Wednesday, 12/9

1. Journal Response #15--

Read Luke 15 & 16.19-31, OR James 1-2.  Consider in what ways money/mammon/wealth causes us to fall, and how redemption can occur.

●     What does Jesus or the author of James teach regarding riches, the wealthy, and the poor?

●     How does Pip's behavior or thinking compare to these teachings?

●     How does your behavior or thinking compare to these teachings?

Compose a reflection that answers these questions, a prayer that addresses these questions or asks for help, or a meditation that would help facilitate others in reflecting on these teachings.

2. Discuss--

*How might we consider this novel from a Christian perspective? What is fallen, and what must be redeemed? Is this a satisfying redemption? 

*What biblical characters could we compare Pip to (rags to riches)? 

*What biblical characters experience all levels of the social classes, as Pip does? How do these characters respond differently?

*How does Dickens use dramatic plot events, specific character development (characterization--inner or outer), and/or vivid imagery/descriptions/symbols in order to teach us something about class structure, wealth, and morality?

*How does the ending impact your answer to the response above?

Why might Dickens have opted for these other endings--

THE END OF THE STORY

1) The current ending of the book is not Dickens’s original ending. Dickens’s notes seem to indicate that he intended the novel to end with Pip’s going to the East to work for Herbert Pocket’s firm. Thus, the only selfless use to which he put his money becomes his own salvation in the end. There is no mention of a final meeting with Estella in these notes.

However, Dickens probably wanted to satisfy his readers’ desire to see all loose ends tied up, so he ended the book with Estella’s marrying a country doctor after the death of her first husband. She and Pip meet by chance one last time in London. Pip is walking with Joe and Biddy’s son Pip in London when

“…a servant came running after me to ask would I step back to a lady in a carriage who wished to speak to me…The lady and I looked sadly enough at one another. ‘I am greatly changed, I know; but I thought you would like to shake hands with Estella too, Pip. Lift up that pretty child and let me kiss it!’ (She supposed the child, I think, to be my child.) I was very glad afterwards to have had the interview; for in her face, and in her voice, and in her touch, she gave me the assurance that suffering had been stronger than Miss Havisham’s teaching, and had given her a heart to understand what my heart used to be.” 

Additionally, after sharing a draft of his novel with his mistress Ellen Ternan and his friend, novelist Sir Edward G. D. Bulwer-Lytton, Dickens was convinced that the book should have a happier ending. Thus, the ending was once again rewritten. Even still, the last part of the final sentence went through further revision as the novel went through subsequent publishings. The original sentence was:

2) “I saw the shadow of no parting from her but one.”

During the proof stage, Dickens dropped the last two words. In 1861, it appeared in All the Year Round as:

3) “I saw the shadow of no parting from her.”

In 1862, the final revision was to the first published edition of the novel. The sentence then read:

4) “I saw no shadow of another parting from her.”

3. Review your peer feedback, and begin working on revisions for your final draft.

HW--Complete your Final Draft. Submit to turnitin.com by 8:40 AM on Block Day, and turn in a hard copy at the beginning of class. Not submitting in both of these forms by these times will result in a late penalty.

Complete your Independent Reading, and be ready for an in-class assignment on the Block.

Be ready for an open-book, open-note grammar review quiz on block day.

What do I do if turnitin.com is not working?

1) Seek password/username reset help.

2) Make sure to submit the essay as a Word doc, not Pages or PDF.

3) Try from a home computer.

4) Ask a friend.

5) Email with the essay attached to Mr.Kirkendall (before the due date!) explaining the steps you have taken and why you think it is still not working.

Tuesday, 12/8

*Reading Quiz

1. Peer Feedback session. If turnitin.com is not working, gather with others with the same issue and complete the following responses at the end of their document:

• Rank Quality of Thesis (Specific, Based in the prompt, includes minor & major character traits and a theme)

  Scale

  Highest: Excellent/engaging, Lowest: Poor/missing element
• Rate Quality of Commentary (claims that analyze the evidence; focused and related to the main idea/thesis)

  Scale

  Highest: Strong Analysis, Lowest: Weak Summary/off-tpc
• At what points could the essay be more focused (analyzing instead of summarizing, not straying off-topic, etc...)

  Free Response

  Minimum answer length: 5
• How could the arguments be more persuasive? Please give one specific example.

  Free Response

  Minimum answer length: 15
• How can the arguments be improved? Are there any flaws in the arguments (for example, evidence that does not quite prove the claim)?

  Free Response

  Minimum answer length: 10

2. Finish Reading Great Expectations! Read the plot summaries for 56-57 below and then pick up with 58 and 59, keeping the following questions in mind:

CHAPTER 57
* Why is Pip in so much debt?
* Why were the police unable to take him to Newgate?
*In Chapter 27 Joe says he will not return to London, but he does in Chapter 57. Why?
* Why was Biddy able to teach Joe to read when Pip had failed?
* What does Pip plan to do after Joe leaves? What are his newly revised expectations?

CHAPTERS 58-59
*Reread Pip’s speech to Biddy and Joe (483-484). What does he say? Why is his speech significant? * What advice does Biddy give to Pip after his return 11 years later?
*During this 11-year period, what happened to Estella? What does Pip notice about her when he meets her at the site of Satis House?
 *How have Pip’s expectations changed? What does he expect now?
* What do you think will happen to Pip during the next twenty years?
* Which ending of the story do you find the most believable? The most satisfying? Why?


CHAPTER 56
PLOT DEVELOPMENT: Magwitch lies in prison, very ill, waiting for his trial, and then for his sentencing and death. Magwitch seems brave and at peace. Pip visits him faithfully and petitions numerous governmental parties for mercy, to no avail. As the days pass, Pip notices an even greater acceptance on Magwitch’s part. Just before he dies of illness, Pip whispers to him that his daughter is alive, that she is a lady, and that Pip loves her.

CHAPTER 57
PLOT DEVELOPMENT: After Magwitch’s death, Pip gives notice that he will leave the Temple, but he falls ill. Officers come to throw him in debtor’s prison, but he is too sick. He suffers from fever and delusions. One day he awakes to find Joe at his side, nursing him, as he has been for weeks. Joe is friendly, grateful that Pip is better. He tells him that Biddy urged him to go to Pip and that she has even taught him to write and read. Miss Havisham has died, and she left most of her property to Matthew Pocket because of Pip. He also says that Pumblechook’s place was broken into, and Orlick has been arrested and jailed for that crime. Gradually, Pip regains his strength. He goes riding with Joe and tries to confide what happened with his fortune and Magwitch, but Joe does not want to know. Joe becomes uncomfortable in London, and Pip awakens one morning to find him gone, leaving only a note to say he has paid off Pip’s debts. Pip abandons London three days later to thank Joe and to marry Biddy.

HW--Finish reading Great Expectations (58-59).

Final Draft due Block Day (to turnitin.com and printed); review peer feedback to revise.

Independent Reading--come ready for an in-class assignment on Block Day with sufficient and deep knowledge of your book(s).

Monday, 12/7

*Please review the Final Study Guide (under Units of Study) and be prepared with any questions.
*This will be your first semester of Final Exams at a College Preparatory High School. What should you be doing to prepare?

1. Questions about the Study Guide?

2. Great Expectations Review--
What happens to Miss Havisham? What could this symbolize?
What is the state of Pip's finances? How can we tell?
What more do we learn about Magwitch, Mollly, and Estella?

3. Essay work. Below is the prompt and paragraph guide.

*Be sure to use your reminders checklist.

*Here is a skeleton for your paragraphs--

I. Introduction – keep it short and sweet: 3-5 sentences
          A. Attention getter – hook - exordium
          B. Background information: TAG (author, title, genre), short summary (transition to thesis)
          C. Thesis: Argument + Evidence; in parallel structure
II. Body Paragraph 1
          A. Topic sentence: Argument + One Evidence from Thesis

• Introduce your evidence

          B. Evidence (quote or idea), with citation: "Quote" (page number).

• Commentary (at least twice as long as the evidence) - Explain how and/or why the evidence proves your argument.  NO PLOT SUMMARY.

          C. Second evidence (as defined above)

• Commentary (as defined above)

          D. Concluding sentence – wrap up the paragraph and transition to the next body paragraph
III. Body Paragraph 2 – follow the structure of Body Paragraph 1
IV. Body Paragraph 3– follow the structure of Body Paragraph 1
V. Conclusion
          A. Restate your argument – hint: reword your thesis (do not repeat it).
          B. Answer the “so what?” Wrap up why your essay idea was important (worthy of reading)
          C. End with a Concluding Statement: universal truth, global statement or call to action

5.  How should people respond to class distinctions in your home town? Select a specific audience, identify what the class distinctions in your home town are and why they exist, and write an essay in which you create a persuasive argument about what should be done. Anticipate at least one counter-argument. Use evidence from Great Expectations, personal experience, history, or society to defend your argument. 

Questions to answer for brainstorming--

--What class divisions/distinctions exist in your hometown?

--Why do they exist?

--How can these divisions be broken down? What must change?

--What is a specific audience you can target that has power over this change?

--How can you persuade this audience to take action toward change?

--List out evidence from Great Expectations that may prove helpful.

Write a 5-paragraph persuasive essay that responds to this print.

INTRO--address audience, identify the issue, and state main argument.

Body 1--Assert an argument with evidence.

Body 2--Assert an argument with evidence.

Body 3--Anticipate a counter-argument, and defend with evidence from Great Expectations.

Conclusion--re-address the argument, summarize the described perspective on the issue, restate main argument, and create a call to action.

HW--Finish Rough Draft of Persuasive Essay (typed, MLA format), and submit to turnitin.com assignment for the rough draft. 
Finish Independent Reading by Block Day
Read GE Ch. 53-55. To get a handle on the key events, here are good chapter summaries of 53 & 54 to supplement your reading--

CHAPTER 53, PAGES 425-437

PLOT DEVELOPMENT: With trepidation, Pip makes his way through the dark, misty marsh as a “melancholy wind” blows. He sees a light in the sluice-house of an abandoned quarry, but no one answers when he knocks. He goes inside to get out of the rain. Almost immediately, his candle goes out, he is accosted from behind, and a noose is thrown over his head. As his abductor strikes a flint, Pip recognizes Orlick, who plans to get revenge by killing him. Pip fears that if Orlick succeeds, Magwitch will think he has abandoned him, Joe and Biddy won’t know how sorry he is for his behavior, and even Herbert will doubt his motives. Orlick admits that he killed Mrs. Joe to get back at Pip and that he was hiding in the shadows the night Magwitch returned. As he drinks more whiskey, Orlick becomes increasingly ferocious, threatening to reveal the truth about “Uncle Provis” from whom he had stolen the leg-irons that he later used to kill Pip’s sister. Just as Orlick lifts his stone hammer to kill Pip, Pip shouts and is rescued by Herbert, Startop, and Trabb’s boy. Pip learns that Herbert had located him after he found the letter sent to him by Orlick and assumed that it had dropped out of his pocket. Pip decides to delay reporting Orlick to a magistrate because it is late Monday and they must move Magwitch Wednesday. Instead, they return to London. Pip has trouble sleeping, thinking that every noise is someone coming to tell him Magwitch has been taken.

CHAPTER 54, PAGES 438-451

PLOT DEVELOPMENT: Pip, Startop, and Herbert set out on the congested Thames. They pick up a thankful Magwitch at Clara’s house. Like a poet, Magwitch compares life to a river with a murky bottom and tides that cannot be controlled. Indeed, as they stop for the night at a squalid inn, they learn from a servant that a boat has been hovering near the inn. As a precaution, Pip and Magwitch sneak out early in the morning and meet their rowboat further down the river. As they row for the German vessel that can take Magwitch to freedom, they are hailed by another boat and ordered to deliver Magwitch over, as he is under arrest. Magwitch recognizes Compeyson in the other boat, who, frightened by his old partner, tumbles into the water, followed instantly by Magwitch. The two tangle in the water, but only Magwitch surfaces. He says he did not kill Compeyson, though he would if he could, but Compeyson does not reappear. Magwitch has injured his chest, and Pip notices that his breathing seems troubled. He gets permission to accompany Magwitch to London. By now, Pip feels nothing but gratitude and love for his benefactor and pledges to be true to him. He realizes that officers for the crown will confiscate all of Magwitch’s wealth. 

Friday, 12/4

*Take the Chapter 46-48 Quiz
*Take the Roots Quiz
*Correct both

1. Two lies and a Thesis

You may need to finish brainstorming for your essay; if so, see the prompt below. When you are ready, write three possible theses in response to the prompt. One should be good; the other two should have something wrong with them or be sub-par. You will then see if your partner can guess which one is the good one, receive some quick feedback, and then continue writing your essay.

Basic thesis (Mr. K's example)--
The parents of young Hispanic males in Hawthorne, CA should encourage their sons to finish high school because it will help them get better jobs, become more responsible, and contribute to the economic growth of their city.

A better thesis--
Parents of young Hispanic males in Hawthorne, CA should not only allow their sons to finish high school after they turn eighteen, but should also encourage continued education in order to improve their job opportunities, instill life-long values, and develop a sense of civic duty.

An above and beyond thesis (notice the hint of responding to a counter-argument)--
Education does not detract from employment; it expands one's employment opportunities. Parents of young Hispanic males in Hawthorne, CA should recognize the inherent value of education to not only expand job opportunities, but to also instill a sense personal responsibility and civic duty in their sons, and to contribute to the welfare and growth of their community.

5.  How should people respond to class distinctions in your home town? Select a specific audience, identify what the class distinctions in your home town are and why they exist, and write an essay in which you create a persuasive argument about what should be done. Anticipate at least one counter-argument. Use evidence from Great Expectations, personal experience, history, or society to defend your argument. 

Questions to answer for brainstorming--

--What class divisions/distinctions exist in your hometown?

--Why do they exist?

--How can these divisions be broken down? What must change?

--What is a specific audience you can target that has power over this change?

--How can you persuade this audience to take action toward change?

--List out evidence from Great Expectations that may prove helpful.

Write a 5-paragraph persuasive essay that responds to this print.

INTRO--address audience, identify the issue, and state main argument.

Body 1--Assert an argument with evidence.

Body 2--Assert an argument with evidence.

Body 3--Anticipate a counter-argument, and defend with evidence from Great Expectations.

Conclusion--re-address the argument, summarize the described perspective on the issue, restate main argument, and create a call to action.

2. Begin generating a list of evidence to use--you must use at least two quotes from Great Expectations as you build concrete evidence for your arguments. 

Using quotes well

Claim--Making money just to keep climbing socially is an empty game that only promotes trouble, secrecy, and destroyed friendships.

Basic
For example, Herbert says to Pip, "If you were to renounce this patronage and these favours, I suppose you would do so with some faint hope of one day repaying what you have already had" (Dickens 363).

BetterFor example, Dickens shows this tension between Pip and Herbert when Herbert tells Pip that giving up Magwitch's "patronage and favours" would givehim only a "faint hope of one day repaying what you have already had (363).

Best
Herbert, unaware that he is "working up" with Pip's donated money, tries to give Pip financial advice by telling him that he would have only a "faint hope of one day repaying" the money if he gave up Magwitch's "patronage" (Dickens 363)

Essay Requirements--follow the provided checklist, the 5-paragraph outline above, and the essay structure outline at the MVCS Writing Resource blog here. 

Typed draft submitted to turnitin.com for peer critique is due by 8:00 AM on Tuesday, 12/8. Final Draft is due the following block, as well as independent reading. 

3. Read.

HW--Read Ch. 49-52
Persuasive Rough Draft due Tuesday, 12/8. All of class Monday, 12/7 will be devoted to writing.

Wednesday, 12/2

*Take the GE Ch. 42-45 Quiz

*Copy the last 4 roots for Q2 in your vocab notes or flashcards--

corp	body	corporation, corporal punishment, corpse, corpulent, corpus luteum
cosm	universe, world	cosmos, microcosm, cosmopolitan, cosmonaut
crat, cracy	rule	autocrat, aristocrat, theocracy, technocracy
crea	create	creature, recreation, creation

1. Grammar--review sentence types/purposes; simple subjects/complete subjects; objects and subject complements. You may simply annotate in your Bedford book, or copy and paste the sentences into your notes and mark them from there.


Bedford 47 - Complete & Simple Subjects - Exercise 47-1, p. 493 (only a & b)

*Complete Subjects--as "who or what" is doing the verb; include the entire phrase.
*Simple Subjects--strip away all modifiers and find the single or multiple nouns in the subject.

- Direct Objects & Subject Complements - Exercise 47-5, p 496 (only a, b, c)
- Direct Objects, Indirect Objects, and Object Complements - Exercise 47-6 (only a, b, c)
*You may need to review your notes for definitions

Bedford 49a - Sentence Types and Purposes - Exercise 49-1 p. 512 (review a, c, e together)

*You may need to review your notes for definitions; reminders--
--To know the sentence type, make note of how many subordinate and independent clauses are in the sentence.
--Be sure to notice coordinating conjunctions (which will indicate two independent clauses) or subordinating conjunctions (which will indicate an independent clause and a subordinate clause).
--Subordinating clauses, the whole phrase, can act like adverbs, adjectives, or nouns. Ask what it is modifying, or its relationship to a verb, to determine this.

2. Two lies and a Thesis

You may need to finish brainstorming for your essay; if so, see the prompt below. When you are ready, write three possible theses in response to the prompt. One should be good; the other two should have something wrong with them or be sub-par. You will then see if your partner can guess which one is the good one, receive some quick feedback, and then continue writing your essay.

Basic thesis (Mr. K's example)--
The parents of young Hispanic males in Hawthorne, CA should encourage their sons to finish high school because it will help them get better jobs, become more responsible, and contribute to the economic growth of their city.

A better thesis--
Parents of young Hispanic males in Hawthorne, CA should not only allow their sons to finish high school after they turn eighteen, but should also encourage continued education in order to improve their job opportunities, instill life-long values, and develop a sense of civic duty.

An above and beyond thesis (notice the hint of responding to a counter-argument)--
Education does not detract from employment; it expands one's employment opportunities. Parents of young Hispanic males in Hawthorne, CA should recognize the inherent value of education to not only expand job opportunities, but to also instill a sense personal responsibility and civic duty in their sons, and to contribute to the welfare and growth of their community.

5.  How should people respond to class distinctions in your home town? Select a specific audience, identify what the class distinctions in your home town are and why they exist, and write an essay in which you create a persuasive argument about what should be done. Anticipate at least one counter-argument. Use evidence from Great Expectations, personal experience, history, or society to defend your argument. Use at least two quotes from Great Expectations.

Questions to answer for brainstorming--

--What class divisions/distinctions exist in your hometown?

--Why do they exist?

--How can these divisions be broken down? What must change?

--What is a specific audience you can target that has power over this change?

--How can you persuade this audience to take action toward change?

--List out evidence from Great Expectations that may prove helpful.

Write a 5-paragraph persuasive essay that responds to this print.

INTRO--address audience, identify the issue, and state main argument.

Body 1--Assert an argument with evidence.

Body 2--Assert an argument with evidence.

Body 3--Anticipate a counter-argument, and defend with evidence from Great Expectations.

Conclusion--re-address the argument, summarize the described perspective on the issue, restate main argument, and create a call to action.

3. Begin generating a list of evidence to use--you must use at least two quotes from Great Expectations as you build concrete evidence for your arguments. 

*List more evidence than you will need so you have a wealth of material to choose from.

*On the Block, I will provide a more specific paragraph-by-paragraph outline of expectations for the essay.

*The prompt & paragraph guide

HW--Read Ch. 46-48

Tuesday, 12/1

*Take the Ch. 40-42 Quiz

1. Copy the following into your vocabulary notes or flashcards--

clam, claim	cry out	exclamation, clamor, proclamation, reclamation, acclaim
clud, clus, claus	shut	include, conclude, recluse, claustrophobia, occlusion, occult
cognoac, gnosi	know	recognize, prognosis, cognoscenti, incognito, agnostic
cord, cor, cardi	heart	cordial, concord, discord, courage, encourage

2. Who is Pip's benefactor? How might this impact Pip's character development, and how does this impact themes related to class?

3. Inspired by questions, topics, or themes from Great Expectations, think about the class divisions that exist in your home-town. This will be the topic for our persuasive essay.

*Generate as many open-ended questions related to class divisions in our culture that you can think of. Use the Opinion Survey and the novel as inspiration.

Open Ended--What are the implications of Pip's rise to wealth for his family?

Close-ended--Is Pip a criminal?

*Introduce the prompt, and start brainstorming--

5.  How should people respond to class distinctions in your home town? Select a specific audience, identify what the class distinctions in your home town are and why they exist, and write an essay in which you create a persuasive argument about what should be done. Anticipate at least one counter-argument. Use evidence from Great Expectations to defend your argument.

Questions to answer for brainstorming--

--What class divisions/distinctions exist in your hometown?

--Why do they exist?

--How can these divisions be broken down? What must change?

--What is a specific audience you can target that has power over this change?

--How can you persuade this audience to take action toward change?

--List out evidence from Great Expectations that may prove helpful.

Write a 5-paragraph persuasive essay that responds to this print.

INTRO--address audience, identify the issue, and state main argument.

Body 1--Assert an argument with evidence.

Body 2--Assert an argument with evidence.

Body 3--Anticipate a counter-argument, and defend with evidence from Great Expectations.

Conclusion--re-address the argument, summarize the described perspective on the issue, restate main argument, and create a call to action.

*Tomorrow, we will go over thesis writing, but you are welcome to work at your own pace in and outside of class. This and next week, I will allow you to prioritize reading or writing in class depending on your own work habits, as you think will be most effective.

HW--Read Ch. 42-45

Monday, 11/30

Welcome back! Please pick up a handout on the black table.

*Copy the next two roots into your vocabulary notes or flashcards--

cit	call, start	incite, citation, cite
civ	citizen	civic, civil, civilian, civilization

Then, start on the "Opinion Survey" (handout). If you finish before we come together, please start reading Chapter 40-42 (perhaps review 39 to get your bearings!)

*Stories from Thanksgiving?

1. Let's review and get our Great Expectations bearings by taking this "Opinion Survey." 

*Follow the instructions at the top; ignore the stuff at the bottom. If you have time, jot down a couple of thoughts explaining your choice, if you think it necessary. 

*Then, you will have to come to a group consensus on each issue. Aim to persuade each other--don't merely dominate and insist on your own way. 

*If you have time, discuss how Dickens might answer each of these based on the novel (cite evidence!).

*Come to consensus on just ten of the items.

2. Things to consider for today's reading--

*Pip is no longer living with Mr. Pocket--he is out on his own.

*Has he become a true gentleman?

*Who does Pip discover his benefactor (the person financially supporting him) to be? How will this impact Pip's character development? How does this impact themes related to class divisions in the novel?

HW--Read Chapters 40-42.

Monday, 11/30

Welcome back! Please pick up a handout on the black table.

*Copy the next two roots into your vocabulary notes or flashcards--

cit	call, start	incite, citation, cite
civ	citizen	civic, civil, civilian, civilization

Then, start on the "Opinion Survey" (handout). If you finish before we come together, please start reading Chapter 40-42 (perhaps review 39 to get your bearings!)

*Stories from Thanksgiving?

1. Let's review and get our Great Expectations bearings by taking this "Opinion Survey." 

*Follow the instructions at the top; ignore the stuff at the bottom. If you have time, jot down a couple of thoughts explaining your choice, if you think it necessary. 

*Then, you will have to come to a group consensus on each issue. Aim to persuade each other--don't merely dominate and insist on your own way. 

*If you have time, discuss how Dickens might answer each of these based on the novel (cite evidence!).

*Come to consensus on just ten of the items.

3. Things to consider for today's reading--

*Pip is no longer living with Mr. Pocket--he is out on his own.

*Has he become a true gentleman?

*Who does Pip discover his benefactor (the person financially supporting him) to be? How will this impact Pip's character development? How does this impact themes related to class divisions in the novel?

HW--Read Chapters 40-42.

Friday, 11/20

The Pumpkin

John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807 - 1892

Oh, greenly and fair in the lands of the sun, 
The vines of the gourd and the rich melon run, 
And the rock and the tree and the cottage enfold, 
With broad leaves all greenness and blossoms all gold, 
Like that which o’er Nineveh’s prophet once grew, 
While he waited to know that his warning was true, 
And longed for the storm-cloud, and listened in vain 
For the rush of the whirlwind and red fire-rain. ...

Then thanks for thy present! none sweeter or better 
E’er smoked from an oven or circled a platter! 
Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry more fine, 
Brighter eyes never watched o’er its baking, than thine! 
And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express, 
Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less, 
That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below, 
And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow, 
And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky 
Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie! 

Mr. Kirkendall is so thankful for all of you! Be grateful for the little things; try writing a poem about food, vegetables, or even avocados!

*Take the Ch. 33-35 Quiz

1. Take notes on Roots cap, cip, cept - cide, cise (#21 - 30). You may also choose to make flashcards with sample words.

2. Finish Persuasive writing #2. Here are the instructions--

Choose one. Label your paper "Persuasive Prompt #___." Write 1-2 solid body paragraphs that develop a clear train of thought with at least two uses of evidence per paragraph. At least one sample of evidence must be taken from Great Expectations. Each paragraph should include at least the following:

• Sentence #1--Topic Sentence.
• Sentence #2--Evidence #1 ("For example...")
• Sentence #3--Commentary/Explanation of Evidence #1.
• Sentence #4--Continued commentary/explanation of Evidence #1.
• Sentence #5--Evidence #2 ("In addition..."/"Furthermore...")
• Sentence #6--Commentary/Explanation of Evidence #2.
• Sentence #7--Continued commentary/explanation of Evidence #2.
• Sentence #8--Concluding statement reiterating the topic/main idea.

2.   Should children today be taught manners and etiquette for participating in ‘polite society,’ like the British aristocracy that Pip finds himself in? Why or why not? Create an argument that uses persuasive technique. Find evidence from personal experience, history, Great Expectations, or contemporary culture.

3. Who is the most selfish character in Great Expectations? Why? Is there any hope for his or her transformation? Create a persuasive argument with evidence from the text, considering at least one counter-argument. Find evidence from personal experience, history, Great Expectations, or contemporary culture.

[3.] If time, choose your best sample of persuasive writing. Find a partner. With that partner, read out loud whichever persuasive writing sample you think is best. If you are listening, listen close, and take notes on how you might strike back with a counter-argument. The reader will be allowed one attempt to defend his or her self; then, switch roles.

*When we finish, turn in both of your persuasive writing samples.

4. Is Pip grateful? Should he be? What would it take for him to become grateful? 

Read Ch. 36-39. Chapter 38 contains an important exchange between Miss Havisham and Estella, and Chapter 39 is a critical chapter for little Pip! Keep your eyes peeled for how Pip's perspective might be changing for the better or the worse. You may skip chapter 36-37 and read this plot summary instead:

CHAPTER 36

PLOT DEVELOPMENT: In November Pip comes of age (21). Jaggers summons him to the office, gives him 500 pounds to pay off his debts, and informs him that he will receive only 500 pounds a year until his benefactor comes to deliver the total. He will, therefore, have to manage his own spending. Pip asks Jaggers questions about his patron, but Jaggers reveals very little. While waiting to celebrate his birthday with Jaggers, Pip asks Wemmick for advice about lending money to a friend, but Wemmick advises against it. However, he implies that Pip might get another perspective if he were to ask the question while at Walworth.

CHAPTER 37

PLOT DEVELOPMENT: On Sunday Pip visits Walworth to find Wemmick out walking. Wemmick returns shortly with Miss Skiffins and uses an invention of his to communicate to his hearing-impaired father. Pip tells Wemmick that he wants to help Herbert by buying him access to a business. Despite his earlier warning against giving a friend money (Chapter 36), Wemmick asserts that it’s an excellent idea and he will find someone in the merchant trade who needs a partner, arranging everything so that Herbert is not aware of Pip’s help. The group have tea while the Aged reads aloud from the newspaper. At the end of the week, Wemmick sends word to Pip that Miss Skiffins’s brother has negotiated a deal, and Herbert will be offered a position with a merchant looking for a young partner, a man named Clarriker.

NEW CHARACTERS & PLACES: • Miss Skiffins: Wemmick’s girlfriend, a woman a few years younger than he, who visits the castle often, wears bright colors, and treats the Aged well. During tea, Wemmick repeatedly tries to put his arm around her, but ever the lady, she moves it away. • Clarriker’s House: a merchant business where Herbert will soon be working. Pip uses half of his 500 pounds to secretly ensure Herbert’s partnership.

HW--Be thankful, and read a good book that you enjoy (your independent reading). Remember to have it done by Friday, 12/18. Check out these sweet prayers of thanksgiving to help form gratitude in you.