Let's continue

Good morning,

Yesterday you and you partner read the first half of "Us and Them". Find your partner right away and continue reading.

When you finish you still need to complete the pyramid poem in your Writer's Notebook. You and your partner should choose different characters to create your poems about, but you can help each other. Then complete the 'Thinking Like a Writer" questions.
Also, create an It Says, I Say, And So chart for this memoir. Include at least two quotes that you feel relate to the theme.

Homework: Check your Writer's Notebook. There are links on the right to mine so you can see what you should have in yours. Complete any and all work you might be missing.

Us and Them

Do Now:
 Write a quick summary of the memoir you are reading on your own. Include your thoughts about the theme and any reactions you have to the events. (If you are not reading a memoir of your own yet please write about the steps you are taking to get one.)

This morning you are going to read a fourth memoir with your #4 partner. This text is called "Us and Them" by David Sedaris. This text has questions in it. Read silently until you get to the questions. Then discuss the questions with your partner and answer them on the Word document.

In your Writer's Notebook create an It Says, I Say, And So chart for this memoir. Include at least two quotes that you feel relate to the theme.

Collaborative Annotation

Do Now:
Write an entry in your Writer's Notebook about what you did yesterday without me. 

Today we are going to try something new with something not so new. Confused? We are going to try collaborative annotation with the text you read yesterday. The memoir will be familiar and the annotating collaboratively will be new.

You have a new "collection" (folder) shared with you in Google Docs. There is a doc in that folder. That document is shared with 3-5 of your classmates also. Together you are going to work through that memoir again to mark these things:   Adult Reflection (yellow), Child voice (green), also underline Flashbacks. The catch is you can not talk to each other. You can use the chat part of the doc, but I will be watching your conversation.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2289/2137737248_e9f3e429d1.jpg

Say Something!

Good morning,

I'm sorry I can't be with you today. I'm visiting other schools to learn more about how other teachers are using their educational technology tools. I'll be back tomorrow. Ms. Cullen will take good care of you.

Do Now: (In your Writer's Notebook in docs) Write about a moment when you felt you did not fit in, or a moment when you became aware of someone else not fitting in. Focus on the emotions of that moment.

Today you will read another memoir. This one is called "Aria". Please download it and save it in your English folder. (Download Aria Text Here)

Ms. Cullen will teach you about a strategy called Say Something.  You can review the protocol (rules) for that here. Protocol for Say Something.

After you have read "Aria" using Say Something please return to your Writer's Notebook and create an It Says, I Say, And So chart for "Aria".  (This is just like the one you did for homework on Friday about the memoir you are reading.)

Homework: Continue reading the memoir you have. Begin thinking about ideas for the memoir you will write. prepare for your presentation. I will have dates for your presentations to you tomorrow.

It Says, I Say, And So...

Do Now:  Please click on this form to tell me which presentation prompt you have chosen to present. (I will set presentation dates after everyone has chosen an option.)

Next: Copy this into your Writer's Notebook.

"Theme: Theme is a statement that expresses the universal meaning of a piece of text. Theme is always a sentence and not a word. The theme of a work reflects an author's beliefs about a topic."

Spend a moment to think about some possible themes from the excerpt from Fist Stick Knife Gun by Geoffrey Canada. Write those possible themes in your notebook.
 
Today we are going to learn a form of text analysis known as "It Says, I say, And so." I have a handout for you to use in class if you would like to do this on paper. If you prefer to have an electronic copy you can download it here. 

The goal of this activity is to determine a theme, select appropriate quotations from the text that support the theme, explain the quotation and then explain the significance of the quotation.

http://my-ecoach.com/online/resources/5535/Theme.jpg

Homework: Complete one "It Says, I Say, And So" in your Writer's Notebook about the memoir you are reading. See example in the sample notebook linked on the right.