Vocab Lesson 16

This is due the first day you get back (A/B day). Please don't forget to do this. Many of you need these points.

1. relinquish - verb - to renounce, surrender, to give up, to let go. For example: Because the cops showed up, the bad guy relinquished his plan to rob the bank.
2. agitate
3. earnest - adjective - sincere attention, purpose, or effort. Example: He was an earnest worker because he needed to provide for his family. Example: The boy asked me in earnest if I liked him.
4. ferocious
5. appalling - adjective - causing dismay, horror, or shock. Example: It was appalling when that man streaked across the stage at the concert.
6. pear
7. pair
8. curious
9. original
10. inspire

Old news, but still FYI: explanation of routine homework

Mrs. Merrill’s English

Every week we have the following assignments:

· Vocab Test: we have a vocab test at the end of every week (either Thursday or Friday depending on the block schedule). You should see your student studying for this test throughout the week. Your student needs to memorize all 10 vocab words, their definitions, and how to spell them. The format of the test is pretty much the same every week. The first two words I give to them orally; they need to write the words correctly. Other words I give them the definitions and they give me the word, or I give them a sentence and they need to fill in the blank, or I give them the word and they need to use it in a sentence. I do not give your student words to choose from on the test – they need to memorize all 10 words. I have taught them a few study techniques. One memorization strategy is this: make up a weird, nonsense phrase using the first letters of every word. For example: this week’s words are interrogate, flexible, relay, really, rejoice, applicable, mellow, compare, and embarrass. An example of a phrase could be: FARMER LIRC

(Flexible, Applicable, Rejoice, Mellow, Embarrass, Relay, Loathe, Interrogate, Really, Compare)

The vocab lessons are designed to help your student study. Vocab Tests are worth 20 points.

· Vocab Lesson: At the end of every week (either Thursday or Friday) after the vocab test, your student starts their vocab lesson. First, they write down the 10 vocab words for the next week’s test. Then they do the following for each word: (1) Write it out five times (2) Define it in their own words with the help of a dictionary (3) Tell what part of speech it is (noun, adjective, verb, etc.) (4) Connect it to their own lives—making it personal (this could be a simple word or phrase) (5) Drawing a memory clue to visually remember the word (6) Use the word in a complete sentence that shows their understanding of the word. Vocabulary lessons are started at the end of the week (Thursday or Friday) and due the first of the week (Monday or Tuesday). For example, if your student took their vocab test on Friday, they would get the new vocab lesson on Friday, and the lesson would be due on Tuesday. I grade their lessons on the same day and hand it back to them so they can have it throughout the week to study. (Note: if they hand the lesson in late, they need to make sure to get it from me to study from). Vocab Lessons are worth 15 points.

· Reading Record: Reading Records are also due at the beginning of the week (either Monday or Tuesday). For the Reading Records, your student is required to read 100 minutes from a novel (not from magazines, textbooks, newspapers, scriptures, etc.) at home each week. This is about 20 minutes a night. The reading needs to be completed over a minimum of three days. This is to ensure consistent and continuous reading. Your student records the dates they read, the title of the book they read, and how many minutes they read. They write a quick response on what they read, they sign the paper, and the parent/guardian signs the paper. By having the parent sign it, I know they saw the students reading at home. Reading Records are worth 10 points.

· GUM Sentences: This is in class work. Every day at the beginning of class, we correct sentences as a class. This helps the student’s grammar, usage, and mechanics in their writing (hence, GUM). If your student is absent, it is their responsibility to get these sentences from a fellow classmate. GUM sentences are worth 5 points.

If your student is failing right now, they need to hand in their homework ON TIME and COMPLETED. Because we do these assignments every week, if your student consistently hands in their homework, their grade will be brought up in the next few weeks. LATE WORK: If an assignment is late, your student can only receive a 70% on it. I DO NOT accept late work after one week of it’s due date.

Almost all homework is on the classroom blog: (7^th Grade) rockwellenglish7.blogspot.com or (8^th Grade) rockwellenglish8.blogspot.com.

A shout out to awesomeness!

Thank you to the parents who bought some books for my class at the Book Fair. You're awesome! Sorry it's taken me so long to get this out. I just wanted to say thank you for your generosity. Most of the books have already been checked out to students; I'm really excited for those books! Thanks again.

Retaking the Grammar Test?

If you are retaking the Grammar Test (if you got less than 60% on the test), the retake is Monday after school in my room. To prepare for it, you need to study your grammar packet and study your test. If you want, I'll help you study on Monday during Mentoring. Please come prepared. You need to ask me if you don't understand something.

Vocab Lesson 15

1. tolled - verb - to cause a bell to ring or strike. Example: When the bell tolled one, it scared me.
2. told - verb - past tense of tell which means to announce or inform.
3. Christmas
4. carol
5. melancholy - this is an awesome word - adj. - affected by a gloomy or depressed mood. For example: Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh is known for being melancholy.
6. replenish - verb - to make full or complete again. For example: I think we all need Christmas break to replenish our energy.
7. indignant-adjective - being angry because something is wrong or unjust. Example: In She's the Man, Viola is indignant that the boy's coach won't let her try out for the boy's team just because she's a girl.
8. liberal - For this one, I don't want the political party. Liberal is an adjective. It means to give freely or abundantly; generous. For example: Because my mom knew I love chocolate cake, she gave me a liberal amount of it on my plate.
9. incredulous - an adjective -- unbelieving, having doubt. For example: If someone came up to me and told me I just won a million dollars, I would give them an incredulous look.
10. falter - verb - to stumble; to hesitate; to be unsteady. For example: Walking down the stairs, Joe faltered. OR Example: Even though Bob knew skipping class was bad, he faltered in his principles and ditched class.

Vocab Lesson 14

1. solitary
2. dismal
3. torture
4. phenomenon
5. haunt
6. joy
7. regret
8. there - adverb - a place
9. their - pronoun - shows possession, belongs to someone
10. they're - contraction - they are

Deadline for Extra Credit

Remember, there is a deadline for turning in Extra Credit for Term 2. Extra Credit is: bringing in 1-4 copies of A Christmas Carol. 5 points per book. You need to bring in your copy/copies as soon as possible. This offer for Extra Credit ends at the end of next week (Dec. 12). Come talk to me if you have any questions.

Vocab Test 13 -- IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

B Day students:
You have a Grammar Test on Thursday. Because this test is a big one, we will NOT have a test for Vocab 13. I want you studying for your Grammar Test, and not stressing about your vocab test. On Thursday, when you finish your Grammar Test (I'm giving you all class), you will pick up the words for Vocab Lesson 14. You will not have a test for Vocab Lesson 13. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.

A Day students:
Your Grammar Test is on Wednesday. Study for the Grammar Test, this is your first priority. You WILL HAVE a test on Vocab 13 on Friday. HOWEVER, this will be a simplified version of the test because you only had a couple days to study after your Grammar Test. So study the 10 words of Vocab 13, but do not spend a great deal of time on the words. After the simplified version of Vocab Test 13, you'll get your lesson for Vocab 14.

Grammar Study/Review Sheet

Use this, along with your packet, to help you study for your test!!!

Grammar Test Review Sheet
A day Test: Dec. 3
B day Test: Dec. 4
Don’t forget: your green Grammar Packet is due
the same day as your test. Remember: You have to attach
the 3 worksheets (1) Nouns (2) Adjectives (3) Verbs.

Be able to:
1. Define a noun. Give examples of the different types nouns. (Concrete = desk, abstract, common, proper, etc.)
2. Define a verb. What are the 2 types of verbs (action, linking)? What are the two other names for linking verbs (helping verbs, state of being verbs)? Be able to give examples of each.
3. Know passive voice and active voice. Be able to change passive voice sentences to active voice.
4. Know the 6 types of tenses. Be able to put verbs into the different tenses. Beware: present versus present progressive. Be able to identify the tenses.
5. Define an adjective. What do they modify? What questions do adjectives answer? Be able to give examples.
6. Define an adverb. What do they modify? What questions do adjectives answer? Be able to identify adverbs and give examples.
7. Know the 4 types of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory). Be able to write sentences of each.
8. Know what interrogatives are, be able to write sentences, and identify the interrogatives. (Who, what, where, when, why, who, how, whom, which, etc.)
9. Make nouns plural.
10. Be able to identify single/plural subjects and single/plural verbs. Know the term subject-verb agreement. Be able to fix sentences where the subjects and verbs don’t agree.
11. Identify and write sentences with conjunctions. Remember: you need to know the coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS).
12. Identify and write sentences with prepositions. (to, from, over, through, into, etc.)
13. Identify and write sentences with interjections. (whoa, wow, holy cow, dang, etc.)
14. Write sentences and punctuate sentences using a COMMA correctly.
15. Write sentences and punctuate sentences using a COLON correctly.
16. Write sentences and punctuate sentences using a SEMICOLON correctly.
17. Know the three degrees of comparison. Be able to write examples.
18. Write and punctuate sentences using quotation marks.
19. Write and punctuate sentences with contractions.
20. Write and punctuate sentences with an apostrophe (contractions, possessive)
21. Know the 3 articles, what they are, and when to use them (a, an, the).
22. Be able to identify the root of a word, its prefix, and suffix.
23. Write and punctuate sentences using an ellipsis. Know what an ellipsis is.
24. Identify what part of speech each word in a sentence is. For example: I really like pie. I = noun, really = adverb, like = verb, pie = noun.