January 10, 2017 Get a handout out of the basket. Start a new set of notes in your bell work notebook. Label it “Comma Rules.” Copy the notes and sentences below. Then, put the commas in the sentences where they belong. There will be commas and comma rules on your next several quizzes! I will check bell work notes on Friday. Comma Rules: 1. Introductory Element: Use a comma after a modifying element which is placed before the subject and verb (adverb clauses, phrases, transitional words). Example Sentences: As the host tied the cord, he spoke. Quickly, Mary slipped from the room. Write these sentences and put the commas where they go: Thankfully we got an extra snow day on Monday. Next week we get a short week because of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Finally Mrs. Watson is done with this comma lesson.

Mythology Annotations Get out your notes from last week. Read over them silently. Read through “Arachne the Spinner” silently as I read it aloud. Find the patterns of myths in the text. Create a “Map Key” for yourself with symbols representing the different patterns. (For example, the numbers patter could be represented with a #.) Then, go through and mark your text with the symbols you created. Finally, put examples of each in your notes. WE WILL HAVE A QUIZ tomorrow!

“How the World Was Made”—Cherokee Folk Tale Find the patterns of myths in the text. Use the “Map Key” that you made to annotate the text. Then, create a chart like the one for “Arachne the Spinner” to keep notes from this myth. You will choose between “How the World Was Made” and “Arachne the Spinner” for your writing. Come prepared with all of your notes to begin writing tomorrow.

Bell Work—January 11, 2017 Date your bell work entry. Then, Copy sentences and use your Rule 1 Comma Notes to help put the commas in the correct place. As soon as she got home Cara realized that she had forgotten her backpack at school. Even though it wouldn’t normally be a problem she had left her lunch of tuna fish and bananas in her bag. And now everything in her bag will be smelly by tomorrow.

Today’s agenda Bell Work (Will be graded on Friday!!) Quiz—You will need your own paper and pencil. Begin writing essay #1

“Bill and John” are appositives that RENAME “his sons.” Bell Work– January 12, 2017 Copy the Notes and Examples. Put the commas in the correct place in sentences 1-3. Comma Rule #2: Interrupting Element: Use two commas to ENCLOSE a modifying element which is used to interrupt the sentence to give the reader extra information. Sometimes the “modifying element” is called an APPOSITIVE if it renames the noun or pronoun that comes before it. YOU CAN ALSO USE DASHES OR PARENTHESES IN PLACE OF A COMMA IN THIS INSTANCE! His sons, Bill and John, were gone now. His sons—Bill and John—were gone now. His sons (Bill and John) were gone now. Mary stood there alone and tired as if she were dead. (HINT: How did she stand?) Amy’s best friends Marcy and Alex abandoned her when she needed them most. The new movie “Hidden Figures” is a box office hit, which beat out “Rogue One” last weekend. “Bill and John” are appositives that RENAME “his sons.”

Writing Mini-Lesson: Body Paragraphs Begin each body paragraph with your topic sentence. Your topic sentence should tell you what you have to “prove” in this paragraph. DON’T GET OFF TOPIC!!! Write only about what your topic sentence says to write about. Use TEXT EVIDENCE (quotations, paraphrases, or summaries) which support your topic sentence. Explain the connection between your evidence and topic sentence. End each body paragraph with a concluding sentence and transition to the next point.

Example Body Paragraph Red= Topic Purple =Evidence Blue= explanation Black= Conclusion The creation story, “How the World was Made,” is a myth because it is connected to a region, tradition, and belief system. According to the text, the story takes place in “Cherokee Country,” and the mountains and valleys were made by the Great Buzzard’s wings dipping and soaring through the land. The region referred to as “Cherokee Country” is what is now known as Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Besides being identified with a specific region, the text also mentions the Cherokee beliefs and traditions associated with the “underworld.” The story says that “there is another world under this, and it is like ours in everything—save that the seasons are different.” The Cherokees believed in this underworld because the “water in springs is always warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the outer air.” The story “How the World was Made” not only identifies the region and beliefs of the Cherokee, but also answers many questions about “WHY” certain natural elements are the way they are.

Bell Work—January 13, 2017 Copy the sentences. Label the subject and verb(s) in each sentence. Put commas where they should go. 1. Three brilliant African-American women at NASA Katherine Johnson Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history—the launch of the first astronaut into orbit. 2. The launch of the first astronaut John Glenn into orbit was a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence and turned around the Space Race.

ROUGH DRAFTS ARE DUE BEFORE YOU LEAVE TODAY!!! THEY ARE WORTH 50 POINTS!!!