Wednesday, November 19, 2014

English 10 Honors--11/25/2014

Jump Off
--Pick up the following documents from the front table and begin familiarizing yourself with the documents back at your desk:
  • "Article of the Week #8 (11/24-11/28)--2014-2015 School Year"
  • a rubric/HEDI Scale
*I WILL BE AROUND TO RETURN YOUR "INTERTEXTUALITY UNIT--THE ALCHEMIST ACTIVE/PURPOSEFUL READING ASSESSMENT--PGS. 1-47" WRITING PIECES*
--PLEASE SEE ME AFTER CLASS: Wackaflockaflame, Katie Pond, Barack Obama, and Bella Flinn

S. the C.
--Reminder: Keep the "Intertextuality Unit--The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment" document in mind, as this is where we are headed as we continue working through our first major literature unit of the school year. Do you have any potential ideas in mind already? (Frankly, you should!)
--Reminder--Speaking and Listening Standards: English 10 Honors students can participate effectively in a collaborative discussion, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. This includes:
  • coming to the discussion prepared, having read and researched the material under study and explicitly drawing on that preparation by referring to evidence from the text and additional reading/research to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
  • propelling conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporating others into the discussion; and clarifying, verifying, or challenging ideas and conclusions.
  • responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualifying or justifying their own views and understanding and making new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented. THIS MULTI-PART STANDARD WILL BE ASSESSED TODAY VIA THE "DISCUSSION CONTRIBUTION RATING SCALE."
--agenda/HW
--Article of the Week modeling for the first multiple choice question
--post-assessment reflection:
  • score range and average score shared:
    • 76%-95%
    • 84.86%
  • exemplary response shared
  • reread your response and all commentary--completing a "pros"/"grows" chart in your notebook might not be a bad idea!
  • Having now finished the novella, does your preliminary theme statement "hold up"?
Transition
--Read back through your responses on the "Purposeful Reading Questions" document for Thomas C. Foster's "Everywhere Is Just One Place". Star the two that you feel most prepared to talk about during today's discussion. Then, form a circle out of the desks.

Circle Discussion -- Thomas C. Foster's "Everywhere Is Just One Place" from How to Read Novels Like a Professor
--today's discussion will follow a pre-established order until I indicate otherwise!
--discuss responses to each of the questions as per the protocol

Circle Discussion (cont.) -- Magical Realism, Paulo Coelho Author Background, and The Alchemist up to the End
--Transition--take out the following items: "The Alchemist Novel Unit--Genre Notes" page, notebook, the "Have You..." list from several classes ago, active/purposeful reading notes, and any additional discussion ideas
--continue engaging in discussion as per the protocol

Items for discussion:
  • What is magical realism? What are magical realist authors "up to"?
  • How does Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist "fit the magical realism bill", so to speak?
  • Magical Realism Mini-Lesson closure pieces:
    • Reconsider your preliminary theme statement from the assessment a few classes back and those shared by Mr. Martin earlier in the class block. As magical realism, Paulo Coelho’s novella contains elements of fantasy, and yet these elements help provide an insight into the true human condition, the way that real human beings think and act. How so?
  • Connections between Paulo Coelho's life and the novella
  • The "Have You..." list (e.g., Have you found any meaningful quotations that have "spoken to you"?)
  • Application of new terms/concepts (e.g., dilemma, fable, foil) to the novella
    • For example, you might attempt to answer this question: What characters in the novella serve as foils to each other? How so? What is Coelho's purpose?
  • Active/purposeful reading notes
  • Theme statements from "Intertextuality Unit--The Alchemist Active/Purposeful Reading Assessment--pgs. 1-47" writing pieces along with evidence from the novella beyond page 47
Transition -- re-column the desks

Closure -- Final Thoughts
--In your notebook, jot down a one-sentence final thought.
--whip-around

HW
--Complete your work with Article of the Week #8, which is due at the beginning of class next time (Tuesday, December 2nd).  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.
--Remember that I reserve the right to conduct a reading assessment at any time. It would be in your best interest to continuously review your reading notes for The Alchemist and any related materials. Remember, too, that you are expected to both understand and apply your understandings of the following terms/concepts to your reading of the novella (in addition to the typical terms/concepts such as setting, symbolism, theme, etc.): allegory (add this to your "Terms/Concepts/Tips--A Running List" section of your notebook), aphorism, dilemma, everyman (add to notebook), fable, foil, genre, interior monologue, leitmotif, magical realism, monomyth (hero's journey), motif, myth, paradox (add to notebook), and quest. A sample assessment question/prompt, then, might look like the following:
  • How is Paulo Coelho's novella The Alchemist a blending of several literary modes/genres? Consider using any or all of the following terms in your response: genre, allegory, fable, and magical realism. What is one likely purpose Coelho was looking to fulfill when he decided to tell such a story?
--Read your free reading book for at least an hour over break (I DARE YOU!). ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.