Assignments for November 17, 2026

 Just a reminder: we will have classes next week but not the following week, November 24, due to Thanksgiving. 

Some of you enjoyed the snack truck today. I did not make it out there to see what was offering. Check with Madison Rutherford to find out their schedule. 

Spirit Day: no more until December

Journal: Imagine you came over on the Mayflower. You and your family are planning the first harvest meal (meal of thanksgiving). You're remembering the previous year and all its trials and losses. What are your thoughts about the coming winter?  5 + sentences.

Fix-it: Week 11

Upper Elementary/People, Places: 

We're getting confused! I took up Lesson 8 "The Bank" today. I checked drafts of "The Bus." Several forgot to bring "The Bank" today. 

We started a new unit--the story sequence chart. We are pulling apart a story by asking questions. Each paragraph has a different purpose and different questions. Focus less on the original story and more on asking the questions for each part. We worked on Part I today for Lesson 10. Lesson 11 will include paragraphs II and III. Part I focuses on the setting and characters. We describe the characters and setting. We may give a little background information. That's all that goes into the first paragraph. 

For homework: Lesson 9 "The Bus"--final draft, checklist page 71. Lesson 10, part I, "Emergency Room"--write the rough draft of paragraph/part I. Study page 80. Do page 81. You will need one -ly adverb, one who/which clause, and one vocabulary word in this and in each paragraph. 

Upper Elementary/Investigations: I checked drafts of Lessons 7 or 8. For some reason this lesson is proving more difficult than it should be. We did not get to Lesson 9, which is a new unit. Do remember that we are writing three paragraphs and each paragraph needs dress ups. Your checklist with Lesson 8 has the dress ups that are needed. 

For homework: Lesson 7 or 8 final draft, using the checklist on page 73. It would be helpful if you pre-read lesson 9 "Vivaldi." 

High School I:

Voyage of the Dawn Treader--read chapters 8 to 11.

Narnia: I took up Lesson 8 "Queen Mary." I checked drafts of Lesson 9 "Scales/Dragons." This lesson adds the #3 sentence opener. 

We started Lesson 10--a new unit. This one is writing from pictures. Think of it as a scene description rather than a story. Yes, there may be an overarching story of a sort, but we are describing three scenes with three separate times and maybe even three separate places. The textbook has a suggested outline and scene description for the first picture. We worked on the second picture in class. I mentioned the possible central fact--first sentence/scene description for the third picture. Do note that this lesson has the #4 sentence opener in it.

For homework: Lesson 9 "Scales/Dragons"--final draft, using the checklist on page 77. Save this assignment on your computer for a future lesson.

Lesson 10: rough draft of scene II. (You may change the KWO from what I gave out in class.) Try to write the KWO for scene III--no rough draft needed. We will move on to the next lesson and its scenes next week. 

High School II:

Fallacy Detective: Exercise for Lesson 16, pages 96-99.

Lord of the Flies: Read over the instructions for the literary analysis essay. Be thinking about the topics you will write on.

Windows to the World: Exercise 7, one paragraph essay on fate versus chance in "The Necklace." 

Data Centers: we did not get to these articles. 

Assignments for November 10, 2026

 Hope you all had a safe and fruitful Halloween. We had no trick-or-treaters. The dog says

thank you. 

Spirit Day: In honor of Veteran's Day (November 11), wear a military or patriotic outfit.

Journal: Also in honor of Veteran's Day, 1)Tell about a veteran in your life OR 2) write a thank you note to a veteran (real or imagined). (Next time you are downtown Aiken, notice the banners that honor local veterans.)

Fix-it: Week 10

Upper Elementary/People, Places: I checked Lesson 8 "The Bank." We started Lesson 9 "The Bus." The Best Friend Express is a local "bus" service. Fees are very small. Routes can be found at bestfriendexpress.org. 

For homework: Lesson 8 "The Bank" final draft. Lesson 9 "The Bus" --finish the KWO and write a rough draft. Try page 73 and use the suggestions in your paper.

Middle School/Investigations: Lesson 8 "Theseus and the Minotaur." We discussed the "because" clause. These are dependent clauses that are added to a complete sentence. We also discussed the difference between "because" clauses and "because of" as a preposition. We have new banned words on the checklist. I checked any drafts of this lesson. Next time we will learn a new unit.

For homework: Lesson 7 or 8 need to be turned into a final draft using the checklist with lesson 8. Each paragraph needs dress ups. One alliteration needs to be somewhere. A new title needs to repeat words from the very last sentence. Polish your rough draft into a final draft. If you really need an extra week, you may use that; however, we will be adding new homework next week. Try not to get behind. 

High School I: "Voyage of the D. T." --read at least chapters 5-7. 

Narnia: Lesson 8 "Queen Mary"--We discussed Bibliography, sentence openers (p. 67), assonance (p. 70), and the checklist (p. 71). We also discussed in bare bones Lesson 9 "Scales." This lesson requires you to make decisions about what facts to pull out. You will need to pick a topic and pull those facts. Your topic sentence needs these key words: subject (dragons), topic (your choice), and a descriptive word (your choice). Be sure to only pull facts for the topic you choose. You will not use all the facts. Be selective!

For homework: Lesson 8 "Queen Mary" final draft. Checklist on page 71. I believe I combined the "because" clause with the www.asia requirement. I also gave you the option of assonance or alliteration.  Lesson 9 "Scales"--Read the source text. Choose one topic and pull notes for that. Write your KWO. Write a rough draft. Include your bibliography.

High School II: 

Fallacy Detective: lesson 15 exercises, pages 90-93.

Lord of the Flies: Chapter 12 plus end notes.

Windows: Read "The Necklace." Annotate!!--open book quiz. Start working on Exercise 6. 

Data Centers: read and annotate additional articles.

Assignments for November 3, 2026

 We are getting to longer, more difficult assignments. The Fix-it lessons are also getting more complicated. Make sure you understand the instructions before attempting a lesson. That means you should always re-read the instructions and the portions of the lesson covered in class before you start your homework. 

Journal: Column poem. See the handout instructions.

Fix-it: Week 9

Upper Elementary/People, Places:

I took up Lesson 7 "Recycling." We started Lesson 8 "The Bank." This lesson introduces the who/which clause dress up. You have already been identifying it in the Fix-it lessons; now you need to create your own. You should find a noun first in a sentence that you can tell more about. Who/which clauses are added to a sentence. They will not begin a sentence--that is either a fragment or a question. 

For homework: Lesson 8 "The Bank." Do p. 66. Find a noun to tell more about with a who/which clause. Finish the KWO. Write a rough draft. Optional: do the coin game on page 68. 

Middle School/Investigations: 

I took up Lesson 5/6 "Old Woman." Remember to underline and label your dress ups! I checked outlines for lesson 7. This lesson added in the strong verb dress up and added in banned verbs. We mapped the story arc for Lesson 8, "Theseus and the Minotaur." I started the KWO for you. 

For homework: Lesson 8 "Theseus and the Minotaur"--finish the KWO and do p. 70. Try to write a partial rough draft. (We will choose either lesson 7 or 8 to polish into a three-paragraph final draft.) Next time we will add the new dress up "because" clause. 

High School I: Voyage of the Dawn Treader--read chapters 1-4. If you have time, go ahead and read chapters 5-7. 

Narnia: I took up the final drafts of the narrative story assignment. I took up the drafts of Lesson 7--our first lesson in the summarizing a longer source lesson. We started Lesson 8, "RMS Queen Mary." It did not have time to read the source text in class; I did give you the topic sentence key words and started you on taking notes. Remember, you cannot use all the facts; you must choose which facts you believe support the topic sentence ideas. Next time we'll discuss the rest of the lesson. You are encouraged to pre-read the rest of the lesson.

Homework: Lesson 8 "RMS Queen Mary." Read the source text. Finish the KWO. Write a rough draft. Next week we will discuss pages 66-70--pre-read it.

High School II:

Fallacy Detective: do the exercises with lesson 14, pages 85-87.

Lord of the Flies: read chapter 11.

Windows to the World: Polish the final draft of Exercise 5, suspense essay. Four paragraphs with in-text citations. 

Data Centers: I added another article to your stash to preview. 

Assignments for October 27, 2026

 Hope you are enjoying these cooler temperatures. 

Spirit Day: Who are you? Wear a costume and have friends guess who you are.

Journal: Letter and envelope. Write a letter to a friend or older relative. Ask them questions. What are their favorite activities? What was their childhood like? Also address an envelope to this person. 

Fix-it: Week 8

Upper Elementary/People, Places: I took up Lesson 6 "Mail Carriers." Some of you had already started Lesson 7 on Recycling--that's fine. We reviewed it anyway. We reviewed creating a title. We also reviewed nouns. 

For homework: Lesson 7 "Recycling"--do page 59. Finish the KWO and write a rough draft. Try to add a new title. 

Middle School/Investigations: I checked or took up Lesson 5/6 "Old Woman." This assignment is different from previous ones. In addition to a new structure, we are also writing three paragraphs. Each paragraph needs each dress up. One alliteration is needed for the entire assignment. You will also need a new title. 

We started Lesson 7 which is also a narrative story. This one is on a character who ran a marathon before it was called a marathon. Again, remember we are not taking sentence-by-sentence notes; instead, we are asking questions.  Your KWO will not match the paragraphs in the source text. We are looking for a problem and then how the problem gets solved. I started the KWO in class. 

For homework: Lesson 5/6 "Old Woman" final draft. Lesson 7 "Ph. and the Battle of Marathon"--finish the KWO. Write at least a partial rough draft. You will choose to polish either lesson 7 or 8. Next time we will add strong verbs to our checklist for lesson 7. 

High School I: Prince Caspian--finish the book. Find Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Narnia: I checked any drafts of lesson 6. We started Lesson 7, a new unit which focuses on summarizing. We discussed adding a clincher--which repeats key words from the topic sentence. The new dress up is a www.asia clause (which is similar to the "because" clause). 

For homework: Polish your final draft for lesson 3, 4, 5, or 6. Use the checklist for lesson 6 regardless of which assignment you polish. Each paragraph will need all the dress ups and one alliteration. You also need to create a new title. 

Also--Lesson 7. Write a rough draft from the KWO I gave you. Add the clincher sentence. Extra credit if you polish it according to the checklist with lesson 7. 

High School II:

Fallacy Detective: We covered the answers to Lesson 12 questions. Lesson 13 is different. You need to read the story and perhaps go back to the story to answer the questions. So, read the lesson and answer those questions for homework. 

Lord of the Flies: Read chapter 10

Windows: I checked drafts of the body paragraphs of our essay for Exercise 5. We added the introductory and concluding paragraphs. Next time we will work on Chapter 6, Writer's Toolbox. 

For homework: Second draft of exercise 5, adding in the introductory and concluding paragraphs. Final draft due in two weeks. 

 

Assignments for October 20, 2026

 I hope you all had a pleasant week off. Now it's time to get back to work. 

Journal: Cowboys and cowgirls work with cows and horses. How many horse or cow breeds can you name? 

Fix-it: Week 7

Upper Elementary/ People, Places: I took up lesson 5 "Trains." I checked Lesson 6 drafts of "Mail Carriers." If you are confused, review the directions for changing the title in the lesson. This lesson needs one or both vocabulary words and an -ly adverb in addition to a new title. We did not get to lesson 7 as I had hoped. You are welcome to work on the recycling craft on page 60, though.  

For homework: Lesson 6 "Mail Carriers"--final draft. Optional--recycling craft on page 60. You do not have to do the one in the lesson. You may bring any craft made from recycled materials if you like. 

Middle School/Investigations in Writing: 

I checked Lesson 5, part 1 rough drafts. Lesson 6 is a continuation, focusing on the dress ups and new decoration--alliteration. Only one of those is required per assignment, not per paragraph. However, each paragraph will have dress ups. Please use the practice pages in the lesson to help you with creating and placing those. 

For homework: Lesson 5/6 "Old Woman"--second or final draft, three paragraphs with dress ups in each paragraph, one alliteration, and a new title. Next time I hope to start Lesson 7, so please pre-read the source on page 58. 

High School I: 

Prince Caspian: read chapters 14-15.

Narnia: I checked rough drafts for Lesson 5. I gave out sample KWOs for Lesson 6. This lesson involves an alternate ending. You may use the one I gave you--matching the lesson story--or change it to something else. Try to add in character descriptions--see the first page of the lesson for hints. The final checklist will be with lesson 6 regardless of which lesson you choose to polish for a final draft. Note the new banned words on the checklist and all the dress ups plus the alliteration decoration. 

For homework: Lesson 6 very rough draft. Choose one lesson from the story sequence chart lessons to be your final draft. Start polishing it using Lesson 6 checklist. A second rough draft is due next week; final draft due in two weeks. However, you are welcome to turn it in next week. We may start lesson 7 next week. 

High School II: homework

Lord of Flies: chapter 9

Fallacy Detective: Lesson 12 exercises, pages 71-73

Windows to the World: We discussed the parts of the lesson regarding present tense, topic sentence, plot summary, quotation blending, and commentary. Please review the sample paragraph on page 54 in the lesson. Also review the thesis statement template on pages 50-51. 

For homework: Exercise 5, write your graphic organizer into sentences to create two body paragraphs. Be sure to have quotations, in-text citations, and commentary. Next time we'll tackle the introductory and concluding paragraphs. 

Assignments for October 13, 2026

 Just a reminder: we're trying something new at the co-op--a Fall Break. So, no co-op classes next week, October 6. 

Spirit Day (Oct 13): Cowboy/cowgirl. Wear your Western gear. 

Journal: "What Is?" poem. This type of poem begins with the phrase "what is." Finish out the question. It could be happiness, a grandfather, school, grief, friendship, fun, etc. Write a poem of at least 6 lines explaining what that term means. Rhyming is optional. Here's a sample: 

What is happiness?

Happiness is a warm summer day,

An ice cream cone along the way.

It's a sprinkler to run through,

A dip in the pool,

A good friend to share them with--

That's really cool. 

Fix-it: Week 6

Upper Elementary/People and Places: I took up Lesson 4 "Pilots." Lesson 5 "Trains"--I checked rough drafts. I was looking to see if papers had a vocabulary word and an -ly adverb. We started Lesson 6 "Sending Things." We started the KWO on pages 50-51. We discussed the new requirement of new title (see p. 52). Page 53 has practice for the -ly adverb. Page 54 discusses an activity of addressing an envelope to later mail a copy of one of your papers. 

For homework: Lesson 5 "Trains." Final draft due with one -ly adverb (underlined) and one or both vocabulary words (also underlined). Lesson 6 "Mail Carriers." Finish the KWO, write a rough draft, review the title rule, and review the -ly adverb. 

Middle School/Investigations: I took up final drafts of Lesson 3 "Dead Sea." Lesson 4 we are not doing, but we did cover the new title requirement instructions and the who/which clause (a new dress up). 

Lessons 5 and 6 cover one assignment and a new unit--the Story Sequence Chart. We are pulling apart a story by asking questions. We worked on the KWO in class. (Contact me if you need copies of the KWO.)

For homework: Lesson 5 part 1--using the KWO we discussed in class, write three paragraphs. These do not need to be polished as yet. Lesson 6 will add to the paragraphs. Next time I will check drafts, we'll add dress ups, add the new element of alliteration, and create a new title. 

High School I

Prince Caspian: read chapters 12-13.

Narnia: Lesson 4 "Prunes, Prisms"--I took up rough drafts. 

Lesson 5 "Fix Your Eyes." We read page 39 and charted the story on page 42. We started the KWO. Pages 43-46 discuss the new dress up and banned words--quality adjective. 

For homework: Lesson 5 "Fix Your Eyes." Finish the KWO. Write a rough draft. Review the quality adjective discussion on pages 43-45. (We will be using the checklist with lesson 6 for any final draft you choose to write from the four lessons.)

High School II:
Fallacy Detective: work on Lesson 11 exercises pages 66-68,

Windows: We reviewed plot analysis. Lesson 5 covers the instructions and format for the first literary analysis essay. Please review the structure. I handed out sample suggestions for techniques and quotations. I gave out copies of the graphic organizer for the two paragraphs you will write. We talked about building the thesis.

For homework: Exercise 5 p. 64--instructions for the assignment. Fill in the blanks for the graphic organizer for the body paragraphs. Review pages 47-54.

Lord of the Flies: Read chapter 8. 

We did not add to the data center discussion today. 

Assignments for September 29, 2026

 Fall has supposedly arrived. The daylight hours are certainly getting shorter. 

Spirit Day: next time dress as your favorite superhero or wear a superhero T-shirt. 

Journal: What superpower would you like to have? How would you use it? Would you keep it secret? Try to write at least five sentences. 

Fix-it: Week 5

Upper Elementary/People, Places: 

I checked drafts of Lesson 4 "Pilots." Be sure you are getting your format correct--double space, lesson number on the upper left-hand corner, title centered, spelling errors fixed.

We started Lesson 5 "Going by Train." We started the KWO in class. We have a dress up--our first: the -ly adverb. From here on out you will need to add at least one -ly adverb per paragraph/assignment in addition to using the lesson vocabulary words. I gave out a Writer's Toolbox that contains a list of -ly adverbs. Your textbook also contains a list. If you like trains, you can cut out and put together your own train from page 223 in the book. 

For homework: Lesson 4 "Pilots"--polish your draft. Use the checklist at the bottom of the KWO. Turn this in next week. Lesson 5 "Trains"--finish the KWO. Write a rough draft. Final draft will be due in two weeks and will need one -ly adverb and one or both vocabulary words. 

Middle School/Investigations: Lesson 3 "Dead Sea." I checked rough drafts. I noted a lot of capitalization errors--check your source text to see what words are capitalized. Your checklist for the lesson is on page 33. We will not be doing a paragraph from Lesson 4; however, it does add some important concepts. This lesson contains instructions on adding the who/which clause (p. 39) and changing the title (p. 38). 

Our next lesson will be a different structural model. We will be asking questions rather than taking sentence-by-sentence notes. 

For homework: Lesson"--final draft due with one -ly adverb labeled and one or both vocabulary words (also labeled). Lesson 4--do pages 38, 39, and 40 to learn the new concepts. Please pre-read the source text for lesson 5 on page 46. 

High School I: Prince Caspian--read chapters 9-11. 

Narnia: We reviewed two new requirements--p. 27 new title and p. 27 strong verb/banned verbs. Check your checklist with each lesson because the banned word list randomly grows. (Banned words are boring words. They do not relay vivid information.) 

Lesson 4 "Prunes, Prisms" on Charles Dickens. We discussed the instructions on p. 31. We started the KWO on p. 34. Be sure you are asking questions to fill in the blank lines. We are adding two new final draft requirements: the "because" clause (p. 36) and alliteration (p. 36). One is a dress up and the other is a decoration, so they appear in different places on the checklist. 

For homework: Lesson 4 "Prunes, Prisms"--fill out p. 35. Finish the KWO. Optional--3 paragraph rough draft. Remember we are doing several rough drafts and will later pick one to polish into a final draft. Please also read the source text for Lesson 5. 

High School II: 

Fallacy Detective: For lesson 10 "Faulty Appeal to Authority"--do the exercises pages 60-63. 

Lord of the Flies: read chapter 7

Data Centers--read and annotate the new articles. 

Windows to the World: We're discussing the ways authors create suspense. Re-read Lesson 4 if needed. Complete as much as you can for Exercise 4 "Plot Analysis" pages 44-45. Read p. 46.