English 9--10/4/2016 & 10/5/2016

Jump Off (2-3 mins.)
--Submit your Article of the Week #2 work by placing it in the black basket on the front table.
--While at the front table, pick up your Cumulative Writing Portfolio.  Take a peek at the contents when you arrive back at your assigned seat.

S. the C. (5-8 mins.)

--Reminder: Policies regarding homework and writing pieces (see PowerPoint)

--Today's formal assessment about Rilke's letter aims to assess your ability to hit the following targets:

• 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
• 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.

--agenda/HW

Instruction/Self-Reflection -- RI.2 Ticket-Out-the-Door (25-30 mins.)
--If you have not already done so, please read the three sections of the scoring sheet attached to your work and take note of your scores for each of the sections.

--introduction to "Growth Mindset" and "Continuous Improvement Cycle" via PowerPoint quietly and independently
--introduction to "The Four Cs of Quality Academic Writing" via PowerPoint

• You'll note on your scoring sheet that the three targets previously assessed align with aspects of the Cs (and, as such, the link that exists between reading well and writing well).

--introduction to the "HEDI Scale for Feedback/Scoring" via PowerPoint

• FYI: Rubrics with far much more detail are used for major writing assignments. 
• sample work shared (5, 4, and 3)
• Which is which?
• What makes a "5" a "5"?  A "4" a "4"?  A "3" a "3"?
• sample rubric language shared via PowerPoint

--assignment data shared (class averages and number of students at mastery)

• What, if anything, can we take away from our group data?

--engage in self-reflection

• reread your own work and determine one "pro" and one "grow"

--whole-class Q & A

Transition (2 mins.)
--Pick up the "Mid-Mini-Unit Standards Assessment--RI.2, RI.3, and RI.4" document from the front table.

Assessment -- "Mid-Mini-Unit Standards Assessment--RI.2, RI.3, and RI.4 (flex time) 
--After carefully reading the assessment directions, complete the task at hand and submit your best work based on the time permitted prior to leaving class.

--When you finish your assessment, place your work in the black basket on the front table.  Then, engage in free reading until all of your classmates are finished.

DEAR -- Free Reading Books (flex time)

Teambuilding Activity -- Artifact Bags (time permitting)
--I hand a paper bag to 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...

HW (Class Preparation)

--If you have work due for other classes that you could work on in a "study hall" environment, bring the work with you to class next time.  PLEASE DO NOT FORGET!

Miscellaneous
--Read your free reading book for at least 10 minutes between now and next class.  PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO BRING YOUR BOOK WITH YOU TO CLASS NEXT TIME!  You have up until the first full week of December to finish your book.

English 10 Honors--10/3/2016

Jump Off (10-15 mins.)
--Turn in your typed-in-MLA-format "Thematic Writing Assignment--Partner Interviews" essay (your best effort) by placing the writing piece in the black basket on the front table.  Make sure that you have followed all directions (e.g., underlining where necessary).  I'll try to do my best work (reading closely and providing meaningful feedback) in a somewhat timely fashion, but I'll be honest--it'll probably take a while :).
--Please pick up the following items from the front table:

• "Short Story/Poetry 'Unit' Information Sheet--2016-2017"
• 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.

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.)
--Q & A as per gist reading of the "End-of-Course Assignment--2017--Assignment Preview" document from the end of last class block
--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 (10/3/2016)

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, 10/6).  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).
HW (Class Preparation)

--Begin thinking about your short story.  The final draft of the assignment will be due before you know it!
--You might want to review the eight parts of speech prior to next class ;).

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 (Mr. Martin's Note-to-Self):

• return/reflect--terms/concepts assessments

English 9--9/30/2016 & 10/3/2016

Block 1 ACE (55 minutes)
Block 2 ACE (64 minutes)
Block 3 BDF and Block 4 BDF (82 minutes)

Jump Off (2-3 mins.)
--Quietly and independently, read the claim below in order to decide whether you agree or disagree.  Try not to make a snap judgment; instead, truly consider the claim and its implications before making your decision.  Be prepared to briefly discuss your decision/opinion.

The claim: Year-round schooling should be mandated by the government of our country.  In other words, students and teachers should no longer have summers off.

S. the C. (8-10 mins.)
--Reminder:  Last class, we briefly discussed the main standard that drove the lesson (RI.4).  As a result of those discussions, the following list of targets emerged:

• 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.

--Today's class allows for RI.2, RI.3, and RI.4 (if you want to challenge yourself!) skills practice, which ought to help you prepare for an assessment taking place next class.
--agenda/HW

Literacy Activity #1 (Old Business) -- Article of the Week #1 (8-10 mins.)

--When looking through responses about claims following Article of the Week #1, it became clear to me that more instruction/practice is necessary in order to move forward.  Please compare your index card response to the appropriate exemplar below:

What is the author's/authors' main claim?  In other words, what is/are the author(s) of the text ultimately trying to argue?

The authors' main claim is that both the swimmers and the Rio authorities have not been completely truthful within this exaggerated case.

• "[N]ot everyone has concluded Ryan Lochte and his teammates are entirely in the wrong or that the account offered by Rio authorities is entirely accurate."

The author's main claim is that games like Pokémon Go should have rules and ethics to keep players safe.

• "[A] technological revolution is upon us, and it is past time for an industry-wide set of ethical standards for augmented reality."

The author's main claim is that Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots has no organization or focus; therefore, the album is not very nice to listen to.

• "Blurryface tries to be a bit of everything at once and ends up delivering a very frustrating and disjointed series of tracks that try far too hard to be different...it plays like a messy collection of interesting ideas that never quite come together the way you hope they might."

--What exactly is a claim?

--How can a reader find an author's claim?

Literacy Activity #2 (New Business) -- Article of the Week #2 (20+ mins.)
--Reminder in some blocks/new information in others: 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: Year-round schooling should be mandated by the government of our country.  In other words, students and teachers should no longer have summers off.

--show your position
--cold-calling--students randomly selected to briefly explain their stance (no more than three sentences)

--Transition

• Pick up a copy of Article of the Week #2 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.
• Purpose: You should know exactly what to do while completing Article of the Week #2.

--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

--active/purposeful (oral? independent?) reading of Article of the Week #2 as per directions

• How can you also challenge yourself by RI.4ing it?

Teambuilding Activity -- Artifact Bags (remainder of class)
--I hand a paper bag to 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)
--students without books will read Upfront newsmagazine

HW (Class Preparation)
--Prepare for a formal assessment next class (Tuesday, 10/4 [ACE] or Wednesday, 10/5 [BDF]) about Rilke's letter that aims to assess your ability to hit the following targets:

• 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
• 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.

HW (Take-Home Assessment)
--Finish your work with Article of the Week #2, which is due at the beginning of class next time (Tuesday, 10/4 [ACE] or Wednesday, 10/5 [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 the first full week of December to finish your book.

English 10 Honors--9/29/2016

Jump Off
--Submit your Article of the Week #1 work by placing it in the black basket on the front table.
--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!

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 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 
• 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

--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 "End-of-Course Assignment--2017--Assignment Preview" document and engage in an oral gist reading

--Q & A as per gist reading

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 tonight (Thursday, 9/29).  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
--The Thematic Essay Writing Assignment--Partner Interviews essay (your best effort) is due at the beginning of class next time (Monday, 10/3) typed in proper MLA format.

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 10 Honors--The Components of a Well-Written Introduction

Hook: A sentence or series of sentences at the beginning of an introduction that "hook" or draw the reader in to the writing piece.  Basically, a hook is an intriguing start that makes the reader want to keep reading.  Below is a list of methods for hooking readers that you might want to consider:

• Dialogue
• Anecdote/Scenario
• Philosophical Musing
• Humorous Musing
• Startling Statement
• Stark Contrast
• Analogy
• Quote from Literature
• Quote from Another Source
• Rhetorical Question

Bridge: A sentence or sentences that are used to "bridge" the gap or transition between a writer's hook and thesis statement.  When a bridge is missing in an introduction, the reader thinks: How did you get from there to here so quickly?!

Thesis Statement: 

• A sentence or sentences clearly stating the multi-faceted focus/point/purpose of an entire essay
• Usually states some sort of claim
• Provides the reader with a "roadmap" of what the remainder of the essay will address including the subtopics of each of the forthcoming body paragraphs
• The subtopics previewed in the thesis statement are often called "focus words."
• The focus words in a thesis statement should be in the same order as the body paragraphs themselves.
• Relates clearly to the purpose-driven topic sentence(s) of each of the essay's body paragraphs
• If a writer crafts his or her body paragraphs first, he or she can build out from his or her topic sentences in order to write a thesis statement.
• Typically located at the end of an introduction

English 9--9/28/2016 & 9/29/2016

Jump Off (3-5 mins.)

--Take out your notebook and date the page in the lefthand margin (9/28/2016 [ACE] or 9/29/2016 [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.

"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
• instructional
• intimate
• ironic
• neutral
• 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.)

--today's class is an RI.2, RI.3, and RI.4-driven lesson with informal assessments of RI.4 occurring throughout the block

• RI.4: English 9 students can determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact on meaning and tone.
• What does this standard ask students to do?
• What did you just do with the email from me to "Random Student"?!
• On a scale of 1-5+, how would you rate your mastery of this standard? BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

--today's class also presents an opportunity to apply standard SL.1 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

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 RI.2 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 (RI.4)
• FYI: THESE ANNOTATIONS, IF DONE WELL, 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 RI.4 (SEE FRONT BOARD/BELOW):

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

1. arrogant
2. detached
3. honest
4. instructional
5. neutral

--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?

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, and shares an anecdote as a form of introduction to teacher/peers
--REPEAT THE PROCESS...

DEAR -- Free Reading Books (time permitting)

--students without books will read Upfront newsmagazine

HW (Class Preparation)
--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 the first full week of December to finish your book.

English 10 Honors--9/27/2016

Jump Off (2 mins.)
--Pick up both the "The Art of Quoting" document and the "Introducing Quoted Material" document from the front table.  I highly encourage you to engage in a self-study of these documents in order to help you succeed with the quotation requirement of the writing assignment.

S. the C. (8-10 mins.)
--agenda/HW
--clarifying potential confusion as per most recent terms/concepts assessment:

• distinguish between a "theme statement" and a "thesis statement"
• sample thesis statement(s) shared

Many people are presented with some incredible opportunities.  Yet when the opportunities come, some people are hesitant to take advantage of the opportunities and miss the chance at something that could potentially have a remarkable impact.  Then there are those individuals who reach out and grab those opportunities, and that decision to do so will often change their lives.  Dean Damon is one of those people.  He has had many opportunities in many different forms.  Some have come through academic activities while others have come through involvement in sports.  No matter what form the opportunities come in, though, Dean has found that taking advantage of life's opportunities has rewarded him with some memorable experiences.

Donny really is a tech-savvy kid, but he goes even further than that.  Donny lives by the motto that people most often have passions in life which dictate their past and present, and when people discover what exactly their passions are, they ought to pursue a career that relates in the future.

Transition (3 mins.)
--As soon as I set the stopwatch and instruct you to do so, you will form an alphabetical-by-last-name circle out of the desks without talking.  This should take no more than two minutes!
--"Ready...set...GO!!!"

Teambuilding Activity -- Artifact Bags (30 mins.)
--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

Transition (5-8 mins.)

--Do the following as quickly as possible:

• Re-column the desks.
• Turn in your two markedly different hooks by placing both in the black basket on the front table.  Make sure that your name is located somewhere on your document.
• Pick up the "Article of the Week #1 (9/26-9/30)" document from the front table.
• Spend a few minutes purposefully reading the information located in the box at the top of the page of the Article of the Week #1 document.  Then, continue reading the article as directed

Literacy Activity -- Article of the Week #1 (remainder of class)
--share rationale behind the Article of the Week (PowerPoint)

--share the following PowerPoint slides in order to clarify expectations: 

• Take-Home Assessment/Classwork Check System
• The Four Cs of Quality Academic Writing
• HEDI Scale for Feedback/Scoring

--What is our purpose when we read this article?
--independent active reading (continued)

*I WILL TAKE A LOOK AT AS MANY HOOKS AS I CAN DURING THIS BLOCK OF TIME SO THAT I CAN GIVE YOU SOME COMMENTARY MEANT TO HELP YOU MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ABOUT WHICH HOOK TO USE (THOUGH THE CHOICE IS ULTIMATELY YOURS!).*

DEAR -- Free Reading Books (time permitting)

--students can also read Upfront newsmagazine

HW (Practice/Take-Home Assessment)
--Complete a total of 45 minutes of Membean training as directed before 11:59 PM on Thursday, 9/29.  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).

HW (Take-Home Assessment)

--Finish your work with Article of the Week #1, which is due at the beginning of class next time (Thursday, 9/29).  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!

Writing
--The Thematic Essay Writing Assignment--Partner Interviews essay (your best effort) is due at the beginning of class on Monday, 10/3 (just under one week from today) typed in proper MLA format.
Miscellaneous

--Read your free reading book for at least 15 minutes between now and next class. ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.