16th October 2014

Types of Sentences:

Simple sentences have a subject and a verb. They are also called independent clauses and express a complete thought. An example of a simple sentence would be: I looked at the wall.

Compound sentences are made of two independent clauses and are connected with a coordinating conjunction. The coordinating conjunctions are sometimes known as FANBOYS because the first letter of each conjunction put together spells FANBOYS. The coordinating conjunctions are For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. An example of a compound sentence would be: I looked at the wall and there was paint on it.

Complex sentences are made of two kinds of clauses. Main clauses, the main information of the sentence, and subordinate clauses, the additional details. Main clauses can make a sentence on their own, but subordinate clauses cannot. Some subordinating conjunctions are: after, even though, unless, whenever. Subordinating clauses can be used at the beginning or the end of a sentence. They can also be used in between or split into two parts. An example of a complex sentence would be: As I looked at the wall, I noticed the paint dry.

 

16th October 2014

Tenses Table

6th October, 2014

Punctuating Dialogue:

-All dialogue MUST have punctuation at the end.

 

-If the dialogue is supposed to end with a period but indirect speech is put after the dialogue, the period becomes a comma.

-E.g: “I don’t want it to remain a mystery,” Sam tells his friends sitting next to him, “I want to know how I did on the test.”

-The first part of this dialogue ends with a comma because after it is indirect speech, not part of the dialogue.

-The second part of this dialogue ends with a period because there is no indirect speech after it and it ends the sentence.

 

 

-If the dialogue ends with another form of punctuation, such as an exclamation mark or a question mark, it doesn’t need to end with a comma.

-E.g: “I really want to know!” shouts Sam, “How did I do on the test?”

-The first part of this dialogue ends with an exclamation mark, it doesn’t need to end with a comma.

 

 

-After dialogue, the beginning of the indirect speech is not capitalized, with the exception of capitalizing “I’s” and names

 

23rd September, 2014

Commas:

When to use commas:
-To separate phrases that aren’t necessary to be there.
-To use a conjunction to link two independent clauses.
-To specifically address someone.
-To list something.
-To use multiple adjectives to describe one noun.
-To end introductory clauses or phrases.

When NOT to use commas:
-To seperate two independent clauses with no conjunction.
-To be placed after a conjunction.
-To seperate a dependent and independent clause with a conjunction.
-To add a pause to a sentence.

 

4th September, 2014.

Active and Passive Voice:

Active Voice:
Active voice is a sentence or phrase that has a subject before the verb. It is more common than passive voice. An example of active voice would be “Sally sang a song.”

 

Passive Voice:
Passive voice is the opposite of active voice. Passive voice has the verb before the subject. Sometimes passive voice doesn’t tell you the subject! Passive voice is generally weaker than active voice. An example of passive voice would be “The song was sung by Sally.”

3rd June 2015

Goals Presentation Rubric

27th May 2015

Work Habits

1st April 2015

Q3 Goals Presentation Rubric

Quarter Four Writing Goal:

My goal is to get at least 30 words in my Wonder Words Wall.

I’ve never been very good at writing down words in my word wall. I’d also like to attempt to use some of these words in both my writing and my conversations.

The words will be on my Word Wall.

30 doesn’t seem like too much for the rest of the year. I will get a handful of words from the books I am currently reading, the ones I will read in the future, and maybe reread previous books that I have read.

I might not use the words so much, but I can easily manage 30 words on my wall.

I’ll do it by the end of the quarter.

 

Quarter Four Reading Goal:

My goal is to achieve (and possibly surpass) the recommended reading goal of 35 total books by the end of the year.

I will read 35 books of a variety of genres. I’m falling behind, but I want to catch up.

The books will be on my Reading Log.

I will have to have a lot of discipline. I will spend at least three hours reading each week.

I have about 21 books currently read. I haven’t found any of the book equivalents yet, but I’m pretty sure that all of my books only count as one each.

I will read a total of 35 books (including the ones that I have already read) by the end of the year.

 

9th January 2015

Quarter Three Writing Goal:

My goal is to write poems.

Specific: Poems to me are quite intriguing. I never really liked them when I was younger and I haven’t written any recently.

Measurable: I will put them all on a Google Folder.

Actionable: I will write as often as I want. I feel that restricting myself to writing at certain times will only lead to failure, so I’m going to be a bit more relaxed this quarter.

Realistic: I will write at least six poems of any length, but I won’t be unfair and do six short poems.

Timely: There is a competition known as the “Hong Kong Budding Poets.” I have heard a little bit about it from my creative writing class and this year I feel like giving it a try. I think the due date to submit is the 20th of January, but it might have been for February. I want to submit one poem to that, but I will continue to write other poems for the rest of quarter three.

Quarter Three Reading Goal:

My goal is to try to read books more often.

Specific: I want to read more, because I feel that the reason I don’t have many books on my reading log is because I don’t take much time to just read.

Measurable: My reading log is a Google Doc.

Actionable: I will try to read at least two hours and thirty minutes every week.

Realistic: I will also try to read a bigger variety of books.

Timely: I will finish at the end of quarter three, but of course I will keep reading for my whole life.

9th January 2015

Jonah P’s Quarter Two Goals Presentation Rubric

Jonah P’s Quarter Two Goals Presentation

15th December 2014

Quarter Two Language Arts Work Habits

5th November 2014

Quarter One Goals Presentation Rubric

3rd November 2014

Quarter Two Writing Goal:

My goal is to improve my grammar and spelling in essays.

Specific: I often make careless mistakes in my pieces of writing.

Measurable: I will write all the careless mistakes I make on a document and practice correcting them.

Actionable: In every piece of writing I do, I will reread the whole thing at least once to look for minor, careless mistakes.

Realistic: I will reread all writing I do, from homework to tests.

Timely: I will have better grammar and spelling in my tests, so I’ll continue this even after quarter two.

 

Quarter Two Reading Goal:

My goal is to use my Wonder Words Wall this quarter.

Specific: I will actually use my Wonder Words Wall.

Measurable: My Wonder Words Wall is on my blog.

Actionable: Have at least one word every week.

Realistic: I will get the words from all the books that I read.

Timely: Finish on December 18, 2014.

4th September 2014

Quarter One Writing Goal:

My goal is to try to write more stories for the fun of it.

Specific: I will try to write more fictional stories (free writing).

Measurable: I will have a Google Doc with all of the stories in it.

Actionable: I need to discipline myself to try writing something every weekend.

Realistic: I need a lot of discipline, focus and motivation. I also need to enjoy it.

Timely: I won’t have a deadline, I will keep writing. Maybe I will try to write 3 stories by October 17th.

 

Quarter One Reading Goal:

My goal is to find more interesting books to read.

Specific: I find that reading books that are boring or uninteresting is hard because I don’t like reading without enjoying it.

Measurable: I will make a list of the books to see which ones I should read and cross off the books I have read once I have read them.

Actionable: I will get recommendations from my friends, family and teachers.

Realistic: I need to ask people and maybe look at bookstore/library recommendations.

Timely: I will find at least 16 recommendations.

 

27 April 2015

Jonah P’s The Outsiders Literary Elements

Jonah P’s The Outsiders Sticky Notes

3rd March 2015

Everything Has Its Cost

9th December 2014

Jonah P’s Stem Cell Research Persuasive Writing Essay

 

12th November 2014

Krish Galani Legalize it Analysis

Jonah Paull Legalize it Analysis

Jonah Paull Argument Paper Analysis

 

16th October 2014

The Perilous Pond

 

6th October 2014

The Horrors of Silkworms/Moths Writing Formative.

 

4th September 2014

To brainstorm for what ideas on my personal narrative I use either a mind map or a list. I have used the personal narrative planner for two of my narratives. They are very helpful and allow me to plan out my story really easily.

27 May, 2015.

Reading Comprehension Assessment

31 March, 2015.

26 March, 2015.

24 March, 2015.

23 March, 2015.

19 March, 2015.

Tuff Time:

Q: Are the Socs and Greasers really that different? Why? Why not?

A: I believe that the Socs and Greasers are similar in ways, but also a bit different. Of course the amount of money they have is one difference, but another difference mentioned in the book is their feelings. “It’s not money, it’s feeling-you don’t feel anything and we feel too violently,” (page: 38). This is a quote from Ponyboy that accurately describes their differences. On the other hand, they are all kids who all have problems. “Things are rough all over” (page: 35). This is a quote from Cherry that talks about the similiarities between both groups. Both groups are filled with troublemakers, but both groups have their own problems. They live in the same general area (seperated by the east and west sides).

Q: Are there any connections you can make to any of the charcters and/or their situation?

A: I can’t really connect to any of the characters so much, because I don’t have many problems in life. Hong Kong is much safer than wherever these people live. We don’t get jumped and beaten by random people, we aren’t distinguished into two social classes, and we don’t all carry switchblades everywhere we go.

Q: Why do you think Johnny killed Bob?

A: He was scared that Bob was going to murder Ponyboy. Maybe it also had something to do with revenge, because I think that Bob was the one who beat up Johnny earlier. The main reason was to save Ponyboy.

Q: What could have been some alternatives?

A: Instead of killing Bob, Johnny could have just punched him or called for help. The best thing would have been to distract Bob, causing him to release his grip on Pony. This would give the window opportunity that Ponyboy needs, allowing Pony to beat up Bob and run. They probably should have just ran.

Q: Why do you think Ponyboy and Johnny’s situation prompted Ponyboy’s recitation of “Nothing Gold Can Stay?”

A: Ponyboy would have never recited the poem with Two-Bit, Dally, or even Sodapop. He recited it because the moment was perfect for it. He learned that Johnny thinks deeply about things, so that’s why he felt it was appropriate to say the poem in front of Johnny. Also, because it matched what Johnny was thinking.

Q: Who is innocent? Who has experience? (Think about all characters).

A: In the story, no one is innocent. Everyone is guilty of something. They all have experience. A group of Socs ganged up on Johnny. Johnny killed a guy. Dally is the complete opposite of innocent. Everyone has done something that they regret. Ponyboy shouldn’t have left Darry. Darry shouldn’t have hit Ponyboy. This isn’t to say that everyone is bad, but no one is 100% clean.

Q: What is the difference between Cherry the Soc and Cherry the Dreamer?

A: Cherry the Soc is the way that Cherry acts in front of her peers, to maintain her reputation. It’s sort of her outside, where Cherry the Dreamer is what she’s like on the inside. Cherry the Soc tries to not hang out with Greasers, in fear that the other Socs will think less of her. She tries to act tough, but she’s really more like Ponyboy in their interests. She likes to chat with Greasers and she likes to do things like watch sunsets and watch movies, but in order to keep up that “tough girl” look, she has to act differently than she normally does.

Q: Are Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally heroes? Why? Why not?

A: Although Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally are heroic, they aren’t exactly heroes. They may have done righteous things, but classifying them as heroes doesn’t really make sense. They do bad things, so why aren’t they villains? They are just normal people, nothing spectacular or anything. There shouldn’t be heroes or villains, there should just be people. They are sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Q: How do we know Darry does truly care for Ponyboy?

A: The book makes it really obvious (to the reader, at least) that Darry does really care about Ponyboy. Ponyboy doesn’t believe this, because he is young and makes bad decisions (sometimes). Ponyboy is one of the few members of Darry’s family that are still alive, so of course Darry cares for him! Darry wants to make sure that Ponyboy is safe, he’s never really said anything with the intention of hurting Ponyboy. Sometimes Darry may be depressed for some reason, so he might take out his anger on Ponyboy, but Darry just wants his brother to be safe.

Q: Write what you understand about the line that Cherry said about loving Dallas Winston:

“I could fall in love with Dallas Winston. I hope I never see him again or I will.” -Cherry Valance (pg. 46).

A: I feel that Cherry means to say that she can fall in love with anyone. It may be something else, but I’m not quite sure that I understand the quote. Maybe it means that compared to the Socs, Dallas Winston is nothing, though I doubt that is what she means. Maybe she could fall in love with Dallas Winston because she likes him, or she likes the way he acts. She possibly means that if she spends time with anyone, she might love them.

Q: In realizing that Cherry has green eyes, what does this signify for Ponyboy and his understanding of people and the world?

A: Ponyboy hates green eyes. Ponyboy used to judge people by what eyes they have. He always pretends that his eyes are grey. Now that Ponyboy has met Cherry, he realizes not to judge people by what they look like. His understanding of people was that if they had a certain eye color, they acted similar to other people with the same eye color. Now, he knows that this is not true.

 

18 March, 2015.

Everything Has Its Cost Extras

 

19 January, 2015.

Jonah P’s Language Arts Summative Reading Assessment

 

6th January, 2015.

Reading Formative Assessment America the Not-so-Beautiful

 

5th January, 2015.

PSA Rubric

6th October, 2014.

Chinese Cinderella Reading Summative Pg 1

Chinese Cinderella Reading Summative Pg 2

23rd September, 2014.

My First Conk Pg 1

My First Conk Pg 2

15th September, 2014.

Popularity Reading Formative Rubric

11th September, 2014.

“Popularity” Questions.

Click Here

4th September, 2014.

Reading Log:

Click Here

Trackers:

Jonah’s Personal Narrative Tracker for The Follower.

Jonah’s Personal Narrative Tracker for  I Confess.

30th May 2015

A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons, By Cressida Cowell

Driftwood: Pieces of miscellaneous wood floating in the sea.

Reverberate: A loud, echoing noise that repeats.

Skulk: Stay hidden (because of sinisterness or cowardice).

Stinkpot: A bad smelling person.

Plug-ugly: Very ugly.

 

How to Seize a Dragon’s Jewel, By Cressida Cowell

Indentation: A small inwards dent in something.

Inexorably: Unpreventable.

Affronted: Something that offends someone.

Jostled: Bumped around in a crowd.

 

26th May 2015

How to Betray a Dragon’s Hero, By Cressida Cowell

Bluebottle: A type of blowfly.

Acutely: Intensely.

Woozy: Dizzy.

Deadening: To make something less intense.

Fretful: Feeling distressed.

Protruding: Sticking out of something.

Seabird: A bird from the sea.

Remises: A second thrust after an unsuccessful first one (swordfighting/fencing).

Imminent: About to happen quickly.

Druid: A priest or wizard.

Bard: Poet or musician.

 

13th May 2015

The Outsiders Quizlet Test

 

5th May 2015

How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale, By Cressida Cowell

Uncouth: lack of manners or grace.

Loutish: uncouth and thug-like.

Scalded: to be harmed by a very hot liquid.

Bootee: a baby’s shoe (made of wool).

Reverberating: a loud repeating noise.

Pustules: a pimple/blister with pus.

Opaqueness: blocking light; non-transparent.

Contorted: twisted or bent out of the usual shape of something.

Grotesque: very ugly.

Feverish: showing symptoms of a fever.

Jubilantly: showing great happiness.

Deluge: a huge flood.

2nd March 2015

The Giver Vocabulary Test

 

16th December 2014

All the Wrong Questions: “Shouldn’t You Be in School?”, By Lemony Snicket

I found many new words in this book, however it did not feel too complicated. The words were just for enhancement, they did not confuse the meaning of the story. I found even more than the ones listed below, but I will try to reread parts of the book to find most of them.

Adversely/Adverse: Adjective, decreasing success or badly. Example: The feedback had adversely affected the author.

Lollygagging/Lollygag: Verb, informal way of saying that one uses time without aim or control. Example: “Come on! Quit lollygagging!” He shouted at me.

Arson: Noun, setting someone’s property on fire on purpose. Example: The man had comitted arson many times, which is why they sent him to prison.

Prestigious: Adjective, having a large influence on others; being of a high ranking. Example: We visited a very prestigious university.

Affix: Verb, attach or stick something to something else. Example: He was able to affix the sticker to his book.

Pedagogical/Pedagogic: Adjective, associated with teaching. Example: The man was skilled with pedagogics.

Slatternly: Adjective, untidy and unprofessional. Example: They were looking quite slatternly after last night.

Bashful: Adjective, shy; unwanting to draw attention to themselves. Example: The girl hiding in the corner was obviously quite bashful.

Farro: Noun, a type of grain similar to rice. Example: The farro from this restaurant was incredibly tasty.

Sautéed/Sauté: Adjective, fried quickly in hot fat. Example: He quickly sautéed the potatoes.

Zilch: Pronoun, informal way of saying nothing. Example: Even after all of the investigations, we learned zilch.

 

12th December 2014

The Scorch Trails, By: James Dashner

Decay: Verb, deteriorating or decomposition of an organic substance. Example: The child had a bad case of tooth decay.

Craggy: Adjective, containing many crags, which are steep hills. Example: They slowly hiked up the craggy mountain.