Happy Halloween!
Hope you had a good time ( a dry time?) trick-or-treating tonight. Feel free to bring me any candy you don't want.
You had a good look at the prompts today. In class you should have seriously considered your options and even written about the one you selected. If you didn't get that far, it's okay. We'll have time tomorrow to work on the papers.
Make sure you have The Giver tomorrow. You'll start doing some in class planning and writing. If you use your time wisely, you'll go into the weekend feeling pretty good about where you are with your paper. You'll have time to ask me questions and we'll even here a few ideas from some of your peers.
See you soon.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Honors 10-31-2013
That STEM production was pretty amazing this morning. I popped in to watch it during my meeting and was impressed. Hope you enjoyed it.
You started watching Animal Farm--the movie--today. I know Mr. Alfrey prepped you pretty well for taking good notes. You need to make sure you are aware of the differences between the film and the text. But you do not only need to know how the two are different. You also need to think about why it was changed and how it affected the telling of the story. Check out the standard again.
8.RL.7 Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
That "evaluating the choices" part is going to be central to the paper you will be writing over this topic. But that writing will come next week.
Speaking of writing, you can count on finally writing that in-class timed essay tomorrow. You already know the topic if you read yesterday's blog. You should be writing it as a scene between the two men. I want you to use dialogue (punctuate it correctly). Where are the two men meeting? What are they saying to each other? What do they do? How does their conversation end? Look carefully at the poem, the preface, the story, and your notes tonight to be sure you have a good understanding of the interaction that might take place. The successful piece of writing will be creative, engaging, and correctly punctuated, but more importantly, the successful piece will offer insight into the two men based on what you know about them from our class discussion and the readings. Quotes from the text are not a necessity, but they could be used. Specific references are a must. Regardless, whatever you have the men say or do must be able to be defended by some information in your possession. Yes, any notes and texts can be referred to during the writing. No, you can not start writing it tonight and bring it in tomorrow to use. You will have the entire class to write. It will be worth 30 points. i can't wait to see what you write.
See you soon.
You started watching Animal Farm--the movie--today. I know Mr. Alfrey prepped you pretty well for taking good notes. You need to make sure you are aware of the differences between the film and the text. But you do not only need to know how the two are different. You also need to think about why it was changed and how it affected the telling of the story. Check out the standard again.
8.RL.7 Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
That "evaluating the choices" part is going to be central to the paper you will be writing over this topic. But that writing will come next week.
Speaking of writing, you can count on finally writing that in-class timed essay tomorrow. You already know the topic if you read yesterday's blog. You should be writing it as a scene between the two men. I want you to use dialogue (punctuate it correctly). Where are the two men meeting? What are they saying to each other? What do they do? How does their conversation end? Look carefully at the poem, the preface, the story, and your notes tonight to be sure you have a good understanding of the interaction that might take place. The successful piece of writing will be creative, engaging, and correctly punctuated, but more importantly, the successful piece will offer insight into the two men based on what you know about them from our class discussion and the readings. Quotes from the text are not a necessity, but they could be used. Specific references are a must. Regardless, whatever you have the men say or do must be able to be defended by some information in your possession. Yes, any notes and texts can be referred to during the writing. No, you can not start writing it tonight and bring it in tomorrow to use. You will have the entire class to write. It will be worth 30 points. i can't wait to see what you write.
See you soon.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Standard 10-31-2013
Precise. Concise. Vivid. Can you tell the difference? Those are terms you need to know since Acuity and ISTEP love to ask questions having you identify which sentence is the most precise or vivid or concise. Learning those terms can help you do better on those tests. But even if you can't remember the difference, you should still be able to respond well to the question by selecting the BEST sentence. Look at the four options and choose the one written the most effectively. The more you read, the better your chances of identifying that well written sentence.
We definitely had a majority of students siding with Jonas sharing similarities with Jesus. I think Lois Lowry definitely had Jesus in mind while writing this story. No they are not exact, but there are too many similarities to write it off as coincidence.
The new writing assignment is in your hands tonight. I'm sorry for the confusion--especially in period four--but nothing is DUE tomorrow or Friday. I want you looking over the handout and making some decisions about which topic you will be interested in. With that in mind, tomorrow you will be doing an activity we were meant to start today, but we didn't get to. You will be using the big white boards and coming up with options for the different papers. Use your time wisely and take notes.
That's it for now. Behave tomorrow.
See you soon.
We definitely had a majority of students siding with Jonas sharing similarities with Jesus. I think Lois Lowry definitely had Jesus in mind while writing this story. No they are not exact, but there are too many similarities to write it off as coincidence.
The new writing assignment is in your hands tonight. I'm sorry for the confusion--especially in period four--but nothing is DUE tomorrow or Friday. I want you looking over the handout and making some decisions about which topic you will be interested in. With that in mind, tomorrow you will be doing an activity we were meant to start today, but we didn't get to. You will be using the big white boards and coming up with options for the different papers. Use your time wisely and take notes.
That's it for now. Behave tomorrow.
See you soon.
Honors 10-30-2013
Sometimes I just get so frustrated that I just want to pull out all of my hair and scream, but then I realize that I don't have any hair, and I think about all the money I save on shampoo and all the time I save getting ready in the morning, so I just smile to myself, shrug off whatever was frustrating me and go about my day a richer and happier man.
That kind of happened to me today. As you know we had already postponed the timed writing for one day because we hadn't covered all of the necessary material. No problem. I would rather take an extra day to make sure you are all properly prepared. With that in mind, we moved the timed writing to Thursday. Then after period two today, a clever student reminded me of the assembly we are having tomorrow. Not only does it eat into period one, but it also swallows most of period two as well. UGH! We can't have a timed writing if we don't have time to write. Soooooooo we are moving the timed writing again. It will now take place on Friday. Definitely! I guarantee it! Don't doubt me! I'm not joking! It's written in rock! In blood! In Etch-a-Sketch! Wait. Scratch that last one. But you get the idea.
I hinted at the topic for the writing in periods one and two. Sorry, period six, I'm writing this before your class. I guess I better state it more clearly here, now. We've read Animal Farm by George Orwell and "The Stalin Epigram" by Osip Mandelstam. We also discussed the authors' lives. We discovered some good info about Orwell in the preface. We learned about Mandelstam from what I shared and the solid information your peers researched and shared. We know these two never met since Mandelstam lived in Russia, was in and out of prison in the 1930s, and died in 1938 while Orwell resided in England and didn't really come into his own as an author until the 1940s. That got me wondering what conversation these two would have if they had a chance to meet over lunch, a coffee, or at a party etc. Thus, your topic will be to write the conversation Osip and George (Mr. Mandelstam and Mr. Orwell?) would be engaged in if they happened to meet.
You'll need to identify a logical meeting place (I highly doubt they would run into each other while pumping iron at Gold's Gym) and create an insightful flowing conversation between the two men that reveals their stances on Stalin, the Russian Revolution, and writing in general. You'll need to be creative, but you'll also need to be sure you have a good understanding of the men based on their writings and our class discussions. You have some freedom here; however, you must be able to defend the words you put into their mouths. (Don't have Mandelstam weigh in on the Yankees chances in the World Series--neither man is American and they wouldn't understand or care about baseball). While quoted material might be difficult to insert, specific textual references are a must.
You will have Friday's class to complete this assignment. Here are a few timed writing tips that you should always fall back on regardless of the topic.
-offer an introduction
-be sure titles and authors are included in the work
-clearly develop and support your ideas in paragraphs
-offer an effective conclusion
-clean up the conventions
-write neatly/boldly
I'm out of the classroom tomorrow, but I'll see you Friday. Prepare well!
See you soon.
That kind of happened to me today. As you know we had already postponed the timed writing for one day because we hadn't covered all of the necessary material. No problem. I would rather take an extra day to make sure you are all properly prepared. With that in mind, we moved the timed writing to Thursday. Then after period two today, a clever student reminded me of the assembly we are having tomorrow. Not only does it eat into period one, but it also swallows most of period two as well. UGH! We can't have a timed writing if we don't have time to write. Soooooooo we are moving the timed writing again. It will now take place on Friday. Definitely! I guarantee it! Don't doubt me! I'm not joking! It's written in rock! In blood! In Etch-a-Sketch! Wait. Scratch that last one. But you get the idea.
I hinted at the topic for the writing in periods one and two. Sorry, period six, I'm writing this before your class. I guess I better state it more clearly here, now. We've read Animal Farm by George Orwell and "The Stalin Epigram" by Osip Mandelstam. We also discussed the authors' lives. We discovered some good info about Orwell in the preface. We learned about Mandelstam from what I shared and the solid information your peers researched and shared. We know these two never met since Mandelstam lived in Russia, was in and out of prison in the 1930s, and died in 1938 while Orwell resided in England and didn't really come into his own as an author until the 1940s. That got me wondering what conversation these two would have if they had a chance to meet over lunch, a coffee, or at a party etc. Thus, your topic will be to write the conversation Osip and George (Mr. Mandelstam and Mr. Orwell?) would be engaged in if they happened to meet.
You'll need to identify a logical meeting place (I highly doubt they would run into each other while pumping iron at Gold's Gym) and create an insightful flowing conversation between the two men that reveals their stances on Stalin, the Russian Revolution, and writing in general. You'll need to be creative, but you'll also need to be sure you have a good understanding of the men based on their writings and our class discussions. You have some freedom here; however, you must be able to defend the words you put into their mouths. (Don't have Mandelstam weigh in on the Yankees chances in the World Series--neither man is American and they wouldn't understand or care about baseball). While quoted material might be difficult to insert, specific textual references are a must.
You will have Friday's class to complete this assignment. Here are a few timed writing tips that you should always fall back on regardless of the topic.
-offer an introduction
-be sure titles and authors are included in the work
-clearly develop and support your ideas in paragraphs
-offer an effective conclusion
-clean up the conventions
-write neatly/boldly
I'm out of the classroom tomorrow, but I'll see you Friday. Prepare well!
See you soon.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Standard 10-29-2013
Okay, sorry. I seem to have gotten ahead of myself with this entry. Anyway, I'm here now. And what do you know, so are you!
We struggled today in a way I didn't think we would. There is no way we should still be having trouble using the semi-colon correctly. At some point you have to take charge of this little piece of punctuation. You need to own it. You own the multiplication tables--I hope--now own the semi-colon, gosh darn it! I was also surprised at the number of people who stumbled over combining two sentences with a coordinating conjunction. This is the type of quiz you can expect from now on. I will identify things we have gone over in class and you need to demonstrate the ability to use them correctly. Time to step up and take charge of your education. As Nelson Mandella said, "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use."
The Giver presentations aare completed but that only means that it is time for The Giver paper. You'll be getting a look at some potential topics tomorrow. Hope you are ready to write.
Speaking of writing, you did a bit of that on Jesus today. What for, you are wondering. You'll find out more tomorrow, but I want you to be thinking about the connection you see between Jesus and Jonas.
Jesus and Jonas?
That's right, Jesus and Jonas. You have to be thinking outside the box on this one. Who's feeling creative and insightful? We'll see.
And I'll see you soon.
We struggled today in a way I didn't think we would. There is no way we should still be having trouble using the semi-colon correctly. At some point you have to take charge of this little piece of punctuation. You need to own it. You own the multiplication tables--I hope--now own the semi-colon, gosh darn it! I was also surprised at the number of people who stumbled over combining two sentences with a coordinating conjunction. This is the type of quiz you can expect from now on. I will identify things we have gone over in class and you need to demonstrate the ability to use them correctly. Time to step up and take charge of your education. As Nelson Mandella said, "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use."
The Giver presentations aare completed but that only means that it is time for The Giver paper. You'll be getting a look at some potential topics tomorrow. Hope you are ready to write.
Speaking of writing, you did a bit of that on Jesus today. What for, you are wondering. You'll find out more tomorrow, but I want you to be thinking about the connection you see between Jesus and Jonas.
Jesus and Jonas?
That's right, Jesus and Jonas. You have to be thinking outside the box on this one. Who's feeling creative and insightful? We'll see.
And I'll see you soon.
Honors 10-29-2013
Thanks for all the birthday wishes today. Always nice to receive those. And in return, here is, perhaps, an answer to one of your wishes. After giving it some thought and weighing what my options are, I have decided to postpone the in-class timed writing until Thursday. We could have moved forward with a writing prompt, but it would have had to have been different from the one I was planning on giving you. This will take us a day longer, but I feel you will be better prepared for what's to come.
Great discussion today on Mendelstam's poem. Everyone was getting involved. Everyone was offering insight into the deeper meaning of the piece. As we said, not every interpretation is correct, but there is some wiggle room as long as it can be supported. Always remind yourself to read the poem at least twice. Hey, I didn't understand the poem after one read either. Comprehension takes time. Try to understand the poem in a literal sense. His fingers are worms...okay. He's surrounded by half men...okay. After you feel comfortable with that, look at how the poem might be interpreted in a metaphorical/symbolic/figurative way. Again, his fingers are worms...why worms? What do worms do? What could the worms symbolize? His fingers are always digging deeper, trying to uncover secrets, trying to wrap themselves around something...someone. Talk your way through it. Break the poem up into chunks. Notice how I asked what certain parts meant: the ten paces; the Kremlin Mountaineer; the chicken-necked bosses. If I tried to understand all that at once, I would be overwhelmed. Small steps work.
I say all this not just for this poem, but also for other poems in the future that you will have to interpret on your own. You need to go into your analysis of a poem with a plan. Otherwise, you will get frustrated and give up before giving yourself a fair chance.
Back to the writing topic...As I said earlier, we didn't really get far enough to write tomorrow. Instead, we will take a quick look at the end of the poem. I'll share some background on Mendelstam. (What can you bring to this conversation? I'd love to sign some Archer cards tomorrow for any tidbits of info on him.) We'll compare the poem and Animal Farm. I have an intriguing quote from Mendelstam I want to discuss with you. Here it is:
-“I do not know how it is elsewhere, but here, in this country, poetry is a healing, life-giving thing, and people have not lost the gift of being able to drink of its inner strength. People can be killed for poetry here, —a sign of unparalleled respect —because they are still capable of living by it.”
We'll go over some MUST-DOs for ANY timed writing. I might even share the timed writing topic tomorrow....hmmmm....Finally, if time permits, we will start watching the Animal Farm video. No, it's not just for fun. We'll be doing some writing over it. Hey, it's one of the Common Core State Standards. See below:
You can already guess what you'll be writing about there.
One more thing. Keep in mind those Laws of Quote Insertion we went over today. Recite them in front of the mirror. Ingrain them in your brain. Refer to them when writing papers of any length. If you think about HOW you insert a quote instead of just inserting a quote, your writing will improve.
See you soon. I have some birthday cake to eat.
Great discussion today on Mendelstam's poem. Everyone was getting involved. Everyone was offering insight into the deeper meaning of the piece. As we said, not every interpretation is correct, but there is some wiggle room as long as it can be supported. Always remind yourself to read the poem at least twice. Hey, I didn't understand the poem after one read either. Comprehension takes time. Try to understand the poem in a literal sense. His fingers are worms...okay. He's surrounded by half men...okay. After you feel comfortable with that, look at how the poem might be interpreted in a metaphorical/symbolic/figurative way. Again, his fingers are worms...why worms? What do worms do? What could the worms symbolize? His fingers are always digging deeper, trying to uncover secrets, trying to wrap themselves around something...someone. Talk your way through it. Break the poem up into chunks. Notice how I asked what certain parts meant: the ten paces; the Kremlin Mountaineer; the chicken-necked bosses. If I tried to understand all that at once, I would be overwhelmed. Small steps work.
I say all this not just for this poem, but also for other poems in the future that you will have to interpret on your own. You need to go into your analysis of a poem with a plan. Otherwise, you will get frustrated and give up before giving yourself a fair chance.
Back to the writing topic...As I said earlier, we didn't really get far enough to write tomorrow. Instead, we will take a quick look at the end of the poem. I'll share some background on Mendelstam. (What can you bring to this conversation? I'd love to sign some Archer cards tomorrow for any tidbits of info on him.) We'll compare the poem and Animal Farm. I have an intriguing quote from Mendelstam I want to discuss with you. Here it is:
-“I do not know how it is elsewhere, but here, in this country, poetry is a healing, life-giving thing, and people have not lost the gift of being able to drink of its inner strength. People can be killed for poetry here, —a sign of unparalleled respect —because they are still capable of living by it.”
We'll go over some MUST-DOs for ANY timed writing. I might even share the timed writing topic tomorrow....hmmmm....Finally, if time permits, we will start watching the Animal Farm video. No, it's not just for fun. We'll be doing some writing over it. Hey, it's one of the Common Core State Standards. See below:
One more thing. Keep in mind those Laws of Quote Insertion we went over today. Recite them in front of the mirror. Ingrain them in your brain. Refer to them when writing papers of any length. If you think about HOW you insert a quote instead of just inserting a quote, your writing will improve.
See you soon. I have some birthday cake to eat.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Standard 10-28-2013
Now this has been a relaxing three days. I can't believe I still have another day to enjoy. I trust you are all doing the same: relaxing and enjoying your free time. Because you know what's coming...
Report cards. Well, the end of the grading period was last Wednesday, and our grades are do by the end of the day Tuesday which means you'll probably get the cards on Friday. Then, it's a clean slate for everyone. We all have an A as far as I'm concerned. What will you do to keep it?
After a little Tool Time, we'll wrap up our Giver presentations, but we won't be finished yet with the book. Nope, instead this will be the first thing you can focus on doing well for second quarter. You see, we will be doing some writing over the text. I have quite the assortment of topics and we'll be taking a closer look at these over the next day or two. Then it'll be decision time for you. What will you write about in depth?
Once our writing is finished, we will jump into a variety of nonfiction reads. There's a lot going on in the world. So many topics to choose to read about. I already have a handful of articles but am keeping my eyes open for other high interest articles for you. If you see a good nonfiction story you want to know more about, let me know, and I'll see what I can find.
For now, enjoy the rest of the day. Tomorrow will be here before you know it.
See you soon.
Report cards. Well, the end of the grading period was last Wednesday, and our grades are do by the end of the day Tuesday which means you'll probably get the cards on Friday. Then, it's a clean slate for everyone. We all have an A as far as I'm concerned. What will you do to keep it?
After a little Tool Time, we'll wrap up our Giver presentations, but we won't be finished yet with the book. Nope, instead this will be the first thing you can focus on doing well for second quarter. You see, we will be doing some writing over the text. I have quite the assortment of topics and we'll be taking a closer look at these over the next day or two. Then it'll be decision time for you. What will you write about in depth?
Once our writing is finished, we will jump into a variety of nonfiction reads. There's a lot going on in the world. So many topics to choose to read about. I already have a handful of articles but am keeping my eyes open for other high interest articles for you. If you see a good nonfiction story you want to know more about, let me know, and I'll see what I can find.
For now, enjoy the rest of the day. Tomorrow will be here before you know it.
See you soon.
Honors 10-28-2013
Rejuvenating. That's what my four days have been. I've napped, watched football, and even had the chance to read two books! I could get used to this. I hope you can say the same.
First quarter grades become official tomorrow afternoon. And with that, we start the second quarter. While this quarter will place a stronger emphasis on nonfiction writing, we first need to wrap up our Animal Farm unit. With that in mind, we'll spend most of Tuesday looking at "The Stalin Epigram", analyzing it on its own and tying it to the novel. On Wednesday you can expect an in-class timed writing over the two pieces. I might even throw a picture in the mix to spice up the writing (and the thinking) a bit.
I'm out of the class Thursday to meet with other language arts teachers in the building. It could be a good day to check out the Animal Farm film. If that is what we end up doing, you are going to want to take good notes; we won't watch a film unless we'll be writing about it after. Hint. Hint.
Once that is all concluded, there will be a wave of nonfiction articles. A nonfiction book we will be looking at together this quarter will be Warriors Don't Cry. You will all also be expected to read a nonfiction book of your choice (approved by me) outside of class. Yes, yes, there will be an assessment tied to the outside reading, don't worry. You can start thinking about/finding titles now, and I'll share more information on this in the near future.
You still have a nice looking day in front of you. Go out and enjoy yourself.
See you soon.
First quarter grades become official tomorrow afternoon. And with that, we start the second quarter. While this quarter will place a stronger emphasis on nonfiction writing, we first need to wrap up our Animal Farm unit. With that in mind, we'll spend most of Tuesday looking at "The Stalin Epigram", analyzing it on its own and tying it to the novel. On Wednesday you can expect an in-class timed writing over the two pieces. I might even throw a picture in the mix to spice up the writing (and the thinking) a bit.
I'm out of the class Thursday to meet with other language arts teachers in the building. It could be a good day to check out the Animal Farm film. If that is what we end up doing, you are going to want to take good notes; we won't watch a film unless we'll be writing about it after. Hint. Hint.
Once that is all concluded, there will be a wave of nonfiction articles. A nonfiction book we will be looking at together this quarter will be Warriors Don't Cry. You will all also be expected to read a nonfiction book of your choice (approved by me) outside of class. Yes, yes, there will be an assessment tied to the outside reading, don't worry. You can start thinking about/finding titles now, and I'll share more information on this in the near future.
You still have a nice looking day in front of you. Go out and enjoy yourself.
See you soon.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Honors 10-22-2013
Good to get the presentations under way. I liked a lot of what we saw today. Great insight on the naming of the animals in period 2, the fairy tale qualities of the book in period 1, and I learned that from now on if we need a reader in period one, I'll be choosing Gabbe Besse. That girl could make the tax code sound engaging.
Couple key points to remember based on today's presentations.
Eye contact. Seems I need to repeat this over and over again. Look at your audience. This is not a reading; it's a presentation. Know your material well enough to speak to us not read to us.
Emphasize your main point. When you are finished presenting, the class should be able to identify your main idea/theme/central point. Make sure they can by stressing it wholeheartedly.
One thing I can commend is the enthusiasm people are showing. Even the people who are usually shy and quiet are putting forth a little extra effort. They may not be stage ready, but they are trying.
Tomorrow we will wrap up the presentations and look at the preface. We'll also figure out why we are looking at the preface.
See you soon.
Couple key points to remember based on today's presentations.
Eye contact. Seems I need to repeat this over and over again. Look at your audience. This is not a reading; it's a presentation. Know your material well enough to speak to us not read to us.
Emphasize your main point. When you are finished presenting, the class should be able to identify your main idea/theme/central point. Make sure they can by stressing it wholeheartedly.
One thing I can commend is the enthusiasm people are showing. Even the people who are usually shy and quiet are putting forth a little extra effort. They may not be stage ready, but they are trying.
Tomorrow we will wrap up the presentations and look at the preface. We'll also figure out why we are looking at the preface.
See you soon.
Standard 10-22-2013
Lot of time taken today in preparation for the presentations tomorrow. You created lists of traits and then found evidence to back them up. While you want to share physical traits and factual information, the emphasis during the presentations should be on the personality traits and characteristics.
Those traits and characteristics need to be supported as well. One piece of support is okay, two are good, three is convincing. Be thinking about that as you edit your ideas tonight.
Think seriously about the support too. Quote only what you need. Don't offer ten lines of material for five words of important text. Choose the exact part of the passage you need.
Have a clear intro and a solid wrap-up sentence. Don't leave us hanging.
Present with enthusiasm! If you are boring we will be bored. No one wants to be bored. I have ZERO tolerance for unenthusiastic presentations.
We'll be starting with the Jonas groups and then moving to The Giver groups. Each group will have a maximum of five minutes to convey their information. Be ready. Here is the explanation sheet one more time. Don't get bogged down answering all those questions. They are there just to get you thinking about your character.
Here's a challenge for you. You and your group will be assigned either The Giver or Jonas. Your task will be to develop and write a strong characterization of the character. You need to know who he is, how he acts, how he thinks, why he does what he does, what his mindset is, what his motivations are. You also need to be able to support your ideas with evidence from the book. That means quotes! Without the quotes, your ideas are flimsy.
Those traits and characteristics need to be supported as well. One piece of support is okay, two are good, three is convincing. Be thinking about that as you edit your ideas tonight.
Think seriously about the support too. Quote only what you need. Don't offer ten lines of material for five words of important text. Choose the exact part of the passage you need.
Have a clear intro and a solid wrap-up sentence. Don't leave us hanging.
Present with enthusiasm! If you are boring we will be bored. No one wants to be bored. I have ZERO tolerance for unenthusiastic presentations.
We'll be starting with the Jonas groups and then moving to The Giver groups. Each group will have a maximum of five minutes to convey their information. Be ready. Here is the explanation sheet one more time. Don't get bogged down answering all those questions. They are there just to get you thinking about your character.
Here's a challenge for you. You and your group will be assigned either The Giver or Jonas. Your task will be to develop and write a strong characterization of the character. You need to know who he is, how he acts, how he thinks, why he does what he does, what his mindset is, what his motivations are. You also need to be able to support your ideas with evidence from the book. That means quotes! Without the quotes, your ideas are flimsy.
Get
started today. Make a plan. As a group decide who The Giver or
Jonas is. Figure out what you want to say about him.
Once
you agree on a general plan for his characterization, find those
supporting quotes, key words, lines, and phrases that clarify and
strengthen your claims.
Next
you need to make a plan of presentation. In what sequence will the
information be revealed? Who will be saying what? You all need to
participate. Play to your strengths.
Finally,
practice a couple times. Be sure you feel good about the info you
share. Present with passion and flair. This is not the time to be
shy, quiet, cool, or silly. Bring your "A" game. This is a group
grade; however, I reserve the right to adjust scores accordingly.
Any
questions? Get busy!
Acuity tests will be Thursday.
See you soon.
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