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English 9 Journal Prompts
Periods 1 & 2
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Journal 1 – 1/22/15
Choose four
statements from the
nine listed here that
you would like to
discuss and write
whether your agree
or disagree with
each statement. Be
sure to use examples
to support your
assertions/argument
s.

The punishment for murder should always be death.

Teenagers can’t understand what true love really is.
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Killing someone in revenge for killing a close friend of
yours is okay.
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Good friends should stick together at all times no
matter how wrong a friend may be.

Parents should make the decisions about their
children’s lives.
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It is possible to fall in love at first sight.
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Telling lies or hiding the truth is acceptable for the
right reasons.

Family feuds only affect adults.
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There are times when arranged marriage is
appropriate.
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Journal 2 – 1/23/14
Vocab Words to Know from R&J!
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Piteous (I.prologue.7) adj. – sad, pitiful, moving
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Tyrant (I.i.19) n. – a sovereign or ruler who uses power oppressively or
unjustly
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Quarrel (I.i.30) n. – an angry argument or dispute
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Pernicious (I.i.75) adj. – deadly; fatal; causing insidious harm or ruin;
hurtful
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Adversary (I.i.96) n. – a person, group, or force that opposes or attacks
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Copy all of the definitions above (you will be quizzed!) into your journal.
Then choose three vocabulary words from this list and create three
original sentences! Underline the word that you used in each sentence.
+ Journal 3 – 1/30/15
Weary (I.i.119) n. – physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, strain,
etc…; impatient or dissatisfied by something
Augmenting (I.i.122)v. - to make larger; enlarge in size, number, strength, or
extent
Portentous (I.i.131) adj.– ominously significant; marvelous; amazing;
prodigious (large/impressive in number)
Importuned (I.i.135)v. – to beg for persistently
Envious (I.i.141) adj. – full of feelings of envy
Propagate (I.i.178) v. – to promote an idea
Discreet or Discreetly (I.i.184) adj. – careful in one’s speech or actions,
especially in order to avoid causing offense.
Copy all of the definitions above (you will be quizzed!) into your journal.
Then choose 5 vocabulary words from this list and create 5 original
sentences! Underline the word that you used in each sentence.
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Journal 4- 2/5/15
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Galling (adj.) very irritating, vexing, bitter; gall (n.) bile, an
irritant (I.i)
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Accord (n.) agreement, state of harmony; according (adj.)
harmonious, agreeable (I.ii)
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Virtuous (adj.) having excellent morals, ethical, noble (I.v)
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Disparage (v.) to degrade, to speak of someone or something in
a derogatory manner, to belittle (I.v)
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Profane (v.) showing contempt (contempt means strong
dislike…mixture of anger and hatred) toward sacred things; to
violate or defame: profanely, profaner, profanity (I.v)
Copy all of the definitions above (you will be quizzed!) into your
journal. Then choose 3 vocabulary words from this list and create 3
original sentences! Underline the word that you used in each
sentence.
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Journal 5 – 2/17/15
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Choose one of the given prompts and write a paragraph to
state your opinion, using examples to strengthen your
argument. The paragraph should be around 200-250 words.
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Boys suffer over unrequited love as much as girls do.
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True love is worth the sacrifice of family and friends.
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Long engagements are better than short ones.
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Journal 6 – 2/25/15
Part 1: By now you will have begun to develop some strong
reactions to the characters you have met in the play so far.
Respond to at least two or more of the following statements:
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The character I would most like to meet is…because…
What puzzles me most about Romeo and Juliet is…because…
My initial (first) impression of Friar Laurence is…
My impression of … has changed the most because of…
Part 2: How do you feel about fighting as a way of settling
differences? While answering, think about the following:
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What are some things that could cause a fight between two people?
Think of a person who you know never wants to fight under any
circumstances. What are his/her characteristics? What about one
who wants to fight all the time? What are his/her characteristics?
What are the consequences of fighting? (Social? Emotional?
Physical?)
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Journal 7 – 3/2/15
Copy all of the definitions above (you will be quizzed!) into your journal.
Then choose three vocabulary words from this list and create three
original sentences! Underline the word that you used in each sentence
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Ascend v. – to move upward, to rise from a lower station, climb, advance
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Beguile v. – to deceive, to mislead, to persuade with charm
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Calamitous, clamitousness
Dexterous adj. – skillful and active with the hands; manually skillful,
handy OR Dexterity n. – skill or cleverness in using the hands or body
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Beguiled, beguiling, beguiler
Calamity n. – a serious event causing distress or misfortune;
catastrophe
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Ascension, ascending, ascended
Dexterously, dexterousness
Discord n. – lack of agreement, tension, strife, contention
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Discordance, discordant, discordantly
+ Journal 8 – 3/5/15
Copy all of the definitions above (you will be quizzed!) into your
journal. Then choose three vocabulary words from this list and create
three original sentences! Underline the word that you used in each
sentence
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Submissive adj. – yielding or surrendering oneself to the will of
another; obedient, compliant; submission n. – an act or instance of
submitting, yielding, or surrendering
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Feign v. – to give false appearance, to throw a fake punch
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Feigns, feigned, feigning
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Dissemble v. – to disguise, pretend, to disguise the truth, feign;
Dissembler n. – someone who disguises or hides the truth
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Perjury n. – false testimony under oath, lying under oath
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Perjure, perjured, perjurer
Vexation n. – discomfort or distress; annoyance, nuisance/irritation;
Vex v. – to discomfort, to annoy or irritate
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Vexed, vexatious
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Journal 9 – 3/16/15
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We are getting ready to transition into writing an analytical
essay using our play, Romeo & Juliet.
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Tell me what you know about:
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Thesis Statements
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What are they? What are they used for?
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Where in the essay would they be found?
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Why are they important?
What are some important things you know about writing
essays?
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Journal 10 – 4/6/15
Using your handout as a reference, practice integrating the
quotation below in three ways:
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Idea: Juliet questions why a name should define an
individual.
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Quote: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, By any
other word would smell as sweet" (II.ii.43-44).
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Integrate with the explanation in the beginning.
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Integrate with the explanation at the end.
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Integrate with the quote in the middle.
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Journal 11 – 4/9/15
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Sentence Combinations
In order to step up your writing game, try combining simple sentences
to create more complex ones.
EXAMPLE:
Separate Sentence:
The boy screamed for his mother. He realized that he was lost.
Combined:
Realizing that he was lost, the boy screamed for his mother.
Separate Sentence:
The firemen battled to control the fire. It continued to spread. The wind
had shifted directions.
Combined:
The firemen battled to control the fire, but it continued to spread
because the wind had shifted directions.
Continued…
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Practice Sentence Combinations
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Combine the sentences in each item into a single sentence.
1.
Broadway musicals are often difficult for amateurs. They
have large casts and elaborate production numbers.
2.
My favorite breakfast is pancakes. I like to have bacon with
my pancakes.
3.
Today’s editorial was quite alarming. It was about toxic
waste.
4.
He is a very gifted athlete. He works hard in practice. He is
the best player on the team.
5.
The ice storm lasted for two days. The roads were
treacherous. School was canceled for the week.
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Varying your sentences
Vary your sentences! Expand short sentences by adding
details.
Short Sentences:
 The boy swam across the lake.
 Jody speaks French fluently.
 The tourists stared at the timetable in the train station.
Expanded Sentences:
 The young boy swam easily across the large lake.
 Jody, a gifted student, speaks French fluently.
 The confused, exhausted tourists stared at the extensive
timetable in the train station.
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Practice Varying Sentences
1.
The guitarist broke a string.
2.
Jane skied to the bottom of the hill.
3.
Senator Hernandez came to our school.
4.
The soldiers marched across the field.
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Journal 12- 4/10/15
Choose from one of the categories below. In a one page response, discuss
your chosen topic, being sure to answer the questions within your response.
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IDENTITY
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How does environment shape our identity?
What identities, if any, are permanent and which do we have the power to
change?
What roles do neighborhood and community play in shaping who we become?
NAMES
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What is the personal significance of your given name (first, middle and last)?
Does your name mean different things to you, your family, and your friends?
What are your nicknames? What do your nicknames mean to you and those who
call you those names?
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Journal 13 – 4/20/15
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Art Analysis
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Las Dos Fridas (The Two Fridas)
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Artist, Frida Kahlo
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1939, oil on canvas
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Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City
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Painted the year Frida divorced her husband, Diego Rivera, the
acclaimed Mexican muralist.
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Before marrying Diego in 1929, Frida would wear modern
European dress of the era (left). She embraced attire rooted in
Mexican customs after meeting Diego.
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Using the questions I have provided, conduct an
interpretation/analysis of the painting in the next slide!
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+ Art Analysis Questions for Journal 13
Describe: Tell what you see (the visual facts).
1. What is the name of the artist who created the
artwork?
2. What is the name of the artwork?
3. List the literal objects in the painting (trees,
people, animals, mountains, rivers, etc.).
4. What do you notice first when you look at the
work(s)? Why?
5. What kinds of colors do you see? How would
you describe them? What sort of effect do the
colors have on the artwork?
6. What shapes can we see? What kind of edges
do the shapes have?
7. Are there lines in the work(s)? If so, what kinds
of lines are they?
8. What sort of textures do you see? How would
you describe them?
9. What time of day/night is it? How can we tell?
10. What is the overall visual effect or mood of the
work(s)?
Interpretation/Analysis: An interpretation
seeks to explain the meaning of the work
based on what you have learned so far
about the artwork, what do you think the
artist was trying to say?
1. What was the artist’s statement in this
work?
2. What do you think it means?
3. How does this relate to you and your life?
4. What feelings do you have when looking
at this artwork?
5. Do you think there are things in the
artwork that represent other thingssymbols?
6. Why do you think that the artist chose to
work in this manner and made these kinds
of artistic decisions?
7. Why did the artist create this artwork?
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Journal 14 – 4/24/15
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PART 1:
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What member of your family do you most strongly resemble?
With what member of your family do you share the most
personality traits? Do you, like Esperanza, feel a strong
connection with your family’s heritage? Why or why not?
PART 2:
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Choose someone you know in your life and describe the
characteristics of this person. Think about the characteristics that
are unique to your chosen person and paint a picture of them in
your own words, using metaphors, similes, alliteration, and
sensory details (descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, etc.).
UNDERLINE uses of these literary tools.
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Journal 15 – 5/8/15
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What does “coming-of-age” mean to you?
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Write about an experience that forced you to grow up in
some way. Be specific and explain:
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What childish or immature behavior you exhibited prior to the
experience.
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The experience that caused some change through the gain of
some significant new knowledge or caused you to question your
beliefs and affected your innocence.
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How you changed or matured after the experience.
Looking back to your younger self (could be you from the
grade before or even middle school), what advice would you
give yourself based on the things you know now.