Friday, Expert Project Day

Good morning,

We will read at the bell.

Today you return to your expert project. I know many of you have been thinking about it because you have been asking me some great questions.

Begin today by starting a post about your questions on your topic. Hit "new post" on your blog and make a list of as many questions as you can about your topic. Aim for at least five.

Then do some searching to see if you can answer one or more of those questions. Add your findings to the post. Include links to the sources of your information and add those sources to your expert project notes doc.

Remember to keep looking at your topic from all directions, consider all the aspects of it.

Thursday-Quiz and Research

Good morning,

We will read at the bell.

Then you need to take your Gatsby Chapter 1 Quiz.  You can use your notes and the book, but no talking.

When you are done with your quiz use THIS PAGE to learn more about the 1920's and report your findings on the adjacent form.

Finishing Gatsby Chapter 1

Good morning,

We will read at the bell while your computers warm up.

Today we will finish reading chapter 1.  The part we do not finish in class will be your homework. You have a quiz tomorrow on chapter 1, so make sure you finish reading it.

Yesterday, I gave you the first six questions about chapter 1. Here are the next four. Add them to your English Journal and keep taking notes.

7. What kind of person is Daisy?
8. What did Jordan Baker tell Nick about Tom?
9. When asked about her daughter, what does Daisy say?
10. How is Gatsby introduced in the novel? When do we first "see" him?

Gatsby Chapter 1

Today we begin reading The Great Gatsby. You have explored key questions related to the novel. You are ready.

We will start with Chapter 1. This link goes directly to it. When you are absent you need to use that to catch up on your reading.

Open your English Journal now and copy and paste the questions below into it. We will answer them as we read chapter one.

1. How does the narrator describe Gatsby?
2. From where does the narrator come and why?
3. Describe the narrator's house.
4. Describe the Buchannans' house.
5. How does Nick know Tom and Daisy?
6. Describe Tom. What is our impression of him in chapter 1?

Question Circles

Good morning,

We are reading at the bell.

You won't need the netbook today.

You WILL need:

• Your independent reading book
• Your copy of The Great Gatsby (to show me that you have checked it out)
• A pen or pencil (No, you are not taking an essay test yet.)

We will be exploring some larger questions today as we prepare to read The Great Gatsby.

Catch up day...

We will read at the bell.

Today I want to give you a catch up day to finish submitting book reviews, catch up on expert project blog posts or anything else you need to do to improve your grade.

I haven't finished grading all of your Civil Disobedience essays, so that is still a blank score in Zangle. (Don't panic unless you know you didn't finish the paper, then you can panic and get it done.)

Book review links are due now.
You should have at least THREE posts on your expert blog FROM THIS WEEK.

CHECK TO SEE IF I HAVE THE LINK TO YOUR EXPERT BLOG.
Don't see it there? Add it here.

Make sure you check out a copy of The Great Gatsby by Monday.

Expert project, two more sources

We have another expert project day today. You have become very comfortable finding materials related to your topic.  Try today to find at least TWO MORE sources related to your issue for yet another angle. Post links to both on your blog and write a summary of both.  If the resources are very similar you can write about both in one post.  If they are very different you may prefer to write about them in separate posts.

Expert project day 2

Good morning,

We will read at the bell.

Today I want you to begin by re-reading your last blog post.  Then continue searching for information on your topic.  This time try to find an article or resource that presents a different view of your topic from the last article.

Post a link to what you find today on your blog and use the rest of the post to summarize what you found out. Be specific and detailed. You will thank yourself later.

Also, use the link below to leave a comment on a post by one of your peers. To comment on a post click the link at the bottom of the post where it says “comment”. Comment nicely.

If you haven’t already shared the link to your blog please fill out this form.
Check out blogs being written by your peers.
Don’t forget to add a citation for the material you found today to your Expert Project Notes.

Expert project day

Good morning,

We will read at the bell.

Coming back to your expert project...

You probably have not been keeping up with your expert project research. That’s okay, but it is time to get back to it.

Today you will be doing some searching on your topic. Destiny.Sandi.net

• Find an article or resource closely related to your research question.
• Post a link to what you found on your blog in a new post. (Forgot your blog address? Go to blogger.com and login.)
• Use the rest of that blog post to explain and summarize what you found in the article. Do yourself a favor and be through, you will want to refer to this post later.
• Add a citation for what you found to your expert project notes in Google Docs.

If you haven’t already shared the link to your blog please fill out this form.
Check out blogs being written by your peers.

Essays Due

Good morning,

We will read at the bell and then work on your final drafts.

Today you will score your essay using this SCORING GUIDE.

At the end of your essay add a section called "Reflection".
Start with, "I believe the score for my essay should be a ____ because....."
Make sure you explain your score using language from the scoring guide.
Then answer two or more of the following questions:
* Was it difficult for you to write this essay?  Explain why or why not.
*  Did you learn more about the subject of civil disobedience as you gathered your ideas and composed your essay?
*  What was a particular challenge in writing this essay?  Be specific about this challenge/difficulty.