cut her open to get the colt out.
EASTER: Easter was the old horse that lived at the ranch. Easter was very old nearing death. When Gitano came he took Easter and they both went to the mountains to die.
GITANO: Gitano is an old man called a Pisano that comes back to the Tiflin’s house to die. In this same property that he and his father were born and living. Gitano insists he lives their until he dies. Gitano is not welcome on their property. He is told he does not have any other place to go so early in the morning he disappears with the old horse Easter and they both go away to die in the mountains.
GRANDFATHER: Mrs. Tiflin’s father comes to visit the family. He is a proud man whose time has passed. He has nothing to look forward to so he lives in the past. The highlight of his life occurred when he crossed the plains into California. Once he reached the ocean, he had nowhere else to go. Since that time he has been mad at the ocean for stopping him. To give himself a sense of worth, he constantly repeats his stories. He does not understand that other people do not get the same feelings that he gets in retelling them. His spirit is broken when Carl tells him he is tired of hearing his stories.
1. What is the setting of the novel? Why is it important to the story?
The setting of the story is a ranch in the Salinas Valley in northern California. The book takes place in the 1933. On the ranch the Tiflin’s have all kinds of farm animals. The ranch is near the Gabilan Mountains. The setting is important to the story because Jody sees basic elements of life, sex, sickness, birth, and death by watching the animals around him. He gains his knowledge from nature. The Gabilan Mountains are important because the old man Gitano and Easter go there to die. Jody always wonders about the mountains. The setting is also very important because back when the story took place the Tiflin’s might have not been able to save Gabilan. But now we are more advanced so we might be able to save the pony, Gabilan.
2. Describe the death of the red pony, Gabilan. What was the real underlying cause of the pony's death? What is Steinbeck's message behind the death?
Gabilan was dying of strangles which is like being choked, then one night Gabilan tried to go to the mountains many times to die. Then he did. The death of Gabilan was caused because the pony was left outside while it was raining. The pony came down with the strangles. At night a few times the pony tried to get outside to the mountains to die. Just like Easter and Gitano. The cause of the pony’s death was a disease called the strangles.
3. Did Jody have any right/reason to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan? Explain your answer.
I think Jody had a reason to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan because Billy Buck is the one that promises Jody everything will be ok and then it is not. He told Jody it would not rain while Gabilan was outside and it did. He promised Jody he would be ok and Gabilan died. I think Jody had reasons to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan.
4. Compare and contrast Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck. What is Jody's relationship to each of them?
Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck are similar because they are both adults and they also play big parts in Jody’s life. They also live on the ranch together. The differences between them is Billy Buck is more sensitive, compassionate, more understanding, and less harsh. Carl Tiflin is all of these. Carl Tiflin is harsh not understanding, and is not sensitive. Jody’s relationship with Carl Tiflin seems very awkward because Carl never hugs Jody or barely even is nice to him. But Jody’s relationship with Billy seems better because Billy understands him and is more like a father.
5. How do the sudden appearance and the mysterious departure of Gitano affect Jody?
The sudden appearance and the mysterious departure of Gitano makes Jody realize about getting old, death and dying. Gitano has gone to the mountains and Jody was very interested in the mountains.
6. In what ways does Jody change after the death of Nellie, the mare?
After the death of Nellie, Jody becomes more like a man he also becomes less selfish than he used to be. He learns to see death as it happens. He sees Billy Buck has to kill Nellie to save his colt.
7. Why is lemonade important to the novel?
Lemonade is important in the novel because in Jody’s life many things have given him lemons, like bad things in his life. There is a saying when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Jody’s life gave him many lemons or bad things. Jody has not let the lemons ruin his life. The literal reason is it shows him being unselfish and more caring.
8. What does grandfather teach Jody?
Jody’s grandfather teaches him many things about the plains and about his grandfather’s life. His Grandfather always tells Jody about where he used to travel out in the plains until he reached the Pacific Ocean. Jody also learns about Indians crossing the plains from his grandfather because that’s all he talks about.
9. What does Jody learn in the course of the novel? Be specific.
In the course of the novel Jody learned about life, death and old age. First, with the death of Gabilan, his red pony. Then with Gitano, the old man who comes back to die. He learns about getting old and Gitano’s need, like an old animal to find some place to die. Gitano and Easter go to the mountains to die. Jody sees his old grandfather and understands the loss of purpose that comes over some old people when they are no longer appreciated. Jody learns about life when he watches the mating of his mare with his neighbor’s stallion. He watches Billy deliver the colt at the expense of the mare’s life.
You can find additional notes on pink monkey's website or on sparknotes or my delicious page. Email if you have questions. You'll do great!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Welcome Back!!!
Hey everyone,
It was great to see you all back today and hear about your breaks! Today in class I allowed you to use the internet, your book, and most importantly your classmates to complete your study guide for The Red Pony. We'll be going over these tomorrow so make sure you have them complete before class. If you need help, you can post a comment here. We will be going over the study guide tomorrow as a group in class tomorrow, so come ready to discuss your ideas. The test will be on Wednesday. Let me know if you have any questions!
Mr. Watson
It was great to see you all back today and hear about your breaks! Today in class I allowed you to use the internet, your book, and most importantly your classmates to complete your study guide for The Red Pony. We'll be going over these tomorrow so make sure you have them complete before class. If you need help, you can post a comment here. We will be going over the study guide tomorrow as a group in class tomorrow, so come ready to discuss your ideas. The test will be on Wednesday. Let me know if you have any questions!
Mr. Watson
Friday, March 16, 2007
End of The Red Pony
Today we went over the work we did for The Red Pony. We were pondering why the book ended talking about lemonade, and why Jody’s mom said, “Jody you’re sick”, after his mom asked him if he wanted lemonade.Mr. Watson explained why the story ended with Jody making Lemonade. He said that the saying when life gives you lemons make lemonade. He said that Jody’s life gave him lots of lemons or problems so he made lemonade. Most people were upset that the end never mentioned Gitano, Gabilan, or the new colt. Mr. Watson email us our study guides and said that it was due Tuesday after spring break. He told us that the test is March 28 the Wednesday after spring break. The study guide is due Tuesday, but we will have Monday's class period to work on it. Here it is if you didn't get it by email:
THE RED PONY
Study Guide
Name __________________________________________________ Section ________
Complete the following sections with as much information about the topic as you can find in the book. Knowing the characters and their responses to different situations throughout the novel is important. The test will be the Wednesday you return from spring break which is March 28th.
Characters:
JODY:
BILLY:
CARL TIFLIN:
MRS. TIFLIN:
GABILAN:
NELLIE:
EASTER:
GITANO:
GRANDFATHER:
1. What is the setting of the novel? Why is it important to the story?
2. . Describe the death of the red pony, Gabilan. What was the real underlying cause of the pony's death? What is Steinbeck's message behind the death?
3. Did Jody have any right/reason to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan? Explain your answer.
4. Compare and contrast Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck. What is Jody's relationship to each of them?
5. How do the sudden appearance and the mysterious departure of Gitano affect Jody?
6. In what ways does Jody change after the death of Nellie, the mare?
7. Why is lemonade important to the novel?
8. What does grandfather teach Jody?
9. What does Jody learn in the course of the novel? Be specific.
THE RED PONY
Study Guide
Name __________________________________________________ Section ________
Complete the following sections with as much information about the topic as you can find in the book. Knowing the characters and their responses to different situations throughout the novel is important. The test will be the Wednesday you return from spring break which is March 28th.
Characters:
JODY:
BILLY:
CARL TIFLIN:
MRS. TIFLIN:
GABILAN:
NELLIE:
EASTER:
GITANO:
GRANDFATHER:
1. What is the setting of the novel? Why is it important to the story?
2. . Describe the death of the red pony, Gabilan. What was the real underlying cause of the pony's death? What is Steinbeck's message behind the death?
3. Did Jody have any right/reason to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan? Explain your answer.
4. Compare and contrast Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck. What is Jody's relationship to each of them?
5. How do the sudden appearance and the mysterious departure of Gitano affect Jody?
6. In what ways does Jody change after the death of Nellie, the mare?
7. Why is lemonade important to the novel?
8. What does grandfather teach Jody?
9. What does Jody learn in the course of the novel? Be specific.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Reading Strategies
Today, we discussed the notes we took on the books we looked over. When it was Hayden’s turn, we talked about censorship, and if it was right for younger kids to know offensive or inappropriate words, so they wouldn’t use them (Hayden’s book was the Oxford Dictionary). We decided it was because kids might not know what a bad word means, until they use it. The main topic of discussion was effective reading strategies. Here they are;
Before Reading
-read the title
-read the blurb
-make predictions
-be ready to write
-know alphabet
-know what you’re looking for
-know letter/sound relationships
During Reading
-think of what you already know about the subject
-pay attention to the pictures
-make predictions
-take notes
After Reading
-reread to make sure you know the important parts
-use what you’ve learned
-summarize
Homework is to have Chapter 4 read in The Red Pony and bring your job and journal response to class.
Before Reading
-read the title
-read the blurb
-make predictions
-be ready to write
-know alphabet
-know what you’re looking for
-know letter/sound relationships
During Reading
-think of what you already know about the subject
-pay attention to the pictures
-make predictions
-take notes
After Reading
-reread to make sure you know the important parts
-use what you’ve learned
-summarize
Homework is to have Chapter 4 read in The Red Pony and bring your job and journal response to class.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Book Exploration
Today, we each read a different book and answered the following questions:
-What audience is your book intended for? How can you tell?
-What level reader can/should read your book? How can you tell?
-What are some important things a reader should do before, during, and after reading in order to get the most out of reading this text?
-What kind of information can you get from your book?
We really had to think about the questions while we answered them. Some of them weren’t that easy. For many of us, the fourth question was very hard. We had to look at the deep meaning of the books that we read.
Read Chapter 4 of The Red Pony and complete your job and journal response by Friday.
-What audience is your book intended for? How can you tell?
-What level reader can/should read your book? How can you tell?
-What are some important things a reader should do before, during, and after reading in order to get the most out of reading this text?
-What kind of information can you get from your book?
We really had to think about the questions while we answered them. Some of them weren’t that easy. For many of us, the fourth question was very hard. We had to look at the deep meaning of the books that we read.
Read Chapter 4 of The Red Pony and complete your job and journal response by Friday.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Promise
Hayden, Aksha, and Molly the best scribes in the world.
Today in our classes we started off by Mr. Watson checking our homework. Most people thought this chapter was disgusting, but thought that Billy Buck did the right thing. There are only these questions, Did Billy Buck really kill Nellie? Do you think that Billy Buck is mean, or nice? Did Carl become nicer? Hayden shared his Connor’s theory that Gitano is an Angel and that the mountains are heaven, and that Gitano took Easter up into the mountains to die and that the colt, Black Demon, is the reincarnation of Easter and took Gabilan’s place to restore the balance, and that’s why the horse is named Easter. Mr. Watson told us to point out how each chapter started.
Our homework for today is to finish The Red Pony book, and do job and j.r. Due Friday.
Today in our classes we started off by Mr. Watson checking our homework. Most people thought this chapter was disgusting, but thought that Billy Buck did the right thing. There are only these questions, Did Billy Buck really kill Nellie? Do you think that Billy Buck is mean, or nice? Did Carl become nicer? Hayden shared his Connor’s theory that Gitano is an Angel and that the mountains are heaven, and that Gitano took Easter up into the mountains to die and that the colt, Black Demon, is the reincarnation of Easter and took Gabilan’s place to restore the balance, and that’s why the horse is named Easter. Mr. Watson told us to point out how each chapter started.
Our homework for today is to finish The Red Pony book, and do job and j.r. Due Friday.
Monday, March 12, 2007
What is reading...
Mr. Watson sent us an e-mailed of a list of some people’s definitions of what reading is. Then we broke into groups of four and came up with an idea of what we thought reading was. Then for the rest of the period, we did our homework and checked out grades.
Have chapter 3 read for tomorrow, and have your job and journal response done as well.
Have chapter 3 read for tomorrow, and have your job and journal response done as well.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Who is Gitano?
Sorry I'm just posting this guys...
Abby, Rosie, Alex M, Jack
BEST SCRIBES IN THE WORLD
Today in class we listened to summaries of the chapter. We discussed the time of the occasions in the book. We talk about Jody being evil or not. Mr. Watson asked us questions about Jody and what he did. We talked about if he was mean because his pony is dead, so now he is hurting animals. We are just talking about stuff that Jody has done in the past and why he is doing things. We are talking about the new characters. We are describing Gitano. Gitano is just like Easter. We are talking about what Jody may do when he gets older and that he might get a horse. We are reading our journal responses and jobs.
We discuss were Gabalon might go when he got out and Mr. Watson is asking us questions. We discuss why all the things are going to the mountains. We are telling our thoughts about the book and what we think is going to happen or what’s going on. Mr. Watson is reading a passage from Tuesdays with Morrie. It has to do with Red Pony and all of the things and people going to the mountain. We discuss what we think that will happen that has to do with Red Pony. People think that it has to do with the spiritual tribe. Mr. Watson asked us if we think Carl Tiffin and if he is a good dad. We talk about Gitano and why he left and how Carl was being mean to him.
Gitano was a "salmon" to return to his place of death that he was when he was born.
Our home work which is Read chapter 3 and Job and Journal Response for Tuesday and answer the question "What is reading?"
Abby, Rosie, Alex M, Jack
BEST SCRIBES IN THE WORLD
Today in class we listened to summaries of the chapter. We discussed the time of the occasions in the book. We talk about Jody being evil or not. Mr. Watson asked us questions about Jody and what he did. We talked about if he was mean because his pony is dead, so now he is hurting animals. We are just talking about stuff that Jody has done in the past and why he is doing things. We are talking about the new characters. We are describing Gitano. Gitano is just like Easter. We are talking about what Jody may do when he gets older and that he might get a horse. We are reading our journal responses and jobs.
We discuss were Gabalon might go when he got out and Mr. Watson is asking us questions. We discuss why all the things are going to the mountains. We are telling our thoughts about the book and what we think is going to happen or what’s going on. Mr. Watson is reading a passage from Tuesdays with Morrie. It has to do with Red Pony and all of the things and people going to the mountain. We discuss what we think that will happen that has to do with Red Pony. People think that it has to do with the spiritual tribe. Mr. Watson asked us if we think Carl Tiffin and if he is a good dad. We talk about Gitano and why he left and how Carl was being mean to him.
Gitano was a "salmon" to return to his place of death that he was when he was born.
Our home work which is Read chapter 3 and Job and Journal Response for Tuesday and answer the question "What is reading?"
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Test Review
Today we went over our vocabulary test from yesterday and then Mr. Watson met with each of us to discuss our grade for this quarter, and answer any questions we had. We need to be reading outside of class again this nine weeks too. Honors classes read 2 books and CP classes read 1. The reviews are due May 18th which is one week before the end of the grading period.
Read Chapter 2 in The Red Pony for tomorrow and have your job and journal response done.
Read Chapter 2 in The Red Pony for tomorrow and have your job and journal response done.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Morrie Musings and Chainletters
Today in class we took a vocabulary test on Units 1-6. Jobs and journal responses for chapter 2 in The Red Pony are due on Friday.
I wanted to share with you the passage from Tuesdays with Morrie that I mentioned yesterday at the beginning of class.
"When Morrie was with you, he was really with you. He looked you straight in the eye, and he listened as if you were the only person in the world. How much better would people get along if their first encounter each day were like this-instead of a grumble from a waitress or a bus driver or a boss"
"'I believe in being fully present," Morrie said. "That means you should be with the person you're with. When I'm talking to you now, Mitch, I try to keep focused only on what is going on between us. I am not thinking of what's coming up this Friday. I am not thinking about doing another Koppel show, or about what medications I'm taking.""
Consider this as we have our next class discussion on The Red Pony.
Now to change gears...
Have you ever received a chain letter via email? I got one last night from a friend cautioning of the dangers of the ball crawls that you see on some playgrounds. The email was very convincing and told the name of the child, the name of the city, and even the name of the newspaper in which you could find the story. It went like this:
There was a boy who was playing in a ball crawl at McDonald's. When he got out, he was complaining of a sore bottom. He supposedly was pierced with a needle at the bottom of the ball crawl. The needle contained heroine, and he died of an overdose later that night.
It was a very convincing story with all the details, but I decided to investigage further. I found a couple of websites, breakthechain.org and snopes.com, which completely dispelled this myth. If you haven't recieved a chain email, you will. If you have, check these sites out and see if you can prove it's not true. I'd love for you to comment about any chain letters you have received and can prove untrue on these websites. Have fun!
I wanted to share with you the passage from Tuesdays with Morrie that I mentioned yesterday at the beginning of class.
"When Morrie was with you, he was really with you. He looked you straight in the eye, and he listened as if you were the only person in the world. How much better would people get along if their first encounter each day were like this-instead of a grumble from a waitress or a bus driver or a boss"
"'I believe in being fully present," Morrie said. "That means you should be with the person you're with. When I'm talking to you now, Mitch, I try to keep focused only on what is going on between us. I am not thinking of what's coming up this Friday. I am not thinking about doing another Koppel show, or about what medications I'm taking.""
Consider this as we have our next class discussion on The Red Pony.
Now to change gears...
Have you ever received a chain letter via email? I got one last night from a friend cautioning of the dangers of the ball crawls that you see on some playgrounds. The email was very convincing and told the name of the child, the name of the city, and even the name of the newspaper in which you could find the story. It went like this:
There was a boy who was playing in a ball crawl at McDonald's. When he got out, he was complaining of a sore bottom. He supposedly was pierced with a needle at the bottom of the ball crawl. The needle contained heroine, and he died of an overdose later that night.
It was a very convincing story with all the details, but I decided to investigage further. I found a couple of websites, breakthechain.org and snopes.com, which completely dispelled this myth. If you haven't recieved a chain email, you will. If you have, check these sites out and see if you can prove it's not true. I'd love for you to comment about any chain letters you have received and can prove untrue on these websites. Have fun!
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Death of Gabilan...
In the beginning of class today, Mr. Watson mentioned a lesson in a book called Tuesdays with Morrie, which is a good book. The lesson was that you should listen and really communicate when you are talking to someone.
Then we talked about if it was Billy Buck’s fault about Gabalin’s death. We said that at first it was his fault. Josh said, "If there was any chance that it were going to rain that if he were Jody than he could have made the descion to leave the pony out of the possible rain." We decided that on page 37 it was nobody’s fault, and that they couldn’t help Gabalin after the rain. Jody could have kept him in the barn if he wanted to. That last page showed that Carl Tifflin has very little sympathy or sensitivity towards Jody. Earlier in the chapter, Carl was telling funny stories, and he said isn’t that funny, than Jody said" Yes, sir." Which hurt his father’s feelings and made him angry. He felt this way because Jody wasn’t paying attention at all. Jody might not have even noticed what he was doing when he was killing the bird. He was just in a rage, and the buzzard was there, so he just took out his rage on the bird. Mr. Watson said that we don’t know how we react to a situation until we’re in that situation. He also said that he wouldn’t have killed the buzzard, but he wouldn’t just sit there and watch the bird eat his prized possession and what he had been waiting for forever. I think that Carl wants what is best for Jody, because he was trying to cheer him up and trying to make Jody feel better.
Read all of Chapter 2 and have job and journal response for Friday. The test tomorrow is on vocab units 1-6 in your Vocab book. STUDY!!
Then we talked about if it was Billy Buck’s fault about Gabalin’s death. We said that at first it was his fault. Josh said, "If there was any chance that it were going to rain that if he were Jody than he could have made the descion to leave the pony out of the possible rain." We decided that on page 37 it was nobody’s fault, and that they couldn’t help Gabalin after the rain. Jody could have kept him in the barn if he wanted to. That last page showed that Carl Tifflin has very little sympathy or sensitivity towards Jody. Earlier in the chapter, Carl was telling funny stories, and he said isn’t that funny, than Jody said" Yes, sir." Which hurt his father’s feelings and made him angry. He felt this way because Jody wasn’t paying attention at all. Jody might not have even noticed what he was doing when he was killing the bird. He was just in a rage, and the buzzard was there, so he just took out his rage on the bird. Mr. Watson said that we don’t know how we react to a situation until we’re in that situation. He also said that he wouldn’t have killed the buzzard, but he wouldn’t just sit there and watch the bird eat his prized possession and what he had been waiting for forever. I think that Carl wants what is best for Jody, because he was trying to cheer him up and trying to make Jody feel better.
Read all of Chapter 2 and have job and journal response for Friday. The test tomorrow is on vocab units 1-6 in your Vocab book. STUDY!!
Monday, March 5, 2007
Who wants to be a Millionaire
Today we welcomed our grandparents to our class as visitors, and then we played a version of the TV show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" This was in preparation for our test on units 1-6 which we take this Wednesday. Don't forget to have read up to page 37 in The Red Pony for class tomorrow. Have your job and journal response complete as well. We will be discussing these in class.
Friday, March 2, 2007
The Red Pony Discussion #2
Today, we first open our journal responses and jobs and read them to the class. Then we talked about the detail that was in this portion of “The Red Pony”. After that we discussed how Steinbeck described the horse and he described Jody. How Jody’s scared that if he grabs the horn that he’ll be showing a sign of weakness. His father think weakness and sickness comes from too much coddling.
The pony was a very good pony. Jody loved the pony. Jody and billy buck got in a fight.
The red pony is a good pony because it obeys.
This horse has a kind soul, this is a very spirited horse.
-Mr. Watson
Pg. 16 half way down find the word face. The pony talked with his ears. They described the horses feelings. Is that direct or indirect characterization? That sentence was direct.
Pg. 15 fatigued – He had known a horse nearly dead with fatigue. – means dead tired.
Riata – lasso.
Tori wrote a journal response. Author is cool because he changes the horses feelings. Ask Jody how he came up with the ponies name.
Jerimiah – because Gavalon is the name of a mountain range which is near where the story takes place.
Pg. 17. half way down. "Starts with he's getting to be a trick pony… takes dignity out of a pony when they do tricks…." Father says get ready to saddling him soon…
Pg. 23 2/3 of the way down… Jody's father…horse is not a lap dog.
Conflict where there are parents that are overly babying, and others that are WAY to strict.
Jody may imitate his father.
Jody's mom is proud of Jody because he is being responsible.
Tuesday- read up to page 36 and do the new jobs listed on the board. Vocabulary quiz on Wednesday...Units 1-6
The pony was a very good pony. Jody loved the pony. Jody and billy buck got in a fight.
The red pony is a good pony because it obeys.
This horse has a kind soul, this is a very spirited horse.
-Mr. Watson
Pg. 16 half way down find the word face. The pony talked with his ears. They described the horses feelings. Is that direct or indirect characterization? That sentence was direct.
Pg. 15 fatigued – He had known a horse nearly dead with fatigue. – means dead tired.
Riata – lasso.
Tori wrote a journal response. Author is cool because he changes the horses feelings. Ask Jody how he came up with the ponies name.
Jerimiah – because Gavalon is the name of a mountain range which is near where the story takes place.
Pg. 17. half way down. "Starts with he's getting to be a trick pony… takes dignity out of a pony when they do tricks…." Father says get ready to saddling him soon…
Pg. 23 2/3 of the way down… Jody's father…horse is not a lap dog.
Conflict where there are parents that are overly babying, and others that are WAY to strict.
Jody may imitate his father.
Jody's mom is proud of Jody because he is being responsible.
Tuesday- read up to page 36 and do the new jobs listed on the board. Vocabulary quiz on Wednesday...Units 1-6
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Forgetful Teacher...
Today in English class, we went to the Red Pony Wiki site. We just looked around the site to see what was there. Then, we went over our grammar quiz. AND SOMEBODY FORGOT THE QUIZES ON HIS BED!! All of us realized some of the careless mistakes that we had done. Some of us realized that the sentences were more confusing then we had thought that they were when we took the quiz. After we had gone over the quiz, we got out our vocabulary books. We found out that we have a test next Wednesday. We did page 81 in our vocab books. Our book reviews are due tomorrow unless you have gotten an okayed extension. Our job and journal response for pages 12-24 in The Red Pony are also due.
FPL Field Trip
Ok…so I did put Sarah up to asking the question yesterday at FPL about them having thermal pollution, but I wanted to prove a point. There are two sides to every story. The speaker from FPL said that there was no thermal pollution at all from the Ft. Pierce nuclear plant. Most of you took that to be the gospel truth; that is you believed it and moved on. I wasn’t so sure about that, so I did some research on my own and found this copy of the minutes of a city council meeting from about six months ago. In this meeting, the mayor of Ft. Pierce states that, “…there is general scientific agreement that the reason manatees congregated in the port was due to thermal pollution produced by FPL.” The report then goes on to state, “the thermal pollution actually harm by putting manatees in a dangerous situation.” Now, don’t go bashing FPL just yet…
Many scientists believe that wind generated power from windmills has the least impact on the environment. FPL invested over $1 billion in new wind projects all over the country. They are a world leader in this department.
My point in sharing this with you is two fold; 1)to help you realize that every resource is not reliable, and you should use multiple resources to establish facts and 2)to make you aware of some environmental issues affecting our community.
Many scientists believe that wind generated power from windmills has the least impact on the environment. FPL invested over $1 billion in new wind projects all over the country. They are a world leader in this department.
My point in sharing this with you is two fold; 1)to help you realize that every resource is not reliable, and you should use multiple resources to establish facts and 2)to make you aware of some environmental issues affecting our community.
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