Friday, May 29, 2015

Jigsaw Reading for Deeper Understanding

Goal: Jigsaw reading of "6 Ways Social Media Can Ruin Your Life" for a deeper understanding of what can happen online.

Agenda:
Read
Read with your group and discuss
Re-group and explain your section
Recommend a book

Jigsaw reading:
We are going to jigsaw read an article.
All groups should read the beginning.
The rest of the article is divided into six hashtag-titled sections.
Each group will read one section and discuss it.
Then I will regroup you and you will need to be able to explain what you read and talked about in the section that your first group read.

6 ways social media can ruin your life
Recommend a Book

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Rhetorical Precis for Undercover Parent

Goals: Practice with rhetorical precis then share out the results.

Agenda: 
Read
Contents of your final
Writing a rhetorical precis
Share out

Contents of your final:
For your final you will be tested on multiple reading and writing skills. With a new article you must be able to do the following on your own:
SOAPSTone
Charting the text
Identifying and explaining uses of ethos, logos and pathos
Write a rhetorical precis
Write an on-demand (in class) essay.

Today in class: 
Practice writing a rhetorical precis about Undercover Parent. You know the article very well by now so this should not be hard. Write in your English Journal. Near the end of the period you will copy/paste your work into Socrative.

Finals Schedule:
Thursday, June 11, periods 6 and 7
Friday June 12, periods 1 and 2
Monday June 15, periods 3 and 4

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Noticing Language in Undercover Parent

Goal: Looking closely at the language in "Undercover Parent."

Agenda:
Read
Noticing Language

Noticing Language:

  • Authors choose their words carefully because many words carry positive or negative connotations. 
  • Today you will look at the words Coben uses in "Undercover Parent." He chose many of them very carefully. Can you tell why? How do his choices affect the text? 
  • Complete THIS FORM with your partner to help you look closely at his language choices. 


Denotation: The literal meaning of the word, like the definition you would find in the dictionary.

Connotation: The feeling a word creates for a reader. Some words have positive connotations, others have negative connotations. Sometimes different words can have almost the same meaning, but very different connotations.

Note: Two new book reviews are due in two weeks! June 10th is your deadline. Start writing them now. 


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Charting Undercover Parent

Goal: Work with your table to look closely at what the author is saying and doing.

Agenda:
Read
Charting the text

As part of your final you will be charting a new article on your own. Today is your last chance to practice the rhetorical analysis skills you will need for that.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Look again. There is more to see.

Goal: Going deeper into the Undercover Parent article with SOAPSTone.

Agenda:
Read
Quick write
SOAPSTone

Quick Write
In what ways, if any, should parents monitor their teenager's internet use? 

SOAPSTone:
With your partner complete the SOAPSTone form for the article Under Cover Parent (The one you read yesterday.) If you were absent yesterday the URL to get a copy of the article is on the front whiteboard.


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Block Day: Lots to do. Finish up and Get Started

Goals: Wrap up the last details of our extreme sports unit and begin thinking about the issues that impact our next unit.

Agenda:

  • Read
  • Finishing touches on Extreme Sports Essays
  • Quick survey
  • Four Corners Discussion
  • First read of a new article

Finishing your Extreme Sports Essay: (in this order please)
  1. It is due today and you need to call it in by 9pm for full credit. 
  2. Be sure the heading is complete (name, date, period #duh)
  3. Give your essay an interesting title. (You can do it.)
  4. Answer the reflection questions.
  5. Use Photosforclass.com to add a relevant picture that relates to what you wrote about. 
Beginning a new unit:
Take a Quick Survey
Four Corners Discussion
First read of a new article

Book reviews due June 10th. Keep reading. 

Friday, May 15, 2015

Peer Review and Revision

Goal: Peer review of Extreme Sports Essays and some time for revision.

Agenda:
Read
Peer review with the scoring guide on your essay document.
Writing Groups
Revision Time

Things to watch out for in your essay:

  • Do not number or label your paragraphs. 
  • You can use the word "I" but see if you can avoid it. Try to find other ways of saying the same thing without using "I."
  • No huge quotes. Quote only a few words or a sentence at most. Longer than that and you should be paraphrasing or summarizing. (See post below from Wednesday.)
  • Make sure your name, date and period are filled out at the top of your essay. 




Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Using the words of others

Why would anyone jump out of a
 perfectly good airplane? 
Goal: Work on adding evidence to your essay. Focus on correctly quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing the words of others with citations.

Agenda
Read
Using the words of others
Writing time


Using the words of others:

  • Direct quotation: In “Extreme Sports Not About Risk-taking: Study,” Dr. Brymer found that people who participate in extreme sports have an image of “risk takers and adrenaline junkies”. He found this really isn’t true (3).
  • Paraphrase: In “Extreme Sports Not About Risk-taking: Study,” Dr. Brymer notes that people who participate in extreme sports try to be prepared so they can decrease their risk of injury (8).
  • Summary: In “Extreme Sports Not About Risk-taking: Study,” Dr. Brymer cites study after study to show that many people who participate in extreme sports do so for reasons other than an adrenaline rush. He points out that they don’t like to be out of control and that by preparing for their sport, they feel they are really in control (11).

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Discussion and Drafting: Extreme Sports Essay

Goal: make progress understanding what you are writing about. make progress actually writing.

Agenda:
Read
Discuss the quote you are writing about with your group. (You are seated with people who chose the same quote.)
Work on adding to your draft. You have a complete draft due on Friday 5/15.

I suggest you discuss these things with your group:

  1. The meaning of the quote. 
  2. The extent to which you agree or disagree with what the quote says. 
  3. Possible opposing viewpoints to your positions. 
  4. Possible counter arguments to those opposing viewpoints. 
  5. help each other with possible evidence to support your position. 
Self-regulate and decide for yourselves when you need to move from discussion to drafting time. 

Monday, May 11, 2015

Extreme Sports Writing Task

Goal: Read and understand the writing task. Get started on an introduction and a thesis. Begin gathering evidence for the rest of my essay.

Agenda:

  1. Read
  2. Locate your extreme sports writing task document in your shared with me section of your Google Drive. (Do not make a copy of it.)
  3. Read through the writing task including the scoring guide at the end. 
  4. Choose the quote you want to work with (highlight it on your document) and begin your introduction. 
  5. Consider what pieces of evidence you want to use in the following paragraphs of your essay. 
The draft of your complete essay is due Friday 5/15 for peer review. The final draft is due Tuesday 5/19. 

Friday, May 8, 2015

Socratic Seminar

Goal: A discussion that deepens our understanding of the risks and rewards of participating in Extreme Sports

Agenda: 
Read
Socratic Seminar

You need:
Your partner: One of you will begin in the inner circle and one of you will begin in the outer circle. You will switch when I ask you to.
Your extreme sports unit readings doc. (in your Google Drive)
Your Socratic Seminar Preparation document (also in your Google Drive)
Outer circle people will need the Socratic Seminar Feedback Form. 

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Continue Socratic Seminar Preparation

Goal: Finish your preparation for our Socratic seminar tomorrow.

Agenda: 
Read
Watch
Work

Expectations for Socratic Seminars:
What do you want out of our discussion tomorrow?
What expectations do you have for yourself and your classmates?

Watch:
Lets watch this class have their Socratic Seminar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG64GWpE9Jo

Work:
You have more to do to finish the document I sent you Monday with the three questions we may be discussing tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Reading, Writing, Viewing

https://www.flickr.com/photos/india-nepal-iran/215845117/
Photo By: Mahatma4711 April 2006 CC
Goal: Reading, Writing, Viewing

Agenda:
Read
Quick Write
Reading an article
Viewing a documentary

Writing:
Open your English Journal
Quick Write: Look at the image on this post. Where do you think these people are? What are they doing? What are the risks and rewards of their experience?

Reading:
Read the article "Sherpas Leave Everest; Some Expeditions Nix Climbs" (On Newsela.com)
Write a short 3-4 sentence summary of the article in your English Journal

Viewing:
We will be watching a documentary about climbing Mt. Everest.
You will take some notes in your English Journal as you watch the film.

1. Summarize the film.

2. What are some debatable questions that the film poses?
3. What are some of the risks associated with climbing Mt. Everest?
4. What are some of the rewards associated with climbing Mt. Everest?
5. Do you think the rewards outweigh the risks? Why/why not?

Monday, May 4, 2015

Preparing for a Socratic Seminar

Goal: Understand the difference between open and closed questions. Write open ended questions about articles we have read in this unit.

Agenda: 
Read
Review articles and write questions

Later this week we are going to have a socratic seminar discussion based on the readings in this unit. To prepare for that you will be looking closely at the articles we have read and considering three questions from the perspective of the people we have read about.

I am sharing a document with you in Google Drive. You must have this completed to participate on Friday.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Article of the week and progress reports

Goal: Read and write about our article of the week.

Agenda:

  1. Read
  2. AOW
  3. Week in review
  4. Progress report distribution (4th period)


Article of the Week
Last Saturday there was a very large earthquake in Nepal.
Read this article about the quake and respond to it in your English Journal.
Your response should be at least two paragraphs. In your first paragraph summarize the information you read in the article. In the second paragraph you should share your thoughts about the situation.

Progress Reports: 
Progress reports are being distributed today in 4th period classes. This is the last progress report before semester grades in June. If you did not get your progress report please see your 4th period teacher.