Quick homework review only today.
First and seventh periods began the final section of The Glory Field. We met Malcolm and found out a little about his passion for music.
Second period worked on intelligence tests for a few minutes to gain contextual knowledge for the opening of Flowers for Algernon.
First and seventh period finished up the 1964 section of The Glory Field. We’ll begin the final section tomorrow.
Second period began Flowers for Algernon, looking at intelligence and empathy as well as inferences.
Fourth period watched a film adaptation of Great Expectations. We’ll be doing this the final two days of the week as well: I don’t want to start researching until all students are back from the Beta Club field trip.
We’ve reached the end of Great Expectations in fourth period! A round of applause for finishing that tough — but rewarding — book!
Second period went over the test briefly and began working on Flowers for Algernon. We began by doing the same lesson on inferences that first and seventh periods did last Monday.
First and seventh period continued working on inferences in the portion of The Glory Field set in 1964. We finished the section in class (or homework, as needed).
During seventh period (and sixth), I snapped a few shots.
First and seventh periods continued with The Glory Field. We continued working on our inference chart and began a plot diagram as well.
Second period had a test on The Giver. I hope to have the essays graded by tomorrow.
Fourth period read Great Expectations in class.
As an addendum, I finished the character web to see how much of Great Expectations‘ plot depends on coincidence. (To prevent spoiling the story for next year’s readers, the page is password protected. The students have the password.)
Image: Wikimedia.org
First and seventh periods had a quiz on vocabulary and did some reading.
Second period did some group work and class discussion to prepare for the test on The Giver, which is on Monday.
Fourth period went over coincidences in Great Expectations. I tried to impress upon students the fact that GE depends much less on coincidence than Dickens’ other novels.
First and seventh periods went over segregation and integration in the South as presented in The Glory Field. We took a brief moment to look at the integration of the University of Alabama, as it served as a model for what Tommy Lewis is attempting to do in the book.
Second period finished “Who Can Replace Man?”
Fourth period worked on strategies for narrowing a research topic.
First and seventh periods spent a little time going over vocabulary. (We’ll have a vocab/spelling quiz Friday.) We had an activity called “Paper Plate Spelling.” The idea is simple: each group has 26 paper plates, each with one letter of the alphabet on them. They are to arrange themselves in order to spell the words.
Group one (first period) works on "sophisticated"
The first words were easy. In fact, since they were short, we didn’t even need all the students of each group. Once the words got longer, it became a little more difficult.
Group two (first period) works on "sophisticated"
By the time it got to “sophisticated,” it was a logistics nightmare. Add to it the fact that our room doesn’t have much open space and it’s easy to see why things were just a little chaotic with “I” plates and “E” plates and “O” plates running here and there.
Group three (first period) works on "sophisticated"
More photos available at the gallery page.
Second period finished up “Who Can Replace Man?” and compared it to The Giver to determine five characteristics of science fiction.
Fourth period finished up discussing the effect of point of view in Great Expectations.
First and seventh periods worked on The Glory Field‘s fourth part, “April 1964.” The main character has just been offered an opportunity to be the first African American student at a local college. Myers makes reference to Marian Anderson, so we watched her historic performance in 1939 (available by clicking her name above).
Second period began a short science fiction story. We’ll be comparing it to The Giver to determine what some of the elements of good science fiction are.
Fourth period finished up (“Finally!” everyone’s saying.) sentence types. We’ll have a test on it later, and there will be an element on the research project rubric dealing with sentence types.
First and seventh periods worked on inferences while beginning the next unit of The Glory Field. We also went over a few vocabulary words.
Second period began preparing for a test on The Giver (which will be next Monday). We’ll be reading another science fiction piece (this time, a short story) tomorrow to compare the two worlds.
Fourth period finished up going over point of view. For homework, they’ll be telling one episode from Great Expectations from another character’s point of view.
