HW

Happy Friday,

Halloween is tomorrow and there was a full moon this week.  It got a little rough, but we survived the school week.  Please be careful and safe tomorrow.  (Have fun as well).

Today was a lot of work and a lot of fun.  I hope you feel the same way!  It was interesting to see your different ideas.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1. Why did George "have" to kill Lennie?

2. If you were George, would you have done the same thing?

Option two:
Short answer:
 Pretend you are George with the gun in your hand.  In a journal entry, discuss your thought process.  Discuss your feelings about the situation and about Lennie.

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

Please be safe this weekend.  Get some rest and take care of yourselves,

Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

This morning was a bit of a shock.  Most of the class had appointments or ailments that halted our precious academic time together.  Please try to make your appointments for after school.  Drink water, wash your hands and get enough sleep.  School is your priority.  Plus, I miss you when you are not here.  The homework assignment for tonight will be a bit lengthy.

Your homework for tonight:
To finish tonight's homework, you must read chapter 5.  If you were lucky enough to be in class today -  you were lucky enough to see our talented actors act out a major turning point of the story.

Chapter 5 starts on page 84.  If you need auditory support (if you want to listen while you read) click on the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g_0ORdT0fA

Option one:
1. Why do you think that Lennie killed his dog?

2. How did Curley's wife act towards Lennie?

3.  Why do you think that Lennie became violent after touching Curley's wife's hair?

4.  Draw a picture of Curley's wife.

5. How did Lennie kill Curley's wife?

Option two:
In a five sentence paragraph, answer the following question:

Discuss how Lennie felt when he killed Curley's wife.  It isn't explicit -- you must infer based on what you know of Lennie and your empathy for him.

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,
Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning young people,

I would like to clarify my post from yesterday.  There is no homework contest.  There there is no winners and, more importantly, no losers.  We are all winners when we spend some time to revisit the lesson of the day.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1.  Where does Crooks live?

2.  Why does Crooks live in a separate space?

3.  How are Crooks and Lennie similar?


Option two:  Short answer:  Describe the lonely life of a migrant farm worker.  Why are their lives inherently lonely?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,
Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

Special shout out to Terrell! He is catching up to Hector and Rayven as the homework king and queen!

Thank you for being flexible with our ongoing classroom situation.  You guys are patient and wonderful.

To those of you who are missing class…. we are missing you! Please come to class.  You are missing out on such good information and discussion.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1. Who did Curley pick a fight with?

2. Why did Curley pick a fight with this person?


Option two:

In a five sentence paragraph answer the following question:

George often talks about how easy life would be without Lennie. He seems to be always "saving" Lennie and putting his own survival at risk.  Discuss the possible reasons George keeps helping Lennie.  Use complete sentences and direct evidence from the text.

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

I will see you tomorrow,
Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

Great job with the new material!

Thank you for paying attention and letting me know when we were going too fast.

Your homework tonight:

Option one:

1. Define laud

2. Define transfixed

3. Define consumed

Option two:
Log into my.hrw.com and find the article "Is Survival Selfish" in your student EBook.

1. Describe two survival situations that were mentioned in this article.

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

I'll see you tomorrow,

Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

Welcome to Friday.  I was happy to see all of your smiling faces today.  You are a bright spot in my morning.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1.  How much money does Candy have saved up?

2.  Define bemused:

3.  Why does Candy want to share George and Lennie's dream?

Option two: In a five sentence paragraph answer the following question.

Why does Candy want to share George and Lennie's dream?  What events in Candy's life lead him to such desperation?  Remember to base your answer on the context of the novel.

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

Have a great weekend,
Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

Hector and Naetasha were star scholars today!!!!

I'm super proud of both of you.

I know that each of you have appointments and long commutes and trouble waking up. Let's work on making our class time together a priority.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1. Who killed Candy's dog?

2. Why did Lennie sleep in the barn?

3. What do you think will happen to Candy?

Option two:
In a five sentence paragraph, answer the following question.

If you were Candy, why would you want to keep an old, sick dog alive?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,

Ms. Betsy

Rafaela - please call me!

HW

Good morning,

Terrell gets a double congratulations this week.  He completed his homework and handed in work that he should be proud of!!!!

Rafaela and Hector both turned in exceptional homework.

Thanks for being patient with our on-going classroom "situation".

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:

1. Plant cells have a rigid shape because of ____________________

2. George is made up of _____________  cells.

3. What does the central vacuole do?


Option two:  In a five sentence paragraph, discuss why plant cells need chloroplasts.  What would happen if plant cells did not have chloroplasts?  What would happen to the environment without plants?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

I'll see you tomorrow,
Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

Again, a huge thank you everyone for being flexible and calm with our classroom situation.  You are getting to be more mature every day.  It is noticed and appreciated.

Friendly reminder: spend time on your homework every night. Make it part of your routine. Take pride in knowing the answers. It will count towards your grade but I'm more concerned that you are turning in work you are proud of.  Work done with care is much different that something scribbled five minutes before it's due.  Let's work on this together.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1.  What is stored inside the nucleus?

2. What does the nucleus do?

3. What is one thing that a plant cell has that an animal cell lacks?

Option two:
In a five sentence paragraph, discuss the parts of a plant cell.  Include in your discussion what differentiates a plant cell from an animal cell.

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,

Ms. Betsy

(Rafaela - estas bien?)

HW

Happy Monday!

It's getting colder out so please remember to wear a coat, drink plenty of fluids, keep your hands warm and stay healthy.

Special shout out to Terrell Rios who arrived to school at 7:45 AM!!!!!!

Great job to all of our aspiring actors out there (Hector, Naetasha and Rayven).  You guys made me feel like I was actually in the bunkhouse!

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:  
1. What is symbolism?

2.  What is an example of one symbol in Of Mice and Men?

Option two:
In a five sentence paragraph, describe the use of symbolism in Of Mice and Men.  Choose one symbol and discuss it in the context of the story.  Why does Steinbeck use symbolism?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

Remember to do your homework!!!

See you tomorrow,
Ms. Betsy

HW

Happy Friday!

Wow.  What a great class today.  I am so proud of the young professionals you are becoming.

Rafaela - you had such interesting ideas in your homework!

Terrell - Great job with punctuality today! You seemed focused during the lesson.

Fergie - Thank you for participating and answering each question with careful thought.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1. Describe Curly's wife

2. Do you like Curly's wife?  Why or why not?


Option two:

In a five sentence paragraph answer the following question:

Curly's wife is supposed to be unlikable. Do you think her actions are justified?  Why or why not?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

Have a very wonderful weekend,

Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

Thanks for being so flexible today with the classroom and the time switch. You are doing such a wonderful job and being so kind to one another and to your teachers.

If you need help with homework, ask Hector, because he did an AWESOME job with last night's homework.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:

Define the following words:

1. skeptically

2. mollified

3. derogatory

4. apprehensive

Option two:

In a five sentence paragraph answer the following question:

Is there a place for women in ranch life? If so, what is it?  

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,

Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning!

Great job today!  I am very proud of all the work you are doing.  Thank you for focusing and attempting.

Remember, I will be checking homework at the beginning of class.

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1. Describe Lenny

2. Describe George

3. How are George and Lenny different?

Option two:

1. Describe Curly.

2. Why does Curly wear high heeled boots?

3. Describe Candy.

4. What is the significance of Candy's old dog?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,

Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

I'm proud of each of you.  You showed up.  You were earlier than you were last time. You tried. It got hard, and you kept trying. Bravo!!!  We can't ask for much more than that.

Bring your homework tomorrow from yesterday and today.  Remember that it counts for 20% of your grade. I am looking that you attempted it, not that you got it 100% right.

If you need help accessing the blog or would like a paper copy - please let me know.



Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1. Define inductive reasoning

2. Use inductive reasoning to make a conjecture about the following number sequence:

4, 9, 16, 25, ________

Option two: Use inductive reasoning to make a conjecture about the following two numbers in each sequence:

a. 162,   53,   18,    6

b. 5,   10,   20,    40

c. 324,    108,    36,    12

d. 468,    162,    54,    18

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.


See you tomorrow,
Ms. Betsy

HW

Hello,

This week has been a long week.  Thank you for participating even though you were tired and cranky!  I was a little tired and cranky as well.  I commend all of us for not taking it out on one another. 

A friendly reminder to the late comers and the class skippers: you are wonderful, intelligent, busy young people.  However, you are being graded for the work you do IN CLASS.  If you are not in class, you get a zero for the day.  If you refuse to participate, you will be graded accordingly.  This is not because I'm  picking on you.  It's because I have high expectations of what you can and will accomplish.  

You will NOT be getting a passing grade just for showing up at some point during the day.  You can do more than that. 

On a lighter note: there is no school on Monday! Share the school calendars with parents and guardians.  

Your homework for tonight:

Option one:

1. Define suspense

2. Define foreshadowing

3. How does a writer build suspense?

Option two:

In a five sentence paragraph, answer the following question:

What are three examples of foreshadowing in the first chapter of Of Mice and Men? How does this build suspense?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you on Tuesday,

Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

Great job today! As a friendly reminder, please be kind and accepting to each person in the class.  We are all working on ourselves and our futures (your teacher included).  Let's not get in the way of that. Be respectful and work hard.

Your homework tonight is:

Option one:
1. What is the American Dream?

2.  What is George and Lenny's American Dream

Option two:
In a five sentence paragraph, discuss possible problems with the American Dream.

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,
Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning!

As we arrive at the middle of our week, let's remember to treat each other with great care.  (Sometimes, we need the reminder!)  Be respectful to your teachers and be kind with your peers.  You never know what battles we might be fighting.


Your homework for tonight:

Option one:
1. Name two places where a homeless person might spend the night

2. Why did George and Lenny drink out of a lake?

3. What issues do homeless youth of today face?

Option two:

In a five sentence paragraph, answer the following question.  What issues do homeless youth of today and the homeless migrant workers of the Great Depression have in common?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,

Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning!

Special shout out to Hector and Rayven.  Both of you were on time and focused.  It is recognized and appreciated.

Everyone else, class starts at 8.  Please be here at 8.

Your HW for tonight:

Option one:  George and Lenny are homeless.  Pretend you are George.  Write a journal entry about a day on the road searching for work.  How do you feel?  What do you eat?

Option two: George and Lenny are homeless.  Pretend you are George.  Write a journal entry about a day on the road searching for work.  How do you feel?  What do you eat? Why is it important that you find work?  What do you dream about?  How do people treat you?

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments.

See you tomorrow,

Ms. Betsy

HW

Good morning,

Congratulations on your first full week of school!  I hope you had as much fun as I did.

I am so excited to embark on this journey with you.  As we begin Of Mice and Men, mentally prepare yourself to continue thinking critically about the text.  Don't be afraid to share ideas (even if it's not completely on point).  We will get better together with your ideas!

Your HW for tonight:

Option one:
1. What is the Dust Bowl?

2. What was one cause of the Great Depression?

Option two:
1.  How did the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression contribute to the perceived collapse of the American Dream?  ( Create a 5 sentence paragraph with a topic sentence and three examples.)

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments

Have a great weekend and get some sleep!
Ms. Betsy

HW

Congratulations on your first essay of the year!  I am proud of the teamwork you exhibited and your commitment shown through to the final product.

Special congratulations goes to Rafaela, Rusey, Rayven and Naetasha.  Your paragraphs were clear and well explained.

Your HW for tonight:  We are about to embark on a grand adventure of friendship, poverty and dreams.  you guessed it, we're reading a John Steinbeck story.

Option one:  Research the Great Depression.  Write down five facts to share with the class tomorrow. (Please do not write the first five sentences from Wikipedia. Use multiple sources.)


Option two: Research:
1 The Great Depression
2. The Dust Bowl
3. The American Dream

Prepare to present to the class what you have learned in your extensive research.  (Go ahead, make it extensive. Who knows? You might find something incredibly interesting!)

PARENTS/ GUARDIANS: If you have any 
questions or comments please feel free to 
comment on the bottom of this page. I will 
reply as soon as possible. I look forward to your 
comments


Our most heartfelt thoughts go out to Demetrius.  Get better soon.  We miss you!

See you tomorrow,
Ms. Betsy