English I students went over a quick review of elliptical construction in 3.5 and compared it to the first example we saw in 1.4 (the Mab speech).

We noted two things:

1. There is always a pattern in play when elliptical constructions appear: writers must first establish the pattern before altering it.
2. The deletion is often verb-related: it’s difficult to leave out something other than a repeating verb.

We also worked on our writing project for Romeo and Juliet.

English 8 students began an argumentative writing unit on argumentative writing. We began by looking at some big ideas that the unit will cover, evaluating our level of agreement with several statements:

1. It is possible for me to make decisions that will make everyone involved happy.
2. My after-school activities are just as important as my academic classes.
3. I try to make decisions based on what is best for me, even if it causes problems for others.
4. I get enough sleep during the school week.
5. I have enough time in the morning and evenings to keep up with my responsibilities.

We then looked at some of the big skills we’ll be focusing on, evaluating our own confidence in the following skills:

1. I know the parts of a strong argumentative essay.
2. I can write a clear claim that states my opinion on a topic.
3. I know how to adapt my writing to address a specific audience.
4. I know how to write an introduction that will hook my readers.
5. I know how to independently annotate a text with a specific focus in mind.
6. I know how to find the central idea of a text or section of a text.
7. I know how to gather evidence and determine which side of an argument it supports.

These are ideas we will be focusing on during the next few weeks.

Homework

• English 8: complete the Common Lit assignment for the MLK speech today (last date to turn it in for credit).
• English I Honors: 
  • prepare for the test by taking the practice test for review tomorrow in class;
  • work on the project as necessary.