We started class with 20 minutes of independent reading time. Since it's Wednesday, we found a word from our reading to share in our writer's notebooks. My word was "sententiously" from Antigone: "Money!" Creon said sententiously. "There's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money" (Sophocles 201). As used in this passage, the word means "in a pompous, moralizing manner; self-righteously." Using this word to describe Creon's tone gives more insight into the kind of person he is.
We returned to the Ode 1 analysis that we began yesterday. Now that students have paraphrased one of the translations, they will evaluate all four translations for effectiveness of language, specifically sentence structure and word choice. Ultimately, students will decide which translation is the most effective.
Students turned in their "Truth" essays today. Because it is a major grade, an essay turned in one day late will suffer a 20 point penalty.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
September 29, 2015
Today's entry in our writer's notebooks focused on the idea of selflessness: Some
people believe there is no such thing as a truly unselfish act, that even when
we do something to help others, we’re seeking glory and satisfaction for
ourselves. Students were asked to write an "I believe" statement in response to the passage.
We compared Oedipus Rex to Aristotle's definition of tragedy. We're now moving from Oedipus to Antigone!
We started reading Antigone in our books. Today we read the Prologue, Parados, Scene 1, and Ode 1 (pages 189-204). Students are working in groups to paraphrase different translations of Ode 1, and tomorrow we'll complete a style analysis of the 4 different translations.
The "Truth" essay is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. The poetry/short story test is scheduled for Friday, 10/2.
We compared Oedipus Rex to Aristotle's definition of tragedy. We're now moving from Oedipus to Antigone!
We started reading Antigone in our books. Today we read the Prologue, Parados, Scene 1, and Ode 1 (pages 189-204). Students are working in groups to paraphrase different translations of Ode 1, and tomorrow we'll complete a style analysis of the 4 different translations.
The "Truth" essay is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. The poetry/short story test is scheduled for Friday, 10/2.
September 28, 2015
We looked at two articles about concussions and football to respond to in our writer's notebooks: "NFL Brain Study" and "Should You Let Your Kids Play Football?"
We completed our discussion of Oedipus Rex, going over the last set of questions and comparing the play to Aristotle's definition of tragedy.
Students are writing their first persuasive essay this week, and it is due on Wednesday. The essay should be no more than 1 page. Students may type the essay, but it must be 12pt font, double-spaced, and there is still a 1 page limit. Students do not have to reference Oedipus Rex in the essay.
They will have a test on Friday over poetry and short stories--two genres we tackled in this first 6 weeks. The test will have two poems and one short story and 25(ish) multiple choice questions.
We completed our discussion of Oedipus Rex, going over the last set of questions and comparing the play to Aristotle's definition of tragedy.
Students are writing their first persuasive essay this week, and it is due on Wednesday. The essay should be no more than 1 page. Students may type the essay, but it must be 12pt font, double-spaced, and there is still a 1 page limit. Students do not have to reference Oedipus Rex in the essay.
They will have a test on Friday over poetry and short stories--two genres we tackled in this first 6 weeks. The test will have two poems and one short story and 25(ish) multiple choice questions.
Friday, September 25, 2015
September 25, 2015
After independent reading time (20 minutes) and writer's notebook time (topic: free Fridays), we journeyed upstairs to the new Learning Lounge to complete a gallery walk. Students moved in groups from topic to topic and shared their ideas.
Three posters focused on themes from Oedipus Rex: sight vs. blindness, fate vs. free will, and search for truth. Students provided text evidence and commentary to support the topic.
Three other posters examined possible tragic flaws that may have led to Oedipus' demise: pride, arrogance, and ambition. Students shared examples from history, literature, politics, and sports and entertainment for each trait. We talked about how some examples belong on one poster more than on another (like Dez Bryant--he fits the "arrogance" category more than the "ambition" or "pride" category). It was interesting to see some people show up on multiple lists! Here are a few shots of the kids in action.
Three posters focused on themes from Oedipus Rex: sight vs. blindness, fate vs. free will, and search for truth. Students provided text evidence and commentary to support the topic.
Three other posters examined possible tragic flaws that may have led to Oedipus' demise: pride, arrogance, and ambition. Students shared examples from history, literature, politics, and sports and entertainment for each trait. We talked about how some examples belong on one poster more than on another (like Dez Bryant--he fits the "arrogance" category more than the "ambition" or "pride" category). It was interesting to see some people show up on multiple lists! Here are a few shots of the kids in action.
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Thursday, September 24, 2015
September 24, 2015
In our writer's notebooks today, we considered fate versus free will as it relates to Oedipus. Students were asked to respond to the following: Oedipus unknowingly meets and kills his birthfather at a place where three roads converge. Typically symbolic of a decision, "crossroads" imply the protagonist has a choice to make. Does Oedipus kill his father as a result of free will or fate? Does Oedipus have a choice? Explain.
Students had the option of presenting the stichomythic dialogue they created. A few groups shared--everyone did a great job on this assignment! Presenters earned candy. :)
We finished reading Oedipus Rex, finally reaching the catharsis of the play. Students worked in groups to complete questions for Scene 4, Ode 4, and the Exodos.
Tomorrow is the last day to turn in revisions for the summer reading essay assignment!
Students had the option of presenting the stichomythic dialogue they created. A few groups shared--everyone did a great job on this assignment! Presenters earned candy. :)
We finished reading Oedipus Rex, finally reaching the catharsis of the play. Students worked in groups to complete questions for Scene 4, Ode 4, and the Exodos.
Tomorrow is the last day to turn in revisions for the summer reading essay assignment!
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
September 23, 2015
After independent reading time today, we added a new vocabulary word to our writer's notebooks. My word was self-immolation, a deliberate and willing sacrifice of oneself often by fire. The author used the word while discussing the struggle of Tibetan monks.
Students had time to discuss Oedipus Rex Scene 3 questions, and we went over those that they had questions about. We read Ode 3 and answered those questions then ended the day there. Tomorrow, students will have the opportunity to present the stichomythic dialogues they composed with a partner. I hope to finish reading Oedipus Rex tomorrow.
Students had time to discuss Oedipus Rex Scene 3 questions, and we went over those that they had questions about. We read Ode 3 and answered those questions then ended the day there. Tomorrow, students will have the opportunity to present the stichomythic dialogues they composed with a partner. I hope to finish reading Oedipus Rex tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
September 22, 2015
"This I Believe" is our topic for our Writer's Notebook on Tuesdays. Today, I shared this image and asked students to form an opinion based on the quote and picture.
After reviewing Scene 2, we looked at stichomythic dialogue in Oedipus Rex and created our own dialogue in that style. More info on the structure and techniques used in Greek tragedy is available at the Structure of Tragedy site. We also read Ode 2 and Scene 3 and completed discussion questions.
We're on track to finish Oedipus Rex by Thursday.
After reviewing Scene 2, we looked at stichomythic dialogue in Oedipus Rex and created our own dialogue in that style. More info on the structure and techniques used in Greek tragedy is available at the Structure of Tragedy site. We also read Ode 2 and Scene 3 and completed discussion questions.
We're on track to finish Oedipus Rex by Thursday.
Monday, September 21, 2015
September 21, 2015
We spent our independent reading time in the library today. When we returned to the classroom, students read and responded to "The Next Civil Rights Frontier Is Digital" in their writer's notebooks.
We finished reading Scene 2 of Oedipus Rex and watched as Oedipus inched closer and closer to realizing the truth about his situation (spoiler: it's not pretty!).
I enjoyed meeting my students' parents at Open House tonight! Thank you for coming! (Here's the link to the check-in form if you weren't able to access it during our session.)
We finished reading Scene 2 of Oedipus Rex and watched as Oedipus inched closer and closer to realizing the truth about his situation (spoiler: it's not pretty!).
I enjoyed meeting my students' parents at Open House tonight! Thank you for coming! (Here's the link to the check-in form if you weren't able to access it during our session.)
Friday, September 18, 2015
September 18, 2015
Students submitted their first Weekly Reading form, tracking the number of pages and amount of time spent reading independently. And it's Friday, so we wrote or drew whatever we were thinking about in our Writer's Notebooks.
We continued reading and discussing Oedipus Rex. We completed Ode 1 and got a good start on Scene 2 today. Students were challenged to find the best adjective that answers this question: What character trait of Oedipus is revealed by the fact that Oedipus accuses Creon of treason without first hearing his side? Hope to receive some insightful responses on Monday!
We continued reading and discussing Oedipus Rex. We completed Ode 1 and got a good start on Scene 2 today. Students were challenged to find the best adjective that answers this question: What character trait of Oedipus is revealed by the fact that Oedipus accuses Creon of treason without first hearing his side? Hope to receive some insightful responses on Monday!
September 17, 2015
We looked at a reading section from a practice PSAT test in preparation for the real test coming up on October 14. Students reflected on their results in their Writer's Notebook.
We continued reading Oedipus Rex, discussing the Parados and part of Scene 1. Students are encouraged to track the dramatic irony that is so prevalent in the play.
We continued reading Oedipus Rex, discussing the Parados and part of Scene 1. Students are encouraged to track the dramatic irony that is so prevalent in the play.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
September 16, 2015
We looked at how famous writers use colons today and mimicked their style in our writer's notebook. Today's mentor sentence was a quote from Oscar Wilde.
"There are only two tragedies in this world: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."We discussed the structure of the sentence, and then we wrote our own sentences using a framework. I created one model that I'm pretty proud of, while the other two turned out just okay (the framework is in bold).
There are only two kinds of turns in the world: one is right, and the other is wrong.We reviewed our Greek drama notes and filled in any missing information. Then we began reading Oedipus Rex. We're using the Fitts and Fitzgerald translation because it clearly separates the scenes from the odes to make it easier to follow along. We read most of the Prologue in 1st period, so we will finish reading it and answering the questions in class tomorrow. Second and 3rd periods finished reading, so we will answer the rest of the questions in class tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
September 15, 2015
Today is Dot Day!
On Tuesdays we write about what we believe in our Writer's Notebooks, so today I asked students which of these values they believe is most important: loyalty to family, obedience to local and national laws, observance of religious beliefs and customs, following your own conscience, or achieving respect and recognition. All of these values will be referenced as we begin reading Greek drama.
Students collaborated to research elements of Greek drama and shared notes on a Google Doc. I introduced the two options--Oedipus Rex, a tragedy that reads like a Jerry Springer episode, and Antigone, a tragedy that is more like "Judge Mathis"--and students decided which play they would prefer to read. All classes chose Oedipus Rex, so we'll start reading tomorrow!
On Tuesdays we write about what we believe in our Writer's Notebooks, so today I asked students which of these values they believe is most important: loyalty to family, obedience to local and national laws, observance of religious beliefs and customs, following your own conscience, or achieving respect and recognition. All of these values will be referenced as we begin reading Greek drama.
Students collaborated to research elements of Greek drama and shared notes on a Google Doc. I introduced the two options--Oedipus Rex, a tragedy that reads like a Jerry Springer episode, and Antigone, a tragedy that is more like "Judge Mathis"--and students decided which play they would prefer to read. All classes chose Oedipus Rex, so we'll start reading tomorrow!
Monday, September 14, 2015
September 14, 2015
Independent Reading Time is shifting a bit beginning this week. Students will be responsible for reading 180 minutes a week. At the end of each week, they'll submit a form to recap their time spent and pages read.
We read an article titled "America's Killing Contagion" that attempts to provide answers for why America leads the world in mass shooting events. Students responded to the article in their notebooks and offered solutions to this problem. We also discussed the matter as a class.
We're still working on the Short Story Challenge--hope to finish that up tomorrow.
I returned the summer reading essay to students today. Students may revise the essay for up to half of the points back and scheduled tutorial sessions. Before the session, students should highlight the thesis statement of the essay, highlight all text evidence in the essay, and prepare specific questions that they have about their essays.
We read an article titled "America's Killing Contagion" that attempts to provide answers for why America leads the world in mass shooting events. Students responded to the article in their notebooks and offered solutions to this problem. We also discussed the matter as a class.
We're still working on the Short Story Challenge--hope to finish that up tomorrow.
I returned the summer reading essay to students today. Students may revise the essay for up to half of the points back and scheduled tutorial sessions. Before the session, students should highlight the thesis statement of the essay, highlight all text evidence in the essay, and prepare specific questions that they have about their essays.
Friday, September 11, 2015
September 11, 2015
We started the day with a moment of silence to remember the tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001. It's so strange to me to think that these sophomores I teach were still in diapers when it happened.
I had just moved to the Dallas area from Kansas that year, and it was my first year at HHS. I must have had first period conference because I stayed in the library and watched everything unfold on the TV there--I saw the second plane hit the second tower. Exactly what was happening really didn't sink in at that moment. It really looked like a movie with amazing special effects. When the realization finally came, I was overtaken with so much sadness. I spent any spare moment for the rest of the day scouring news sites, looking for answers and explanations. At the end of the day, I sat outside on the tennis court and listened to the overwhelming sound of absolutely nothing in the air. In Dallas, the skies hold at least one airplane at any given moment, and the school sits under a few flight patterns. That day, not one plane flew over. In that moment, I knew nothing would ever be the same for this country.
Back to today's recap.
Fridays are "free" days in the Writer's Notebook, so students were encouraged to write or doodle anything they needed to get out of their heads.
We returned to the Short Story Challenge activity. Students worked in groups to continue reading and tracking a literary element in four short stories. We will wrap this up on Monday.
I had just moved to the Dallas area from Kansas that year, and it was my first year at HHS. I must have had first period conference because I stayed in the library and watched everything unfold on the TV there--I saw the second plane hit the second tower. Exactly what was happening really didn't sink in at that moment. It really looked like a movie with amazing special effects. When the realization finally came, I was overtaken with so much sadness. I spent any spare moment for the rest of the day scouring news sites, looking for answers and explanations. At the end of the day, I sat outside on the tennis court and listened to the overwhelming sound of absolutely nothing in the air. In Dallas, the skies hold at least one airplane at any given moment, and the school sits under a few flight patterns. That day, not one plane flew over. In that moment, I knew nothing would ever be the same for this country.
Back to today's recap.
Fridays are "free" days in the Writer's Notebook, so students were encouraged to write or doodle anything they needed to get out of their heads.
We returned to the Short Story Challenge activity. Students worked in groups to continue reading and tracking a literary element in four short stories. We will wrap this up on Monday.
September 10, 2015
We completed 10 questions from the writing section of the PSAT. Students talked in their groups to come to a consensus on the correct answer before we discussed it as a whole class. Then they shared one or two things in their Writer's Notebooks that they learned about the test.
We took about 20 minutes to bring the Poetry Party to a close. Groups shared three paragraphs explaining why they chose each poem as the best representative of poetry.
Our next assignment involves ranking 4 short stories by their use of a literary element. Students are working in groups to evaluate the stories based on character development, organization, and other facets of short stories.
We took about 20 minutes to bring the Poetry Party to a close. Groups shared three paragraphs explaining why they chose each poem as the best representative of poetry.
Our next assignment involves ranking 4 short stories by their use of a literary element. Students are working in groups to evaluate the stories based on character development, organization, and other facets of short stories.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
September 9, 2015
Rainy days and changing weather are just two reasons I love September!
We started the day with independent reading time then added a new word from our reading to our Writer's Notebooks. Students completed a form for the Writer's Notebook check. I plan to shift the format of independent reading beginning Monday. Students will receive more information about this then.
After reading the students' responses on the Writer's Notebook form, I may have misunderstood their reaction to yesterday's notebook entry. While I thought they didn't really connect with the essay about the power of a hug, many kids responded positively to it!
With our remaining class time, we returned to the Poetry Party! and completed TPCASTT charts for the poems. Some groups were able to move on to steps 4-8 of the assignment, so we will use a little time in class tomorrow to bring the party to a close.
We started the day with independent reading time then added a new word from our reading to our Writer's Notebooks. Students completed a form for the Writer's Notebook check. I plan to shift the format of independent reading beginning Monday. Students will receive more information about this then.
After reading the students' responses on the Writer's Notebook form, I may have misunderstood their reaction to yesterday's notebook entry. While I thought they didn't really connect with the essay about the power of a hug, many kids responded positively to it!
With our remaining class time, we returned to the Poetry Party! and completed TPCASTT charts for the poems. Some groups were able to move on to steps 4-8 of the assignment, so we will use a little time in class tomorrow to bring the party to a close.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
September 8, 2015
Like always, we started the day with independent reading time and a Writer's Notebook entry. Today's entry was based on The Power of Holding On. Students could respond and agree or disagree with the speaker, or they could choose to write their own "I believe" entry. In hindsight, I probably should have chosen a different mentor piece for this entry because I don't think the kids connected with this speaker.
We began a Poetry Party! that will take us a few days to complete. The "party" involves 4 very different poems that students will analyze using TPCASTT then rank based on 10 criteria. The assignment is posted on Classroom--ask a student if you want to know the whole story!
We began a Poetry Party! that will take us a few days to complete. The "party" involves 4 very different poems that students will analyze using TPCASTT then rank based on 10 criteria. The assignment is posted on Classroom--ask a student if you want to know the whole story!
Friday, September 4, 2015
September 4, 2015
Yesterday, I finally got all of the quote posters up on the walls in my classroom! The students did a really great job on this project, and I'm happy to have some beautiful artwork!
We put a bow on our summer reading today with an essay. Students had 45 minutes to respond to a chosen prompt.
Today is Friday, so we went "freeform" in our Writer's Notebooks. Students could doodle, draw, and express themselves however they chose!
We spent the remaining class time decompressing from the stressful essay and reading from our independent reading books.
Looking forward to a restful 3-day weekend!
We put a bow on our summer reading today with an essay. Students had 45 minutes to respond to a chosen prompt.
Today is Friday, so we went "freeform" in our Writer's Notebooks. Students could doodle, draw, and express themselves however they chose!
We spent the remaining class time decompressing from the stressful essay and reading from our independent reading books.
Looking forward to a restful 3-day weekend!
Thursday, September 3, 2015
September 3, 2015
The entry in our Writer's Notebook today was a tweet. I asked students to write a response, reaction, or question about their independent reading novel. They could use no more than 140 characters, and hashtags and abbreviations were encouraged!
With our remaining class time, we completed our analysis of the three excerpts. Students turned in their DIDLS charts and short response to Google Classroom for grading. We also discussed transitions in our writing to prepare for tomorrow's summer reading essay.
With our remaining class time, we completed our analysis of the three excerpts. Students turned in their DIDLS charts and short response to Google Classroom for grading. We also discussed transitions in our writing to prepare for tomorrow's summer reading essay.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
September 2, 2015
After independent reading time, students picked a word to share and define in their writer's notebooks. My word was intonation: the pattern or melody of pitch changes in connected speech, especially the pitch pattern of a sentence, which distinguishes kinds of sentences or speakers of different language cultures. This word comes from the non-fiction book The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higoshida (5 out of 5 stars!).
We had a mini-workshop to prepare a thesis statement for the summer reading essay that's coming up on Friday. We used Nearpod to look at examples of effective and ineffective thesis statements and strategies for improving a thesis (here's the slideshow we used). Here's another good resource on how to write a thesis statement.
In 1st and 2nd period, we revisited our trio of excerpts. Focusing on just one piece this time, students worked independently using the DIDLS strategy. We'll expand on the chart tomorrow. (3rd period will start this activity tomorrow...where does the time go?!)
We had a mini-workshop to prepare a thesis statement for the summer reading essay that's coming up on Friday. We used Nearpod to look at examples of effective and ineffective thesis statements and strategies for improving a thesis (here's the slideshow we used). Here's another good resource on how to write a thesis statement.
In 1st and 2nd period, we revisited our trio of excerpts. Focusing on just one piece this time, students worked independently using the DIDLS strategy. We'll expand on the chart tomorrow. (3rd period will start this activity tomorrow...where does the time go?!)
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
September 1, 2015
On Tuesdays, we use "This I Believe" as our model for our Writer's Notebook entry. Today I asked, "Is it important to believe in something? Explain your answer."
We went back to our three excerpts (see below for titles) from yesterday and examined them for commonalities in the areas of diction, figurative language, tone, voice, theme, and syntax. I used Yoda to teach syntax because it's the easiest way to see the arrangement of words in a sentence. When Yoda says, "Patience you must have my young padawan," he's using inverted sentence structure. (I just discovered that I've been misquoting Yoda all these years. He never said, "Try you must." Can I even call myself a Star Wars fan anymore?!)
We wrapped up our time looking at the prompts for our summer reading essay that we'll write on Friday. Students will have time in class each day to plan and find quotes from their summer reading books to use in the essay. I'll also be sharing strategies for writing a good essay, focusing specifically on introductions, thesis statements, transitions, and conclusions.
Three Excerpts
Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper (first 5 paragraphs at the link)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (first 7 paragraphs at the link)
Educating Esme: Diary of a First Year Teacher by Esme Raji Codell (Februrary 1 entry at the link)
We went back to our three excerpts (see below for titles) from yesterday and examined them for commonalities in the areas of diction, figurative language, tone, voice, theme, and syntax. I used Yoda to teach syntax because it's the easiest way to see the arrangement of words in a sentence. When Yoda says, "Patience you must have my young padawan," he's using inverted sentence structure. (I just discovered that I've been misquoting Yoda all these years. He never said, "Try you must." Can I even call myself a Star Wars fan anymore?!)
We wrapped up our time looking at the prompts for our summer reading essay that we'll write on Friday. Students will have time in class each day to plan and find quotes from their summer reading books to use in the essay. I'll also be sharing strategies for writing a good essay, focusing specifically on introductions, thesis statements, transitions, and conclusions.
Three Excerpts
Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper (first 5 paragraphs at the link)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (first 7 paragraphs at the link)
Educating Esme: Diary of a First Year Teacher by Esme Raji Codell (Februrary 1 entry at the link)
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