Carondelet Catholic Schho-Mr. Grabowski's Homepage

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2900 W. 44th. St.
Phone: 612.920.9075
Fax: 612.920.8504
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Mr. Grabowski's Homepage
Welcome to Room 14!

Homeroom News/Religion 8:

1-17
1-13 This assignment is due on 1-18: Find ten stories in recent newspapers and news magazines that deserve our compassion and that are not all that important. Find five of each kind of stories.
1-11 Discussion on the 10 candidates for the greatest good: pleasure, money, health, fame power, peace altruism, virtue, wisdom, God
1-9-12 Morality: Pages 24-25. Answer questions. Due on 1-13

10-14 Journal topic on being alone as a positive or negative experience.

10-12 Discussion on evil and the devil. Assignment: Write a personal mission statement. Due on Friday, 10-14.

10-10 Bible study: 23rd psalm and a missionary's translation of the psalm for Native Americans.

10-7 Prayer: Spontaneous prayer, meditative reading using the Bible, and Contemplative prayer.

9-30 Standardized testing

9-28 Standardized testing

9-26 Standardized testing

9-21: Activity with Kindergarten on Lower campus

9-19 Continue review of the changes to the mass.

9-16: Guided meditation and discussion.

9-14: Discussion of the revised mass texts of the new Roman missal. Journal on various topics related to attending church and involvement in the church community.

9-12: Peace Prayer Service and election of room representatives for student council.

9-7: Finish work from last week, prepare for prayer service, memorize the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. Bible studies on prayer. Journal on both passages.
8-31: Write prayer intentions for Opening School Prayer Service. Create a poster of the prayer you have written.
8-29 Journal: What are your goals, hopes, and dreams for this year? What barriers or obstacles might prevent you from reaching your goals? Assign: Write a prayer following the format for prayer found on page 12. Due on 9-2.

6th Grade Communications:
1-9-12 Greek mythology unit. Finish 10 summaries. Study the Greek gods and goddesses for a test. Know the Roman equivalents: ex) Zeus and Jupiter. Write your version of a Greek myth which is due on 1-20. Spelling and Vocabulary test on Friday 1-13. List words: obscure, nymphs, mortal, obstinacy, distaff, Athena, shuttle, Poseidon, shellfish, ancient, gorgeous, embroidery, loom, murmur, immensely, dazzling, spectators, fate, insult, descendants, spindly, equality, myth, hubris, Athens

11-21 Finish reading Zlateh the Goat and answer the Selection test. Due on 11-22. Write a story about a character who faces a conflict with nature. For example, Aaron and Zlateh face a massive snowstorm and try to survive. Show the conflict with nature as an external and internal conflict. Due on 12-1.
11-18 Read "Zlateh the Goat" on page 128. Answer questions on page 134 in complete sentences. Lesson on principal parts of verbs: present, present participle, past and past participle. New List words for Spelling and Vocabulary tests on Tuesday 11-29: Hanukkah, peasants, sprouted, hesitation, quilted, patiently, astonished, conclusion, eddies, bluish, experienced, whirling, astray, cleft, immediately, confidence, chaos, exuded, frequently, language, laughter, splendor, sleigh, dreidel
11-17 Write 10 sentences for 11-18 with verb phrases. Identify the main verb and helping verbs in each sentence. Due on 11-19.
11-15 Lesson on verb phrases and clause recognition.
11-14 Create plot diagrams for the two stories: "Aaron's Gift" and "Water" An example of a plot diagram appears on page 111. Include the main events as well as the climax in the plot diagram.
11-11 Answer selection test on "Aarons's Gift" for 11-14. Cursive practice. Write the first three paragraphs on page 66 in your best cursive.
11-10 Test on verbs that correspond to Chad B. Swim.

11-9 Read "Aaron's Gift" and "Water"

11-8 Write a summary of "Hard As Nails" which is due on 11-9.

11-7 Write 15 compound sentences using spelling words. Due on 11-8.

List words for spelling and vocabulary test on 11-15: frenzied, mascot, coaxed, consoled, climax, pigeon, aviator, cobblestones, operation, conversation, temporarily, genius, cardboard, immediately, Ukraine, cosssacks, cellar, cabbage, hearth, institution, imitation, uncomprehending,vainly, seizing

11-1 Discuss how to write essay, discussion of Hard As Nails, Identify parts- of- speech.

10-31 Halloween

10-28 Read "Hard As Nails."

10-27 Write an essay on Halloween costumes you have chosen to wear on Halloween.

10-26 Essay question for Thursday, 11-3. Question: The central idea of "The Circuit" is the harshness of a young migrant farm worker's life. In an essay, analyze the ways in which the author of "The Circuit" makes the harshness of Panchito's life especially vivid. In your essay, mention sensory images, descriptions of the narrator's emotions, and other details that effectively convey an impression of the bracero's difficult day to day existence.

10-25 Answer questions page 71 in complete sentences. Due 10-27.

10-24 Read "The Circuit" for Wednesday. Spelling and Vocabulary test will b on Friday 10-28.

List words: theme, fiction, nonfiction, drone, instinctively, savoring, embedded, exhaust, sublime, sharecropper, galvanized, trolleys, private enterprise, original, wearily, gasping, stomach, enthusiastically, hesitantly, businessman, Depression, desperation, splendor, banquet, silverware

10-19 Write 10 sentences that have an antecedent that refers to a pronoun located in each sentence.

10-18 Answer selection test for "THe KIng of Mazy May" which is due on 10-19.

10-17 Finish reading "The King of Mazy May" in Literature for 10-18.

10-12 Lesson on prepositions and discussion of "Take me spirit" from Canyons.

10-11 Review Canyons for missing elements of plot or characterization to include in the slide show.

10-10 No homework.

10-4 Write a poem about an activity or experience you had while at Camp St. Croix which will be due on Friday, 10-7. Poem needs to have a speaker who is not a person.

10-3 Read the novel Canyons for 30 minutes.

9-30 Camp St. Croix

9-29 Camp St. Croix

9-28 Camp St Croix

9-27 Book project will be to create and present a slide show on Canyons. Write script and select images for a class presentation. Length will be 10-15 slides.

9-26 Read the novel Canyons by Gary Paulson

9-22 Write an essay on "Jeremiah's Song" which will be due on 9-26.

9-21 Write 15 complex sentences and answer 20 multiple choice questions on "Jeremiah's Song" which will be due on 9-23.

9-19 Read "Jeremiah's Song" New spelling and vocabulary list for next Tuesday,9-27 test.

List words: diagnosis, disinfect, funeral, collard greens, mayonnaise, toil, prospectors, liable, poising, declined, summit, elevator, endured, glimpses, cautiously, commissioner, harness, necessary, perilously, knuckles, abruptly, antics, antecedent, pursuers, deceiving

9-16 Continue reading independently a library book for a future book project.

9-15: Lesson of proofreading marks and practice correcting sentences with multiple errors.

9-14: Share descriptive essay with the class. Homophones.

9-13 Answer questions on page 31. Answers are to be written in complete sentences and are due on 9-14. There will also be a retest on the first spelling test on 9-14. Lesson on homophones.

9-12 Spelling and vocabulary test on 9-16. List words: timidly, trudged, grudgingly, plot, ignore,

exhausted, daughter, icicles, warehouse, sensitive, definitely, biscuit, connotation, image, dialogue, rued, suspended, tableaus, metaphor, prodigal

9-8: Selection test for "Stray" Write a descriptive essay about a pet. Use three anecdotes ( small
stories ) in your descriptive essay.
9-6: Read "Stray" a story which begins on page 18.
9-2: Write 15 compound sentences using words from spelling list. Due on Wednesday, 9-7.
9-1: Selection test on "The Sound of Summer Running"
8-31: Spelling and vocabulary test will be next Thursday 9-8. List words: seized, loam, alien, barometer, limber, revelation, murmured, capsize, refraction, marshmallows, bleached, argument, irritable, proprietor, tongues, absolutely, tremendous, resilient, rave, antelopes, motive, leisure, protein, weigh, neighbor
8-30: Write a story with dialogue about summer that begins and ends with the same sound. Due on 9-2.
8-29: Read "The Sound of Summer Running" for tomorrow 8-30. Brainstorm sounds of summer that you can recall.

8th Grade Communications:

1-13 Write a poem on the topic of The Winter Without Snow or The Brown Christmas. Emphasis on strong detailed sensory images. Due on 1-18.
1-9-12 Read the Diary of Anne Frank. Spelling and Vocabulary Test on Friday, 1-13. List words for Act I: conspicuous, mercurial, unabashed, insufferable, meticulous, fatalist, ostentatiously, belfry, carillon, rucksack, capitulation, black market, Mazeltov, Hanukkah, Menorah, Gestapo, European, Amsterdam, business, dictator, trousers, cigarette
1-11 Five paragraph compare and contrast essay is due on 1-20. Choose one topic from the list presented about the Diary of Anne Frank.
1-12 Review literature terms and rules for punctuation, capitalization and grammar for High School Placement Test on Saturday, 1-21.
1-13 Selection Test for Act I and Selection Test for Act II.
Spelling and Vocabulary Tests on 1-20. List words for Act II: inarticulate, intuition, indignant, stealthily, ineffectually, gauntlet, convulsive, Orthodox, purgatory, hysterically, apprehension, nearsighted, halfheartedly, argument, whistling, bewildered, forlorn, embroidery, jealous, inferiority complex, humiliated, sarcastic

11-21 Dictionary study. Poem due tomorrow on an elderly person, either a relative or a neighbor. Also due is the assignment that identifies parts of speech from "Tears of Autumn."
11-15 Selection test for "An Hour with Abuelo"
11-14 Read "An Hour with Abuelo"
11-10 Final copy of Recommendation for High School is due on 11-11-11.

11-9 Selection test for "Flowers for Algernon." Write a poem on how the mind works using a metaphor from the metaphor sheet.

11-8 Spelling and Vocabulary test for 11-15. List words: psychology, tangible, specter, refute, illiteracy, obscure, syndromes, introspective, Rorschach, amazed, motivation, intelligence quotient, neurosurgeons, amnesia, deteriorating, punctuation, dazzling, achieved, technique, significant

11-7 Fill in the Brain Metaphor sheet for 11-10.

11-4 Read "Flowers for Algernon" for Monday, 11-7.

10-27 Write a comparative essay on Patsy Barnes and Joby.

10-25 Write a poem on a problem in the world. Poem needs to be written in couplets or end in a couplet, have a strong speaker, and includes an extended metaphor similar to the peach blossom in "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." Read "The Finish of Patsy Barnes" for Thursday 10-28.

10-24 Spelling and Vocabulary test on Thursday, 10-28. List words: rustling, miraculously, solemn, thirty-three, askew, strategy, benediction, murmuring, bayonets, compounded, prairie, blossom, fingernails, tobacco, innocents, resolute, murderous, boot polish, rhythm

10-19 Read "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" for 10-24.

10-17 Worksheet on appositives and infinitives for 10-19.

10-14 Write a short memoir on a trip that you took. Write the memoir as if it is happening in the present. Use dialogue in this narrative essay. Focus on details that appeal to the five senses and figurative language ( metaphor, simile, allusions, personification ). This essay is due on Wednesday, 10-19.

10-10 Read "Travels with Charley" for 10-12. Identify parts of speech on passage from Literature book. Place a copy of your first poem in the drop box. Follow guidelines for formatting. Write four haiku, one for each of the seasons. Then chain them together by creating a verse that has six sounds that acts as a link between each season. This is due on 10-12. The high school recommendation letter is due this Friday 10-14. Use the format for a friendly letter.

10-5 Write 10 sentences with two prepositional phrases in each one. Each sentence also has a spelling list word in it. Due on 10-6.

10/4 Selection test on "The Adventure of the Speckled Band is due on 10-5.

10-3 Answer worksheet on prepositions and another on adverbs for tomorrow. Spelling and vocabulary test will be on Friday, October 7. List words: deductions, avert, sinister, tangible, invaluable, indiscreetly, defray, morose, convulsed, pittance, reverie, vigil, haggard, bewilderment, ferocious, hereditary, imprudence, lichen, perplexity, compliance, scaffolding, insolence, notorious, writhed

9-30 Read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" pages 120 - 152. Due on Oct. 3.

9-29 Lesson of verb tenses, verb suffixes.

9-28 Identify parts of speech for Friday. Write a summary of "Gentleman of Rio en Medio" for 9-29.

9-27 Write a poem about the fall equinox using allusion, alliteration, metaphors and similes. Due on 9-28.

9-26 Read "Gentleman of Rio en Medio"

9-23 Write a poem about the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Use an allusion in the poem. Use alliteration, similes and metaphor. Create at least six different images.

9-22 Take notes on documentary on Mark Twain. Review literature terms.

9-21 Selection test for "Cub Pilot on the Mississippi"

9-20 Worksheet 3B and 3C. Write complex sentences using information from "Cub Pilot on the Mississippi. Review parts of speech. Chad B Swim test tomorrow.

9-19 New list words for spelling and vocabulary test on Friday, 9-23. Words: furtive, pretext, intimation, judicious, indulgent, emancipated, countenance, apprenticeship, inquest, vituperation, experience, acquainted, Pennsylvania, straightening, executive, shriek, apologetically, plausible, snarly, gumption

9-15 Read "Cub Pilot on the Mississippi"

9-13 Spelling and Vocabulary test on 9-16. Parts of Speech worksheet for Thursday. Best cursive practice paragraph for 9-15. Read library book for 9-23.

9-12 Selection test on "A Retrieved Reformation." Essay question for five paragraph essay that is due on 9-16: Is the truth the same for everyone? What is the truth about Jimmy Valentine, the main character in "A Retrieved Reformation?" Would Jimmy Valentine, Annabel Adams and Ben Price view the truth about Jimmy Valentine in the same way? In an essay, describe the three characters' views of the truth of Valentine.

9-8 Write examples for capitalization rules. Read "A Retrieved Reformation."
9-6: Read "Raymond's Run" on page 27. Write a summary of the story by using these terms in the summary: exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. These elements of plot are defined on page 25. Place writing in 3 ring binder. Due on 9-9.
9-2: Review capitalization rules, pronouns, and subordinating conjunctions. Read library book for upcoming book project. Write 10 complex sentences for Wednesday 9-7 using vocabulary words on pages 3 and 26.
9-1: Review capitalization rules. How to use prewriting form for five paragraph essay. How to write thesis and topic sentences of body in the essay.
8-31: Review capitalization rules. Discuss stories and summaries. Write a persuasive essay which will be due on Friday, 9-2. Topic: What is the most fun game to play with a large group? Write a persuasive essay that describes the game that is best and why. Follow the format for a five paragraph essay. Use the steps of the writing process to develop your essay: prewrite, write, proofread, edit, revise, and publish.
8-30: Write summaries of the two stories that you read yesterday for 8-31.
8-29 Read "The Baker Heater League" and "The 11:59" for tomorrow 8-30.

7th Grade Writers Workshop ( M,W,F )

9-26 Write a scary story which will be due on October 7. Start the story at an intense moment for the character.

9-14 Turn in one piece of writing for assessment on Friday, 9-16

9-12 Review punctuation on page 578 - 581. Writing Prompt # 3 Write as many anecdotes ( short stories ) about encounters with different kinds of animals, in different kinds of habitats

9-9 WritingPrompt #2 Write about an experience where you were worried about something only to find that when the time came, the worrying was unwarranted.
9-7 Write Source Skill Book, pages 3-6; Scavenger Hunt: Find the Fives
9-2: Guided Writing: The Journey

7th Grade Writers Workshop ( T, Th )

9-22 Write a scary story. Story will be due on October 6.

9-13 Review punctuation on pages 578-581. Turn in one sample of writing for assessment which will be due on 9-20.

9-8 Note writing prompts from ( M, W, F ) Writer's Workshop.
9-6 Write Source Skill Book, pages 3-6; Scavenger Hunt: Find the Fives
9-1 Guided Writing: The Journey