Lesson Plans
These lesson plans are a guide for our classroom. Teachers are not required to post their plans on-line, but I do so as a courtesy to my students and parents. I’m not always exactly sure how long it will take to complete some assignments. If it takes longer to complete an assignment than originally planned, we may fall behind on the lesson plan. If we breeze through an assignment faster than I planned, we will be ahead of the stated lesson plan. Each student is expected to know where we are in our
studies. I will try to keep the plans as current as possible. At the end of the week I will go back and make the lesson plan reflect what was really done each day, so students who were absent will know what to make up. Check back often.
We will be studying argument writing quite a bit this year. Here is a great explanation from the Common Core State Initiative Appendix A of what it is and why it is important.
Argument
Arguments are used for many purposes—to change the reader’s poi
point of view, to bring about some action on the reader’s part, or to ask the reader to accept the writer’s explanation or evaluation of a concept, issue, or problem. An argument is a reasoned, logical way of demonstrating that the writer’s position, belief, or conclusion is valid. In English language arts, students make claims about the worth or meaning of a literary work or works. They defend their interpretations or judgments with evidence from the text(s) they are writing about. In history/social studies, students analyze evidence from multiple primary and secondary sources to advance a claim that is best supported by the evidence, and they argue for a historically or empirically situated interpretation. In science, students make claims in the form of statements or conclusions that answer questions or address problems. Using data in a scientifically acceptable form, students marshal evidence and draw on their understanding of scientific concepts to argue in support of their claims. Although young children are not able to produce fully developed logical arguments, they develop a variety of methods to extend and elaborate their work by providing examples, offering reasons for their assertions, and explaining cause and effect. These kinds of expository structures are steps on the road to argument. In grades
K–, the term “opinion” is used to refer to this developing form of argument.
7th Grade Language Arts – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th
April 20 - 24, 2015
FSA Testing Continued
* The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Chapters 4-7
Vocabulary
Comprehension questions
Quiz
April 13th through 17th
FSA Testing
* The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Book Study
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Tall Ships
The years from 1830 to 1856 have been called the “golden age of the American wooden sailing ship.” Rapid progress brought about by the Industrial Revolution resulted in the expansion of trade on a world-wide scale, in which many kinds of goods were carried across the oceans in wooden sailing ships. Because of the ready supply of lumber and labor, the construction and operation of these wooden ships came to be dominated by the United States.
The commodity that provided the steadiest employment for the American shipping industry during this period was cotton. The route traveled by most of the ships employed in the cotton trade was a triangle. Ships started from New England or New York and sailed south to Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, or New Orleans, then across the Atlantic to Liverpool in England or Le Havre in France, and finally back to the point of origin. It has been established that by the early 1850s some 40,000 sailors were employed by American shipping companies.
Women At the Helm
Although the officers and crews of the tall ships were almost exclusively men, instances of women sailors have been recorded. One such woman sailor was Mary Patten, the wife of a clipper ship captain. On a voyage around Cape Horn, the ship encountered a violent storm. During the storm, Captain Patten became ill, and the first mate had to be put into irons for insubordination. With her husband and the first mate incapacitated, Mary Patten, who had been taught to navigate on previous voyages, took command and brought the 200-foot, 1600 ton ship safely into San Francisco harbor. At the time, Mary Patten was a teenager.
Introduction
The book you are about to read is an adventure story that falls into the category of historical fiction. In such a story, realistic details are used to show the conditions and the spirit of a particular historical era. The writer may use actual figures and historical events, fictional characters and events, or a combination of both. As you read, notice what you learn about life for sailors aboard a sailing ship in 1832.
1. Preview the book by reading the title and author’s name and by looking at the illustration on the cover. What do you think the book will be about? Have you read any other books by the same author?
2. One major theme in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is the abuse of authority. What does abuse of authority mean to you? Have you ever witnessed such abuse? Authority grants power, but it also imposes obligations. What are the obligations of people in power?
3. Another major them in the novel is the importance of a home. What constitutes a home and a family? What might happen to someone who is separated from his or her home for a long period of time?
4. Another theme of this novel is the subject of racial prejudice. One of the main characters is a free black man who sailed for an American shipping company in 1832. Given your knowledge of American history in the turbulent years before the Civil War, what kinds of prejudice do you think this character might have faced?
5. The main character in the novel is called upon to make several crucial decisions. Think about important decisions you have made in your life. How have your decisions been influenced by your family and the place in which you live?
Monday, March 30, 2015
All Bellringers should be placed on one sheet of paper for the week and turned in on Friday for a classwork grade.
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using there, their, and they’re
1. Is that ____________ car?
2. Please place the drink over __________.
3. _____________ going to the store tomorrow.
* Handouts:
1. “The Terrible Ten” (its, it’s, your, you’re, too, to, two, their, there, and they’re)
2. “Vocabulary 2: Homophones T” (there, their, they’re, threw, through, thru, to, too, and two)
* There will be a TEST on these words next Wednesday, April 8, 2015
* Lesson: Know the Difference Between “they’re, there, and their”
* Classwork: Word Choice There, Their, They’re Quick Test 1-5
* Home work: Word Choice Exercise 1: Their, there, and they’r
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
* Homework Due – their, there, and they’re
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using threw, through, and thru
1. Bob ____ the ball to Tom.
2. Burger King has a drive-_________ window.
3. I walked ________ the door.
* Lesson: Finding and Fixing Fragments
* Classwork: Quick Test 1-5
Homework: Fragments Exercise 3 Due tomorro
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using to, too, and two
1. We need ___ order ______ uniforms.
2. There are _____ many people talking.
* Homework: Word Choice Exercise 12: To, Too, and Two Due tomorrow
* Lesson: Finding and Fixing comma Splices and Fused Sentences
* Classwork/Homework: Comma Splices and Fused Sentences Exercise 4
Thursday, April 2, 2015
* Homework Due – Word Choice 12: To, Too, and Two
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using its and it’s
1. ______ a beautiful day!
2. The garage is ______ home.
* Lesson: Using Commas Correctly with a Series of Adjectives
* Classwork: Quick Test 1-5
* Homework: Word Choice Exercise 13: Its and It’s
Friday, April 3, 2015
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using your and you’re
1. These are ______ notebooks.
2. _____ not going with us.
* Turn in corrected Bellringers for the week.
* Lesson: Finding and Fixing Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
* Classwork/Homework: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Exercise 1
Monday, March 16, through Thursday, March 19, 2015
* The Call of the Wild Novel Study
* Chapter 7 reading on Monday with Reading check questions for chapters 6 & 7
Movie on Tuesday and Wednesday
Comprehension Test on Thursday
Monday March 9, through Friday March 13, 2015
* The Call of the Wild Novel Study
- Reading check for chapters 1-3
Chapters 4-6 reading
Chapters 4-5 Reading Check, Novel Charcters chart, Cause and Effect Exercise
Vocabulary 5-20
Crossword puzzle due on Tuesday the 17th
Monday, March 2, 2015
* Review for Florida State Assessment - Writing Exam
Tuesday, March 3, through Thursday, March 19, 2015
"The Call of the Wild" novel study
* Begin Fiction Novel Study: The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Note: There will be quite a bit of work that will have to be completed at home to complete this novel on time.
The following Sunshine State Standards will be covered during our study of The Call of the Wild.
Reading Process
Reading Comprehension Standard: The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend grade level text.
The student will:
LA.7.1.7.8- use strategies to repair comprehension of grade-appropriate text when self-monitoring indicates confusion, including but not limited to rereading, checking context clues, predicting, note-making, summarizing,
using graphic and semantic organizers, questioning, and clarifying by checking other sources.
Literary Analysis
Fiction Standard: The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of the elements of a variety of
fiction and literary texts to develop a thoughtful response to a literary selection.
The student will:
LA.7.2.1.1 - identify and analyze the characteristics of various genres (e.g., poetry, fiction, short story,
dramatic literature) as forms with distinct characteristics and purposes;
LA.7.2.1.2 - locate and analyze elements of characterization, setting, and plot, including rising action, conflict, resolution, theme, and other literary elements as appropriate in a variety of fiction;
LA.7.2.1.3 - locate various literary devices (e.g., sound, meter, figurative and descriptive
LA.7.2.1.4 - identify and analyze recurring themes across a variety of works (e.g., bravery, friendship, loyalty, good
vs. evil);
LA.7.2.1.5 - develop an interpretation of a selection and support through sustained use of examples and contextual evidence;
LA.7.2.1.6 - compare the use of the same theme in two different literary genres, using their structural features as the basis for the comparison (e.g., novel and play, poem and short story);
LA.7.2.1.7-locate and analyze an author’s use of allusions and descriptive, idiomatic, and figurative language in a variety of literary text, identifying how word choice is used to appeal to the reader’s senses and emotions, providing evidence from text to support the analysis;
LA.7.2.1.8 - explain how ideas, values, and themes of a literary work often reflect the historical period in
which it was written;
Writing Applications
Informative Standard: The student develops and demonstrates expository writing that provides information related to real-world tasks.
The student will:
LA.7.4.2.3 - write specialized informational/expository essays (e.g., process, description, explanation, comparison/contrast, problem/solution) that include a thesis statement, supporting details, an organizational structure particular to its type, and introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs;
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Objectives:
o Increase literal reading comprehension
o Deepen interpretations of author’s meaning
o Increase recognition of and facility with literary elements
o Stimulate creative responses to literature
o Exercise critical thinking and writing abilities
Introduction to The Call of the Wild by Jack London – Students should take notes.
o Focus on background information
- Jack London Biography, p. 162 of book
- Critical Commentary about the Novel (p.7 Blue book)
o Elements of the Novel
-
Themes
+ The Nature of Survival: Only the fittest survive in nature.
Questions:
- What characteristics are required to succeed in conflicts against a hostile environment?
- What role does chance or luck play in survival?
+ Civilization vs. Primitive Nature: Even a primitive creature is capable of love.
· Continue with introduction of The Call of the Wild
o Point of View and Characterization
- Limited third-person – We are told not only what Buck does and observes but also what he
thinks as he adjusts to his new environment and reacts to challenges and the other characters. This point of view excludes us from the minds of the other dogs and the human characters. We judge, or infer, their personalities through their actions and through Buck’s opinions of them and, in the case of the humans, through dialogue
o The Setting- Santa Clara Valley, California, south of San Francisco, but it moves quickly to..
- Yukon Territory of northwestern Canada during the years of the Klondike gold rush in the late 1890’s
- London uses changes in the setting as contrast to changes in characters.
o
Similes- Figures of speech are commonly found in this book
- London uses a lot of similes - A common figure of speech that imaginatively compares two seemingly dissimilar things using the words like or as
· Considering Titles Activity p. 13
o Write a paragraph to express your thoughts about “calls.” Then, when you read The Call of the Wild, see if you can figure out what “audible” and “internal” calls are important to the characters.
* Read Novel Notes 1 and 2 and do pre-reading activities
* Illustrate the setting at Judge Miller's place in Santa Clara Valley, California
* Read chapter 1 - Students will listen to a professional reading from a CD The Call of the Wild
o Analyze chapter 1- Unfamiliar details, vocabulary, questions, notes
o Discussion on characters: Novel Organizer p. 31
Students will discover that one way to follow events as you read is to keep track of the characters. Students will chart descriptions of characters from the first chapter.
* Read chapter 2
- Analyze: unfamiliar details, vocabulary, questions, notes
* Tracking the Dog Characters p. 33 Students will chart appearance, personality traits, and typical
actions of the dog characters
Monday, February 9, 2015
* Test on “from Mississippi Solo”
* Early Finishers: Reality Central Reading
Tuesday, February 10, through Friday, February 12, 2015
* Citing Textual Evidence Practice
Students will practice citing evidence from the short passages on the Reading Skills worksheets from last week.
Example:
1. Cite directly quoted text evidence from question 1 to support the claim that the teenagers’ mother should not be hypercritical.
To begin with, the teenagers’ mother should not be hypercritical. According to the article, “Six Reading Skills” by Jane Doe, “They were good students, helped around the house, and did their own laundry.” (Doe, 2) What this means is there really wasn’t a reason for their mother to be overly critical because they were good kids overall. When their mother got on to them about every little thing, it just created “a problem with their mother”. (Doe, 1) This type of relationship can only do harm to both parties in the long run. Hopefully the mother will realize this and start to appreciate her teenagers more often.
Your Turn:
2. Cite directly quoted text evidence from question 2 to support the claim that Bob should rent the spacious apartment.
Framed Paragraph:
_______________________________________, Bob should rent the spacious apartment because it is pretty and convenient. According to the article, "_____________________________” by_________________________________, “The neighborhood ______________________________________________
____________________________________________” (____________, ___)
This is showing how much he likes the apartment. It is much easier to live in a place that is pleasing to the eye than something that looks like a dump. Also, the ability to walk out the door to buy your groceries and supplies is very convenient. Plus he said, “it was the first apartment on the right” which means he doesn’t have to even walk down a hallway (______________, ______). These two aspects should definitely influence Bob’s decision to rent the place.
3. Cite directly quoted text evidence from question 3 to support the claim that the student should get detention because his behavior was unacceptable.
4. Cite directly quoted text evidence from page 13 question1 to support the claim that long distance friendships can last if you keep in touch with each other.
5. Cite directly quoted text evidence from page 13 question 2 to support the claim that people should go to the castle building contest at the beach because the sandcastles are very elaborate.
6. Cite directly quoted text evidence from page 13 question 3 to support the claim that animals with small bodies have an advantage over large animals in the desert.
Citing Paraphrased Text Evidence
Example:
7. Cite paraphrased text evidence from page 14 question 3 to support the claim that pepper was once considered very valuable.
To begin with, pepper was once considered to be very valuable. According to the text, “Determining Word Meanings” by John Doe, when military personnel invaded new cities they would steal the pepper from their enemy. The Romans actually used it to buy off their enemies. (Doe, 1-3) The author’s point is that if people used it to claim victory over other countries, surely it must have been viewed as valuable.
Framed paragraph
8. Cite paraphrased text evidence from the excerpt on page 16 to support the claim that karate is a useful skill to learn.
___________________________________________________, karate is a useful skill to learn. According to the text, “Identifying Supporting Ideas”, the Chinese people once used it to defeat the ___________________________. Then the Japanese learned it too, and it quickly became popular after ____________________________ (__________________,_____). The author is demonstrating with this example how useful karate can be. It could come in handy for any situation that requires self -defense. Having this skill could easily save a life.
9. Cite paraphrase text evidence from the excerpt on page 17 to support the claim that the Mohawk mother in the passage loved her husband and oldest son.
10. Cite paraphrased text evidence from the excerpt on page 17 to support the claim that the Mohawk mother in the passage believed her youngest son would return with her husband and oldest son.
Monday, February 2, through Friday, February 6, 2015
* Memoir – “from Mississippi Solo”
Students will:
* Read a memoir
* Identify features of a memoir
* Understand style, mood, and figurative language
* Test will be on Monday
* Homework: Reading Skills Worksheets
Monday, January 26, and Tuesday, January 27, 2015
* Close Reading and Argument Writing: Okaloosa Writes Analysis Continued
Objective: Comprehend a difficult topic through close reading and complete a five paragraph fully sustained argument essay.
* With assistance, scaffolding, and modeling from the teacher based on the different needs of each student, students will:
- Use a “Warrant Workout” graphic organize to explain two pieces of text to use as evidence with each body paragraph claim
- Pick an interesting fact to use as a hook
- Draft an introductory paragraph that uses a hook to lead to a summary of the issue and a thesis statement.
- Draft three full body paragraphs that use sentence stems at the beginning and within the paragraph to link each sentence to the next.
- Have at least one body paragraph that introduces a counterclaim and makes a claim against it that expands through evidence and elaboration to further disprove the counterclaim.
- Draft a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main points and brings the essay full circle by referring back to the hook or a point made in the introductory paragraph.
Wednesday, January 28, and Thursday, January 29, 2015
* DEA Testing in the computer lab
Friday, January 30, 2015
* Finish essays if needed
* Reading Skills and Strategies Guided Practice
Objective: Increase reading skills
Focus Skill #1: Determining Word Meanings through:
- prefixes and suffixes
- context clues
- academic vocabulary knowledge
- text comprehension
Focus Skill #2: Identifying Supporting Ideas
- identify important facts and details
- put events in the order they happened
- follow the directions in order
- figure out the setting
Materials: Common Core Test Prep pp. 12-19
Due: Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015, through Friday, January 23, 2015
* Argument Writing: Okaloosa Writes Analysis
Objective: Understand and correct the errors made on Okaloosa Writes
Errors to be addressed:
- Close reading involves annotating the text. We did it all year, and most students did not do it on OW. You cannot understand what you read if you don’t question the text and explain in the margins what you understand about it. Where are the one sentence summaries that we practiced? Don’t get in a rush and forget that you have to understand what you read before you can write about it. A great essay starts with close reading and understanding the topic. USE the strategies you learn in class on assessments. That is why we teach them to you.
- Make sure you understand the prompt! The topic was not about whether fast food workers should get a raise. It was about whether minimum wage should be raised. There is a huge difference!
- A large (too large) portion of students had blank planning sheets! L Your essay will lack organization and become a list of random ideas if you don’t plan! What 3 points will you make? How will you put those three points in a thesis? What piece of text will you use to support each reason? Remember all the T-charts and outlines we did in class? You have to USE the strategies that you have been taught. Stop and think, “What have I been taught to do?” Take a breath and THINK. You cannot throw everything you learned out the window and just start writing whatever random thought strikes you at the moment.
- Using 1/3 of the given writing space will never qualify as a “fully sustained” essay. If you start writing your introduction and notice you only used three lines on the page, you can assume it is too short. Each paragraph should use up about ½ of the page. You MUST write more than 2/3 of one page for a 5 paragraph essay. Elaborating your ideas will get you there. Don’t leave the reader hanging with unexplained ideas.
- Homophones that we already learned were being misused all over the place. Their, there, and they’re were the biggest offenders. I will be reteaching and quizzing on those.
- Contradiction is not a counter claim. If you talk about the other point of view without saying why it is wrong, you are just contradicting your thesis instead of disproving the counter claim. You MUST explain why the counter claim is unacceptable. Not explaining why the other side is wrong also makes your paper informative instead of argumentative and could cause you to get an unscoreable because it does not meet the requirements of argumentative writing.
- Cite evidence and borrowed ideas either in the body or by putting the author and paragraph number in parenthesis. You must tell the reader where every borrowed idea came from.
- Despite being repeatedly told not to write using the word “I’, a bunch of students’ essays were covered in “I” statements. Some didn’t even capitalize the word “I”! Do not say “I think”. It is your essay. Of course it is what you think. Just say it. Minimum wage should not be raised. Not: I think minimum wage should not be raised. There is no need to say, “I think”.
- Please read every sentence you write as soon as you write it. A sentence must have a subject and predicate. Essays were full of incomplete sentences and fragments. Misuse of introductory clauses (AAWWUBBIS) was a problem too.
* With assistance and modeling from the teacher students will:
- read their essay
- analyze and understand their essay score using the scoring rubric
- break into pairs to do a close read of the resource materials using one sentence summaries for every 2-3 paragraphs
- make a T chart: reasons for raising the minimum wage vs. reasons against raising the minimum wage
- Pick a side and write a thesis statement with three reasons from the T chart
- Pick one or two pieces of text to use with each reason and make a brief outline
- Pick an interesting fact to use as a hook
- Draft an introductory paragraph that uses a hook to lead to a summary of the issue and a thesis statement.
- Draft one full body paragraph that uses sentence stems at the beginning and within the paragraph to link each sentence to the next.
- Draft one full body paragraph that addresses and disproves the counterclaim
- Draft a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main points and brings the essay full circle by referring back to the hook or point in the introductory paragraph.
Monday, January 12, 2015, through Thursday, January 15, 2015
Note: Due to midterm exams that require altered times for class periods throughout the week, I did not break the lesson down into days because each class period will be on a different schedule. This is the story we will be reading and the activities that we will do.
* Short Story: “Another Place, Another Time” by Cory Doctorow
Key Learning Objective: The student will be able to identify and analyze how setting affects characters’ traits, motivations, and actions
Lexile: 1060
Setting a Purpose: Science-based ideas are important in this story. As you read, think of the significance of these ideas to the characters – especially to Gilbert
Vocabulary: eloquence, judicious, spyglass, sextant, maroon, symbol, motivation, mood
Story Elements: setting, motivation, direct character traits, indirect character traits
Skills: Infer, Interpret, Cite Evidence, Synthesize
Students will:
- Read the short story independently
- Answer side-margin questions as they read
- Cite text evidence to support their answers
- Determine Meaning of Words and Phrases
- Analyze Story Elements – character and dialogue
- Participate in collaborative discussions with the teacher and peers
- Answer the Analyzing the Text Questions after reading and discussing the story
- Practice and Apply Critical Vocabulary in context
- Use a dictionary as a reference aid to identify synonyms to tell what a sentence means
- Do a performance task writing activity: Character Profile
- Quiz on comprehension and vocabulary
Monday, January 5,2015
* Writing Boot Camp
Objective: Prepare for Okaloosa Writes on Thursday
Students will:
- Read an exemplar essay that has a perfect score
- Conduct student/teacher talk on the characteristics that make it a 10 using rubric language
- Analyze the minimal direct quoting of the text, depth of knowledge, commentary, and elaboration
- Analyze their graded essays from before the break.
- Take notes on tips for Thursday.
+ Introductory phrases are not separate sentences- In the poem “Abuelito Who”, is about a granddaughter …
No need for “is about”
+ Capitalize all the words except small connecting words and put quotation marks around titles: “Abuelito Who”
+ Argument writing on Thursday must address the counterclaim. If you don’t address and disprove the other point of view, you may receive an unscoreable zero.
+ You must WRITE down in your essay where you got your information. This is called citing documentation and MUST be done for every idea you take from an article or reading source. If you plagiarize you will fail! Just SAY IT!!! According to the article, “Whatever the Title Is”…..
+ You MUST use more than one source in your essay.
+ Please use the words “there”, “their”, and “they’re” correctly!!! Go to quizlet.com to practice if you forgot.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
* Writing Boot Camp Day 2
Students will:
- Read a summary on parts of the book, “Thank You For Arguing: What Aritstotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About The Art of Persuasion” By Jay Heinrichs.
- Class discussion on argumentative strategies
- Practice making claims, counterclaims and rebuttals
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
* Writing Boot Camp Day 3
Students will continue making claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals based on short argumentative reading passages provided by the teacher.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
* Okaloosa Writes Mid-term Exam
Friday, January 9, 2015
* “Pacific Crossing” due
Students will be allowed to finish the questions and quiz in class with a book
Unit 7 Language Practice - Prewriting, Composing, and Editing
, December 15, through Thursday, December 18, 2014
* Novel Study: Pacific Crossing
Students will read independently and answer the guiding questions.
Book and questions should be complete by Monday, January 5, 2015.
Monday, December 8, 2014
* Continue with poetry lesson
(tone, theme, speaker, figurative language, symbol, style, mood, rhythm)
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
* Performance Assessment Book pp. 75-78
- Students will read a source article on “Universal Theme”
- Students will annotate the article with one sentence summaries
- Students will read and analyze a folk tale
- Students will read and analyze a poem
Wednesday, December 10, through Friday, December 12, 2014
* Essay: Write a compare and contrast essay on the universal theme of the folk tale and poem we analyzed yesterday.
- Students will work with the teacher, students, and alone to plan, draft, and write their essay. This counts as a test grade.
Friday, December 12, 2014
* Finish Essay
* Assign Novel: Pacific Crossing by Gary Soto - Study Guide questions due Monday, January 5, 2015
Monday, December 1, and Tuesday, December 2, 2014
* Close Reader: “Heartbeat” p. 25
-Students will do a first read while annotating for the gist
- Students will answer side-margin questions and define 5 vocabulary words.
- Students will listen to the audio version of the short story.
- Students will engage in conversations with the teacher and each other during analysis of the story.
Note: Test on Wednesday.
* Captains Courageous chapters 9 and 10 - Write summaries for each chapter. Due December 10th
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
* Test on “Heartbeat”
* Begin Poetry Analysis
- Students will review Performance Assessment book on poetry terms
Thursday, December 4, 2014
* Early Release and Pep Rally
Friday, December 5, 2014
* Guest Teacher – Mrs. Baker will teach a lesson on poetry using The Black Eyed Peas song “Where is the Love”
Monday, November 17, 2014
* Open article quiz – “Why Ebola is So Dangerous”
Why Ebola is So Dangerous”
Quiz
_______1. What is Ebola?
A. the world’s deadliest disease
B. a deadly viral illness
C. vomiting and diarrhea
D. contact with infected blood
________2. Which piece of text evidence supports the claim that Ebola can be spread from human to human?
A. You can get it from “close contact with infected animals”.
B. “The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa.”
C. You can get it by “direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or
organs”.
D. The “Ebola outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa”.
________3. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola can spread quickly?
A. “The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa.”
B. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
C. The virus might have been “contained in Nigeria and Senegal”.
D. “There have been 20 cases of Ebola being imported by
someone traveling from a country of widespread transmission to Nigeria.
________4. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola can be
spread from contact with infected animals?
A. Bushmeat in Africa is “a prized delicacy” that can contain the Ebola virus.
B. “This year’s outbreak is unusual because it started in Guinea.”
C. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
D. Diagnosis is hard because the symptoms are similar to other viruses.
________5. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola can be spread through unsanitary cultural practices?
A. 2,836 people have died in Liberia
B. “Preparation of bodies for burial involves washing, touching and kissing” the
body of all people, including those infected with Ebola.
C. “If a person has died from Ebola, their body will have a very high viral load.”
D. “All previous outbreaks were much smaller.”
________6. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola is putting healthcare
workers at risk?
A. A Spanish nurse got the disease after treating two infected missionaries.
B. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
C. “Those with the highest status in society are often charged with washing and
preparing the body.”
D. “All previous outbreaks were much smaller.”
________7. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that the message about avoiding
contact with infected people is difficult to get across?
A. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
B. A Spanish nurse got the disease after treating two infected missionaries.
C. There has not been enough time for “the necessary cultural shift” to take
place in West African religious and death practices.
D. The virus can spread quickly in urban areas.
________8. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola has started an
“international health emergency”.
A. The symptoms of Ebola can include “fever, intense weakness, muscle pain
and a sore throat”.
B. The disease can be caught from infected “chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest
antelope.”
C. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
D. “More than 3,850 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra
Leone and Nigeria this year.”
________9. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola is difficult to diagnose?
A. The symptoms of Ebola can include “fever, intense weakness, muscle pain
and a sore throat” which are very similar to other viruses.
B. The disease can be caught from infected “chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest
antelope.”
C. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
D. “More than 3,850 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra
Leone and Nigeria this year.”
________10. Which of the following would make the best thesis statement on why Ebola is dangerous?
A. Ebola is dangerous because it was discovered in the Congo in 1976, bats
have it, and two nurses died.
B. Ebola is dangerous because it can spread quickly from person to person,
animal to person, or contaminated environment to person.
C. Ebola is dangerous because it could be contained in Nigeria, hugging is a part
of religious worship, and West African countries are affected.
D. Ebola is dangerous because you can get a fever, intense weakness, and
muscle pain.
* Essay Drafting – “Why is Ebola Dangerous?”
- Final draft due on Wednesday – Typed is preferred. 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced
Don’t forget to properly paraphrase, quote, summarize, and cite!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
* Essay Drafting – “Why is Ebola Dangerous?”
- Final draft due tomorrow – Typed is preferred. 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced
Don’t forget to properly paraphrase, quote, summarize, and cite!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 and Thursday, November 20, 2014
Florida Standards Assessment Computer Based Practice
- Students will get to see and practice using the FSA computer based test.
Friday, November 21, 2014
* Career Day – Class time will be limited
Monday, November 10, 2014
* Close Reading Lesson from guest teacher Mrs. Smith with Mrs. Lancaster’s class in Spartan Hall
Guiding Question: Why is Ebola Dangerous?
- Students will read for gist while underlining reasons why Ebola is dangerous and circling unknown
words
- Students will engage in academic discussions with peers and instructors
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
* No School – Veteran’s Day
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
* Follow up writing lesson from Monday's close read of an article entitled, "Why is Ebola Dangerous?"
With gradual release modeling from the teacher, students will further analyze the article from Monday by taking two column notes on the reasons why Ebola is dangerous and the supporting facts from the article in preparation for an essay on the guiding question.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
* Reading and Writing Text Based Essays Continued....
With gradual release modeling from the teacher, students will use their T-Chart analysis from yesterday to:
- group their reasons why Ebola is dangerous into condensed categories
- connect supporting details to the appropriate reason
- outline the format for their essay
Friday, November 14, 2014
* Book Fair during class. Bring money if you want to buy something
* Essay continued....
Students will draft their introductory paragraphs and begin body paragraphs
Monday, November 3, 2014
* Informative Essay Self Analysis
- Students will get their Bruner Writes essays back with a copy of the source materials.
- Students will highlight in one color each piece of evidence, whether directly quoted or paraphrased, that came directly from the source.
- Students will highlight in another color each time they actually gave credit to the author of those ideas.
- Students will have a “coming to Jesus” realization about the true definition of plagiarism.
1. pla·gia·rism (ˈplājəˌrizəm/) noun
noun: plagiarism; plural noun: plagiarisms
1. the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
synonyms:
copying, infringement of copyright, theft, piracy stealing;
* Powerpoint Presentation on “What does it mean to cite evidence?”
- Students will notes on citing evidence
Tuesday, November 4, through Friday, November 7, 2014
* Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting Text-based Evidence
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/03/
Thursday, November 6, 2014
* Early Release
* Citing Evidence Assignment
Monday, October 27, 2014
* Informative Essay Analysis with Rubric
- Students will read several anonymous Bruner Writes essays and score each essay in the areas of (1) focus, purpose, and organization (2) evidence and elaboration and (3) grammar conventions using the Informative Writing Rubric that we analyzed last week.
* Homework: Organization of Ideas Worksheet Due Tomorrow
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
* Class reading of a play
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
* Common Core Skills Practice Packet
- Students will complete short, refresher exercises on punctuation, capitalization, quotation marks, formal and informal language, precise sentence combining, theme, and context clues
Thursday, October 30, 2014
* Cold Close Read with Comprehension Quiz - "The Dallas Cowboys"
Friday, October 31, 2014
* Organization of Ideas Worksheet Student Talk
- Students will work with a partner to properly organize the paragraph in chronological order.
- Students will work with another pair of students to reach a consensus on the proper order of the paragraph.
- Students will send one group member to consult with the teacher on the accuracy of their answers
- Students will continue the process until 100% accuracy is achieved.
* Model Informative Essay Analysis
- Students will work with the teacher to break down the components of a model essay from Bruner Writes.
- Students will identify parts of the essay that meet the requirements of the FSA rubric that we have been studying.
- Students will identify parts of the essay that do not meet the requirements of the FSA rubric.
Note: The students were not ready to move on, so we will work more closely on documenting sources, paraphrasing, and summarizing. So, coming up in the near future.........
* Begin Unit 1 Argumentative Essay Writing: Performance Assessment Book
In this unit you will learn how to write an argumentative essay that is based on your close reading and analysis of several relevant sources. You will learn a step-by-step approach to stating a precise claim – and then organize your essay to support your claim in a clear and logical way.
- Analyze the Model: p.3
Essential Guiding Question: Should we celebrate Columbus Day?
Source Materials: Two Newspaper Editorials and a student model of an argumentative essay.
Graphic Organizer: Terminology of Argumentative Texts.
Practice the Task:
Source Materials: A blog, a biography, an advertisement, a newspaper article
Argumentative Guiding Question: Should people have the right to claim territory in outer space?
Monday, October 20 , 2014
* End of the first 9 weeks – No school for students
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
* Spelling Bee
Wednesday, October 22, 2014, through Friday, October 24, 2014
* Return and go over Vocabulary Quiz on Commonly Confused Words
(accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
* Return and go over Exam
* Return and go over several small assignments
* Return and discuss informative essays on why scientific knowledge changes and the impact on society.
- Students will use the rubric for informative essays to analyze their essays.
- Students will redraft their introduction,
- Students will redraft one body paragraph
- Students will redraft their conclusion without using rhetorical questions.
Monday, October 13 , 2014, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays – Performance Assessment Book
- Review essay structure
Students will be provided with the following tips sheet:
Introductory Paragraph:
- Hook your reader’s interest by using an interesting fact or observation that clearly identifies the subject of
your essay.
- Explain the basic broad background knowledge needed to introduce the topic.
- Write a thesis statement that addresses the writing prompt.
Body Paragraphs: Think of each body paragraph as a mini essay that needs an introduction, body, and conclusion.
- (Introduction) Use a transition to introduce your topic sentence.
Examples: To begin with, Additionally, Furthermore, In conclusion
- (Body) Discuss only the main idea in your topic sentence throughout the paragraph.
- Support the main idea with facts, examples, and quotations from the text.
- Keep your supporting details relevant to the paragraph’s main idea.
- Make sure each sentence logically follows the one before it.
- Name the article and author for every quote or idea you use from the text.
- (Conclusion) Have a wrap-up sentence that links back to your topic sentence and finishes the idea you are
expressing.
Concluding Paragraph:
- Use a transition that indicates you are about to write your last thoughts on the topic. Examples: In conclusion,
As a final thought
- Make a final restatement of your thesis.
- Summarize and link together the main ideas of each paragraph working backwards rom the 3rd body paragraph
to the 2nd body paragraph to the 1st body paragraph to your introduction.
- Give the audience something to think about by making an observation on the topic.
* Informative Essay Analysis
- Students will work with Mrs. Satterfield to analyze last week’s writing through reading prompt.
- Students will discuss the annotations made during the source document reading
- Students will make a three column graphic organizer with the following heading: Change/Cause/Effect
- Students will record information in the graphic organizer.
- Students will discuss the organizational method selected for the assignment
- Students will analyze a model essay on the writing prompt
- Students will compare the model to the grading rubric for informative essays.
* Tomorrow in AA you will begin a performance task assessment. You will read several sources and write an informative essay. In Language Arts class on Thursday, you will go to the computer lab and type your essay.
* Remember: Sentence Starter Notecards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Bellringer: Make a Mini Grammar Handbook Reality Central Workbook pp. 219-228
- Students will tear out lessons on capitalization, punctuation, spelling, commonly confused words, editing checklist, and proofreader’s marks to create a mini grammar handbook.
* Classwork: Grammar Practice pp. 219-228
- Students will read review lessons and complete practice exercises on capitalization, end marks, commas, apostrophes, quotation marks, and spelling
- Students will interact with the teacher during review of the concepts and exercises.
* Assign Vocabulary Words: Commonly Confused Words p. 224 Quiz on Friday
(accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
* Classwork/Homework: Write one original sentence that demonstrates understanding of the definition for each vocabulary word on page 224 of your grammar handbook packet. Do not use the exact sentence provided.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014)
Bellringer: Students will practice using context clues to select the appropriate commonly confused word for each sentence.
1. I hope Tom will (accept/except) the new puppy into his home.
2. We go to the store everyday (accept/except) Sunday.
3. A high fever is one (affect/effect) of the illness.
4. I hope the flu will not (affect/effect) your plans to travel.
5. The buffet line was (all ready/already) by the time the party started.
6. Tom got there so late the food was (all ready/already) gone.
7. We were happy with the (amount/number) of T-shirts sold.
8. The coffee contains a large (amount/number) of cream.
9. Tom stood (beside/besides) the dessert table waiting for another piece of pie.
10. (Beside/Besides) football, Tom likes to play basketball and soccer.
* Note: Don’t forget about you vocabulary quiz on Friday - Commonly Confused Words p. 224 only/Grammar Handbook Pages (accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
* Finish Grammar Handbook pp. 219-223
* Spelling Bee next Tuesday. Study your words. Practice in class as time permits.
* Note: Meet me in room 203 tomorrow to type your essay.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
* Room 203 for essay typing
* Note: Don’t forget about you vocabulary quiz tomorrow on Commonly Confused Words. (p. 224 only/Grammar Handbook Pages) (accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
Friday, October 17, 2014
* Vocabulary Quiz on Commonly Confused Words
(accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
* Return and discuss informative essays on why scientific knowledge changes and the impact on society.
- Students will use the rubric for informative essays to analyze their essays.
- Students will redraft their introduction, one body paragraph, and their conclusion without using rhetorical questions.
Monday, October 6, 2014, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays p. 53
Assignment Prompt: Write an informative essay that explains how the presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades.
- Students will begin drafting an informative essay with direct instruction and modeling from the teacher.
Introductory Paragraph:
- Hook your reader’s interest and clearly identify your subject.
- Use an interesting question, fact, or observation to get the reader’s attention.
- Explain the basic problem with pythons as pets.
- Write a thesis statement that addresses the writing prompt.
1st Body Paragraph:
- Use a transition to introduce your topic sentence on changes in the local animals in the Everglades.
- Discuss only the main idea about changes in the local animals
- Support the main idea with facts, examples, and quotations from the text.
- Keep your supporting details relevant to this paragraph’s main idea.
* Remember: Sentence Starter Notecards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will construct an informational essay based on text evidence for the following prompt: Write an informative essay that explains how the presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades.
2nd Body Paragraph:
- Use a transition to introduce your topic sentence on changes in people in the Everglades.
- Discuss only the main idea about changes in people
- Support the main idea with facts, examples, and quotations from the text.
- Keep your supporting details relevant to this paragraph’s main idea.
3rd Body Paragraph
- Use a transition to introduce your topic sentence on changes in the ecosystem in the Everglades.
- Discuss only the main idea about changes in the local animals
- Support the main idea with facts, examples, and quotations from the text.
- Keep your supporting details relevant to this paragraph’s main idea.
* Remember: Sentence Starter Notecards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence and/or argumentative writing techniques.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will construct an informational essay based on text evidence for the following prompt: Write an informative essay that explains how the presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades.
Concluding Paragraph:
- Use a transition that indicates you are about to write your last thoughts on the topic.
- Summarize the main idea of each paragraph working backwards from the 3rd body paragrapah to the 2nd body paragraph to the first body paragraph to your intro
- Make a final restatement of your thesis.
- Give the audience something to think about.
* Tomorrow you will begin a performance task assessment. The essay will count as a test grade.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays Step 3 Perform the Task p. 55
- Students will read informational texts and write an informational essay on the following prompt:
You have read several sources about advancements in scientific knowledge. Write an informative essay that discusses why scientific knowledge changes over time, and what impact these changes have on society. Include text evidence to support your ideas.
Homework: pp. 63-65!!! Very important!!!! You will have to write the essay tomorrow in the class period time! Please be prepared.
Friday, October 10, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will write their essays p. 65 Performance Assessment book
This will count as a test grade!!
Monday, September 29, 2014
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book starting on page 34, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
1. What is an informative essay?
2. What is the purpose of nonfiction, informative writing?
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will read, annotate, and analyze a student model of an informative essay
- Students will discuss with Mrs. Satterfield the facts, sensory details, and actions described in the models
- Students will discuss terminology for informative writing (See below)
- Students will complete a chart with examples from the student model on the different informative essay terms. (topic, text structure, focus, supporting evidence, domain-specific vocabulary, and text features)
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book starting on page 34, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
3. List five examples of nonfiction writing.
4. What are the nonfiction topics that will be read and discussed in this unit on informational essays?
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays pp. 43-49
- Students will practice reading informational passages and constructing an informational essay based on text evidence for the following prompt: Write an informative essay that explains how the presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades.
Note: This will be a fast moving exercise in preparation for the informative essay exam on October 14th!
Source Materials: Informational Article, Newspaper Article, Advertisement, Blog
- Students will plan and prewrite for their essays p. 50 and 51 Performance Assessment book
* Remember: Sentence Starter Notecards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence and/or argumentative writing techniques.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book on pages 34 and 36, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
5. How can you be successful when presenting facts in informative writing?
6. What is a source material?
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will finish preplanning and begin writing their essay
Thursday, October 2, 2014
* Early Release
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book on page 36, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
7. What three things must a successful informative essay convey?
8. What can help you plan the organizational structure of an informative essay?
* Finish Bellringers to date if you were absent or behind.
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays as time permits
Friday, October 3, 2014
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book starting on page 36, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
9. What should an introductory paragraph do?
10. Name three ways to support each main idea in a body paragraph.
* Continue with Unit 2
Monday, September 22, 2014
* Bellringer: Use your AAAWWUUBBIS notes to provide a written response in your notebook to the question, “What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?” Restate the question in your response. Write in complete sentences. Provide an example of each.
* In-depth Review of phrases and clauses
* Return and review “Rogue Wave” Test
* Announcement: Mid-First-Nine-Weeks Cumulative Exam
On Wednesday
Part 1: Reading Informational Texts – Patterns of Organization and Analyzing and Making Inferences from Informational Texts
Part 2: Reading Literary Texts - Plot, Setting, Indirect Characterization, Conflicts, and suspense
On Thursday:
Part 3: Sentences – Phrases and Subordinate and Independent Clauses
Part 4: Vocabulary – Academic, “T” Homophones, and Argument Writing Terms
- Students are encouraged to use the on-line resources at http://my.hrw.com They have been given their usernames and passwords.
* Note: Collection 1 Close Reader Assignment Due today.
- Short Story: “Big Things Come in Small Packages”
Students should have completed the following :
- Read the text in the Close Reader slowly all the way through
- take time to think about and respond to the READ and REREAD prompts that help focus their reading
- use annotations in the side-margins and highlighting of important or unknown words and ideas
- cite specific textual evidence to support their analysis of the selection
- Students will notice how the setting influences the characters and plot.
* Homework: “Finding Your Everest” p. 13-16
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
* Bellringer: Use your AAAWWUUBBIS notes and page 362 in the grammar book to provide a written response in your notebook to the question, “What is the difference between a subordinate and independent clause?” Restate the question in your response. Write in complete sentences. Provide an example of each.
* In-depth review of subordinate and independent clauses.
* Formal Introduction of RACE for an A+ Answer
- Students will learn an acronym to assist them in properly answering written response questions.
- Students will be given a flyer on the technique acronym to keep as a reference.
* Remember: Mid-First-Nine-Weeks Cumulative Exam starts tomorrow. Study your notes.
Tomorrow: Part 1: Reading Informational Texts – Patterns of Organization and Analyzing and Making Inferences from Informational Texts
Part 2: Plot, Setting, Indirect Characterization, Conflicts, and Suspense
On Thursday: Part 3: Complex Sentences – Phrases and Subordinate and Independent Clauses
Part 4: Vocabulary – Academic, “T” Homophones, and Argument Writing Terms
* Pass out and discuss Reading Informational Texts typed notes – Study tonight!
- Students will be given a typed copy of the notes we took on Reading Informational Texts
* Sentence Stem Cards- As time permits ?
- Students will make notecards with sentence starters for argumentative writing. The cards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence and/or argumentative writing techniques.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
* Return corrected Argument Writing Vocabulary Quiz
* Mid-First-Nine-Weeks Exam Part 1 and Part 2
* Don’t forget about your test tomorrow!
Part 3: Sentences – Phrases and Subordinate and Independent Clauses
Part 4: Vocabulary – Academic, “T” Homophones, and Argument Writing Terms
* Classwork after the test:
1. Complex Sentences: Clauses and Phrases - Grammar book p. 363 “Try It Out” 1-7 and p. 380 1-12 as time permits
2. Study vocabulary sets for tomorrow's test.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
* Mid-First-Nine-Weeks Exam Part 3 and Part 4
* Sentence Starter Cards
Friday, September 26, 2014
* Finish Sentence Starter Cards
* Begin Unit 2 Informational Essay Writing: Performance Assessment Book
In this unit you will analyze information from a variety of nonfiction articles from magazines and newspapers. You will find, organize, and present facts that will add to your readers' knowledge of a topic. Your success will depend on how well you select evidence to support your topic.
- Analyze the Model: p.35
Essential Guiding Question: Why does our knowledge of the universe change over time?
- Students will work with Mrs. Satterfield analyzing a text on strategies for writing informative essays.
- Students will annotate the text using close reading strategies.
- Students will practice using a narrative description strategy on p. 37.
Explain how you might use narrative description in an informative essay on Civil war drummer boys. Think about duties, uniforms, and the boys themselves.
Monday, September 15, 2014
* DEA Testing – Media Center computer lab
* Early Finishers: Log on to your literature book on-line using the password I gave you. Open the Student eBook. Click on the “Contents” icon on the top left corner. Click on “Collection 1: Bold Actions. Open “Close Reader: “Big Things Come in Small Packages.” Listen to the story all the way through by hitting the “audio” link on the left.
* Early Finishers: Log on to your literature book on-line using the password I gave you. Open the Student eBook. Click on the “Contents” icon on the top left corner. Click on “Collection 1: Bold Actions. Open “Comparing Media: Covering Issues in the News”: Click on “Parents of Rescued Teenage Sailor” and hit “Read the Text” Do the same for “Ship of Fools”, and “Was Abby Too Young to Sail”. Listen to the audio by hitting the “audio” link on the left.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
* Bellringer: In your notebook, write a paragraph on the following essential question from Collection 1:
1. How does “taking bold actions” enable one to overcome great challenges?
Analyze the question discussion –
1. What does “taking bold actions” mean? “Taking bold actions” means doing something that most people wouldn’t do because they are afraid.
2. What does “enable” mean? Enable means help.
3. What does it mean to “overcome” something? If you overcome something you get past it.
4. What is a “challenge”? A challenge is something that is hard or difficult to do.
5. Now ask yourself, “What is the question really asking me?” It is asking me how does doing something that most people would NOT do help me get past difficult things in my life.
6. Now think about it and finish this sentence: Taking bold actions enables one to overcome great challenges by_________________________________________________________.
7. Now ask yourself, “What is difficult in my life?” Mine, for example, might be walking a rope bridge between two canyons. Yours might be remembering to do homework, getting to the next level on a PC game, winning your next football game, overcoming your fear of heights, etc.
8. Now ask, “What could I do that most people would NOT do to get past that problem?” For example, I could make an appointment with “Adventures Unlimited” to have a private session with someone to help me get across the rope bridge.
9. Now tie it all together in a paragraph
Sample Notebook Entry:
Taking bold actions can help people overcome great challenges by giving them motivation. For example, I’m afraid to walk on a rope bridge across a canyon. The thought of doing it sends shivers down my spine. If I wanted to overcome that challenge in my life I could take the bold action of hiring a professional to walk me through the process at “Adventures Unlimited”. Making this decision would motivate me to overcome my fear by holding me accountable to the person I made the appointment with.
* Return/Review Assignments from last week: Informational Reading Quiz, Bellringer Quiz on “Rogue Wave”, and Subordinate and Independent Clauses Worksheet
* 6th period only: Test on “Rogue Wave” – Bellringer after test.
Wednesday, September 17, 201
* Substitute
* Bellringer: In your notebook, write a paragraph on the following essential question from Collection 1:
2. How do writers use characters’ actions to develop a short story?
- Analyze the question: What is the question asking?
Start your paragraph with the following sentence:
Writers use descriptions of characters’ actions to develop a short story __________________
Sample Answer: Writers use descriptions of characters’ actions to develop a short story by giving you mental images so you can relate to the conflicts and relationships that exist between the characters. When we as readers infer the character traits associated with those actions, it builds suspense and makes us want to read more. The actions of characters change and develop over the course of the story, making the plot increase in intensity until a resolution is revealed.
* Picture Day
* Don’t forget about your vocabulary quiz on Friday. Go to quizlet.com to practice.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
* Bellringer: In your notebook, write a paragraph on the following essential question from Collection 1:
3. What does it take to be a strong soul?
- Analyze the question: What is a soul? Why would someone want to have a strong soul? Well, what does strong mean? What would they have to do to make sure they had a strong soul?
Sample Entry: A soul is that part of you that is immortal. It’s your spiritual being that is unrelated to material things. A strong soul to me is one that is resistant to thing that would destroy it because that is what strong means. In order to have a strong soul you have to have a positive purpose in your life that motivates you to do and say the right thing because you know your soul will always tell you the truth about the true nature of your character and you have to live with that knowledge forever. “Strength of purpose achieves the impossible!”
* Begin independent analysis of Close Reader assignment: “Big Things Come in Small Packages”
Note: Notice how the setting influences the characters and plot.
* Don’t forget about your vocabulary quiz tomorrow on Argument Writing terms. Go to quizlet.com to practice.
Friday, September 19, 2014
* Argument Writing vocabulary quiz
* Bellringer: Use your handout on subordinate and independent clauses to write 5 sentences which contain a subordinate clause.
* Finish "Big Things Come in Small Packages" due on Monday.
* Next week will be a review of all words to date.
* We will have a cumulative test next week on all topics to date.
Monday, September 8, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 1 - See the “more” tab to see a copy of the quiz
* Continue with reading analysis: Collection #1: Bold Actions
Today’s Text: “Rogue Wave” p. 3 Florida Collections (We finished reading and analyzing this together on Friday.)
Analyze Story Elements: Plot and Setting
Reading Skill: make inferences
Key Learning Objective: The student will be able to identify, analyze, and make inferences about the elements of plot in a short story.
* Collaborative Student Discussion- How and when did this adventure tale “hook” you? What events helped to keep you anxious about what would happen? With a partner, review “Rogue Wave” to point out and discuss the parts that helped to create excitement and anticipation. Also, address the essential questions that were presented at the beginning of the unit.
Essential Questions:
1. How does “taking bold actions” enable one to overcome great challenges?
2. How do writers use characters’ actions to develop a short story?
3. What does it take to be a strong soul?
Assignments:
- Critical Vocabulary p. 17 (swell, deck, navigation, submerge, porthole)
- Analyzing the Text p. 16 – Students will support responses with evidence from the text.
* “Rogue Wave” test will be on Thursday. (Friday for 6th) Check the "More" tab for the questions.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
* Don’t forget about your vocabulary quiz tomorrow.
* Inside/outside Circles - Pairs of students will analyze the questions from yesterday together then the inside circle will rotate to the right. Students will discuss with their new partner the question they were assigned. The new partner on the outside circle will discuss their question next.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
* Vocabulary quiz on Homophones that start with T - Go to www.quizlet.com and search for mrssatterfield@bruner
* Bellringer Quiz - open notes on "Rogue Wave" see the more tab for the quiz.
* Day two review for "Rogue Wave" (1st, 2nd, and 6th) Test tomorrow. 6th period will be on Friday.
* 3rd period will test on "Rogue Wave" Due to schedule changes this class was ahead.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
* Rogue Wave test 1st and 2nd periods
* Issue/Begin Close Reader Workbook - "Finding Your Everest" (See further down for a breakdown)
Friday, September 12, 2014
* DEA Assessment
Coming up next week.......
* Monday - DEA Assessment
* Assign new quizlet.com vocabulary words
* Reteach/Review: Return and discuss graded assignment - Bellringer Quiz on Informational Reading Texts- Students could not relate the questions to their notes. We will further discuss how to analyze a question to be sure the answer they provide is meeting the criteria. We will use the acronym R.A.C.E. It stands for: Restate the question, Answer all questions, Cite from the text, Explain everything.
* Issue Close Reader book and assign Collection 1 reading assignment
- Essay: “Finding Your Everest”
- Read the text in the Close Reader slowly all the way through
- take time to think about and respond to the READ and REREAD prompts that help focus their reading
- use annotations in the side-margins and highlighting of important or unknown words and ideas
- cite specific textual evidence to support their analysis of the selection
September 1-5, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
- No school
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 1 - See the “more” tab to see a copy of the quiz
* Reading: Begin Collection #1: Bold Actions – This collection will take about 6 weeks to complete.
Essential Questions:
1. How does “taking bold actions” enable one to overcome great challenges?
2. How do writers use characters’ actions to develop a short story?
3. What does it take to be a strong soul?
Vocabulary Strategy: Latin Roots
Language and Style: Sentence Structure
Today’s Text: “Rogue Wave” p. 3 Florida Collections
Analyze Story Elements: Plot and Setting
Reading Skill: make inferences
Key Learning Objective: The student will be able to identify, analyze, and make inferences about the elements of plot in a short story.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 2
* Assign Quizlet.com Vocabulary: Homphones that start with “T” Quiz next Wednesday!
* Continue with Bold Actions Collection 1: Short Story “Rogue Wave”
* Lesson- Language Conventions: Sentence Structure – phrase vs. clause and subordinate/dependent vs. independent clauses
* Homework: Clauses Worksheets – due on Friday
Thursday, September 4, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 3
* Continue with Bold Actions Collection 1: Short Story “Rogue Wave”
* Collaborative Student Discussion- How and when did this adventure tale “hook” you? What events helped to keep you anxious about what would happen? With a partner, review ”Rogue Wave” to point out and discuss the parts that helped to create excitement and anticipation.
Friday, September 5, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 4 – Turn it in for a quiz grade
* Clauses Worksheet is due
* Continue with Collection 1 Reading: Analyzing the Text, Critical Vocabulary, Latin Root Words, Sentence Structure
Monday, August 25, 2014 - Friday, August 29, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
* Literary Terms Crossword Puzzle Due
* Notebook check
* Introduction to Quizlet.com: MrsSatterfield@Bruner
- Students will get to see www.quizlet.com in action. Quizlet.com is an interactive way to learn vocabulary. Simply search: mrssatterfield@bruner and follow the links to this week's Academic Vocabulary words. Play vocabulary games and quiz your knowledge of the words.
(Note: A hard copy of the vocabulary words will be given out tomorrow.)
* Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization continued
- Students will notice how the main idea is expressed in two models
- Students will identify the main idea in two paragraphs using one or more of four reading strategies discussed in section 1
- Students will identify whether the main idea is stated or implied in the paragraphs
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
* Vocabulary quiz on Friday: Academic Vocabulary Terms
- Students will be given a list of Academic Vocabulary Terms as well as access to the terms on-line via www.quizlet.com and www.mrssatterfield.weebly.com
1. contribute: to help cause something, the partial cause of something
2. emphasize: to stress something and give it value or importance
3. evaluate: to judge and form an opinion
4. excerpt: a section or piece of writing taken out of a larger piece of writing
5. imply/implied: when something is not directly said or stated by the author or speaker
6. indicate: to show or point out something
7. inference/infer: a conclusion by the reader based on details from the reading passage and background knowledge about the subject
8. paraphrase: to say again; to restate in your own words
9. quote/quotation: a statement of someone's exact words
10. relevant: related to the main idea
* Continuation: Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization - Chronological Order
- students will learn/review Chronological Order as a pattern of organization in informational texts
- students will learn/review strategies for figuring out if a text is written in chronological order
- students will notice the words and phrases that signal time order in two model paragraphs
- students will list at least six words in three paragraphs that indicate chronological order
- students will answer two questions on the content of the practice article entitled, "A Butterfly Gets Its Wings"
* Assign Homework: Denotation and Connotation Exercise - Due on Friday.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
* Bellringer: Vocabulary Practice
- Students will use academic vocabulary in context
1. When you read an entire informational article, or even just an ________________________, you have to pay attention to details.
2. If you can't find the main idea directly stated, you might have to ____________________ based on the details the author gives you.
3. You will know when you have figured out the main idea because the author will ______________ it with his supporting details.
4. If you want to help make class more interesting, you must __________________ to classroom conversations about texts that we read.
5. Remember to stay on the topic being discussed by keeping your comments __________________.
6. I cannot stress, or ____________________, enough just how much your opinion matters.
7. Before you speak, you should make sure you __________________ the text thoroughly so you don't blurt out the wrong answer.
8. The best answers are not read directly from the text. It is best to _______________________ instead.
9. If paraphrasing is difficult, sometimes it will be fine to just ___________________ word for word from the text.
10. Your ability to participate in classroom conversations will ______________________ to me that you are learning.
* Go over answers
* Don't forget: Denotation and Connotation Exercise - Due on Friday.
* Continuation of Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization - Cause-Effect Organization
- students will learn/review cause-effect organization in informational texts
- students will learn/review strategies for figuring out if a text is written in a cause-effect organiztion
- students will notice the words that signal cause and effects in a two paragraph model
- students will use the pattern of a chain of causes and effects to make a graphic organizer showing the causes and effects described it the text entitled, "How a Tsunami Forms"
- students will list three words that the writer uses to signal cause and effect in two paragraphs
Thursday, August 28, 2014
* Bellringer: In your notebook, write a paragraph using as many academic vocabulary words as possible from this week's words displayed on the screen and in your possession. Be prepared to read it aloud. Time 5 minutes GO!!!
*Note: Don't forget tomorrow:
1. your Academic Terms
2. your Denotation/Connotation Exercise
3. your Summer Reading Project
* Continue with Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization - Compare-and-Contrast Organization
- Students will learn/review compare/contrast as a pattern of informational organization
- students will learn/review strategies for reading compare/contrast texts
- students will use signal words and phrases to identify the similarities and differences between subjects in a model text entitled, "Living in Outer Space"
- students will determine whether an article is organized by subject or points of comparison
- students will identify two words that signal compare/contrast in a given paragraph
- students will list two points that a writer compares and contrasts in a given text
- students will use a Venn diagram or a compare/contrast chart to identify two or more points of comparison and the similarities and differences shown in one of two models.
Friday, August 29, 2014
* Bellringer: Study for your vocabulary quiz
* Academic Vocabulary Terms Quiz
* Denotation and Connotation Exercise Due
* Last Day to turn in Summer Reading Project on "Chomp"
* Continuation of Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization - Problem/solution Order
- students will learn/review problem/solution order
- students will learn/review strategies for reading problem/solution texts
- students will identify the cause of a problem in a model text
- students will identify the solution the writer offers and the words that act as clues.
* Note: No school on Monday, September 1, 2014, due to Labor Day.
Monday, August 18, 2014 - Friday, August, 22, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Welcome back to school!!!
* Pass out syllabus and parent letter. Go over rules and expectations. Remind101
* Find the Missing Piece
Objective: Build relationships, review compound words, and reinforce inferring skills.
Students will play two games that help them get to know each other and reinforce skills.
Strategy: (CRISS) Think-Pair-Share structured discussion in which students follow a prescribed process that limits off-task thinking and behavior, and accountability is built in because each student must report to a partner, teacher, and then to the class.
1. Students will each be given one half of a compound word.
2. Students must find the student with the other half of the compound word.
3. Students will come to the front of the room and tell the class their compound word
Comic Strip Chaos -
Strategy: Inquiry-based learning that includes discussion and discourse among students with the teacher as the facilitator and a performance task speaking application.
Reading Skill Emphasis: Infer like a detective :)
1. Each student will be given one panel of a 3 panel comic strip.
2. Students must find the other two people whose panels complete the comic.
3. Students must put the panels in order
4. Students must have Mrs. Satterfield check the order of their panel before being declared the winner.
5. Students will participate in student talk with Mrs. Satterfield to infer the main idea of the comic strips.
* Note: Don't forget about your summer reading project on the book Chomp! It is due on Friday, August 29, 2014. Students may borrow a book from me.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
* "To This Day"
- Students will watch an anti-bullying inspirational video
- Students will write a self-reflecting journal entry entitled "What They are Wrong About Me"
* Note: Have a spiral or composition notebook by Monday.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
* Literary Terms Review (See "More" tab above!!!)
- Students will engage in conversations with the teacher during a Powerpoint on common literary terms that they should already be familiar with and that we will be using throughout the year.
- Students will use a fill-in-the-blank Note-Taking Guide to take notes on the terms. This should be kept in their binder for reference throughout the year.
Homework: Literary Terms Crossword Puzzle - Due on Monday, August 25, 2014
Note: Have a composition or spiral notebook by Monday.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
* Continuation of Literary Terms Powerpoint, Student Talk, and Guided Note-taking
Friday, August 22, 2014
* Note: Have a spiral or composition book by Monday.
* Reading Informational Texts
Objective:
1. To understand how knowledge of text organization improves comprehension
2. To understand how outlining a text improves comprehension
- Students will engage in a close read of page R16 in the textbook on Reading Informational Text
- Students will observe the teacher modeling outlining/note-taking strategies
- Students will take notes on the first of five patterns of text organization.
1. Main Idea and Supporting Details
- the central or most important idea plus the supporting details that tell more about the idea
- main idea can be directly stated (A sentence that actually says the main idea. For example: When
the nomads of Africa began using camels around AD 300, trade across the Sahara became easier.)
- main idea can be implied (Implied means there is NOT a sentence that says the main idea. You
have to infer (figure out) the main idea through the supporting details.
- main idea can be a factual statement or a commonplace assertion (a statement that many people
think is true, but is not necessarily so.)
Coming Up Next Week.......
* Strategies for reading texts that use the main idea and supporting details pattern of organization
* Model, Practice and Apply Understanding of Main Idea and Supporting Details
Plus.......
2. Compare and Contrast
3. Chronological Order
4. Cause and Effect
5. Problem and Solution
These lesson plans are a guide for our classroom. Teachers are not required to post their plans on-line, but I do so as a courtesy to my students and parents. I’m not always exactly sure how long it will take to complete some assignments. If it takes longer to complete an assignment than originally planned, we may fall behind on the lesson plan. If we breeze through an assignment faster than I planned, we will be ahead of the stated lesson plan. Each student is expected to know where we are in our
studies. I will try to keep the plans as current as possible. At the end of the week I will go back and make the lesson plan reflect what was really done each day, so students who were absent will know what to make up. Check back often.
We will be studying argument writing quite a bit this year. Here is a great explanation from the Common Core State Initiative Appendix A of what it is and why it is important.
Argument
Arguments are used for many purposes—to change the reader’s poi
point of view, to bring about some action on the reader’s part, or to ask the reader to accept the writer’s explanation or evaluation of a concept, issue, or problem. An argument is a reasoned, logical way of demonstrating that the writer’s position, belief, or conclusion is valid. In English language arts, students make claims about the worth or meaning of a literary work or works. They defend their interpretations or judgments with evidence from the text(s) they are writing about. In history/social studies, students analyze evidence from multiple primary and secondary sources to advance a claim that is best supported by the evidence, and they argue for a historically or empirically situated interpretation. In science, students make claims in the form of statements or conclusions that answer questions or address problems. Using data in a scientifically acceptable form, students marshal evidence and draw on their understanding of scientific concepts to argue in support of their claims. Although young children are not able to produce fully developed logical arguments, they develop a variety of methods to extend and elaborate their work by providing examples, offering reasons for their assertions, and explaining cause and effect. These kinds of expository structures are steps on the road to argument. In grades
K–, the term “opinion” is used to refer to this developing form of argument.
7th Grade Language Arts – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th
April 20 - 24, 2015
FSA Testing Continued
* The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Chapters 4-7
Vocabulary
Comprehension questions
Quiz
April 13th through 17th
FSA Testing
* The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Book Study
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Tall Ships
The years from 1830 to 1856 have been called the “golden age of the American wooden sailing ship.” Rapid progress brought about by the Industrial Revolution resulted in the expansion of trade on a world-wide scale, in which many kinds of goods were carried across the oceans in wooden sailing ships. Because of the ready supply of lumber and labor, the construction and operation of these wooden ships came to be dominated by the United States.
The commodity that provided the steadiest employment for the American shipping industry during this period was cotton. The route traveled by most of the ships employed in the cotton trade was a triangle. Ships started from New England or New York and sailed south to Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, or New Orleans, then across the Atlantic to Liverpool in England or Le Havre in France, and finally back to the point of origin. It has been established that by the early 1850s some 40,000 sailors were employed by American shipping companies.
Women At the Helm
Although the officers and crews of the tall ships were almost exclusively men, instances of women sailors have been recorded. One such woman sailor was Mary Patten, the wife of a clipper ship captain. On a voyage around Cape Horn, the ship encountered a violent storm. During the storm, Captain Patten became ill, and the first mate had to be put into irons for insubordination. With her husband and the first mate incapacitated, Mary Patten, who had been taught to navigate on previous voyages, took command and brought the 200-foot, 1600 ton ship safely into San Francisco harbor. At the time, Mary Patten was a teenager.
Introduction
The book you are about to read is an adventure story that falls into the category of historical fiction. In such a story, realistic details are used to show the conditions and the spirit of a particular historical era. The writer may use actual figures and historical events, fictional characters and events, or a combination of both. As you read, notice what you learn about life for sailors aboard a sailing ship in 1832.
1. Preview the book by reading the title and author’s name and by looking at the illustration on the cover. What do you think the book will be about? Have you read any other books by the same author?
2. One major theme in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is the abuse of authority. What does abuse of authority mean to you? Have you ever witnessed such abuse? Authority grants power, but it also imposes obligations. What are the obligations of people in power?
3. Another major them in the novel is the importance of a home. What constitutes a home and a family? What might happen to someone who is separated from his or her home for a long period of time?
4. Another theme of this novel is the subject of racial prejudice. One of the main characters is a free black man who sailed for an American shipping company in 1832. Given your knowledge of American history in the turbulent years before the Civil War, what kinds of prejudice do you think this character might have faced?
5. The main character in the novel is called upon to make several crucial decisions. Think about important decisions you have made in your life. How have your decisions been influenced by your family and the place in which you live?
Monday, March 30, 2015
All Bellringers should be placed on one sheet of paper for the week and turned in on Friday for a classwork grade.
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using there, their, and they’re
1. Is that ____________ car?
2. Please place the drink over __________.
3. _____________ going to the store tomorrow.
* Handouts:
1. “The Terrible Ten” (its, it’s, your, you’re, too, to, two, their, there, and they’re)
2. “Vocabulary 2: Homophones T” (there, their, they’re, threw, through, thru, to, too, and two)
* There will be a TEST on these words next Wednesday, April 8, 2015
* Lesson: Know the Difference Between “they’re, there, and their”
* Classwork: Word Choice There, Their, They’re Quick Test 1-5
* Home work: Word Choice Exercise 1: Their, there, and they’r
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
* Homework Due – their, there, and they’re
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using threw, through, and thru
1. Bob ____ the ball to Tom.
2. Burger King has a drive-_________ window.
3. I walked ________ the door.
* Lesson: Finding and Fixing Fragments
* Classwork: Quick Test 1-5
Homework: Fragments Exercise 3 Due tomorro
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using to, too, and two
1. We need ___ order ______ uniforms.
2. There are _____ many people talking.
* Homework: Word Choice Exercise 12: To, Too, and Two Due tomorrow
* Lesson: Finding and Fixing comma Splices and Fused Sentences
* Classwork/Homework: Comma Splices and Fused Sentences Exercise 4
Thursday, April 2, 2015
* Homework Due – Word Choice 12: To, Too, and Two
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using its and it’s
1. ______ a beautiful day!
2. The garage is ______ home.
* Lesson: Using Commas Correctly with a Series of Adjectives
* Classwork: Quick Test 1-5
* Homework: Word Choice Exercise 13: Its and It’s
Friday, April 3, 2015
* Bellringer: Complete the sentences using your and you’re
1. These are ______ notebooks.
2. _____ not going with us.
* Turn in corrected Bellringers for the week.
* Lesson: Finding and Fixing Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
* Classwork/Homework: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Exercise 1
Monday, March 16, through Thursday, March 19, 2015
* The Call of the Wild Novel Study
* Chapter 7 reading on Monday with Reading check questions for chapters 6 & 7
Movie on Tuesday and Wednesday
Comprehension Test on Thursday
Monday March 9, through Friday March 13, 2015
* The Call of the Wild Novel Study
- Reading check for chapters 1-3
Chapters 4-6 reading
Chapters 4-5 Reading Check, Novel Charcters chart, Cause and Effect Exercise
Vocabulary 5-20
Crossword puzzle due on Tuesday the 17th
Monday, March 2, 2015
* Review for Florida State Assessment - Writing Exam
Tuesday, March 3, through Thursday, March 19, 2015
"The Call of the Wild" novel study
* Begin Fiction Novel Study: The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Note: There will be quite a bit of work that will have to be completed at home to complete this novel on time.
The following Sunshine State Standards will be covered during our study of The Call of the Wild.
Reading Process
Reading Comprehension Standard: The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend grade level text.
The student will:
LA.7.1.7.8- use strategies to repair comprehension of grade-appropriate text when self-monitoring indicates confusion, including but not limited to rereading, checking context clues, predicting, note-making, summarizing,
using graphic and semantic organizers, questioning, and clarifying by checking other sources.
Literary Analysis
Fiction Standard: The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of the elements of a variety of
fiction and literary texts to develop a thoughtful response to a literary selection.
The student will:
LA.7.2.1.1 - identify and analyze the characteristics of various genres (e.g., poetry, fiction, short story,
dramatic literature) as forms with distinct characteristics and purposes;
LA.7.2.1.2 - locate and analyze elements of characterization, setting, and plot, including rising action, conflict, resolution, theme, and other literary elements as appropriate in a variety of fiction;
LA.7.2.1.3 - locate various literary devices (e.g., sound, meter, figurative and descriptive
LA.7.2.1.4 - identify and analyze recurring themes across a variety of works (e.g., bravery, friendship, loyalty, good
vs. evil);
LA.7.2.1.5 - develop an interpretation of a selection and support through sustained use of examples and contextual evidence;
LA.7.2.1.6 - compare the use of the same theme in two different literary genres, using their structural features as the basis for the comparison (e.g., novel and play, poem and short story);
LA.7.2.1.7-locate and analyze an author’s use of allusions and descriptive, idiomatic, and figurative language in a variety of literary text, identifying how word choice is used to appeal to the reader’s senses and emotions, providing evidence from text to support the analysis;
LA.7.2.1.8 - explain how ideas, values, and themes of a literary work often reflect the historical period in
which it was written;
Writing Applications
Informative Standard: The student develops and demonstrates expository writing that provides information related to real-world tasks.
The student will:
LA.7.4.2.3 - write specialized informational/expository essays (e.g., process, description, explanation, comparison/contrast, problem/solution) that include a thesis statement, supporting details, an organizational structure particular to its type, and introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs;
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Objectives:
o Increase literal reading comprehension
o Deepen interpretations of author’s meaning
o Increase recognition of and facility with literary elements
o Stimulate creative responses to literature
o Exercise critical thinking and writing abilities
Introduction to The Call of the Wild by Jack London – Students should take notes.
o Focus on background information
- Jack London Biography, p. 162 of book
- Critical Commentary about the Novel (p.7 Blue book)
o Elements of the Novel
-
Themes
+ The Nature of Survival: Only the fittest survive in nature.
Questions:
- What characteristics are required to succeed in conflicts against a hostile environment?
- What role does chance or luck play in survival?
+ Civilization vs. Primitive Nature: Even a primitive creature is capable of love.
· Continue with introduction of The Call of the Wild
o Point of View and Characterization
- Limited third-person – We are told not only what Buck does and observes but also what he
thinks as he adjusts to his new environment and reacts to challenges and the other characters. This point of view excludes us from the minds of the other dogs and the human characters. We judge, or infer, their personalities through their actions and through Buck’s opinions of them and, in the case of the humans, through dialogue
o The Setting- Santa Clara Valley, California, south of San Francisco, but it moves quickly to..
- Yukon Territory of northwestern Canada during the years of the Klondike gold rush in the late 1890’s
- London uses changes in the setting as contrast to changes in characters.
o
Similes- Figures of speech are commonly found in this book
- London uses a lot of similes - A common figure of speech that imaginatively compares two seemingly dissimilar things using the words like or as
· Considering Titles Activity p. 13
o Write a paragraph to express your thoughts about “calls.” Then, when you read The Call of the Wild, see if you can figure out what “audible” and “internal” calls are important to the characters.
* Read Novel Notes 1 and 2 and do pre-reading activities
* Illustrate the setting at Judge Miller's place in Santa Clara Valley, California
* Read chapter 1 - Students will listen to a professional reading from a CD The Call of the Wild
o Analyze chapter 1- Unfamiliar details, vocabulary, questions, notes
o Discussion on characters: Novel Organizer p. 31
Students will discover that one way to follow events as you read is to keep track of the characters. Students will chart descriptions of characters from the first chapter.
* Read chapter 2
- Analyze: unfamiliar details, vocabulary, questions, notes
* Tracking the Dog Characters p. 33 Students will chart appearance, personality traits, and typical
actions of the dog characters
Monday, February 9, 2015
* Test on “from Mississippi Solo”
* Early Finishers: Reality Central Reading
Tuesday, February 10, through Friday, February 12, 2015
* Citing Textual Evidence Practice
Students will practice citing evidence from the short passages on the Reading Skills worksheets from last week.
Example:
1. Cite directly quoted text evidence from question 1 to support the claim that the teenagers’ mother should not be hypercritical.
To begin with, the teenagers’ mother should not be hypercritical. According to the article, “Six Reading Skills” by Jane Doe, “They were good students, helped around the house, and did their own laundry.” (Doe, 2) What this means is there really wasn’t a reason for their mother to be overly critical because they were good kids overall. When their mother got on to them about every little thing, it just created “a problem with their mother”. (Doe, 1) This type of relationship can only do harm to both parties in the long run. Hopefully the mother will realize this and start to appreciate her teenagers more often.
Your Turn:
2. Cite directly quoted text evidence from question 2 to support the claim that Bob should rent the spacious apartment.
Framed Paragraph:
_______________________________________, Bob should rent the spacious apartment because it is pretty and convenient. According to the article, "_____________________________” by_________________________________, “The neighborhood ______________________________________________
____________________________________________” (____________, ___)
This is showing how much he likes the apartment. It is much easier to live in a place that is pleasing to the eye than something that looks like a dump. Also, the ability to walk out the door to buy your groceries and supplies is very convenient. Plus he said, “it was the first apartment on the right” which means he doesn’t have to even walk down a hallway (______________, ______). These two aspects should definitely influence Bob’s decision to rent the place.
3. Cite directly quoted text evidence from question 3 to support the claim that the student should get detention because his behavior was unacceptable.
4. Cite directly quoted text evidence from page 13 question1 to support the claim that long distance friendships can last if you keep in touch with each other.
5. Cite directly quoted text evidence from page 13 question 2 to support the claim that people should go to the castle building contest at the beach because the sandcastles are very elaborate.
6. Cite directly quoted text evidence from page 13 question 3 to support the claim that animals with small bodies have an advantage over large animals in the desert.
Citing Paraphrased Text Evidence
Example:
7. Cite paraphrased text evidence from page 14 question 3 to support the claim that pepper was once considered very valuable.
To begin with, pepper was once considered to be very valuable. According to the text, “Determining Word Meanings” by John Doe, when military personnel invaded new cities they would steal the pepper from their enemy. The Romans actually used it to buy off their enemies. (Doe, 1-3) The author’s point is that if people used it to claim victory over other countries, surely it must have been viewed as valuable.
Framed paragraph
8. Cite paraphrased text evidence from the excerpt on page 16 to support the claim that karate is a useful skill to learn.
___________________________________________________, karate is a useful skill to learn. According to the text, “Identifying Supporting Ideas”, the Chinese people once used it to defeat the ___________________________. Then the Japanese learned it too, and it quickly became popular after ____________________________ (__________________,_____). The author is demonstrating with this example how useful karate can be. It could come in handy for any situation that requires self -defense. Having this skill could easily save a life.
9. Cite paraphrase text evidence from the excerpt on page 17 to support the claim that the Mohawk mother in the passage loved her husband and oldest son.
10. Cite paraphrased text evidence from the excerpt on page 17 to support the claim that the Mohawk mother in the passage believed her youngest son would return with her husband and oldest son.
Monday, February 2, through Friday, February 6, 2015
* Memoir – “from Mississippi Solo”
Students will:
* Read a memoir
* Identify features of a memoir
* Understand style, mood, and figurative language
* Test will be on Monday
* Homework: Reading Skills Worksheets
Monday, January 26, and Tuesday, January 27, 2015
* Close Reading and Argument Writing: Okaloosa Writes Analysis Continued
Objective: Comprehend a difficult topic through close reading and complete a five paragraph fully sustained argument essay.
* With assistance, scaffolding, and modeling from the teacher based on the different needs of each student, students will:
- Use a “Warrant Workout” graphic organize to explain two pieces of text to use as evidence with each body paragraph claim
- Pick an interesting fact to use as a hook
- Draft an introductory paragraph that uses a hook to lead to a summary of the issue and a thesis statement.
- Draft three full body paragraphs that use sentence stems at the beginning and within the paragraph to link each sentence to the next.
- Have at least one body paragraph that introduces a counterclaim and makes a claim against it that expands through evidence and elaboration to further disprove the counterclaim.
- Draft a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main points and brings the essay full circle by referring back to the hook or a point made in the introductory paragraph.
Wednesday, January 28, and Thursday, January 29, 2015
* DEA Testing in the computer lab
Friday, January 30, 2015
* Finish essays if needed
* Reading Skills and Strategies Guided Practice
Objective: Increase reading skills
Focus Skill #1: Determining Word Meanings through:
- prefixes and suffixes
- context clues
- academic vocabulary knowledge
- text comprehension
Focus Skill #2: Identifying Supporting Ideas
- identify important facts and details
- put events in the order they happened
- follow the directions in order
- figure out the setting
Materials: Common Core Test Prep pp. 12-19
Due: Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015, through Friday, January 23, 2015
* Argument Writing: Okaloosa Writes Analysis
Objective: Understand and correct the errors made on Okaloosa Writes
Errors to be addressed:
- Close reading involves annotating the text. We did it all year, and most students did not do it on OW. You cannot understand what you read if you don’t question the text and explain in the margins what you understand about it. Where are the one sentence summaries that we practiced? Don’t get in a rush and forget that you have to understand what you read before you can write about it. A great essay starts with close reading and understanding the topic. USE the strategies you learn in class on assessments. That is why we teach them to you.
- Make sure you understand the prompt! The topic was not about whether fast food workers should get a raise. It was about whether minimum wage should be raised. There is a huge difference!
- A large (too large) portion of students had blank planning sheets! L Your essay will lack organization and become a list of random ideas if you don’t plan! What 3 points will you make? How will you put those three points in a thesis? What piece of text will you use to support each reason? Remember all the T-charts and outlines we did in class? You have to USE the strategies that you have been taught. Stop and think, “What have I been taught to do?” Take a breath and THINK. You cannot throw everything you learned out the window and just start writing whatever random thought strikes you at the moment.
- Using 1/3 of the given writing space will never qualify as a “fully sustained” essay. If you start writing your introduction and notice you only used three lines on the page, you can assume it is too short. Each paragraph should use up about ½ of the page. You MUST write more than 2/3 of one page for a 5 paragraph essay. Elaborating your ideas will get you there. Don’t leave the reader hanging with unexplained ideas.
- Homophones that we already learned were being misused all over the place. Their, there, and they’re were the biggest offenders. I will be reteaching and quizzing on those.
- Contradiction is not a counter claim. If you talk about the other point of view without saying why it is wrong, you are just contradicting your thesis instead of disproving the counter claim. You MUST explain why the counter claim is unacceptable. Not explaining why the other side is wrong also makes your paper informative instead of argumentative and could cause you to get an unscoreable because it does not meet the requirements of argumentative writing.
- Cite evidence and borrowed ideas either in the body or by putting the author and paragraph number in parenthesis. You must tell the reader where every borrowed idea came from.
- Despite being repeatedly told not to write using the word “I’, a bunch of students’ essays were covered in “I” statements. Some didn’t even capitalize the word “I”! Do not say “I think”. It is your essay. Of course it is what you think. Just say it. Minimum wage should not be raised. Not: I think minimum wage should not be raised. There is no need to say, “I think”.
- Please read every sentence you write as soon as you write it. A sentence must have a subject and predicate. Essays were full of incomplete sentences and fragments. Misuse of introductory clauses (AAWWUBBIS) was a problem too.
* With assistance and modeling from the teacher students will:
- read their essay
- analyze and understand their essay score using the scoring rubric
- break into pairs to do a close read of the resource materials using one sentence summaries for every 2-3 paragraphs
- make a T chart: reasons for raising the minimum wage vs. reasons against raising the minimum wage
- Pick a side and write a thesis statement with three reasons from the T chart
- Pick one or two pieces of text to use with each reason and make a brief outline
- Pick an interesting fact to use as a hook
- Draft an introductory paragraph that uses a hook to lead to a summary of the issue and a thesis statement.
- Draft one full body paragraph that uses sentence stems at the beginning and within the paragraph to link each sentence to the next.
- Draft one full body paragraph that addresses and disproves the counterclaim
- Draft a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main points and brings the essay full circle by referring back to the hook or point in the introductory paragraph.
Monday, January 12, 2015, through Thursday, January 15, 2015
Note: Due to midterm exams that require altered times for class periods throughout the week, I did not break the lesson down into days because each class period will be on a different schedule. This is the story we will be reading and the activities that we will do.
* Short Story: “Another Place, Another Time” by Cory Doctorow
Key Learning Objective: The student will be able to identify and analyze how setting affects characters’ traits, motivations, and actions
Lexile: 1060
Setting a Purpose: Science-based ideas are important in this story. As you read, think of the significance of these ideas to the characters – especially to Gilbert
Vocabulary: eloquence, judicious, spyglass, sextant, maroon, symbol, motivation, mood
Story Elements: setting, motivation, direct character traits, indirect character traits
Skills: Infer, Interpret, Cite Evidence, Synthesize
Students will:
- Read the short story independently
- Answer side-margin questions as they read
- Cite text evidence to support their answers
- Determine Meaning of Words and Phrases
- Analyze Story Elements – character and dialogue
- Participate in collaborative discussions with the teacher and peers
- Answer the Analyzing the Text Questions after reading and discussing the story
- Practice and Apply Critical Vocabulary in context
- Use a dictionary as a reference aid to identify synonyms to tell what a sentence means
- Do a performance task writing activity: Character Profile
- Quiz on comprehension and vocabulary
Monday, January 5,2015
* Writing Boot Camp
Objective: Prepare for Okaloosa Writes on Thursday
Students will:
- Read an exemplar essay that has a perfect score
- Conduct student/teacher talk on the characteristics that make it a 10 using rubric language
- Analyze the minimal direct quoting of the text, depth of knowledge, commentary, and elaboration
- Analyze their graded essays from before the break.
- Take notes on tips for Thursday.
+ Introductory phrases are not separate sentences- In the poem “Abuelito Who”, is about a granddaughter …
No need for “is about”
+ Capitalize all the words except small connecting words and put quotation marks around titles: “Abuelito Who”
+ Argument writing on Thursday must address the counterclaim. If you don’t address and disprove the other point of view, you may receive an unscoreable zero.
+ You must WRITE down in your essay where you got your information. This is called citing documentation and MUST be done for every idea you take from an article or reading source. If you plagiarize you will fail! Just SAY IT!!! According to the article, “Whatever the Title Is”…..
+ You MUST use more than one source in your essay.
+ Please use the words “there”, “their”, and “they’re” correctly!!! Go to quizlet.com to practice if you forgot.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
* Writing Boot Camp Day 2
Students will:
- Read a summary on parts of the book, “Thank You For Arguing: What Aritstotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About The Art of Persuasion” By Jay Heinrichs.
- Class discussion on argumentative strategies
- Practice making claims, counterclaims and rebuttals
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
* Writing Boot Camp Day 3
Students will continue making claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals based on short argumentative reading passages provided by the teacher.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
* Okaloosa Writes Mid-term Exam
Friday, January 9, 2015
* “Pacific Crossing” due
Students will be allowed to finish the questions and quiz in class with a book
Unit 7 Language Practice - Prewriting, Composing, and Editing
, December 15, through Thursday, December 18, 2014
* Novel Study: Pacific Crossing
Students will read independently and answer the guiding questions.
Book and questions should be complete by Monday, January 5, 2015.
Monday, December 8, 2014
* Continue with poetry lesson
(tone, theme, speaker, figurative language, symbol, style, mood, rhythm)
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
* Performance Assessment Book pp. 75-78
- Students will read a source article on “Universal Theme”
- Students will annotate the article with one sentence summaries
- Students will read and analyze a folk tale
- Students will read and analyze a poem
Wednesday, December 10, through Friday, December 12, 2014
* Essay: Write a compare and contrast essay on the universal theme of the folk tale and poem we analyzed yesterday.
- Students will work with the teacher, students, and alone to plan, draft, and write their essay. This counts as a test grade.
Friday, December 12, 2014
* Finish Essay
* Assign Novel: Pacific Crossing by Gary Soto - Study Guide questions due Monday, January 5, 2015
Monday, December 1, and Tuesday, December 2, 2014
* Close Reader: “Heartbeat” p. 25
-Students will do a first read while annotating for the gist
- Students will answer side-margin questions and define 5 vocabulary words.
- Students will listen to the audio version of the short story.
- Students will engage in conversations with the teacher and each other during analysis of the story.
Note: Test on Wednesday.
* Captains Courageous chapters 9 and 10 - Write summaries for each chapter. Due December 10th
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
* Test on “Heartbeat”
* Begin Poetry Analysis
- Students will review Performance Assessment book on poetry terms
Thursday, December 4, 2014
* Early Release and Pep Rally
Friday, December 5, 2014
* Guest Teacher – Mrs. Baker will teach a lesson on poetry using The Black Eyed Peas song “Where is the Love”
Monday, November 17, 2014
* Open article quiz – “Why Ebola is So Dangerous”
Why Ebola is So Dangerous”
Quiz
_______1. What is Ebola?
A. the world’s deadliest disease
B. a deadly viral illness
C. vomiting and diarrhea
D. contact with infected blood
________2. Which piece of text evidence supports the claim that Ebola can be spread from human to human?
A. You can get it from “close contact with infected animals”.
B. “The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa.”
C. You can get it by “direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or
organs”.
D. The “Ebola outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa”.
________3. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola can spread quickly?
A. “The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa.”
B. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
C. The virus might have been “contained in Nigeria and Senegal”.
D. “There have been 20 cases of Ebola being imported by
someone traveling from a country of widespread transmission to Nigeria.
________4. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola can be
spread from contact with infected animals?
A. Bushmeat in Africa is “a prized delicacy” that can contain the Ebola virus.
B. “This year’s outbreak is unusual because it started in Guinea.”
C. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
D. Diagnosis is hard because the symptoms are similar to other viruses.
________5. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola can be spread through unsanitary cultural practices?
A. 2,836 people have died in Liberia
B. “Preparation of bodies for burial involves washing, touching and kissing” the
body of all people, including those infected with Ebola.
C. “If a person has died from Ebola, their body will have a very high viral load.”
D. “All previous outbreaks were much smaller.”
________6. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola is putting healthcare
workers at risk?
A. A Spanish nurse got the disease after treating two infected missionaries.
B. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
C. “Those with the highest status in society are often charged with washing and
preparing the body.”
D. “All previous outbreaks were much smaller.”
________7. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that the message about avoiding
contact with infected people is difficult to get across?
A. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
B. A Spanish nurse got the disease after treating two infected missionaries.
C. There has not been enough time for “the necessary cultural shift” to take
place in West African religious and death practices.
D. The virus can spread quickly in urban areas.
________8. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola has started an
“international health emergency”.
A. The symptoms of Ebola can include “fever, intense weakness, muscle pain
and a sore throat”.
B. The disease can be caught from infected “chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest
antelope.”
C. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
D. “More than 3,850 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra
Leone and Nigeria this year.”
________9. Which piece of text evidence best supports the claim that Ebola is difficult to diagnose?
A. The symptoms of Ebola can include “fever, intense weakness, muscle pain
and a sore throat” which are very similar to other viruses.
B. The disease can be caught from infected “chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest
antelope.”
C. Ebola was initially discovered “in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976”.
D. “More than 3,850 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra
Leone and Nigeria this year.”
________10. Which of the following would make the best thesis statement on why Ebola is dangerous?
A. Ebola is dangerous because it was discovered in the Congo in 1976, bats
have it, and two nurses died.
B. Ebola is dangerous because it can spread quickly from person to person,
animal to person, or contaminated environment to person.
C. Ebola is dangerous because it could be contained in Nigeria, hugging is a part
of religious worship, and West African countries are affected.
D. Ebola is dangerous because you can get a fever, intense weakness, and
muscle pain.
* Essay Drafting – “Why is Ebola Dangerous?”
- Final draft due on Wednesday – Typed is preferred. 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced
Don’t forget to properly paraphrase, quote, summarize, and cite!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
* Essay Drafting – “Why is Ebola Dangerous?”
- Final draft due tomorrow – Typed is preferred. 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced
Don’t forget to properly paraphrase, quote, summarize, and cite!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 and Thursday, November 20, 2014
Florida Standards Assessment Computer Based Practice
- Students will get to see and practice using the FSA computer based test.
Friday, November 21, 2014
* Career Day – Class time will be limited
Monday, November 10, 2014
* Close Reading Lesson from guest teacher Mrs. Smith with Mrs. Lancaster’s class in Spartan Hall
Guiding Question: Why is Ebola Dangerous?
- Students will read for gist while underlining reasons why Ebola is dangerous and circling unknown
words
- Students will engage in academic discussions with peers and instructors
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
* No School – Veteran’s Day
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
* Follow up writing lesson from Monday's close read of an article entitled, "Why is Ebola Dangerous?"
With gradual release modeling from the teacher, students will further analyze the article from Monday by taking two column notes on the reasons why Ebola is dangerous and the supporting facts from the article in preparation for an essay on the guiding question.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
* Reading and Writing Text Based Essays Continued....
With gradual release modeling from the teacher, students will use their T-Chart analysis from yesterday to:
- group their reasons why Ebola is dangerous into condensed categories
- connect supporting details to the appropriate reason
- outline the format for their essay
Friday, November 14, 2014
* Book Fair during class. Bring money if you want to buy something
* Essay continued....
Students will draft their introductory paragraphs and begin body paragraphs
Monday, November 3, 2014
* Informative Essay Self Analysis
- Students will get their Bruner Writes essays back with a copy of the source materials.
- Students will highlight in one color each piece of evidence, whether directly quoted or paraphrased, that came directly from the source.
- Students will highlight in another color each time they actually gave credit to the author of those ideas.
- Students will have a “coming to Jesus” realization about the true definition of plagiarism.
1. pla·gia·rism (ˈplājəˌrizəm/) noun
noun: plagiarism; plural noun: plagiarisms
1. the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
synonyms:
copying, infringement of copyright, theft, piracy stealing;
* Powerpoint Presentation on “What does it mean to cite evidence?”
- Students will notes on citing evidence
Tuesday, November 4, through Friday, November 7, 2014
* Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting Text-based Evidence
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/03/
Thursday, November 6, 2014
* Early Release
* Citing Evidence Assignment
Monday, October 27, 2014
* Informative Essay Analysis with Rubric
- Students will read several anonymous Bruner Writes essays and score each essay in the areas of (1) focus, purpose, and organization (2) evidence and elaboration and (3) grammar conventions using the Informative Writing Rubric that we analyzed last week.
* Homework: Organization of Ideas Worksheet Due Tomorrow
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
* Class reading of a play
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
* Common Core Skills Practice Packet
- Students will complete short, refresher exercises on punctuation, capitalization, quotation marks, formal and informal language, precise sentence combining, theme, and context clues
Thursday, October 30, 2014
* Cold Close Read with Comprehension Quiz - "The Dallas Cowboys"
Friday, October 31, 2014
* Organization of Ideas Worksheet Student Talk
- Students will work with a partner to properly organize the paragraph in chronological order.
- Students will work with another pair of students to reach a consensus on the proper order of the paragraph.
- Students will send one group member to consult with the teacher on the accuracy of their answers
- Students will continue the process until 100% accuracy is achieved.
* Model Informative Essay Analysis
- Students will work with the teacher to break down the components of a model essay from Bruner Writes.
- Students will identify parts of the essay that meet the requirements of the FSA rubric that we have been studying.
- Students will identify parts of the essay that do not meet the requirements of the FSA rubric.
Note: The students were not ready to move on, so we will work more closely on documenting sources, paraphrasing, and summarizing. So, coming up in the near future.........
* Begin Unit 1 Argumentative Essay Writing: Performance Assessment Book
In this unit you will learn how to write an argumentative essay that is based on your close reading and analysis of several relevant sources. You will learn a step-by-step approach to stating a precise claim – and then organize your essay to support your claim in a clear and logical way.
- Analyze the Model: p.3
Essential Guiding Question: Should we celebrate Columbus Day?
Source Materials: Two Newspaper Editorials and a student model of an argumentative essay.
Graphic Organizer: Terminology of Argumentative Texts.
Practice the Task:
Source Materials: A blog, a biography, an advertisement, a newspaper article
Argumentative Guiding Question: Should people have the right to claim territory in outer space?
Monday, October 20 , 2014
* End of the first 9 weeks – No school for students
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
* Spelling Bee
Wednesday, October 22, 2014, through Friday, October 24, 2014
* Return and go over Vocabulary Quiz on Commonly Confused Words
(accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
* Return and go over Exam
* Return and go over several small assignments
* Return and discuss informative essays on why scientific knowledge changes and the impact on society.
- Students will use the rubric for informative essays to analyze their essays.
- Students will redraft their introduction,
- Students will redraft one body paragraph
- Students will redraft their conclusion without using rhetorical questions.
Monday, October 13 , 2014, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays – Performance Assessment Book
- Review essay structure
Students will be provided with the following tips sheet:
Introductory Paragraph:
- Hook your reader’s interest by using an interesting fact or observation that clearly identifies the subject of
your essay.
- Explain the basic broad background knowledge needed to introduce the topic.
- Write a thesis statement that addresses the writing prompt.
Body Paragraphs: Think of each body paragraph as a mini essay that needs an introduction, body, and conclusion.
- (Introduction) Use a transition to introduce your topic sentence.
Examples: To begin with, Additionally, Furthermore, In conclusion
- (Body) Discuss only the main idea in your topic sentence throughout the paragraph.
- Support the main idea with facts, examples, and quotations from the text.
- Keep your supporting details relevant to the paragraph’s main idea.
- Make sure each sentence logically follows the one before it.
- Name the article and author for every quote or idea you use from the text.
- (Conclusion) Have a wrap-up sentence that links back to your topic sentence and finishes the idea you are
expressing.
Concluding Paragraph:
- Use a transition that indicates you are about to write your last thoughts on the topic. Examples: In conclusion,
As a final thought
- Make a final restatement of your thesis.
- Summarize and link together the main ideas of each paragraph working backwards rom the 3rd body paragraph
to the 2nd body paragraph to the 1st body paragraph to your introduction.
- Give the audience something to think about by making an observation on the topic.
* Informative Essay Analysis
- Students will work with Mrs. Satterfield to analyze last week’s writing through reading prompt.
- Students will discuss the annotations made during the source document reading
- Students will make a three column graphic organizer with the following heading: Change/Cause/Effect
- Students will record information in the graphic organizer.
- Students will discuss the organizational method selected for the assignment
- Students will analyze a model essay on the writing prompt
- Students will compare the model to the grading rubric for informative essays.
* Tomorrow in AA you will begin a performance task assessment. You will read several sources and write an informative essay. In Language Arts class on Thursday, you will go to the computer lab and type your essay.
* Remember: Sentence Starter Notecards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Bellringer: Make a Mini Grammar Handbook Reality Central Workbook pp. 219-228
- Students will tear out lessons on capitalization, punctuation, spelling, commonly confused words, editing checklist, and proofreader’s marks to create a mini grammar handbook.
* Classwork: Grammar Practice pp. 219-228
- Students will read review lessons and complete practice exercises on capitalization, end marks, commas, apostrophes, quotation marks, and spelling
- Students will interact with the teacher during review of the concepts and exercises.
* Assign Vocabulary Words: Commonly Confused Words p. 224 Quiz on Friday
(accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
* Classwork/Homework: Write one original sentence that demonstrates understanding of the definition for each vocabulary word on page 224 of your grammar handbook packet. Do not use the exact sentence provided.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014)
Bellringer: Students will practice using context clues to select the appropriate commonly confused word for each sentence.
1. I hope Tom will (accept/except) the new puppy into his home.
2. We go to the store everyday (accept/except) Sunday.
3. A high fever is one (affect/effect) of the illness.
4. I hope the flu will not (affect/effect) your plans to travel.
5. The buffet line was (all ready/already) by the time the party started.
6. Tom got there so late the food was (all ready/already) gone.
7. We were happy with the (amount/number) of T-shirts sold.
8. The coffee contains a large (amount/number) of cream.
9. Tom stood (beside/besides) the dessert table waiting for another piece of pie.
10. (Beside/Besides) football, Tom likes to play basketball and soccer.
* Note: Don’t forget about you vocabulary quiz on Friday - Commonly Confused Words p. 224 only/Grammar Handbook Pages (accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
* Finish Grammar Handbook pp. 219-223
* Spelling Bee next Tuesday. Study your words. Practice in class as time permits.
* Note: Meet me in room 203 tomorrow to type your essay.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
* Room 203 for essay typing
* Note: Don’t forget about you vocabulary quiz tomorrow on Commonly Confused Words. (p. 224 only/Grammar Handbook Pages) (accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
Friday, October 17, 2014
* Vocabulary Quiz on Commonly Confused Words
(accept, except, affect, effect, a lot, all ready, already, amount, number, beside, besides)
* Return and discuss informative essays on why scientific knowledge changes and the impact on society.
- Students will use the rubric for informative essays to analyze their essays.
- Students will redraft their introduction, one body paragraph, and their conclusion without using rhetorical questions.
Monday, October 6, 2014, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays p. 53
Assignment Prompt: Write an informative essay that explains how the presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades.
- Students will begin drafting an informative essay with direct instruction and modeling from the teacher.
Introductory Paragraph:
- Hook your reader’s interest and clearly identify your subject.
- Use an interesting question, fact, or observation to get the reader’s attention.
- Explain the basic problem with pythons as pets.
- Write a thesis statement that addresses the writing prompt.
1st Body Paragraph:
- Use a transition to introduce your topic sentence on changes in the local animals in the Everglades.
- Discuss only the main idea about changes in the local animals
- Support the main idea with facts, examples, and quotations from the text.
- Keep your supporting details relevant to this paragraph’s main idea.
* Remember: Sentence Starter Notecards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will construct an informational essay based on text evidence for the following prompt: Write an informative essay that explains how the presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades.
2nd Body Paragraph:
- Use a transition to introduce your topic sentence on changes in people in the Everglades.
- Discuss only the main idea about changes in people
- Support the main idea with facts, examples, and quotations from the text.
- Keep your supporting details relevant to this paragraph’s main idea.
3rd Body Paragraph
- Use a transition to introduce your topic sentence on changes in the ecosystem in the Everglades.
- Discuss only the main idea about changes in the local animals
- Support the main idea with facts, examples, and quotations from the text.
- Keep your supporting details relevant to this paragraph’s main idea.
* Remember: Sentence Starter Notecards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence and/or argumentative writing techniques.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will construct an informational essay based on text evidence for the following prompt: Write an informative essay that explains how the presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades.
Concluding Paragraph:
- Use a transition that indicates you are about to write your last thoughts on the topic.
- Summarize the main idea of each paragraph working backwards from the 3rd body paragrapah to the 2nd body paragraph to the first body paragraph to your intro
- Make a final restatement of your thesis.
- Give the audience something to think about.
* Tomorrow you will begin a performance task assessment. The essay will count as a test grade.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays Step 3 Perform the Task p. 55
- Students will read informational texts and write an informational essay on the following prompt:
You have read several sources about advancements in scientific knowledge. Write an informative essay that discusses why scientific knowledge changes over time, and what impact these changes have on society. Include text evidence to support your ideas.
Homework: pp. 63-65!!! Very important!!!! You will have to write the essay tomorrow in the class period time! Please be prepared.
Friday, October 10, 2014
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will write their essays p. 65 Performance Assessment book
This will count as a test grade!!
Monday, September 29, 2014
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book starting on page 34, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
1. What is an informative essay?
2. What is the purpose of nonfiction, informative writing?
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will read, annotate, and analyze a student model of an informative essay
- Students will discuss with Mrs. Satterfield the facts, sensory details, and actions described in the models
- Students will discuss terminology for informative writing (See below)
- Students will complete a chart with examples from the student model on the different informative essay terms. (topic, text structure, focus, supporting evidence, domain-specific vocabulary, and text features)
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book starting on page 34, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
3. List five examples of nonfiction writing.
4. What are the nonfiction topics that will be read and discussed in this unit on informational essays?
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays pp. 43-49
- Students will practice reading informational passages and constructing an informational essay based on text evidence for the following prompt: Write an informative essay that explains how the presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades.
Note: This will be a fast moving exercise in preparation for the informative essay exam on October 14th!
Source Materials: Informational Article, Newspaper Article, Advertisement, Blog
- Students will plan and prewrite for their essays p. 50 and 51 Performance Assessment book
* Remember: Sentence Starter Notecards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence and/or argumentative writing techniques.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book on pages 34 and 36, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
5. How can you be successful when presenting facts in informative writing?
6. What is a source material?
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays
- Students will finish preplanning and begin writing their essay
Thursday, October 2, 2014
* Early Release
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book on page 36, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
7. What three things must a successful informative essay convey?
8. What can help you plan the organizational structure of an informative essay?
* Finish Bellringers to date if you were absent or behind.
* Continue with Unit 2 Informational Essays as time permits
Friday, October 3, 2014
* Bellringer: Using your Performance Assessment book starting on page 36, answer the following questions by restating the question in your answer:
9. What should an introductory paragraph do?
10. Name three ways to support each main idea in a body paragraph.
* Continue with Unit 2
Monday, September 22, 2014
* Bellringer: Use your AAAWWUUBBIS notes to provide a written response in your notebook to the question, “What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?” Restate the question in your response. Write in complete sentences. Provide an example of each.
* In-depth Review of phrases and clauses
* Return and review “Rogue Wave” Test
* Announcement: Mid-First-Nine-Weeks Cumulative Exam
On Wednesday
Part 1: Reading Informational Texts – Patterns of Organization and Analyzing and Making Inferences from Informational Texts
Part 2: Reading Literary Texts - Plot, Setting, Indirect Characterization, Conflicts, and suspense
On Thursday:
Part 3: Sentences – Phrases and Subordinate and Independent Clauses
Part 4: Vocabulary – Academic, “T” Homophones, and Argument Writing Terms
- Students are encouraged to use the on-line resources at http://my.hrw.com They have been given their usernames and passwords.
* Note: Collection 1 Close Reader Assignment Due today.
- Short Story: “Big Things Come in Small Packages”
Students should have completed the following :
- Read the text in the Close Reader slowly all the way through
- take time to think about and respond to the READ and REREAD prompts that help focus their reading
- use annotations in the side-margins and highlighting of important or unknown words and ideas
- cite specific textual evidence to support their analysis of the selection
- Students will notice how the setting influences the characters and plot.
* Homework: “Finding Your Everest” p. 13-16
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
* Bellringer: Use your AAAWWUUBBIS notes and page 362 in the grammar book to provide a written response in your notebook to the question, “What is the difference between a subordinate and independent clause?” Restate the question in your response. Write in complete sentences. Provide an example of each.
* In-depth review of subordinate and independent clauses.
* Formal Introduction of RACE for an A+ Answer
- Students will learn an acronym to assist them in properly answering written response questions.
- Students will be given a flyer on the technique acronym to keep as a reference.
* Remember: Mid-First-Nine-Weeks Cumulative Exam starts tomorrow. Study your notes.
Tomorrow: Part 1: Reading Informational Texts – Patterns of Organization and Analyzing and Making Inferences from Informational Texts
Part 2: Plot, Setting, Indirect Characterization, Conflicts, and Suspense
On Thursday: Part 3: Complex Sentences – Phrases and Subordinate and Independent Clauses
Part 4: Vocabulary – Academic, “T” Homophones, and Argument Writing Terms
* Pass out and discuss Reading Informational Texts typed notes – Study tonight!
- Students will be given a typed copy of the notes we took on Reading Informational Texts
* Sentence Stem Cards- As time permits ?
- Students will make notecards with sentence starters for argumentative writing. The cards should be used in all classes for writing assignments that require text evidence and/or argumentative writing techniques.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
* Return corrected Argument Writing Vocabulary Quiz
* Mid-First-Nine-Weeks Exam Part 1 and Part 2
* Don’t forget about your test tomorrow!
Part 3: Sentences – Phrases and Subordinate and Independent Clauses
Part 4: Vocabulary – Academic, “T” Homophones, and Argument Writing Terms
* Classwork after the test:
1. Complex Sentences: Clauses and Phrases - Grammar book p. 363 “Try It Out” 1-7 and p. 380 1-12 as time permits
2. Study vocabulary sets for tomorrow's test.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
* Mid-First-Nine-Weeks Exam Part 3 and Part 4
* Sentence Starter Cards
Friday, September 26, 2014
* Finish Sentence Starter Cards
* Begin Unit 2 Informational Essay Writing: Performance Assessment Book
In this unit you will analyze information from a variety of nonfiction articles from magazines and newspapers. You will find, organize, and present facts that will add to your readers' knowledge of a topic. Your success will depend on how well you select evidence to support your topic.
- Analyze the Model: p.35
Essential Guiding Question: Why does our knowledge of the universe change over time?
- Students will work with Mrs. Satterfield analyzing a text on strategies for writing informative essays.
- Students will annotate the text using close reading strategies.
- Students will practice using a narrative description strategy on p. 37.
Explain how you might use narrative description in an informative essay on Civil war drummer boys. Think about duties, uniforms, and the boys themselves.
Monday, September 15, 2014
* DEA Testing – Media Center computer lab
* Early Finishers: Log on to your literature book on-line using the password I gave you. Open the Student eBook. Click on the “Contents” icon on the top left corner. Click on “Collection 1: Bold Actions. Open “Close Reader: “Big Things Come in Small Packages.” Listen to the story all the way through by hitting the “audio” link on the left.
* Early Finishers: Log on to your literature book on-line using the password I gave you. Open the Student eBook. Click on the “Contents” icon on the top left corner. Click on “Collection 1: Bold Actions. Open “Comparing Media: Covering Issues in the News”: Click on “Parents of Rescued Teenage Sailor” and hit “Read the Text” Do the same for “Ship of Fools”, and “Was Abby Too Young to Sail”. Listen to the audio by hitting the “audio” link on the left.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
* Bellringer: In your notebook, write a paragraph on the following essential question from Collection 1:
1. How does “taking bold actions” enable one to overcome great challenges?
Analyze the question discussion –
1. What does “taking bold actions” mean? “Taking bold actions” means doing something that most people wouldn’t do because they are afraid.
2. What does “enable” mean? Enable means help.
3. What does it mean to “overcome” something? If you overcome something you get past it.
4. What is a “challenge”? A challenge is something that is hard or difficult to do.
5. Now ask yourself, “What is the question really asking me?” It is asking me how does doing something that most people would NOT do help me get past difficult things in my life.
6. Now think about it and finish this sentence: Taking bold actions enables one to overcome great challenges by_________________________________________________________.
7. Now ask yourself, “What is difficult in my life?” Mine, for example, might be walking a rope bridge between two canyons. Yours might be remembering to do homework, getting to the next level on a PC game, winning your next football game, overcoming your fear of heights, etc.
8. Now ask, “What could I do that most people would NOT do to get past that problem?” For example, I could make an appointment with “Adventures Unlimited” to have a private session with someone to help me get across the rope bridge.
9. Now tie it all together in a paragraph
Sample Notebook Entry:
Taking bold actions can help people overcome great challenges by giving them motivation. For example, I’m afraid to walk on a rope bridge across a canyon. The thought of doing it sends shivers down my spine. If I wanted to overcome that challenge in my life I could take the bold action of hiring a professional to walk me through the process at “Adventures Unlimited”. Making this decision would motivate me to overcome my fear by holding me accountable to the person I made the appointment with.
* Return/Review Assignments from last week: Informational Reading Quiz, Bellringer Quiz on “Rogue Wave”, and Subordinate and Independent Clauses Worksheet
* 6th period only: Test on “Rogue Wave” – Bellringer after test.
Wednesday, September 17, 201
* Substitute
* Bellringer: In your notebook, write a paragraph on the following essential question from Collection 1:
2. How do writers use characters’ actions to develop a short story?
- Analyze the question: What is the question asking?
Start your paragraph with the following sentence:
Writers use descriptions of characters’ actions to develop a short story __________________
Sample Answer: Writers use descriptions of characters’ actions to develop a short story by giving you mental images so you can relate to the conflicts and relationships that exist between the characters. When we as readers infer the character traits associated with those actions, it builds suspense and makes us want to read more. The actions of characters change and develop over the course of the story, making the plot increase in intensity until a resolution is revealed.
* Picture Day
* Don’t forget about your vocabulary quiz on Friday. Go to quizlet.com to practice.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
* Bellringer: In your notebook, write a paragraph on the following essential question from Collection 1:
3. What does it take to be a strong soul?
- Analyze the question: What is a soul? Why would someone want to have a strong soul? Well, what does strong mean? What would they have to do to make sure they had a strong soul?
Sample Entry: A soul is that part of you that is immortal. It’s your spiritual being that is unrelated to material things. A strong soul to me is one that is resistant to thing that would destroy it because that is what strong means. In order to have a strong soul you have to have a positive purpose in your life that motivates you to do and say the right thing because you know your soul will always tell you the truth about the true nature of your character and you have to live with that knowledge forever. “Strength of purpose achieves the impossible!”
* Begin independent analysis of Close Reader assignment: “Big Things Come in Small Packages”
Note: Notice how the setting influences the characters and plot.
* Don’t forget about your vocabulary quiz tomorrow on Argument Writing terms. Go to quizlet.com to practice.
Friday, September 19, 2014
* Argument Writing vocabulary quiz
* Bellringer: Use your handout on subordinate and independent clauses to write 5 sentences which contain a subordinate clause.
* Finish "Big Things Come in Small Packages" due on Monday.
* Next week will be a review of all words to date.
* We will have a cumulative test next week on all topics to date.
Monday, September 8, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 1 - See the “more” tab to see a copy of the quiz
* Continue with reading analysis: Collection #1: Bold Actions
Today’s Text: “Rogue Wave” p. 3 Florida Collections (We finished reading and analyzing this together on Friday.)
Analyze Story Elements: Plot and Setting
Reading Skill: make inferences
Key Learning Objective: The student will be able to identify, analyze, and make inferences about the elements of plot in a short story.
* Collaborative Student Discussion- How and when did this adventure tale “hook” you? What events helped to keep you anxious about what would happen? With a partner, review “Rogue Wave” to point out and discuss the parts that helped to create excitement and anticipation. Also, address the essential questions that were presented at the beginning of the unit.
Essential Questions:
1. How does “taking bold actions” enable one to overcome great challenges?
2. How do writers use characters’ actions to develop a short story?
3. What does it take to be a strong soul?
Assignments:
- Critical Vocabulary p. 17 (swell, deck, navigation, submerge, porthole)
- Analyzing the Text p. 16 – Students will support responses with evidence from the text.
* “Rogue Wave” test will be on Thursday. (Friday for 6th) Check the "More" tab for the questions.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
* Don’t forget about your vocabulary quiz tomorrow.
* Inside/outside Circles - Pairs of students will analyze the questions from yesterday together then the inside circle will rotate to the right. Students will discuss with their new partner the question they were assigned. The new partner on the outside circle will discuss their question next.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
* Vocabulary quiz on Homophones that start with T - Go to www.quizlet.com and search for mrssatterfield@bruner
* Bellringer Quiz - open notes on "Rogue Wave" see the more tab for the quiz.
* Day two review for "Rogue Wave" (1st, 2nd, and 6th) Test tomorrow. 6th period will be on Friday.
* 3rd period will test on "Rogue Wave" Due to schedule changes this class was ahead.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
* Rogue Wave test 1st and 2nd periods
* Issue/Begin Close Reader Workbook - "Finding Your Everest" (See further down for a breakdown)
Friday, September 12, 2014
* DEA Assessment
Coming up next week.......
* Monday - DEA Assessment
* Assign new quizlet.com vocabulary words
* Reteach/Review: Return and discuss graded assignment - Bellringer Quiz on Informational Reading Texts- Students could not relate the questions to their notes. We will further discuss how to analyze a question to be sure the answer they provide is meeting the criteria. We will use the acronym R.A.C.E. It stands for: Restate the question, Answer all questions, Cite from the text, Explain everything.
* Issue Close Reader book and assign Collection 1 reading assignment
- Essay: “Finding Your Everest”
- Read the text in the Close Reader slowly all the way through
- take time to think about and respond to the READ and REREAD prompts that help focus their reading
- use annotations in the side-margins and highlighting of important or unknown words and ideas
- cite specific textual evidence to support their analysis of the selection
September 1-5, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
- No school
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 1 - See the “more” tab to see a copy of the quiz
* Reading: Begin Collection #1: Bold Actions – This collection will take about 6 weeks to complete.
Essential Questions:
1. How does “taking bold actions” enable one to overcome great challenges?
2. How do writers use characters’ actions to develop a short story?
3. What does it take to be a strong soul?
Vocabulary Strategy: Latin Roots
Language and Style: Sentence Structure
Today’s Text: “Rogue Wave” p. 3 Florida Collections
Analyze Story Elements: Plot and Setting
Reading Skill: make inferences
Key Learning Objective: The student will be able to identify, analyze, and make inferences about the elements of plot in a short story.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 2
* Assign Quizlet.com Vocabulary: Homphones that start with “T” Quiz next Wednesday!
* Continue with Bold Actions Collection 1: Short Story “Rogue Wave”
* Lesson- Language Conventions: Sentence Structure – phrase vs. clause and subordinate/dependent vs. independent clauses
* Homework: Clauses Worksheets – due on Friday
Thursday, September 4, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 3
* Continue with Bold Actions Collection 1: Short Story “Rogue Wave”
* Collaborative Student Discussion- How and when did this adventure tale “hook” you? What events helped to keep you anxious about what would happen? With a partner, review ”Rogue Wave” to point out and discuss the parts that helped to create excitement and anticipation.
Friday, September 5, 2014
* Bellringer Quiz Day 4 – Turn it in for a quiz grade
* Clauses Worksheet is due
* Continue with Collection 1 Reading: Analyzing the Text, Critical Vocabulary, Latin Root Words, Sentence Structure
Monday, August 25, 2014 - Friday, August 29, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
* Literary Terms Crossword Puzzle Due
* Notebook check
* Introduction to Quizlet.com: MrsSatterfield@Bruner
- Students will get to see www.quizlet.com in action. Quizlet.com is an interactive way to learn vocabulary. Simply search: mrssatterfield@bruner and follow the links to this week's Academic Vocabulary words. Play vocabulary games and quiz your knowledge of the words.
(Note: A hard copy of the vocabulary words will be given out tomorrow.)
* Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization continued
- Students will notice how the main idea is expressed in two models
- Students will identify the main idea in two paragraphs using one or more of four reading strategies discussed in section 1
- Students will identify whether the main idea is stated or implied in the paragraphs
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
* Vocabulary quiz on Friday: Academic Vocabulary Terms
- Students will be given a list of Academic Vocabulary Terms as well as access to the terms on-line via www.quizlet.com and www.mrssatterfield.weebly.com
1. contribute: to help cause something, the partial cause of something
2. emphasize: to stress something and give it value or importance
3. evaluate: to judge and form an opinion
4. excerpt: a section or piece of writing taken out of a larger piece of writing
5. imply/implied: when something is not directly said or stated by the author or speaker
6. indicate: to show or point out something
7. inference/infer: a conclusion by the reader based on details from the reading passage and background knowledge about the subject
8. paraphrase: to say again; to restate in your own words
9. quote/quotation: a statement of someone's exact words
10. relevant: related to the main idea
* Continuation: Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization - Chronological Order
- students will learn/review Chronological Order as a pattern of organization in informational texts
- students will learn/review strategies for figuring out if a text is written in chronological order
- students will notice the words and phrases that signal time order in two model paragraphs
- students will list at least six words in three paragraphs that indicate chronological order
- students will answer two questions on the content of the practice article entitled, "A Butterfly Gets Its Wings"
* Assign Homework: Denotation and Connotation Exercise - Due on Friday.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
* Bellringer: Vocabulary Practice
- Students will use academic vocabulary in context
1. When you read an entire informational article, or even just an ________________________, you have to pay attention to details.
2. If you can't find the main idea directly stated, you might have to ____________________ based on the details the author gives you.
3. You will know when you have figured out the main idea because the author will ______________ it with his supporting details.
4. If you want to help make class more interesting, you must __________________ to classroom conversations about texts that we read.
5. Remember to stay on the topic being discussed by keeping your comments __________________.
6. I cannot stress, or ____________________, enough just how much your opinion matters.
7. Before you speak, you should make sure you __________________ the text thoroughly so you don't blurt out the wrong answer.
8. The best answers are not read directly from the text. It is best to _______________________ instead.
9. If paraphrasing is difficult, sometimes it will be fine to just ___________________ word for word from the text.
10. Your ability to participate in classroom conversations will ______________________ to me that you are learning.
* Go over answers
* Don't forget: Denotation and Connotation Exercise - Due on Friday.
* Continuation of Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization - Cause-Effect Organization
- students will learn/review cause-effect organization in informational texts
- students will learn/review strategies for figuring out if a text is written in a cause-effect organiztion
- students will notice the words that signal cause and effects in a two paragraph model
- students will use the pattern of a chain of causes and effects to make a graphic organizer showing the causes and effects described it the text entitled, "How a Tsunami Forms"
- students will list three words that the writer uses to signal cause and effect in two paragraphs
Thursday, August 28, 2014
* Bellringer: In your notebook, write a paragraph using as many academic vocabulary words as possible from this week's words displayed on the screen and in your possession. Be prepared to read it aloud. Time 5 minutes GO!!!
*Note: Don't forget tomorrow:
1. your Academic Terms
2. your Denotation/Connotation Exercise
3. your Summer Reading Project
* Continue with Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization - Compare-and-Contrast Organization
- Students will learn/review compare/contrast as a pattern of informational organization
- students will learn/review strategies for reading compare/contrast texts
- students will use signal words and phrases to identify the similarities and differences between subjects in a model text entitled, "Living in Outer Space"
- students will determine whether an article is organized by subject or points of comparison
- students will identify two words that signal compare/contrast in a given paragraph
- students will list two points that a writer compares and contrasts in a given text
- students will use a Venn diagram or a compare/contrast chart to identify two or more points of comparison and the similarities and differences shown in one of two models.
Friday, August 29, 2014
* Bellringer: Study for your vocabulary quiz
* Academic Vocabulary Terms Quiz
* Denotation and Connotation Exercise Due
* Last Day to turn in Summer Reading Project on "Chomp"
* Continuation of Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization - Problem/solution Order
- students will learn/review problem/solution order
- students will learn/review strategies for reading problem/solution texts
- students will identify the cause of a problem in a model text
- students will identify the solution the writer offers and the words that act as clues.
* Note: No school on Monday, September 1, 2014, due to Labor Day.
Monday, August 18, 2014 - Friday, August, 22, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Welcome back to school!!!
* Pass out syllabus and parent letter. Go over rules and expectations. Remind101
* Find the Missing Piece
Objective: Build relationships, review compound words, and reinforce inferring skills.
Students will play two games that help them get to know each other and reinforce skills.
Strategy: (CRISS) Think-Pair-Share structured discussion in which students follow a prescribed process that limits off-task thinking and behavior, and accountability is built in because each student must report to a partner, teacher, and then to the class.
1. Students will each be given one half of a compound word.
2. Students must find the student with the other half of the compound word.
3. Students will come to the front of the room and tell the class their compound word
Comic Strip Chaos -
Strategy: Inquiry-based learning that includes discussion and discourse among students with the teacher as the facilitator and a performance task speaking application.
Reading Skill Emphasis: Infer like a detective :)
1. Each student will be given one panel of a 3 panel comic strip.
2. Students must find the other two people whose panels complete the comic.
3. Students must put the panels in order
4. Students must have Mrs. Satterfield check the order of their panel before being declared the winner.
5. Students will participate in student talk with Mrs. Satterfield to infer the main idea of the comic strips.
* Note: Don't forget about your summer reading project on the book Chomp! It is due on Friday, August 29, 2014. Students may borrow a book from me.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
* "To This Day"
- Students will watch an anti-bullying inspirational video
- Students will write a self-reflecting journal entry entitled "What They are Wrong About Me"
* Note: Have a spiral or composition notebook by Monday.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
* Literary Terms Review (See "More" tab above!!!)
- Students will engage in conversations with the teacher during a Powerpoint on common literary terms that they should already be familiar with and that we will be using throughout the year.
- Students will use a fill-in-the-blank Note-Taking Guide to take notes on the terms. This should be kept in their binder for reference throughout the year.
Homework: Literary Terms Crossword Puzzle - Due on Monday, August 25, 2014
Note: Have a composition or spiral notebook by Monday.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
* Continuation of Literary Terms Powerpoint, Student Talk, and Guided Note-taking
Friday, August 22, 2014
* Note: Have a spiral or composition book by Monday.
* Reading Informational Texts
Objective:
1. To understand how knowledge of text organization improves comprehension
2. To understand how outlining a text improves comprehension
- Students will engage in a close read of page R16 in the textbook on Reading Informational Text
- Students will observe the teacher modeling outlining/note-taking strategies
- Students will take notes on the first of five patterns of text organization.
1. Main Idea and Supporting Details
- the central or most important idea plus the supporting details that tell more about the idea
- main idea can be directly stated (A sentence that actually says the main idea. For example: When
the nomads of Africa began using camels around AD 300, trade across the Sahara became easier.)
- main idea can be implied (Implied means there is NOT a sentence that says the main idea. You
have to infer (figure out) the main idea through the supporting details.
- main idea can be a factual statement or a commonplace assertion (a statement that many people
think is true, but is not necessarily so.)
Coming Up Next Week.......
* Strategies for reading texts that use the main idea and supporting details pattern of organization
* Model, Practice and Apply Understanding of Main Idea and Supporting Details
Plus.......
2. Compare and Contrast
3. Chronological Order
4. Cause and Effect
5. Problem and Solution