English I students looked at the opening pages of To Kill a Mockingbird to determine how the author is creating a distinctive Southern voice by using ten tricks: Long sentences Diversions Dated...
Archive
What our classroom did in previous days, weeks, months, even years…
Socratic Test
English 8 had a test today on our Harriet Tubman text, and English I students held a Socratic Seminar on the question of who is ultimately responsible for Romeo's and Juliet's death.
Underground Quilts and the Death of R&J
English 8 is close to finishing up a unit on Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad. We've been reading informational texts about the Underground Railroad and the idea that slaves and...
Subtext and Discussion Presentations
English I students looked at subtext in 4.1 and 4.2. It will be our final extra credit option. English 8 students finished up their lit circles with presentations on their discussion...
3.5 and Lit Circles
English I students had a vocabulary quiz before going through 3.5, the scene in which everything changes. We watched a short clip from a performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rkAe_5I7to...
Lit Circles and Active/Passive
English I students worked on 3.4 from Romeo and Juliet, reaching two surprising conclusions: Things for Juliet are getting decidedly trickier. The amount of time that has passed in this play...
Lit Circles and Project Work
English 8 students had their first round of lit circles today. We simply practiced in small groups what we worked on yesterday, so students had a chance to work through the mechanics of a lit circle...
Project Work and Lit Circle Introductions
English 8 students began preparing for literature circles they're going to be conducting over the next week as we begin a new unit in celebration of Black History Month. Students looked at the eight...
3.1 and Presentations
English 8 students had their figurative speech presentations today. We didn't quite finish, but we'll finish up tomorrow. English I students went through 3.1 from Romeo and Juliet and began talking...
2.3 and Figurative Language Wrap Up
The day started with a pep rally. English I students went through 2.3 from...
Figurative Language and 2.2
English 8 began a three-day overview/review of figurative language before we begin our next unit next week. We read "The New Colossus" to see examples of similes, metaphors, allusions, and...
Final Act 1 and Main Idea
English 8 students completed the final reading for the immigration unit. We'll be using this to review the process of developing the main idea and creating an objective summary of a text. It's...
