Thursday, November 29, 2012

Twain-Advice to Youth

Good morning,

Today you will be doing your first on-line collaborative text analysis. Open your Google Docs and go to your writing group folder. There you will find a document called Twain-Advice to Youth. Open that document.

With your group you will read and make sense of Twain's advice.  You will also annotate for the types of humor you see him using.  You will not talk, though.  You may use the chat window for that document.  I will be observing your chats. Keep your "conversation" focused on the text.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

My Massive To Do List

Good morning,

The grading period ends this Friday 11/30. Are you ready?  Yes or No?

  1. I have read and reviewed at least two books and I am ready to give you links to my reviews. 
  2. I have created a blog for my expert project and I am ready to share the link with you. (Some of you have already done this.)
  3. I have written my first post on my expert project blog about my project and what I hope to learn.
  4. I have completed color coding my narrative (see Monday 11/26) and I am ready to score my narrative. (Some of you have already done this too.)
  5. I have read and responded to AOW 6-11 in my English Journal. I have also completed all of the other EJ assignments listed on the chart in my classroom.
  6. I read "Lost in the Kitchen" (Tuesday) and wrote my thoughts about it in my English Journal.
  7. Now I get to read, "The Ugly Truth About Beauty" because I am awesome and done with all of my other work for this grading period. Yay me!
  8. Also, I gave my teacher some feedback so we can make our class even better. 





Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Lost in the Kitchen

Good morning,

Keep these on the top of your to do list and don't forget them:
Create a blog for your expert project and annotate your narrative.  See the blog post from yesterday for directions.

Next...

Read this. It's funny. Then write a response about it in your English Journal. Write about how true you think it is or is not, what makes it funny or not, and why you think the author wrote it.

Challenge...

Find other things written by the same author. Read some of his other writing. Does his style change or stay the same?

Monday, November 26, 2012

Expert Project Blogs

Good morning,

I'm glad to be back with you. Today you get to start a blog to track your work on your expert project.
AFTER you have set up your blog please complete this form.

THEN...

I'd like you to do a bit of work on your narrative that will make my grading process easier.

  1. Highlight in YELLOW three to four lines of your BEST dialog.
  2. Highlight in GREEN a section that shows your best description. 
  3. Highlight the climax of yur narrative in PINK
  4. Add a COMMENT to a place that shows your best character development and EXPLAIN in the comment what you were showing about the character.
  5. Add a COMMENT to a place in the narrative where you have used dramatic or verbal irony and EXPLAIN how you have used it. 

AFTER you have marked all of those things in your narrative please score your work yourself on this scoring form. NARRATIVE SCORING FORM.



Friday, November 16, 2012

Friday!

Good morning,

As you know I can not be with you today. Please be polite to our visiting teacher. Use the following task list to make sure your time is productive.
  1. Complete this feedback form to Mrs. R if you haven't yet.
  2. Finish your narrative. It was due on Thursday. Here is the prompt if you need to review it. If you are still working on it this likely means yo are getting a late grade.
  3. Complete  AOW 10.  It is in your view only folder. Read it and respond in your English Journal. If you have recently changed your email address and do not see the view only folder it is your responsibility to email Mrs. R and ask for access. 
  4. Write a review of the most recent book you finished. (You need 2 more reviews by 11/30!)
  5. Read your book, and read it more over break. 
Note: The grading period ends on November 30. That's just 5.5 more school days from now. Make sure you are caught up on all of your work from all of your classes.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Catch up day

Good morning,

As you know I can not be with you today. Please be polite to our visiting teacher. I am still on campus and if I can I will come check in on you.  Use the following task list to make sure your time is productive.

  1. Complete this feedback form to Mrs. R
  2. Finish your narrative. It is due on Thursday. Here is the prompt if you need to review it. 
  3. Complete  AOW 10.  It is in your view only folder. Read it and respond in your English Journal.
  4. Write a review of the most recent book you finished. 
  5. Read your book

Note: The grading period ends on November 30. That's just 7.5 more school days from now. Make sure you are caught up on all of your work from all of your classes.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Narrative Assessments

Good morning,

Please read while your computer is booting up then go to the blog.

Link to narrative assessment. You will be taking a quick test to see how well you can now read a part of a play.  All the work you did reading The Crucible will come in handy here.  You can only take the test if you are in class and I give you an access code. If you are absent you will need to see me to make it up. 
  • Today we will spend the rest of our time together improving your narratives.
  • Wednesday I need to be at an all day meeting. You will have a sub. I will help you out with a list of things you need to be working on. 
  • Thursday your narrative should be finished.
  • Friday I will be gone again, to an English teacher conference this time, and I will again leave you with a lovely list of things you need to to for you and for me.


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Narrative Writing

Good morning,

Homework: You have a draft of your narrative due tomorrow (Thursday). It should have your whole story, beginning, middle, and end.

Today we spent a few minutes on dramatic irony.  I asked you to think about which one of your characters (or several) won't know something. What won't they know and why does that matter?  Most of you told me you had that covered. (Because you are awesome like that.)

Then I showed you the video below about Show Not Tell. Watch it again and look for the places where you say what your character is feeling. Try to make it more "showy".


Third, I noticed several of you are having trouble with tense. Most narrative is written in the past tense. Don't jump to the present tense. For example: I woke up and am walking to the bathroom.  This does not make sense. It should say: I woke up and walked to the bathroom.

That was a lot of writing lessons in one day, but you can do it. Work on those drafts!
Oh, also, we are having a dramatic irony workshop. I can't tell you when. I'm pretty sure everyone else already knows.  :)

Monday, November 5, 2012

Speed Planning for Narrative

Good morning,

Hint: Click on this picture to see it larger.
Effective authors use a variety of techniques to build toward a particular tone and outcome and create a progression of events.  You have been taught a lot about narrative before. It is time to take it to the next level. Today you will be speed planning, characters, conflicts and plot. Get ready.

HOMEWORK: Keep working on your plot elements and start on your draft. 

Friday, November 2, 2012

Narrative Assignment

Good morning,

Today we will begin working on your narrative process piece.
I have shared the prompt with you in your view only folder.

We will brainstorm some possible ideas and then you will participate in a protocol to refine your idea.

HOMEWORK: Character analysis assignment due on paper on Monday on paper. You can print in class if you need to.  See the blog post below this one.