Friday, September 29, 2017

English 10 Honors--10/2/2017 & 10/3/2017

Jump Off (10-15 mins.)
--Write your first and last name on the back of your picture for the south wall of our classroom.  Then, place the picture in the black basket on the front table.
--While up at the table, please pick up the following items:
  • "Short Story/Poetry 'Unit' Information Sheet--2017-2018"
  • Perrine's Story and Structure
  • the "Perrine's Story and Structure--'Reading the Story' (pgs. 3-9)" document
  • the "Short Story Writing Assignment #1" document
Back at your desk, read through the italicized directions on the "Perrine's Story and Structure--'Reading the Story' (pgs. 3-9)" document and engage in purposeful reading as preparation for a follow-up discussion later in class (distinguishing between two types of fiction and analyzing literature that we've read through this lens), completing part of the chart on the document.
--Please SEE ME before leaving class today:
  • Austin H.
  • Ash M.
  • Storme S.
Transition (3 mins.)
--form an alphabetical-by-college-you-hope-to-attend circle out of the desks--you, of course, can talk when forming this circle!
S. the C. (5-8 mins.)
--agenda/HW

Unit Introduction/Looking Ahead/Discussion -- The Short Story/Poetry "Unit" (25-30 mins.)
--oral gist reading of the "Short Story/Poetry 'Unit' Information Sheet--2016-2017" document--any questions that I can answer?
  • Q & A
--oral gist reading of "Short Story #1 Writing Assignment" sheet--any questions that I can answer?
  • Q & A
--discussion protocol/"Discussion Contribution Rating Scale" shared
--finish preparing for discussion (if necessary)
--engage in discussion/notetaking about the reading titled "Reading the Story":
  • distinguish between commercial and literary fiction
  • begin to answer these questions: What is a short story? and How does purposefully reading a short story enhance our understanding of the human experience? 
  • analyze works that we've read in the past--commercial or literary fiction?
*I WILL ASSESS CONTRIBUTIONS VIA THE "DISCUSSION CONTRIBUTION RATING SCALE".*
Transition (5-8 mins.)
--re-column the desks
--note-taking (Short Story as a Literary Form, Allegory as a Literary Term, and Romanticism as a Literary Movement)--date the page in your notebook (10/2/2017 [ACE] or 10/3/2017 [BDF])

Looking Ahead--Unit Work #1 -- “The Masque of the Red Death” (remainder of class?)
--take a thoughtful look at pictures via slides (with Poe, expect allegory and symbolism--what might each "thing" pictured represent within the story?)

Teambuilding Activity -- Artifact Bags (time permitting)
--I hand a paper bag to a random student--he/she then displays items from the bag one at a time, briefly describing what he/she is seeing
--guess who?!
--owner of bag further describes, explains, shares anecdotes, etc. as a form of introduction to teacher/peers
--REPEAT THE PROCESS UNTIL ALL THE BAGS HAVE BEEN SHARED

HW (Practice/Take-Home Assessment)
--Complete a total of 45 minutes of Membean training as directed before 11:59 PM on Thursday, 10/5.  If you fail to appropriately train between now and the administration of Vocabulary Quiz #2, you will not be permitted to take the quiz (see the "Membean Routine" document).
Writing
--Begin thinking about your short story.  The final draft of the assignment will be due before you know it!
Miscellaneous
--Read your free reading book for at least 15 minutes between now and next class. ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.

On the backburner:
  • first AoW
  • first Grammar Hammer

English 9--10/2/2017 & 10/3/2017

Jump Off (2-3 mins.)
--Submit Article of the Week #2 by placing your best work in the black basket on the front table.
--Take out your notebook and date the page in the lefthand margin (10/2/2017 [ACE] or 10/3/2017 [BDF]).  Label this section of your notes as follows: "My Definition of Tone".  After carefully reading the following definition several times, write your own, simplified version of the definition in your notebook.  Complete this task quietly and independently, and be ready to share your definition with a peer and/or the entire class.  Good luck! 

  • A writer's tone is the attitude he or she has toward the subject about which and/or audience to which he or she is speaking.  A writer's tone can be described using adjectives such as the following: angry, honest, ironic, etc.
--Please SEE ME before leaving class today:

  • Blake B.
  • Olivia F.
  • Jaime L.

"Hook"/Warm-Up (10-12 mins.)
--pair/share as per the "Jump Off" in order to clarify the definition of tone--add to your notes accordingly!
Tone in Email Correspondence 
--"set the table" for the reading about to be shared
--Your purpose:

  • When listening to the return email from me to "Random Student", determine my tone. Remember that a writer's tone is the attitude he or she has toward the subject about which and/or audience to which he or she is speaking. A writer's tone can be described using adjectives such as any of those from the list below:
    • angry
    • arrogant
    • baffled
    • depressed
    • detached
    • formal
    • honest
    • indifferent
    • instructional
    • intimate
    • ironic
    • outraged
    • playful
    • serene
    • serious
    • tender
--brief discussion as per your purpose--cards drawn if necessary

  • What was the subject of my email?
  • Who was the audience of my email?
  • What was my tone in the email?
  • How do you know?
S. the C. (8-10 mins.)
--Reminder: Policies regarding homework and writing pieces (see PowerPoint)
--the first part of today's class relates to the targets from last class block:
  • When reading nonfiction, I can...
    • pick out the author's main point
    • pick out the important details that the author uses that connect back to his/her main point
    • explain how the author's details connect back to his/her main point
    • contribute something (a question, an answer, an important detail, etc.) to a whole-group discussion that moves us forward in hitting the three targets listed above.
--additionally, the first part of today's class relates to a new targets with informal assessments occurring throughout the block:
  • When reading nonfiction, I can...
    • tell how the author feels about the topic he/she is writing about
    • pick out words that show how the author feels about the topic
    • explain how the author's word choices show how he/she feels about the topic.
Purposeful Rereading/Informal Assessment/Discussion -- Central Idea and Tone in "Letter One of Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet (20 mins.--STOPWATCH)
--Purposefully reread as much of Rilke's letter as you can in 10 minutes quietly and independently.
  • Your purpose:
    • Continue jotting down curious questions whenever such questions enter your mind (listen for them!)
    • Continue underlining key words/details with the first three targets in mind
    • Make connections between the conclusions we drew in class last time and the text, annotating accordingly
    • Draw boxes around any words or phrases that help you figure out what Rilke's tone is (our new targets)
      • FYI: THESE ANNOTATIONS, IF COMPLETED DILIGENTLY, WILL COME IN EXTREMELY HANDY DURING THE INFORMAL ASSESSMENT THAT FOLLOWS THIS PORTION OF THE LESSON AND THE NEXT FORMAL ASSESSMENT PERTAINING TO THIS LETTER!
--informal assessment of our new targets (SEE FRONT BOARD/BELOW):

Hold up a finger or fingers to indicate which word best characterizes Rilke's tone:

  1. arrogant
  2. honest
  3. indifferent
  4. instructional
  5. playful
--share out as per purposeful rereading/address my related questions (cards drawn if necessary)--as I mark up the text on the SmartBoard, do the same on your personal copy of the text

"Cool-Down"/Full-Circle Ending (3-5 mins.)

--let's talk about "Random Student" again and what he's up to now...
  • What do you think Rainer Maria Rilke would have to say about this circumstance?  How do you know?

Transition (2-3 mins.)
--Pick up a Level D vocabulary book and a marker from the front table.  Write your name on the inside cover and on the bottom of the pages of your vocabulary book.  Then, return the marker.

"Setting the Table"/Instruction -- Vocabulary Unit #1 (10-15 mins.)
--vocabulary work: rationale and our typical routine
--go over Unit #1 word list (page 14)--read word aloud, have students repeat the word, and then read the part of speech/definition/sample sentence--repeat this process for the entire list

In order to actively engage, a student should...
  • write the words on the lines for each of the sentences
  • put a star next to each of the words that he or she is confident about knowing already
  • put a question mark next to each of the words that are "foreign" to him or her (and, therefore, will definitely need to be studied).

--Begin preparing for the Unit #1 vocabulary quiz, which will take place at the beginning of class on Tuesday, 10/10 (ACE) or Wednesday, 10/11 (BDF).


HW Time -- Vocabulary and/or Free Reading (remainder of class)
--directions given for how to spend this block of time
--establish parameters for work environment
--independent work time as per the list below:
  • Vocabulary
    • Mindfully complete the assigned exercise (and some of the others if you feel inspired!) and begin preparing study materials (e.g., flashcards, split page notes, etc.)
  • Free Reading
    • Engage in free reading of either your free reading book or Upfront newsmagazine.
HW (Class Preparation/Take-Home Assessment)

--Complete the Choosing the Right Word ("50/50") vocabulary exercise (pages 17 and 18). Expect me to check your work NEXT class (Wednesday, 10/4 [ACE]/Thursday, 10/5 [BDF]). The Unit #1 quiz will take place on Tuesday, 10/10 (ACE)/Wednesday, 10/11 (BDF).
Miscellaneous
--Read your free reading book for at least 10 minutes between now and next class.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.  You have up until early-December to finish your book.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

English 10 Honors--9/28/2017 & 9/29/2017

Jump Off
--Open up your notebook to a clean sheet of paper.  Date the page (9/28/2017 [ACE] or 9/29/2017 [BDF]) and label this section of your notes "Human Nature".  
  • I have often heard people say the following (and I imagine you have, too): "It's human nature."  What exactly does this mean?  After thinking/jotting down ideas on your own for a moment, you will have some time to touch base with a peer.  Good luck!
--If you used your "Classroom Coupon" last class block, please place your writing piece in the black basket on the front table.
--Please SEE ME before leaving class today:
  • Jack W.
S. the C.
--pair/share as per the "Jump Off" in order to clarify the definition of "human nature"--add to your notes accordingly!
--agenda/HW

Anticipatory Set -- "Building a Bridge" Between English 9 and English 10 Honors: Human Nature in Veronica Roth's Divergent
--purposefully view two clips from the film version of Veronica Roth's Divergent (1:20:20 and 1:49:40) in order to answer both of the following questions:
  • What is Jeanine Matthews suggesting about human nature?  What does she seem to think people are really like?
    • pair/share responses to the questions above
--Let's support the following claim together: Most fiction writers are philosophers.
  • pair/share support
  • share direct quotation from page 188 of Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein's They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing 
  • answer the following question:
    • Ultimately, what does Veronica Roth's "thesis"/philosophy about human nature seem to be?
      • pair/share responses to the question above
Transition
--Take out your copy of the terms/concepts document and find your definition for "fable".  Be prepared to share your entire definition or aspects of it with the class as we build toward a common understanding together.

Mini-Lesson -- Fable as a Genre and Human Nature in Aesop's "The Scorpion and the Frog"
--By the end of this mini-lesson, you should be able to...
  • define the term "fable"
    • apply the definition to an actual fable (e.g., determine the fable's moral lesson)
  • begin formulating and giving voice to your own ideas about human nature.
--via a whole-class share-out, build an appropriately complex definition of "fable" on the whiteboard--add to your notes accordingly!
--Transition--pick up a copy of the "Fable as a Genre and Human Nature in Aesop's 'The Scorpion and the Frog'" document from the front table
--after purposefully reading the directions, complete the task at hand quietly and independently
--Transition
  • As soon as I set the stopwatch and instruct you to do so, you will form an alphabetical-by-first-name circle out of the desks without talking.  This should take no more than two minutes!
  • "Ready...set...GO!!!"
Closure/Looking Ahead #1
--engage in discussion with regard to the "Fable as a Genre and Human Nature in Aesop's 'The Scorpion and the Frog'" document
--share the essential question explored throughout the entirety of the course (the "human element" mentioned on Day 1 of the course!):

What are human beings really like?  By nature, are human beings inherently evil or good or...?

--pass around the "English 10 Honors End-of-Course Assignment" document and engage in an oral gist reading
--Q & A as per gist reading
--clarify picture homework assignment

Closure/Looking Ahead #2
--Please pick up the following items from the front table:
  • a good-smelling marker or two
  • a sheet of computer paper
--Draw a line under your last section of notes and label this section "My Current Answer to the Essential Question".  Then, thoughtfully respond to the following question:
  • What is your current answer to the Essential Question that overarches our course?  (Here is the question again: What are human beings really like?  By nature, are human beings inherently evil or good or...?)  After some thought--feel free to look through all of your materials from today's class block--, write your claim about human nature in your notebook.  Re-read and revise your claim as necessary; then, write your claim neatly in marker on your sheet of computer paper.  Finally, place your "poster" in the black basket on the front table.  (Please note that I will be asking you to stand up and share your claim with me and the rest of the class in the near future! :)) 
Teambuilding Activity -- Artifact Bags (time permitting)
--I hand a paper bag to a random student--he/she then displays items from the bag one at a time, briefly describing what he/she is seeing
--guess who?!
--owner of bag further describes, explains, shares anecdotes, etc. as a form of introduction to teacher/peers
--REPEAT THE PROCESS UNTIL ALL THE BAGS HAVE BEEN SHARED

HW (Class Preparation)
--Find and print out a picture for the south wall of our classroom.  Bring the picture for collection at the beginning of NEXT class (Monday, 10/2 [ACE] 0r Tuesday, 10/3 [BDF]).
HW (Practice/Take-Home Assessment)
--Complete a total of 45 minutes of Membean training as directed before 11:59 PM on Thursday, 9/28.  If you fail to appropriately train between now and the administration of Vocabulary Quiz #2, you will not be permitted to take the quiz (see the "Membean Routine" document).
--Complete another 45 minutes of Membean training as directed before 11:59 PM on Thursday, 10/5.  If you fail to appropriately train between now and the administration of Vocabulary Quiz #2, you will not be permitted to take the quiz (see the "Membean Routine" document).
Miscellaneous
--Read your free reading book for at least 15 minutes between now and next class. ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.
--Enjoy the weekend--you only get so many of 'em! :)

Monday, September 25, 2017

English 9--9/28/2017 & 9/29/2017

Jump Off (8-10 mins.)
--Under the area of the front board labeled "Rainer Maria Rilke Background," write down one of the important facts that you found about Rilke as part of your homework.  Read what others before you have written, and if you have nothing new to add, of course, don't be repetitive--simply return to your desk.
--Read the targets below (focal points of today's lesson) and consider and be ready to discuss the questions that follow:

  • When reading nonfiction, I can...
    • pick out the author's main point
    • pick out the important details that the author uses that connect back to his/her main point
    • explain how the author's details connect back to his/her main point
    • contribute something (a question, an answer, an important detail, etc.) to a whole-group discussion that moves us forward in hitting the three targets listed above.
      • When and how have we worked toward hitting these targets already this school year?
      • On a scale of 1-5+, how would you rate your ability to hit these targets?  BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.
S. the C. (8-10 mins.)
--quick share-out as per the "Jump Off"
  • Today's class, which marks the beginning of our first mini-unit, is driven by the targets above with an assessment related to the first three targets as closure.
  • Today's class also presents an opportunity to hit the fourth target by aiming to participate effectively in a collaborative discussion--you will likely pose and respond to questions, incorporate each other into the discussion, and challenge/verify each other's ideas and conclusions
--agenda/HW

Literacy Activity--Oral Reading and Discussion -- “Letter One" of Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet (40-45 mins.)
--An insightful excerpt from educational researcher Robert Marzano's book Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement:
  • "Although it is true that the extent to which students will learn this new content is dependent on factors such as the skill of the teacher, the interest of the student, and the complexity of the content, the research literature supports one compelling fact: what students already know about the content is one of the strongest indicators of how well they will learn new information relative to the content. Commonly, researchers and theorists refer to what a person already knows about a topic as “background knowledge.” Numerous studies have confirmed the relationship between background knowledge and achievement (Nagy, Anderson, & Herman, 1987; Bloom, 1976; Dochy, Segers, & Buehl, 1999; Tobias, 1994; Alexander, Kulikowich, & Schulze, 1994; Schiefele & Krapp, 1996; Tamir, 1996; Boulanger, 1981). In these studies, the reported average correlation between a person's background knowledge of a given topic and the extent to which that person learns new information on that topic is .66 (see Technical Note 1 on p. 127 for a discussion of how the correlation was computed)."
--take a look at background information about Rainer Maria Rilke--how can this information help us better analyze and understand Rilke's letter during today's class block?
--discuss the nature of a typical “first-draft” reading of a difficult text:

  • A gist reading--“survival mode” in order to understand/comprehend the text on a literal level
    • Ask the “curious questions”
    • Basic comprehension is essential if any deeper understanding is to occur.
  • Easier with some sort of defined purpose (therefore, often a purposeful reading)
  • Most effective when it is still somewhat active reading (annotate: jot down curious questions, jot down notes related to your defined purpose, etc.)
--Transition--pick up a copy of the "'Letter One' of Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet" document from the front table
--oral first-draft reading of "Letter One"
  • Your purpose:
    • Jot down curious questions on your personal copy of the text whenever such questions enter your mind (listen for them!)
    • Underline key words/details and annotate with regard to these two questions:
      • What does Rainer Maria Rilke, the author of this letter, say to "Sir" about what is important and meaningful to a person?
      • What advice does Rilke give "Sir?"
*I WILL MODEL A LITTLE BIT TO GET US STARTED!*
--scan back through the first two paragraphs of your copy of "Letter One"
  • What curious questions did you jot down?
  • What did you underline/how did you annotate with regard to these two questions?:
    • What does Rainer Maria Rilke, the author of this letter, say to "Sir" about what is important and meaningful to a person?
    • What advice does Rilke give "Sir?"
--briefly share in pairs as preparation for whole-class share-out
--whole-class share-out as per gist reading/address my related questions, focusing more specifically on the first two paragraphs (cards drawn if necessary)--as I mark up the text on the SmartBoard, do the same on your personal copy of the text

Transition (2 mins.)
--Pick up the following document from the front table:
  • "Target-Driven Ticket-Out-the-Door"
Closure (remainder of class)
--After carefully reading the directions for the Ticket-Out-the-Door, complete the task at hand and submit your best work based on the time permitted prior to leaving class.

HW (Take-Home Assessment)
--Finish your work with Article of the Week #2, which is due at the beginning of NEXT class (Monday, 10/2 [ACE] or Tuesday, 10/3 [BDF]).  This task will include purposefully reading the directions in the box at the top of the first page and completing your best work with regard to the directions.  Good luck!
Miscellaneous
--Read your free reading book for at least 10 minutes between now and next class.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.  You have up until early-December to finish your book.
--Enjoy the weekend--you only get so many of 'em! :)

Friday, September 22, 2017

English 10 Honors--9/26/2017 & 9/27/2017

Jump Off (15-20 mins.)
--Pick up the "English 10 Honors--Literature and Nonfiction Terms/Concepts 2016-2017--Assessment--Terms/Concepts #61-80" document from the front table.  Complete the quiz quietly and independently back at your assigned seat.  Good luck!  When you finish taking the quiz, follow the directions below:
  • Place your quiz in the black basket on the front table.
  • Take out your "Thematic Writing Assignment--Partner Interviews" essay.  Doublecheck that you have fulfilled all of the requirements set forth in the "Grading Rubric" section (e.g., make sure that you have labeled your five developed, intriguing supporting details) before submitting your writing piece by placing it in the black basket on the front table.
  • Engage in free reading until all students have finished taking the quiz/turning in writing.

S. the C. (10-15 mins.)
--trade and grade

  • During this time, I highly encourage you to add to your definitions on your terms/concepts packet!
--return quizzes to rightful owners--reflect on performance and note still-not-mastered terms/concepts on your packet--I will collect quizzes momentarily
--agenda/HW

Teambuilding Activity -- Artifact Bags (flex time)
--I hand a paper bag to a random student--he/she then displays items from the bag one at a time, briefly describing what he/she is seeing
--guess who?!
--owner of bag further describes, explains, shares anecdotes, etc. as a form of introduction to teacher/peers
--REPEAT THE PROCESS...

DEAR -- Free Reading Books (time permitting/remainder of class)

HW (Practice/Take-Home Assessment)
--Complete a total of 45 minutes of Membean training as directed before 11:59 PM on Thursday, 9/28.  If you fail to appropriately train between now and the administration of Vocabulary Quiz #2, you will not be permitted to take the quiz (see the "Membean Routine" document).
Miscellaneous
--Read your free reading book for at least 15 minutes between now and next class. ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.

English 9--9/26/2017 & 9/27/2017

Jump Off (2-3 mins.)
--Pick up a copy of the halfsheet titled "Article of the Week #2--Anticipatory Set" from the front table.  Read the directions carefully so that you know what to do while viewing the brief video at the start of today's class.
*DURING THE FIRST TEN MINUTES, I WILL COME AROUND WITH YOUR CUMULATIVE WRITING PORTFOLIOS--WE WILL USE THE FOLDERS LATER DURING TODAY'S CLASS BLOCK.*

S. the C. (15-20 mins.)
--agenda/HW
--doublecheck halfsheet directions
--determine the location of Rakhine State via Google Maps
--purposefully view the following videos:

http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/09/18/rohingya-muslims-bangladesh-border-control-pkg-field-cnni.cnn/video/playlists/myanmars-rakhine-state-rohingyas/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F25qrkboV3o

--discuss videos as per viewing purposes

Transition (3-5 mins.)
--Pick up a copy of Article of the Week #2 ("No Simple Solution to the Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar") from the front table.
--Purposefully read only the information located in the box at the top of the page and be ready to discuss your understanding of the directions.
  • PurposeYou should know exactly what to do while completing Article of the Week #2.
Literacy Activity #2 -- Article of the Week #2 (15-20 mins.)
--Q & A about the directions
  • Some of the key reasons why we do Article of the Week:
    • purposeful and active reading practice
    • argumentative writing learning/practice
  • Review as per Article of the Week #1
    • What exactly is a claim?
    • How can a reader find an author's claim?
  • An answer to the "why a template?" question
    • "[M]any students will never learn on their own to make the key intellectual moves that our templates represent.  While seasoned writers pick up these moves unconsciously through reading, many students do not.  Consequently, we believe, students need to see these moves represented in the explicit ways that the templates provide" (Graff and Birkenstein xxii).
    • "The aim of the templates...is...to be direct with students about the key rhetorical moves that it comprises" (Graff and Birkenstein xxii).
    • "[T]emplates...provide concrete prompts that can stimulate and shape...thought" (Graff and Birkenstein xxii).
--active/purposeful (oral? independent?) reading of Article of the Week #2 as per directions

Old Business/Looking Ahead -- "Letter to Mr. Martin" (10-15 mins.)
--engage in personal reflection based on my notes to you
--analyze the following writing samples via "PROS" and "GROWS" framework:

  • One of the most important things in my life is sports.
  • One of the most important aspects of my life is my involvement in sports because playing sports makes me feel good about myself.
  • One of the most important aspects of my life is my involvement in sports such as basketball.  Playing basketball has raised my self-esteem numerous times because I feel good about myself and gain confidence when I execute the game plan and help out my team with meaningful contributions.  In an 8th grade basketball game against Dansville, for example, my tenacious defense led to the game-winning basket.  With less than one minute to play in the game, our coach told us to press.  Even though my legs were heavy and I was gasping for air, I dug down deep inside and blanketed my opponent, and as a result, I got my finger on a pass and tipped the ball to my teammate, who scored a basket as the buzzer sounded.  I think about this memory often when I feel like giving up because it reminds me that I can push myself even further.
  • One of the most important aspects of my life is sports.
--discuss two common comments
--Transition
  • Pick up an index card from the front table.
--Closure
  • On your index card, revise and rewrite the sentence on the front board as per your learnings during the previous chunk of class time.
Oral Reading -- “Letter One" of Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet (remainder of class)
--discuss the nature of a typical “first-draft” reading of a difficult text:
  • A gist reading--“survival mode” in order to understand/comprehend the text on a literal level
    • Ask the “curious questions”
    • Basic comprehension is essential if any deeper understanding is to occur.
  • Easier with some sort of defined purpose (therefore, often a purposeful reading)
  • Most effective when it is still somewhat active reading (annotate: jot down curious questions, jot down notes related to your defined purpose, etc.)
--Transition--return your Cumulative Writing Portfolio and pick up a copy of the "'Letter One' of Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet" document from the front table
--oral first-draft reading of "Letter One"
  • Your purpose:
    • Jot down curious questions on your personal copy of the text whenever such questions enter your mind (listen for them!)
    • Underline key words/details and annotate with regard to these two questions:
      • What does Rainer Maria Rilke, the author of this letter, say to "Sir" about what is important and meaningful to a person?
      • What advice does Rilke give "Sir?"
HW Time (time permitting)

HW (Take-Home Assessment)
--Finish your work with Article of the Week #2, which is due at the beginning of class on Monday, 10/2 (ACE) or Tuesday, 10/3 (BDF).  This task will include purposefully reading the directions in the box at the top of the first page and completing your best work with regard to the directions.  Good luck!
HW (Class Preparation)
--Google Rainer Maria Rilke and scroll through your hits for a reliable source.  After clicking on a good source, find and write down two important facts about Rilke.  Come to class NEXT time (Thursday, 9/28 [ACE] or Friday, 9/29 [BDF]) prepared to share the information you have written down.
Miscellaneous
--Read your free reading book for at least 10 minutes between now and next class.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.  You have up until early-December to finish your book.