Great Expectations in Education: August 2008

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Blogging Rules

"A few strong instincts and a few plain rules suffice us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

This blog site is intended for classroom use but parents and/or guests are welcome to post at any time so long as they adhere to the rules.

This site does have public access. Please use screen names only and do not include any personal information such as your name, age, address, phone numbers, etc. (nor that of anyone else's!).

No vulgar or obscene posts will be allowed.

No disrespectful remarks about another student, teacher, or any person will be allowed.

Anything that could be perceived as a threat of physical violence will be punishable according to school policy.

Do not use this post to advocate the immediate violation of any law or school rule.

The teacher reserves the right to delete any post that does not strictly adhere to these rules.

Journal entries are an assignment and will be given a grade for participation.

Zero credit will be given on a deleted entry—it is the student’s responsibility to check and make sure their entries have not been deleted and, as needed, replace them with appropriate responses by the due date to get credit.

Parents' Page

Communication works for those who work at it. --John Powell

Welcome Parents! This is a site designed to give our students access to their homework as well as keep you informed about our schedule, classroom activities, and upcoming events. We have finished our to everyone's delight and those grades will all be going in this week. We are starting the last six week term--the spring semester is flying by!! We are now beginning our novel unit. We are currently reading Tim O'Brien's powerful work, The Things They Carried, a collection of fictionalized stories about the time he really spent in Vietnam. The Walden projects turned out to be AMAZING!! Ask your child which one he/she did, because they were so creative--I'm very proud of them all. Book reviews or another Writers' Workshop projects are coming due soon (if they chose to do their book review first), so your student should have plenty of things to be working on at home! It sure is a busy time of year!! Email me anytime when you want to check up! I am located on the bottom floor in Room 121; school phone: 417-334-6511 ext. 5121; email: snowl@branson.k12.mo.us. Thanks so much for your encouragement and your support in the education of your students.

Schedule and Assignments

In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. --Eric Hoffer

Be sure to read this section so you may be adequately prepared for class time. I will try to have all materials listed if you are going to need something out of the ordinary. Also check it after school to make sure you have your assignments done and ready to hand in the next day (unless otherwise specified). Remember as the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said, “The secret of all victory lies in the organization.” So be organized, be prepared, and victory is ours.

Week of April 27-May 1

Monday--"The Ghost Soldiers"

Tuesday--"Night Life"

Wednesday--"The Lives of the Dead" (finish novel!!!)

Thursday--No class; 3rd hour report to commons

Friday--Themes of TTTC

Weekly Online Journal Entry

How can I tell what I think until I see what I say? --E.M. Forster

Every week you will be responsible for posting a reply to an online journal question. This response needs to be at least one full paragraph (minimum of 5-6 sentences, no more than one full page). Being an online journal, this is somewhat informal in nature but you do need to use complete sentences, watch your spelling, and fully develop your thoughts. Make sure your responses are adhering to the posted rules or they will be deleted. Be open, be creative, be yourself.

Consider the following quotation:

Don't do whatever you like; like whatever you do. --Anne M. Jennings

Describe an instance where you have applied this advice in your own life or a situation in which you could give it a try. In the picture, see how an ordinary chore like walking the dog can become a great adventure. Life is full of amazing possibilities. It is our attitude that can lift us up or hold us back if we let it. Consider how our attitudes can be changed if we will try to see the potential in any given situation. An online journal, for instance ....

Useful Links

Zeal without knowledge is fire without light. --Thomas Fuller

Here are a few links to sites you may find useful to our coursework. Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com will be invaluable during our vocabulary lessons as well as quite beneficial during our writing exercises and assignments. We will be adding to these as we go. Use them well.

Dictionary.com
Thesauras.com
OWL at Purdue (apa & mla guide)

Due This Week!!

All assignments will posted here! Check back often!!

Book Review PowerPoints DUE WEDNESDAY!!

TTTC PORTFOLIO: DUE FRIDAY MAY 8!!!!!
[Wow! This is a big part of your grade for this last six-week term!]

1st Draft Writers' Workshop Project 2: DUE MONDAY MAY 11!!!

Dialectic Journal--Each Chapter, Keep Writing!!
Ch. 2 Love
Ch. 3 Spin (2/3 page)
Ch. 4 On the Rainy River (1 page)
Ch. 5 Enemies/Ch. 6 Friends (2/3 page)
Ch. 7 How to tell a True War Story (1 page)
Ch. 8 The Dentist (2/3 page)
Ch. 9 Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong (1 page)
Ch. 10 Stockings/Ch. 11 Church (2/3 page)
Ch. 12 The Man I Killed/Ch. 13 Ambush
(1 page)
Ch. 15 Speaking of Courage (1 page)
Ch. 16 Notes (1 page)
Ch. 17 In the Field (2/3 page)
Ch. 18 Good Form (2/3 page)
Ch. 19 Field Trip (1 page)
Ch. 20 The Ghost Soldiers/Ghostly Fears
(1 page)
Ch. 21 Night Life (2/3 page)
Ch. 22 Lives of the Dead (1 page)

:)

TTTC Vocabulary!!

“The Things They Carried”
1. Foxhole: –noun A small pit, usually for one or two soldiers, dug as a shelter in a battle area.
2. Perimeter: –noun
Military. A fortified boundary that protects a troop position.
3. Poncho: –noun A blanket-like cloak with a hole in the center to admit the head, originating in South America, now often worn as a raincoat.
4. Grunts: –noun Slang. An infantryman in the U.S. military, especially in the Vietnam War: "They were called grunts....They were the infantrymen, the foot soldiers of the war" (Bernard Edelman).
5. Intransitive: –adjective Not transitive [Transitive: characterized by or involving transition; or passing over to or affecting something else]
6. Taut: –adjective
a. Tightly drawn; tense; not slack.
b. Emotionally or mentally strained or tense.
7. Topography: –noun The detailed mapping or charting of the features of a relatively small area, district, or locality.
8. Bayonet: –noun a dagger-like steel weapon that is attached to or at the muzzle of a gun and used for stabbing or slashing in hand-to-hand combat.
9. Antipersonnel: –adjective Military. Used against enemy personnel rather than against mechanized vehicles, materiel, etc. Ex. antipersonnel bombs.
10. Shrapnel: –noun Military. A hollow projectile containing bullets or the like and a bursting charge, designed to explode before reaching the target, and to set free a shower of missiles.
11. Monsoons: –noun A wind from the southwest or south that brings heavy rainfall to southern Asia in the summer.
12. Volition: –noun The act of willing, choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing. Ex. She left of her own volition.
13. Arsenal: –noun A place of storage or a magazine containing arms and military equipment for land or naval service.
14. Entrench: –verb
a. To place in a position of strength; establish firmly or solidly: safely entrenched behind undeniable facts.
b. To dig trenches for defensive purposes around (oneself, a military position, etc.).
15. Tangible: –adjective
a. Capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; material or substantial.
a. Real or actual, rather than imaginary or visionary. Ex. The tangible benefits of sunshine …
16. Muzzle: –noun The mouth, or end for discharge, of the barrel of a gun, pistol, etc.

“Spin”
17. Ammo: -noun
projectiles to be fired from a gun or other weapon [syn: ammunition]
18. Grid: -noun
a network of horizontal and perpendicular lines, uniformly spaced, for locating points on a map, chart, or aerial photograph by means of a system of coordinates.
19. Exuberance: -noun
a. joyful enthusiasm
b. overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval
20. Fungal: -adjective1. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of fungi 2. caused by a fungus

“On the Rainy River”
21. Stash: –verb
a. to put by or away as for safekeeping or future use, usually in a secret place
–noun
b. something put away or hidden
c. a place in which something is stored secretly; hiding place; cache.
22. Dispense: –verb
to deal out; distribute
to do away with; rid of
23. Aggression: -noun
the practice of making assaults or attacks; offensive action in general.
24. Stooge: -noun
One who allows oneself to be used for another's profit or advantage; a puppet.
25. Imperative: –adjective
a. absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable
b. of the nature of or expressing a command; commanding.
26. Province: -noun
a country, territory, district, or region
27. summa cum laude: -adv & adj
With the greatest honor. Used to express the highest academic distinction
28. Infantry: -noun
soldiers or military units that fight on foot, in modern times typically with rifles, machine guns, grenades, mortars, etc., as weapons
29. jingo: -noun
a person who professes his or her patriotism loudly and excessively, favoring vigilant preparedness for war and an aggressive foreign policy; bellicose chauvinist
30. smoldering: -verb
To burn with little smoke and no flame.
To show signs of repressed anger or hatred.
31. Decapitate: -verb
To cut off the head of; to behead.
32. Eviscerate: -verb
to remove the entrails from; disembowel
to deprive of vital or essential parts
33. schizophrenia: -noun
any of several psychotic disorders characterized by distortions of reality and disturbances of thought and language and withdrawal from social contact
34. censure: -noun
strong or vehement expression of disapproval
-verb
to criticize or reproach in a harsh or vehement manner
35. acquiescence: -noun
agreement or consent by silence or without objection; compliance
36. platitude: -noun
a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh, original, or profound
37. pious: -adj
Having or exhibiting religious reverence; earnestly compliant in the observance of religion; devout.
38. Gentry: -noun
an upper or ruling class; aristocracy
people of good breeding, education, or high social position.
39. Bewilderment: -noun
The condition of being confused or disoriented.
40. Chrome: -noun
chromium-plated or other bright metallic trim, as on an automobile
41. giddy: -adj
affected with vertigo; dizzy
frivolous and lighthearted; impulsive; flighty
42. reticence: -noun
disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved, reluctant, or restrained

"How to Tell a True War Story"
43. Rectitude: -noun
rightness of principle or conduct; moral virtue
44. salvage: -noun
the act of saving anything from fire, danger, etc.
-verb
to save from shipwreck, fire, etc.
45. detonation: -noun
the act of exploding; an explosion
46. skewed: -verb
a. To turn or place at an angle.
b. To give a bias to; distort.
-adj.
a. Placed or turned to one side; asymmetrical.
b. Distorted or biased in meaning or effect.
47. Artillery: -noun
a. mounted projectile-firing guns or missile launchers, mobile or stationary, light or heavy, as distinguished from small arms.
b. the troops or the branch of an army concerned with the use and service of such weapons.
48. Scenario: -noun
an imagined or projected sequence of events, esp. any of several detailed plans or possibilities
49. Ordinance: -noun
a. cannon or artillery.
b. military weapons with their equipment, ammunition, etc.
c. the branch of an army that procures, stores, and issues, weapons, munitions, and combat vehicles and maintains arsenals for their development and testing.
50. Definitive: -adjective
a. most reliable or complete
51. Rucksack: -noun
a type of knapsack carried by hikers, bicyclists, military, etc.
52. Drudgery: -noun
hard monotonous routine work
53. Napalm: -noun
a. a highly incendiary jellylike substance used in fire bombs, flamethrowers, etc.
54. Anarchy: -noun
political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control
55. Civility: -noun
a. courtesy; politeness

"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"
56. Improbable: -adj
unlikely to be true or to happen
57. Bedlam:-noun
a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.
58. Mundane:-adj.
of or pertaining to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven; worldly; earthly: mundane affairs.
59. Vulnerable:-adj.
capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt, as by a weapon: a vulnerable part of the body.
60. Sniper:-noun.
a marksman who shoots at people from a concealed place
61. Intrigue:-verb
to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to; captivate
62. Casualties:-noun
loss in numerical strength through any cause, as death, wounds, sickness, capture, or desertion.
63. Gore:-noun
murder, bloodshed, violence, etc
64. Adrenaline:-noun
central nervous system in response to stress, as anger or fear, and acting to increase heart rate, blood pressure

"Stockings"
65. Plod:-verb
to walk heavily or move laboriously; trudge
66. Invulnerable:-adj
incapable of being wounded, hurt, or damaged.

"Church"
67. Pagoda:-noun
(in India, Burma, China, etc.) a temple or sacred building, usually a pyramidlike tower and typically having upward-curving roofs over the individual stories.

"The Man I Killed"
68. Cadre: -noun
Military. the key group of officers and enlisted personnel necessary to establish and train a new military unit.
69. Cowlick: -noun
a tuft of hair that grows in a direction different from that of the rest of the hair
70. Piaster: -noun
a former monetary unit of South Vietnam: replaced by the dong in 1976

"Speaking Of Courage"
71. Causation: -noun
a. The action of causing or producing
b. the relation of cause to effect; causality
72. Gargling: -verb
to wash or rinse the throat or mouth with a liquid held in the throat and kept in motion by a stream of air from the lungs
73. Mortar: -noun
a. Any of various bonding materials used in masonry, surfacing, and plastering, especially a plastic mixture of cement or lime, sand, and water that hardens in place and is used to bind together bricks or stones.
b. A portable, muzzleloading cannon used to fire shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high trajectories
-verb
To bombard with mortar shells
74. Hoist: -verb
to raise or lift, esp. by some mechanical appliance

"Notes"
75. Catharsis: -noun
the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, esp. through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music
76. Nucleus: -noun
a central part about which other parts are grouped or gathered; core
77. Valor: -noun
boldness or determination in facing great danger, esp. in battle; heroic courage; bravery

"In the Field"
78. Platoon: -noun
a military unit consisting of two or more squads or sections and a headquarters
79. Giddiness: -noun
a. attended with or causing dizziness
b. frivolous and lighthearted; impulsive; flighty
80. Condolence: -noun
expression of sympathy with a person who is suffering sorrow, misfortune, or grief

"The Ghost Soldiers"
81. Cushy: -adj
involving little effort for ample rewards; easy and profitable
82. Battalion: -noun
Military: a ground force unit composed of a headquarters and two or more companies or units
83. Bunker: -noun
a fortification set mostly below the surface of the ground with overhead protection provided by logs and earth or by concrete and fitted with openings through which guns may be fired
84. Hooch: -noun
any living quarters, as a barracks
85. Botch: -verb
to spoil by poor work; bungle
86. Rapport: -noun
relation; connection, esp. harmonious or sympathetic relation
87. Illumination: -noun
a. A source of light
b. Decorative lighting
c. Spiritual or intellectual enlightenment
d. Clarification

"Night Life"
88. Grope: -verb
a. to feel about with the hands; feel one's way
b. to search blindly or uncertainly
89. Defoliant: -noun
A chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause the leaves to fall off
90. Kilter: -noun
good condition; order

"The Lives of the Dead"
91. Infatuation: -noun
A foolish, unreasoning, or extravagant passion or attraction
92. Chronology: -noun
the sequential order in which past events occur
93. Taper: -verb
to cease by degrees; decrease; diminish
94. Tranquilizer: -noun
a. a drug that has a sedative or calming effect without inducing sleep
b. a person or thing that tranquilizes
95. Translucent: -adj
a. permitting light to pass through but diffusing it so that persons, objects, etc., on the opposite side are not clearly visible
b. easily understandable; lucid
96. Essence: -noun
a. the basic, real, and invariable nature of a thing or its significant individual feature or features
b. something that exists, esp. a spiritual or immaterial entity
97. Blatant: -adj
brazenly obvious; flagrant
98. Formaldehyde: -noun
a colorless pungent irritating gas CH2O used chiefly as a disinfectant and preservative and in chemical synthesis

Great Expectations in Education

Welcome to Great Expectations

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Blogging Rules

Parents' Page

Schedule and Assignments

Weekly Online Journal Entry

Useful Links

Due This Week!!

TTTC Vocabulary!!

TTTC Portfolio Requirements

About Me

Blog Archive

Fun English/Grammar Games!!

"I quote others only the better to express myself." --Michel de Montaigne