ELA Seminar
Mrs. Demos
2012-2013
Quarter 1
Drill 1 August 28
Homework: Get Parent Letter Signed. Bring in all supplies by
Friday. One tissue box for next week.
Objective: Students will become familiar with the ELA seminar
procedures and policies.
 Drill: Identify the subject (noun) and predicate (main verb)
in the following sentences.
 (The sentences are on your handout.)
Drill 1 Answer
 Albert Einstein is reading an anti-gravity book. The book is
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impossible to put down.
Mrs. Demos usually takes steps to avoid elevators.
Joey could not quite remember how to throw a boomerang,
but eventually it came back to him.
Mummies are bound to be uptight.
Catherine was going to look for my missing watch, but she
could never find the time.
Drill 2 8/29
 Homework: All Supplies Due Friday 8/31. Bring a box of
tissues for a project.
 Objective: SWBAT identify parts of speech in order to
ensure correct usage.
 Drill: Use the same sentences from drill 1. Highlight all of
the adjectives pink and all of the adverbs green.
Drill 2 Answer
 Albert Einstein is reading a an anti-gravity book. The book is




impossible to put down.
Mrs. Demos usually takes steps to avoid elevators.
Joey could not quite remember how to throw a boomerang,
but eventually it came back to him.
Mummies are bound to be uptight.
Catherine was going to look for my missing watch, but she
could never find the time.
Drill 3 8/30
 Homework: All supplies tomorrow. Tissue box for project.
 Objective: SWBAT explore word function in order to
expand their writing.
 Drill: Combine these two simple sentences into one
sentence.
1.
2.
1.
Catherine was going to look for my missing watch.
She could never find the time.
Compare answers with your team. Be prepared to share.
Drill 4 8/31
 Objective: TSW set measurable goals for the coming year in
order to measure progress.
 Drill: Create a list of all the activities (sports, clubs, reading,
computer games) in which you are successful.
 Pick one of your successful activities and list at least three
reasons why you think you are successful.
Drill 9/4
 Bring in your Falcon’s Nest basket items by Friday.
 Objective: The students will demonstrate the ability to
combine and compose sentences in order to improve
sentence fluency.
 Drill: Put your name, date, period 1 and Diagnostic 1 on the
scantron.
 Think about two things you can do to be successful on this
pre-test.
Drill 9/6
 Objective: The student will recognize and use phrases in
order to improve sentence fluency.
 Drill: Pick any of the phrases you reviewed yesterday and add
one to the following sentences.
 Toby Chases.
Drill 9/5 answers
 Prepositional Phrase: Shows location and time. Begins with a
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preposition and ends with a noun.
Appositive Phrase: Renames the noun. Set off by commas.
Participial Phrase: Verb used as an adjective. Ends in –ing or
–ed
Infinitive Phrase: The word “to” plus a verb. Used as a noun,
adjective, or adverb.
Absolute Phrase: Modifies the rest of the sentence. Begins
with a personal pronoun and is set off with commas.
Drill 9/10
 Objective: The students will analyze the diagnostice in order
to set goals.
 Drill: Put your name, date, period 1 and Diagnostic 2 on the
scantron.
 Think about two things you can do to be successful on this
pre-test.
Drill 9/11
 Objective: Students will analyze and evaluate figurative language
in order to understand its contribution to meaning and/or style.
 Drill: Compare the following two sentences.
 The rain falls on the forest.
 The ancient yet ageless oaks reach their tired arms to the sky, drinking in
the drops of cool water like an old lady reaching for the last bit of her
youth.
 Why might an author choose to write one sentence over the
other?
 What examples of figurative language can you identify in this
sentence?
Drill 9/12
 Objective: Students will analyze and evaluate figurative
language in order to understand its contribution to meaning
and/or style.
 Drill: Identify the figurative language used in this quote.
Explain what the author is trying to communicate to the
reader.

 “An apprehensive night crawled slowly by like a wounded snake and
sleep did not visit Rainsford, although the silence of a dead world
was on the jungle”(Connell).
Drill 9/13
 Objective: The student will be able to analyze and
evaluate how specific language choices contribute to
meaning in order to interpret the text.
 Drill: Review the directions for annotation.
 Make a list of all the types of skills a reader needs to do
in order to effectively annotate the text.
Drill 9/14
 Objective: SW review sentence structure and phrases in
order to improve sentence fluency.
 Drill: Add an appositive phrase to this sentence.
 The jaguar must know fear.
Drill 9/18
 Objective: Students will cite the textual evidence that most
strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text in order to
understand characterization.
 Drill: Combine the following sentences to form a complex
sentence.
 Joe Flacco could not throw a complete pass on Sunday.
The Eagles beat the Ravens by one point.
Drill 9/19
 Objective: Students will cite textual evidence that supports
an analysis of what the author is trying to tell the reader
(theme).
 Drill: Identify the figurative language and explain what
Richard Connell is trying to say.
 “Then, as he stepped forward, his foot sank into the ooze. He
tried to wrench it back, but the muck sucked viciously at his
foot as if it were a giant leech.”
 Why do authors use figurative language?
Drill 20
 Homework: Complete and turn in any missing assignments
by Monday 9/24.
 Objective: Students will cite text evidence to support
explicit and inferential information in the text.
 Drill: What are the different parts of plot?
 Example Setting
Drill 9/21
 Objective: Students will demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking in order to communicate effectively.
 Drill: Write three to four sentences describing the character
Laurie. Use your character chart and include traits from
both Laurie and Charlie in your description. Include the text
support.
Drill 9/24
 Objective: Students will determine a theme or central idea of
a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text.
 Drill: Copy down the definition of theme.
 Theme is the author’s message about a topic.
Drill 9/25
 Objective: Students will determine a theme or central idea of
a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text.
 Drill: Read the poem “A Boy’s summer Song” by Paul
Laurence Dunbar .
Drill 9/26
 Objective: Students will determine a theme or central idea of
a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text.
 Drill: Do you agree or disagree with the following quote?
Explain your answer.
 “If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to
climb a tree, I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow
up! Not me!”
― J.M. Barrie
Drill 9/27
 Objective: Students will determine a theme or central idea of
a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text.
 Drill: Take out your theme paragraph and proof read it for
conventions.
Drill 10/1
 Objective: Students will revise their writing in order to more
clearly introduce their topic and organizational structure of
the response.
 Drill: What does ACE stand for?
Drill 10/2
 Objective: Students will use sentence diagramming in order
to understand the function of words in a sentence.
 Drill: Write the sentence on your drill sheet. Underline the
subject once and the predicate twice. Identify any other
parts of speech that you know.
 Toby, the frisky puppy, spent the entire weekend chasing the
leaves falling from the sky.
Drill 10/3
 Objective: Students will use sentence diagramming in order
to understand the function of words in a sentence.
 Drill: On your own paper, diagram the following sentences.
 1. Toby chases.
 2. Toby and Hercules sleep.
 3. The black dog and the grey cat eat quickly.
Drill 10/4
 Objective: Students will use sentence diagramming in order
to understand the function of words in a sentence.
 Drill: On your own paper diagram the following sentences.
 1. The students play.
 2. The students and teachers discuss the novel.
 3. The eager students carefully discuss the novel.
 4. The teacher and the students enjoy the conversation.
Drill 10/5
 Objective: Students will use knowledge of conventions and
format in order to write informative texts to examine a topic
and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the
selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
 Drill: Review for the diagramming quiz.
Drill 10/8
 Objective: Students will use knowledge of conventions and
format in order to write informative texts
 Drill: Diagram this sentence. What does the prepositional
phrase modify?
 The Terrapins beat Wake Forest at home.
10/8 answer
 Label each part of speech in the sentence.
 The Terrapins beat Wake Forest at home.
Drill 10/9
 Objective: Students will annotate “Raymond’s Run” in order
to cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
 Drill: Diagram this sentence and label all the words.
 Toby and Hercules sleep in the bed.
Drill 10/9 answer
 Toby and Hercules sleep in the bed.
Drill 10/10
 Objective: Students will annotate “Raymond’s Run” in order
to cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
 Drill: Diagram the following sentence.
 The sweet potatoes in the vegetable bin are green.
 (Hint: What question does the prepositional phrase in the
vegetable bin answer? )
Drill 10/10 answer
 The sweet potatoes in the vegetable bin are green.
Drill 10/11
 Objective: Students annotate “Raymond’s Run” in order to
cite the text evidence that supports analysis of what the text
says.
 Drill: Diagram the following sentence.
 The sweet potatoes are green with mold.
 I will be collecting drills from 10/8,9,10,11 today.
Drill 10/11 answer
 The sweet potatoes are green with mold.
Drill 10/12
 Objective: Students will use text support in order to
determine a theme of a text and analyze its development over
the course of the text.
 Drill: Diagram the following two sentences. Notice how the
prepositions are used in each sentence.
 The book on the table is mine.
 I read the book in the library.
Drill 10/12 answer
 The book on the table is mine.
 I read the book in the library.
Drill 10/15
 Objective: Students will demonstrate a command of words as
they function in a sentence in order to produce more precise
writing.
 Drill: Diagram the following word group.
 The adjective noun adverb verb direct object preposition
adjective noun.
Drill answer
 The adjective noun adverb verb direct object preposition adjective
noun.
Drill 10/16
 Objective: Students will select and analyze relevant content
in order to write informative/explanatory texts to examine
a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information.
 Drill: Consider everything we have learned about Squeaky.
Is she a dynamic or static character. Explain your answer
with evidence from the text.
Drill 10/17
 Objective: Students will select and analyze relevant content
in order to write informative/explanatory texts to examine
a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information.
 Drill: Log on to the computer and continue working on
your draft.
Drill 10/18
 Objective: Students will develop and strengthen writing as
needed by revising, editing, or rewriting in order to
produce papers in final form.
 Drill: Log on to the computer and continue working on
your draft.
 Finals are due today.