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.
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