A Unit Test.

Today we're taking a test.

Remember our class motto?

Don't panic.

When instructed,

Click Here.

Conflict Resolution

Source

PROTIP: 

While you're reading (because there is a book out on your desk), OPEN THE BLOG.

#goodhabits

Your first set of directions:

1. Open your English Journal.
2. Log into Goodreads (by clicking the "log in with Google" button")
3. Copy and paste the book review that you wrote on Monday into Goodreads.
4. Go and find the website page that has your book review on it and don't close that tab.
5. Read until further notice.

There is a fancy form you'll need to fill out today. It is a tab at the top of the blog called "Independent Reading/Book Reviews." Take a look at it. It has helpful information, and you can begin to fill it out. You'll need the link to your book review that you wrote, which is why I wanted you to keep that page open.

You spent yesterday exploring conflict in a short story.

Today, you will work with your partner to identify conflict in your group novel.

• You should add the examples from your own group novel to the bottom of yesterday's chart. You can do this by right clicking on the table and clicking "add row."
• Try to find examples of different types of conflict in your novel.

Writing your first book review

Hey everyone. I hope you had a wonderful, reading-filled weekend.

Today you're going to write your first book review. 

BUT FIRST: A QUIZ

There are two questions today. So I'll give you ten minutes instead of seven. (And you all thought I was the mean one.)

Book reviews:

Today you will work to write a book review for your group novel OR your independent reading book. 

1. Write your book review in your English Journal. DO NOT move on to step two before finishing step one.
2. Log in to your Goodreads account
3. Find your book and click "edit review." (If you can't find it, ask someone at your table. If you're still stuck ask one of the adults.)
4. Rate your book. Copy and paste your book review into the box.
5. Make sure you hit "Save."

Denotation and Connotation

It's Thursday!
(in case you weren't aware yet)

We'll be reading today.

• Open Socrative
• You'll also need your copy of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" open.
  We're not done with it just yet!

Denotation vs. Connotation
When you look at sensory details and mood within the story, you are using the author's word choice to figure out how you're supposed to feel within the story. When an author chooses specific words over others when they write, they are using diction to tell their story.

Diction involves knowing how words relate to each other in different contexts.

This means we have to understand the denotation and connotation of words.

Let's look at this more closely....



Important Information You Need:

• The end of the grading period is next Friday 10/10. If you have not finished two books (your group novel and one choice novel), you need to spend a lot more time reading. Finish them.
• Your group novel should be DONE on Monday, October 6
• You can improve upon the English Journal grade you gave yourself by going back and working on the pieces that you have not yet completed or done thoroughly.
• Give Mrs. Roberts or Ms. Black a fist bump (an exploding one, preferably)
• If you didn't take the Newsela Quiz yesterday, go do that.

Sensory Details and AOW #3

READ.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one.” 

― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

Yesterday you made a chart in your English Journal and began reading a passage from your group novel to look for sensory details. We will continue that process today. If you do not know what your passage is, or don't know what the chart could look like, ask a neighbor or scroll down to yesterday's post.


What else are we doing today Ms. Black?

Article of the Week!

I know that we usually do Article of the Week on Fridays, but we're switching it up a little bit. 

There is a new Newsela article in your binder. 

1. Read it.
2. Take the quiz.

You do not have to write a summary. Today, focus on the quiz. Ask questions if you have them. If you are not taking the quizzes, it will affect your grades.


Bonus:
Give Ms. Black a thumb's up if you read all the way to the end!

Sensory Details

Source: pixabay.com

Hey!

While you're reading (not talking), you need to get a couple tabs open:

• Your highlighted copy of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Socrative! (http://m.socrative.com is the address)

Goal #1: 

Yesterday you highlighted sensory details in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings."

You're going to choose your favorite, most descriptive sensory detail from what you read yesterday.

In Socrative, you'll be doing the following:

Choose the best sensory detail from the story and (1) type it into Socrative, (2) explain which sense it appeals to, and (3) explain how the description affects you as a reader.



Goal #2:

1. Reread the passage from your group novel listed below. 
2. Find specific instances where the author uses sensory details and copy them into your English Journal.
3. State which sense each quotation appeals to, and how it affects you as a reader.

(You may want to create a chart like this one in your English Journal if you think it would be helpful.)

Of Mice and Men: pages 99-100 (First two pages of last chapter)
Saint Iggy: Pages 46-48 – A vile description of the apartment building where Freddie
sells drugs and a bunch of addicts hang out all strung out.
Lord of the Flies: Pages 134-135 – the description of the boys slaughtering the sow.
Romiette and Julio: pp. 178 – 180 – the description of Terrell’s gang threatening
Romiette & Julio
Secret Life of Bees: pp. 191-193




Goal #3: 
If you read this, Mrs. Roberts and I still want high fives, but you'll need to tell us who your favorite character is in your group novel, as well. **Be careful: We might ask why.

You have all period to fulfill this goal. I hope you read it.

Read, Write, Talk!

PUNS!
Source: We Know Memes

"Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them."

-Lemony Snicket, Horseradish

Today we have priorities. Let's get to work.

Priority A:
Fill out this form. (I know. We fill out a lot of forms. Trust me: It's a good thing. It only helps you.)


Priority B:
Continue working on your collaborative Google Document from yesterday on setting and mood. Remember: I can look at your revision history to see if all of you are writing/participating/lending your voice to the group.

One piece of advice: WRITE DOWN THE PAGE NUMBER OF THE QUOTE.

I'm putting that in capital letters because I have to remember to tell you about it. Also, it's important.


Priority C:
Group Discussion Questions and writing! Much like last week, take a look at these discussion questions. Answer them as a group, and pick one to answer in your English Journal individually.

If you cannot answer them well, that means you have some reading to do. You'll still need to write a thoughtful answer. Come back to it to add more detail later.



Priority D:
If you read this: 
4th period: Remind Ms. Black and/or Mrs. Roberts when we put netbooks away that we have some papers to give you. Then find someone in the room to give a high five.
6th period: When you put your netbooks away, give someone in the room a compliment, then a high five. Then go high five Mrs. Roberts and/or Ms. Black.

Creating Mood in a Setting

Source: Flickr

By now you probably know what this is going to say, but:

Let's Read!

Since starting our novels, we've looked at character descriptions.

We've also looked at setting descriptions in relation to those characters.

Now we're going to focus our attention on how setting can create mood.

What is mood in literature?

Mood: the way the text makes the reader feel.

Here is a great resource for you to use to find the words to describe what mood your novel is presenting to you. (Open this. It will be helpful.)

Today's plan:

1. Look at how mood can be conveyed through pictures/photos.
2. Watch a short video about mood in writing
3. Work in your groups to analyze the mood in your novels. Share one document. Share it with me.

Period 4:

Group ONE

Group TWO

Group THREE

Group FOUR

Group FIVE

Period 6:

Group ONE

Group TWO

Group THREE

Group FOUR

Group FIVE

Group SIX

Group Novel Settings

Source: Chip Kidd

Okay. Yesterday we spent a lot of time looking at a character named Miss Havisham from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Today, you can focus your attention on your group novels.

Goal #1: Look closely at the setting in your book. 
Look at the settings described in your group novel.  Select at least three quotes from your novel that describe the setting, but tell you something about the character. Add these quotes to the same chart you were working on yesterday. (This should give you at least four entries on your table in your English Journal. The first one will be about Miss Havisham.)

You may work with the person sitting next to you to find quotes and discuss the characters, but you will all need to write in your own English Journals.


Goal #2: Join Remind
Some of you still haven't joined Remind. If you are one of these people, you have a zero in your gradebook. If you would like to change that, join Remind TODAY. This means you need to click on your period in the sidebar and follow the directions. 


Goal #3: STUDENT DATA FORM
Quite a few of you have still not completed the Student Data Form (linked in the sidebar). This is not optional. If you are one of these people, you have a zero in your gradebook. 

If you suspect you are one of these people, fill out this form.


Goal #4: Update your English Journal
Are you missing any entries or parts of entries? Fix that. This is your chance.


Goal #5: Create a Setting
Choose a character from your group book that doesn't have his or her own setting, or who's setting is not well described.  THINK about what you know about that character. WRITE a descriptive paragraph about the setting for that character (in your English Journal, under today's table). EXPLAIN (in a second paragraph) what you are trying to show about the character with the setting you created. There are some ideas HERE if you need help.

Novel Discussion/Quiz

Hello again! 

Make sure you have your book out! 
We'll be reading.


Today we have four goals.

1. I'd like us to look at a few examples from what you did yesterday. How were these examples successful? How can we improve them?
2. You're going to take a Reading Quiz based on your novel. Click here to access it.
3. Once your are done with your quiz, take a look at these discussion questions. Take some time to discuss the questions that pertain to your novel with your group. It is in your best interest to use evidence from the novel to support your answer.
4. After you feel confident about any or all of the questions, choose your favorite, copy it into your English Journal, and answer the question in writing. This is an individual activity.

Bonus Goal:

This is a survey that I'm asking you to complete because I want to know your opinions about our classroom environment.
Please be honest. Your name is not attached to it, and it should only take a couple minutes. There's less than 10 questions.

Novel Inferences

Happy Wednesday!

We will read at the bell.

Yesterday you practiced making inferences about characters with passages from other texts. Today you will be able to make inferences and discover more information about the characters from your own novel.

You will need to click on the link that corresponds to your own group below. It will open a view-only file. You have a couple choices:

• Have one person make a copy that you all share and work on together (remember that I can see who edits it and when!)
• Each person can make their own copy and you can work individually or with partners to choose passages and write descriptions.

No matter which option you choose, you must share it with me.

Period 4

Group ONE

Group TWO

Group THREE

Group FOUR

Group FIVE

Period 6

Group ONE

Group TWO

Group THREE

Group FOUR

Group FIVE

Group SIX