3/19 English II Agenda TSW revise and edit their Mississippi Trial, 1955 Essays by correcting syntax and mechanics errors in order to improve the quality of their writing. Focus: Answer the multiple-choice questions provided and explain why you did not choose the other answers. Activities: 1. Class: Review multiple choice strategies. 1. Class/Individuals: Complete rewrites for the Mississippi Trial, 1955 Essay. Closing: Independent reading time.

Strategies for Multiple Choice Questions

Use What You Know  What kind of questions if this?  Is it detail oriented or does it requires inference?  What strategy will work the best with this type of question?  What additional information, if any, would you need to solve this question?

Predicting The 3-Step Strategy Step 1 – Cover the answer choices before reading the question. Step 2 – Read the question and predict what the answer will be. Step 3 - Find the choice that most closely matches your prediction.

Process of Elimination Eliminate choices that use extreme language. –N–Never doubt, despised, the best, the worst Eliminate choices that are too narrow or broad. –T–These type of answers may partially answer the question, but they just do not give enough details. Eliminate choices that are true but do not answer the question. Eliminate choices that contradict the passage. –E–Example: C. Beowulf perishes because he is a coward and runs from the battle.

3/20 English II Agenda TSW read and analyze the story “Hills Like White Elephants” in order to identify the structure and purpose of dialogue. TSW develop fictional character by utilizing preselected characteristics in order to demonstrate understanding of characterization. Focus: Read the story “Hills Like White Elephants” and underline dialogue that you think refers to the conflict of the story. Activities: 1. Class: Review “Hills Like…” – identify the conflict and look at dialogue format. 2. Class/Individuals: Select criteria for characters – create fictional characters. Closing: Independent reading time.

3/21 English II Agenda TSW identify and analyze figures of speech in the poem, “Elegy for Jane”, in order to understand their use and purpose in writing. TSW identify example of imagery, descriptive details and figure of speech in an excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher” in order to utilize more detail in their creative writing. Focus: Identify the what ‘figure of speech’ (metaphor, simile, personification) each of the following is: The large snowflakes danced through the air as they tumbled to the earth. Her heart is an open book. My little brother tears through the house like a tornado when he gets home from school. Activities: 1. Class/Groups: Read “Elegy for Jane” and identify and analyze examples of figures of speech. 2. Class: Analyze the theme of “Elegy for Jane” 3. Groups/Class: Identify descriptive details and figures of speech in “…House of Usher” excerpt – analyze and simplify Closing: Independent reading time.

Focus: Identify the what ‘figure of speech’ (metaphor, simile, personification) each of the following is: The large snowflakes danced through the air as they tumbled to the earth. Personification – Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects. Her heart is an open book. Metaphor – A comparison of 2 unlike things, without using “like” or “as”. My little brother tears through the house like a tornado when he gets home from school. Simile - A comparison of 2 unlike things, using “like” or “as”.

3/22 English II Agenda TSW review and identify strategies for responding to multiple-choice and open-ended questions in order to prepare for their Literary Terms Unit Test. TSW utilize their knowledge of plot, imagery and characterization to develop a work of short fiction. Focus: Choose the vocabulary word the best fits each of the following sentences: 1. The exact cast of the movie remains _____________ until it is known whether or not Tom Cruise is available. 2. Babe Ruth’s record number of home runs in a single baseball season was _____________(e)d first by Roger Maris, then by Mark McGwire in 1998, and most recently by Barry Bonds in The Motor Vehicle Bureau now _____________s its drivers manual with an attached publication on the new driving laws. 4. When my uncle helped me pay for college, he said I could _____________ him by helping someone else pay for college when I can afford to. Activities: 1. Class/Individuals: Review opened ended response strategies – view and discuss sample open ended response. 2. Class/Individuals: Review expectations for short story – pre-plan short story plots. Closing: Independent reading time.

Focus: Choose the vocabulary word the best fits each of the following sentences: 1. The exact cast of the movie remains tentative until it is known whether or not Tom Cruise is available. 2. Babe Ruth’s record number of home runs in a single baseball season was surpassed first by Roger Maris, then by Mark McGwire in 1998, and most recently by Barry Bonds in The Motor Vehicle Bureau now supplements its drivers manual with an attached publication on the new driving laws. 4. When my uncle helped me pay for college, he said I could compensate him by helping someone else pay for college when I can afford to.

Answering Open-Ended Questions

Common Questions  Should open-ended questions be answered first of last?  Answer these last. This will allow you to earn as many points as possible on the easier multiple choice questions.  How long should the response be?  No more than 1-2 paragraphs. These aren’t worth enough points to write pages and pages of answers.  How much information do I need to know from the text to answer these questions?  You will need a good deal of information to answer these questions. You need to know the main idea and specific details from the text.

The Open-Ended Question Example: 11. In the passage the speaker inspires the author with a discussion of “the Columbus Point.” –E–Explain what the speaker means by this phrase – both literally and figuratively. –H–How can the speaker’s idea help young people lead more positive, fulfilling lives The first question can be answered in a sentence or two, it is just asking you to identify and explain figurative text. The second question is going to make up the bulk of your arguments. It should be supported with details and examples from the text. The only way to get a “4” on open-ended questions is to answer all the questions being asked in detail.

The 3R Method for Answering Open-Ended Questions Step 1 – Respond – Answer the first questions in a complete sentence or two. Step 2 – Reinforce – Support your answer with two details from the text. Step 3 - Reach Beyond – Respond to the second question and reinforce your answer with appropriate details from the passage.

The First Sentence 1.Make it complete. - Assume that the your readers have not read the passage 2.Use the test’s words. - Rewrite the question as an answer in your first sentence. 3.Answer the question. - Remember you are not just introducing the question in this sentence, you are also answering it. 4.Take the low road. - Give your answer in the clearest and simplest terms possible. 5.Don’t get cute. - The first question just needs a clear and direct answer.

Extending Your Responses Analyzing - These questions will ask you to discuss literary elements, examine facts, state opinions, or judge actions. Predicting 1. Remember the main idea – your prediction must be in the “ball park” of the main idea. 2. Connect the dots – look at “cause/effect” chain of events. 3. Stay in the Ballpark – keep your answer reasonable. Concluding - You may be asked to come up with a conclusion based on the text. The rules for coming up with a conclusion are basically the same a predicting. Your answer must be logical and use reason. Connecting - These questions ask you to use your imagination and extend your knowledge of the text into a different situation or scenario. - The most important thing to remember is to use your imagination, but to also stay connected to the test.

Though it does not appear to do so at first, the story, “The Lottery”, follows a logical sequence of events to a rational conclusion. After reading the story, there is clear foreshadowing that hints at the tragic conclusion. One example of this is the tension that is evident in the beginning of the story. A lottery should be an enjoyable event, yet the residents of the town seem worried and nervous. The other example is the reaction that Mrs. Hutchinson has when her husband picks the black dot. Instead of being excited for him, she complains that it is not fair. In both cases the reader is given the impression that the lottery is not something one wants to win, but a punishment. This foreshadowing makes the ending reasonable and logical.

3/23 English II Agenda TSW utilize their knowledge of plot, imagery and characterization to create a work of short fiction. Focus: Complete Vocabulary Chapter 8 Quiz Activities: 1. Individuals: Work on short stories Closing: Independent reading time.