More discussion & writing

Post to at least 2 of the following 3 discussion topics on NICENET and respond to at least 2 other person’s posting.
TKM - Puzzles to solve
TKM - Time period references
Class atmosphere
AND then self-evaluate your participation (SEE the Worksheet in the class crate). Self-evaluations are DUE by FRIDAY 10/1

You'll need to copy the notes off of a classmate about the requirements for our first paper (a story) and complete a piece of pre-writing by tomorrow.

Read chapter 9 of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Post to at least 2 of the following 3 discussion topics on NICENET and respond to at least 2 other person’s posting.
TKM - Puzzles to solve
TKM - Time period references
Class atmosphere
AND then self-evaluate your participation (SEE Worksheet in Class Handouts Crate). The Self-Evaluation is due BY FRIDAY.

Copy the notes (from someone else in class) about the first major paper we are doing - a story from a small slice of your own life.

Complete some pre-writing for your paper (draw, freewrite, cluster or talk)

Read chapter 9 of TKM for tomorrow.

Higher-level learning

We took notes on the differences between low-level and higher-level learning. We (in pairs) wrote five high-level questions on chapters 5 & 6 of TKM.

We then read for ten minutes and tried answering high-level questions over the reading on post-it notes. We then passed the post-it notes to another group to get responses on our answers (this is very similar to the online-literature discussions we have in the computer lab). We also reviewed a rubric that described the difference between excellent, good, average and unacceptible responses.

Tomorrow we will be meeting in the computer lab in the library to have another online conference. Homework reading is to finish chapters 7 and 8 in To Kill A Mockingbird.

Vivid description Part 2

We self-evaluated the character/scene posters we drew on Monday in terms of the quality of detail used in the drawings (both details from the book and from our own imaginations). See the worksheet in the crate.

We finished reading Chapter 2 of To Kill a Mockingbird and read a sample literary journal response on it. We then tried writing our own literary responses on our independant novels in our journals. (NOTE: The novel, and all the journal entries, should be finished by Friday, Sept. 24th).

We then tried applying some of the writing techniques we liked in Mockingbird and our own novels (dialogue, similes, foreshadowing, description, etc.) to our own writing. We revised a piece of writing from an earlier day to "explode" a moment of it into detailed, vivid writing.

Student finished class by turning in their writing and their self-evaluations as well as answering these four questions on a sheet of paper:
1) One thing that confuses me in this class is...
2) One thing that frustrates me in this class is...
3) One thing I'd like to see more of in this class is...
4) For the next seating chart I would like to sit... because...

Levels of Description

We started class by finishing Chapter 1 in To Kill A Mockingbird with several people acting out the actions.

We then wrote about a childhood memory (like Harper Lee does in Mockingbird).

We took notes on the levels of description and examples of each level (boring, ordinary, vivid and visionary).

We read Chapter 2 using Reader's Theatre.

For homework, go through the piece of writing you did in class and identify which level of description you were using.

Tomorrow everyone should bring their independant novel and their piece of writing.

We will continue working with levels of desription by identifing them in Mockingbird and revising our own writing to become more vivid.

How are the journals going?

REMINDER: All students should have picked out a novel to read independantly last week on Thursday. They should be reading some of it each night and you have journals to complete by 9/15, 9/17, and 9/20. I will be collecting journals on 9/20.

Novels should be finished by 9/24.

District Writing Assessment

This week, from Monday, Sept. 13th through Thursday, Sept. 16th, our class will be completing the District Writing Assessment and Practice MEAP.

Monday and Tuesday students will be writing a timed essay based on their own experience.
Wednesday students will be taking a listening and reading multiple choice test.
Thursday students will have to write an essay connecting all of the texts from Wednesday.

If students are absent any day, they will have to schedule a make-up time after school (for 30-60 minutes depending on which day they miss).

How to talk THOUGHTFULLY

Bellwork: Complete a worksheet showing examples of how students answered questions and explaining how they are scored/graded based on thoughtfulness.

Read an excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and talk about it in a threaded discussion in the computer lab at Nicenet.org. See Mrs. Gilbert for the handout on how to use Nicenet

Digging for Potatos & Topics

Bellwork: Pick up a potato and write about it in your journal for 6 minutes. Share it with a partner, and then pick a new topic to write about for 6 minutes. Share that with a partner and then "loop" your writing: pick your favorite part out of the previous two writings and use that as the topic for a third piece of writing for 5 minutes.

Read pages 19-22 in Making Sense to see how the journaling and looping will help you create topics for writing.

Copy down journal rules from the overhead into the back of your journal and show Mrs. Gilbert your journal and topic tree to get credit.

Pick out a pleasurable reading novel (any fiction or nonfiction) and bring it to class tomorrow along with your journal.

Variety in writing & people

Bellwork: Read over the Basketball handout and react to it directly on the page - circle parts that confuse you, put smileys by the parts you like, write notes in the margin, etc.

In your journal, explain which Basketball piece you liked best and why. Also describe which text (poem, book, etc.) you brought to class that you love and why you love it. Try to see if there are any similarities - what types of writing do you seem to prefer?

As a group, we did an activity to highlight how there are many different kinds of people in class and that we all need to be respectful because of this diversity. We then took that idea (of different experiences) and jumped into completing the Topic Tree Handout -- finishing it was homework due tomorrow.

Finally, we shared our Procedure posters and heard a song about not being tardy.

There is a new seating chart and everyone needs to bring their journals tomorrow again.

Procedures & Respectful behavior

Students completed a worksheet on respectful behavior and we discussed what the consequences for disrespectful behavior should be (a warning, a 15 min detention, etc.)

We finished and corrected the classroom scavenger hunt.

We read more partner interviews, and then we got into groups of 2-3 and were assigned procedures to teach to the rest of the class via poster or skit. We turned in our posters at the end of the block and the skits will perform on Tuesday.

We also reviewed where we should meet for fire drills.

The homework is to bring one thing you LOVE to read to class (poem, lyrics, book, comic, etc.) on Tuesday along with your journal notebook.

Rules & Get-to-Know-You

We corrected and collected the first-day handbook scavenger hunt.

We read some of our interviews aloud and turned some in.

We discussed the results of the student survey and how to be respectful during different situations.

We completed a class scavenger hunt to get to know the room.

Homework: Review class rules & procedures to prepare for a quiz.

What you missed on the Tuesday 8/31

Bellwork:
Put your name on the folder tab, tongue depressor and post-it note. Address the postcard to your parents. Fill out the colored handout (Student Data Sheet) and white sheet (Student Survey).

Activity:
Everyone in class interviewed a classmate and wrote an introduction to share with the class the next day. As a substitute assignment, please write a letter introducing yourself to the class (do rough and final drafts).

Homework:
Take the syllabus home and have a parent sign the attached slip. Turn in the folder, your letter of introduction, and the parent signature slip tomorrow.