For Feb. 18 class

Class,

Reminder that for our next class on Feb. 18, we are going on the field trip to Stanford. We meet at the Friends Church at 9 a.m., and not 9:30. See the note from the previous post for all the details. Mrs. Diehl and I will be driving.

Journals are due at the beginning of class, Feb. 18. Write 1 page about any ol' thing you want to write about.

Writing assignment

The current short story essay (fiction) assignment has two parts. The final, 3-4 page essay is due Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. I am finishing up the prompt, which I will send out as an e-mail and put up on the blog later. I will send an e-mail later that includes the 4-page handout from class; it will be in a PDF file, so make sure you scroll down and see all four pages. Disregard the last half page on the lyric poem.

The part that is due on Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. is your prewrite, filling out the following information. Describe the main characters, setting, plot, conflict, narrator, if any, themes, climax and resolution. The details do not have to perfectly match your essay, and some of the above will change as you write and rewrite. The idea is to spend the first week thinking about your short story and writing down notes. If you have questions, email me or call me.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is changing slightly. This week, there will be 15 definitions you will need to turn in by Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. In addition, you will choose 10 of the words and write sentences. You may change the form of the word; e.g., use it in past tense, but you must use the definition you include for the word.

Here are this week's words:

camaraderie

candid

deteriorate

dilemma

frugal

jargon

jeopardize

mandatory

mundane

negligence

oblivious

paradox

quandary

ramble

scrutinize

That's it. Write often, write thoughtfully, write well.

Mr. Mead