9th Grade - Freshmen started a new unit today - this unit has an overall emphasis on mythology, with a specific focus on the play Antigone. In class today, students took a prequiz over several aspects of mythology, which will give me a better understanding of what they already know (and what they do not know).
I briefly discussed the idea of myths as explaining a way of living within a specific cultural context, and then had the class do an activity where they played the role of an advice columnist. The problems students were asked to think about were contemporary versions of issues found in The Iliad.
3rd Period Homework - Write a response to each of the prompts.
10th Grade - Sophomores had today in the library to finish up the mini-research projects. The typed summary of research is due Friday, regardless of when you are presenting.
The first two presentations (Lice, The Great Depression) will be presenting on Wednesday, 2/2.
We will also be starting To Kill a Mockingbird on Wednesday.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Jan. 27th Daily Plan
9th Grade - Freshmen had this day as the last in the library to finish their Five Degrees of Separation project. The completed projects were to be sent into my by e-mail, and were considered late if not completed by the end of the period.
We will be be starting a new unit on Monday, Jan 31st.
10th Grade - Sophomores worked on the mini-research project for To Kill A Mockingbird in the library, with students (or pairs, depending on the class size) responsible for expertise on a specific subject related to the 1930s. The first groups of students will be presenting on Wednesday, Feb 2nd, right as we start the novel.
We will be be starting a new unit on Monday, Jan 31st.
10th Grade - Sophomores worked on the mini-research project for To Kill A Mockingbird in the library, with students (or pairs, depending on the class size) responsible for expertise on a specific subject related to the 1930s. The first groups of students will be presenting on Wednesday, Feb 2nd, right as we start the novel.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Jan. 26th Daily Plan
Apologies for not getting this posted last night.
9th Grade - Library research day to continue on with the Five Degrees of Separation Project. All groups should have their full histories tracked down, and are now fleshing out details and actually designing Powerpoint presentation.
Expectations - Two slides per generation. One slide should give background information on the artist/poet and explain their accomplishments, and the next slide should explain what influenced the artist, and make connections to the previous generation. The next set of two slides serves the same purpose for the previous generation, and so on until the year 1900.
PROJECT IS DUE AT END OF PERIOD ON FRIDAY, E-MAILED TO mkimmel@tcsd.org.
It is important that your project can stand-alone when it is sent; I should be able to understand the connections made without needing someone to explain each slide.
10th Grade - We are still developing the background information and context needed to understand the themes and issues found in To Kill a Mockingbird. Sophomores had a short research day in the library, focused on filling out a worksheet with questions about the 1930s, and comparing that decade to the 2000s.
Questions included - Who was President? What was the state of the economy? What did people do for entertainment? What was the average level of education? And so on. Worksheet is in class for those that missed today.
9th Grade - Library research day to continue on with the Five Degrees of Separation Project. All groups should have their full histories tracked down, and are now fleshing out details and actually designing Powerpoint presentation.
Expectations - Two slides per generation. One slide should give background information on the artist/poet and explain their accomplishments, and the next slide should explain what influenced the artist, and make connections to the previous generation. The next set of two slides serves the same purpose for the previous generation, and so on until the year 1900.
PROJECT IS DUE AT END OF PERIOD ON FRIDAY, E-MAILED TO mkimmel@tcsd.org.
It is important that your project can stand-alone when it is sent; I should be able to understand the connections made without needing someone to explain each slide.
10th Grade - We are still developing the background information and context needed to understand the themes and issues found in To Kill a Mockingbird. Sophomores had a short research day in the library, focused on filling out a worksheet with questions about the 1930s, and comparing that decade to the 2000s.
Questions included - Who was President? What was the state of the economy? What did people do for entertainment? What was the average level of education? And so on. Worksheet is in class for those that missed today.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Jan. 25th Daily Plan
9th Grade - Freshmen started the research for the "Five Degrees of Separation Project," using the whole class period in the library to get the first few stages of research done. There is a link under the Media Center section of the JHHS Website that can help guide research (
Goal for Day 1 - Research chosen artist and get information on AT LEAST the first generation of influence.
Tomorrow's goal will be to get AT LEAST through four generations of influence. This project is as much about research skills and practice as it is about poetry and understanding influence through generations. If students are unable to complete what is needed during class, it is expected that they are working outside of class to catch up.
Homework - Chosen artist and first generation of influence researched.
10th Grade - Sophomores are starting a new unit focused around the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. However, simply jumping into this novel without having a strong understanding of the time period where it takes place can detract from fully understanding the story, so we are developing the context needed to best appreciate this story.
Today in class we completed an anticipation guide, in which I asked students opinions on 14 questions. They are all matters of opinion with no correct answer, but require that students think about their beliefs on a wide range of topics. Students had to complete the sheet and write a more detailed opinion about 5 of the questions asked.
From this point, we moved into small group discussions, then into a full-class discussion. The main points of discussion revolved around issues of race and gender, because these are major issues in both contemporary society, as well as in the time period of the novel (1930s).
S.S.R. Books! I'm expecting these in class DAILY, and not everyone has them. I will be giving credit for S.S.R. books DAILY until everyone in my class is bringing one consistently.
Goal for Day 1 - Research chosen artist and get information on AT LEAST the first generation of influence.
Tomorrow's goal will be to get AT LEAST through four generations of influence. This project is as much about research skills and practice as it is about poetry and understanding influence through generations. If students are unable to complete what is needed during class, it is expected that they are working outside of class to catch up.
Homework - Chosen artist and first generation of influence researched.
10th Grade - Sophomores are starting a new unit focused around the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. However, simply jumping into this novel without having a strong understanding of the time period where it takes place can detract from fully understanding the story, so we are developing the context needed to best appreciate this story.
Today in class we completed an anticipation guide, in which I asked students opinions on 14 questions. They are all matters of opinion with no correct answer, but require that students think about their beliefs on a wide range of topics. Students had to complete the sheet and write a more detailed opinion about 5 of the questions asked.
From this point, we moved into small group discussions, then into a full-class discussion. The main points of discussion revolved around issues of race and gender, because these are major issues in both contemporary society, as well as in the time period of the novel (1930s).
S.S.R. Books! I'm expecting these in class DAILY, and not everyone has them. I will be giving credit for S.S.R. books DAILY until everyone in my class is bringing one consistently.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Jan. 24th Daily Plan
9th Grade - We are beginning to wrap up the Freshmen poetry unit, and we are doing a project this week that will focus on making connections between historical poetic periods, and contemporary music/writing.
The project outline and rubric were provided in class (and are also accessible off this web page). The Five Degrees of Separation Project asks students to pick a contemporary musician/singer/artist, and track their influences through five generations.
I chose an obscure Canadian hip hop artist to demonstrate this process in class.
Step 1) 2000s - Buck 65 - influenced by . . .
Step 2) 1980s - Afrika Bambattaa - Influenced by . . .
Step 3) 1950s - The Beat Generation (Jack Kerouac) - Influenced by . . .
Step 4) 1930s - Jazz and Bebop Music. Also Influenced by . . .
Step 5) 1900 - Marcel Proust; French Novelist.
The second part of the project involves analyzing a piece of your artist's music/writing, and comparing it to a work from a previous movement that is similar.
The style and content of Buck 65's music is owed to the works of the preceding generations, and students are asked to make these connections with an artist of their choice. This is a partner assignment, but I will allow students to work individually if they request. Be aware that the requirements for the project are the same whether you work alone or with a partner.
10th Grade - Last day to work on the literary analysis B.O.E. in class; was turned in at the end of the hour. Some students had the option to come in during lunch to finish it without it being counted as late. Anything turned in from this point out is considered late.
Sophomores are starting a new unit tomorrow focused on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
The project outline and rubric were provided in class (and are also accessible off this web page). The Five Degrees of Separation Project asks students to pick a contemporary musician/singer/artist, and track their influences through five generations.
I chose an obscure Canadian hip hop artist to demonstrate this process in class.
Step 1) 2000s - Buck 65 - influenced by . . .
Step 2) 1980s - Afrika Bambattaa - Influenced by . . .
Step 3) 1950s - The Beat Generation (Jack Kerouac) - Influenced by . . .
Step 4) 1930s - Jazz and Bebop Music. Also Influenced by . . .
Step 5) 1900 - Marcel Proust; French Novelist.
The second part of the project involves analyzing a piece of your artist's music/writing, and comparing it to a work from a previous movement that is similar.
The style and content of Buck 65's music is owed to the works of the preceding generations, and students are asked to make these connections with an artist of their choice. This is a partner assignment, but I will allow students to work individually if they request. Be aware that the requirements for the project are the same whether you work alone or with a partner.
10th Grade - Last day to work on the literary analysis B.O.E. in class; was turned in at the end of the hour. Some students had the option to come in during lunch to finish it without it being counted as late. Anything turned in from this point out is considered late.
Sophomores are starting a new unit tomorrow focused on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Jan. 21st Daily Plan
9th Grade - We are starting to wrap up our poetry unit, with one more genre of poetry being written by the students before starting up the final project next week (details on Monday).
Today, students did an activity to help generate ideas for a narrative poem.
To get started, students were given three minutes to write as much as possible about a character, including aspects such as gender, age, personality, etc.
Students then had to trade notebooks, and the next student was given three minutes to develop a setting for the character.
Students then had to trade notebooks with a third student, who had to create a potential conflict for that character. Conflicts could be internal (for example, a moral dilemma), or external (for example, caught as a hostage in a bank robbery).
Once these basic ideas were developed, the original student would have more of an outline for which to base their poem on. Students did not have to use the ideas developed by their peers, but it provides more options when writing.
The rest of the class was dedicated to writing; the narrative poem has a minimum length of 8 quatrains (32 lines), and must have a rhyme scheme.
10th Grade - Sophomores are on the final stages of the literary analysis B.O.E., meaning time was spent in the library/computer lab to allow them to finish up the final, edited, typed draft of the essay. Many students were able to finish today, and many still have more typing to complete on monday. ALL STUDENTS NEED TO BRING A NEW S.S.R. BOOK ON MONDAY (FOR CREDIT).
Today, students did an activity to help generate ideas for a narrative poem.
To get started, students were given three minutes to write as much as possible about a character, including aspects such as gender, age, personality, etc.
Students then had to trade notebooks, and the next student was given three minutes to develop a setting for the character.
Students then had to trade notebooks with a third student, who had to create a potential conflict for that character. Conflicts could be internal (for example, a moral dilemma), or external (for example, caught as a hostage in a bank robbery).
Once these basic ideas were developed, the original student would have more of an outline for which to base their poem on. Students did not have to use the ideas developed by their peers, but it provides more options when writing.
The rest of the class was dedicated to writing; the narrative poem has a minimum length of 8 quatrains (32 lines), and must have a rhyme scheme.
10th Grade - Sophomores are on the final stages of the literary analysis B.O.E., meaning time was spent in the library/computer lab to allow them to finish up the final, edited, typed draft of the essay. Many students were able to finish today, and many still have more typing to complete on monday. ALL STUDENTS NEED TO BRING A NEW S.S.R. BOOK ON MONDAY (FOR CREDIT).
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Jan. 20th Daily Plan
9th Grade - Students continued working with the narrative form of poetry, and we have shifted back from contemporary music (Aesop Rock) to earlier American literature. Students listened to "The Raven," as presented by Christopher Walken, and we discussed several aspects of the poem as a class.
First, we made sure the class had a full understanding of the vocabulary found in the poem, and that everyone understood the general plotline before going in greater depth. As mentioned yesterday, Poe disliked allegory and extended metaphor, and aimed at being very clear with the purpose and theme behind his writing, making "The Raven" a very useful poem for analysis.
We discussed the theme of death that is prevalent in his work, which is attributed to the fact that Poe saw death as a universal theme - everyone experiences it.
Another major theme is beauty, and Poe felt that the best way to combine the two themes would be to incorporate the death of a beautiful woman.
The symbolism of the raven is also a major point of the story. It is a dark bird that symbolizes death, and by providing an animal not usually associated with high intelligence as the interrogator of the narrator, it helps frame the state of mind of the narrator.
Other key point - While writing "The Raven," developed guidelines for effective poetic writing. One of these is that a good story should be able to be read in one sitting.
Homework - Develop idea for your own narrative poem. It should have a rhyme scheme, though the exact style is not as important (can model after "The Raven," "Fishtales," "No Regrets"). Goal is to have AT LEAST 8 quatrains.
10th Grade - Sophomores wrote rough drafts for the literary analysis B.O.E. I collected the drafts for participation credit for the day, and we will work on typing up the final drafts tomorrow. Overall, sophomore classes worked very effeciently today and I was pretty impressed. Props.
First, we made sure the class had a full understanding of the vocabulary found in the poem, and that everyone understood the general plotline before going in greater depth. As mentioned yesterday, Poe disliked allegory and extended metaphor, and aimed at being very clear with the purpose and theme behind his writing, making "The Raven" a very useful poem for analysis.
We discussed the theme of death that is prevalent in his work, which is attributed to the fact that Poe saw death as a universal theme - everyone experiences it.
Another major theme is beauty, and Poe felt that the best way to combine the two themes would be to incorporate the death of a beautiful woman.
The symbolism of the raven is also a major point of the story. It is a dark bird that symbolizes death, and by providing an animal not usually associated with high intelligence as the interrogator of the narrator, it helps frame the state of mind of the narrator.
Other key point - While writing "The Raven," developed guidelines for effective poetic writing. One of these is that a good story should be able to be read in one sitting.
Homework - Develop idea for your own narrative poem. It should have a rhyme scheme, though the exact style is not as important (can model after "The Raven," "Fishtales," "No Regrets"). Goal is to have AT LEAST 8 quatrains.
10th Grade - Sophomores wrote rough drafts for the literary analysis B.O.E. I collected the drafts for participation credit for the day, and we will work on typing up the final drafts tomorrow. Overall, sophomore classes worked very effeciently today and I was pretty impressed. Props.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Jan. 19th Daily Plan
9th Grade - Freshmen continued studying contemporary music and its connection to historical poetic movements. Today, we focused on Aesop Rock and Edgar Allan Poe, because they both use similar structures and thematic material in their writing.
The class took some notes on both authors, and we introduced another form of structuring poetry - narrative.
Narrative Poetry - Poetry written in the form of a story; has a beginning, middle, end, climax, and resolution.
One of the main types of narrative poems is the epic. These are generally long stories that deal with heroic deeds and serious themes, and are found in many major ancient cultures. The reason they are often written in poem form is that they come from oral histories - these are stories that were told before they were eventually written. When some of these stories are incredibly long, turning them into poetic verse aids in memorization.
From Aesop Rock, we listened to the songs "Fishtales," and "No Regrets," to compare the heroes in each song, and look at what the theme of each could be. Tomorrow we will look at Edgar Allan Poe and "The Raven" to compare.
10th Grade - Sophomores started on their literary analysis B.O.E. exam. The overall goal of the exam is that students can demonstrate understanding of the writing process, and apply that knowledge to analyze a piece of literature in depth.
We will have three days in class to complete this; so students must create an outline, first draft + edits, and a final draft during class.
The class took some notes on both authors, and we introduced another form of structuring poetry - narrative.
Narrative Poetry - Poetry written in the form of a story; has a beginning, middle, end, climax, and resolution.
One of the main types of narrative poems is the epic. These are generally long stories that deal with heroic deeds and serious themes, and are found in many major ancient cultures. The reason they are often written in poem form is that they come from oral histories - these are stories that were told before they were eventually written. When some of these stories are incredibly long, turning them into poetic verse aids in memorization.
From Aesop Rock, we listened to the songs "Fishtales," and "No Regrets," to compare the heroes in each song, and look at what the theme of each could be. Tomorrow we will look at Edgar Allan Poe and "The Raven" to compare.
10th Grade - Sophomores started on their literary analysis B.O.E. exam. The overall goal of the exam is that students can demonstrate understanding of the writing process, and apply that knowledge to analyze a piece of literature in depth.
We will have three days in class to complete this; so students must create an outline, first draft + edits, and a final draft during class.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Jan. 18th Daily Plan
Welcome to Second Semester.
ALL CLASSES - Both 9th and 10th grade received an updated syllabus for the new English semester, providing more specific information about what materials we will be using and discussing in the coming months.
The major revisions on the syllabus -
Participation and Readiness - I explained how this weekly grade is calculated. Basically, all students start with 100% for the week. I expect that everyone has all materials ready for class when they arrive, and that everyone works to contribute in class. If a student is missing materials (i.e. pen, binder, books) then they lose points for that day. If the class leaves the room a mess when class is finished, it also creates a deduction for students in that class.
Basically, if you come to class prepared with the correct materials, pay attention and participate, you are golden on this score for the week.
Late Work - There is now a separate tray to turn in late work, to the RIGHT OF THE PERIOD 7 TRAY. Anything turned in late should go into this tray, with both the date it is actually turned in and the date it was due.
9th Grade - This week we start looking at hip hop music and it's relation to poetry. The first day of the week the class looked at two poetic authors - Jonathan Updike and Sage Francis. While both authors come from very different backgrounds, the written work they produce contain many similar themes.
The class took notes over background information on both authors, and then we compared/contrasted examples of each.
From Updike, we read "Perfection Wasted," and from Sage, we listened to the song "Narcissist." Both deal with the same question of what makes someone an individual and the role of material objects in identity formation.
Students wrote about their findings in their in-class notebooks.
10th Grade - We are getting right back into writing process skills and tying this in with the sophomore B.O.E. on literary analysis. While reading the differences between rough and final drafts of The Crucible essay from last semester, it became apparent than many students are not revising their work in a meaningful way. So before working on a new assignment with the writing process, I oulined some goals for revision.
These goals and ideas about writing were taking as notes by the class.
1) Remember - revision = seeing again (re = again, vision = sight). It is NOT just polishing a draft to correct for grammar, punctuation, and surface errors. Look at your argument first - if the content does not flow, it does not matter how polished it is.
Keep these ideas in mind when developing a piece of written work -
ALL CLASSES - Both 9th and 10th grade received an updated syllabus for the new English semester, providing more specific information about what materials we will be using and discussing in the coming months.
The major revisions on the syllabus -
Participation and Readiness - I explained how this weekly grade is calculated. Basically, all students start with 100% for the week. I expect that everyone has all materials ready for class when they arrive, and that everyone works to contribute in class. If a student is missing materials (i.e. pen, binder, books) then they lose points for that day. If the class leaves the room a mess when class is finished, it also creates a deduction for students in that class.
Basically, if you come to class prepared with the correct materials, pay attention and participate, you are golden on this score for the week.
Late Work - There is now a separate tray to turn in late work, to the RIGHT OF THE PERIOD 7 TRAY. Anything turned in late should go into this tray, with both the date it is actually turned in and the date it was due.
9th Grade - This week we start looking at hip hop music and it's relation to poetry. The first day of the week the class looked at two poetic authors - Jonathan Updike and Sage Francis. While both authors come from very different backgrounds, the written work they produce contain many similar themes.
The class took notes over background information on both authors, and then we compared/contrasted examples of each.
From Updike, we read "Perfection Wasted," and from Sage, we listened to the song "Narcissist." Both deal with the same question of what makes someone an individual and the role of material objects in identity formation.
Students wrote about their findings in their in-class notebooks.
10th Grade - We are getting right back into writing process skills and tying this in with the sophomore B.O.E. on literary analysis. While reading the differences between rough and final drafts of The Crucible essay from last semester, it became apparent than many students are not revising their work in a meaningful way. So before working on a new assignment with the writing process, I oulined some goals for revision.
These goals and ideas about writing were taking as notes by the class.
1) Remember - revision = seeing again (re = again, vision = sight). It is NOT just polishing a draft to correct for grammar, punctuation, and surface errors. Look at your argument first - if the content does not flow, it does not matter how polished it is.
Keep these ideas in mind when developing a piece of written work -
- Meaning - there must be content, the writing must add up to something of value.
- Authority - good authors speak with specific, accurate information.
- Voice - difficult to develop without practice, but seasoned writers develop a "style" to their writing that is unique.
- Development - a reader wants INFORMATION over LANGUAGE. You read a story to find out what primarily to figure out what happens next - make your writing the same way.
- Design - a good piece has form and structure.
- Clarity - Keep it as simple as possible without making it too simple. You should say what you need to say, and cut out whatever is unnecessary.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Jan. 14th Daily Plan
9th Grade - Freshmen had the reverse schedule of the previous day; so 3rd hour should look at Jan. 13th daily schedule to see what was done this day.
10th Grade - All sophomore classes have finished their exam for my class, and we had one more lesson focused on punctuation before starting the next semester. This lesson was focused on use of quotation marks, as they were often misused in student papers.
So, quick overview on using quote marks -
1) Quoting another text or person - Double quotation marks (") surround the quote.
ex. Mr. Kimmel said "this is a quotation."
2) Quoting a quote - single quotation marks (') are used for the inner quote.
ex. John said "Mr. Kimmel said 'this is a quotation.'"
3) To show ironic or unusual usage - DO NOT use quotation marks for emphasis. If you are using quote marks, it demonstrates that you are using a phrase ironically, or in a non-normal way.
ex. The person with the messy locker is very "responsible."
Also, remember that other punctuation generally goes to the LEFT of quotation marks, except for the period after the (author, page number) part.
ex. When I use the following quote, "I put the first comma outside the quote," said Mr. Kimmel, "but the second comma stays to the left of the closing quotation mark" (Kimmel, 1).
Semester over - have a good weekend!
10th Grade - All sophomore classes have finished their exam for my class, and we had one more lesson focused on punctuation before starting the next semester. This lesson was focused on use of quotation marks, as they were often misused in student papers.
So, quick overview on using quote marks -
1) Quoting another text or person - Double quotation marks (") surround the quote.
ex. Mr. Kimmel said "this is a quotation."
2) Quoting a quote - single quotation marks (') are used for the inner quote.
ex. John said "Mr. Kimmel said 'this is a quotation.'"
3) To show ironic or unusual usage - DO NOT use quotation marks for emphasis. If you are using quote marks, it demonstrates that you are using a phrase ironically, or in a non-normal way.
ex. The person with the messy locker is very "responsible."
Also, remember that other punctuation generally goes to the LEFT of quotation marks, except for the period after the (author, page number) part.
ex. When I use the following quote, "I put the first comma outside the quote," said Mr. Kimmel, "but the second comma stays to the left of the closing quotation mark" (Kimmel, 1).
Semester over - have a good weekend!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Jan. 13th Daily Schedule
9th Grade - Again, we are on a split schedule because of finals week, so one class took their test over poetry terms, while the other class continued to work on new information on the poetry unit. Tomorrow's schedule will be the reverse of today (i.e. 3rd period will do tomorrow what 7th period did today).
The class that did not take the final - we added in some new information about the Beat poets, as well as briefly looked at the current "new beat" movement. Students analyzed a poem by Jack Kerouac in class, as well as a excerpt from Allen Ginsberg's "Howl."
Students then were asked to write their own version of a poem in the same style - open form/free verse. This means that for this journal entry, there is no formal constraints in style or subject matter.
10th Grade - All sophomore classes today took the SSR book test, and then watched a documentary about Banksy.
The class that did not take the final - we added in some new information about the Beat poets, as well as briefly looked at the current "new beat" movement. Students analyzed a poem by Jack Kerouac in class, as well as a excerpt from Allen Ginsberg's "Howl."
Students then were asked to write their own version of a poem in the same style - open form/free verse. This means that for this journal entry, there is no formal constraints in style or subject matter.
10th Grade - All sophomore classes today took the SSR book test, and then watched a documentary about Banksy.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Jan. 12th Daily Schedule
NOTE - Jan. 12-14 are all modified schedules because of finals.
9th Grade - Neither 9th grade class had the final today, so both classes had the same, shortened lesson today (30 min class).
The goal for class today was to begin shifting towards more contemporary movements in poetry and art, as next week we will be looking for connections between artistic/poetic movements in current society and the previous movements that inspired them.
The Beat Generation - 1940s/1950s - a movement led by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and other writers of the same era. The Beat poets had a strong influence on future generations, and many of the aspects associated with the idea of "counterculture" can trace their roots back to these writers.
Rapid, rapid history - Kerouac and several other authors were students at Columbia University, and began writing and producing art as a counter to the "establishment" of mainstream culture.
In-Class Writing Assignment - What are the features of your generation? If you had to define a "movement" that is currently occuring, how would you define it?
10th Grade - One class had the S.S.R. book test, regarding the personal books read by students connected to the literature terms.
For the other classes - we continued on with the punctuation work, today focused on the apostrophe, as this was another mark that was consistently misused. Quick notes - apostrophes are used for POSSESSION AND OMISSION. If you missed this class, see me for a copy of notes with examples.
9th Grade - Neither 9th grade class had the final today, so both classes had the same, shortened lesson today (30 min class).
The goal for class today was to begin shifting towards more contemporary movements in poetry and art, as next week we will be looking for connections between artistic/poetic movements in current society and the previous movements that inspired them.
The Beat Generation - 1940s/1950s - a movement led by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and other writers of the same era. The Beat poets had a strong influence on future generations, and many of the aspects associated with the idea of "counterculture" can trace their roots back to these writers.
Rapid, rapid history - Kerouac and several other authors were students at Columbia University, and began writing and producing art as a counter to the "establishment" of mainstream culture.
In-Class Writing Assignment - What are the features of your generation? If you had to define a "movement" that is currently occuring, how would you define it?
10th Grade - One class had the S.S.R. book test, regarding the personal books read by students connected to the literature terms.
For the other classes - we continued on with the punctuation work, today focused on the apostrophe, as this was another mark that was consistently misused. Quick notes - apostrophes are used for POSSESSION AND OMISSION. If you missed this class, see me for a copy of notes with examples.
Jan. 11th Daily Schedule
9th Grade -
We continued to work on the sonnets for part of today - the goal was to have everyone have their sonnet to the point where it has 14 lines in the correct rhyme scheme, and is written in 10 syllables per line. We are still working on developing the correct meter.
New vocabulary words - blank verse, free verse/open form, enjambment
New Poet - e.e. cummings. We are beginning to shift into looking at more contemporary poets and poetic movements, and e.e. cummings is one of the major contributors to poetry in the 20th century. One of the main aspects of his writing to focus on is the aesthetic of the words on the page - this author often ignores or changes the rules of punctuation and grammar for visual effect, or can deliver a sentence out of order in a way that still has a logical sense.
10th Grade -
The lessons outside of the final this week are focused on proper punctuation use, because this was a common error found in the majority of student essays. We started by looking at some of the historical context for the development and usage of punctuation marks; as language developed from a pictographic system, where the meaning was clear from an image, to an phonetic system, punctuation, capitalization, and spacing became much more necessary for the writing to be comprehension.
We are going to focus on one punctuation symbol per day, with a general focus on the ones that I have seen students most commonly misuse.
Day 1 - commas. If you missed class, see me to get a copy of the notes that will explain the various ways to properly use commas.
I've been lenient with mechanics in student writing, but am letting all classes know that starting second semester, students will have to spend significantly more time polishing their writing before turning anything in to me.
We continued to work on the sonnets for part of today - the goal was to have everyone have their sonnet to the point where it has 14 lines in the correct rhyme scheme, and is written in 10 syllables per line. We are still working on developing the correct meter.
New vocabulary words - blank verse, free verse/open form, enjambment
New Poet - e.e. cummings. We are beginning to shift into looking at more contemporary poets and poetic movements, and e.e. cummings is one of the major contributors to poetry in the 20th century. One of the main aspects of his writing to focus on is the aesthetic of the words on the page - this author often ignores or changes the rules of punctuation and grammar for visual effect, or can deliver a sentence out of order in a way that still has a logical sense.
10th Grade -
The lessons outside of the final this week are focused on proper punctuation use, because this was a common error found in the majority of student essays. We started by looking at some of the historical context for the development and usage of punctuation marks; as language developed from a pictographic system, where the meaning was clear from an image, to an phonetic system, punctuation, capitalization, and spacing became much more necessary for the writing to be comprehension.
We are going to focus on one punctuation symbol per day, with a general focus on the ones that I have seen students most commonly misuse.
Day 1 - commas. If you missed class, see me to get a copy of the notes that will explain the various ways to properly use commas.
I've been lenient with mechanics in student writing, but am letting all classes know that starting second semester, students will have to spend significantly more time polishing their writing before turning anything in to me.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Jan. 10th Daily Schedule
Sorry on the late posting time . . .
9th Grade -
We focused the majority of classtime on writing a sonnet, as it is a very specific form and can take significant time to get all the pieces to fit correctly. Students took five minutes to free-write on a pair of opposites to generate content possibilities, and then we reviewed the different types of rhyme and rhyme scheme.
The first step towards writing a sonnet is getting 14 lines down in the correct rhyme scheme, and then developing iambic pentameter afterwards. The goal today was to get 14 lines written in-class, and then we will work with meter the next class.
HOMEWORK - Finish 14 lines in correct rhyme scheme to develop meter tomorrow.
10th Grade -
We watched the film version of "Who Am I This Time," focused on looking at the changes that are made to make a story more palatable to a movie audience. Also, this film proves that Christopher Walken does not age.
9th Grade -
We focused the majority of classtime on writing a sonnet, as it is a very specific form and can take significant time to get all the pieces to fit correctly. Students took five minutes to free-write on a pair of opposites to generate content possibilities, and then we reviewed the different types of rhyme and rhyme scheme.
The first step towards writing a sonnet is getting 14 lines down in the correct rhyme scheme, and then developing iambic pentameter afterwards. The goal today was to get 14 lines written in-class, and then we will work with meter the next class.
HOMEWORK - Finish 14 lines in correct rhyme scheme to develop meter tomorrow.
10th Grade -
We watched the film version of "Who Am I This Time," focused on looking at the changes that are made to make a story more palatable to a movie audience. Also, this film proves that Christopher Walken does not age.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Jan. 7th Daily Plan
9th Grade -
Again, we covered a wide range of material relating to poetry, and continued working on laying the foundations to have students write a sonnet. We started the class with some free-word association, with the goal in mind of developing some background ideas for potential topics to write about later.
The definitions added to the poetry term list today are entirely related to rhyme scheme.
Rhyme - perfect rhyme, general rhyme (general rhyme includes slant rhyme, imperfect rhyme, syllabic rhyme, and half rhyme).
Students practiced developed multiple rhymes in each one of these definitions.
For the test on poetic terms - we will ONLY use terms and poets taught this week.
We analyzed a couple of sonnets to develop rhyme scheme, as well as looking at how content is used in a poem.
Specifically, we focused on Shakespeare's Sonnet #130 (easily found through Google) as an example of how to use the "volta," or contextual shift in a sonnet.
10th Grade -
Students had the day to finish the inferential comprehension B.O.E. exam. Those that finished had the day to read silently.
As a way to incorporate students' personal reading books, the final test for the semester will be based on the books students have been reading. Expect to be identifying and providing examples over some of the literary terms we have discussed this term in relation to whatever book you have been reading.
Have a good weekend - paz.
Again, we covered a wide range of material relating to poetry, and continued working on laying the foundations to have students write a sonnet. We started the class with some free-word association, with the goal in mind of developing some background ideas for potential topics to write about later.
The definitions added to the poetry term list today are entirely related to rhyme scheme.
Rhyme - perfect rhyme, general rhyme (general rhyme includes slant rhyme, imperfect rhyme, syllabic rhyme, and half rhyme).
Students practiced developed multiple rhymes in each one of these definitions.
For the test on poetic terms - we will ONLY use terms and poets taught this week.
We analyzed a couple of sonnets to develop rhyme scheme, as well as looking at how content is used in a poem.
Specifically, we focused on Shakespeare's Sonnet #130 (easily found through Google) as an example of how to use the "volta," or contextual shift in a sonnet.
10th Grade -
Students had the day to finish the inferential comprehension B.O.E. exam. Those that finished had the day to read silently.
As a way to incorporate students' personal reading books, the final test for the semester will be based on the books students have been reading. Expect to be identifying and providing examples over some of the literary terms we have discussed this term in relation to whatever book you have been reading.
Have a good weekend - paz.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Jan. 6th Daily Plan
9th Grade -
This day covered quite a bit of information in our poetry unit. We added several poetic terms to our list, covered another major author, did an activity focused on better understanding of meter, and learned another major poetic form, which we will practice more tomorrow. The outline of what was covered today is as follows -
Poetic Terms - caesura, convention, figurative language, simile, metaphor, sonnet
Cultural Literacy - Shakespeare. There is way more information on Shakespeare that we could hope to cover, and we will be discussing this author in much greater depth later in the semester when we read Romeo and Juliet. For the sake of what we are learning currently, we viewed Shakespeare for his role in developing the sonnet, as the Shakespearean (English) follows a unique structure.
Meter - a large proportion of classtime was dedicated to understanding meter. I provided a handout that works as a study guide over the different parts of speech, as well as how to identify the standard stress on each part of speech. These are not solid rules and have exceptions, but for the most part, all words fall into a pattern.
Sonnet - We looked at the major guidelines for the structure of two different types of Sonnet - Italian and English.
Italian - 14 lines in iambic pentameter, broken into two major sections
(an octavo [8 lines] and a sextet [six lines]
English - 14 lines in iambic pentameter, broken into two major sections
(3 quatrains [4 lines] and a couplet [2 lines]
Both look at an observation/analysis/idea in the first section, and a refutation/criticism/clarification in the last section.
10th Grade -
BOE exam over inferential comprehension. For those that did not finish today, we will have time tomorrow to complete. For those that did finish, BRING SSR BOOK.
This day covered quite a bit of information in our poetry unit. We added several poetic terms to our list, covered another major author, did an activity focused on better understanding of meter, and learned another major poetic form, which we will practice more tomorrow. The outline of what was covered today is as follows -
Poetic Terms - caesura, convention, figurative language, simile, metaphor, sonnet
Cultural Literacy - Shakespeare. There is way more information on Shakespeare that we could hope to cover, and we will be discussing this author in much greater depth later in the semester when we read Romeo and Juliet. For the sake of what we are learning currently, we viewed Shakespeare for his role in developing the sonnet, as the Shakespearean (English) follows a unique structure.
Meter - a large proportion of classtime was dedicated to understanding meter. I provided a handout that works as a study guide over the different parts of speech, as well as how to identify the standard stress on each part of speech. These are not solid rules and have exceptions, but for the most part, all words fall into a pattern.
Sonnet - We looked at the major guidelines for the structure of two different types of Sonnet - Italian and English.
Italian - 14 lines in iambic pentameter, broken into two major sections
(an octavo [8 lines] and a sextet [six lines]
English - 14 lines in iambic pentameter, broken into two major sections
(3 quatrains [4 lines] and a couplet [2 lines]
Both look at an observation/analysis/idea in the first section, and a refutation/criticism/clarification in the last section.
10th Grade -
BOE exam over inferential comprehension. For those that did not finish today, we will have time tomorrow to complete. For those that did finish, BRING SSR BOOK.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Jan. 5th Daily Plan
9th Grade -
We continued our unit on poetry by adding several more poetic terms, another famous poet, and then worked on writing Haiku's in class.
The class did a short worksheet to reinforce the idea of connotation that we worked on yesterday; focused on how some words have a secondary, associated meaning other than their literal definition (ex. the word "riot" and "demonstration" may refer to the same event, but the implied meaning is not the same)
Poetic Terms - denotation, imagery, metonymy, onomatopoeia, closed form
Cultural Literacy - Basho - Basho is the originator of the Haiku form. Previously, the Haiku was the "hokku," which served as the introductory lines of a longer, collaborative poem called the "renga."
Haiku - a poem in 17 mora, a Japanese part of speech similar to syllables. In English, the Haiku is written in three lines, with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Generally there is an thematic element of nature, and the aim is to create a "snapshot" in time. The third line often serves as a "cut" or "shift" that doesn't necessarily break the flow of the poem, but concludes or changes the meaning.
Students wrote several Haiku's in their in-class journals, based on images presented in class.
10th Grade -
We continued studying the concept and application of inference using short stories and passages in class today. We finished the short story "High Horse's Courting," and reviewed the seven inferential questions in relation to this text.
In addition, we looked at several other questions of causal inference. These were divided into four categories.
Motivational - Why? (Fairly clear, what is the character's motivation in performing an action?)
Psychological - Why did . . . what happened when . . . (What causes a character's reaction in a story? How to events change the way a character acts?)
Physical - Why did . . . what happened when . . . (Similar question structure to psychological, but has a clear physical reaction. Ex. What happens when someone falls off a cliff? There is a clear, physical consequence that can be inferred).
Enabling - How did . . . (What are characters capable of? Ex. If you know a character is a surgeon, what skills do you infer s/he likely has?)
We practiced developing these inferences by reviewing short passages about various characters, followed by making assumptions about what the other aspects of their lives would be based on the limited information provided.
BOE EXAM ON INFERENCE TOMORROW!
We continued our unit on poetry by adding several more poetic terms, another famous poet, and then worked on writing Haiku's in class.
The class did a short worksheet to reinforce the idea of connotation that we worked on yesterday; focused on how some words have a secondary, associated meaning other than their literal definition (ex. the word "riot" and "demonstration" may refer to the same event, but the implied meaning is not the same)
Poetic Terms - denotation, imagery, metonymy, onomatopoeia, closed form
Cultural Literacy - Basho - Basho is the originator of the Haiku form. Previously, the Haiku was the "hokku," which served as the introductory lines of a longer, collaborative poem called the "renga."
Haiku - a poem in 17 mora, a Japanese part of speech similar to syllables. In English, the Haiku is written in three lines, with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Generally there is an thematic element of nature, and the aim is to create a "snapshot" in time. The third line often serves as a "cut" or "shift" that doesn't necessarily break the flow of the poem, but concludes or changes the meaning.
Students wrote several Haiku's in their in-class journals, based on images presented in class.
10th Grade -
We continued studying the concept and application of inference using short stories and passages in class today. We finished the short story "High Horse's Courting," and reviewed the seven inferential questions in relation to this text.
In addition, we looked at several other questions of causal inference. These were divided into four categories.
Motivational - Why? (Fairly clear, what is the character's motivation in performing an action?)
Psychological - Why did . . . what happened when . . . (What causes a character's reaction in a story? How to events change the way a character acts?)
Physical - Why did . . . what happened when . . . (Similar question structure to psychological, but has a clear physical reaction. Ex. What happens when someone falls off a cliff? There is a clear, physical consequence that can be inferred).
Enabling - How did . . . (What are characters capable of? Ex. If you know a character is a surgeon, what skills do you infer s/he likely has?)
We practiced developing these inferences by reviewing short passages about various characters, followed by making assumptions about what the other aspects of their lives would be based on the limited information provided.
BOE EXAM ON INFERENCE TOMORROW!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Jan. 4th Daily Plan
9th Grade -
We continued on our introduction to Poetry unit. Today focused on providing a little Cultural Literacy context by giving the background information on a famous author (Robert Frost, author of the poem the class read yesterday), as well as working with several poetic terms.
The majority of the class today was focused on the idea of connotation in language, and how many words have a secondary associated meaning. Students took a short "connotation quiz" to evaluate which of three synonyms was positive, negative, and neutral.
The class also did an activity focused on the names of popular (and some unpopular) cars, and what connotation automobile names have to target an intended audience. We looked at the names of cars in the 1960s (Thunderbird, Charger, Mustang) and the 1970s (Rabbit, Pinto, Civic), and how the economic climate is reflected in the names of the vehicles.
The activity is on a hand-out provided in class, so if you missed this day, you can pick up a copy from me.
Poetic Terms Reviewed -
Connotation
Stanza
Couplet
Meter
Rhyme
10th Grade -
We continued working with the idea of inference, in anticipation of the B.O.E. exam focused on this skill.
To warm-up, students were presented another two images with which to develop a backstory by pulling details from the image to create the necessary information.
Students were also given the seven inferential question.
1) Background Information - (who, what, where)
2) Key Details (details necessary for understanding the plot)
3) Stated relationship (directly tells the reader how two characters interact)
4) Simple implied relationship (must infer the relationship between two characters through clear evidence)
5) Complex implied relationship (must infer the relationship between two or more characters through indirect evidence)
6) Author's Generalization - what message is the author trying to convey about the world through the story? What connections could you make between the text and the world around you?
7) Structural Generalization - what message (or lesson) could you take from the story based on the way the characters change from beginning to end?
We practiced developing this information with a story from the textbook - One Hundred Cows (pg 639).
We also started on another, slighly more complex story from the textbook - High Horse's Courting (pg 647).
We continued on our introduction to Poetry unit. Today focused on providing a little Cultural Literacy context by giving the background information on a famous author (Robert Frost, author of the poem the class read yesterday), as well as working with several poetic terms.
The majority of the class today was focused on the idea of connotation in language, and how many words have a secondary associated meaning. Students took a short "connotation quiz" to evaluate which of three synonyms was positive, negative, and neutral.
The class also did an activity focused on the names of popular (and some unpopular) cars, and what connotation automobile names have to target an intended audience. We looked at the names of cars in the 1960s (Thunderbird, Charger, Mustang) and the 1970s (Rabbit, Pinto, Civic), and how the economic climate is reflected in the names of the vehicles.
The activity is on a hand-out provided in class, so if you missed this day, you can pick up a copy from me.
Poetic Terms Reviewed -
Connotation
Stanza
Couplet
Meter
Rhyme
10th Grade -
We continued working with the idea of inference, in anticipation of the B.O.E. exam focused on this skill.
To warm-up, students were presented another two images with which to develop a backstory by pulling details from the image to create the necessary information.
Students were also given the seven inferential question.
1) Background Information - (who, what, where)
2) Key Details (details necessary for understanding the plot)
3) Stated relationship (directly tells the reader how two characters interact)
4) Simple implied relationship (must infer the relationship between two characters through clear evidence)
5) Complex implied relationship (must infer the relationship between two or more characters through indirect evidence)
6) Author's Generalization - what message is the author trying to convey about the world through the story? What connections could you make between the text and the world around you?
7) Structural Generalization - what message (or lesson) could you take from the story based on the way the characters change from beginning to end?
We practiced developing this information with a story from the textbook - One Hundred Cows (pg 639).
We also started on another, slighly more complex story from the textbook - High Horse's Courting (pg 647).
Monday, January 3, 2011
Jan. 3rd Daily Plan
Hope everyone had a solid Winter Break, and welcome to 2011.
9th Grade - First day of the new year, and we are starting another unit that will be the focus for January.
Freshmen classes are starting a unit on Poetry, and its connections to contemporary music. This first class of the year focused on gauging students' background knowledge on the subject, and providing a basic blueprint for the next several weeks.
In class, we completed an anticipation guide, asking for students' viewpoints on poetic form and content.
After discussing the results from this opening activity, we analyzed the first poem of the unit as a class - Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken."
Over the next two week, we will focus on developing familiarity with a wide range of poetic form, terms, and several famous authors.
10th Grade - Another week, another unit. Sophomores have two major focus points before the end of the semester, with this week focused on the concept of inference in preparation for a B.O.E. examination later this week.
I gave students some background information over the concept of inference - basically, how it is an important skill and is used by all people on a daily basis, in many different forms.
The basic inferential process (extremely simplified version)
external, observerable data - data is filtered by the observer - meaning is added - assumptions are made based on meaning - conclusions are drawn from assumptions - beliefs are altered by the added data - process repeats/action taken.
We looked at the inference process by looking at several images, and describing what clues there are to provide the context for the image. Students then did an activity where they had to create captions to blank comics, inferring the meaning of the scene.
We will be applying these skills in more depth to text this week.
9th Grade - First day of the new year, and we are starting another unit that will be the focus for January.
Freshmen classes are starting a unit on Poetry, and its connections to contemporary music. This first class of the year focused on gauging students' background knowledge on the subject, and providing a basic blueprint for the next several weeks.
In class, we completed an anticipation guide, asking for students' viewpoints on poetic form and content.
After discussing the results from this opening activity, we analyzed the first poem of the unit as a class - Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken."
Over the next two week, we will focus on developing familiarity with a wide range of poetic form, terms, and several famous authors.
10th Grade - Another week, another unit. Sophomores have two major focus points before the end of the semester, with this week focused on the concept of inference in preparation for a B.O.E. examination later this week.
I gave students some background information over the concept of inference - basically, how it is an important skill and is used by all people on a daily basis, in many different forms.
The basic inferential process (extremely simplified version)
external, observerable data - data is filtered by the observer - meaning is added - assumptions are made based on meaning - conclusions are drawn from assumptions - beliefs are altered by the added data - process repeats/action taken.
We looked at the inference process by looking at several images, and describing what clues there are to provide the context for the image. Students then did an activity where they had to create captions to blank comics, inferring the meaning of the scene.
We will be applying these skills in more depth to text this week.
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