Grades are submitted. We are finished with the horror genre.

All Sections
On Tuesday, we will start our next unit on slavery and the Civil War.  My goal for today is to organize the resources students will need for their oral presentation due February 8th. 

Section 1
I entered your score for the oral reading.  The highest score a student received from the class was a 95%, so I averaged what the class gave you and added five points. Hopefully you can see the third marking period grades.  If not, the score will be there Tuesday.

I totaled up the points for the two readings. Group 2 won with 5606 points with Group 1 scoring 5550 points.

See yesterday's blog entry to view the recordings.

Sections 2 and 3
There are some 3rd marking period grades on HAC.  I assume you can see them.  If not, they will be there Tuesday.

Section 1 Recordings: The Outsider

Because we had extra time in section 1, we studied the short story The Outsider by H.P. Lovecraft.  It is a strange story whose message is unclear throughout.  After the students mapped the basic story, I assigned students sections of the story.  They were to become experts on their section by drawing a picture and reading their section aloud to us.  Below are the recordings we made.  Enjoy!

Group 1 Recording of The Outsider

Group 2 Recording of The Outsider

Tying up the loose ends

Section 1:
Be sure to complete unit 7 in vocab.
Maybe we will have the unit 7 quiz tomorrow?
We will wrap up reading aloud tomorrow and listen to the recordings Thursday.
Quizlet?

Sections 2 and 3:
We are finishing up the horror unit by doing some packets on The Tell-Tale Heart.  These will be the first grades of the second marking period.
We will watch three versions of Tell-Tale Heart soon.

All Classes: 
We will start a new performance task/unit Tuesday. I have the unit lined up.
You will be happy: IT'S NOT AN ESSAY!

The grades are pretty much done.  I just have a little homework for section 1 and unit 7 quiz.
I also need to look over a few essays that students made corrections on.

Section 1: Be ready to read Tuesday.

Well, today did not quite go as planned with the readings.  Tomorrow, please be ready to read.  The focus will be on reading smoothly, clearly, with no mistakes.  NONE! You have had plenty of time to do well with your section. Your reading should also convey some of the emotions in the story.

Homework: Completing the Sentence Unit 7

FYI on the benchmark scores on HAC

I wanted to explain the grades on HAC that deal with the district benchmark test.  The district has scheduled two common assessments this year for 8^th Grade ELA.  These tests are slightly modified versions of the collection (unit) tests that come with the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections book we are using.  The tests are designed to assess the students’ acquisition of the skills taught during a collection (unit). 

The students were to read three texts and answer questions.  The test is comprised of 36 multiple choice questions and two written questions.  I took the test and was surprised when I earned a 76% on the multiple choice part.  (I would have done very well on the written questions.)  My point in telling you my score is to let you know that the questions were hard.  I know I am not perfect.  I accept that.  But these questions were seriously hard.

The written questions were scored either a 2, 1, or 0 (100%, 75%, 50% on HAC). 

The multiple choice score I put on HAC was taken from only the questions on the information I was able to teach the students before the required window when we had to give the test.  (The district will see all the scores.)

I hope this blog entry helps you understand what the scores mean on HAC.  I made the scores very small formatives because these tests are designed to give us feedback on students’ progress. 

If you have further questions, please contact me through e-mail.

-MrBoZ

Section 1 Important Information

Section 1: There is some good information below.  If you would like to hear how to read an H.P. Lovecraft text, check out this page!

Learning Objectives:  We have studied the required pieces of literature, so we have time for a challenge piece!  The objective for this piece is to challenge the students to visualize the horror the narrator in H.P. Lovecraft's The Outsider. Monday 1/11- We will record the class reading of "The Outsider."  Details can be found here. Whole Group Lesson Small Group work and/or Lesson Concept clarification. Assessment/Important Upcoming dates SRI Testing Friday: 1/8 End of Marking Period: 1/14

January 6, 2016 Today’s Agenda 1. Warm-up:     Check Drawing    Capitalization #12. Enter Vocabulary in responders 3. Review Unit 7 words 4. Watch 15 minutes of this documentary on H.P Lovecraft.(If you would like to explore more of H.P. Lovecraft's work, check out this page!) 5. Work time Vocabulary Vocab Homework Schedule: Monday 1/4 - Pictionaries Unit 7 Tuesday 1/5 - Choosing the Right Word Unit 7 Wednesday 1/6 Synonyms and Antonyms Unit 7 Thursday 1/7 Be sure to have finished one Quizlet for Unit 7 Monday 1/11 Completing the Sentence Unit 7 Tuesday 1/12 Finish the Unit Wednesday 1/13 Be sure to have finished a second Quizlet for Unit 7 Thursday 1/14 QUIZ UNIT 7 Homework Monday 1/11- We will record the class reading of "The Outsider."  Details can be found here.

Section 1 Assignments for the next two weeks

(I am still planning for sections 2 and 3.)

Section 1

You are to make a map for the short story "The Outsider" on page 21 of your Close Reader.

This is the link for your assigned sections of "The Outsider."
    My goal for this week is to have the students figure out the short story on their own. 

    We will start filming on Monday, January 11

Vocab Homework Schedule:

Monday 1/4 - Pictionaries Unit 7

Tuesday 1/5 - Choosing the Right Word Unit 7

Wednesday 1/6 Synonyms and Antonyms Unit 7

Thursday 1/7 Be sure to have finished one Quizlet for Unit 7

Monday 1/11 Completing the Sentence Unit 7

Tuesday 1/12 Finish the Unit

Wednesday 1/13 Be sure to have finished a second Quizlet for Unit 7

Thursday 1/14 QUIZ UNIT 7

Section 1 Horror Genre essays are graded. The grades are in HAC.

I guess I procrastinated too much!  It took me five hours to finish this class today.  I will try to get to the other sections as soon as possible.

See you tomorrow! 

Only two weeks left in the marking period!  

-MrBoZ

Here is one of many amazing essays:

One of the main ways the horror genre appeals to people is by its use of suspense and tension. According to “What is the Horror Genre?” while many other genres can utilize suspense, in horror, the suspense is intensified by our knowledge of what usually occurs in the genre. “The Monkey’s Paw” is a horror story that uses tension and suspense in both its original book form and in a video adaptation. However, I think the video does a better job of creating suspense and tension than the written version.

Firstly, the movie uses plot that is not in the original written story to add extra tension and suspense. One way this is done is in the very beginning of the story, in which, instead of beginning in the un-suspenseful location of the Whites’ cottage, it starts with Morris receiving the paw from the Fakir in India. The reader does not know what the paw can do, or what is happening, and this creates tension as things that are unknown create tension very well. The movie also adds a flashback of the death of the paw’s first owner in India, rather than simply having Morris describe it like in the original. Again, this allows the video to create more suspense than the book, since his death conveys a sense of the paw being dangerous and deadly to its owners, and the viewer might find himself wondering if this will happen to one of the other characters.

Additionally, the video adds another layer of tension through the use of music and sound, which the book form is unable to do. One way that it does this is by assigning different events musical themes. For example, whenever someone has just died, or death is about to occur, bells are heard. A violin plays when the monkey’s paw is shown, or during the effects of its wishes. These themes create suspense by clueing in the listener on what is going to happen next, such as the violin playing when the factory servant walks up to the house, indicating that what will happen is an effect of a wish. Sounds are deployed to create suspense as well. One sound that is used is that of a dog howling, which is heard several times throughout the video. Since dogs are known to be able to sense danger before humans can, this creates tension by letting the viewer know that something dangerous is about to occur. Moreover, the dog howl and other realistic sound effects make the world of the story more believable. Also, the movie-makers convey tension through the use of dialogue. One example of this is when Morris says that he wished for “things that cannot be undone”, creating suspense by foreshadowing that the Whites will later want their wishes to be undone. Finally, more tension is created by the characters’ tone of voice. One instance of this is when the Whites are seeking information about the monkey’s paw. In the original, the suspense was mainly created by the reader knowing that the Whites shouldn’t be asking Morris for the paw. The movie uses this as well, and adds extra tension by the contrast between Morris’s harsh voice tone when he tells them not to use the paw and to throw it onto the fire, and Mr. White’s inquiring voice tone when he asks to keep it.

Another way the video creates more suspense is through visual effects, which the written version is also unable to use. A visual effect used throughout the film is a shaky camera. This creates a sense of fear, as it seems like the camera-man is afraid of what is happening. Close-ups are also utilized in the movie. The way they convey tension by making the viewer feel more close and connected to the events. Finally, recurring visual themes are seen. For example, when Morris enters the Whites’ house, he walks through a wall of smoke. Later, when he leaves the house, he comes back out through that same wall of smoke, and the scenes look very similar. Another visual theme is dark clouds, which are seen throughout the video. They appear when Morris is traveling on the train, when Herbert is being buried, when Herbert is brought back to life, and when Mrs. White opens the door to find that Herbert is not there. Both of these visual techniques add suspense because, like in the musical themes, the listener can use them to infer what will happen next. The movie also uses the setting to create suspense better than the book does. The book’s main setting description is in the very beginning, where Mr, White complains about how “Pathway’s a bog, and road’s a torrent”. The movie allows the viewer to actually see the setting, creating more suspense, and it adds details such as lightning, smoke, and hail.

In conclusion, while both the original book version and the video adaptation of “The Monkey’s Paw” make good use of tension and suspense, the movie version uses several techniques that the written version does not use in order to do a better job of this, and therefore it is a better example of the horror genre.