Timed Writing, Figurative Language, and Presentations

First period began another timed writing. When we do the final timed writings about poetry, hopefully the whole process will take one period. For now, we’re going slowly. It’s practice in analyzing poetry as well as preparing to write a test essay cue — PASS preparation, in other words.

Sixth Period at Work

Sixth Period at Work

Second and sixth periods finished working with the three poems for figurative language. We looked at three poems: “Concrete Mixers,” “The City is So Big,” and the famous “Harlem Night Song.”

Sixth Period at Work

Sixth Period at Work

We’ll begin the timed writing tomorrow, analyzing one of the poem’s use of figurative language.

Sixth Period at Work

Sixth Period at Work

Fourth period had the final presentation for the poetry project.

Fourth Period Presenters

Fourth Period Presenters

The student-teachers lead their colleagues through a look at the following topics:

  • exact rhyme
  • approximate rhyme
  • internal rhyme

We’ll be including this material on the mid-term exam.

Homework

None

Figurative Language and Emotional Language

First, second, and fourth periods all worked on figurative language: similes, metaphors, and personification. We looked at three poems that use figurative language: “Concrete Mixers,” “The City is So Big,” and “Harlem Night Song.”

Fourth period finished up yesterday’s posters on the varying points of view and opinions about Boo Radley. Then we read, in class, the first portion of chapter nine of To Kill a Mockingbird. This is the episode in which Cecil Jacobs insults Scout’s father by suggesting Atticus is morally inferior because he is defending Tom Robinson. It is where the pejorative term for African Americans first appears in the book, so we spent the last half of the class discussing the impact of that word and how words can take on emotional hues.

Homework
  • First and second periods: complete illustrations of similes and metaphors from the three poems.
  • Fourth period:
    • read chapters 9-11 in To Kill a Mockingbird;
    • complete the
  • Seventh period: none.

Citation Practice and Poetry

First period began the poetry unit by looking at several elements of poetry, including:

  • consonnance
  • assonance
  • alliteration
  • simile
  • metaphor
  • personification

Second period began reading the Odyssey after we had a quiz on it.

Fourth and sixth periods completed their work on their “Works Cited” page.

No homework for any classes today.