K/H: Gerunds and Infinitives

This is the tutorial video we watched in class on 2/27/15.

Here is a link to some short PPT notes on gerunds and infinitives.

Gerunds:

• always end in "-ing"
• function as a noun, and therefore can function as everything a noun can do (be the subject of a sentence, a direct or indirect object, the object of a prepositional phrase - - - notice that a verb can't do any of those things.)
• because gerunds function as a noun, they're easy to spot and "test" for. Just replace the ING-word in question with another noun - like the word "corn" - and see if the sentence still makes sense. If it does, then the word is functioning as a noun, and YES - it is a gerund.

I like going to the park.

Wait. Is "going" a gerund? Replace it with another noun - corn. Cross off the prepositional phrase at the end - "to the park" is extra info. 

I like corn. 

Yes. That's a gerund.

Students waved banners and protested against smoking on campus. 

Is "smoking" a gerund? Cross off the prepositional phrase.

Students waved banners and protested against corn. 

Yep. That's a gerund.

The smoking hot engine had to cool down before the car could be towed.
Is "smoking" a gerund? No. The subject of the sentence is the word "engine" - "smoking" and "hot" act as modifiers for the word "engine." In this case, the word "smoking" is a descriptor - AKA an adjective. Ergo, not a noun - not a gerund. Also, "The corn hot engine had to cool down..." makes no sense. "Smoking" is not being used as a noun, clearly. 

Infinitives:

• always function as a verb
• an infinitive is the unconjugated version of a verb, with or without the "to"

Some extra practice:

http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/gerunds.htm

http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/verbs/gerunds-and-infinitives/

There are also numerous other tutorial videos on YouTube, as well. 

K/H: Interview with Ray Bradbury

In case you missed it in class today. In class, we stopped at minute 14. Please feel free to watch the rest on your own time.

K/H Example of Project

Here is an example of how your project could begin - please review the previous post with all of the requirements. This example does not contain all of the required pieces. 
Source credit: Ms. Adams wrote this sample.

An Example of the Project

K/H: Raisin in the Sun Project (Major Grade)

Directions:   To extend your understanding of the elements of drama, you will take a hands on approach as a playwright and write a scene of your own play. Like Hansberry, your play will focus on a moral dilemma.   Your scene must reflect at least one well-developed symbol and include meaningful stage directions. You are required to include dialogue from at least one character’s point of view.  You must determine how you will incorporate the symbol associated with your character into your scene.  Remember, a scene takes place in one location (setting) and one "moment" in time, so think about how you will create and resolve a conflict for the character in this limited time frame.

Requirements:

• Times New Roman 12” font
• Focus on a moral dilemma
• Establish a clear setting (time and place)
• Make your symbol an important part of your scene and use it to further develop the character or reveal changes in your character
• Include a paragraph at the end of the play that explains the symbol
• Include a Cast of Characters if there are more than one character
• Incorporate "scene-setting” stage directions in italics at the beginning of the scene that include a description of the setting, important background information, and character actions. Write the speaker's name for each line of dialogue in capital letters  
• Include stage directions in parentheses and italics that reveal information for the reader about the character's movement, tone, emotion, etc.    
• Submit to turnitin.com by Sunday, February 15, 2015, at 11:59 PM.  Bring a printed copy to class Tuesday, February 17.

For Monday: Satire & AILD

Review the definition for satire. Review how to write a theme statement.

Some topics discussed regarding satire in AILD include but are not limited to:

• death [several characters -yes, several characters]
• certain occupations (farmers, medical professionals) [several characters]
• religion(s) [several characters]
• classes [several characters/income levels/rural and urban]
• relationships [several characters/relationships]
• good Samaritans/being helpful

K/H: As I Lay Dying Discussion UPCOMING!

We will have a graded class discussion over AILD next Wednesday-Friday. It will be an assessment grade, as usual. It will help prepare you for the summative essay over this piece, which is a major grade on the following Monday.

To prepare for this very important discussion, I have an activity (daily grade) that I'd like to complete and submit to TurnItIn.com: AILD Discussion Points

Enjoy. :D

For On-Level: Fiction Quiz Review/By the Waters of Babylon

Here is the link to the full story in a PDF: By the Waters of Babylon

And here is a copy of the BTWoB fiction review, in case you left it in class: Waters of Babylon Fiction Review

If you haven't already, start studying for the Vocab Unit 7 quiz, which is next Wednesday, January 21.

"Factoring" to show Detail and Elaboration in Persuasive Writing

So far, we've only experimented with persuasive writing by using the classic persuasive model as a guide. Alas, now there are so many different options. Growing your stock of persuasive skills is a must, and I urge you to try a new persuasive structure tomorrow for our timed write.

You exclaim, "Alas, Mrs. Wise! How do we give details and elaborate without having a specific example? Woe is me, yon sophomores shall perish directly!"

This is where factoring comes in. You can give specific details and show your critical thinking without giving a specific example. You can use the "factoring" model for a whole paragraph, or even just a sentence.

These samples are from the packet of 8's that we looked at in class. (ACA classes are looking at this packet in two weeks - but y'all have already seen the factoring.) In these examples, the thesis is the "81" and is not pictured, the topic sentence (the "9") is in yellow, and the details (the "3's") are in green.

Looky here:

ABOVE: Here is an example of factoring in one single sentence. The author mentions "centers of trade" and then goes on to list four specific places. This information helps the author to develop the size-economy connection in the paragraph.

ABOVE: This is an example of factoring as a structure for a paragraph. The topic sentence is neatly placed within a sophisticated transition, and the factoring itself contains some lovely imagery. This is a wonderful example of how to use some imagery without allowing your paper to seem too "creative" and lose that persuasive voice/task.

ABOVE: This paragraph does several things nicely. The author takes the opportunity to define "city dweller" and goes on to explain what specific services these city dwellers can access. Children go to better schools, and the author even factors that into private and magnet schools. The sick get their own three-pronged factor: doctors, hospitals, and treatments. Families get consumer technology. The author could have easily factored that, too.

ABOVE: Do you see the two complete factors here? Also, there's a purposeful onomatopoeia nestled nicely into the details.

ABOVE: The author offers a topic sentence about cities and the cultural activities they offer. The essay goes on to offer the specific details about Austin, Los Angeles, and New York. If this were my student, I would ask them to offer the specific names of these cultural events. Austin as the Austin City Limits music festival and SXSW, Los Angeles is home to X and Y celebrities, and New York has The Metropolitan Museum of Art ("The Met"), The Museum of Modern Art ("MoMA"), the Guggenheim one, etc.

Well, that's all I have. See y'all tomorrow.

On-Level: Introduction to Kurt Vonnegut

Here's the video we watched in class on Monday/Tuesday:

The new key words that go with this piece, "Harrison Bergeron," are satire and science fiction.
There's a full-length biography of Kurt Vonnegut, called "So It Goes" - you can find that on YouTube if you're interested. (I haven't watched the whole thing, so I can't vouch for its school-appropriateness.) This author has a weird sense of humor. He has written many short stories and full-length novels.

And now for some of Mrs. Wise's personal options and connections: I have his short story collection Bagumbo Snuff Box. Reading this collection finally made me understand the beauty and simplicity of short fiction. It also helped me see why people publish collections of them. Some of the pieces are sentimental, some are strange, and more than a few feature oddball characters, but it's a fun thing to read a piece that is funny and meaningful at the same time. So often literature is either way too serious, or it's so comical that it has no real meaning. I really do hope you enjoy the piece. And if you don't, keep it to yourself. :)

Additional On-Level Grammar Review

Grammar-got-run-over-by-a-reindeer activity!

1. Write 3 sentences using “Christmas” as a noun and an adjective. (Bonus points for a fourth sentence using Christmas as an adverb)
2. Write 10 Christmas words that should be capitalized and 10 that should not.
3. Write 3 compound sentences about your favorite holiday traditions.
4. Write 3 sentences, about holiday traditions you dislike, using a semicolon