Tag Archives: writing

Beginning Drama, Finishing Up Act 3, and Figurative Language

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First and sixth periods began (some students might add “finally” to that) acting out The Diary of Anne Frank. We went over the first scene in class, looking at all the little things that students will have to incorporate into their own performances, which we will begin preparing for next week.

Second and fourth periods finished act three today. We also worked in groups to determine which quotes might appear on the act three quiz (Monday and/or Tuesday).

Seventh period students continued with Hatchet, looking at Paulsen’s use of figurative language in the book.

Homework
  • First and sixth periods: final draft of ballad essay due Monday 6 February.
  • Second and fourth periods:
  • Seventh period:
    • read chapter 17 from Hatchet;
    • look for clues to help us decide which event from chapter 16 was more important, the moose attack or the tornado.

Holocause Discussion, Planning, and Reading

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First and sixth periods finished up the intro to Anne Frank, working in groups of four to have a discussion based on the “Written Conversation” best practice. We’ll begin the diary proper tomorrow.

First period working on "Written Discussion."

Second and fourth periods used the Schaffer model to help organize the first part of their Romeo and Juliet soundtrack project.

Second period planning Romeo and Juliet project.

Seventh period completed chapter thirteen of Hatchet, using the “Say Something” engagement.

Homework
  • First and sixth periods: none.
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • study for act two quiz (tomorrow);
    • continue working on soundtrack project.
  • Seventh period:
    • complete chapters 13 and 14;
    • write on reader’s journal entry for chapter 13 and two for chapter 14.

Anne Frank Start, Act Two Completed, Vocabulary and Discussion

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First and sixth periods began The Diary of Anne Frank. We did a role play that put students in the role of an oppressed minority, followed by a brief review of the Holocaust and the rise of the Nazi power. We’ll begin digging into the diary tomorrow.

Second and fourth periods finished act two from Romeo and Juliet. We’ll review a bit tomorrow (the quiz is Friday) before beginning act three.

Seventh period had a vocabulary quiz followed by an online discussion about Hatchet.

Homework
  • First, second, fourth, and sixth periods: no homework.
  • Seventh period: read chapter 12.

Introductions, the Balcony, and Hatchet

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First and sixth periods worked on the introduction to their ballad essay. We’ll be finishing up the project tomorrow, with the final draft due January 30.

Second period went over 2.2 — the famous balcony scene. We had written conversations to prepare us for group discussions about Romeo and Juliet as people — would we like to be friends with them? What type of people do they seem to be?

Seventh period continued with Hatchet.

Homework
  • First and sixth periods:continue working on ballad essay.
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • study for quiz on act one;
    • read 2.3.
  • Seventh period: review vocabulary for chapters 1-9.

Introductions, the Balcony Scene, Sensory Writing

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First and sixth periods looked at the introductions of several novels to discover the qualities of a compelling introduction. After a presentation of introduction strategies, we worked on determining which types of introductions would be most effective in our ballad essay.

Second and fourth periods acted out the most famous scene in theater: 2.2 from Romeo and Juliet, the famous balcony scene.

In doing so, students learned a bit about Romeo’s character and Juliet’s reasonableness.

Seventh period practiced using sensory details in descriptive writing, describing the picture below, a scene very much like the location Brian finds himself in Hatchet.

Afterward, we reviewed chapters 7-9 with a quick quiz bowl-type activity.

Homework
  • First and sixth period: do some research and find two more types of poems (like a ballad or haiku) that has very strict compositional requirements.
  • Second and fourth period: re-read 2.2, making note of imagery of light and dark.
  • Seventh period:
    • complete the in-class writing (sensory details; see above);
    • read chapter 10 from Hatchet.

Schaffer Work, Views of Love, and Cause and Effect

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First and sixth periods continued working on their Schaffer model essay on ballads. We’ll finish them up on Wednesday. Second and fourth periods finished 1.3, looking at various ways in which characters view love. Seventh period reviewed chapters 1-4 of Hatchet by looking at cause and effect in the text before moving on to chapter five.

Homework
  • First, second, fourth, and sixth periods: study for tomorrow’s midterm.
  • Seventh period: none.

 

Birmingham, 1.1, and Descriptive Language

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First and sixth periods worked on ballads some more, looking at Dudley Randall’s “The Ballad of Birmingham” to see another example of the primary characteristics of a ballad.

Second and fourth periods worked on Romeo and Juliet 1.1. I also shared with them an example song for the soundtrack project.

Seventh periods worked on descriptive language in Hatchet.

Homework
  • First and sixth periods: make sure you’ve completed the three body paragraphs for the ballad essay.
  • Second and fourth periods: read act one, scene two.
  • Seventh period:
    • read chapters three and four;
    • complete one reader’s journal entry for chapter three and two entries for chapter four.

Schaffer Ballads, 1.1, and C2 Say Something

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First and sixth periods returned to using the Schaffer model to organize writing about literature, specifically ballads. We’re going to be writing a fairly impressive essay about ballads, and we began planning and writing that today. First period’s notes are below, and sixth period’s notes were virtually identical.

Second and fourth periods looked at act one, scene one from Romeo and Juliet. We examined Shakespeare’s use of puns, and we focused on the EQ, dealing with the bawdiness of the play’s opening and speculating on Shakespeare’s motivation for writing something so relatively crass.

Seventh period continued with Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, using the Say Something engagement to work through chapter two in groups.

Homework
  • First period: none.
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • complete 1.1 from Romeo and Juliet;
    • continue working on the Shakespearean language lesson (on the courses site).
  • Sixth period: write the third paragraph (only the first Schaffer chunk) for the ballad essay.
  • Seventh period:
    • complete chapter two of Hatchet;
    • write one reader’s journal entry.

Schaffer Writing, a Ballad, and a Test

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First Period at Work

First and sixth periods worked on using the Schaffer model to help organize and plan our writing about alliteration in the poem “Silver.”

First Period Partner Work

Sixth period, not having read it before, had to spend a bit of time going through the steps we’ve been using to understand poems, but by the end of the respective class periods, the two groups came up with something rather similar.

First Period's Work

Sixth Period's Work

We’ll complete the work tomorrow.

Second and fourth periods worked on ballads, doing inductive reasoning from the ballad “Boots of Spanish Leather.”

Seventh period had a test on the poetry unit.

Homework

Schaffer Work, Plot Completed, Poetry Practice

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First and sixth periods completed the first short story. Second and fourth periods worked on the Schaffer Model with a mock-essay about Mockingbird. Seventh period reviewed the poetry and vocabulary we’ve covered this week.

Homework
  • First period: none.
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • complete To Kill a Mockingbird;
    • work on Schaffer Paragraph Model:
      • review concrete details;
      • review commentary;
      • complete Schaffer review work;
      • complete organization from class for the Mockingbird paper we were working on (Note: This won’t be due until Tuesday — I don’t want to overwhelm you with homework.)
  • Sixth period:
    • complete Freytag for “Raymond’s Run”;
    • read “A Retrieved Reformation“;
    • create Fretag for “Reformation” that includes:
      • two elements from the exposition;
      • three elements from the rising action;
      • the climax;
      • two events from falling action;
      • and one element from the resolution
  • Seventh period: none.

Plot and Conflict, Schaffer Model, and a Lyric Poem

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Just a quick homework overview today: I’ve got to dash to a meeting.

Homework
  • First period:
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • read chapter 24;
    • continue working on Schaffer materials (at the courses site).
  • Sixth period: why is the resolution higher than the exposition in a Freytag diagram?
  • Seventh period: read “The Seal” and list any action words you see.

Final Persuasion, an Objectionable Word, and Preparation

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First and sixth spent a final day working on the persuasive essay. We’re now a week behind, but I think in the end, it was worth it: it’s better to fall a bit behind and make sure everyone understands what’s going on than to rush ahead and leave a significant portion of the students behind.

Second and fourth continued reading and examining To Kill a Mockingbird. We looked at the use of the common racial epithet used for African Americans in the book and examined the question of whether it was racist or not. We were working toward the question of the effect of the historical context.

Seventh period practiced using the Moodle site that they will be taking tomorrow’s test on.

Homework
  • First and sixth periods: first draft of the persuasive essay due Monday.
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • read chapters 13-15;
    • complete first draft of propaganda complaint letter.
  • Seventh period: study for tomorrow’s test on the short story unit.

Organizing Essays, In Class Reading, and a Test Review

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First and sixth periods worked on organizing their persuasive essays. We used a graphic organizer to begin turning research into concrete details. Second and fourth periods continued working on Mockingbird.  Seventh period had a review for Friday’s small test.

Homework
  • First and sixth periods: continue working on persuasive essay.
  • Second and fourth periods: read chapters 9-12.
  • Seventh period: study for test.

Schaffer Practice, Games, and Acting

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First period spent some time working on materials for Red Ribbon Week at the beginning of class. Then we did peer evaluations of the Schaffer Model paragraphs that were classwork yesterday.

Second and fourth periods debriefed last night’s homework, discussing some of the technical problems so I could go back and fix them. Additionally, we went over the small letter-writing project we’ll conclude the propaganda unit with. Finally, since we’re a touch ahead of schedule, we spent one more day playing the Odyssey board games. The kids had enjoyed them and asked to play some other students’ games, so today I gave them the opportunity.

Sixth period worked on the same peer evaluations of the Schaffer paragraphs from yesterday. We began applying the model to persuasive writing. Notes from the mock-essay are below.

Seventh period finished up the visualization exercise from yesterday.

Homework
  • First period: continue research as necessary for persuasive writing.
  • Second and sixth periods: have selected by Tuesday your advertisements for the propaganda unit.
  • Sixth period: write a Schaffer paragraph from the materials we worked on in class.
  • Seventh period: none.