English 10 Honors--3/1/2016

Jump Off
--Pick up a copy of today’s agenda from the front table.  We will then go over the agenda together before heading over to the library.

S. the C.
--agenda/HW

Writing Workshop -- The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment
--view the following video for A.) inspiration?, B.) ideas about literature to bring to future discussions about literature, and C.) key ideas for today's work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSYw502dJNY

 

--key ideas for today's work:

 

• The thesis statement (or argument...whatever you'd like to call it) must present a meaningful and complex idea.
• The evidence gathered via active/critical/purposeful rereading must be both strong and thorough.
• The explanations about the significance of these pieces of evidence in terms of your thesis/argument must be both clear and convincing.
• Overall, the essays that you are currently working on, in their finished forms, must communicate complex ideas effectively. No barriers should exist between you and your audience.

--other key considerations for today’s work block following library instruction:

• Database sources are always stronger than “random” sources found via internet browser searches--in fact, in college courses, most professors will not accept essays citing web sources.
• A good goal for today’s work block is finding stronger sources in support of some of the claims that you have attempted to bolster via outside research.
• It might also be a good idea to begin crafting your Works Cited page via NoodleTools.

--Reminder:

COMPACT FOR WORK TIME

• Talking should be very limited.
• When talking must occur, get peer’s attention first and stay on task.
• Teacher will use the consequence system in place for lack of compliance.
• Listening to music (provided by teacher or on personal devices) is acceptable.

--Transition—head over to the library for the remainder of the class block
--library instruction
--independent work time--continue gathering evidence, outlining essays, creating Works Cited pages, etc.

HW (Class Preparation)
--Revise/finish crafting your outline for the "The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment" prior to next class:

• Continuously re-write your thesis statement whenever any revisions are necessary during the outlining process.
• Write a rough topic sentence for each of your remaining body paragraphs. (If your thesis statement is strong, simply look at it to determine what the rest of your body paragraphs should address!)
• Roughly outline the contents of your remaining body paragraphs (details, tiebacks, details, tiebacks, etc.)

Though what you are finishing is really a rough outline, it must be detailed enough for someone else to understand it, as next class, you will trade with a peer in order to provide/garner feedback.
--Continue progressing through your essay-writing process in whatever manner you see fit.  We are heading to the library one more time next class (Thursday, 3/3).  The final version of your essay (your absolute best effort) is tentatively due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, 3/9.
--Work on finishing your free reading book.  You have just over two weeks between now and the due date of the one-pager.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS!  See me if you have finished your book and need a one-pager.

On the backburner:

• ACT nonfiction passages and multiple choice questions

 

English 9--2/29/2016

Jump Off
--Take out your copy of the Act II Reading Guide.  What do you remember about what we viewed last class?

S. the C.
--Reminder: It is important for you to stay caught up with regard to all of your coursework.  It would behoove you to check the blog and SchoolTool often.
--agenda/HW

Film/First-Draft "Reading" -- Act II of Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet

--finish "materials assessment" for remaining scenes by reading prompts/questions.  What are we "looking for" while viewing Act II? 
--finish purposefully viewing Act II of the film--gather information for discussion/assessment preparation by jotting down notes and responding to reading guide prompts/questions

Transition (THINK)

--via a show of hands, determine which prompts/questions require work with the Parsons text
--"divide and conquer" the six prompts/questions deemed necessary by doing the following:

• quietly and independently use the text to address/answer the prompt/question on your reading guide assigned to you
• Reminder: Specific references to the text improve responses and tend to move contributions up into the 3/4 range during discussion!

Transition -- groups formed including one person from each assigned prompt/question (2 mins.)

Discussion/Whole-Class Discussion Preparation (GROUP) -- Act II of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

--share responses with each other for the next six-eight minutes--when time is up, we will form a circle and engage in a whole-class discussion in order to wrap up our initial reading of Act II

Transition
--Form an alphabetical-by-last-name circle out of the desks without talking.  Good luck!

Whole-Class Discussion/Closure (SHARE) -- Act II of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

--Reminder: the "Discussion Contribution Rating Scale"
--whole-class discussion as per the protocol:

• contributions will be assessed via the "Discussion Contribution Rating Scale"

Transition -- re-column desks/pick up the "Drama Term Tracking Sheet" from the front table

HW Time

HW (Class Participation/Take-Home Assessment)

--Complete the "Drama Term Tracking Sheet" as directed.  Expect any or all of the following  to occur next class:

• discussion of your work
• collection of your work for assessment purposes

HW (Class Preparation)

--Review your "Romeo and Juliet Character Connections" document, your "Drama Terms Notes/Poetry Terms Notes" document,  your Act II Reading Guide, and your "Drama Term Tracking Sheet" prior to next class (Wednesday, 3/2) in preparation for a quiz.  You might want to also consider rereading Act II of the play and visiting the following web address:

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/page_4.html

--Work on finishing your free reading book.  You have just about 2.5 weeks between now and the due date of the one-pager.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS!  See me if you have finished your book and need a one-pager.
Miscellaneous
--As always, whatever we do not completely finish in class today, you can expect to finish next class!
 

On the backburner:

• A Paragraph's a Paragraph's a Paragraph instruction (if necessary)
• Break down model paragraph together (if necessary)

English 10 Honors--2/26/2016

Jump Off
--Turn in "Article of the Week" #8 by placing your best work in the black basket on the front table.
--Read the controlling questions for today’s work block below with your thesis statement that you completed for homework in mind:

• Does my thesis statement fulfill the assigned task?
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?
• Is my thesis statement specific enough?
• Does my thesis statement pass the "So what?" test?
• Does my thesis statement pass the "how and why?" test?

S. the C.

--agenda/HW

 

Writing Workshop -- The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment

--today's purpose:

 

• continue gathering evidence (if necessary)
• for each piece of evidence:
• Decide if the evidence will be presented as a direct quotation--if so, how much of the quotation will be used?
• Decide if the evidence will be presented as a paraphrase (or even a summary)--if so, paraphrase (or summarize) the piece of evidence using the "look away" method.
• Begin crafting tiebacks, bearing the following in mind:
• In an essay, the goal is to convince the reader of the validity of your thesis statement; therefore, the thesis statement itself must be meaningful, and the tiebacks to it must occur often via skillful explanations.
• Tiebacks connect back to the thesis statement and answer how?/why?
• If it is extremely difficult to craft a tieback for a piece of evidence, it's likely not a strong piece of evidence!
• continuously revise thesis statement as needed

--Reminder:

 

COMPACT FOR WORK TIME

• Talking should be very limited.
• When talking must occur, get peer’s attention first and stay on task.
• Teacher will use the consequence system in place for lack of compliance.
• Listening to music (provided by teacher or on personal devices) is acceptable.

--Transition--head down to the Computer Lab for the remainder of the class block
--work block

HW (Class Preparation)
--Finish "processing through" all of your evidence.  Then, start an outline by doing the following:

• Re-write your thesis statement in its current version (likely updated based upon today’s work) at the top of a sheet of paper.
• Write a rough topic sentence or sentences for your first body paragraph.  (If your thesis statement is strong, simply look at it to determine what your first body paragraph should address!)
• Roughly outline the contents of your first body paragraph (pieces of evidence, tiebacks, pieces of evidence, tiebacks, etc.)

Though what you are starting is a rough outline, it must be detailed enough for someone else to understand it, as next class, you will trade with a peer in order to provide/garner feedback.
--Continue progressing through your essay-writing process in whatever manner you see fit.  We are heading to the library next class (Tuesday, 3/1) and, most likely, on Thursday, 3/3 as well.
--Work on finishing your free reading book.  You have a little under three weeks between now and the due date of the one-pager.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS!  See me if you have finished your book and need a one-pager

On the backburner:

• ACT nonfiction passages and multiple choice questions

English 9--2/25/2016

Jump Off
--Pick up a half index card from the front table and wait quietly for further directions.

S. the C.
--Reminder: It is important for you to stay caught up with regard to all of your coursework.  It would behoove you to check the blog and SchoolTool often.
--agenda/HW
--complete the "warm up"/review for today's grammar assessment via PowerPoint

Transition
--Pick up the quiz titled "Assessment: Commas with Introductory Elements" from the front table.  Purposefully read the directions and carefully complete the task at hand.  Good luck!

Assessment -- Commas with Introductory Elements
--When you finish with the assessment, do the following:

• Pick up your term poster from the front shelf and finish it (if you have not already done s0).
• Engage in free reading (your book or Upfront newsmagazine).

Transition
--Take out your copy of the “Drama Terms Notes/Poetry Terms Notes” document.

Mini-Presentations/Notetaking (cont.) -- Drama Terms Notes/Poetry Terms Notes
--presentations/notetaking 

• Pause/smile in front and gain the attention of your audience before speaking.
• First, state your term.  Then, provide wait time so that your peers can read through the definition provided within the skeletal notes page before the “meat” of your presentation. 
• Speak loudly enough to be heard by all.
• Speak at an appropriate speed (NOT TOO FAST).
• Speak with enthusiasm.
• Make clear attempts at eye contact to ALL parts of the classroom.
• Limit vocal fillers ("umm", "ahh", long silences, etc.)--NO MORE THAN 3-5 PER MINUTE.
• Limit distracting body movements (podium tapping, hair smoothing, etc.).
• After your presentation, call on a peer at random to provide what he or she wrote for the blank(s).

Transition
--Pick up a copy of the Act II Reading Guide from the front table and engage in a "materials assessment" together.  What are we "looking for" while viewing Act II?

Film/First-Draft "Reading" -- Act II of Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet
--purposefully view the film until a few minutes remaining in class--gather information for discussion/assessment preparation by jotting down notes and responding to reading guide prompts/questions

Closure -- Wrap-up Discussion

HW (Class Preparation)
--Review your "Drama Terms Notes/Poetry Terms Notes” page prior to our next meeting, as an upcoming assessment is quite possible!
--Work on finishing your free reading book.  You have just about a month between now and the due date of the one-pager.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS!  See me if you have finished your book and need a one-pager.
Miscellaneous
--If we do not finish viewing and discussing Act II in class today, you can expect to do so next class!
 

On the backburner:

• A Paragraph's a Paragraph's a Paragraph instruction (if necessary)
• Break down model paragraph together (if necessary)

 

English 10 Honors--2/24/2016

Jump Off
-- Pick up the grading sheet for the culminating essay assignment from the front table.  Spend approximately ten minutes purposefully reading through both the front and back of the grading sheet. As you read the front of the sheet, engage in purposeful reading as per the following question: What questions do you have about any of the items on this section of the grading sheet? As you read the back of the sheet, engage in purposeful reading as per the following question: What distinguishes a "5" from a "6" in each of the five categories?

S. the C.
--agenda/HW

Writing Workshop -- The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment
--Q & A (grading sheet)
--a few controlling quotations for today's block:

• "At this point [of gathering evidence], you want to include anything, anything, that might be useful, and you also want to avoid the temptation to arrive at definite conclusions about your topic. Remember that one of the qualities that makes for a good interpretation is that it avoids the obvious. You want to develop complex ideas, and the best way to do that is to keep your ideas flexible until you've considered the evidence carefully. A good gauge of complexity is whether you feel you understand more about your topic than you did when you began (and even just reaching a higher state of confusion is a good indicator that you're treating your topic in a complex way)."
• "A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a 'working thesis,' a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way."

--view TEDEd video titled "Mining Literature for Deeper Meanings

"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREopphW5Bw

 

--reminder of our “Compact for Work Time” established last class

 

• "fish out the small moments, the complicated moments in the story..."--today, the best use of your time is likely gathering/crafting an extended list of evidence

--Transition--if you need a computer, grab a laptop from the cart and log in
--work block
--meetings as per the order established on the front board (proposals from last class block)

HW (Take-Home Assessment)
--Finish "Article of the Week" #8, which is due at the beginning of class next time (Friday, 2/26).  This task will include purposefully reading the directions in the box on the first page and completing your best work with regard to the directions.
HW (Take-Home Assessment/Class Preparation)
--An updated version of your thesis statement for the The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment is due at the beginning of class next time (Friday, 2/26).  Your thesis statement: A.) can be handwritten on a piece of lined paper, B.) should be your absolute best effort, C.) must follow from the evidence that you have gathered, and D.) must be strong as per the guidelines present in the "Thesis Statements" document from The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill (see link below).

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/

HW (Class Preparation)

--Finish gathering evidence for your The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment. Next class, you will have some time to look through all of your evidence and make some decisions about what evidence you will actually end up using. A document from The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill exists titled "Evidence".  Please visit the following link, as this document is extremely helpful:

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/evidence/

 

--Continue progressing through your essay-writing process in whatever manner you see fit.  We are likely heading to the library on Tuesday, 3/1.

--Work on finishing your free reading book.  You have just about a month between now and the due date of the one-pager.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS!  See me if you have finished your book and need a one-pager

On the backburner:

 

• ACT nonfiction passages and multiple choice questions

English 9--2/23/2016

Jump Off
--Pick up an index card from the front table.  On the index card, write the three sentences below.  Finally, label the subject and verb of each of the sentences.

• I go walking in my sleep.
• You are another day older.
• Wisdom often comes with age.

*AS YOU WORK, I WILL RETURN YOUR LAST GRAMMAR HAMMER ASSESSMENT FOR SELF-REFLECTION PURPOSES.*

S. the C.
--Reminder: It is important for you to stay caught up with regard to all of your coursework.  It would behoove you to check the blog and SchoolTool often.
--agenda/HW

--ceremonial dropping of the hammer (Brendan L., Samantha G., and Cole M.)

Instruction -- The Grammar Hammer--“Missing comma after an introductory element”
--go over the Jump Off by labeling the S/V for each of the provided sentences
--Transition -- pick up the "Missing comma after an introductory element" document from the front table--read instructions, add commas to the sample sentences, model rule/tips with sample sentences above

--complete PRACTICE
--go over PRACTICE, reiterating rule/tips
--For HW, prepare for the "Missing comma after an introductory element" assessment--you must really “know your way around” this error and fixing it in order to be successful on said assessment.

Transition

Block 1

--Take out your copy of the “Drama Terms Notes/Poetry Terms Notes” document from last class.  Give it quick scan in order to remind yourself what we were getting started on before break.

Block 2/Block 3

--Pick up a copy of the “Drama Terms Notes/Poetry Terms Notes” document from the front table.  Give it quick scan before directing your attention to the front of the classroom.

Activity -- Drama Terms Notes/Poetry Terms Notes Posters

--directions given:

• Use resources (smartphones, computer, literature books, dictionaries, etc.) in order to determine what is needed to fill in the blank(s) for your term
• Paraphrase the definition of your term
• Create a visually appealing poster for your term to share with the rest of the class, including
• the term prominently displayed
• the paraphrased definition of your term
• an example of your term “in action”
• a corresponding visual.

I WILL SHARE AN EXEMPLAR FOR THE TERM “METAPHOR”

• Terms assigned/materials gathered (except for Block 1)
• Quiet and independent work time

Mini-Presentations/Notetaking -- Drama Terms Notes/Poetry Terms Notes
--presentations (consider the guidelines about delivery from last time we presented!)/notetaking

Transition
--Pick up a copy of the Act II Reading Guide from the front table and engage in a "materials assessment" together.  What are we "looking for" while viewing Act II?

Film/First-Draft "Reading" -- Act II of Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet
--purposefully view the film until a few minutes remaining in class--gather information for discussion/assessment preparation by jotting down notes and responding to reading guide prompts/questions

Closure -- Wrap-up Discussion

HW (Class Preparation)
--Prepare for the "Missing comma after an introductory element" assessment, which will take place next class.
--Work on finishing your free reading book.  You have just about a month between now and the due date of the one-pager.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS!  See me if you have finished your book and need a one-pager.
Miscellaneous
--If we do not finish viewing and discussing Act II in class today, you can expect to do so next class! 

On the backburner:

• A Paragraph's a Paragraph's a Paragraph instruction (if necessary)
• Break down model paragraph together (if necessary)

English 10 Honors--2/22/2016

Jump Off
--Pick up the "Culminating Essay Assignment Proposal (Due in Class on 2/22/2016)" document from the front table.  You have (at least!) the first 20 minutes of class to work on completing this document, which you will then submit to me by placing your completed work in the black basket on the front table.  Do not worry yet about turning in Article of the Week #7.

S. the C.
--agenda/HW

Transition
--Pick up a copy of the "'Article of the Week' #8 (2/22-2/26)" document from the front table.  Then, purposefully read the task.
--Q & A

Meeting Time/Work Time
--create a "Compact for Work Time"
--while meetings occur, work on either your essay or "Article of the Week" #8

HW (Take-Home Assessment)
--Complete "Article of the Week" #8, which is due at the beginning of class on Friday, 2/26.  This task will include purposefully reading the directions in the box on the first page and completing your best work with regard to the directions.
HW (Class Preparation)
--Progress through your essay-writing process in whatever manner you see fit.
--Work on finishing your free reading book.  You have just about a month between now and the due date of the one-pager.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS!  See me if you have finished your book and need a one-pager.
 On the backburner:

• ACT nonfiction passages and multiple choice questions