Thursday, October 16, 2014

English 9--10/20/2014 & 10/21/2014

Jump Off (8-10 mins.)
--Pick up the following documents from the front table:
  • exemplary AoW #3 active reading
  • the "English 9--Writing--Writing Paragraphs, General Writing Rubric, Sample Paragraph, and 'St. Lucy's...' Mid-Mini-Unit Assessment/Writing Assignment" document
--Please sit in your most recent assigned seat.
--Take out your notebook, open to a new page, and put the date in the lefthand margin (10/20 [ACE] or 10/21 [BDF]). Then, write freely about your thoughts/opinions regarding the following claim:

Being popular in high school is more important to most students than having good grades.

*I WILL BE AROUND TO RETURN AOW #3 WORK*
 S. the C. (8-10 mins.)
--pronounce each of the Unit #3 vocabulary words (pages 34-36)
--after taking care of Article of the Week business, today's three rough objectives are as follows:
  • Leave with a better understanding of how to write a well-developed paragraph
  • Leave with a better understanding of how most of your written responses this year have and will be scored and how the bullet above "feeds in" to performing well on written responses
  • Leave with a better understanding of the links that exist between different aspects of our course up to this point in the school year
--agenda/HW

Old Business -- Article of the Week #3 (2 mins.)
--exemplary AoW #3 active reading pointed out--please note how the reader attended to #1. and #2. in the directions box and used a variety of the other active reading strategies listed

Looking Ahead -- Article of the Week #5 (6-8 mins.)
--reminder of the protocol for Take a Stand:
  • Momentarily, I will make a debatable statement:
    • If you agree with the statement, STAND UP next to your desk.
    • If you strongly agree with the statement, STAND ON your desk chair.
    • If you disagree with the statement, STAY SEATED in your desk chair.
    • If you strongly disagree with the statement, SIT ON THE FLOOR next to your desk.
--The claim: Being popular in high school is more important to most students than having good grades.
--show your position
--cold-calling--students randomly selected to briefly explain their stand (no more than three sentences)

Transition (2-3 mins.)
--Pick up the "English 9--Article of the Week #5 (10/20-10/24)--2014-2015 School Year" document from the front table. Read the directions in the box at the top of the page. What questions do you have?
--Q & A

Writing Workshop -- Writing Paragraphs (as long as it takes!)
--purposefully read the directions at the top of the first page of the document picked up at the beginning of class--follow the directions in order to annotate
--pair up and continue
--fill in the blanks within the skeletal notes and discuss annotations via a whole-class share-out
--oral reading of the second page of the document ("Basic Template for a Tightly-Written Paragraph)
--purposefully read the directions at the top of the third page of the document--follow the directions in order to annotate
--discuss annotations via a whole-class share-out

Brain Break -- The Shoe Game (5ish mins.)

Writing Workshop (cont.) -- General Writing Rubric and Sample Paragraph (as long as it takes)
--read the first two rows of the "General Writing Rubric" ("Content and Analysis" and "Command of Evidence") on the fourth page of the document and star an important point in each box
--discuss the "Content and Analysis" category via the following questions:
  • What did you annotate in this category?
  • What is the "Content and Analysis" category "looking for"?
  • What are the distinguishing factors between a 5+, 5, and a 4 in this category?
  • What are the distinguishing factors between a 3, 2, and a 1 in this category?
--discuss annotations for the remaining three categories ("Command of Evidence"; "Coherence, Organization, and Style"; and "Control of Conventions")
--purposefully read the directions at the top of the fifth page of the document--follow the directions in order to score the writing piece
--arrive at a class score for the assignment via "heads down/hands up"
--I score assignment: Are we in the same ballpark?
*RL.1 & RL.2 T-O-D (GIST PARAGRAPH) AND RL.1 & RL.3 T-O-D (EPIGRAPH REFLECTED IN THE TEXT PARAGRAPH) RETURNED--PLEASE NOTE THAT ASSESSMENT OF RL.1 & RL.2 T-O-D ONLY ENCOMPASSES THE "CONTENT AND ANALYSIS" AND "COMMAND OF EVIDENCE" CATEGORIES, AND I DID NOT SCORE THE RL.1 & RL.3 T-O-D (AS YOU WILL SELF-ASSESS VIA THE RUBRIC)*

Closure (time permitting)
--Pick up an index card from the front table.  Back at your desk, answer/respond to this:
  • What was the most helpful part of today's lesson for you?  Be specific and explain.
DEAR -- Free Reading Books (time permitting)
--students without books will read Upfront Magazine


HW
--Complete the Choosing the Right Word ("50/50") vocabulary exercise (pages 37 and 38). As you do so, underline the specific context clues within each sentence that help you arrive at your selections (just as we did in class when reviewing for the Unit #2 vocabulary quiz [except for in Block 4 BDF]). Expect me to check your work next class. The Unit #3 vocabulary quiz will take place on Friday, 10/24 (ACE) or Monday, 10/27 (BDF). REMEMBER THAT WORDS FROM PREVIOUS UNITS ARE "FAIR GAME" ON ANY VOCABULARY QUIZ THEREAFTER!
--Bring your vocabulary book to class again next time, as we will engage in review. The more you know the words by next class, the better!
--Begin your work with Article of the Week #5, which is due at the beginning of class on Friday, 10/24 (ACE) or Monday, 10/27 (BDF). This task will include purposefully reading the directions in the box at the top of the page and completing your best work with regard to the directions.
--Reread your ticket-out-the-door paragraph from the end of last class. Based on your understandings from today's class, what overall score on the General Writing Rubric would you give your written piece?  What category or categories is/are your strength(s)? In what category or categories can you grow the most, and how?--POSTPONED IN BLOCK 4 ACE AND BLOCK 1 BDF
--Read your free reading book for at least 15 minutes between now and next class. Your book must be finished by early-November. ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.

Backburner Goals (Mr. Martin's Note-to-Self):
  • Revisit methods for finding key details in nonfiction (use notes from last class later in school year)
  • Review the parts of speech as introduction to our grammar work/in order to aid in vocabulary study
  • Share "tried and true" vocabulary study method (word and easy-to-remember synonym) in Block 4 BDF