Feb 2nd Daily Plan

9th Grade - Freshmen are continuing in their unit focused on Mythology. Today we discussed the idea that the creation of mythology is an ongoing process, and that there are many myths alive today, and in every society.

Part of the reason for this is that people of all societies throughout history have generally had the same wants and needs. To demonstrate this, students were asked what their goals were in the next 25 years. In very general terms, these goals are the same as they would be for any cultural group (be successful, have a good job, marriage, family), and at any point in time.

We continued this conversation by discussing rites of passage, another cultural commonality. Students found examples of rites of passage in modern day American culture, and we briefly compared these to historical examples.

Finally, students performed an activity in small groups. Each group was assigned two creation myths from different cultures, and were asked to find commonalities between their myths. Finally, the class came together to list the commonalities of all the creation myths discussed.

10th Grade - Sophomores started reading To Kill a Mockingbird in class today. We are continuing to set context throughout the reading by having students share their research findings from the previous class periods. Today, the group that researched The Great Depression presented, to help provide a greater understanding of the setting.

I spoke to the class about reading strategy as we started the book as well. Basically, I explained to students that in order to best understand and enjoy this novel, they should read it primarily as a story. What this means is that rather than read through the book as a textbook searching for information, they should read it for the sake of getting involved in a storyline. Overall, this will provide greater enjoyment, engagement, and understanding.

I also explained to students my goals for outside-of-class reading of TKAM. For the sake of using class time effectively, it is best that the students do the majority of reading at home, so we can use the time in class to discuss and delve deeper into some of the issues raised in the novel.

However, to do this well, students must be coming to class prepared. If students are all able to come to class and contribute to class discussion and can demonstrate comprehension, I'm psyched and less class time can be devoted to reading, and quizzes over the previous night's reading. Win-win situation.

Homework - Complete Chapter 1.