portfolio

1. Cover sheet

            Table of Contents

            Student's Preface

            Passport            

            Class Expectations

2. Journal

3. Spelling Tests 

4. Homeworks

5. Quizzes and Seatworks

6. Class notes

7. Handouts - Texts and other documents

           (writing, grammar, narrative elements)        

8. Miscellaneous

              Self-evaluation sheet

              Peer evaluation sheet

*All entries in the Portfolio must be dated and labeled

self-assessment device

1. What does a person have to do to be a good reader?
2. Who is my favorite author? Why do I like to read books or stories written by him or her?
3. What are the two best things I have read this grading period? Why did I like them?
4. What are the the easiest and the hardest things about reading for me?
5. What kinds of books and stories would I like to read in the future?
6. What does a person have to do to be a good writer?
7. What kinds of writing do I like to do the most?
8. What kinds of writing would I like to do in the future?
9. What are the easiest and the hardest things for me about writing?
10. What do I need to work on the hardest to improve my writing?

it's all about poetry

Poetry

Allegory - narrative form in which the characters are representative of some larger humanistic trait (i.e. greed, vanity, or bravery) and attempt to convey some larger lesson or meaning to life. Although allegory was originally and traditionally character based, modern allegories tend to parallel story and theme.

• William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily- the decline of the Old South
• Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- man’s struggle to contain his inner primal instincts
• District 9- South African Apartheid
• X Men- the evils of prejudice
• Harry Potter- the dangers of seeking “racial purity”

Connotation - implied meaning of word. BEWARE! Connotations can change over time.

• confidence /arrogance
• mouse/ rat
• cautious/ scared
• curious/nosey
• frugal/ cheap

Denotation - dictionary definition of a word

Diction - word choice that both conveys and emphasizes the meaning or theme of a poem through distinctions in sound, look, rhythm, syllable, letters, and definition  

Figurative language - the use of words to express meaning beyond the literal meaning of the words themselves

• Metaphor - contrasting to seemingly unalike things to enhance the meaning of a situation or theme without using like or as  
• You are the sunshine of my life.
• Simile - contrasting to seemingly unalike things to enhance the meaning of a situation or theme using like or as  
• What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun
• Hyperbole - exaggeration
• I have a million things to so today.
• Personification - giving non-human objects human characteristics    
• America has thrown her hat into the ring, and will be joining forces with the British.              

Imagery - the author’s attempt to create a mental picture (or reference point) in the mind of the reader. Remember, though the most immediate forms of imagery are visual, strong and effective imagery can be used to invoke an emotional, sensational (taste, touch, smell etc) or even physical response.

Rhythm - often thought of as a poem’s timing. Rhythm is the juxtaposition of stressed and unstressed beats in a poem. Rhythm is often used to give the reader a lens through which to move through the work.

Meter - measure or structuring of rhythm in a poem

Foot - grouping of stressed and unstressed syllables used in line or poem          

• Iamb - unstressed syllable followed by stressed
• Made famous by the Shakespearian sonnet, closest to the natural rhythm of human speech
• How do I love thee? Let me count the ways
• Spondee - stressed stressed
• Used to add emphasis and break up monotonous rhythm
• Blood boil, mind-meld, well- loved
• Trochee - stressed unstressed
• Often used in children’s rhymes and to help with memorization, gives poem a hurried feeling
• While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
• Anapest - unstressed unstressed stressed
• Often used in longer poems or “rhymed stories”
• Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house

• Dactyls - stressed unstressed unstressed
• Often used in classical Greek or Latin text, later revived by the Romantics, then again by the Beatles, often thought to create a heartbeat or pulse in a poem
• Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
  With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
The iamb stumbles through my books; trochees rush and tumble; while anapest runs like a hurrying brook; dactyls are stately and classical.

Structure - The pattern of organization of a poem. For example, a Shakespearean sonnet is a 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter. Because the sonnet is strictly constrained, it is considered a closed or fixed form. An open or free form poem has looser form, or perhaps one of the author’s invention, but it is important to remember that these poems  are not necessarily formless.

Symbolism - when an object is meant to be representative of something or an idea greater than the object itself.

• Cross - representative of Christ or Christianity
• Bald Eagle - America or Patriotism
• Owl - wisdom or knowledge
• Yellow - implies cowardice or rot

Speaker - the person delivering the poem. Remember, a poem does not have to have a speaker, and the speaker and the poet are not necessarily one in the same.

Tone - the implied attitude towards the subject of the poem. Is it hopeful, pessimistic, dreary, worried? A poet conveys tone by combining all of the elements listed above to create a precise impression on the reader.

using elements of literature

Novel, Short Story, or Play

Themes - often explore ideas that are both cross-cultural and deeply rooted in the human condition

Character - representation of a person, place, or thing performing traditionally human activities or functions in a work of fiction

• Protagonist - The character the story revolves around.
• Antagonist - A character or force that opposes the protagonist.
• Minor character - Often provides support and illuminates the protagonist.
• Static character - A character that remains the same.
• Dynamic character - A character that changes in some important way.
• Characterization - The choices an author makes to reveal a character’s personality, such as appearance, actions, dialogue, and motivations.  

Look for: Connections, links, and clues between and about characters. Ask yourself what the function and significance of each character is. Make this determination based upon the character's history, what the reader is told (and not told), and what other characters say about themselves and others.

Point of View - pertains to who tells the story and how it is told. The point of view of a story can sometimes indirectly establish the author's intentions.

• Narrator - The person telling the story who may or may not be a character in the story.
• First-person - Narrator participates in action but sometimes has limited knowledge/vision.
• Second person - Narrator addresses the reader directly as though she is part of the story. (i.e. “You walk into your bedroom.  You see clutter everywhere and…”)
• Third Person (Objective) - Narrator is unnamed/unidentified (a detached observer). Does not assume character's perspective and is not a character in the story. The narrator reports on events and lets the reader supply the meaning.
• Omniscient - All-knowing narrator (multiple perspectives). The narrator knows what each character is thinking and feeling, not just what they are doing throughout the story.  This type of narrator usually jumps around within the text, following one character for a few pages or chapters, and then switching to another character for a few pages, chapters, etc. Omniscient narrators also sometimes step out of a particular character’s mind to evaluate him or her in some meaningful way.

Plot - the arrangement of ideas and/or incidents that make up a story

• Foreshadowing - When the writer clues the reader in to something that will eventually occur in the story; it may be explicit (obvious) or implied (disguised).
• Suspense - The tension that the author uses to create a feeling of discomfort about the unknown
• Conflict - Struggle between opposing forces.
• Exposition - Background information regarding the setting, characters, plot.
• Rising Action - The process the story follows as it builds to its main conflict
• Crisis - A significant turning point in the story that determines how it must end
• Resolution/Denouement - The way the story turns out.

Setting - the place or location of the action.  The setting provides the historical and cultural context for characters. It often can symbolize the emotional state of characters.

Structure - The way that the writer arranges the plot of a story.

prepositional phrases

Prepositional Phrases Used as Adjectives and Adverbs

A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun is functioning as an adjective

phrase. Remember that adjectives tell what kind, how many, or which one.

A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb is functioning

as an adverb phrase. Remember that adverbs tell how, when, where, how often,and to what extent.

Examples:

          The whale with the unusual markings is our favorite.

          (adjective phrase; tells which whale)

The whales in the water park show performed with ease.

          (adverb phrase; tells how)

Underline the adjective phrase in each sentence. Write the word it modifies.

1. Horseshoe crabs resemble hard hats with long tails.

2. They are close relatives of spiders.

3. The mouth of the horseshoe crab is well hidden.

4. It is an opening underneath the crab’s body.

Underline the adverb phrase in each sentence. Write the word(s) it modifies.

5. Whales are the largest mammals that live on the Earth.

                       6. Whales behave with great intelligence.

                       7. A whale must breathe air through its lungs.

                       8. Whales can dive for long periods.

Underline each prepositional phrase. Then, circle ADJ for adjective phrases or

ADV for adverb phrases.

9. One rock sample from the moon is 4,720 million years old. ADJ ADV

10. The rock was collected by the Apollo space mission. ADJ ADV

11. The daytime temperature on the lunar equator is 243°F. ADJ ADV

12. A black hole is formed by a star’s complete collapse. ADJ ADV

13. About 150 meteorites from space pound the Earth each year.

           ADJ ADV

14. An Alaskan, Mrs. E. H. Hodges, is the only person hurt by a falling meteorite. ADJ ADV

Bottom of Form

prepositions

Prepositions – Time

English	Usage	Example
·        on	§  days of the week	§  on Monday
·        in	§  months / seasons §  time of day §  year §  after a certain period of time (when?)	§  in August / in winter §  in the morning §  in 2006 §  in an hour
·        at	§  for night §  for weekend §  a certain point of time (when?)	§  at night §  at the weekend §  at half past nine
·        since	§  from a certain point of time (past till now)	§  since 1980
·        for	§  over a certain period of time (past till now)	§  for 2 years
·        ago	§  a certain time in the past	§  2 years ago
·        before	§  earlier than a certain point of time	§  before 2004
·        to	§  telling the time	§  ten to six (5:50)
·        past	§  telling the time	§  ten past six (6:10)
·        to / till / until	§  marking the beginning and end of a period of time	§  from Monday to/till Friday
·        till / until	§  in the sense of how long something is going to last	§  He is on holiday until Friday.
·        by	§  in the sense of at the latest §  up to a certain time	§  I will be back by 6 o’clock. §  By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)

English	Usage	Example
·        in	§  room, building, street, town, country §  book, paper etc. §  car, taxi §  picture, world	§  in the kitchen, in London §  in the book §  in the car, in a taxi §  in the picture, in the world
·        at	§  meaning next to, by an object §  for table §  for events §  place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)	§  at the door, at the station §  at the table §  at a concert, at the party §  at the cinema, at school, at work
·        on	§  attached §  for a place with a river §  being on a surface §  for a certain side (left, right) §  for a floor in a house §  for public transport §  for television, radio	§  the picture on the wall §  London lies on the Thames. §  on the table §  on the left §  on the first floor §  on the bus, on a plane §  on TV, on the radio
·        by, next to, beside	§  left or right of somebody or something	§  Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
·        under	§  on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else	§  the bag is under the table
·        below	§  lower than something else but above ground	§  the fish are below the surface
·        over	§  covered by something else §  meaning more than §  getting to the other side (also across) §  overcoming an obstacle	§  put a jacket over your shirt §  over 16 years of age §  walk over the bridge §  climb over the wall
·        above	§  higher than something else, but not directly over it	§  a path above the lake
·        across	§  getting to the other side (also over) §  getting to the other side	§  walk across the bridge §  swim across the lake
·        through	§  something with limits on top, bottom and the sides	§  drive through the tunnel
·        to	§  movement to person or building §  movement to a place or country §  for bed	§  go to the cinema §  go to London / Ireland §  go to bed
·        into	§  enter a room / a building	§  go into the kitchen / the house
·        towards	§  movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)	§  go 5 steps towards the house
·        onto	§  movement to the top of something	§  jump onto the table
·        from	§  in the sense of where from	§  a flower from the garden

Other important Prepositions

English	Usage	Example
·        from	§  who gave it	§  a present from Jane
·        of	§  who/what does it belong to §  what does it show	§  a page of the book §  the picture of a palace
·        by	§  who made it	§  a book by Mark Twain
·        on	§  walking or riding on horseback §  entering a public transport vehicle	§  on foot, on horseback §  get on the bus
·        in	§  entering a car  / Taxi	§  get in the car
·        off	§  leaving a public transport vehicle	§  get off the train
·        out of	§  leaving a car  / Taxi	§  get out of the taxi
·        by	§  rise or fall of something §  travelling (other than walking or horseriding)	§  prices have risen by 10 percent §  by car, by bus
·        at	§  for age	§  she learned Russian at 45
·        about	§  for topics, meaning what about	§  we were talking about you