Monday, 16 November 2015

1. Monday, 16 November 2015 WELCOME BACK!  Hello again, Vocabulary Victors! Today we are going to try something a little different to kick off our new unit of vocabulary study. Let’s see if you can use your EFFORT and CREATIVITY to think of words (NOT on this week’s list) that belong to the word families we will be studying this week to help you as you tackle our list today during class. Task: Beginning with part B of your Vocabulary Unit 4 Active Word List, list 2-3 words that you already know that you think belong to this week’s word families (form, apt/ept, pos/pon, fig). If you feel ready to make an educated guessabout the meaning of the roots, give it a try!

2. Monday, 16 November 2015 • “Words We Already Know” Sharing/Review • Vocabulary Unit 4 Active Word List • Work with your table group to match the vocabulary words for this week with their BEST definitions. You may choose to use a print dictionary or Merriam-Webster Online (Linked to our class homepage under “Helpful Links”). • Remember to use ALL your resources, including all definitions, synonyms and antonyms, parts of speech, and example sentences! • When you think you have all words matched, check with a teacher and immediately begin on ws #1. • Begin on Vocab 4 ws #1—If you finish early, turn it in and use Quizlet to create flash cards and review games! Homework/Reminders: Finish Vocab ws #1 and bring all “TSOAH” supplies tomorrow!

3. FORM – (L) “to form or make; to establish” misinformation = (n) untrue or wrong information reform= (v) to bring back to rightness, order, or morality fix formative= (adj) occurring at the time of most influence hw (vs. test) teen years (vs. old age) APT/EPT – (L) “to fit” inept = (adj) unskilled; clumsy opposite of adept! adept= (adj) skilled; expert at opposite of inept! aptitude = (n) skill or suitability for usually natural POS/PON – (L) “to put or place” posit = (v) to put forth; assert impose = (v) to forcibly place upon disposition = (n) attitude or mood long term FIG – (L) “to shape” figment = (n) something invented or imaginary effigy = (n) a figure constructed in mockery mockery=imitation prefigure = (v) to predict a later thing or event synonym for predict

4. Monday, 16 November 2015 Today, we will TRY using Acuity to give you some practice in areas where you struggled during our recent testing. These lessons are designed especially for you, so use them well  Task: Log into Acuity. Find the icon that says “Study” Click on this, then click on Language Arts. You should see activities, lessons, and assessments that have been assigned to you based on your Acuity performance. If we are still having issues with accessing assignments in Acuity, we will work on Renaissance Skill Building instead. You will pick up where you left off last week, but this time you will do all work EXCEPT the reading and the final quiz on your own paper. When you are ready to quiz, let me know! Stick with it—we will work out the glitches  Do your best work!!!

5. Tuesday, 17 November 2015 Welcome Readers! Authors use figurative language in their writing to really pull a reader in. We recently focused on a text that was very figurative in its description, and we are going to dig a little deeper to understand why. First, we must make sure we know exactly what happened! Turn in last night’s vocab homework and take out your discussion questions for “The Story of an Hour” from last week. Use COOPERATION and INITIATIVE to review you answers with your tablemates to improve your answers and share why you think Mrs. Mallard died. Be ready to share your ideas in 5 

6. What is Figurative Language? • Figurative language gives a meaning that is far more interesting than language that is literal (dictionary meaning). • It uses words or expressions to enhance the meaning. • It is imaginative and conveys not just the facts but bigger ideas and connections. • Figurative language in this piece includes similes, metaphors, and personification. Number your paragraphs for easier discussion. Review your reading of “Story of an Hour” and mark all examples of figurative language with an FL. Be ready to discuss. Strive to find 10 examples in the text!!!

7. How does the FL develop Mrs. Mallards dilemma as a woman freed from the bonds of marital restrictions and a grieving widow? Analytical Paragraph • Topic Sentence: • BLENDED Supporting Quote, “____________________” (#). • At least three supporting sentences that explain how the figurative language helps the reader to understand Mrs. Mallard’s dilemma • Concluding sentence (No Forrest Gump allowed!)

8. How does the FL develop Mrs. Mallards dilemma? Find a METAPHOR in the text that supports an answer to our questions. The use of figurative language develops the dilemma in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.For example, “When the storm of grief had spent itself, she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her” (1). This use of metaphor allows readers to see how intense her grief was. Just like a rain storm, Mrs. Mallard’s grief was all-consuming and then passed over her within no time at all. This quote shows that she is conflicted in her feelings of sorrow and her newly found freedom. It is evident that the use of this metaphor develops a dilemma for Mrs. Mallard dealing with her feelings towards her husband’s death.

9. How does the FL develop Mrs. Mallards dilemma as a woman freed from the bonds of marital restrictions and a grieving widow? Analytical Paragraph: Simile • Topic Sentence • BLENDED Supporting Quote, “____________________” (#). • At least three supporting sentences that explain how the figurative language helps the reader to understand Mrs. Mallard’s dilemma • Concluding sentence (No Forrest Gump allowed!) With your group, write an analytical paragraph that answers our same questions, this time using an example of SIMILE in our text. Use our example to help you if you get stuck, and WORK TOGETHER  You must turn this in before you leave.

10. Tuesday, 10 November 2015 Welcome to English Topics! As you know, I have been on a quest to use our resources to help you grow as a reader and prepare you for our upcoming Acuity testing. Today, we are trying another way to give you additional independent reading and analysis practice with immediate feedback on your progress. Take INITIATIVE and use the instructions on the table by the door to create a NewsELA account and register for English Topics using the code provided. When you have successfully registered, WAIT.

11. Practice your GOOD Reading Strategies! BEFORE reading: • Preview and Predict before you start reading each piece—what can you expect? Make some predictions. DURING reading: • Create Mental Images--Visualize—when your “mental movie” turns off, stop and reread, as this is a clue that you are no longer understanding your reading. • Use background knowledge to make connections • Talk to the text: Ask questions and make inferences AFTER reading: • Determine the most important ideas • We are reading several articles on a similar topic, so synthesize information—put it together to help you understand each article better. • Review your results!!!

12. Wednesday, 18 November 2015 Remember theme (or central idea, as it is sometimes called)? Theme is the LIFE LESSON of the story that can apply to anyone and their dog!  It should not reference the characters of the story, but instead should connect to anyone in our world. Try it out using the THEME STATEMENT template from the table by the door. Task: Pick up the entrance ticket and create a theme statement for “The Story of an Hour.” Remember a topic is a 1-3 word summary of what the text is about (love, trust, friendship, equality…). The theme is the life lesson or GENERAL message your text conveys about that topic.

13. What makes a strong analytical paragraph? • With your group, read and “grade” the 3 anonymous examples of Figurative Language paragraphs. • Rate these paragraphs based on a high, medium, and low standard. • List these in your chart and provide some notes of praise and constructive feedback for how to improve. • Question these things: • Is the topic clear and question answered? • Is the textual evidence formatted correctly? Is it blended and cited? • Do their details support the main idea, NOT just a summary? • Is there a strong conclusion? • Refer to the R.A.C.E.S. rubric.

14. How does the FL develop Mrs. Mallards dilemma as a woman freed from the bonds of marital restrictions and a grieving widow? Analytical Paragraph: Personification • Topic Sentence: • BLENDED Supporting Quote: “____________________” (___). • At least three supporting sentences that connect quotation to your main idea—NOT just a summary of the story! • Concluding Sentence Using all notes and resources, write an analytical paragraph that answers our same questions, this time using an example of PERSONIFICATION in our text. What you don’t finish, is homework Bring all AR materials tomorrow!

15. Wednesday, 18 November 2015 Hello, Radical Readers! Today we are going to start with AR reading time and move on to individual conferences (I’ll be gone on Friday, so we are conferencing early this week!), so make sure you have your BOOK AND READING LOG ready to go for today. Start by filling in your grades from Harmony on your weekly grade check sheet. Keep your sheet and iPad handy! Create a new entry in your reading log and immediately begin reading. I will call you up to my desk individually for a quick grade check and individual conference. We may negotiate other tasks for today during our conference.

16. Thursday, 19 November 2015 Hello, Radical Readers! Today we are going to focus on AR reading time, so make sure you have your BOOK AND READING LOG ready to go for today. Show RESPONSIBILITY, INITIATIVE, and EFFORT! Turn in last night’s homework—your PERSONIFICATION analytical paragraph for “The Story of an Hour”! Add an entry in your reading log and start reading immediately  I will survey the class regarding library needs, and we will visit the library in small groups to renew and exchange books as needed.

17. Thursday, 19 November 2015 Greetings, Writing Wizards Today, we are going to work on narrative writing, write stories with characters, plot, setting, and conflicts. With your table groups, discuss what makes a GOOD story. You can think of a variety of “texts” such as movies, tv shows, graphic novels, short stories, rpg video games, documentary films, biographies, etc. to inspire your thinking. Think of your favorite narrative and what makes it so great. Discuss and be ready to share in 5!

18. Today’s Prompt Write a story with YOUR CHOICE of the following opening sentences… “I’d rather be anywhere but here,” sighed the pilot as he (or she) blew the dust off the old map. “I’d rather be anywhere but here,” muttered the thief as he (or she) leapt across the ravine. “I’d rather be anywhere but here,” whispered the detective as he (or she) shook my hand.

19. Friday, 20 November 2015 Happy Friday Turn in last night’s homework, Vocab ws #2, and immediately begin reviewing for your Unit 4 quiz. Get with a partner or small group of your choice, and get ready to display your vocabulary skills! You have 5 minutes to prep for today!!!

20. Friday, 20 November 2015 • Vocabulary Unit 4 Quiz—turn in when finished and immediately begin reading. • AR Time • With 20 minutes left in class, Fluency Journaling Have a great weekend 

21. Dreams and Goals Everyone has dreams, goals, and ambitions. There are times in everyone’s lives when they don’t achieve a dream in the way they expected, or they don’t meet a goal as they would have wished. It stings, but NOT getting everything we want the moment we want it is part of what helps us grow. It teaches us important life skills like flexibility, patience, problem-solving, resourcefulness, effort, and perseverance. After all, if dreams were easy to achieve, we wouldn’t value them all that much, would we? For today’s journal, write about a dream or goal you had but did not achieve (at least not immediately). What went wrong, and how did the experience change you?

22. Friday, 20 November 2015 To kick off our English Topics class today, you will complete a 15 minute fluency writing and reflection. This is for my eyes only, so please be honest, detailed, and explain your ideas fully. Prompt: As you know, we have been on a quest to help you improve your writing, reading, and analysis skills in English Topics class. Although we have had some ups and downs with technology lately, we have tried several methods to help you improve: a short reading, research, and writing project, whole-class assignments and discussion, Renaissance STANDARDS DRIVEN Skill Building with nonfiction articles, NewsELA Reading Comprehension practice, personal conferencing and goal setting, and AR support. What do you think is working well to help you grow as a reader and writer? Why? How is it benefiting you? What do you feel you MOST need to work on moving forward? Explain. If you were the teacher of English Topics class, what would you change for the remainder of the grading period to help students be more successful?

23. Friday, 20 November 2015 Today, we are going to continue our reading practice to help prepare you for your next round of Acuity testing, coming up just after Thanksgiving Break!Your job today is to use Read Theory WELL to help you practice and monitor your personal reading progress. • Log into Read Theory (your username and password are in your folder) • Click on your next assigned article, and do your BEST work for the entire class period!!!

24. Monday, 23 November 2015 Hello, Radical Readers! Today we are going to focus on AR reading time, so make sure you have your BOOK AND READING LOG ready to go for today. Show RESPONSIBILITY, INITIATIVE, and EFFORT! Add an entry in your reading log and start reading immediately  I will survey the class regarding library needs, and we will visit the library in small groups to renew and exchange books as needed.

25. Monday, 23 November 2015 Today, we are going to continue our use of Renaissance to help prepare you for your next round of Acuity testing, coming up just after Thanksgiving Break!I have created close reading assignments in Renaissance that match up with skills you need to refresh based on our most recent Acuity results. Follow the steps below to get started: • Log into Renaissance • Click on Read an Article and choose English Topics Q2 • Click on your next assigned article, and do your BEST work for the entire class period!!!

26. Tuesday, 24 November 2015 The Great ELA Games have arrived  In preparation for our much deserved game day, give some thought to the LIFELINES we use when we PLAY to LEARN. On your handout, jot down ideas of lifelines we use when we play games with cooperative groups to improve our skills. Add a little description. HOW do we use these lifelines? Be prepared to discuss your ideas with the class.

27. Today’s Work As a reward for your awesome stick-with-it-ness and grit after lots of heavy reading, writing, and analysis over the past few weeks, you get an awesome (yet totally standards based) ELA Game Day! Go to your numbered game station, and work with your collaborative group to PLAY and LEARN. Remember to use your lifelines and focus on the standards you can practice by having some “word work” fun with classmates. Be prepared to reflect on each of your game experiences!

28. Tuesday, 24 November 2015 Hello, Radical Readers! Today we are going to focus on AR reading time, so make sure you have your BOOK AND READING LOG ready to go for today. Show RESPONSIBILITY, INITIATIVE, and EFFORT! Add an entry in your reading log and start reading immediately  I will meet with your today to discuss your AR and English goals!