Way to go Hannah McGinness and Ava Khan and Vishal Patel! You gave us a good start to our Classic Debates today. All three of you were prepared for both your arguments and your rebuttals. Sure, nerves got to you a bit (a little swaying and fast talking) but you offered well cited information to help you present your points clearly and strongly. Day one is finished. Each class has seen some examples, so the expectations from here on out are going to be pretty high. Use your allotted time. Have strong arguments. Go beyond just scratching the surface.
We'll be looking at a cool poem tomorrow called "The Lesson of the Moth". We started our discussion on it today by asking if you'd prefer a long, safe life or a risky, short one. Some heated discussion and valid arguments were presented by both sides. I'll have to say, though, that the most memorable perspective came from Bryce Yoder. Bryce argued for the benefits of a long life very well.
I handed in our Performance Task to be xeroxed today. 300+ copies. One for every 8th grader. It's coming in a week. If you feel comfortable doing the writing we have been engaged in all year, then you shouldn't have too many concerns with what's coming your way next Monday the 18th.
Do you know how to punctuate dialogue? Do you know where the commas go? the periods? the quotation marks? See you tomorrow.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Standard 3-10-2013
This was a good weekend to finish reading those books. I trust you used the weekend well and got as far as possible. Our first presentations are Wednesday! Will you be ready?
I assessed those elegies and came away impressed with what a lot of you were able to do. You obviously worked on your rhymes, the rhythm has been pretty solid, the ideas have been developed and specific and the overall quality has been strong. Way to go. We will be sharing some tomorrow.
ISTEP is over but only for a few weeks. Very soon (okay the end of April) we will be right back at it looking at multiple choice ISTEP questions. With that in mind, we will be reviewing a lot of the material we have already covered this year.
The Performance Task comes next Monday. It's not going to be easy. It's going to require you to think about what you read and make connections. But that's what we have been doing this year, so I trust you will be able to come through. There's a lot of writing and requests for evidence, but you can do it.
Lots more to come before Friday's career day. See you tomorrow.
I assessed those elegies and came away impressed with what a lot of you were able to do. You obviously worked on your rhymes, the rhythm has been pretty solid, the ideas have been developed and specific and the overall quality has been strong. Way to go. We will be sharing some tomorrow.
ISTEP is over but only for a few weeks. Very soon (okay the end of April) we will be right back at it looking at multiple choice ISTEP questions. With that in mind, we will be reviewing a lot of the material we have already covered this year.
The Performance Task comes next Monday. It's not going to be easy. It's going to require you to think about what you read and make connections. But that's what we have been doing this year, so I trust you will be able to come through. There's a lot of writing and requests for evidence, but you can do it.
Lots more to come before Friday's career day. See you tomorrow.
Enriched 3-10-2013
The Classic Debates start tomorrow! I'm looking forward to some persuasive arguments, some heated battles, some well cited research, and some scholarly discussion. Will you deliver? How ready are you? Hannah and Ava? You are first! Are two practice group debates, hopefully, put you at ease. You should all understand what you need to do. Be prepared. Be convincing. Be ready to listen to your opponent's points and argue against them well. Good luck.
I'm reading the scenes and the poems and am coming away with some mixed reviews. We've had some strong examples in each category, but my fear about the poems is coming to fruition: a lot of quick writes, general ideas, thin development, rough rhythm, underwhelming presentation. Some of you have done well, but others of you are better than what you have produced. 35 days is a long time to have to write a scene and a poem. Due to the amount of time you have already had and the coming end of the grading period, I will not be able to offer any rewrites on these either.
One week from tomorrow will be your performance task. It's a good one. I like what it is asking you to do. It's similar to what I've been asking you to do all year. Hopefully you will do well.
ISTEP is over, but it will return (in multiple choice form) towards the end of April. We need to do some review over the next six weeks to be sure you are ready for those multiple choice questions.
Are you a moth or a cockroach? We'll soon find out. See you tomorrow.
I'm reading the scenes and the poems and am coming away with some mixed reviews. We've had some strong examples in each category, but my fear about the poems is coming to fruition: a lot of quick writes, general ideas, thin development, rough rhythm, underwhelming presentation. Some of you have done well, but others of you are better than what you have produced. 35 days is a long time to have to write a scene and a poem. Due to the amount of time you have already had and the coming end of the grading period, I will not be able to offer any rewrites on these either.
One week from tomorrow will be your performance task. It's a good one. I like what it is asking you to do. It's similar to what I've been asking you to do all year. Hopefully you will do well.
ISTEP is over, but it will return (in multiple choice form) towards the end of April. We need to do some review over the next six weeks to be sure you are ready for those multiple choice questions.
Are you a moth or a cockroach? We'll soon find out. See you tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Standard 03-06-2013
Okay, so we got a little reprieve from ISTEP today. I know I didn't mind too much. I grabbed an extra hour of sleep. Invigorating. No such luck tomorrow, though. Barring unforeseen circumstances, school will be on schedule and ISTEP will take place. One 55 minute test is all you have left. Based on past tests it will incorporate a few short answers and an essay. Just like Tuesday, you'll want to answer the questions fully, support your responses well, and follow those tips from a few blogs ago.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. You need to have the article from respectable source on your book. We need to finish those prompts over your will-it-be-a-classic books. We also should spend a bit of time going over those elegies: 20 lines, rhymes and rhythm, lots of good detail.
We are selecting presentation days on Friday. The very first presentations will be Wednesday, March 13. You need to be ready well before that so that you and your partner can prepare.
Remember the differences we discussed today between the points-of-view.
First person-a character in the story (usually the main character) narrates the tale and uses first person pronouns (I, me, mine, we, etc.)
Second person-a rarely used perspective which relies on second person pronouns (you, yours)
Third person limited-the narrator is not in the story and knows everything about one character in the story utilizing third person pronouns (he, she, they, etc.)
Third person omniscient-the narrator is not in the story and knows everything about any character in the story utilizing third person pronouns (he, she,they, etc.). This perspective is often referred to as the god point-of-view because the narrator knows all. Omniscient means all knowing.
Sleep well tonight so you can test well tomorrow. See you tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. You need to have the article from respectable source on your book. We need to finish those prompts over your will-it-be-a-classic books. We also should spend a bit of time going over those elegies: 20 lines, rhymes and rhythm, lots of good detail.
We are selecting presentation days on Friday. The very first presentations will be Wednesday, March 13. You need to be ready well before that so that you and your partner can prepare.
Remember the differences we discussed today between the points-of-view.
First person-a character in the story (usually the main character) narrates the tale and uses first person pronouns (I, me, mine, we, etc.)
Second person-a rarely used perspective which relies on second person pronouns (you, yours)
Third person limited-the narrator is not in the story and knows everything about one character in the story utilizing third person pronouns (he, she, they, etc.)
Third person omniscient-the narrator is not in the story and knows everything about any character in the story utilizing third person pronouns (he, she,they, etc.). This perspective is often referred to as the god point-of-view because the narrator knows all. Omniscient means all knowing.
Sleep well tonight so you can test well tomorrow. See you tomorrow.
Enriched 03-06-2013
Okay, so we got a little reprieve from ISTEP today. I know I didn't mind too much. I grabbed an extra hour of sleep. Invigorating. No such luck tomorrow, though. Barring unforeseen circumstances, school will be on schedule and ISTEP will take place. One 55 minute test is all you have left. Based on past tests it will incorporate a few short answers and an essay. Just like Tuesday, you'll want to answer the questions fully, support your responses well, and follow those tips from a few blogs ago.
We made a bit of progress on our short story classic debates today. We'll focus on those tomorrow and plan on seeing the debate on "The Necklace". These experiences with the short stories should help you perform better when you go one-on-one. You all know what your debate days are now. Be sure you are doing what you need to to prepare as thoroughly as you can.
In 48 hours I will have all of your Project Imaginat10n assignments in my hands. Just think, 33 days ago you were introduced to P.I., and now it is almost complete. Time flies when you are having fun!
75 points hang in the balance. Is your P.I. worthy of 75 points?
March 18 has been identified as the day for your language arts Performance Task. The tasks shouldn't surprise you too much. In a way we've been doing Performance Tasks since we looked at "The Masque of the Red Death", the excerpt from World War Z, and "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Remember those?
Sleep well tonight for a strong ISTEP tomorrow. See you tomorrow.
We made a bit of progress on our short story classic debates today. We'll focus on those tomorrow and plan on seeing the debate on "The Necklace". These experiences with the short stories should help you perform better when you go one-on-one. You all know what your debate days are now. Be sure you are doing what you need to to prepare as thoroughly as you can.
In 48 hours I will have all of your Project Imaginat10n assignments in my hands. Just think, 33 days ago you were introduced to P.I., and now it is almost complete. Time flies when you are having fun!
75 points hang in the balance. Is your P.I. worthy of 75 points?
March 18 has been identified as the day for your language arts Performance Task. The tasks shouldn't surprise you too much. In a way we've been doing Performance Tasks since we looked at "The Masque of the Red Death", the excerpt from World War Z, and "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Remember those?
Sleep well tonight for a strong ISTEP tomorrow. See you tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Standard 03-05-2013
Many of you seemed to feel pretty good about your ISTEP writing today. That was great to see. Since you did so well, we'll let you do it again tomorrow. 55 more minutes of fun coming at you. Remember yesterday's tips and apply them to tomorrow's writing. Good luck.
Great work on your elegy topics today. You now know you need as much specific information about your topic as you can muster. Time to start shaping that info into a 20 line (minimum) rhyming, rhythmic elegy. We'll spend some time with it tomorrow and start sharing a bit as well.
Bring your book to read. We'll spend a bit of time in the IMC tomorrow.
More to come with the fiction as well. See you tomorrow.
Great work on your elegy topics today. You now know you need as much specific information about your topic as you can muster. Time to start shaping that info into a 20 line (minimum) rhyming, rhythmic elegy. We'll spend some time with it tomorrow and start sharing a bit as well.
Bring your book to read. We'll spend a bit of time in the IMC tomorrow.
More to come with the fiction as well. See you tomorrow.
Enriched 03-05-2013
I'm hoping the ISTEP writing went well for you today. We'll do it again tomorrow so just remember all those tips from yesterday so that you can produce the best ISTEP writing you ever have.
Be sure to complete reading your story, "The Necklace" or "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", so that you and your group can have a good discussion and generate strong reasons why your story should or shouldn't be a classic. You'll also need to come up with an opening statement, a rebuttal to your oppositions arguments, and a crystalization. We are going to run these debates as closely as we can to what you'll be doing next week with your partner. Good practice!
SELECTION DAY tomorrow! We draft our order. Some of you will be presenting next Monday, March 11. Will it be you? Will you be ready if it is? Let's hope so!
Three days until Project Imaginat10n comes in. Is your scene focused and developed? Is your poem creative and powerful? I can't wait to see them all.
See you tomorrow.
Be sure to complete reading your story, "The Necklace" or "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", so that you and your group can have a good discussion and generate strong reasons why your story should or shouldn't be a classic. You'll also need to come up with an opening statement, a rebuttal to your oppositions arguments, and a crystalization. We are going to run these debates as closely as we can to what you'll be doing next week with your partner. Good practice!
SELECTION DAY tomorrow! We draft our order. Some of you will be presenting next Monday, March 11. Will it be you? Will you be ready if it is? Let's hope so!
Three days until Project Imaginat10n comes in. Is your scene focused and developed? Is your poem creative and powerful? I can't wait to see them all.
See you tomorrow.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Enriched and Standard 03-04-2013
ISTEP tomorrow! Make sure you sleep well tonight. No staying up until midnight Aliya Bralick! Remember these tips:
Read the prompt carefully.
Plan before writing.
Use all 55 minutes that you are given.
Fill in all the lines.
Use paragraphs.
Be sure to have a clear, engaging introduction.
Support! Support! Support!
No matter what, make sure you take the time to add a conclusion to your writing.
Remember our goal: Pass Plus for everyone!
I can't wait to see those perfect writing scores (6/6s) come rolling in!
Nice work on the connotation/denotation quiz today. A whole lot of 15/15s.
Enriched: Keep working on those Project Imaginat10n assignments. I'm collecting them Friday. Read those classic novels too. We're selecting your presentation dates this Wednesday.
Standard: Be thinking about your ideas for elegy topics. Bring them to class tomorrow. You should also be reading your will-it-be-a-classic-books. We're selecting your presentation dates this Friday, March 8.
That's all for now. Tell me one of the ISTEP writing tips and I'll sign your Archer card.
See you tomorrow.
Read the prompt carefully.
Plan before writing.
Use all 55 minutes that you are given.
Fill in all the lines.
Use paragraphs.
Be sure to have a clear, engaging introduction.
Support! Support! Support!
No matter what, make sure you take the time to add a conclusion to your writing.
Remember our goal: Pass Plus for everyone!
I can't wait to see those perfect writing scores (6/6s) come rolling in!
Nice work on the connotation/denotation quiz today. A whole lot of 15/15s.
Enriched: Keep working on those Project Imaginat10n assignments. I'm collecting them Friday. Read those classic novels too. We're selecting your presentation dates this Wednesday.
Standard: Be thinking about your ideas for elegy topics. Bring them to class tomorrow. You should also be reading your will-it-be-a-classic-books. We're selecting your presentation dates this Friday, March 8.
That's all for now. Tell me one of the ISTEP writing tips and I'll sign your Archer card.
See you tomorrow.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Standard 03-03-2013
I'm halfway through assessing the timed writings and I have to give many of you credit for writing good introductions. You open with an engaging lead and then transition smoothly to your claims. Great work.
I also see that this prompt was a little difficult. You definitely have to think to see the connections. Several of you were able to see how the stories support the theme that women are as capable as men. However, whenever anyone asked me how the "Tell Tale Heart" could support the theme without any women in it, I knew he or she was in trouble. I can't say anymore yet because several individuals still need to complete the writing.
We should be able to go over it tomorrow in class while the others complete it.
We should also have time tomorrow for our connotation and denotation quiz. Be ready for that.
A few other things will come up.
ISTEP in 48 hours! Are you ready? Pass Plus for everyone! Take your time on the writings, and you'll be taking the first big step towards achieving that goal.
See you tomorrow.
I also see that this prompt was a little difficult. You definitely have to think to see the connections. Several of you were able to see how the stories support the theme that women are as capable as men. However, whenever anyone asked me how the "Tell Tale Heart" could support the theme without any women in it, I knew he or she was in trouble. I can't say anymore yet because several individuals still need to complete the writing.
We should be able to go over it tomorrow in class while the others complete it.
We should also have time tomorrow for our connotation and denotation quiz. Be ready for that.
A few other things will come up.
ISTEP in 48 hours! Are you ready? Pass Plus for everyone! Take your time on the writings, and you'll be taking the first big step towards achieving that goal.
See you tomorrow.
Enriched 03-03-2013
Good timed writing last class. The final one before writing a couple ISTEP prompts. A few things stand out that you need to be doing each time.
Offer an introduction. It doesn't have to be crazily overblown. Something simple and effective to get the reader thinking about your topic and clear on what's coming.
Use paragraphs. That one's a slam dunk. Shouldn't have any concerns about that by now, yet still at least 30% of you failed to use paragraphs. Yes, I was surprised.
Focus. Several of you started with one idea in the intro and by the time you reached your conclusion, your topic/claim had shifted.
Be sure the quotes support what you claim they support. Several individuals quoted material from the story or poem that had nothing to do with what they were discussing. You can't imagine they support what you are saying, you need to be sure.
Peter Rutkowski was able to bring it all together for this prompt. Check out what he did...better yet, I'll share it with you tomorrow.
Be sure to have your Project Imaginat10n scenes and poems tomorrow. If I were you, I'd bring multiple clean copies so I can have several people examine it without being influenced by others. You'll have time for a couple readings. If you come prepared, you will benefit tremendously.
We'll have our connotation and denotation quiz tomorrow. Be prepared.
ISTEP in 48 hours! Can't wait!
Offer an introduction. It doesn't have to be crazily overblown. Something simple and effective to get the reader thinking about your topic and clear on what's coming.
Use paragraphs. That one's a slam dunk. Shouldn't have any concerns about that by now, yet still at least 30% of you failed to use paragraphs. Yes, I was surprised.
Focus. Several of you started with one idea in the intro and by the time you reached your conclusion, your topic/claim had shifted.
Be sure the quotes support what you claim they support. Several individuals quoted material from the story or poem that had nothing to do with what they were discussing. You can't imagine they support what you are saying, you need to be sure.
Peter Rutkowski was able to bring it all together for this prompt. Check out what he did...better yet, I'll share it with you tomorrow.
Be sure to have your Project Imaginat10n scenes and poems tomorrow. If I were you, I'd bring multiple clean copies so I can have several people examine it without being influenced by others. You'll have time for a couple readings. If you come prepared, you will benefit tremendously.
We'll have our connotation and denotation quiz tomorrow. Be prepared.
ISTEP in 48 hours! Can't wait!
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