English 9--5/24/2017 & 5/25/2017

Jump Off
--If you have not yet turned in your Parsons text and have it with you today, please turn it in by placing it on the front table.

S. the C.
--The Divergent items on today's agenda address the following standards (which also align with some of the writing tasks on the English 9 Final Examination!):

English 9 students can...

• analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
• determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide and objective summary of a text.
• cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

--agenda/HW

Looking Ahead/HW Time -- Vocabulary Unit #7
--pronounce each of the Unit #7 vocabulary words (pages 90-92)
--The incentive plan...

• pertains to Block 1 for Unit #6 (candy handed out)
• is in place again this unit! :).

--reflect upon your performance on the Unit #6 vocabulary quiz (which I will then re-collect)
--spend 5 minutes getting started on the class preparation/take-home assessment assignment due next class

Transition
--a few controlling quotations for the remainder of today's class block:


      "'Have you ever read the faction manifestos?' says Will.
      The faction manifestos were written after the factions formed.  We learned about them in school, but I never read them...
      ...Maybe Dauntless was formed with good intentions, with the right ideals and the right goals.  But it has strayed far from them.  And the same is true of Erudite, I realize.  A long time ago, Erudite pursued knowledge and ingenuity for the sake of doing good.  Now they pursue knowledge and ingenuity with greedy hearts.  I wonder if the other factions suffer from the same problem.  I have not thought about it before." (Veronica Roth's Divergent, pg. 206).

      "[Tris says,] 'Teamwork doesn't seem to be a Dauntless priority.'

      Four says, 'It's supposed to be a priority.  It used to be.'" (Veronica Roth's Divergent, pg. 143)


      "Olly: why do you like books so much?...
      Madeline: You can find the meaning of life in a book.
      Olly: life has meaning?
      Madeline: You're not serious.
      Olly: it's possible
      Olly: what book can you find the meaning of life in?
      Madeline: OK, maybe not just a single book, but if you read enough you'll get there." (Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything, pg. 89)

--If you did not turn in your faction 3 X 5 card before leaving class last time, please do so now.
--"Choosing Ceremony"

• When your name and faction is called, please head to the corresponding area of the classroom.  Am I missing anyone?
• By faction, pick up Faction Manifestos from the front table.  If necessary, some factions will be further subdivided for teamwork purposes.

Presentation Preparation -- Purposeful Reading of Faction Manifestos

--purposeful reading directions shared:

• objectively summarize your faction’s manifesto
• cross-reference the information in your faction’s manifesto with any Divergent textual evidence related to your faction
• What similarities exist?
• What contrasts/contradictions exist revealing a reality about your faction that might not initially “meet the eye”?
• create a brief informal presentation about your faction, including its ideals and realities, to share with the rest of the class (summary and no less than three direct quotations from your manifesto and/or the Divergent text)

--after "anchoring in" to the "Compact for Group Work", complete the task at hand
--I will "wander through" both to observe your team dynamics and assist.

Transition
--Form a circle out of the desks by faction.

Informal Presentations -- The Five Factions
--While presentations occur, be asking yourself these questions:

• What is Veronica Roth's "thesis" about human nature as per the story she tells?
• How do Roth's depictions of the factions, both their ideals and what members/ex-members actually think, say, feel, and do, help her convey her "thesis"?

Abnegation
Amity
Candor
Dauntless
Erudite

Transition
--re-column the desks

Closure -- So What!?
--Below, you will see the Pawprint to Success that serves as the touchstone (the manifesto, if you will) for our high school.  Consider the Pawprint (our lives), the controlling quotations shared earlier in the class block, and the conclusions we just drew in our circle in order to answer the "so what?!" question. 

• What does this all mean?
• How does it all connect?
• How can we use this book to help us "get there" in our understanding of life?
• SO WHAT?!
  

HW Time (time permitting)

HW (Class Preparation/Take-Home Assessment)

--Carefully complete the Choosing the Right Word ("50/50") vocabulary exercise (pages 93 and 94).  As you do so, underline the specific context clues within each sentence that help you arrive at your selections.  Expect me to check your work next class (Friday, 5/26 [ACE] or Tuesday, 5/30 [BDF]).
HW (Class Preparation)
--Begin preparing for the Unit #7 vocabulary quiz, which will take place on Wednesday, 5/31 (ACE) or Thursday, 6/1 (BDF).  This is the last vocabulary quiz of the school year!  REMEMBER THAT WORDS FROM PREVIOUS UNITS ARE "FAIR GAME" ON ANY VOCABULARY QUIZ THEREAFTER!  Don't forget about the incentive plan!
--Bring your vocabulary book to class next time.  PLEASE DO NOT FORGET!

--Purposefully read up to page 396 of Divergent by following the directions on the halfsheet titled "Divergent Unit--Purposeful Reading Tasks".  These reading tasks are aligned with the writing sections of the English 9 Final Examination!  You should also consider jotting down any notes that...

• help you get the "gist"
• build upon anything that has come up in discussion.

--Following each section of reading of Divergent, I still reserve the right to administer "Did You Read?" assessments similar to those that you have been taking.  If you have completed a successful reading of each section, said assessments should not be too terribly challenging! :)
--Aim to read at least 5-10 pages of your free reading book between now and next class if time permits you to do so.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS!
--If you have made arrangements to reassess regarding FANBOYS, make sure to follow through.