Tag Archives: revision

More Exploring and Some Reviewing

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First period completed the Explore Test. Second period didn’t meet due to an overlap in scheduling with the Explore Test.

Fourth period simply reviewed the now-completed first half of the Odyssey. We’ll finish the epic next week.

Sixth period had a sentence fragment review. We’ll be adding this to the rubric for the memoir project.

Seventh period practiced finding content gaps and plugging them, so to speak.

Homework
  • First period: none.
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • answer questions 1-4 and 6-12 on page 1075;
    • read 1078-1083.
  • Sixth period: none.
  • Seventh period: complete second draft.

Allusions and Revisions

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First period had the Explore test today. We finished with enough time to go over the day’s stem word before finishing with some silent reading.

Sixth and seventh periods worked on revision as well. Sixth period went over the entire STAR revision system while seventh period (my seventh grade class) went over only the “A” portion, “adding.”

Second and fourth periods went over the Scylla and Charybdis section of the Odyssey, looking at “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” a song by “The Police,” to study allusion.

Homework
  • First and sixth period: none.
  • Second and fourth periods: read “Sun God’s Cattle” (i.e., finish the first section of the Odyssey).
  • Seventh period: take chosen sentence and expand by adding two more sentences of description (working on the “A” from STAR).

More Monomyth, First Drafts, and a Sentence Finale

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First period worked on turning all the planning we’ve done for a memoir into a first draft. It’s to be completed by tomorrow.

Second and fourth periods went over two films to see how closely they follow the monomyth developed by Joseph Campbell. We’ll return to our myth — the Odyssey — tomorrow.

Sixth period did group work, looking for content gaps in our first drafts.

Seventh period completed work with sentence fragments.

Homework
  • First period: complete first draft.
  • Second and sixth periods: read “The Sirens” and “Scylla and Charybdis” for tomorrow.
  • Sixth period: none (if first draft is complete).
  • Seventh period:
    • choose one of our four drafts for further development;
    • re-read the draft;
    • write five questions you would have if you were a stranger reading this draft.

Preparing, Cross-Referencing, and Revision

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First period worked on revision — deep revision versus surface revision.

Second and sixth periods had their first of two days preparation for their Diary of Anne Frank project. We’ll be spending one more day before

Fourth period looked at the parallel structures in Romeo and Juliet that develop between Romeo’s earlier words and Juliet’s later words.

Homework
  • First period: continue working on final draft (and weekly writing).
  • Second and sixth periods:
    • re-read your scene;
    • practice your lines a third time.
  • Fourth period: read 894-901.

Project Overview, tableaux vivants, and writing

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First period, having a choice for the day’s writing workshop mini-lesson, decided to continue working on sentence variety

Second and sixth periods had a quiz on last night’s reading. We then went over the project: I introduced the Double-sided Journal format we’ll be using for notes (which students will use in conjunction with the reading skills list I provided a couple of weeks ago).

Fourth period finished up Romeo and Juliet 3.1. The screw tightens just a bit.

Homework
  • First period: final draft due next Thursday.
  • Second and sixth periods: none (significant homework coming tomorrow).
  • Fourth period:
    • read 3.1;
    • create a chain of events diagram/list to document the events that led up to the tragedy now facing Romeo and Juliet.

One More Think-Aloud, Final Writing, and Horticulture

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First period had a final day of the writing workshop, working on the STAR method of revision.

Fourth period looked at Friar Laurence’s opening lines to see how Shakespeare uses language tricks (also known as literary devices). There’s something in almost every line in the first few lines:

The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night, Personification
Chequering the eastern clouds with streaks of light, Metaphor
And flecked darkness like a drunkard reels Simile
From forth day’s path and Titan‘s fiery wheels: Classical allusion
Now, ere the sun advance his burning eye,
The day to cheer and night’s dank dew to dry,
I must up-fill this osier cage of ours Inverted word order
With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers.
The earth that’s nature’s mother is her tomb; Inverted thought
What is her burying grave that is her womb,
And from her womb children of divers kind Inverted sentence
We sucking on her natural bosom find,
Many for many virtues excellent,
None but for some and yet all different.
O, mickle is the powerful grace that lies
In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities:
For nought so vile that on the earth doth live
But to the earth some special good doth give,
Nor aught so good but strain’d from that fair use
Revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse:
Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied;
And vice sometimes by action dignified.
Within the infant rind of this small flower
Poison hath residence and medicine power:
For this, being smelt, with that part cheers each part;
Being tasted, slays all senses with the heart.
Two such opposed kings encamp them still
In man as well as herbs, grace and rude will;
And where the worser is predominant,
Full soon the canker death eats up that plant.

Second and sixth periods completed one more Think Aloud.

Second Period at Work

Second Period

Sixth Period

Sixth Period

It’s getting easier for the students, and the self-assessment showed as much. We’ll begin the play itself tomorrow.

Homework
  • First period: continue with writing.
  • Second and sixth periods: none.
  • Fourth period:
    • complete graphic organizer from today;
    • read 2.4;
    • complete study guide through 2.4.

Final Group Work

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We completed the final day of group work for the memoir today. We’ll be spending two more days polishing it up, and then turn it in Monday.

English I began verbs today. We’ll finish up tomorrow, testing willing.

The testing in question is the Explore test. We’ll be taking that test Thursday and Friday.

Homework
  • First and seventh periods: none.
  • Second period: complete second draft.
  • Fourth period: none (if second draft of Antigone analysis is complete).

Revision

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First, second, and seventh periods began working on memoir revision. We used the memoir peer revision graphic organizer to begin working with a partner to improve our writing.

Fourth period continued with Antigone.

Homework
  • First, second, and seventh periods: none.
  • Fourth period: outline two examples of how Antigone illustrates the four basic premises of sociology that we looked at while reading Lord of the Flies.

Second Draft

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First period began working on their second draft by examining the second indicator of the PASS writing rubric and breaking it down into its individual parts. We did this for the first indicator some weeks ago; now we’re adding a second indicator: organization.

It’s always helpful to break down rubrics as far as possible, though, and that’s how we began.

The resulting mini-rubric looked like this:

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3

2

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Organization Has an effective introduction, body, and conclusion. Has an introduction, body, and conclusion. Attempts an introduction, body, and conclusion; however, one or more of these components could be weak or ineffective. Attempts an introduction, body, and conclusion; however, one or more of these components could be absent or confusing.
Transitions Provides a smooth  progression of ideas by using transitional devices throughout the writing. Provides a logical progression of ideas throughout the writing. Provides a simplistic, repetitious, or somewhat random progression of ideas throughout the writing. Presents information in a random or illogical order throughout the writing.

Afterward, students worked in pairs to examine their first drafts for organization (having a clear introduction, body, and conclusion), followed by solo work on transitions.

Fourth and sixth periods slowed things down a little, looking only at the first portion of the second indicator. We concentrated on introductions.

Homework
  • Finish second draft (if not completed).
  • Complete introduction.