Welcome to Mrs. Gentry’s English class! Please take a seat anywhere for now. Get the 3 handouts on the table by the door. Silently read my letter to you. I will be calling role and showing you your seat as you read. Please listen for your name!

Welcome to Mrs. Gentry’s English class! Please take a seat anywhere for now. Please write down three reasons why you think you belong in honors on a half sheet of paper. Use the frame below to complete this assignment. Example: One reason I belong in honors is because…. Furthermore, I…. Finally…. I will be calling role and showing you your seat as you write. Please listen for your name!

Mingling Turn to your neighbor and share your reasons. Be prepared to share out loud. My partner_______ thinks he/she will be successful in honors because ______________________________.

CP Agenda Name tent- 5 minutes Syllabus- 15 minutes Friendly Letter Instructions-10 minutes Would You Rather?- 20 minutes Questions for Teacher- 5 minutes

HP Agenda Name tent- 5 minutes Syllabus- 15 minutes This week in class- 5 minutes Summer Assignment directions- 10 minutes Would You Rather?- 20 minutes Questions for Teacher- 5 minutes

(ALL) Name Tent Fold the name tent appropriately and then write your first and last name on the tent in the same size as the example tag. (LCP’s 1-5 should be facing you after you fold the paper) Draw a symbol or picture that represents something unique about yourself in the upper-right-hand corner.

(ALL) Syllabus Read as a class! Materials and parent signature due Wednesday! You will earn TEN extra credit points towards your participation grade if you Follow me on Twitter!

HP this week Tuesday- collecting your essay, importance of communication Wednesday- vocabulary words due, Learning Styles/Personality Style Thursday- One question test on Farewell to Arms, group work, About Me Friday- Literary Terms Test, Inference for this year

HP Summer Assignment Your Essay- You can turn it in today or tomorrow, BUT before you turn it in, make sure: Have a Clear Heading Name Date class You addressed which prompt you are responding to in the first paragraph You responded to the text, not summarized it (you know you did this if you provided examples that work to prove your thesis statement)

HP Tonight’s HW-Due WEDNESDAY Choose 20 vocabulary words from A Farewell to Arms. Write each word down, provide the part of speech as it is used in the novel, define it, provide the page number. Format: Word (part of speech as it is used in the novel): definition, page number from book. Example: Treason (noun)- the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith, page 192 ***On Wednesday, we will have a group activity with the vocabulary words. The group with the most words will earn a prize!

CP Friendly Letter Instructions Write a friendly introduction letter back to me. Your letter should contain 5 paragraphs and be similar in format to my letter.

CP Friendly Letter Instructions Use the following outline to help guide your writing, and do not forget to sign your letter when you are finished. Par. 1: Brief Introduction Par. 2: Background (where you grew up, what schools you attended, unique school/English class experiences you would like to share) Par. 3: Hopes for this English class! Par. 4: Hobbies and Interests Par. 5: Future Dreams and Goals *You may use some of the wording from my letter to help you write your return letter.

CP What is the format of a friendly letter? August 31, 2009 Dear Students, Welcome to my class. My name is Mrs. Gentry. I am looking forward to a great year, and I hope to get to know each of you as the year progresses. Teaching is something that I am very passionate about. Before we start the year, it is important that you know a little bit about me. I love teaching, but I have other hobbies as well. One hobby that I love doing is reading. I mostly read suspense stories and I love to read stories that have been turned into movies. My favorite thing to do is cook. I cook dinner every night and always try new recipes. Music is a big part of my life. I do not have a good singing voice, but it does not stop me from singing every lyric in a song which, admittedly, can be scary for those around me. Finally, I love spending time with friends and family. My plans for the future are to continue doing what I love: teaching. I do have a few other crazy dreams. I would like to write a book, learn how to play guitar, and travel the world! In addition, I would love to get more involved in volunteer services. In the future, my husband and I would love to have children. For now, my goal for this year is to help each and every one of you become successful. I am very excited to be working with all of you. I hope you will write back and tell me some things about yourself. Sincerely, Mrs. Gentry Date top right  Use a comma after salutation Indent paragraphs. Skip 1 line between paragraphs Skip four lines

(ALL) Let’s Get to Know Each Other How people believe and whether or not they can defend their beliefs, is very telling in who they are as individuals. A person who can provide examples for why he believes a certain way automatically establishes credibility. The opposite is true of a person who cannot back up his position; he loses credibility when he cannot provide an example for why he believes a certain way. In order for me to get to know a little information about you, as well as see where your skill level is, we are going to play “Would You Rather…” Don’t be shy; assert yourself as an individual. Look at “Would You Rather…” power point

Mingling Activity Purpose: To get to know more about your classmates Directions: Pass the roll of toilet paper down your rows. Take as many squares as you want. You must take more than one! Further instruction to come…

Game Activity Continued For as many squares of toilet paper you took, you have to share one thing about yourself. Example: If I took 3 squares, I have to share 3 things about myself.

Questions for Teacher This is your opportunity to ask me questions.

Enjoy the rest of your day!