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Thursday, March 31, 2016
March 31, 2016
Students took the STAAR test today! We are all glad that is over! Fourth period turned in the Midterm Reading Ladder, and 1st and 2nd periods will turn it in tomorrow. ALL students should have read Lord of the Flies by Monday!
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
March 30, 2016
We went to the library so students could check out an actual book (not an eBook) to read after the STAAR test tomorrow. We went over expectations for tomorrow. Students should report to the small gym before 8:15 for testing (some students are testing in classrooms--check the blue sheets posted in the main hallway).
We discussed the "connecting selections" short answer question. Students read two pieces and responded to the short answer question. We then looked at student samples to see how they were scored. Finally, students shared one tip they want to remember when testing and added it to a poster outside the classroom.
This week
We discussed the "connecting selections" short answer question. Students read two pieces and responded to the short answer question. We then looked at student samples to see how they were scored. Finally, students shared one tip they want to remember when testing and added it to a poster outside the classroom.
This week
- Thursday: STAAR English II EOC all morning; 4th will turn in Reading Ladder (minor grade)
- Friday: 1st and 2nd only: blog time; turn in Reading Ladder (minor grade)
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Tuesday, March 29, 2016
March 29, 2016
Writer's Notebook: Would you rather have more time or more money? Students responded to the question, then completed a form and handed in their notebooks.
I returned Short Answer Practice 1, and we used the STAAR rubric to discuss what a good short answer looks like. Students read a poem and responded to a short answer question. We read and scored student samples. We will complete the same activity tomorrow with a crossover question.
This week
I returned Short Answer Practice 1, and we used the STAAR rubric to discuss what a good short answer looks like. Students read a poem and responded to a short answer question. We read and scored student samples. We will complete the same activity tomorrow with a crossover question.
This week
- Wednesday: Wrap up STAAR reading (daily grade)
- Thursday: STAAR English II EOC all morning; 4th will turn in Reading Ladder (minor grade)
- Friday: 1st and 2nd only: blog time--entry #5 due by 11pm on 4/10; turn in Reading Ladder (minor grade)
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Monday, March 28, 2016
March 28, 2016
We reviewed the midterm exam. I returned the essay portion of the Greek drama test, then we started a discussion of what's expected on a STAAR essay. Students worked in groups to read and score sample essays. We discussed why each essay earned the score it received, and some students were surprised by the results!
With the remaining class time, students worked on blog entry #4 (part of a major grade, due by 11pm tonight) and the Reading Ladder activity (minor grade, due Friday, 4/1 [4th period will turn in Thursday, 3/31).
This week
With the remaining class time, students worked on blog entry #4 (part of a major grade, due by 11pm tonight) and the Reading Ladder activity (minor grade, due Friday, 4/1 [4th period will turn in Thursday, 3/31).
This week
- Tuesday: Writer's Notebook check #2 (minor grade); return 3/4 short answer; review ATE short answer strategy; STAAR reading passage with questions and short answer
- Wednesday: Wrap up STAAR reading (daily grade)
- Thursday: STAAR English II EOC all morning; 4th will have a substitute; 4th will turn in Reading Ladder (minor grade)
- Friday: 1st and 2nd only: blog time--entry #5 due by 11pm on 4/10; turn in Reading Ladder (minor grade)
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Thursday, March 24, 2016
March 24, 2016
Fourth period took their midterm exams today! All scores should be entered before the end of the day. Grades are not final, though. We still have four grades due next week.
Next week
Next week
- Monday: Blog time--entry #4 due by 11pm (Blog Entries are a major grade); review midterm; review Greek drama test; segue test essay into STAAR essay discussion; Midterm Reading Ladder due 4/1 (minor grade)
- Tuesday: Writer's Notebook check #2 (minor grade); return 3/4 short answer; review ATE short answer strategy; STAAR reading passage with questions and short answer
- Wednesday: Wrap up STAAR reading (daily grade)
- Thursday: STAAR English II EOC all morning; 4th will have a substitute
- Friday: 1st and 2nd only: blog time--entry #5 due by 11pm on 4/10.
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No board picture today, so here is a picture of Baxter and Boomer hanging out at doggy daycare.
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Wednesday, March 23, 2016
March 23, 2016
First and second period classes took their midterm exams today. Fourth period will take the exam tomorrow.
Next week
Be sure you've read Lord of the Flies before April 4!
Next week
- Monday: Blog time--entry #4 due by 11pm; review midterm; review Greek drama test; segue test essay into STAAR essay discussion
- Tuesday: Writer's Notebook check #2; return 3/4 short answer; review ATE short answer strategy; STAAR reading passage with questions and short answer
- Wednesday: Wrap up STAAR discussions
- Thursday: STAAR English II EOC all morning; 4th will have a substitute
- Friday: 1st and 2nd only: blog time--entry #5 due by 11pm on 4/10.
Be sure you've read Lord of the Flies before April 4!
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Tuesday, March 22, 2016
March 22, 2016
Independent Reading Time: ~25 minutes
Writer's Notebook: Which is better: knowing a lot about a little or knowing a little about a lot?
Students used the first 30 minutes of class to read, write their notebook entry, and blog.
We continued our midterm prep with a discussion of literary terms, including synecdoche. Students spent more time annotating and studying the nonfiction excerpt and poem that they will use on the midterm. I'll return their annotated copies when they take the test, and they may also use their lit terms packets (Classroom -> About -> Class Docs if you lost yours). First and second period exams are Wednesday, 3/23, and 4th period exams are Thursday, 3/24.
Writer's Notebook: Which is better: knowing a lot about a little or knowing a little about a lot?
Students used the first 30 minutes of class to read, write their notebook entry, and blog.
We continued our midterm prep with a discussion of literary terms, including synecdoche. Students spent more time annotating and studying the nonfiction excerpt and poem that they will use on the midterm. I'll return their annotated copies when they take the test, and they may also use their lit terms packets (Classroom -> About -> Class Docs if you lost yours). First and second period exams are Wednesday, 3/23, and 4th period exams are Thursday, 3/24.
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| Today's Board |
Monday, March 21, 2016
March 21, 2016
Independent Reading Time: 0 min.
Writer's Notebook Entry: Article of the Week - Students read, annotated, and responded to "Is nuclear Armageddon more likely than ever?"
Students completed a revising and editing practice packet--similar questions will appear on the midterm and STAAR tests.
Students received the midterm review. We spent time going over expectations and digging up our literary terms packet which may be used on the test. I distributed a passage for students to read and annotate. There will be questions on the test about that passage. We will continue this work tomorrow!
See today's board pic for important dates & reminders.
Writer's Notebook Entry: Article of the Week - Students read, annotated, and responded to "Is nuclear Armageddon more likely than ever?"
Students completed a revising and editing practice packet--similar questions will appear on the midterm and STAAR tests.
Students received the midterm review. We spent time going over expectations and digging up our literary terms packet which may be used on the test. I distributed a passage for students to read and annotate. There will be questions on the test about that passage. We will continue this work tomorrow!
See today's board pic for important dates & reminders.
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| Today's Board |
Friday, March 18, 2016
March 18, 2016
Students completed the Greek drama multiple choice and short response test. Students were allowed to use their notes and questions packets on the test.
After the test, students worked on blog entry #4. Students read their books, read other student blogs, and began writing their entry (due by 11pm on Monday, 3/28).
After the test, students worked on blog entry #4. Students read their books, read other student blogs, and began writing their entry (due by 11pm on Monday, 3/28).
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| Today's Board |
Coming up:
Wednesday, 3/23 - 1st and 2nd period midterms; dodgeball game 4th period--$2 if you want to attend
Thursday, 3/24 - 3rd and 4th period midterms; Early Release after lunch (12:15)
Friday, 3/25 - No School
Thursday, 3/31 - STAAR English 2 EOC
Monday, 4/4 - Beginning of 4th 9 weeks: Have you read Lord of the Flies yet?
Thursday, March 17, 2016
March 17, 2016
Independent Reading Time: ~20 minutes
Writer's Notebook: Inspired by a Grammarly blog post, I challenged students to write an entry without using the letter "E."
With the remaining class time, students wrote the essay portion of the Greek Drama test. Students who did not finish should come in during A block Friday to complete their work.
Writer's Notebook: Inspired by a Grammarly blog post, I challenged students to write an entry without using the letter "E."
With the remaining class time, students wrote the essay portion of the Greek Drama test. Students who did not finish should come in during A block Friday to complete their work.
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| Today's Board |
Coming up:
Tomorrow, 3/18 - Greek Drama Test, MC & Short Answer
Wednesday, 3/23 - 1st and 2nd period midterms
Thursday, 3/24 - 3rd and 4th period midterms; Early Release after lunch (12:15)
Friday, 3/25 - No School
Thursday, 3/31 - STAAR English 2 EOC
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
March 16, 2016
Independent Reading Time: 20 minutes
Writer's Notebook: Vocab entry - Choose 2 words from your reading to add to the vocab section of your notebook.
We discussed the Greek drama test that's coming up tomorrow and Friday. I shared the essay prompt with students: Write an essay stating your position on whether laws should always be followed. Students will write the essay in class on Thursday. Those who do not finish in the allotted time may come back during A block Friday to complete it. On Friday, students will complete the multiple choice and short answer sections of the test. Students may use notes and questions packets on this part of the test.
We took about 15 minutes to wrap up the DIDLS activity from yesterday, looking at how all of the elements work together to reveal the tone of their chosen piece.
I shared 5 STAAR essay prompts, and students worked in groups to write two thesis statements, one for each position. Students then chose one position and wrote the call to action that would conclude the paper. We discussed how the STAAR essay is different from other essays we write because we don't have to write an introduction and we can use 1st and 2nd person.
Writer's Notebook: Vocab entry - Choose 2 words from your reading to add to the vocab section of your notebook.
We discussed the Greek drama test that's coming up tomorrow and Friday. I shared the essay prompt with students: Write an essay stating your position on whether laws should always be followed. Students will write the essay in class on Thursday. Those who do not finish in the allotted time may come back during A block Friday to complete it. On Friday, students will complete the multiple choice and short answer sections of the test. Students may use notes and questions packets on this part of the test.
We took about 15 minutes to wrap up the DIDLS activity from yesterday, looking at how all of the elements work together to reveal the tone of their chosen piece.
I shared 5 STAAR essay prompts, and students worked in groups to write two thesis statements, one for each position. Students then chose one position and wrote the call to action that would conclude the paper. We discussed how the STAAR essay is different from other essays we write because we don't have to write an introduction and we can use 1st and 2nd person.
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| Today's Board |
Coming up:
Tomorrow, 3/17 - Greek Drama Test, Essay
Friday, 3/18 - Greek Drama Test, MC & Short Answer
Wednesday, 3/23 - 1st and 2nd period midterms
Thursday, 3/24 - 3rd and 4th period midterms; Early Release after lunch
Friday, 3/25 - No School
Thursday, 3/31 - STAAR English 2 EOC
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
March 15, 2016
Independent Reading: 20 minutes (end of period in library)
Writer's Notebook: This I Believe - What's on your mind right now? Write about anything that you're feeling strongly about right now: politics, yesterday's readings, or anything else that you feel strongly about.
We viewed these two spoken-word pieces. Students discovered the center of gravity for each piece, then chose one to analyze using the DIDLS strategy (diction, imagery, details, language, sentence structure) to reveal tone (posted to Classroom). We will wrap this up tomorrow.
Writer's Notebook: This I Believe - What's on your mind right now? Write about anything that you're feeling strongly about right now: politics, yesterday's readings, or anything else that you feel strongly about.
We viewed these two spoken-word pieces. Students discovered the center of gravity for each piece, then chose one to analyze using the DIDLS strategy (diction, imagery, details, language, sentence structure) to reveal tone (posted to Classroom). We will wrap this up tomorrow.
"Knock Knock" by Daniel Beaty
"Point B" by Sarah Kay (first 3:40)
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| Today's Board |
Coming up:
Thursday, 3/17 - Greek Drama Test, Essay
Friday, 3/18 - Greek Drama Test, MC & Short Answer
Wednesday, 3/23 - 1st and 2nd period midterms
Thursday, 3/24 - 3rd and 4th period midterms; Early Release after lunch
Friday, 3/25 - No School
Thursday, 3/31 - STAAR English 2 EOC
Monday, March 14, 2016
March 14, 2016
Independent Reading Time: ~15 minutes
Writer's Notebook: Article of the Week - "The Zika Epidemic, Explained" - Students read and annotated the article then responded to it in their notebooks.
We used the first 30 minutes of class to accomplish three things: 1) complete writer's notebook assignment; 2) complete and turn in work from Friday [Analyze Tragic Hero on Classroom and blog entry #3]; and 3) read independently for the remaining time.
I talked about the upcoming Greek drama test. Students will write the essay on Thursday and complete the multiple choice section on Friday. Students will be allowed to use their questions packets on the test. There is no actual review for the test as questions will come directly from the packets.
We discussed "center of gravity" as a concrete idea relating to science and as an abstract idea relating to our lives and to writing, the basic understanding being that the center of gravity is what provides balance and holds things together. We then looked at three different passages and discussed which lines could be considered the center of gravity for each. We talked about each passage as an example of persuasive writing and picked out elements of persuasion (logos, ethos, and pathos) and the call to action.
Center of Gravity Pieces (also linked on Classroom)
excerpt from All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech
"Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle"
Writer's Notebook: Article of the Week - "The Zika Epidemic, Explained" - Students read and annotated the article then responded to it in their notebooks.
We used the first 30 minutes of class to accomplish three things: 1) complete writer's notebook assignment; 2) complete and turn in work from Friday [Analyze Tragic Hero on Classroom and blog entry #3]; and 3) read independently for the remaining time.
I talked about the upcoming Greek drama test. Students will write the essay on Thursday and complete the multiple choice section on Friday. Students will be allowed to use their questions packets on the test. There is no actual review for the test as questions will come directly from the packets.
We discussed "center of gravity" as a concrete idea relating to science and as an abstract idea relating to our lives and to writing, the basic understanding being that the center of gravity is what provides balance and holds things together. We then looked at three different passages and discussed which lines could be considered the center of gravity for each. We talked about each passage as an example of persuasive writing and picked out elements of persuasion (logos, ethos, and pathos) and the call to action.
Center of Gravity Pieces (also linked on Classroom)
excerpt from All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech
"Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle"
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| Today's Board |
Monday, March 7, 2016
March 4, 2016
Sorry I missed you guys on Friday! I had a sinus infection that knocked me out. See the agenda posted on Classroom for Friday's work.
Enjoy your break!
Enjoy your break!
Thursday, March 3, 2016
March 3, 2016
Independent Reading Time: 15 minutes
Writer's Notebook: Consider the big ideas that you contributed quotes to. How does [big idea] play a role in [your novel]? Support your answer with evidence from the text. (Fill in the brackets with the appropriate information.)
We discussed logos, ethos, and pathos in Haimon's speech and recapped the conclusion of the play. Students worked together on the quote and literary device analysis portions of the analysis packet. We looked more closely at the characters of Creon and Antigone to determine which is the tragic hero of the play (assignment on Classroom).
Tomorrow, we'll have time to work on the blog and finish up all work related to Antigone.
Writer's Notebook: Consider the big ideas that you contributed quotes to. How does [big idea] play a role in [your novel]? Support your answer with evidence from the text. (Fill in the brackets with the appropriate information.)
We discussed logos, ethos, and pathos in Haimon's speech and recapped the conclusion of the play. Students worked together on the quote and literary device analysis portions of the analysis packet. We looked more closely at the characters of Creon and Antigone to determine which is the tragic hero of the play (assignment on Classroom).
Tomorrow, we'll have time to work on the blog and finish up all work related to Antigone.
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| Today's Board |
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
March 2, 2016
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| Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss! |
We read Ode 2 and Scene 3 from Antigone. We recalled our previous understanding of logos, ethos, and pathos, and students used these terms to analyze Haimon's speech in Scene 3 (page 22 on the PDF on Classroom). Students should finish reading the play (Scene 4, Scene 5, and Exodos [skip the odes]) before class tomorrow. Be prepared to discuss!
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| Today's Board |
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
March 1, 2016
Independent Reading Time: 20 minutes in the library. As they read, students looked for quotes that connected to big ideas: joy, survival, love, honor, friendship, fear, beauty, confidence, compassion, bravery, betrayal, and loyalty. Students then shared those lines on the quote wall that we've created in the hallway. (See my Twitter timeline for before and after photos.)
Writer's Notebook: Consider the questions that were asked of the candidates on the procon.org site that we looked at yesterday. What questions are missing? Come up with 3-5 questions that you think the candidates should respond to.
We read Ode 1 and Scene 2 of Antigone and worked on the questions and analysis packets.
Blog entry #3 is due Friday, 3/4, before 11pm. Students will have time in class Wednesday and Friday to work on this.
Writer's Notebook: Consider the questions that were asked of the candidates on the procon.org site that we looked at yesterday. What questions are missing? Come up with 3-5 questions that you think the candidates should respond to.
We read Ode 1 and Scene 2 of Antigone and worked on the questions and analysis packets.
Blog entry #3 is due Friday, 3/4, before 11pm. Students will have time in class Wednesday and Friday to work on this.
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| Today's Board |
February 29, 2016
Independent Reading Time: 15 minutes
Writer's Notebook: Article of the Week - 2016 Presidential Candidate Position Chart - Students took time to peruse the chart and discuss findings at their tables. Students then chose one prompt to respond to in their notebooks.
Writer's Notebook: Article of the Week - 2016 Presidential Candidate Position Chart - Students took time to peruse the chart and discuss findings at their tables. Students then chose one prompt to respond to in their notebooks.
- Does anything in this chart surprise you? Explain.
- Pick an issue you need to know more about. Research it and share what you discovered.
- Pick a "hot spot" in this chart and respond.
I introduced the story of Polyneices and Eteocles, the sons of Oedipus who went to war over control of Thebes after Oedipus' death. Antigone picks up just after the brothers have killed each other in battle, and Polyneices has been declared a traitor by the new king, Creon. We read the Prologue, Parados, and Scene 1.
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