Wednesday, 2/18/04 -- Eighth Grade
Warm Up I. Colons and Semicolons and Commas.
  1. The following are the primary colors red blue and yellow.
  2. The quarterback made a brilliant pass and the receiver crossed the goal line for the winning touchdown.
  3. The house was clean the table set and the porch light on everything was ready for the guests' arrival.
  4. * Arriving on the 810 plane were Liz Brooks my old roommate her husband and Tim their son.
  5. The weeds were flourishing the rest of the lawn unfortunately was dying.
Warm Up II. Sentence Scramble. Make sure you use commas properly.
  1. a) he found  b) a dainty eater  c) finishing first  d) of his unfinished ration  e) robbed him  f) that his mates
  2. a) they were bewildered   b) by the strange, savage environment  c) and spirit-broken  d) with the exception  e) who were without spirit at all  f) of the mongrels  g) they found themselves in
Warm Up III.  "Sometimes" by Herman Hesse
Sometimes, when a bird cries out, 
Or the wind sweeps through a tree, 
Or a dog howls in a far off farm, 
I hold still and listen a long time. 

My soul turns and goes back to the place 
Where, a thousand forgotten years ago, 
The bird and the blowing wind 
Were like me, and were my brothers. 

My soul turns into a tree, 
And an animal, and a cloud bank. 
Then changed and odd it comes home 
And asks me questions. What should I reply? 
  1. What or who is asking the questions in the last line?
  2. How does this relate to Buck?
  3. In which line should he have put commas (2) to make his poem more readable? Put them in for him.
  4. What makes you "hold still and listen a long time"?
Video Excerpt Compare and contrast to the book version. Similarities/Differences.