Getting Started with Google Docs Today

Good morning,

Today we will be using Google Docs together for the first time to read an annotate an article. You will also create your English Journal document and share it with me.  Follow the steps below closely.

1. If you did not complete the student data form, or get a Google account yet. You need to do those two things now.  (See the blog post below from yesterday.)

2. If you did not join Goodreads, or send me a friend request, or review a book yesterday you must do those things by Monday.  (You should NOT be on Goodreads now.)

3. Go to Docs.google.com and login.

4. Click the red "create" button and make a new document. Name the document "3 Your Name English Journal"

5. Click the "Share" button on the upper right. Share your English Journal with me by adding my gmail address. Make sure you share it as "can edit".   Put a heading at the top of your English Journal.

6. Return to your Google Docs List.  Click on "Shared With Me" on the left and look for a view-only folder. I will often share documents with you as view-only.  While viewing the document you can go to "File / make a copy" to create your own version of the document. (Note: If you did not give me your gmail address yesterday then you do not have this folder yet.)

7. You are looking for the document that begins with AOW 1. Make your own copy of it using "File / make a copy"  You can now begin to read and annotate this document in Google Docs.

8. When you are done reading, return to your English Journal and write a one page reflection about what you read.  (See the EJ suggestions at the bottom of the article.) This is homework if you do not finish it during class.

Richard Cory

Good morning,

Period 3: There is a poem shared with you in your writing group folder. It's called Richard Corey.
Find it and read it.  Then have a chat discussion about the poem with your group (without talking).

Great Minds Think Alike

Good morning,
   Yesterday you met with your writing groups to share your papers and get feedback. Several of you asked if you could also meet with people who chose the same project option that you did. Today is the day for that.

Because some options are being done by many people and some are being done by just a few, our grouping will be flexible. I will help you find people working on the same option you are.

With your group do the following:

• Reread the description of your assignment
• Share work with each other (if appropriate)
• Examine each piece of writing
• Does it complete the assignment?
• Does it need anything?
• What would make it even better?

It is also time to consider what questions you might see on your final exam. You can once again suggest questions you think should be on the test through this form. Suggest a Question for the Final!

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Claude Mckay Quick Research

We need to take a break from Gatsby and do a quick side project.  Needs to be finished today.

1. Work with your writing group. 
2. Create a new document for your answers to the questions below, (share it with each other and me.) 
3. Divide up the questions as you search out the answers.
4. Write about what you find in complete sentences so they will make sense to the other members of your group. 
5. You should include a citation with EACH answer. Use Easybib or Citation machine.
6. Copy this work for yourself into your English Journal.

Drafting day... part 2.

Good morning,

Today you will continue drafting on your Nature Writing Assignment. (Yes that link goes to the assignment.)

Remember this is the last day you get in class before the draft is due Monday. Tomorrow we meet in the PAC for a counseling assembly.

At the end of the period write an entry in your English Journal. Answer the questions below.

1. What are you writing about for your paper?
2. How is it going?
3. What do you still need to do?

Walden

No examination of American writings about nature would be complete without looking at Thoreau's most famous work Walden. Today we will read and listen to some excerpts.  You will need your English Journal open as well as a tab for the text. Between sections of the text I will give you two minutes to quick write as much as you can about your impressions of what we just read.

If you are waiting for others to be ready to begin visit the map at the bottom of the blog and find the marker for Walden Pond. Zoom in and switch to satilite view to see the place Thoreau was writing about.

Looking for Nature in American Literature

Good morning,
   This week you have been looking for evidence about what various groups believed about nature. If you haven't been here check your "View Only" folder in Google Docs and look for a new document called Nature in American Lit. Make a copy of it. Share the copy with me and work on getting the answers. You're most likely to find the answers by looking again at the things we've read by people from those groups and "reading between the lines" to see what they thought about nature. Make sure you have a quotation to support your finding and that you cite the source of the quote. You can also use the wider internet, but you are unlikely to find exact answers that way. This is not easy. You have to work at it.

Comparing poems about walls

Last week we read Mending Wall by Robert Frost. Go back and read it again to your self. In a moment we are going to look at another poem about walls.

Now listen to what Roger Water's said about walls. I bet you have heard this before, but have you ever looked beyond the subject of his words. There is a point and a theme going on here.

Now open your "Am Lit View Only Folder" in Google Docs. You will find a new file there called Comparing Poems. Follow the directions at the top of the page. Ask for help if you need it.

You have homework: Read the poem The Latin Deli on page 1224 in your textbook. After you read it write (on paper) a response to the poem in which you discuss the subject of the poem and the ideas in it.  If you wish to read it on line the book it is in can be found here through Google Books. It is on page 3. You will need to scroll to it.

Mending Wall

Poems have two parts, a subject and an idea. The idea leads you to the theme. Sometimes you can figure out the idea without understanding the subject.

Today we will look at a famous poem, Mending Wall by a famous poet, Robert Frost. It has a very clear subject this time, but can you figure out the idea? (This is the reverse of yesterday.)

The poem is shared with you in your writing group folder. Please go to docs and find the poem in your folder. Listen while I play the poem for you and then use the chat window to discuss it with your group. Remember your guidelines for discussions about literature.

Today you are specifically looking for the IDEAS of this poem.

Making a table to track our learning

Good Morning,

Welcome back. Lets get to it with a little recap. 
Today I want to teach you some things about using tables in Google Docs (or any word processor)
A table is great for organizing information to help you brainstorm, or present information to others.
In your English Journal you are going to create a table with two rows and two columns. Like the one below.

 

Rows go across and columns go up and down.

Label your two top cells Content and Skills. Use the cells underneath each box to list the content and skills you know NOW after being in this class. Use your EJ, the blog and any other docs you need to help you find the things you want to use to complete your table.

I'll be popping into your EJ to check your progress.

Chatting about theme and evidence

So today we read a new story called "Passing Days". If you weren't in class you can find it in the shared folder for your writing group. Each group read the story on their own and then 'chatted' about it in the chat window on the doc. I didn't let them talk or sit together they had to type all their comments and communicate about the theme and evidence only through the chat window. Most groups did a great job and liked working this way. If you missed class you missed out.

PS This is my first post to the blog from an iPad.

Still looking for THEME and EVIDENCE

Good morning,

Your homework last night was to read "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. Today you will work with your writing group to read it again. I put a copy of it in your writing group shared folder. Open docs and go to your shared writing group folder.

Work together to:

1. Find the theme of the story (try to agree on one)
2. Highlight evidence from the text to support your opinion.
3. Insert comments about the things you highlight to explain why you think those parts are evidence.
4. In your own English journal write a paragraph to explain the theme and the evidence you found to support it. (Your group can work together on the thesis.)

Getting Started with Theme

Good morning,

We need to do some work in docs this week and I need to share a folder with you all. You will only be able to view the documents in the folder and then make your own copy to write on.

I need an updated list of your e-mail addresses that you use with Google Docs. Please use this form to submit your e-mail address.  Thanks.

Great Job!

Best first day of writing groups EVER!

Fabulous job everybody!  I was so impressed with the quantity and quality of drafts today.  Sorry for the phone spam last night, but I do think it helped. (Yay, Blackboard Connect!)

Special mention to Google Docs for adding folder sharing to Docs. With a shared folder for each group, writing groups were able to get started so much faster than last year!

For the rest of the year when you need to share something with your writing group just add it to your group folder and your writing group members will be able to see it.

One Crazy Day

Good morning,
   Today is crazy because third period needs to go to a grade level assembly and fourth period has our regular class. That means fourth period gets a bit ahead, making me a little crazy. (Yes, more than usual.)

  Fourth period, you are going to set up your English Journal (EJ) in your Google Docs account, share it with me and answer some questions based on the homework you had last night.


Make a new Google Doc

1. Go to Docs.google.com
2. Sign in using your g-mail user name and password.
3. Click the "Create new" button and then pick "document"
4. This will give you a new blank Google Doc
5. Put your FULL Name and period at the top.

You will need to name this document.  

1. Click in the box that says "untitled document"
2. Important: Name your doc this way  4xxEnglish Journal  But instead of the xx's put your initials! (the 4 stands for period 4)

Share your English Journal with us.

1. Click the "Share" button in the upper right corner.
2. In the box that says "Add people" type in my G-mail address. jrobertsplhs@gmail.com
3. Put a comma and add Ms. Smith also msmithplhs@gmail.com
4. Make sure it says "can edit" next to both of our names. This lets us add notes to you in your EJ and allows me to write in your grade.

Important:

1. Always put your new work ON TOP of the old work. Your most recent EJ entries will be at the top and work you did before will move lower.
2. Put the date on every entry.
3. Always keep your EJ neat. Use a consistent format for dates and titles. Use bold headings and color consistently.
4. Make sure you have all work completed in your English Journal.
5. Read the English Journal Scoring Guide to see how it will be graded.

First Questions for your EJ.  Copy and paste (ctrl-c = copy and ctrl-v = paste) these questions into your new EJ and answer them completely. 

1. Did the characters in the stories turn our to be what you expected based on their archetype? (explain)
2. How does knowing about archetypes help you as a reader? (explain)
3. Why do you think authors use archetypes in their writing? (yes, explain)

Welcome Back

Greetings new students,
    Welcome to the first day of school. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you. We have a lot to do this week to get us started. Below is a list of some of what we need to accomplish.

1. You need to write me a letter about yourself, read the syllabus and complete the student data form on the right.
2. You need to meet a lot of your classmates and get to know them.
3. You need to get a serious G-mail account based on your name. (Twitter is also helpful. Goodreads will be coming soon.)
4. I get to teach you about Google Docs. (You'll love it.)
5. We need to go to the library for textbook checkout. (Once you get your book for this class you can take it home. You'll need it there for some homework readings, but we will use the laptops in class.)
6. You will get your laptop assigned, learn to treat it with care, and use it for a quick project.

 Last Word Protocol

If we have time we will be Passing Notes

Click the word "comments" below to ask me questions. (Your question will be e-mailed to me before it appears on the blog.)

Open House 2009!

Welcome!

Our class is a little different. Every student uses a computer and most of our work and reading is on-line.
Things you need to know about are:

1. The Blog www.imdoingmyhomework.blogspot.com (You're already here.)
1. The Start Here section
2. Great Links
3. Polls
4. Wish List
5. Gradebook Explained
2. Google Docs You can get an account and have your student share their work with you too.
   
3. The last three weeks

Second Journal Entry Today!

Good Morning,
Yesterday you created your English Journal, shared it with Ms. Smith and myself and wrote a bit about yourself. Today you will make your second entry.

Use the tab on your bookmarks bar to go straight to Google Docs. (Do not go through your g-mail.)
Open your English Journal. (Do not start a new document.)
Write today's entry ABOVE the one you wrote yesterday.
Answer the question below. I know it seems a little strange, but it will make more sense after we do today's reading, so just go with it.

Journal question: (You can copy and paste this into your journal if that helps you.) What is food like at your home? What does it smell like? Who cooks it? What are your favorite foods? When do you eat them? Focus on food and especially foods you like. (I know this will probably make you hungry, sorry.)

Reading: "Where I'm From" by Willie Perdomo

Week 2 Monday

Good morning,
Today is our first intervention day. If you have advisory on your schedule go there after 4th period. If you do not have advisory please report to the big gym by 11:20 to learn more about your extended lunch privileges.

Our goals for today:

• Get back into Google Docs
• Open the document you started on Friday
• Make sure it is named correctly # initials assignment name, like this 3JR English Journal
• Share your document with me and Ms. Smith (I will teach you how.)
• Write a paragraph about yourself or your first week of school in your English Journal