Mrs. Valentine's Class

In today’s class, we discussed upcoming projects for May.

As we complete the reading of “DIARY,” we plan to work in groups to act out skits of various scenes. This will require in-class work, revising the script, practicing lines and demonstrating creative acting ability.

The 4th quarter IR project/presentation will be a puppet show, either presented as a live performance or an i-movie to promote each student’s IR book. Students will work on their puppet show scripts for homework this week, and the scripts will be due on Monday, May 14th. Puppets shows will be presented on Monday, May 21st and Tuesday, May 22nd.

HW due Tuesday, 5/8:
1) If you haven’t finished your IR book, read independently for at least 30 minutes.
2) Begin work on the script for your Puppet Show.
3) Get a parent signature on your 4th Quarter IR Rubric.
4) Using the worksheet, rate your favorite scenes to act out: 1, 2 & 3.

For an extra point:
Use the dashboard translator on your laptop to translate the German words in Act II, Scene 4. Write this information along with your name on a 3×5 card.

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, after taking a 5-point quiz on Scene 3, we discussed D Day. This enormous undertaking involved approximately 150,000 troops. The Allied invasion of Normandy was the turning point of World War II. Within a year of June 6, 1944, Hitler had committed suicide and the war was over.

HW due Friday, 5/4:
1) Read & highlight Act II, Scenes 4 & 5, pages 94-101.
2) Prepare for a 10-point quiz on Act II, Scenes 4 & 5, pages 94 – 101.
3) Using your lap top, write a Summary and Response (2 paragraphs) for Act II, Scene 4. The summary can begin with the words, “As the telephone rings constantly, the people in hiding…” The response should begin with the words, “If I were there, …”

A Hint for the Blog Readers:
In Scene 4, be sure to know what Anne does when she “can’t stand being cooped up for one more minute.” In Scene 5, be sure to know where Miep was when the police surrounded the block.

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, after taking a 5-point quiz on Scene 2, we discussed events in the scene as well as the differences in outlook between optimists, pessimists, fatalists and realists. Then we began reading Scene 3 aloud. In this scene, we see a very different side of Mrs. Frank!

HW due Tuesday, 5/1:
1) Read & highlight Act II, Scene 3, pages 86-94.
2) Prepare for a 5-point quiz on Act II, Scene 2, pages 86-94.

A Hint for the Blog Readers:
In Scene 3, be sure to know the wonderful news that Miep tells everyone.

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, after taking a 5-point quiz on Act II, Scene 1, we discussed Haiku poetry We agreed that the best Haikus use vibrant language to create a picture in the reader’s mind. After writing Haiku poems of their own, sixth grades wrote their best poems on the sidewalks to share with the SCDS community.

HW due Monday, 4/30:
1) Read & highlight Act II, Scene 2, pages 78-86.
2) Prepare for a 5-point quiz on Act II, Scene 2, pages 77-86.
3) Using your laptop, write two paragraphs, a Summary and a Response, for ActII, Scene 2. The first paragraph can begin with the words, “At the beginning of Scene 2, Anne and Peter are preparing…” The second paragraph can begin with the words, “If I were there,…”

A Hint for the Blog Readers:
In Scene 2, be sure to know what Anne’s new ambition (future job or career) is.

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, after taking a 5-point quiz on Act II, Scene 1, students shared their Summaries & Responses for Act I, Scene 5. One of the best responses centered around the idea that living as the people in hiding did actually provided the valuable and difficult learning experience of not taking anything for granted. For example, a used crossword puzzle book was a treasured gift. In this scene, Anne’s best qualities are displayed, and her creativity, thoughtfulness and generosity make this Hanukkah especially memorable.

HW due Friday, 4/27:
1) Read & highlight Act II, Scene 2, pages 72-77.
2) Prepare for a 5-point quiz on Act II, Scene 2, pages 72-77.
3) Get a parent signature on your Act I quizzes.

EXTRA POINT OPPORTUNITY
Write a Haiku poem (1st line:5 syllables; 2nd line: 7 syllables; 3rd line – 5 syllables) on a 3×5 card for extra points. Choose vibrant, dynamic words, and don’t forget to put your name on the card.

A Hint for the Blog Readers:
In Scene 2, be sure to know what Margot wishes.

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, after taking a 5-point quiz on Scene 5, students were introduced to Act II, Scene 1. One year has passed, and it is now January 1, 1944. The families have been in hiding for one and a half years now, and time has taken its toll. They are all thinner and a bit despondent. Happily, Miep and Mr. Kraler arrive with presents to celebrate the new year. Ironically, that is when trouble begins…

HW due Thursday, 4/26:
1) On your laptop, write Summary & Response paragraphs for Act I, Scene 5. The first paragraph should begin with the words, “At the end of 1942, …” The second paragraph should begin with the words, “If I were there, …” (You may put these paragraphs in the same document as your Summary and Response for Act I, Scene 3.)
2) Read & highlight Act II, Scene 1, pages 65-71.
3) Prepare for a 5-point quiz on Act II, Scene 1, pages 65-71.

A Hint for the Blog Readers:
In Scene 1, be sure to know the joke that Mr. Dussel makes about Mouschi that makes Peter furious.

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, after students took a 5-point quiz on Scene 4, we started to read Scene 5, which begins as the people in hiding celebrate Hanukkah in December 1942. Mr. Frank reads the words of the prayer book, which are especially meaningful for this time, referring to the Maccabees who fought oppression two thousand years ago and experienced the miracle of light. Mrs. Frank reads from Psalm 121, “The Lord shall keep thee from all evil. He shall keep thy soul.” In the darkest time in Europe, these people courageously celebrated light.

HW due Wednesday, 4/25:
1) Read & highlight Act I, Scene 5, pages 51-64.
2) Prepare for a 5-point quiz on Act I, Scene 5, pages 51-64.
*If you haven’t already done so, get a parent signature on your 4th Quarter Interim Progress Report.

EXTRA POINTS OPPORTUNITY!
To earn 2 extra points, write a good example of a PUN on a 3×5 card. (Don’t forget to put your name on the card as well.)

A Hint for the Blog Readers:
In Scene 5, be sure to know the gifts that Anne gives everyone for Hanukkah.

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, after taking a quiz on the second half of Scene 3, some students read their summaries and reflections of the scene. Then we pointed out an instance of foreshadowing when Mr. Van Daan had reservations about allowing Mr. Dussel to join them in hiding because of the scarcity of food. Sure enough, at the beginning of Scene 4, Mr. Van Daan is sneaking food from the food chest in the middle of the night…

HW due Tuesday, 4/24:
1) Read and highlight Scenes 4 & 5, pages 46-57.
2) Be prepared for a 5-point quiz on pages 46-57.
3) Get a parent signature on your 4th quarter Interim Progress Report.
(Please be sure to inform your parents that your average may very well change when the score from the reading quizzes is added this week.)

A Hint for the Blog Readers:
In Scene 4, what trick does Anne play on Mr. Dussel that she later regrets?

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, students took a 5-point quiz on the first half of Scene 3. Then we discussed some high points of the scene together. As the months of hiding in the annex progress, we are learning about the personalities of the characters and how they deal with the hardships of being in hiding. The optimists, like Mr. Frank and Anne, try to make the best of things with positive thinking and humor, while the pessimists, like Mr. Van Daan, resign themselves to feeling miserable and take out their frustrations on the people around them. All of this makes for “drama”!

HW due Monday, 4/23:
1. Read & highlight the rest of Scene 3, pages 36 – the bottom of 45.
2. Prepare for a 5-point quiz on pages 36-45.
3. Using your laptop and double-spacing the font, write 2 good paragraphs on Scene 3.
* The first paragraph should summarize the important events in the scene. It can start with the following words: After living in the Annex for two months, everyone is starting to…
* The second paragraph should be your response to the scene. Pretend that you are there, living through these experiences with the characters. The paragraph should start with the following words: If I were there,…
(Don’t print this assignment. You will be writing other scene summaries and responses.)

A Hint for the Blog Readers:
Be sure to know the bad news that Mr. Dussel tells everyone.

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!

In today’s class, after taking a 5-point quiz on Act I – Scene 2, students got into small groups to begin reading Scene 3, tonight’s homework. Everyone seemed to enjoy taking parts and reading with expression!

HW due Friday, 4/20:
1) Read & highlight the first half of Scene 3, pages 22 – 35.
2) Be prepared for a 5-point QUIZ on pages 22 – 35.

A Hint for Blog Readers:
Be sure to know what Mrs. Van Daan tells Anne to say to boys who are “fresh.”

Extra-Credit Assignment!
Begin writing your own diary/journal on Wednesday, 4/18. Spend approximately 15-20 minutes on each entry. Students who write thorough entries every day until we finish the play will earn an extra point on their 4th quarter average!