Vocabulary Quiz #3 Friday, April 19th The quiz will assess the vocabulary terms from Lesson #3 (embroil - debunk); however, words from the previous lesson may appear. The complete set of vocab has been uploaded on to the English 10 - Vocabulary page. If you are away on the day of the quiz, it is your responsibility to check in with Ms. Wolbers and set a date and time to make up the quiz. Otherwise a mark of zero will be assigned.
Essay Writing Your essay outline must be complete for the first day of essay writing. You should also have brainstormed an idea for a hook. Essay Writing Begins: Wednesday, April 24th (Block A) &Thursday, April 25th (Block C) Essay Due: Wednesday, May 1st (Block A) &Thursday, May 2nd (Block C)
For those absent, see the overview below:
April 22nd - April 26th:
Essay Writing Building on last week's exploration of the purpose, format & structure of an essay, you will have time to continue the planning and outlining of your essay. You will have time to work on your essay outline on Monday (April 22nd) & Tuesday (April 23rd) this week.
On Wednesday, April 24th, you will be writing a literary analysis essay in class. Again, this essay will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned regarding reading comprehension, literary analysis, written form & structure, grammatical conventions, and your developing vocabulary.
Your outline MUST BE COMPLETE in order for you to begin writing. The essay will be written in stages over several classes. Each class we will review a different aspect of the essay, in an effort to support the construction of your composition.
April 15th - April 19th:
Essay Writing After reading through multiple short stories in class and exploring the manner in which we analyze and construct a literary analysis response, it is time to take things to the next level. You will be writing a literary analysis essay. This essay will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned regarding reading comprehension, literary analysis, written form & structure, grammatical conventions, and your developing vocabulary.
This week we will begin by exploring the general essay structure, looking at some sample essays, constructing a thesis statement, and generating an outline in preparation for writing the essay in class.
You will begin writing your essay in class next week. You will have time to receive feedback on your essay outline on Monday, April 22nd and Tuesday, April 23rd, and you will begin writing on Wednesday, April 24th (Block A) & Thursday, April 25th (Block C).
April 8th - April 12th:
Grammar: Sentence Fragments We will review the different types of sentence fragments, another of the common errors in student writing. We will also review how to identify fragments and methods of correction. For those absent on Monday (April 8th) this week, the class notes have are now posted on the English 10 - Grammar page.
Writing & Responding to Literature After reading the short story, "Evil Robot Monkey," and annotating/analyzing the story in class, we will be working on a final summative writing assignment for our short story unit. The assignment will require you to show your personal comprehension of the text. It will also assess your ability to incorporate your own inferences, interpretations & evaluations of Kowal's text, and to develop your responses following the statement + evidence + explanation format using direct quotes from the story as evidence.
You will be given the prompts ahead of time (at the end of Monday's class), and will be given class time to brainstorm/outline your writing during Tuesday's class. Otherwise, THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE WRITTEN ONLY IN CLASS during Wednesday's class.
Grammar: Modifier Errors Complete Practice Exercises for Monday, April 15th We will review the purpose of modifiers, and the possible errors (misplaced and dangling modifiers) that result from incorrectly integrating them into a sentence. We will also review the most effective methods of repairing these errors. For those absent on Friday (April 12th) this week, the handout/class notes have are now posted on the English 10 - Grammar page.
April 2nd - April 5th:
Vocabulary Lesson #3 (embroil - debunk) Next Vocab Quiz: Friday, April 19th We will review the definition and usage of each word in the set, as well as discuss any unique/specific points of grammar that dictate how the word should be integrated into your speech and writing. These words should start to appear in your writing. This will not only enhance your writing, but also build your understanding. Keep in mind, as you prepare for the upcoming quiz, you should continue to review the vocabulary words from Lesson #1 and #2. For those absent on Wednesday or Thursday this week, a copy of the notes have now been posted on the English 10 - Vocabulary page.
Analyzing Literature This week we will be exploring our final short story "Evil Robot Monkey" by Mary Robinette Kowal. As we discuss the text, we will annotate/decode the text, as we did with the previous two texts. In depth analysis and identification of literary devices/techniques will take place next week during Thursday and Friday's classes this week. For those absent on Tuesday this week, an annotated copy of the story has been posted on the English 10 - Short Stories page.
For class on Friday, April 5th, please complete the following in your notes:
External & Internal Setting
Character (Sly, Vern & Delilah)
Conflict x3
Epiphany
For class on Monday, April 8th, please complete the following in your notes:
Personification
Epiphany
Theme
March 11th - March 14th:
Writing Literary Analysis After reading the short story, "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" and annotating/analyzing the story in class, we will be working on our next writing assignment. As with your assignment on "There Will Come Soft Rains," this assignment will require you to show your personal comprehension of the text. It will also assess your ability to incorporate your own inferences, interpretations & evaluations of Aldiss' text, and to develop your responses following the statement + evidence + explanation paragraph format using direct quotes from the story as evidence.
You must answer two of the questions from the assignment sheet. Everyone must answer question #6 in the evaluate section; however, you can choose any other question to respond to (questions 1-5 in the inference/interpret section).
You will have class time on throughout the week (with access to the iPads/laptops) where you will have the opportunity to ask questions, ask for feedback, etc.
Refer to your class notes on the story, your notes on "Literary Analysis" to review structure, and notes on "Formal Writing Rules" (for quote integration) as needed.
March 4th - March 8th:
Analyzing Literature On Tuesday, we will begin reading our second short story,"Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" by Brian Aldiss. As we discuss the text, we will annotate/decode the text, as we did with "There Will Come Soft Rains." For those absent on Tuesday this week, the annotated copies of the story have been posted on the English 10 - Short Stories page.
For Thursday's class, please complete your reading/analysis notes on Internal Setting, External Setting, Character & Conflict.
For Friday's class, please complete your reading/analysis notes on Epiphany, Irony, Symbolism & Theme
Vocab Quiz #2 Friday, March 8th The quiz will assess the vocabulary terms from Lesson #2, as well as some terms from Lesson #1. Be sure to review all of your vocabulary. If you are away on the day of the quiz, it is your responsibility to check in with Ms. Wolbers and set a date and time to make up the quiz. Otherwise a mark of zero will be assigned.
February 26th - March 1st:
Grammar: Run On Sentences We will review the different types of run-on sentences: one of the most common errors in student writing. We will also review how to identify run-on sentences, and methods of correction. For those absent on Friday (March 1st) this week, the completed class notes have now been posted on the English 10: Grammar page.
Writing Literary Analysis Due Friday, March 1st After reading the short story, "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains," and annotating/analyzing the story in class, we will be working on our first writing assignment. Class time will be provided for this. The assignment will require you to show your personal comprehension of the text. It will also assess your ability to incorporate your own inferences, interpretations & evaluations of Bradbury's text, and to develop your responses following the statement + evidence + explanation paragraph format using direct quotes from the story as evidence. Refer to your class notes on the story, your notes on "Literary Analysis" to review structure, and notes on "Formal Writing Rules" (for quote integration) as needed. The assignment handout and example have been uploaded on the English 10 - Short Stories page.
Identify & label where an epiphany occurs in the story.
Summarize in 2-3 sentences how the epiphany is revealed to either the character or the reader.
Symbolism(a concrete object that represents a specific (abstract) concept or idea.
Highlight & label examples in the story where the symbols are first revealed.
Identify what each of the following objects/images represents. Summarize in 3-5 sentences how the symbol is used throughout the story.
House = Fire = Dog = Tree = Gods (page 2) =
THEME Write one COMPLETE sentence that expresses the story’s message, lesson, or warning. The theme should be a complete statement that explains the lesson of the story, and should contain a cause & effect.
Quote Integration & Formal Writing Rules During Wednesday/Thursday's class, before we proceed with writing about the short stories we have been reading in class—and using quoted evidence to support—we will review the basic structure and styles of quote integration/introduction. We will also review the essential formal writing rules that will allow you to properly punctuate your writing (see notes below). You will have the opportunity in class to put these ideas into practice (see handout below), before you begin the "...There Will Come Soft Rains" writing assignment.
Vocabulary Lesson #2(plausible - incessant) We will review the definition and usage of each word in the set, as well as discuss any unique/specific points of grammar that dictate how the word should be integrated into your speech and writing. The complete set of notes has been posted on the English 10 - Vocabulary page, linked here.
February 12th - 15th:
Vocab Quiz #1 Wednesday, February 14th (Block A) Thursday, February 15th (Block C) The quiz will assess the vocabulary terms from Lesson #1. If you are away on the day of the quiz, it is your responsibility to check in with Ms. Wolbers and set a date and time to make up the quiz. Otherwise a mark of zero will be assigned.
Analyzing Literature Building on the introduction to analyzing literature and the skills we have been exploring in visual texts, we are now going to jump into literature on the page. Over the course of this week we will continue to discuss and analyze the short story, "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury. As we discuss the text, we will practice annotating/decoding the text, identifying key literary devices, and paraphrasing the text in our own language.
The following should have been completed in your notes in class Tuesday-Thursday:
Plot:
Summarize the story in 2-3 sentences per section:
Exposition
Describe the setting, main character.
Rising Action (Conflict/Inciting Incident)
What is the main conflict in the story, what is the main character doing in their reaction to the conflict?
Climax
What is the turning point in the story? What decision is made or what action occurs that changes the main character’s fate?
Falling Action
What does the main character do as a reaction to the climax? How does the story approach its ending?
Resolution
How does the story end? What happens to the main character?
Conflict
Identify the three conflicts in the story.
For each conflict, summarize in 3-5 sentences how the conflict is built through the story? Who is involved in the conflict, what takes placebetween the forces involved, and how does the conflict end?
Setting
Internal Setting >> Summarize Bradbury's use of the internal setting (considering the following). What does the house look like? What kind of technology is built into the house? What does the internal setting tell us about the humans that once lived there or what they value?
External Setting >> Summarize Bradbury's use of the external setting (considering the following). What does the city surrounding the house look like? Who can you infer was responsible for the destruction? Were the citizens of Allendale away of the impending conflict? What does the external setting tell us about what human society valued?
Irony:
Identify the two types of irony in the story.
Summarize in 3-5 sentences how each type of irony is used through the story.
February 5th - 9th:
In-Class Paragraph Assignment (Practice) On Wednesday, February 7th (Block A) or Thursday, February 8th (Block C), you will write an in-class paragraph response on the film ("Borrowed Time") we watched in class last week. This paragraph will follow the format from your "Literary Analysis" notes and a class sample. This will be marked formatively (for feedback only), in order to provide you with feedback on your writing and comprehension.
Grammar: Subject Verb Agreement We will review the oft-forgotten (and at times very confusing) rules surrounding subject verb agreement and the key words and phrases that create exceptions to these rules. We will also review what common errors students make when constructing sentences, and why these occur.
Short Story & Literary Device Review Looking back to what you learned in English 9, we will review short story elements and literary devices, and examine which will be of central focus for literary analysis in English 10.
Vocabulary Lesson #1 (placid - sublime) We will review the definition and usage of each word in the set, as well as discuss any unique/specific points of grammar that dictate how the word should be integrated into your speech and writing. The complete set of notes has been posted on the English 10 - Vocabulary page, linked here. Vocab Quiz #1: Wednesday, February 14th (Block A) Thursday, February 15th (Block C)
Intro to Analyzing Literature We will be reviewing foundational analysis skills (inferencing, interpreting & evaluating -- refer to your "Literary Analysis" notes), and then exploring some simple visual texts/short animated films to practice using these skills together as a class. We will be watching the short films linked below. These films have zero dialogue, so you will be focusing on the imagery on screen, as well as the actions of the characters.
After this, we will then watch a third film (linked below). For this one you will be required to takes notes/answer some response questions as we watch the film. We will discuss these questions, and then you will be writing an in-class paragraph response to the film, following the format from your "Analyzing Literature" notes and a class sample.