The Devil's Arithmetic V

We've read through chapter 18 at this point, and everyone has been told the book and the packet must be finished by Tuesday. Also, everyone should have decided on a book project by now and begin working on it. Due date for the project, right now, is next Thursday.

Next week's spelling/vocab list is as follows:

1. jealous – (adj.) feeling or showing resentment toward someone considered a rival

2. parallel – (adj.) of lines or planes traveling at the same distance from each other

3. cemetery – (n) a burial ground other than a church yard

4. nuisance – (n) a source of annoyance

5. probably – (adv.) likely to happen or be true

6. poetry – (n) a poet’s art or work

7. calendar – (n) a chart showing the days, weeks, and months of a particular year

8. bulletin – (n) a short, official statement of news

9. closet – (n) a small storage room or cabinet

10. emergency – (n) a serious happening or situation needing prompt action

The Devil's Arithmetic IV

We discussed the events of the story through the end of chapter 10. Chapters 11 & 12 should be read tonight and appropriate portions of packet completed.

Packets will be checked tomorrow!

The Devil's Arithmetic III - Dramatis Personae

Classes took the spelling test.

We discussed the book briefly after a short journal entry, with special emphasis on the transition in chapter 4 (where Hannah is transported back in time), keeping the names straight, and the importance of the wedding march in chapters 7 & 8 (in serving as contrast for the coming events).

Hannah's purpose in the story is for young people from today to 'experience' the horror of the death camp through the eyes of someone their own age.

The following is a list of the main characters to help students keep track of names and relationships (afterwards is the spelling/voacab list for next week):

The Devil’s Arithmetic
Dramatis Personae
The Bronx: Present Time

Hannah: main character

Aaron: her younger brother

Aunt Eva: Hannah’s favorite aunt, camp survivor

Grandpa Will: Aunt Eva’s brother, camp survivor

Gitl’s House: Poland, 1942
Gitl: Chaya’s aunt

Chaya: Gitl’s niece from Lublin. Chaya’s parents died from cholera and was sent to live with Gitl in the country. Hannah is sent back in time and becomes Chaya through the use of a literary device of the book’s author.

Shmuel: Gitl’s brother. He’s about to get married. A successful farmer.

Yitzchak: butcher who arrives at Gitl’s house with wedding presents

Reuven: Yitchak’s young son

Tzipporah: Yitchak’s young daughter

The Wedding March

Shifre, Yente and Esthe: girls Chaya/Hannah meets, they become her friends

Badchan: jester, joker; speaks his mind

Fayge: Shmuel’s fiancé

Reb Boruch or Rabbi Boruch: Fayge’s father, rabbi

The Camp

Blokova: non-jewish prisoner in charge of Chaya’s group. She is missing fingers.

Rivka: girl in the camp, befriends Chaya, helps her learn the rules of the camp and how to survive

Wolfe: Rivka’s brother

Commandant Breuer: Nazi officer in charge of the camp



Spelling List

1. article – (n) a particular or separate thing

2. characteristic – (adj.) showing a distinctive feature

3. independence – (n) being free from control by another person or thing

4. obstacle – (n) a thing that obstructs progress

5. weight – (n) an object’s mass numerically expressed according to a recognized scale of units

6. author – (n) the writer of a book or article

7. auditorium – (n) the part of a building where the audience sits

8. guest – (n) a person visiting by invitation

9. comfortable – (adj.) giving ease and contentment

10. respect – (n) admiration felt toward a person or thing, and the politeness arising from this

The Devil's Arithmetic II

After a journal entry and discussion of the Passover tradition (with references to other traditions that link the present with the past) classes continued reading chpaters 3 & 4, to be completed for homework.

I will not be in school tomorrow. Classes will read chapters 5 & 6 and continue filling in the book packet.

The Devil's Arithmetic I

Copied down the spelling/vocab list, handed out book packets, project sheets and signed out books.

I explained how to fill out the book packets: One event, line or quote from each chapter is selected, written in the proper box and then a brief explanation is written next to it as to why this is significant to the chapter.

Also, three characters must be selected to fill out the Attribute Webs.

This should be done as the book is read. I read chapter one to them as they read along. Then they completed the appropriate task for the chapter and began filling out the attitude web for the main character, Hannah.

Homework: read chapter 2, fill out task in packet; study spelling.

Research Projects Done!

Finished presentations today! This is a good thing as grades close for interim reports.

Next week we start The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, a Holocaust story.

Monday's spelling:

1. against – (prep) in opposition to

2. commitment – (n) an obligation or pledge

3. privilege – (n) a special right or advantage granted to one person or group

4. excuse - (v) to overlook or pardon because of circumstances or some other reason, (n) a reason put forth for overlooking a fault

5. individual – (adj.) single, separate; of or for one person

6. thought – (n) the process or power of thinking

7. review (n) a general survey of past events or of a subject, (v) to survey

8. apostrophe (n) the sign used to show that letters or numbers have been omitted, to show the possessive case, or to show plurals of letters

9. comma – (n) the punctuation mark indicating a slight pause or break in a sentence

10. adjective – (n) a word added to a noun to describe a quality or modify a meaning

Research, Continued

For some reason, the loggin page for this blog site was blocked for a few days...

We finished library and computer work for the research project. Students should be assembling the posters and be ready to present tomorrow.

The State Science Exam was given periods 1-3 today.

Research III - VII

We've been in the library this week gathering data for the research project and filling out note and source cards. Those done with this task are reading the notes over, sequencing them and selecting pictures for the poster.

We have one more day in the library, then two in the computer lab.

Classes have been doing very well.