English I students finished with The Police song "Wrapped Around Your Finger" as we covered allusions and introduced motifs. And that song is an excellent exemplar of them all. This quarter's major...
Archive
What our classroom did in previous days, weeks, months, even years…
First Assessment and a Reward
English 8 students worked on their first assessment for the text structure lesson we've been working on. The results were fantastic -- a good start to the new unit. English I students were a little...
Unit Beginnings and Homeric Similies
English I students worked on Homeric similes, looking at two examples to determine how these odd similes are created. English 8 students began the new unit (a very short unit) on text structures. We...
Test and Short Project
English 8 students completed their Flowers for Algernon unit with a short test. We'll begin a new short unit on text structures tomorrow. English I students worked on their article of the week...
Socratic Seminar and Final Source
English 8 students had a Socratic seminar today about Flowers for Algernon and some moral implications from the story. We discussed two things: Should Charlie have gone through with the operation?...
Algernon Text Evidence and Calypso in Art
English I students worked on an examination of how various artists throughout history have represented the story of Calypso in the Odyssey. We began by examining the etymology of the word and came...
Algernon and the Opening
English I students went over the opening of the Odyssey, examining the things that make the piece a challenging passage to read. We finished up the prologue and will move to the first part tomorrow....
Infinitives, Epic, and the Diner Incident
English I students worked on the start of the new unit covering briefly the elements of an epic and what an epic simile looks like (very briefly). We then turned to infinitive phrases in order to...
Gerunds and Final Writing
English I students completed work on gerund phrases in today's short post-test session. English 8 students had a final day to work on their final Schaffer paragraph about Flowers for Algernon.
Participial Themes
English I went over participial phrases today. Participles and their phrases are some of the trickiest elements of grammar, but we'll master it soon enough. English 8 students combined two of last...
Villanelles and Development
English I students finished up their poetry unit with a look at the rules for creating a villanelle: Afterward, we had a Gimkit session to help prepare for tomorrow. English 8 students finished up...
Villanelle and Development
English I students worked on their last poem before the test, "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop. It's a villanelle, and tomorrow students will spend a little time at the start of the lesson determining...
