With no Notre Dame football game to watch or soccer games to go to or lawn to mow, I had plenty of time to read this weekend. I hope you did, too. We'll be meeting in our groups this Wednesday. I know you have some extra time for this group meeting, so be sure your questions, connections, passages, and illustrations are top notch. I will sign everyone's Archer cars if everyone gets a check plus on the work you're bringing in Wednesday. Sky high expectations!
I looked at Acuity-At-Home this weekend. Kudos to Ryan Lau and Austin Laymon for doing some work this weekend. They were the only ones when I looked late last night. That means 58 of you might be invited to lunch with me. Better get cracking on it. I also spent some time looking at our weaknesses on last Tuesday's acuity test. We shared a couple of the same areas that need attention--both 7th grade standards! Surprisingly, one of the areas we need the most work is in our ability to "use context clues to determine the meaning of a simile or a metaphor". We are also weak in "verb tense agreement". I've made up some custom tests so that we can improve in those areas by October 12.
While we will be spending some time tomorrow looking at those weak areas, we will also be returning to our pictorial essay on Detroit. If you remember, the pictures were pretty grim. After "reading" the pictures you discussed the mood of the photos and nailed down a theme. Tomorrow in class we will be reading several poems and trying to attach a poem to the images. We'll look at the moods and themes of the poems and try to identify one that best fits the essays. This will lead to your next assignment. Yes, it will involve writing. Time to get excited!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Enriched 9-30-2012
Another weekend has flown by. We had fun at the O'Malley household: visiting relatives and homemade chocolate chip cookies!
But I also spent a little time on the Acuity website. I was able to get on to the site Saturday evening to see who has been completing the Acuity-At-Home material (way to go Spencer Kilmer, Peter Rutkowski, Matthew Shan, Ryan Klinedinst, and Karley Bounds) and to see the areas we need to focus on based on the predictive test we took Tuesday. Good news: the areas we need to focus on are the same in every class. Our top problem areas all dealt with our ability to "determine how the structure or organization of a passage aids comprehension". I went ahead and made up a custom test covering those traits (7.2.3; 7.2.7; 8.2.2; 8.2.7; 8.2.9) which we will be taking a look at this week. If you are assigned any work on the Acuity-At-Home site that deals with reading comprehension, I'd start focusing on that.
This weekend I also spent some time assessing your juxtaposition examples and your Symbolic Venn Diagrams. First, the SVDs. We had a couple super examples (Matthew Shan--again--and Monesh Devireddy, and Julia Kwak and Allyssa Pate) and several fine ones. Also some in need of polishing. You and your partner may have lost points for reasons including the difficulty in seeing the alignment between the differences, quotes that weren't cited or used, or perhaps a confusing layout. Some of you will be able to regain some points. More to come tomorrow. The juxtaposition examples were solid. Maddie Busch had a great example and explanation. So did Grant Brenner. Joe Bursley used one from a book he was reading which made it a one-of-a-kind. Some of us were confusing irony and juxtaposition. One of the popular attempts used a McDonald's billboard next to a obesity billboard. Of the nearly dozen of you who selected that example, only Nathan Glaser was able to put into words why it might be juxtaposition. The rest will need to try again with a different example.
I know you've been working on those papers this weekend. Be sure you are opening up with an engaging lead. Mention the three authors and their respective works in the intro. Be sure to ID your individual as well. Develop the heck out of the material in the body paragraphs. I want to see your claim fully developed. Use evidence, specific info, quotes, show don't tell, exact words and specific actions from your individual whenever possible. Wrap the paper up nicely. Then don't forget your internal citations and your Works Cited page. Below you will find the proper ways to cite the texts I gave you in class.
Brooks, Max. World War Z. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006. Print.
Donne, John. "No Man Is An Island" PoemHunter.com, 18 May 2012. Web. 02 Sept. 2012.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." Visions of Darkness. Ed. C. Merton Babcock.
Kansas City: Hallmark, 1971. 41-52. Print.
Notice the reverse indentation used on Poe's citation that extends to a second line. Yes, you need to do the same. We'll be looking at the rough drafts extensively on Tuesday. We'll also have time for an author's chair or two as well. If someone wants to get in the author's chair tomorrow, just let me know. We'll make time.
You have some amazing books that I know you are reading and preparing. You'll be meeting again Wednesday in the IMC. Archer card signatures for the entire class if the entire class gets a check plus on the work you need to prepare. Let's make it a goal each time.
Tomorrow we'll start out with a little tool time over our weak acuity area and then have a mini lesson on parallel structure which will lead to an assignment. We'll also have a notebook quiz over mood and/or theme. Be prepared. (By "be prepared" I mean be better prepared than you were for the last notebook quiz.) We'll follow that up with the return of that previously mentioned notebook quiz. I'll pass out the SVD assessment sheets and then you'll get to show off some of your great juxtaposition examples. We'll revisit "Jazz Fantasia" for a figurative language lesson, and hopefully, have time for an author's chair or two. Full day. See you in class.
But I also spent a little time on the Acuity website. I was able to get on to the site Saturday evening to see who has been completing the Acuity-At-Home material (way to go Spencer Kilmer, Peter Rutkowski, Matthew Shan, Ryan Klinedinst, and Karley Bounds) and to see the areas we need to focus on based on the predictive test we took Tuesday. Good news: the areas we need to focus on are the same in every class. Our top problem areas all dealt with our ability to "determine how the structure or organization of a passage aids comprehension". I went ahead and made up a custom test covering those traits (7.2.3; 7.2.7; 8.2.2; 8.2.7; 8.2.9) which we will be taking a look at this week. If you are assigned any work on the Acuity-At-Home site that deals with reading comprehension, I'd start focusing on that.
This weekend I also spent some time assessing your juxtaposition examples and your Symbolic Venn Diagrams. First, the SVDs. We had a couple super examples (Matthew Shan--again--and Monesh Devireddy, and Julia Kwak and Allyssa Pate) and several fine ones. Also some in need of polishing. You and your partner may have lost points for reasons including the difficulty in seeing the alignment between the differences, quotes that weren't cited or used, or perhaps a confusing layout. Some of you will be able to regain some points. More to come tomorrow. The juxtaposition examples were solid. Maddie Busch had a great example and explanation. So did Grant Brenner. Joe Bursley used one from a book he was reading which made it a one-of-a-kind. Some of us were confusing irony and juxtaposition. One of the popular attempts used a McDonald's billboard next to a obesity billboard. Of the nearly dozen of you who selected that example, only Nathan Glaser was able to put into words why it might be juxtaposition. The rest will need to try again with a different example.
I know you've been working on those papers this weekend. Be sure you are opening up with an engaging lead. Mention the three authors and their respective works in the intro. Be sure to ID your individual as well. Develop the heck out of the material in the body paragraphs. I want to see your claim fully developed. Use evidence, specific info, quotes, show don't tell, exact words and specific actions from your individual whenever possible. Wrap the paper up nicely. Then don't forget your internal citations and your Works Cited page. Below you will find the proper ways to cite the texts I gave you in class.
Brooks, Max. World War Z. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006. Print.
Donne, John. "No Man Is An Island" PoemHunter.com, 18 May 2012. Web. 02 Sept. 2012.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." Visions of Darkness. Ed. C. Merton Babcock.
Kansas City: Hallmark, 1971. 41-52. Print.
Notice the reverse indentation used on Poe's citation that extends to a second line. Yes, you need to do the same. We'll be looking at the rough drafts extensively on Tuesday. We'll also have time for an author's chair or two as well. If someone wants to get in the author's chair tomorrow, just let me know. We'll make time.
You have some amazing books that I know you are reading and preparing. You'll be meeting again Wednesday in the IMC. Archer card signatures for the entire class if the entire class gets a check plus on the work you need to prepare. Let's make it a goal each time.
Tomorrow we'll start out with a little tool time over our weak acuity area and then have a mini lesson on parallel structure which will lead to an assignment. We'll also have a notebook quiz over mood and/or theme. Be prepared. (By "be prepared" I mean be better prepared than you were for the last notebook quiz.) We'll follow that up with the return of that previously mentioned notebook quiz. I'll pass out the SVD assessment sheets and then you'll get to show off some of your great juxtaposition examples. We'll revisit "Jazz Fantasia" for a figurative language lesson, and hopefully, have time for an author's chair or two. Full day. See you in class.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Standard 9-27-2012
Really, once cross country and my daughter's soccer season ends, I'll have more time to develop these blogs fully and write them earlier in the day. Until then...
We have our first book talks tomorrow. You need to have read your sections and prepared the three recall questions, three discussion questions, three connections, three passages to share, and one picture. You'll be writing this all neatly in the literature section of your language arts notebook. I'll check how you did and assess you with a check plus if it's great a check if it's okay and a check minus if it's below par. These assessments will add up to a grade by the end of your reading time. You want to do these well.
Good start to our pictorial essay analysis. You are using mood and theme and the more you work with these the better off you'll be when PARCC, ISTEP, SAT etc. come along. We're going to add poems to the mix tomorrow if time permits. I'm giving you five poems and you'll need to decide which one shares the mood and theme best with the pictorial essay. Of course, you'll have to back that up in writing. You'll be doing something like this on your own really soon.
Don't forget to jump on those Acuity-At-Home assignments if you have time. Remember, you might be dining with me next week if you don't do the Acuity-At-Home material on your own.
Now that we know dependent and independent clauses for sure, you can look forward to a notebook quiz soon. But not tomorrow. We have a bit too much to squeeze in already.
We have our first book talks tomorrow. You need to have read your sections and prepared the three recall questions, three discussion questions, three connections, three passages to share, and one picture. You'll be writing this all neatly in the literature section of your language arts notebook. I'll check how you did and assess you with a check plus if it's great a check if it's okay and a check minus if it's below par. These assessments will add up to a grade by the end of your reading time. You want to do these well.
Good start to our pictorial essay analysis. You are using mood and theme and the more you work with these the better off you'll be when PARCC, ISTEP, SAT etc. come along. We're going to add poems to the mix tomorrow if time permits. I'm giving you five poems and you'll need to decide which one shares the mood and theme best with the pictorial essay. Of course, you'll have to back that up in writing. You'll be doing something like this on your own really soon.
Don't forget to jump on those Acuity-At-Home assignments if you have time. Remember, you might be dining with me next week if you don't do the Acuity-At-Home material on your own.
Now that we know dependent and independent clauses for sure, you can look forward to a notebook quiz soon. But not tomorrow. We have a bit too much to squeeze in already.
Enriched 9-27-2012
Class, this blog is going to be short. Busy night with Soccer Senior Night at Penn High School. I want you to think about the dog draft experience today. Tomorrow when you come to class, I will give you a note card. If you have a question about the paper, I want you to write it on the note card. I'll look them over while you are in your book discussion groups. We can talk about them at the end of class.
Speaking of the book groups, make sure you are prepared. You need to have three recall questions, five discussion questions, three connections, three passages you want to share/discuss and a picture. I want them neatly written in the lit section of the notebooks. You'll get a check plus, check, or check minus based on the quality of your work. Those will add up to a score once the reading is complete. As you know, I have high expectations.
One last thing, we talked about the OWL today. I'll be sharing some info on it over the weekend, including the correct way to cite the works of Poe, Brooks and Donne.
Time permitting we'll talk about juxtaposition, our trouble with semi-colons, acuity, "Jazz Fantasia", figurative language, and the problems with Taylor Kitsch's film career. I think we need to go back to block scheduling! Ah!
Speaking of the book groups, make sure you are prepared. You need to have three recall questions, five discussion questions, three connections, three passages you want to share/discuss and a picture. I want them neatly written in the lit section of the notebooks. You'll get a check plus, check, or check minus based on the quality of your work. Those will add up to a score once the reading is complete. As you know, I have high expectations.
One last thing, we talked about the OWL today. I'll be sharing some info on it over the weekend, including the correct way to cite the works of Poe, Brooks and Donne.
Time permitting we'll talk about juxtaposition, our trouble with semi-colons, acuity, "Jazz Fantasia", figurative language, and the problems with Taylor Kitsch's film career. I think we need to go back to block scheduling! Ah!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Standard 9-26-2012
That was a pretty rough job for some of us on the independent/dependent clause notebook quiz. Reading the blog helps, but reading the notes will go even farther.
Do you remember the difference between third person limited and third person omniscient? I hope so. Work first person in there too. You should be able to identify all three easily. In the next few days, we'll be looking at passages and deciding which point of view they represent.
You finally received you books today. I hope you are enjoying them. Big discussion day coming on Friday. Make sure you have read and prepared at the highest level.
Pictures and poems tomorrow. i'm excited by the activity. I hope you like it. More importantly, I hope you learn from it.
Email me your IGR (initial gut reaction) to your book tonight (3 sentence minimum) and I'll sign your Archer card tomorrow.
Do you remember the difference between third person limited and third person omniscient? I hope so. Work first person in there too. You should be able to identify all three easily. In the next few days, we'll be looking at passages and deciding which point of view they represent.
You finally received you books today. I hope you are enjoying them. Big discussion day coming on Friday. Make sure you have read and prepared at the highest level.
Pictures and poems tomorrow. i'm excited by the activity. I hope you like it. More importantly, I hope you learn from it.
Email me your IGR (initial gut reaction) to your book tonight (3 sentence minimum) and I'll sign your Archer card tomorrow.
Enriched 9-26-2012
"Jazz Fantasia" Rocks! Okay, I think I just mixed my musical genres there, but you get the idea. Doesn't Alan Davis Drake do a wonderful job? There's a link above if you want to see it/hear it again. Hope you enjoyed looking at the mood and theme of the piece. Sandburg is obviously passionate about jazz music. That's one reason why the multiple moods permeate the piece. Archer card signature tomorrow for telling me what permeate means. You also did a nice job of understanding how the moods help to clarify the theme of the piece. Now that we have taken you through that together, I can count on you breaking down a poem like that on your own. Be ready. It's coming! We'll still talk about the piece (Friday? Monday?) to hone in on some figurative language, but then we'll be moving on to something else.
Some of us better review our semi-colon rules. You know who you are.
Do you remember the difference between third person limited and third person omniscient? I hope so. Work first person in there too. You should be able to identify all three easily. In the next few days, we'll be looking at passages and deciding which point of view they represent.
Be sure you are reading your book and completing the assignments. My expectations for the work are sky high.
The big news for tomorrow is the C.A.P.P. Be sure it is typed and double spaced when you bring it to class. The more you have completed the better tomorrow will be for you. I'll spend a bit of time going over the OWL and proper ways to cite, then you will be working with partners editing your papers. We've done this once before. You know what I expect. We will save some time for author's chair as well. Be thinking about sharing a bit of your paper with the rest of us.
Can't wait to see what you have started to produce.
Oh, and don't forget your juxtaposition examples tomorrow.
Some of us better review our semi-colon rules. You know who you are.
Do you remember the difference between third person limited and third person omniscient? I hope so. Work first person in there too. You should be able to identify all three easily. In the next few days, we'll be looking at passages and deciding which point of view they represent.
Be sure you are reading your book and completing the assignments. My expectations for the work are sky high.
The big news for tomorrow is the C.A.P.P. Be sure it is typed and double spaced when you bring it to class. The more you have completed the better tomorrow will be for you. I'll spend a bit of time going over the OWL and proper ways to cite, then you will be working with partners editing your papers. We've done this once before. You know what I expect. We will save some time for author's chair as well. Be thinking about sharing a bit of your paper with the rest of us.
Can't wait to see what you have started to produce.
Oh, and don't forget your juxtaposition examples tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Standard 09-25-2012
Well we definitely had a few superstars on the acuity tests today. I'm talking about you, Audrey Richmond, with Katherine Barker, Killian Braunsdorf, Rachel Lee, Meagan Kelly, and Andrew Migas not far behind. Stand up and take a bow! We also came to realize that we have some work to do. But that is what the predictive test is supposed to show. Don't get discouraged if your score was not where you want it to be. Instead, work hard over the next few weeks to do what you need to to bring it up. That means you should be working on the Acuity At Home material as often as possible. You also need to be taking notes in class, asking questions when you don't understand something, participating so that you can get the most out of the class, and striving to do your best. Goof around outside of class. Focus and work inside of class.
You'll be getting your books tomorrow; yes, it is a couple days later than initially planned. The expectations are going to be sky high on these reads and on the material you need to prepare to be successful. Don't let me down. Don't let your group down. Don't let yourself down.
Something uniques and different is headed your way tomorrow. Are you ready for a pictorial essay tied to poems? Be ready to blow your mind!
How about a notebook quiz tomorrow? I'll say you have to come to class and write me an explanation on the difference between a dependent clause and an independent clause. then I'll ask you to write a sentence that contains both and label the two parts. Whew! Glad you read the blog, aren't you?
You'll be getting your books tomorrow; yes, it is a couple days later than initially planned. The expectations are going to be sky high on these reads and on the material you need to prepare to be successful. Don't let me down. Don't let your group down. Don't let yourself down.
Something uniques and different is headed your way tomorrow. Are you ready for a pictorial essay tied to poems? Be ready to blow your mind!
How about a notebook quiz tomorrow? I'll say you have to come to class and write me an explanation on the difference between a dependent clause and an independent clause. then I'll ask you to write a sentence that contains both and label the two parts. Whew! Glad you read the blog, aren't you?
Enriched 9-25-2012
Quick entry today, but it will pay off if you read on. We took an acuity predictive test today. We had some perfect scores (way to go Allison Riggs, Riley Smith, and Madelyn Busch), but we also saw that we have some work to do. It was predictive, so we have a couple weeks now to do what we need to to raise those scores. You'll be automatically assigned some Acuity At Home work in the next 24 hours, so be on the look out for that and complete it. I'll be checking!
Thursday is going to be a busy day with the dog draft of the paper and the juxtaposition assignment coming in. Friday is going to be book talk focused. That leaves us Wednesday to fill. We'll answer any book, paper, and acuity questions, but we will also have a notebook quiz tomorrow. It will be over the semi-colon. There are two ways to use it correctly that we discussed in class. You'll show me those two ways by writing two sentences. To make sure the sentences are not just memorized from your notes, you'll have to include the word "stapler" in both of your sentences.
In order to help us hit some more standards, we'll also be looking at one of my all time favorite poems tomorrow and discussing a little mood and figurative language. Are you ready for some jazz?
Thursday is going to be a busy day with the dog draft of the paper and the juxtaposition assignment coming in. Friday is going to be book talk focused. That leaves us Wednesday to fill. We'll answer any book, paper, and acuity questions, but we will also have a notebook quiz tomorrow. It will be over the semi-colon. There are two ways to use it correctly that we discussed in class. You'll show me those two ways by writing two sentences. To make sure the sentences are not just memorized from your notes, you'll have to include the word "stapler" in both of your sentences.
In order to help us hit some more standards, we'll also be looking at one of my all time favorite poems tomorrow and discussing a little mood and figurative language. Are you ready for some jazz?
Monday, September 24, 2012
Standard 9-24-2012
I messed up! I'm sorry. I really thought that our Acuity testing day was Wednesday. I found out after school that it is actually tomorrow. Now that shouldn't pump up your anxiety too much, but I am sorry for the misinformation. I guess that makes tonight a good night to tackle some of those Acuity at Home tests. As a matter of fact, I will sign your Archer card tomorrow if I see that you've completed two of those assigned tests with a score of five or six (83% or 100%).
I want to commend the groups out in the hall today. Top notch work from what I could tell. You were focused on discussing your papers, and from what I heard you say, you were able to pinpoint areas of weakness that you will be focusing on and fixing for the next paper. Super! Now don't forget those reflections.
In the classroom, we had a good discussion on how we can improve our writings. The reflections that you started in class and are finishing for tomorrow will go a long way toward showing how much you want to improve. Will you do the "film study" necessary to understand what you need to do to improve or will you offer just a cursory glance? Remember, another paper is coming soon.
You will be receiving the books tomorrow along with a hand out on expectations as long as Acuity doesn't take up the entire class. I'm anxious for you to start the reading.
Acuity to complete, books to read, preparations to make, a new paper coming...sounds like a lot. I better let you go. Sleep well.
I want to commend the groups out in the hall today. Top notch work from what I could tell. You were focused on discussing your papers, and from what I heard you say, you were able to pinpoint areas of weakness that you will be focusing on and fixing for the next paper. Super! Now don't forget those reflections.
In the classroom, we had a good discussion on how we can improve our writings. The reflections that you started in class and are finishing for tomorrow will go a long way toward showing how much you want to improve. Will you do the "film study" necessary to understand what you need to do to improve or will you offer just a cursory glance? Remember, another paper is coming soon.
You will be receiving the books tomorrow along with a hand out on expectations as long as Acuity doesn't take up the entire class. I'm anxious for you to start the reading.
Acuity to complete, books to read, preparations to make, a new paper coming...sounds like a lot. I better let you go. Sleep well.
Enriched 9-24-2012
Couple BIG, QUICK announcements. It pays to read the blog!
First, the books are yours. I thought about it during the day, and I decided that it will be one of the books you get to keep this year. So what does that mean for you? Aside from owning the text and writing your name in the book, you also get to text code, annotate, highlight, mark up the text anyway you see fit. No, you don't have to use sticky notes; that is, unless you are one of those people who believe writing in a book is sacrilegious. In that case, sticky note away! For the rest of you, feel free to write wherever necessary. But, Darius, I still don't want you to rip off the cover.
One other piece of news--mostly for period one. Wednesday's book group meeting has been cancelled. The first actual group meeting will take place this Friday, September 28. After thinking about it a bit, I realized that Wednesday was a little quick for our first meetings. Periods five and six had already received this information.
The second big announcement concerns acuity testing. I found out after school today that the acuity testing I promised you for Wednesday is actually tomorrow. I accept full responsibility for the mistake. Last Friday, I was told Tuesday, but I remembered Wednesday, which is what I told you. In the big picture, it shouldn't matter too much, but I am sorry for misinforming you. I guess that makes tonight a good night to work on your Acuity at Home.
In paper news let's have a shout out for Conrad Adams who did a crazy good job of analyzing the three texts and prepping for the paper. Even then he wasn't satisfied as he stopped in before school to talk about what he had done. Way to go, Conrad! Savannah Day, Nathan Glaser, and Morgan Blank also sacrificed their lunch times to get a bit more insight into the paper. I love it!
Here are a couple of upcoming due dates this week.
Tuesday Acuity Testing
Thursday Typed dog draft of the C.A.P.P. is due
Juxtaposition example should be typed up and brought to class
Friday First book meeting is scheduled. Be sure you have read and fully prepared
Thanks to Elizabeth Bollinger for asking about parallel structure today in period five. (Why didn't anyone ask in periods one or six?) It's a technique used often by poets, speakers, and writers. Write me an original line of parallel structure for an Archer card signature. Period five had a quick parallel structure lesson and easily identified the benefits of using it in their writings.
1) adds rhythm to your writing
2) makes the writing interesting
3) makes it easier to remember
4) helps to stress what's important
That's all for tonight. Sleep well.
First, the books are yours. I thought about it during the day, and I decided that it will be one of the books you get to keep this year. So what does that mean for you? Aside from owning the text and writing your name in the book, you also get to text code, annotate, highlight, mark up the text anyway you see fit. No, you don't have to use sticky notes; that is, unless you are one of those people who believe writing in a book is sacrilegious. In that case, sticky note away! For the rest of you, feel free to write wherever necessary. But, Darius, I still don't want you to rip off the cover.
One other piece of news--mostly for period one. Wednesday's book group meeting has been cancelled. The first actual group meeting will take place this Friday, September 28. After thinking about it a bit, I realized that Wednesday was a little quick for our first meetings. Periods five and six had already received this information.
The second big announcement concerns acuity testing. I found out after school today that the acuity testing I promised you for Wednesday is actually tomorrow. I accept full responsibility for the mistake. Last Friday, I was told Tuesday, but I remembered Wednesday, which is what I told you. In the big picture, it shouldn't matter too much, but I am sorry for misinforming you. I guess that makes tonight a good night to work on your Acuity at Home.
In paper news let's have a shout out for Conrad Adams who did a crazy good job of analyzing the three texts and prepping for the paper. Even then he wasn't satisfied as he stopped in before school to talk about what he had done. Way to go, Conrad! Savannah Day, Nathan Glaser, and Morgan Blank also sacrificed their lunch times to get a bit more insight into the paper. I love it!
Here are a couple of upcoming due dates this week.
Tuesday Acuity Testing
Thursday Typed dog draft of the C.A.P.P. is due
Juxtaposition example should be typed up and brought to class
Friday First book meeting is scheduled. Be sure you have read and fully prepared
Thanks to Elizabeth Bollinger for asking about parallel structure today in period five. (Why didn't anyone ask in periods one or six?) It's a technique used often by poets, speakers, and writers. Write me an original line of parallel structure for an Archer card signature. Period five had a quick parallel structure lesson and easily identified the benefits of using it in their writings.
1) adds rhythm to your writing
2) makes the writing interesting
3) makes it easier to remember
4) helps to stress what's important
That's all for tonight. Sleep well.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Standard 9-23-2012
So was it The Lady or was it The Tiger? Every time I think I know what I think, some little fact tweaks my brain and makes me reconsider the think I thought. I think I said that right.
Anyway, I absolutely love that story! I know, I know, it has some pretty difficult vocabulary. But that's what is coming your way. You need to be able to work your way through the difficult texts. That reading was definitely a step up from "Raymond's Run" and "The Treasure of Lemon Brown". There's nothing wrong with those two stories; we needed to start with something accessible; however, we are going to start to push the envelop a little bit now. Don't worry, I'll help you as we move forward. We'll even spend a bit of time investigating your approach to "The Lady or the Tiger?", and offer hints on how you might be more successful in the future.
That's coming tomorrow, but there is more as well. Did someone say Acuity? Guess what. Acuity at Home is back! Yes! You can cheer for as long as you want. I'll wait. I took the liberty to assign you all some Acuity at Home tasks this weekend. I'll be expecting you to have completed two of the task by Wednesday. Go ahead. Start now.
I have to tell you this little bit of info. All five of my classes had the most trouble with the same question on the Acuity test you took a couple of weeks ago. It was the one that asked you how to properly address the greeting (salutation) of a business letter. Here is the correct answer.
Mr. O'Malley:
It's the colon. I've told you. You've read it. Now, I don't expect anyone to miss it again. Okay? Good! Just to be sure, come up to me and show me on a scrap of paper how to properly address the greeting of a business letter, and I'll sign your Archer card.
In other news, you'll be receiving your books tomorrow. I wanted everyone to get his/her first choice. It didn't happen. While some did, some are on second, and, yes, even third choices. The good thing is that all the books are good, so you won't be disappointed once you start reading. I'll be passing out the lit circle expectations as well tomorrow. I'll be holding those expectations high, and I'll be expecting you to reach them.
One last thing...I'll be passing back your "Lemon Brown" character analysis papers tomorrow. While overall I'd have to say we struggled, there were still some bright spots out there. I'd like to commend Katherine Barker, Sam Nicholas, Sophia Donati, and Audrey Richmond for offering strong analyses of their character choices. We'll look at some of those, write reflections and move on to our next writing.
See you tomorrow.
Anyway, I absolutely love that story! I know, I know, it has some pretty difficult vocabulary. But that's what is coming your way. You need to be able to work your way through the difficult texts. That reading was definitely a step up from "Raymond's Run" and "The Treasure of Lemon Brown". There's nothing wrong with those two stories; we needed to start with something accessible; however, we are going to start to push the envelop a little bit now. Don't worry, I'll help you as we move forward. We'll even spend a bit of time investigating your approach to "The Lady or the Tiger?", and offer hints on how you might be more successful in the future.
That's coming tomorrow, but there is more as well. Did someone say Acuity? Guess what. Acuity at Home is back! Yes! You can cheer for as long as you want. I'll wait. I took the liberty to assign you all some Acuity at Home tasks this weekend. I'll be expecting you to have completed two of the task by Wednesday. Go ahead. Start now.
I have to tell you this little bit of info. All five of my classes had the most trouble with the same question on the Acuity test you took a couple of weeks ago. It was the one that asked you how to properly address the greeting (salutation) of a business letter. Here is the correct answer.
Mr. O'Malley:
It's the colon. I've told you. You've read it. Now, I don't expect anyone to miss it again. Okay? Good! Just to be sure, come up to me and show me on a scrap of paper how to properly address the greeting of a business letter, and I'll sign your Archer card.
In other news, you'll be receiving your books tomorrow. I wanted everyone to get his/her first choice. It didn't happen. While some did, some are on second, and, yes, even third choices. The good thing is that all the books are good, so you won't be disappointed once you start reading. I'll be passing out the lit circle expectations as well tomorrow. I'll be holding those expectations high, and I'll be expecting you to reach them.
One last thing...I'll be passing back your "Lemon Brown" character analysis papers tomorrow. While overall I'd have to say we struggled, there were still some bright spots out there. I'd like to commend Katherine Barker, Sam Nicholas, Sophia Donati, and Audrey Richmond for offering strong analyses of their character choices. We'll look at some of those, write reflections and move on to our next writing.
See you tomorrow.
Enriched 9-23-2012
Wow! What a great fall day: cotton ball clouds; a brisk autumnal breeze; books to read and papers to write. Like how I sneaked those last two in there?
I've been thinking about you guys. I can't wait to see how things went last Friday. Were the discussions invigorating? Was the analysis deep? Was there insight achieved? (Like how I made those last few sentences parallel? I love using parallel structure. If you're not sure what I mean, you better ask me in class tomorrow.) We'll have time to discuss and clarify what went on in class in my absence. I'll hand out a rubric too. Then it will be time to vigorously attack that writing.
But we will still make time to distribute some books as well. Will you be battling evil in The Amulet of Samarkand? Will you be traveling back in time to join Arthur? Perhaps you'll enjoy a bit of personification with Watership Down or Fire Bringer. Then again, you might discover what wicked something is coming this way. You will receive your book, and, in addition, you will learn what will be expected of you while reading. These expectations will not be light, but they can be accomplished with proper planning and and a willing mind.
We will be filing our "Masque of the Red Death"/"No Man Is an Island" analysis and the corresponding reflection tomorrow. Do me a favor and do that as soon as you get to class before the bell rings. Periods one and five have managed to keep the folders in ABC order. Not so, Period Six. Let's correct that ASAP.
I discovered last Friday the number one Acuity question missed on our opening test was the exact same question in each class! Shocking! It deals with using the colon to start a business letter. The question asked you to select the proper way to address the salutation of a business letter. Four options were presented. In the highest class 52% guessed correctly. In the lowest class only 12% were correct. Yikes! Here is the right answer...
Dear Mr. O'Malley:
Yup. It's just that simple. Come up to me tomorrow with that written on a scrap of paper. Tell me it's the proper way to address the greeting or salutation of a business letter, and I will sign your Archer card.
While I'm on the topic of Acuity, I took some time Friday to assign each and everyone of you a couple Acuity at Home tasks. Tackle them by Wednesday. Why Wednesday? That's the next time we'll be taking an Acuity test in class. Let's be ready!
Don't forget your juxtaposition homework. I want a fresh, original, unique example from each one of you by Thursday. Be creative. Make sure you have a clear explanation (typed) of the items being juxtaposed. I read an example of one in the paper Friday, saw a great example live on Saturday, and ran by one early Sunday morning. Juxtaposition...it's everywhere!
See you all tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of the evening.
I've been thinking about you guys. I can't wait to see how things went last Friday. Were the discussions invigorating? Was the analysis deep? Was there insight achieved? (Like how I made those last few sentences parallel? I love using parallel structure. If you're not sure what I mean, you better ask me in class tomorrow.) We'll have time to discuss and clarify what went on in class in my absence. I'll hand out a rubric too. Then it will be time to vigorously attack that writing.
But we will still make time to distribute some books as well. Will you be battling evil in The Amulet of Samarkand? Will you be traveling back in time to join Arthur? Perhaps you'll enjoy a bit of personification with Watership Down or Fire Bringer. Then again, you might discover what wicked something is coming this way. You will receive your book, and, in addition, you will learn what will be expected of you while reading. These expectations will not be light, but they can be accomplished with proper planning and and a willing mind.
We will be filing our "Masque of the Red Death"/"No Man Is an Island" analysis and the corresponding reflection tomorrow. Do me a favor and do that as soon as you get to class before the bell rings. Periods one and five have managed to keep the folders in ABC order. Not so, Period Six. Let's correct that ASAP.
I discovered last Friday the number one Acuity question missed on our opening test was the exact same question in each class! Shocking! It deals with using the colon to start a business letter. The question asked you to select the proper way to address the salutation of a business letter. Four options were presented. In the highest class 52% guessed correctly. In the lowest class only 12% were correct. Yikes! Here is the right answer...
Dear Mr. O'Malley:
Yup. It's just that simple. Come up to me tomorrow with that written on a scrap of paper. Tell me it's the proper way to address the greeting or salutation of a business letter, and I will sign your Archer card.
While I'm on the topic of Acuity, I took some time Friday to assign each and everyone of you a couple Acuity at Home tasks. Tackle them by Wednesday. Why Wednesday? That's the next time we'll be taking an Acuity test in class. Let's be ready!
Don't forget your juxtaposition homework. I want a fresh, original, unique example from each one of you by Thursday. Be creative. Make sure you have a clear explanation (typed) of the items being juxtaposed. I read an example of one in the paper Friday, saw a great example live on Saturday, and ran by one early Sunday morning. Juxtaposition...it's everywhere!
See you all tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of the evening.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Enriched and Standard 9-20-2012
Okay, so I finally got you all checking the blog, and then I don't post until 11:04. I apologize. I just walked in the door from school 15 minutes ago. Yes, it was a very late night at Discovery. No new info tonight. I'm gone tomorrow, but I'll try and post stuff on the paper (enriched) and the books (enriched and standard) tomorrow. Good night. Sleep tight.
Oh, okay, here's a little hint, Enriched, about what you'll be doing tomorrow.
Oh, okay, here's a little hint, Enriched, about what you'll be doing tomorrow.
Prompts for Periods One, Five and Six
Part I: Based solely on what you read in “The Masque of the Red Death”, what traits do you believe Edgar Allan Poe would hope to find in his fellow man? What attitudes would he believe a human should have? What actions would he believe a human should perform? Write a claim (probably a sentence or two) that clearly spells out Poe’s opinions and expectations.
Part II: Now that you have a claim to work with, help each other by finding evidence in the text to support that claim. Write the quotes down under your claim in your language arts notebooks. Be sure to include page numbers for the quotes. The more evidence you find, the better off you will be when it comes time to start writing the paper. In addition to finding the quotes, I would also spend time writing myself an explanation as to why the evidence I selected supports my claim.
Part III: Based solely on what you read in the World War Z excerpt, what traits do you believe Max Brooks would hope to find in his fellow man? What attitudes would he believe a human should have? What actions would he believe a human should perform? Write a claim (probably a sentence or two) that clearly spells out Brooks’s opinions and expectations.
Part IV: Now that you have a claim to work with, help each other by finding evidence in the text to support that claim. Write the quotes down under your claim in your language arts notebooks. Be sure to include page numbers for the quotes. The more evidence you find, the better off you will be when it comes time to start writing the paper. In addition to finding the quotes, I would also spend time writing myself an explanation as to why the evidence I selected supports my claim.
Part V: Based solely on what you read in “No Man Is an Island”, what traits do you believe John Donne would hope to find in his fellow man? What attitudes would he believe a human should have? What actions would he believe a human should perform? Write a claim (probably a sentence or two) that clearly spells out Donne’s opinions and expectations.
Part VI: Now that you have a claim to work with, help each other by finding evidence in the text to support that claim. Write the quotes down under your claim in your language arts notebooks. Be sure to include page numbers for the quotes. The more evidence you find, the better off you will be when it comes time to start writing the paper. In addition to finding the quotes, I would also spend time writing myself an explanation as to why the evidence I selected supports my claim.
Next, from the information you have compiled, I want you to make a list of the basic requirements the individual who would draw love and support from these three authors should have.
Now, I want you to brainstorm possible individuals who would meet those requirements, but first read this carefully. The individual does NOT have to be able to meet 100% of the requirements 100% of the time. I also don’t want you to settle on the first individual who comes to mind. Try your best to find the unique individual. If everyone thinks of the same person first, that’s not going to be a unique individual, and it’s not going to be a unique paper. Trust me, you want a unique paper.
Think about people we might all know, but also think about those more obscure individuals whom only you might know due to your outside interests. Don’t just scratch the surface in your search. Dig deeper!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Standard 9-19-2012
It pays to read the blog...too bad only two of you (way to go Sam Nicholas and Killian Braunsdorf) had done it the night before. The quick Notebook Quiz (so named because the quiz information comes from your notebook, and not because you get to use your notes--cause you don't) showed me a lot. Number one is the need for all of us to review, review, review. Some sailed through it. Others struggled. Be sure to ask for help if needed.
Through our "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" discussion, you did show a good understanding of theme. Welll done! we'll keep applying it so we don't forget it.
You had a quick peek at a couple of books you'll be choosing from.
The Outsiders
The Last Exit to Normal
Someone Like You
Slam!
You might have something there that interests you, or there might be something I share tomorrow that grabs you. Either way, you'll soon be in a group of four--a literature circle--and reading and discussing and analyzing the book. I can't wait.
Tell me the names of the two people who read the blog the night before for an Archer card signature.
Through our "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" discussion, you did show a good understanding of theme. Welll done! we'll keep applying it so we don't forget it.
You had a quick peek at a couple of books you'll be choosing from.
The Outsiders
The Last Exit to Normal
Someone Like You
Slam!
You might have something there that interests you, or there might be something I share tomorrow that grabs you. Either way, you'll soon be in a group of four--a literature circle--and reading and discussing and analyzing the book. I can't wait.
Tell me the names of the two people who read the blog the night before for an Archer card signature.
Enriched 9-19-2012
Wow! Full day. WWZ discussion, papers returned, new paper passed out, books to look at. Books to look at! That's right. That's why you're here right now. I promised a link to five books. I've included them below, plus a little blurb from me about each text. I want you to check out the books, familiarize yourself with the five texts, and then come up with a top three. I'll be able answer your questions tomorrow, so you can tweak your list then; however, the firmer you are in your decisions, the better for you. You see we have a limited number of each text, so it is a good possibility that not everyone will be reading his or her first choice. I'll be assigning the books to you, as well as the corresponding groups you'll be reading the books with. This will become your literature group with which you will hold myriad discussions and meetings.
Enough for now. I can explain more about your literature circle experience tomorrow. Let's get to the books.
Watership Down by Douglas Adams
This is a personal favorite of mine. Sure, I sometimes refer to it as the "bunny book" since it is about bunnies, but the book itself is an amazing journey with strong characters and much deeper themes than one would think a bunny could bring.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Who would have thought that a merry-go-round could be so scary? Ray Bradbury for one. He writes about a young boy who can't get enough of a traveling carnival that is inhabited by a horde of bizarre individuals. I had a difficult time putting this one down when I read it the first time.
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Knights! Wizards! Swords in stones! Yes, it is the tale of King Arthur. I loved this book so much I read it twice in my pre-high school years. I'm a big fan of the Arthurian legend. If you had a rollicking good time at Medieval Times, then you should consider reading this.
The Amulet of Samarkand by Philip Stroud
The cover of this one might be a little unnerving but the story packs a whollop! Thoroughly enjoyed this book which focuses on an 11 year old wizard, but one without all the cute tricks and inncoent fun. This is serious magic here so you better beware. I enjoyed it so much I read the sequels--not necessary and not something I usually do. They were worth it.
Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies
Forget the rabbits. How about those dear? Okay, so while Clement-Davies may have borrowed loosely from Adams, he still tells a mostly original story that holds up on its own. The deer are central to this tale, but it gallops along at a deer like pace and was well worth the journey.
Those are your five options. Look them over virtually and then make a list of your tentative top three. Happy exploring.
One more thing. I wanted to give a shout out to Bryce Yoder, Zac Hall, and Peter Rutkowski for doing a superb job on the "Masque of the Red Death" and "No Man Is an Island" writing prompt last Friday. Excellent work.
You should be reading about the next writing assignment tonight. Come with questions at the ready! See you tomorrow.
Enough for now. I can explain more about your literature circle experience tomorrow. Let's get to the books.
Watership Down by Douglas Adams
This is a personal favorite of mine. Sure, I sometimes refer to it as the "bunny book" since it is about bunnies, but the book itself is an amazing journey with strong characters and much deeper themes than one would think a bunny could bring.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Who would have thought that a merry-go-round could be so scary? Ray Bradbury for one. He writes about a young boy who can't get enough of a traveling carnival that is inhabited by a horde of bizarre individuals. I had a difficult time putting this one down when I read it the first time.
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Knights! Wizards! Swords in stones! Yes, it is the tale of King Arthur. I loved this book so much I read it twice in my pre-high school years. I'm a big fan of the Arthurian legend. If you had a rollicking good time at Medieval Times, then you should consider reading this.
The Amulet of Samarkand by Philip Stroud
The cover of this one might be a little unnerving but the story packs a whollop! Thoroughly enjoyed this book which focuses on an 11 year old wizard, but one without all the cute tricks and inncoent fun. This is serious magic here so you better beware. I enjoyed it so much I read the sequels--not necessary and not something I usually do. They were worth it.
Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies
Forget the rabbits. How about those dear? Okay, so while Clement-Davies may have borrowed loosely from Adams, he still tells a mostly original story that holds up on its own. The deer are central to this tale, but it gallops along at a deer like pace and was well worth the journey.
Those are your five options. Look them over virtually and then make a list of your tentative top three. Happy exploring.
One more thing. I wanted to give a shout out to Bryce Yoder, Zac Hall, and Peter Rutkowski for doing a superb job on the "Masque of the Red Death" and "No Man Is an Island" writing prompt last Friday. Excellent work.
You should be reading about the next writing assignment tonight. Come with questions at the ready! See you tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Standard 9-18-2012
Sorry I wasn't in class today. I was attending a luncheon for my daughter who was the Kiwanis Student Athlete of the Month. Hey, I'm a proud Dad. I can brag a little.
Anyway, you learned about flat and round characters. Don't worry if you are confused. We'll talk more about them soon.
You also answered some questions on "Lemon Brown". We'll touch on those tomorrow. I might be collecting them, so you better have them completed well. We'll talk about them a bit, but then it will be time to move on.
I have something different for you tomorrow. I hope you'll like it. We'll be using it to make connections to "Raymond's Run" and "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" but it will also be pushing us in a new direction. Call it a transitional piece.
We'll be whipping through some figurative language tomorrow as well. You have plenty of examples. I'll be looking for the best.
Finally, if you are reading this, you will be the first to know. Tomorrow in class you will be asked to write four sentences: a simple sentence; a compound sentence; a complex sentence; and a compound-complex sentence. You will need to include a food (taco, spaghetti, Oreo, milk, tofu) in each sentence. You can't write these ahead of time, but at least you know what's coming. Now you know. It pays to read the blog!
Tell me what SHIMP stands for, and I'll sign your Archer card tomorrow.
Anyway, you learned about flat and round characters. Don't worry if you are confused. We'll talk more about them soon.
You also answered some questions on "Lemon Brown". We'll touch on those tomorrow. I might be collecting them, so you better have them completed well. We'll talk about them a bit, but then it will be time to move on.
I have something different for you tomorrow. I hope you'll like it. We'll be using it to make connections to "Raymond's Run" and "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" but it will also be pushing us in a new direction. Call it a transitional piece.
We'll be whipping through some figurative language tomorrow as well. You have plenty of examples. I'll be looking for the best.
Finally, if you are reading this, you will be the first to know. Tomorrow in class you will be asked to write four sentences: a simple sentence; a compound sentence; a complex sentence; and a compound-complex sentence. You will need to include a food (taco, spaghetti, Oreo, milk, tofu) in each sentence. You can't write these ahead of time, but at least you know what's coming. Now you know. It pays to read the blog!
Tell me what SHIMP stands for, and I'll sign your Archer card tomorrow.
Enriched 9-18-2012
Okay, so I think we are good on static and dynamic and flat and round characters. Quick, without looking, can you identify an example of each? Can you offer explanations of each one? How about if I throw a quick little four question quiz at you soon? They're coming! I'd be ready if I were you. I'd be reading my notes once a night? Every other night? Remember, anything in the notebook is fair game. Keep looking on the blog for updates on the quiz. I'll let you know here. Don't worry. Nothing tomorrow.
Those symbolic Venn diagrams are turning out pretty well--as long as we ignore our artistic talents. Okay, you can read and write at a high level; art work? not so much. Anyway, the art isn't the key. Identifying symbols to represent the stories is key. Comparing and contrasing the two stories is key. Locating evidence to support your ideas is key. You're accomplishing all that through your symbolic Venn. Now remember, I don't want to give anymore class time for this. Some of you are finished. Some of you are almost finished. Some of you, well, I'd come in in the morning (I'm here at 8) or stop by during lunch to put the finishing touches on your diagram.
Tomorrow, the paper will be handed out and discussed. I changed the idea at around 8:47 this morning, so I guess it was fortunate that we didn't get as far as I had planned in class today. I am excited about it, nevertheless. I typed it up today and already know the individual I would select.
"Wait. Individual you would select? What are you talking about, Mr. O'Malley?"
Let me give you a hint or two. You will be using "The Masque of the Red Death", the World War Z excerpt, and the John Donne poem. The paper will involve a little research, You'll need to find a person--famous or not so famous--who meets some requirements we'll discuss tomorrow. Citing sources and pages numbers as well as including a Works Cited page will be a requirement of this paper. Sure, that stuff isn't exciting, but I can't wait to see who you select and what you do for the paper.
Come see me before class. If you can answer my question, I have an Archer card signature for you.
Those symbolic Venn diagrams are turning out pretty well--as long as we ignore our artistic talents. Okay, you can read and write at a high level; art work? not so much. Anyway, the art isn't the key. Identifying symbols to represent the stories is key. Comparing and contrasing the two stories is key. Locating evidence to support your ideas is key. You're accomplishing all that through your symbolic Venn. Now remember, I don't want to give anymore class time for this. Some of you are finished. Some of you are almost finished. Some of you, well, I'd come in in the morning (I'm here at 8) or stop by during lunch to put the finishing touches on your diagram.
Tomorrow, the paper will be handed out and discussed. I changed the idea at around 8:47 this morning, so I guess it was fortunate that we didn't get as far as I had planned in class today. I am excited about it, nevertheless. I typed it up today and already know the individual I would select.
"Wait. Individual you would select? What are you talking about, Mr. O'Malley?"
Let me give you a hint or two. You will be using "The Masque of the Red Death", the World War Z excerpt, and the John Donne poem. The paper will involve a little research, You'll need to find a person--famous or not so famous--who meets some requirements we'll discuss tomorrow. Citing sources and pages numbers as well as including a Works Cited page will be a requirement of this paper. Sure, that stuff isn't exciting, but I can't wait to see who you select and what you do for the paper.
Come see me before class. If you can answer my question, I have an Archer card signature for you.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Standard 9-17-2012
Do you know how to write those four sentences? Simple? Compound? Complex? Compound-complex? If I don't ask tomorrow, you can bet I'll ask sometime this week.
We finished up the writing prompts in class today. A quick perusal revealed a lot of work to do. I'll be assessing those over the next couple days. Hope to get them back to you by Friday. Fingers crossed.
We'll discuss some Lemon Brown questions tomorrow seeing as we were cut off today. After that, we are on to a different world of activities. Our day in the IMC Wednesday will be different from our first several visits. Can't wait to tell you more, but it's going to have to wait until the 19th.
I'll sign your Archer card tomorrow if you can tell me a static and a dynamic character that ere not discussed in class today.
See you soon.
We finished up the writing prompts in class today. A quick perusal revealed a lot of work to do. I'll be assessing those over the next couple days. Hope to get them back to you by Friday. Fingers crossed.
We'll discuss some Lemon Brown questions tomorrow seeing as we were cut off today. After that, we are on to a different world of activities. Our day in the IMC Wednesday will be different from our first several visits. Can't wait to tell you more, but it's going to have to wait until the 19th.
I'll sign your Archer card tomorrow if you can tell me a static and a dynamic character that ere not discussed in class today.
See you soon.
Enriched 9-17-2012
Okay, so after our discussion today we all realize that we have some work to do on our writing, especially our timed writing prompts. That info from the Numbers Game was startling to say the least. I can't overstate the importance of becoming a good timed writer. In addition to getting you into a better college (think higher ACT and SAT scores), writing well under a time constraint also opens up doors to myriad scholarships and monies colleges are somewhat reluctant to give away. Imagine how happy Mom and Dad will be when colleges start increasing the money they are willing to give you all because of your writing score on a standardized test! They might be so excited that they'll take the money they saved and buy you a car! Life is good when you know how to write.
A couple individuals who demonstrated some writing talent on the Bambara piece were Peter Rutkowski, Kacey Wood, Bryce Yoder, and Grant Brenner. Nice job, all of you.
Static? Dynamic? Hope you know what they mean. I'll be tossing flat and round at you tomorrow. Hmmm...
I was glad to see the positive reception the World War Z excerpt delivered. Looks like there might be a run on the title at Barnes and Noble. We'll spend part of tomorrow continuing our analysis of the excerpt and "The Masque of the Red Death". Lots to talk about there. Creating a symbolic Venn diagram loaded with quotes from the texts is a challenging yet effective way to compare the two pieces. Can't wait to see what your creative minds deliver. I also have a few more higher level questions to ask.
Another busy day in LA tomorrow. I'll see you there.
Okay, I didn't forget. An Archer card signature for anyone who can tell me who the father of the author of World War Z is AND tell me why you should know him.
A couple individuals who demonstrated some writing talent on the Bambara piece were Peter Rutkowski, Kacey Wood, Bryce Yoder, and Grant Brenner. Nice job, all of you.
Okay, so we will be working on more timed writings in the near future, but our next writing assignment (given tomorrow?) will be of the more traditional kind. You'll be writing it at home, and we'll be taking it through the writing process. We've read some Bambara, some Poe, some Donne, some Brooks, and I've got a nonfiction piece up my sleeve yet as well. Regardless whether we read it or not, there is a similar element running through each one of the other pieces. It deals with our role in humanity. I'll offer more specifics tomorrow.
Static? Dynamic? Hope you know what they mean. I'll be tossing flat and round at you tomorrow. Hmmm...
I was glad to see the positive reception the World War Z excerpt delivered. Looks like there might be a run on the title at Barnes and Noble. We'll spend part of tomorrow continuing our analysis of the excerpt and "The Masque of the Red Death". Lots to talk about there. Creating a symbolic Venn diagram loaded with quotes from the texts is a challenging yet effective way to compare the two pieces. Can't wait to see what your creative minds deliver. I also have a few more higher level questions to ask.
Another busy day in LA tomorrow. I'll see you there.
Okay, I didn't forget. An Archer card signature for anyone who can tell me who the father of the author of World War Z is AND tell me why you should know him.
Enriched 9-17-2012
Here are the prompts I want you to respond to for the reflection of the Toni Cade Bambara paper.
What
are your strengths on this paper? Be specific and show evidence of
those strengths
What
areas do you need to concentrate on in the future? Be specific and
explain your response.
Write
down how you can best use the 40 minutes to plan, write, proofread
and edit your paper.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Standard 09-16-2012
Thank heavens for the weekend. We can stop, calm down, reflect, and try to charge back up for the coming week. Hopefully, I'll see some of that extra energy in your writing tomorrow. You will have an additional 20 minutes to complete the timed writing from last Friday. We'll stay in the classroom this time and get started pretty much right away. All you're doing is selecting two character traits and showing why those traits fit either Lemon Brown or Greg. You did it for Squeaky; you can do it for this story as well. I have faith in you!
By the way, I need to give a shout out to Brittany Brown. The girl was on fire (literally or figuratively? Tell me tomorrow for an Archer card signature) on Friday during our quick discussion of "The Treasure of Lemon Brown". We asked two higher level questions (probably level 3 on the DOK chart) and Brittany was all over both of them. Way to go, girl!
We've talked about simple sentences and compound sentences and complex sentences and, most recently, compound-complex sentences. Big challenge some time this week...write me original examples of all four-WITHOUT YOUR NOTES! Ouch! Better be ready!
We have some good stuff coming up this week. Hope you're ready for it. Start thinking about utopias and dystopias. They are in your near future.
See you tomorrow.
By the way, I need to give a shout out to Brittany Brown. The girl was on fire (literally or figuratively? Tell me tomorrow for an Archer card signature) on Friday during our quick discussion of "The Treasure of Lemon Brown". We asked two higher level questions (probably level 3 on the DOK chart) and Brittany was all over both of them. Way to go, girl!
We've talked about simple sentences and compound sentences and complex sentences and, most recently, compound-complex sentences. Big challenge some time this week...write me original examples of all four-WITHOUT YOUR NOTES! Ouch! Better be ready!
We have some good stuff coming up this week. Hope you're ready for it. Start thinking about utopias and dystopias. They are in your near future.
See you tomorrow.
Enriched 9-16-2012
My daughter had two good soccer games, Notre Dame crushed Michigan State, and I had a great run today. Ah...life is good! Then again, I have spent most of today assessing some recent writing assignments. You'll be getting those back tomorrow. We'll be reflecting on them, discussing the strengths and weaknesses. (How many different ways can students write the title of the Toni Cade Bambara story? Guess correctly, and I'll sign your Archer card. But you must see me before period one tomorrow.) Then, after taking them home, we'll be filing those in our portfolios.
Of more immediate interest might be the results of the in class writing from Friday featuring "The Mask of the Red Death" and our special guest, John Donne. There were many deer-in-the-headlight looks as I walked around the class. "How the heck am I supposed to connect these two pieces, Mr. O'Malley?" We'll be discussing that in more depth on Tuesday (the day I hope to return them to you), but from what I saw, too many of you were reading the poem literally and trying to connect it on a literal level. Instead, you needed to examine the two pieces looking for symbolic connections. Wish I could tell you more, but a few of you still need to take it. (That includes the period six individual who was not in school but managed to be healthy enough to attend the Penn football game Friday evening. Hmmm...).
In addition to working with the TCB paper, we'll be doing a bit of work with static and dynamic characters and then diving head first into the excerpt from World War Z. That, honestly, is one of my favorite reads in the last few years. It's such a creative way to tell the story. As I'm sure you noticed by now, since I'm sure you have spent a good deal of time actively reading the piece to be properly prepared for class tomorrow, I had to do some editing. Nothing major was cut. Nothing that effected the meaning of the piece. Just a few choice words here and there. Thematically, it is a higher level read. It won't be as difficult to understand as the Poe piece, but it will challenge you to understand human nature in a way you may not have thought of before. Speaking of Poe and human nature and World War Z, I trust you've found some serious similarities between the writings of Poe and Brooks. That is a major discussion point tomorrow. Be ready.
Aside from all this, I wish you a good night sleep tonight so that you can come to class excited to read, write, speak and listen. Don't forget your passion!
"Our passion is our strength." Billie Joe Armstrong
Of more immediate interest might be the results of the in class writing from Friday featuring "The Mask of the Red Death" and our special guest, John Donne. There were many deer-in-the-headlight looks as I walked around the class. "How the heck am I supposed to connect these two pieces, Mr. O'Malley?" We'll be discussing that in more depth on Tuesday (the day I hope to return them to you), but from what I saw, too many of you were reading the poem literally and trying to connect it on a literal level. Instead, you needed to examine the two pieces looking for symbolic connections. Wish I could tell you more, but a few of you still need to take it. (That includes the period six individual who was not in school but managed to be healthy enough to attend the Penn football game Friday evening. Hmmm...).
In addition to working with the TCB paper, we'll be doing a bit of work with static and dynamic characters and then diving head first into the excerpt from World War Z. That, honestly, is one of my favorite reads in the last few years. It's such a creative way to tell the story. As I'm sure you noticed by now, since I'm sure you have spent a good deal of time actively reading the piece to be properly prepared for class tomorrow, I had to do some editing. Nothing major was cut. Nothing that effected the meaning of the piece. Just a few choice words here and there. Thematically, it is a higher level read. It won't be as difficult to understand as the Poe piece, but it will challenge you to understand human nature in a way you may not have thought of before. Speaking of Poe and human nature and World War Z, I trust you've found some serious similarities between the writings of Poe and Brooks. That is a major discussion point tomorrow. Be ready.
Aside from all this, I wish you a good night sleep tonight so that you can come to class excited to read, write, speak and listen. Don't forget your passion!
"Our passion is our strength." Billie Joe Armstrong
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Standard 9-13-2012
Great job today on the compound-complex sentences. You guys were a little slow at the start but came on strong at the end. Way to go!
We looked at recall questions for "Lemon Brown" today. Safe and simple. Then we bumped up DOK level to some discussion questions. We'll be adding a figurative language element tomorrow before coming together for a group discussion. Then it will be time for your writing assignment. Don't get too excited. There will be plenty more where this one comes from. Once we start, it's difficult to stop.
That's all I have for today. Busy evening. T.T.F.N. (Easy Archer card signature if you can tell me what it means, and who is best known for saying it).
We looked at recall questions for "Lemon Brown" today. Safe and simple. Then we bumped up DOK level to some discussion questions. We'll be adding a figurative language element tomorrow before coming together for a group discussion. Then it will be time for your writing assignment. Don't get too excited. There will be plenty more where this one comes from. Once we start, it's difficult to stop.
That's all I have for today. Busy evening. T.T.F.N. (Easy Archer card signature if you can tell me what it means, and who is best known for saying it).
Enriched 9-13-2012
Sorry, classes, need to make this a quick one. We definitely went higher level with our analysis today. Examining the New Yorker cover and discussing the connection it has to "MRD" bordered on a level 4 DOK prompt. Thank Mrs. O'Malley for talking me out of making that your individual writing prompt. There are a few of you who, through your group analysis and discussion, came pretty close to nailing the connection. We'll discuss it in class tomorrow, and you'll see the way you need to examine the entire picture and connect the story to it fully. Actually, here is the rubric I was going to use for the paper.
Using language that registers on the high end of 8th grade competency, the writer fully explores the relationship between the two pieces offering insightful discussion that is supported by ample, effective evidence drawn from both sources and presented in a well organized paper.
That's for the exemplary response. There are other levels as well, but you get the idea. "Fully explores"..."insightful discussion"..."ample evidence"...those are phrases that you will need to pay close attention to. I'll be able to use the same rubric for tomorrow's writing even though we are switching from a picture to a poem.
No Archer card signing tomorrow, but, perhaps, something better. Those of you who read the blog will now be rewarded. What you do with that reward is up to you. The poem you will be using tomorrow in connection to "The Masque of the Red Death" is John Donne's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Good luck!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Standard 09-12-2012
Thanks for checking out the blog. I won't start with any musical quotes today, but I will say that Lemon Brown sure loved his music. Dang, he must've been good if the "dead would commence to rocking with the beat" (174) everytime he sang. What a great line! That's one of dozens of terrific lines found in the Walter Dean Myers' story "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" (found on pages 170-178 in your literature book). The tale basically explodes with figurative language. Be sure you're reading it tonight and writing your four questions. In addition I want you to have a favorite figurative language line or two in mind.
Period four already sensed a connection between "Raymond's Run" and "The T. of L.B.". As you read, be looking for other ways the two stories connect.
Today we spent some more time with theme. We reviewed the definition and tackled the writing of a couple themes. Finding real life examples to go with the themes is crucial. I'll be looking for a couple fresh ideas from you tomorrow.
Finally, we had a little IMC time. Today was the last IMC day where you will be choosing a book to read for your own enjoyment. Starting next Friday, whatever book you select will have something to do with our class work.
Time to go. But first, an Archer card possibility for you. In your own words, tell me what figurative language is.
Period four already sensed a connection between "Raymond's Run" and "The T. of L.B.". As you read, be looking for other ways the two stories connect.
Today we spent some more time with theme. We reviewed the definition and tackled the writing of a couple themes. Finding real life examples to go with the themes is crucial. I'll be looking for a couple fresh ideas from you tomorrow.
Finally, we had a little IMC time. Today was the last IMC day where you will be choosing a book to read for your own enjoyment. Starting next Friday, whatever book you select will have something to do with our class work.
Time to go. But first, an Archer card possibility for you. In your own words, tell me what figurative language is.
Enriched 9-12-2012
You're here! That's great! Thanks for visiting. Let me show you around a bit. You're currently reading the enriched classes' blog. No, you don't have to be in the enriched class to be reading this, but it will probably make more sense if you are.
You see, we are currently reading a rather, let's say, unnerving tale from the master storyteller Edgar Allan Poe called "The Masque of the Red Death". It's got everything you expect from a Poe short story. Blood? Violence? Death? Screams? Gothic setting? Rich vocabulary? Yup, it's all here. And yesterday and today you've been discussing the story on a very simple level, trying to demonstrate a level one depth of knowledge. This turned out to be trickier than I thought it would be. On the one hand, you were all trying to look at the story from a figurative/symbolic/metaphorical perspective. Usually, I would say, "FANTASTIC!" However, it also soon became clear that there were some misinterpretations on that level as well. We didn't fully grasp why Prospero and 1000 of his closest friends were in the castle; we weren't exactly sure when the masked figure appeared; we struggled to understand what exactly happened in the end. Through your small group discussions and your creations of tools to demonstrate your level one comprehension, we worked out any misunderstandings.
Having a solid understanding of what happened in the story allowed you to move to level two and to effectively demonstrate your level two understanding. While our goal was to reach level three in the groups, it soon became clear that time was not on our side. That was okay because we will pick it up there tomorrow. Not only will we discuss the story in a more interpretive, critical level, but you will also be doing a bit of writing tomorrow. I'll be showing you a picture, and you'll be explaining the imagery of the picture using "The Masque of the Red Death" as your source. You'll have about fifteen minutes to examine it, make a decision on your approach, and put together a solid paragraph explanation. I'll be collecting and assessing it tomorrow as well. Your level one knowledge, coupled with our discussion in class tomorrow should be enough to enable you to respond to the picture prompt effectively.
Does that sound like something PARCC would come up with? Would the end of quarter Performance Tasks ask such a question? That's a big Y-E-S on both accounts.
I also want you to go to sleep tonight with one word on your minds: zombies. They're coming!
Before I go, I'll toss you a chance for an Archer card signature. Click on the link above. It's a fabulous site that takes you to Poe's museum located in Richmond, the town where he spent his youth. Read carefully and tell me what genre Poe is widely acknowledged to have invented.
Thanks again for coming. See you tomorrow. Zombies.
You see, we are currently reading a rather, let's say, unnerving tale from the master storyteller Edgar Allan Poe called "The Masque of the Red Death". It's got everything you expect from a Poe short story. Blood? Violence? Death? Screams? Gothic setting? Rich vocabulary? Yup, it's all here. And yesterday and today you've been discussing the story on a very simple level, trying to demonstrate a level one depth of knowledge. This turned out to be trickier than I thought it would be. On the one hand, you were all trying to look at the story from a figurative/symbolic/metaphorical perspective. Usually, I would say, "FANTASTIC!" However, it also soon became clear that there were some misinterpretations on that level as well. We didn't fully grasp why Prospero and 1000 of his closest friends were in the castle; we weren't exactly sure when the masked figure appeared; we struggled to understand what exactly happened in the end. Through your small group discussions and your creations of tools to demonstrate your level one comprehension, we worked out any misunderstandings.
Having a solid understanding of what happened in the story allowed you to move to level two and to effectively demonstrate your level two understanding. While our goal was to reach level three in the groups, it soon became clear that time was not on our side. That was okay because we will pick it up there tomorrow. Not only will we discuss the story in a more interpretive, critical level, but you will also be doing a bit of writing tomorrow. I'll be showing you a picture, and you'll be explaining the imagery of the picture using "The Masque of the Red Death" as your source. You'll have about fifteen minutes to examine it, make a decision on your approach, and put together a solid paragraph explanation. I'll be collecting and assessing it tomorrow as well. Your level one knowledge, coupled with our discussion in class tomorrow should be enough to enable you to respond to the picture prompt effectively.
Does that sound like something PARCC would come up with? Would the end of quarter Performance Tasks ask such a question? That's a big Y-E-S on both accounts.
I also want you to go to sleep tonight with one word on your minds: zombies. They're coming!
Before I go, I'll toss you a chance for an Archer card signature. Click on the link above. It's a fabulous site that takes you to Poe's museum located in Richmond, the town where he spent his youth. Read carefully and tell me what genre Poe is widely acknowledged to have invented.
Thanks again for coming. See you tomorrow. Zombies.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Standard 09-11-2012
Themes! Themes! Everywhere there're themes! Helping me understand what the author means!
With apologies to the musical group Five Man Electrical Band, (I'll sign your Archer card if you can tell me why I apologized), I'd like to take a moment and celebrate themes. We spent some time today working with them. I'll be honest, the work we did in Period four was much more effective than the work we did in Period three. Period three, that means we'll be taking a step back tomorrow.
Yet some of the basics still managed to get across. We clearly defined theme as the following:
a theme is a sentence
a theme is a moral or a message (point the author is trying to get across)
a theme is a general statement about life
If you can remember these concepts, then the theme will be easier for you to identify and defend. We talked about several key words or topics that often are transformed into sentences that become themes. Here are some of them:
hope loyalty friendship
family personal growth
acceptance responsibility
power education curiosity
courage hard work pride
prejudice
and a few others...
We are meeting one of the critical Common Core standards by discussing theme. It will be an idea that comes back again and again and again. If you learn it now, you'll be better off later.
To help you learn it, I had you turn the words/topics into themes and then offer real life examples of those one sentence themes. Throughout the year, you will read literature that contain these themes. This will then enable you to make connections between different texts which lead to even more standards. Yeah!
IMC tomorrow. Theme work tomorrow. "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" tomorrow. See you tomorow.
With apologies to the musical group Five Man Electrical Band, (I'll sign your Archer card if you can tell me why I apologized), I'd like to take a moment and celebrate themes. We spent some time today working with them. I'll be honest, the work we did in Period four was much more effective than the work we did in Period three. Period three, that means we'll be taking a step back tomorrow.
Yet some of the basics still managed to get across. We clearly defined theme as the following:
a theme is a sentence
a theme is a moral or a message (point the author is trying to get across)
a theme is a general statement about life
If you can remember these concepts, then the theme will be easier for you to identify and defend. We talked about several key words or topics that often are transformed into sentences that become themes. Here are some of them:
hope loyalty friendship
family personal growth
acceptance responsibility
power education curiosity
courage hard work pride
prejudice
and a few others...
We are meeting one of the critical Common Core standards by discussing theme. It will be an idea that comes back again and again and again. If you learn it now, you'll be better off later.
To help you learn it, I had you turn the words/topics into themes and then offer real life examples of those one sentence themes. Throughout the year, you will read literature that contain these themes. This will then enable you to make connections between different texts which lead to even more standards. Yeah!
IMC tomorrow. Theme work tomorrow. "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" tomorrow. See you tomorow.
Enriched 09-11-2012
Rumor has it that "The Masque of the Red Death" ("MRD") was a tad more difficult to read and comprehend than "Raymond's Run". Well, that's good because reading higher level texts is one of the goals of the class. As I mentioned today, a critical common core standard is your ability to read and comprehend literature at the highest end of the 8th grade literacy continuum. "MRD" definitely qualifies in that category. I might have also mentioned how PARCC, the incoming test being used to replace ISTEP, stresses how students actually need to be reading two years above grade level. What was considered an appropriate 8th grade text last year, is being used in 6th grade this year. That means we get to read texts that were aimed at tenth graders in the past. YIPPEE!!
We also discussed what constitutes acceptable reading of texts. It is to be considered a given that if I pass something out to be read, you will text code it/highlight it/annotate it/and basically mark it up in whatever way necessary to show that you have interacted with it in your attempt to understand it at the highest possible level. There is no such thing as a light, quick read when it comes to a piece we will be discussing. Kudos go out to several individuals who went above and beyond in their attempt to understand "MRD". Clare Frederick, however, exemplifies the effort it sometimes takes to comprehend a piece of literature. She worked with her father (thanks, Mr. Frederick) who took the time to read the piece with her and discuss it along the way. Armed with a better understanding, Clare then proceeded to reread the article on her own, further annotating and highlighting it. The effort paid off as she came to class fully prepared to discuss "MRD".
We introduced the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) chart today as well. It's a chart that breaks understanding down to four levels: recall, skill/concept, strategic thinking, and extended thinking. Each level builds upon the previous one, thus, getting more rigorous as we move up the chart. The goal of the enriched class is to spend most of our time at DOK levels three and four. You were assigned to groups of three today and are using the DOK chart to demonstrate your understanding of "MRD" at the various levels. This work, while started today, will carryover into tomorrow's class when we will meet in the IMC.
I want to take a moment to celebrate a few other students. Yesterday, I returned the Writer's Autobiographies. There were several individuals that warrant a shout out for the fine writing they submitted. The following individuals earned a perfect 6 score on the papers:
Peter Rutkowski
Spencer Kilmer
Anna Demel
Rachel Minne
Baker Nasser
Caroline Parker
Keegan Hurst
Hannah Keeler
Nuha Zackariya
Well done, writers! I look forward to future submissions.
One last thing. Passion is one of the most important things you can bring to class. I want to see it, feel it, sense it on every one of you everyday. Little of use has ever been accomplished without it. As Oliver Wendell Holmes says, "As life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time, at the peril of being not to have lived." Double Archer card signature if you copy the quote down in your language arts notebook and write me an interpretation of that paragraph in the writing section.
Be ready to do some analysis of "MRD" tomorrow!
We also discussed what constitutes acceptable reading of texts. It is to be considered a given that if I pass something out to be read, you will text code it/highlight it/annotate it/and basically mark it up in whatever way necessary to show that you have interacted with it in your attempt to understand it at the highest possible level. There is no such thing as a light, quick read when it comes to a piece we will be discussing. Kudos go out to several individuals who went above and beyond in their attempt to understand "MRD". Clare Frederick, however, exemplifies the effort it sometimes takes to comprehend a piece of literature. She worked with her father (thanks, Mr. Frederick) who took the time to read the piece with her and discuss it along the way. Armed with a better understanding, Clare then proceeded to reread the article on her own, further annotating and highlighting it. The effort paid off as she came to class fully prepared to discuss "MRD".
We introduced the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) chart today as well. It's a chart that breaks understanding down to four levels: recall, skill/concept, strategic thinking, and extended thinking. Each level builds upon the previous one, thus, getting more rigorous as we move up the chart. The goal of the enriched class is to spend most of our time at DOK levels three and four. You were assigned to groups of three today and are using the DOK chart to demonstrate your understanding of "MRD" at the various levels. This work, while started today, will carryover into tomorrow's class when we will meet in the IMC.
I want to take a moment to celebrate a few other students. Yesterday, I returned the Writer's Autobiographies. There were several individuals that warrant a shout out for the fine writing they submitted. The following individuals earned a perfect 6 score on the papers:
Peter Rutkowski
Spencer Kilmer
Anna Demel
Rachel Minne
Baker Nasser
Caroline Parker
Keegan Hurst
Hannah Keeler
Nuha Zackariya
Well done, writers! I look forward to future submissions.
One last thing. Passion is one of the most important things you can bring to class. I want to see it, feel it, sense it on every one of you everyday. Little of use has ever been accomplished without it. As Oliver Wendell Holmes says, "As life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time, at the peril of being not to have lived." Double Archer card signature if you copy the quote down in your language arts notebook and write me an interpretation of that paragraph in the writing section.
Be ready to do some analysis of "MRD" tomorrow!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Standard 9-10-12
"So much to do, so much to see, so what's wrong with taking the back seat..." Well, for one, if you take the back seat you'll probably not have a very good view. That seemed to be a bit of a problem today in periods three and four. There was a significant amount of the Monday Blahs. We struggled through and saw three potential paper topics coming our way.
First topic could be on character analysis--we analyzed Squeaky and showed how important ample support can be.
Second topic could be author analysis--we looked at Toni Cade Bambara and tried to figure out what her traditions, heritage, beliefs or attitudes might be. I want to give a BIG shout out to Jasmine Leininger and Mackenzie Saar for coming up with the best claim about TCB all day--that's including the enriched class, girls. They both claimed that based on the story "Raymond's Run" Bambara believes that one of the most important ideals is to be true to yourself. WOW! Now that was a close, effective read. Way to go, girls.
Our third topic could be on the significance a paragraph plays in the development of a story. This is an area that will require a lot of work. I'm not sure we understand the idea yet, but since it is a huge critical first quarter standard, you can bet we will be coming back to it soon.
We didn't get to The T of LB (the next story we are going to read), but never fear. It'll be ready and waiting for us tomorrow. Be thinking about an item you treasure most of all. We'll be writing about it tomorrow.
Now here is a chance for you to have your Archer card signed. All you need to do is tell me who sang the song that contained the lyrics with which I opened up this post. Ask Mom or Dad; they might know.
See you tomorrow.
First topic could be on character analysis--we analyzed Squeaky and showed how important ample support can be.
Second topic could be author analysis--we looked at Toni Cade Bambara and tried to figure out what her traditions, heritage, beliefs or attitudes might be. I want to give a BIG shout out to Jasmine Leininger and Mackenzie Saar for coming up with the best claim about TCB all day--that's including the enriched class, girls. They both claimed that based on the story "Raymond's Run" Bambara believes that one of the most important ideals is to be true to yourself. WOW! Now that was a close, effective read. Way to go, girls.
Our third topic could be on the significance a paragraph plays in the development of a story. This is an area that will require a lot of work. I'm not sure we understand the idea yet, but since it is a huge critical first quarter standard, you can bet we will be coming back to it soon.
We didn't get to The T of LB (the next story we are going to read), but never fear. It'll be ready and waiting for us tomorrow. Be thinking about an item you treasure most of all. We'll be writing about it tomorrow.
Now here is a chance for you to have your Archer card signed. All you need to do is tell me who sang the song that contained the lyrics with which I opened up this post. Ask Mom or Dad; they might know.
See you tomorrow.
Enriched 09-10-12
Full day today as we reviewed the material covered during the two days I was in meetings last week.
We've been busy analyzing individual paragraphs and the roles they play in the development of a story. While we are able to identify the important elements of a paragraph we sometimes have struggled clarifying the role it plays in the context of the entire story.
We've made claims about an author (Toni Cade Bambara) based on the story she wrote ("Raymond's Run"). We've tried to discover what we can about her heritage, traditions, beliefs and attitudes based solely on the story we read. While almost all of our claims were effectively made, I stressed the need to go beyond the obvious (Bambara likes to run) and to dig deep into the story to uncover some gems (Bambara believes in the importance of being true to yourself).
Finally, we discussed the in class writing prompt from last Friday. You needed to explain what Bambara would say about two nonfiction articles you had read the night before. Any grumblings about the topic were quieted when I stressed how much more information the substitute, Mrs. Wenger, offered compared to what I was prepared to offer. I'll be scoring those over the next few days using a rubric similar to the one used to score ISTEP.
I did return the Writers' Autobiographies today. Papers were assessed on six traits of successful writing and received an initial score from 0-6. You either received the point for the trait or you did not. The 6 point scale was then translated into a 20 point scale as follows:
6=20/20
5=18/20
4=17/20
3=16/20
2=15/20
1=14/20
0=13/20
I stressed, upon return of the papers, the importance of focusing on the topic and responding to the prompt. The most important trait was descriptive sentences which allowed the reader to fully comprehend the points the author was trying to convey. This is the category that focuses on full development of the ideas. I can't stress enough the need for you to support whatever you say with evidence. Remember what Mr. Howard and Mrs. Randolph said all last year: "Show don't tell."
You then wrote a reflection which allowed you to take a closer look at your strengths and weaknesses. Remember, this is like the football player who goes home and watches game film after playing. It's the chance you get to realize the mistakes and avoid them for next time.
I'm terribly excited by the story you are reading tonight. "The Masque of the Red Death" is a Edgar Allan Poe classic. I know it's going to push you a little more than "Raymond's Run" did, and that's one of the reasons I selected it. Yet, even more important are the discussion points it offers. This is a heavily symbolic story that can be read on the surface and offer one interpretation, but then it can be read at a deeper level and open the door to a wide spectrum of ideas as varied as the colors of the seven rooms. (I'll sign your Archer card if you tell me the color of the rooms BEFORE class begins tomorrow). You'll be working in groups tomorrow to demonstrate the depth of your understanding. Read carefully tonight. I'm expecting some original insight tomorrow.
We've been busy analyzing individual paragraphs and the roles they play in the development of a story. While we are able to identify the important elements of a paragraph we sometimes have struggled clarifying the role it plays in the context of the entire story.
We've made claims about an author (Toni Cade Bambara) based on the story she wrote ("Raymond's Run"). We've tried to discover what we can about her heritage, traditions, beliefs and attitudes based solely on the story we read. While almost all of our claims were effectively made, I stressed the need to go beyond the obvious (Bambara likes to run) and to dig deep into the story to uncover some gems (Bambara believes in the importance of being true to yourself).
Finally, we discussed the in class writing prompt from last Friday. You needed to explain what Bambara would say about two nonfiction articles you had read the night before. Any grumblings about the topic were quieted when I stressed how much more information the substitute, Mrs. Wenger, offered compared to what I was prepared to offer. I'll be scoring those over the next few days using a rubric similar to the one used to score ISTEP.
I did return the Writers' Autobiographies today. Papers were assessed on six traits of successful writing and received an initial score from 0-6. You either received the point for the trait or you did not. The 6 point scale was then translated into a 20 point scale as follows:
6=20/20
5=18/20
4=17/20
3=16/20
2=15/20
1=14/20
0=13/20
I stressed, upon return of the papers, the importance of focusing on the topic and responding to the prompt. The most important trait was descriptive sentences which allowed the reader to fully comprehend the points the author was trying to convey. This is the category that focuses on full development of the ideas. I can't stress enough the need for you to support whatever you say with evidence. Remember what Mr. Howard and Mrs. Randolph said all last year: "Show don't tell."
You then wrote a reflection which allowed you to take a closer look at your strengths and weaknesses. Remember, this is like the football player who goes home and watches game film after playing. It's the chance you get to realize the mistakes and avoid them for next time.
I'm terribly excited by the story you are reading tonight. "The Masque of the Red Death" is a Edgar Allan Poe classic. I know it's going to push you a little more than "Raymond's Run" did, and that's one of the reasons I selected it. Yet, even more important are the discussion points it offers. This is a heavily symbolic story that can be read on the surface and offer one interpretation, but then it can be read at a deeper level and open the door to a wide spectrum of ideas as varied as the colors of the seven rooms. (I'll sign your Archer card if you tell me the color of the rooms BEFORE class begins tomorrow). You'll be working in groups tomorrow to demonstrate the depth of your understanding. Read carefully tonight. I'm expecting some original insight tomorrow.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Timed Writing Tips 9-06-2012
What do Keanu Reeves, Kurt Vonnegut and the novel Divergent have in common? You're going to find out soon. The connection between those three is just one of the things I was working on today at my meeting. Even though I wasn't with you in class, I was thinking about you, trying to create some units that will spark your interest and challenge your mind.
As you know, I'll be gone tomorrow as well, but I wanted to take this time to offer a few tips to the enriched students who will be engaged in a timed writing tomorrow in class.
*First of all, you need to come prepared. You have read "Raymond's Run", so you should be quite
familiar with that story. Today, you were assigned two other nonfiction pieces to actively read. If you didn't finish those reads in school, you need to be sure they are completed tonight for homework. The last thing you want to do is be forced to use some of your writing time to catch up on the reading.
*Speaking of writing time, you have a 55 minute class tomorrow, but you will only have 45 minutes to write your essay. Even if you come prepared, you want to use your time wisely. I'd spend a couple minutes reading the prompt, reading it again, underlining what it is asking you to do, and then planning your attack. You have three sources from which to draw. Which ones will you use? What points do they offer that will allow you to write the best essay? What support is available to strengthen your claim? Plan, but don't spend too much time planning.
*Perhaps you'll want to write a rough draft. That's fine, but if you do, be sure to calculate the time needed to rewrite the essay.
*Most of the time will undoubtedly be spent writing the essay. Great. But to stay focused on the topic, keep referring to the prompt. Be sure you are writing about what you need to write about.
*You'll also want to leave time to review it. Reread the essay when you are finished. I would want to be sure that I am working on my conclusion before the five minutes remaining mark. That way, I should have time to review the rest of the essay and make any small, last-minute changes.
*Above all, breathe. Relax. Do your best. This is the first of many timed prompts we will be doing. Yes, this will be assessed for points, but if you relax, focus on what the prompt is asking, and support with specific textual evidence, you should do fine.
Good luck!
As you know, I'll be gone tomorrow as well, but I wanted to take this time to offer a few tips to the enriched students who will be engaged in a timed writing tomorrow in class.
*First of all, you need to come prepared. You have read "Raymond's Run", so you should be quite
familiar with that story. Today, you were assigned two other nonfiction pieces to actively read. If you didn't finish those reads in school, you need to be sure they are completed tonight for homework. The last thing you want to do is be forced to use some of your writing time to catch up on the reading.
*Speaking of writing time, you have a 55 minute class tomorrow, but you will only have 45 minutes to write your essay. Even if you come prepared, you want to use your time wisely. I'd spend a couple minutes reading the prompt, reading it again, underlining what it is asking you to do, and then planning your attack. You have three sources from which to draw. Which ones will you use? What points do they offer that will allow you to write the best essay? What support is available to strengthen your claim? Plan, but don't spend too much time planning.
*Perhaps you'll want to write a rough draft. That's fine, but if you do, be sure to calculate the time needed to rewrite the essay.
*Most of the time will undoubtedly be spent writing the essay. Great. But to stay focused on the topic, keep referring to the prompt. Be sure you are writing about what you need to write about.
*You'll also want to leave time to review it. Reread the essay when you are finished. I would want to be sure that I am working on my conclusion before the five minutes remaining mark. That way, I should have time to review the rest of the essay and make any small, last-minute changes.
*Above all, breathe. Relax. Do your best. This is the first of many timed prompts we will be doing. Yes, this will be assessed for points, but if you relax, focus on what the prompt is asking, and support with specific textual evidence, you should do fine.
Good luck!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Busy Day 09-06-2012
Subordinate Conjunctions! AAAWWUBBIS! Complex sentences! Introductory clauses! Just a few of the things we covered today in the enriched classes. (I hope you're keeping them all straight. Hint! Hint!)
We reviewed introductory clauses and seemed to remember the need for the introductory clause (also known as a dependent clause or a subordinate clause) to have both a noun and a verb. Obviously it introduces the sentence and is set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma. We also leaned that the word used to introduce an introductory clause is called a subordinating conjunction. With the help of the mnemonic device AAAWWUBBIS, we learned a few examples of subordinating conjunctions.
A always
A although
A as
W while
W when
U until
B before
B because
I if
S since
Our main focus was in preparation for our academic dialogue taking place tomorrow during my absence. I want you to listen carefully to each other as you read your paragraph analysis. Then as the analysis is reread, I want you to stop the reader and discuss what you hear. If you hear a great line, fantastic support, a deep penetrating analysis, I want you to celebrate the writer. If you hear discombobulated writing, unsupported ideas, confusing interpretations, I want you to critique the writer and help him/her learn to write it better. This is your chance to listen and speak. I want you to LISTEN and SPEAK!
Take advantage of the time spent on this and then begin to prepare for FRIDAY! More to come tomorrow. Be sure to log on and read for tips.
In the standard class we also spent time on the introductory clauses. We'll keep at those for a bit as we seemed to struggle somewhat.
Our main focus was on the summary writing. Most of us completed the individual summary writing and have moved on to the partner portion of the activity. Take it seriously tomorrow as you complete the next few steps. I guarantee, in the near future, you'll be asked to write a summary of something you've read, and it will be assessed. This is the time to get some good practice in prior to the assessment.
Though I'll be away from you the next two days, I will be thinking about you fondly, patiently anticipating the rigorous work awaiting you upon my return.
We reviewed introductory clauses and seemed to remember the need for the introductory clause (also known as a dependent clause or a subordinate clause) to have both a noun and a verb. Obviously it introduces the sentence and is set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma. We also leaned that the word used to introduce an introductory clause is called a subordinating conjunction. With the help of the mnemonic device AAAWWUBBIS, we learned a few examples of subordinating conjunctions.
A always
A although
A as
W while
W when
U until
B before
B because
I if
S since
Our main focus was in preparation for our academic dialogue taking place tomorrow during my absence. I want you to listen carefully to each other as you read your paragraph analysis. Then as the analysis is reread, I want you to stop the reader and discuss what you hear. If you hear a great line, fantastic support, a deep penetrating analysis, I want you to celebrate the writer. If you hear discombobulated writing, unsupported ideas, confusing interpretations, I want you to critique the writer and help him/her learn to write it better. This is your chance to listen and speak. I want you to LISTEN and SPEAK!
Take advantage of the time spent on this and then begin to prepare for FRIDAY! More to come tomorrow. Be sure to log on and read for tips.
In the standard class we also spent time on the introductory clauses. We'll keep at those for a bit as we seemed to struggle somewhat.
Our main focus was on the summary writing. Most of us completed the individual summary writing and have moved on to the partner portion of the activity. Take it seriously tomorrow as you complete the next few steps. I guarantee, in the near future, you'll be asked to write a summary of something you've read, and it will be assessed. This is the time to get some good practice in prior to the assessment.
Though I'll be away from you the next two days, I will be thinking about you fondly, patiently anticipating the rigorous work awaiting you upon my return.
Enriched Homework for 9-05-2012
I want to make sure I clear up any possible confusion on the homework in the enriched classes tonight. It's pretty simple, but I want to make sure you have it completed. You are to make a claim about Toni Cade Bambara, the author of "Raymond's Run", based on the story she wrote. You've read "Raymond's Run" and based on that reading I want you to tell me something about Ms. Bambara. Do not go look her up on the internet and find something else about her. Instead, make a claim about what you think she is like (her heritage, traditions, beliefs, and attitudes) based on the story. This will meet the Indiana State Standard 8.3.7. Write this in the Writing section of your notebooks and bring it to class tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Preparation Is The Key 09-04-2012
A quarterback who doesn't properly prepare for his opponent will undoubtedly be pummeled by the defense.
A businessman who fails to prepare for a presentation to his boss might soon find himself without a job.
A student who does not complete the expected homework will soon find him/herself with a grade that neither the student nor the parents are pleased with.
I'll keep this rebuke short and sweet. Students should come to class prepared to learn. Being prepared means coming to class with the work completed at an acceptable level. One class (I'm talking to you, period six) let me down today. I was showered with promises that it would not happen again. I will take them at their word...this time.
All the enriched students should have a couple of paragraphs written in their notebooks for class tomorrow. This should not be something haphazardly or quickly completed. You are analyzing a paragraph and explaining the role it plays in conjunction with the rest of the story. You are meeting Common Core Standard 8.RI.5 by writing these paragraphs. Be sure to look at the paragraph you select deeply, offer copious examples (by which I mean quotes) from the text, and explain yourself clearly. We will be spending time tomorrow breaking down and will discuss your analyses. (For an Archer card signature rewrite the previous sentence using parallel structure. No, we haven't discussed this yet, but I'm curious to see what you know).
Simple sentences. Compound sentences. Complex sentences. We've now touched on all three and offered examples of the last one today in class. We learned that a sentence that starts with an introductory clause and which is then attached to an independent clause is a complex sentence. We know that introductory clauses meet four requirements:
*they are located at the beginning of the sentence
*they contain both a noun and a verb
*they are set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma
*they are dependent clauses
That's a lot to keep straight. Here's a little extra help on introductory clauses for you, courtesy of Pittsburg State University. Check it out. Take the quiz and let me know how you did.
I want you to get this info down. I smell an assessment coming soon!
We did a bit with summary in the enriched classes. Well, honestly, I can only discuss period five. I was out of the class period one (be ready to show me what you know tomorrow) and period six, well,...anyway.
Finally, we have some reading to complete tonight in the standard classes. You all need to complete the "Raymond's Run" reading and be text coding, highlighting, annotating, and marking up the text as you read. Lots to discuss tomorrow. You'll be explaining your annotations, working with summaries and probably a bit more.
Remember that it's IMC day tomorrow. Bring your books to return and be thinking about that next one you are going to be checking out. See you tomorrow.
Enriched Assignment Due 09-05-2012
Words for Periods One, Five, and Six
Writers have so many decisions to make. Should I use the phrase “give in” or the word “acquiesce”? Would a metaphor be effective here or should I keep it straight and simple? Is this paragraph necessary or is it superfluous to the plot? That last idea is of particular interest to me, and, as you will soon see, it is relevant to you as well.
Being able to identify why an author includes a sentence or an idea or a paragraph is an important step towards understanding the deeper points/messages/themes the author is trying to convey. You should see every word as a step toward the development of the sentence. Every sentence as a step toward the development of the paragraph. Every paragraph as a step toward the development of the story.
For instance, take a look at the decision director Josh Whedon made in this summer’s blockbuster film The Avengers. At one part of the story he pits Iron Man against Thor in an intergalactic battle of ego and strength. Visually, it was an amazing scene, but it also played a significant role in the development of the characters individually and of the Avengers as a team. Without that conflict between the two superheroes, their decisions to fight for each other, together, for the safety of the entire planet, would not have been dramatic. By adding the scene, Whedon shows that just because they are the “Good Guys” doesn’t mean that they are good guys who get along with other good guys automatically. It adds depth to their characters, tension to the plot, and a healthy dose of reality to the film. Type-A, big ego, competitive individuals often clash. Whedon showed that superheroes,at least in one way, are no different from regular humans.
Now we aren’t going to be examining The Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises or even Battleship, but we are going to take a closer look at What Toni Cade Bambara did in “Raymond’s Run”. Since dialogue is scarce, this 11 page story has only 26 paragraphs. Yet each one plays a significant role. Let’s take a look at paragraph two. Go ahead, open your Interactive Readers to page 5 and look at paragraph number two. I’ll wait. By the way, it begins with “Sometimes I slip and say...”
Paragraph two is pretty important. It has multiple roles in the development of the tale. In the most obvious way, it introduces us to Raymond, the title character. We learn that he’s “bigger” and “older” than the narrator, even though in the previous paragraph we had learned that she looks after him. We soon find out why when she says that “he’s not quite right” and has a “big head”.
Yet aside from offering clarity on Raymond, the paragraph might be even more significant for the length it goes towards establishing the narrator. We learn about her nickname, Squeaky, courtesy of her “squeaky voice”. Physically, she’s a “little girl” with “skinny arms” but her attitude towards herself and others is anything but tiny. She shows that she is super protective of her brother when she says that anyone who makes fun of him has to “come by me”. Tough? Squeaky doesn’t do “a lot of talking...{she’d} much rather just knock you down”. Her ego matches that of those superheroes I wrote about a few paragraphs ago when she claims “anybody can tell you, I’m the fastest thing on two feet”. This last line opens the door to her passion: running. This defensive, proud, tough, cocky persona is further supported throughout the rest of the story, demonstrating the importance of paragraph two in developing Raymond’s disability, Squeaky’s personality, and the running storyline.
You see what I did there? That’s what I want you to do now. Pick a paragraph from the story. Clearly identify it. Read it carefully. Once. Twice. A third time. Be sure you understand the relationship it has with the rest of the story. Then mimic the approach I took when I analyzed paragraph two. Make a claim or two about the paragraph. Support it with specific quotes from the paragraph. Close the idea.
Now I know you are wise enough to avoid the one or two or three line paragraphs, so I won’t bother telling you not to choose them. Instead focus on a larger paragraph and thoroughly explain the ways the paragraph is important to the development of the story.
Write this in the Writing Section of your notebooks. Bring it to class completed tomorrow. I’ll be back, and I’ll be looking for it. See you then.
Monday, September 3, 2012
What an "Amazing" Book! 9-03-2012
Periodically, as I read books I feel are worthy of discussion, I'll take a bit of time and write about them on the blog. I just finished one that rates as my best read of 2012. While I don't tend to read as much as Mrs. Burnette, that's still saying something. The novel is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. While I hadn't read anything else by Flynn, I had managed to catch a couple rave reviews for the book in both Time and Entertainment Weekly. When I went to the library to check it out, I was informed that I was number 32 (!) on the wait list. Evidently, I wasn't the only one intrigued by the book. I finally started reading it the week before school began, and it didn't take me long to discover why it was in such high demand. Flynn has written a sharp-tongued, twisted adult novel, that delivers on all the praise showered upon it.
The language Flynn uses throughout the text is edgy and catchy. The sun comes through the morning blinds with an accusing "long, blaring finger aimed at (Nick)" (4). A nice line of personification but also a bit of foreshadowing for what's to come. When Nick's wife Amy is making breakfast, she is "banging wooden cupboards (rump-thump!), rattling containers of tin and glass (ding-ring!), and shuffling and sorting a collection of metal pots and iron pans (ruzz-shuzz!) (6). It's a "culinary orchestra" (6) with the word "orchestra" not being used lightly. Her characters speak like most of us. A conversation between Nick and his sister, Margo, ends with Margo advising Nick not to talk with the police like "myuhmyuhmyuh" (52). That was "the thick-tongued noise she always made to convey my indecisiveness" (52). Flynn manages to maintain that linguistic flair throughout all 415 pages.
The police do come into play, since quite early in the text Nick's wife goes missing, all evidence points to murder, and Nick is the most likely suspect. The indecisiveness Margo referred to earlier is plastered all over Nick, and he digs himself in deeper with every lie he tells and every secret he withholds. Things are not looking good for Nick as Flynn adroitly reveals new bits of info and evidence that slowly build to a huge twist in the story about half-way through. It's not the first or last, but it definitely is the biggest. Flynn's decision to tell the story by switching between Nick's present reactions to the events and Amy's diary entries from before was an effective way to share their unique perspectives on a marriage that was in tatters.
Now this is an adult novel. The language and themes are for mature audiences. Even Flynn tells her son in the Acknowledgements, "if you are reading this before 2024, you are too little. Put it down." So if it's an adult novel, then why share this with you? Well, for one I want you to see me as a reader and not just someone who assigns reading for you to do. I also want you to see the value in discussing what we read. If we read a book we enjoy or even a book we thoroughly dislike, our tendencies are to talk about that book with others either to be sure they read it and share your joy or to be certain they avoid it and escape your pain. Lastly, I want you to see how quotes go a long way towards strengthening your writing. Imagine the second paragraph without the quotes. Just not much to it. The quotes add depth, something I will be expecting to see from all of you.
So keep on reading and be thinking of sharing your thoughts with the rest of us.
The language Flynn uses throughout the text is edgy and catchy. The sun comes through the morning blinds with an accusing "long, blaring finger aimed at (Nick)" (4). A nice line of personification but also a bit of foreshadowing for what's to come. When Nick's wife Amy is making breakfast, she is "banging wooden cupboards (rump-thump!), rattling containers of tin and glass (ding-ring!), and shuffling and sorting a collection of metal pots and iron pans (ruzz-shuzz!) (6). It's a "culinary orchestra" (6) with the word "orchestra" not being used lightly. Her characters speak like most of us. A conversation between Nick and his sister, Margo, ends with Margo advising Nick not to talk with the police like "myuhmyuhmyuh" (52). That was "the thick-tongued noise she always made to convey my indecisiveness" (52). Flynn manages to maintain that linguistic flair throughout all 415 pages.
The police do come into play, since quite early in the text Nick's wife goes missing, all evidence points to murder, and Nick is the most likely suspect. The indecisiveness Margo referred to earlier is plastered all over Nick, and he digs himself in deeper with every lie he tells and every secret he withholds. Things are not looking good for Nick as Flynn adroitly reveals new bits of info and evidence that slowly build to a huge twist in the story about half-way through. It's not the first or last, but it definitely is the biggest. Flynn's decision to tell the story by switching between Nick's present reactions to the events and Amy's diary entries from before was an effective way to share their unique perspectives on a marriage that was in tatters.
Now this is an adult novel. The language and themes are for mature audiences. Even Flynn tells her son in the Acknowledgements, "if you are reading this before 2024, you are too little. Put it down." So if it's an adult novel, then why share this with you? Well, for one I want you to see me as a reader and not just someone who assigns reading for you to do. I also want you to see the value in discussing what we read. If we read a book we enjoy or even a book we thoroughly dislike, our tendencies are to talk about that book with others either to be sure they read it and share your joy or to be certain they avoid it and escape your pain. Lastly, I want you to see how quotes go a long way towards strengthening your writing. Imagine the second paragraph without the quotes. Just not much to it. The quotes add depth, something I will be expecting to see from all of you.
So keep on reading and be thinking of sharing your thoughts with the rest of us.
Enjoying the Extra Day 9-3-2012
It's Monday, but we're not in school; yet, if you are like me, school is never far from your mind. So let's take this time to remind you of a few school related elements for the coming week.
First, enriched students need to have actively read "Raymond's Run" (notice the quotation marks around the short story title). You have read the story, text coded, responded to the prompts in the margins, and will come prepared to discuss it on Tuesday (Items in a Series: take note of the three commas utilized with the four items in the previous sentence). Be sure to bring your Interactive Reader with you to class.
Those of you in the standard class should also bring your Interactive Readers to class. We will continue reading and text coding meta-cognitively; however, you will take on a much larger role in that task starting tomorrow.
As I told most of you, I will be out of the classroom in meetings for much of this week. Here's a schedule review.
Tuesday, September 4: I will miss periods 1 and 2 and part of period 3 analyzing Acuity data
Wednesday, September 5: I will be in the class the entire day
Thursday, September 6: I will be out the entire day working on incorporating the Common Core
Standards into the curriculum
Friday, September 7: I will be out the entire day working on writing effective Performance Tasks
An awkward week to be sure, but you will all be held to the same expectations (in behavior and academic rigor) as if I were still in the class.
I'll be in the building all day Tuesday. For an Archer card signature, tell me the two conjunctive adverbs I used in this posting. Enjoy the rest of the day off.
First, enriched students need to have actively read "Raymond's Run" (notice the quotation marks around the short story title). You have read the story, text coded, responded to the prompts in the margins, and will come prepared to discuss it on Tuesday (Items in a Series: take note of the three commas utilized with the four items in the previous sentence). Be sure to bring your Interactive Reader with you to class.
Those of you in the standard class should also bring your Interactive Readers to class. We will continue reading and text coding meta-cognitively; however, you will take on a much larger role in that task starting tomorrow.
As I told most of you, I will be out of the classroom in meetings for much of this week. Here's a schedule review.
Tuesday, September 4: I will miss periods 1 and 2 and part of period 3 analyzing Acuity data
Wednesday, September 5: I will be in the class the entire day
Thursday, September 6: I will be out the entire day working on incorporating the Common Core
Standards into the curriculum
Friday, September 7: I will be out the entire day working on writing effective Performance Tasks
An awkward week to be sure, but you will all be held to the same expectations (in behavior and academic rigor) as if I were still in the class.
I'll be in the building all day Tuesday. For an Archer card signature, tell me the two conjunctive adverbs I used in this posting. Enjoy the rest of the day off.
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