October 3, 2014

Currently, we are reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and should finish the novel by the end of next week.   We have been taking daily reading check quizzes throughout this unit.  Please check ParentConnect to see how your child is doing on these quizzes.

In terms of writing, the students need to write a 150 persuasive paragraph on who they feel suffers most in The Scarlet Letter.  This paragraph needs to be completed on the classroom blog page and is due Monday.

Next week, we will take another vocabulary Word of the Day quiz worth 40 points.  You can find a list of the words below.  Please help prepare your child for this quiz.

I also want to inform you about an extra-credit assignment your child can complete during our upcoming parent-teacher conferences.  Essentially, your child can "run" the meeting the night of conferences and explain to you what the goals of the class are, how he/she is progressing in the class, and how he/she can make improvements.  While this assignment is optional, it might be a good way for your child to raise his/her grade.  I will hand out a sheet to each student next week explaining the particulars.

Set #3

protract (v):  to lengthen or prolong

abridge (v):  to shorten or condense

copious (adj):  plentiful; abundant

profuse (adj):  flowing; extravagant

sycophant (n):  flatterer; one who sucks up to people in power

ascendant (adj):  superior; dominant

undaunted (adj):  fearless; courageous

supercilious (adj):  scornful superiority; haughty

circuitous (adj):  roundabout; indirect

diffident (adj):  shy; aloof; lacking self-confidence

September 4, 2014

Tomorrow, we will be taking our first vocabulary quiz of the year.  All of these bi-weekly vocabulary quizzes are worth 40 points.  I have included the list of words at the end of this blog so you can help your child study if you would like. 

Next week, we will be taking the Unit One exam.  Over the week-end, the students will complete a study guide for the test and we will continue to prepare for it on Monday.  The test is worth 80 points, so please encourage your child to study for it.

Later next week, we will begin reading the novel The Scarlet Letter.  Typically, your child will have approximately 15-20 pages of reading for homework per night.  Please make sure he/she is completing this work as we will have quizzes each morning to check if the students are reading.

Thank you for your time, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me at derickson@d220.org.

Set #1

plethora (n):  abundance; many; excess

munificent (adj):  generous

paucity (n):  scarcity

prolific (adj):  very productive

parsimony (n):  stinginess

narcissism (n):  love for oneself

alacrity (n):  cheerful eagerness

rancor (n):  bitter ill-will

predilection (n):  a natural preference

bane (n):  poison; torture

November 18-22

This week in American Literature we will be continuing our study of Romanticism.  We began last week by reading from the Fireside Poets and are now studying the Gothic and Anti-transcendentalist writers.  Today, the students used Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" to learn how to make evidence-based claims in preparation for writing a literary analysis essay.  

Later in the week the students will be working on a group project called the Gothic Story Chain that will test their knowledge on the elements of Gothic literature and help them practice narrative writing.

Also, on Thursday the students will have their Vocabulary #5 quiz.  I have included the words below if you would like to help your child study.

Have a great week!

Set #5

consonant (adj):  harmonious; in agreement

assimilate (v):  to take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly

reciprocate (v):  to repay or return in kind

cryptic (adj):  mystifying; mysterious; puzzling

bemused (adj):  confused; bewildered

conjecture (v):  to guess based on little evidence

ambiguous (adj):  unclear in meaning; able to be interpreted in different ways

abstruse (adj):  difficult to understand

flagrant (adj):  glaringly bad; notorious (refers to what you see or do)

salient (adj):  jutting out; striking; conspicuous

November 4-8

On Monday and Tuesday the students are viewing their documentaries and handing in their accompanying essays.  The students have been working in small groups for the last month on this culminating project to The Scarlet Letter, and I am really looking forward to viewing their work. 

Last week the students viewed a PowerPoint presentation on American Romanticism and learned a new method for note taking.  Today they were assigned to read Washington Irving's short story "The Devil and Tom Walker."  They will take a quiz on the story on Wednesday. 

There will be school-wide testing on Thursday and we will pick up with Romantic literature on Friday with a close read of the poem "Thanatopsis."

Have a great week!

Don Erickson

October 28-November 1

Get ready for a week of testing in American Literature!

We are finishing up Unit 2: Revolutionary Literature this week and the students will be reviewing for the exam on Tuesday and taking the exam on Wednesday. 

On Thursday, the students will be quizzed on set #4 of their vocabulary lists.  I have included that list below.

Also, I wanted to inform you that I exdended the due date of the students' documentary film/paper to Monday, November 4.  Hopefully, your child is working diligently on this very important project.

Have a great week!

Don Erickson

Set #4

autonomous (adj):  independent; self-governing

celibacy (n):  abstinence from sex; pure

ascetic (adj):  monk-like; practicing self-denial

reclusive (adj):  withdrawn from society

sequester (v):  to set or keep apart

polarize (v):  to break into opposing factions or groups

chasm (n):  a deep, gaping hole; a gorge

complacent (adj):  self-satisfied; overly contented with oneself

collusion (n):  conspiracy; secret cooperation

complement (n):  to complete; to be the perfect counterpart

October 21-25, 2013

Today, the students will be taking their American Literature mid-term exam in class.  The grades should be posted on ParentConnect by Wednesday. 

The students' group projects for The Scarlet Letter, a documentary film and short research paper, are due on Monday, October 28.  Hopefully, your child has almost completed this assignment and will be putting on the finishing touches throughout this week.

We will be continuing our study of Revolutionary literature and will take the unit exam next week.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me at derickson@d220.org.



Have a great week,

Don Erickson

October 7, 2013

For the next few weeks, we will be utilizing the videos from learnzillion.com to help develop close reading and writing skills.  Your son/daughter signed up to the site today and he/she will be viewing videos for homework a few times per week.  Please encourage your child to do so. 

Last week we completed the novel The Scarlet Letter and the students will begin their final project/paper on the book.  This week we will also begin Unit 2: The Age of Reason.  The students will be studying literature from the Revolutionary Period.

On Thursday we will be taking the vocabulary set #3 quiz.  The words they will be tested on are listed below.  Please help your child study for this important quiz!

Set #3

protract (v):  to lengthen or prolong

abridge (v):  to shorten or condense

copious (adj):  plentiful; abundant

profuse (adj):  flowing; extravagant

sycophant (n):  flatterer; one who sucks up to people in power

ascendant (adj):  superior; dominant

undaunted (adj):  fearless; courageous

supercilious (adj):  scornful superiority; haughty

circuitous (adj):  roundabout; indirect

diffident (adj):  shy; aloof; lacking self-confidence