Mrs. Hetrick

lhetrick@rockwoodschools.org

814 -926-4688 Ext 2119

Hello Everyone!

Waking up Monday, March 16th and not getting ready for a day at school was the beginning of missing

all of you. Of course, students and teachers alike enjoy breaks in the school year, but this was not part

of the natural cycle and felt abrupt. We were almost at the turning point in “The Scarlet Letter” and

getting set to begin a project related to it.

Although we can’t pick up right where we left off, we can review a bit and build on what we have been

doing this year. I hope that you like the assignments for the next couple of weeks. I truly am looking

forward to reading your journal entries, grading your short essay responses, and just feeling like your

teacher again.

I created a timeline to make these assignments manageable for you. If you are completing these online,

please submit your assignments to our Google Classroom. If you are completing these off-line, then

organize a section in your notebook to record your answers, and I will grade them later.

If you need to contact me, please use email if it is available to you. As always, please write in a semi-

formal and respectful manner. Since I am your English teacher, please be vigilant to spell things

correctly and to use capitalization in your emails. Otherwise, leave a message on my school voicemail

and I will return your call. I will be here for you every step of the way to help. I am only an email or

phone call away if there are any questions or concerns.

I strongly encourage you to be creative and reflective in completing these assignments.

Kindly,

Mrs. Hetrick

Mrs. Hetrick

lhetrick@rockwoodschools.org

814 -926-4688 Ext 2119

Wednesday, April 1st- Workspace Article and Journal Entry

Thursday, April 2nd- Step One “People Need People” essay

Friday, April 3rd- Step Two “People Need People” essay

Monday, April 6th- Grammar Review- Subject/Verb Agreement

Tuesday, April 7th-Capitalization and Punctuation Review- Is that a tent in the school’s lobby?

Wednesday, April 8- More Capitalization and Punctuation Review

Thursday, April 9th- Parts of Speech Review

I followed the tips in the following article when I created my study space for teaching from home. My

husband and I built the desk out of old wood that we had in the basement. If you don’t have a desk, you

could transform a card table or the top of a dresser- be creative!

4/1

Read this article, then create a study space for yourself at home. If you already had one in place, consider some advice in this article and tweak your study space to be even more effective. Write a journal entry of 10-15 sentences describing your study space. Be descriptive in your writing using plenty of adjectives and specific word choices. Also, in your journal entry, explain how your space aligns with some of the tips from the article.

Rock Star Bonus Question: When you read, see if you notice any spelling differences than what we use in the United States. This article is from EDology and is from the UK. Include a list of words using British spelling with your journal entry.

10 tips to set up an effective study space at home

When embarking on an online degree programme, you can be sure that it’s going to take dedication and hard work. Thankfully, there are a few tips and tricks you can use get the most out of your course. One of the most important things to get right is to create the right kind of study environment.

Check out our 10 tips on how to make your study space work for you.

Furniture

You want to be comfortable, but not so comfortable that you fall asleep (studying in bed is not always the best option). Choose a desk that comes up to between your waist and ribcage when you sit at it, and a simple chair that fits the height of the desk. You want to be able rest your feet on the floor, and not have to hunch your shoulders over your laptop when working.

Lighting

A study space that is not lit properly may make you feel sleepy and put strain on your eyes. Make sure your screen contrast is comfortable to look at, use a small desk lamp to light your immediate study area, and a larger lamp or overhead light to light the rest of the room. Natural light is fine, but make sure the temptation to look out of the window doesn’t distract you from your studies.

Supplies

Make sure you have all the study materials you need to hand, and ONLY the study materials you need. Keep traditional school supplies (pens, paper, books) in a designated area on your desk or in a desk drawer. Also, make sure your laptop or tablet charger is nearby (you don’t want to lose work because you were concentrating too hard to notice a dying battery).

Organise

A tidy and efficient desktop is an effective desktop, whether it’s your real desk or on your computer. Make sure every item you need to study has its own place and everything is labeled clearly, especially computer files and printed materials. A nice wall calendar can also help you know at a glance what you need to do next.

Clock

Time management is often one of the implicit skills online students say they improve in the most while doing an online degree. Treat your desk or wall to a beautiful clock. There’s no need to be afraid of having a clock either. When used as a tool for motivation, a clock can provide a very simple way to help you stay focused and get the job done.

Put your phone away!!!!!

In this day and age, it might seem like an unrealistic request, but detaching from your smartphone while you study (unless you are studying on your phone) will allow you to really get down to some serious work. If you can’t bring yourself to turn it off, try putting it in airplane mode. Then look forward to sharing your success on social media when that important assignment has finally been submitted to your teacher.

Sound

You may be the kind of person who enjoys a little background noise when studying. However, the most important thing to do is make sure the noise is YOUR noise i.e. music that you choose or a radio station you enjoy. Noise from your neighbor, traffic outside or television can be a distraction, so try to minimize this as much as you can.

Just study

Make sure that the study space you have created is only used for studying. This is quite important because the space physically represents your dedication and focus on achieving your degree. If it’s not possible to have a dedicated space, make sure you can transform an appropriate area to and from your dedicated study space as seamlessly and tidily as possible.

Senses

Part of creating a space where you can be comfortable and concentrate on your work can also have a lot to do with aesthetics that please your senses. Don’t be afraid to hang inspiring pictures, use scented candles (but not those designed to relax you too much), and decorate your study space to please your senses and reflect your ambition to succeed.

Personalise

Remember, this is YOUR study space, so you can make it exactly how you feel it will suit your study habits best. Experiment a little with exactly how you design your study space. If you feel that you would perform better if all your study materials matched, then make it happen. Personalising your study space reinforces focus and can help you look forward to studying.

We understand that studying from home or online takes dedication and discipline, but the advantages when you get your study method, space, and routine set up are totally worth it. Follow these tips to make sure you give yourself the best chance to succeed.

“PEOPLE need

PEOPLE”

Prompt:

I admire . . .

Our lives are affected by people & groups, near &

far. Write about a person or group you admire.

(Do not write about famous people) If used

sparingly, this essay may be written in first person.

This is an informational piece. Type, 200-300 words. Criteria: good voice, detail, mechanics.

(Standards: 1.4.8.B Write multi-paragraph informational pieces, & 1.5.8/11 Write with sharp

focus...using well developed content...with controlled organization...)

4/2 Step One:

First complete brainstorming/prewriting activity- use webbing or outlining

Begin First draft

4/3 Step Two:

Finish/ revise first draft

Complete writer’s check list

Title your essay and center it on your paper

Use 12 font Times New Roman and double space

Type your submission- It must be at least 200 words

Writer’s Checklist

YES NO NOT SURE – PLEASE

CHECK

NOT APPLICABLE

I made a graphic organizer or outline and used it to help structure my paper

I restated the topic in my introduction

I used specific examples from the text and cited my sources (if applicable)

My conclusion ties up loose ends and/or completes thoughts

I answered all the required parts of the essay/prompt

I made sure I stuck to one topic throughout

I put the writing into my own words (I did NOT plagiarize)

4/6 Let’s start the week off with some grammar review!

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.

1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.

2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.

3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.

4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.

5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.

6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.

7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.

8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.

9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.

10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.

11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.

12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.

13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.

14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?

15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.

16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.

17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?

18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.

19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!

20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.

21. The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in private.

22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.

23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.

Choose the correct item from the choices in the parentheses:

1. He (correct, correctly) defined the terms. The answer sounded (correctly, correct).

2. She (quickly, quick) adjusted the fees. She adapted (quick, quickly) to any situation.

3. He measured the floor (exact, exactly). They proved to be (perfectly, perfect) (exact, exactly) measurements.

4. The stillness of the tomb was (awfully, awful). The tomb was (awfully, awful) still.

5. It was a (dangerously, dangerous) lake to swim in. The man was (dangerous, dangerously) drunk. The gas smelled (dangerously,dangerous).

6. She performed (magnificent, magnificently). It was a (magnificent, magnificently) beautiful performance.

7. Her voice sounds (beautifully, beautiful). She sang the song (exact, exactly) as it was written. We heard it (perfectly, perfect).

8. He was a very (sensibly, sensible) person. He acted very (sensible, sensibly).

9. Mike wrote too (slow, slowly) on the exam. He always writes (slow, slowly).

10. Talk (softly, soft) or don't talk at all. The music played (softly, soft).

11. Andrea knows the material very (good, well). She always treats us (good, well).

12. You must send payments (regular, regularly). We deal on a (strictly, strict) cash basis.

13. The mechanic's tools were (well, good). The foreman said that his work was (good, well) done.

14. She worked (careful, carefully) with the sick child. She was a very (careful, carefully) worker.

15. He did not pass the course as (easy, easily) as he thought he would.

16. I find this novel very (interesting, interestingly). It was (interesting, interestingly) written.

4/7 Capitalization and Punctuation (Pizza and Camping) Rewrite the passages and capitalize all of the words that should CAPITALIZED. Write in any punctuation marks that are missing.

Passage A the best italian restaurant in town is luigi’s spaghetti barn_ they make delicious, fresh bread covered in mozzarella cheese and garlic_ after dinner, everyone’s breath smells like garlic, but nobody seems to care because the food is so good_ personally, i think their spaghetti is the best thing on the menu because the

sauce is made with luigi’s own secret recipe_ sometimes we order the special, luigi’s monster party pizza, and take it home to eat_ Passage B john went camping and fishing with his dad last weekend_ they slept in a coleman tent and really warm sleeping bags_ one night it poured rain, and they woke up soaking wet_ john’s dad hung

the sleeping bags over tree branches so that they would dry before it was time for bed that night_ unfortunately, it rained all day and the sleeping bags didn’t have a chance to dry out at all_

4/8

Capitalization/End Punctuation Review

Which words need to be capitalized? Underline them or list them.

1. the queen of england wore a blue hat to the event.

2. please tell me another story, grandma.

3. the teacher read “the raven” to the english class on halloween.

4. a former student of rockwood attained the rank of general.

5. yesterday superintendent bower announced that we will have nap time at the beginning of

ninth period.

6. first amelia goes to history, then she goes to algebra II.

7. students painted a mural of “starry night” in the hallway by mrs. sauder’s room.

8. the new pastor is father pierce.

9. dear professor palmer,

10. very truly yours,

11. my dear friend,

12. your loving niece,

13. dear captain mc grath,

14. yours sincerely,

15. dear rabbi stein,

16. in texas we saw the rio grande and the alamo

17. the rocky mountains is home to big horn sheep.

18. the french tourists seem very pro-american.

19. the johnstown symphony plays at the pasquerillo prefroming arts center in johnstown.

20. the symphony has a new conductor.

21. only one solution is possible: you must study for the quiz.

22. wow! that was a close one! wasn’t it?

23. after the race i asked, “do you have any gatorade?”

24. the teacher said, “please complete this exam carefully.”

25. “for three years now,” said angela, “this peach tree has not produced any fruit.”

Write the proper end mark at the end of each item.

26. Are you going to the game on Saturday_____

27. Go for help_____

28. Ouch___ That hurt ____

29. Is she going to meet us ____

30. There is a meteor shower this weekend _____

31. I wonder if the sky will be clear _____

32. The astronomer asked if anyone wanted to look through his telescope ______

4/9 Punctuation can save a relationship! Read these letters

that have the same words but different punctuation.

Dear Jack,

I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not

like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have

no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy-will you let me be yours?

Jill

Dear Jack,

I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not

like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men I yearn! For you I

have no feelings whatsoever. When we are apart I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?

Yours,

Jill

Punctuation/ Parts of Speech Review

The following five sentences have no capital letters at all. Circle the letters that should be

capitalized.

1. my courses this semester include english and science.

2. may i visit the grand canyon?

3. i visitied mr. smith on september 10.

4. when I want to camp in a rugged environment, I go to north carolina.

5. mrs. hetrick enjoyed the performance put on by the johnstown symphony orchestra.

Circle the adjectives in the following sentences and underline the nouns:

1. The exhausted hikers set up camp on the soft, level ground.

2. After invading Spaniards defeated the Aztecs in 1521, Mexico became a Spanish colony.

Circle the pronouns in the following sentences:

1. Roberto passed the ball to Elena, who caught it easily.

2. When asked about the game, Mike said, “I didn’t see it.”

Circle the verbs in the following sentences. Identify the verb as a linking verb (LV) or an action verb

(AV) on the lines.

1. The rescue team found two cougars in the mountains of North Carolina. _______

2. The team treated the cougars for injuries. ________

3. The cougars are protected by national laws. ________

4. The cougars seem happy in their new home at the wildlife sanctuary. ________