Last day before Winter Break! Thank you to the students that came today.
All Classes - TURN IN YOUR FINAL ESSAYS (10th GRADE) and PROJECTS (9th GRADE).
If it hasn't yet been turned in to me, I will accept some late essays/projects by e-mail.
If I do not have a project from you AT ALL, it will SEVERELY affect your grade for the semester. SEVERELY. (repetion to make things clearer).
Have a good break -
paz.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Dec. 21st Daily Plan
All Classes -
Today was the official roll out of the new student e-mail system. 1/2 of each class period was dedicated to going to a computer lab and having students log in and learn about the new system.
9th Grade -
Two main points for today.
1) Projects due - This means I need to have the writing components turned in directly to me, as well as any CDs/posters/etc that you have created. If it is not with me today, it is considered late (minus one letter grade/day). Regardless, this needs to get turned in - if you do not receive credit for this project, it will severely affect your grade for the semester.
Students whose projects were complete and ready to go presented today; each group has five minutes to introduce their project, and choose a specific aspect of it to discuss in greater depth.
2) Student survey - I provided students a short 5-minute written survey requesting some information about how class has worked for the past month. Like always, the more honest the feedback, the more useful it is for me in designing the next several units. Appreciated.
10th Grade -
1) Essay due - final draft, as well as any work preceding it. Like the freshmen projects, this needed to be in to me by today; if it was not, then it is considered late (minus one letter grade/day). Regardless, this needs to get turned in - if you do not receive credit for this essay, it will severely affect your grade for the semester.
2) Student survey - I provided students a short 5-minute written survey requesting some information about how class has worked for the past month. Like always, the more honest the feedback, the more useful it is for me in designing the next several units. Appreciated.
3) We finished the film version of The Crucible.
paz.
Today was the official roll out of the new student e-mail system. 1/2 of each class period was dedicated to going to a computer lab and having students log in and learn about the new system.
9th Grade -
Two main points for today.
1) Projects due - This means I need to have the writing components turned in directly to me, as well as any CDs/posters/etc that you have created. If it is not with me today, it is considered late (minus one letter grade/day). Regardless, this needs to get turned in - if you do not receive credit for this project, it will severely affect your grade for the semester.
Students whose projects were complete and ready to go presented today; each group has five minutes to introduce their project, and choose a specific aspect of it to discuss in greater depth.
2) Student survey - I provided students a short 5-minute written survey requesting some information about how class has worked for the past month. Like always, the more honest the feedback, the more useful it is for me in designing the next several units. Appreciated.
10th Grade -
1) Essay due - final draft, as well as any work preceding it. Like the freshmen projects, this needed to be in to me by today; if it was not, then it is considered late (minus one letter grade/day). Regardless, this needs to get turned in - if you do not receive credit for this essay, it will severely affect your grade for the semester.
2) Student survey - I provided students a short 5-minute written survey requesting some information about how class has worked for the past month. Like always, the more honest the feedback, the more useful it is for me in designing the next several units. Appreciated.
3) We finished the film version of The Crucible.
paz.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Dec. 20th Daily Plan
9th Grade -
Today was an in-class work day for several different assignments. First, students who need to retake the Narrative Essay B.O.E. were provided with their alternate prompt, and have two days to complete this assignment - it needs to be in to me by the beginning of class on Wednesday, 12/22.
Students who do not need to retake the B.O.E. were given today to add finishing touches to their projects, peer edit the written components and work on polishing the typed final drafts.
In class writing prompt - What theme/idea from Fahrenheit 451 do you feel was the most important to learn about? How does this theme connect to you personally?
I also gave students time to complete missing writing assingments (check PowerSchool if you think you are missing anything).
All students were provided this information - THE FINAL PROJECT IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TOMORROW, 12/21.
As I have explained to the class, if you have been having problems with the project, you need to see me early on. If you have been having a hard time with the project but do not bring it up until five minutes before the bell, it is near impossible to provide you with adequate feedback and time before the due date - I expect students to be ready and completed by this time.
No excuses, explanations, or rationalizations if it is not turned in.
This means make a hard-copy, e-mail a copy to yourself, etc. I expect this turned in at the beginning of class. If you are not in class, I'm expecting a copy of the written component e-mailed to me.
10th Grade -
Today was relatively simple. Students who needed to retake the literary term B.O.E. were given the class period to do so, using the same literary terms from the previous test matched with The Crucible.
Students who did not need to retake the B.O.E. were given time to peer-review their essays, and work on typing final drafts in the library.
All students were provided this information - THE FINAL DRAFT IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TOMORROW, 12/21.
As I have explained to the class, if you have been having problems with the essay, you need to see me early on. If you have been having a hard time with the essay but do not bring it up until five minutes before the bell, it is near impossible to provide you with adequate feedback and time before the due date - I expect students to be ready and completed by this time.
No excuses, explanations, or rationalizations if it is not turned in.
This means make a hard-copy, e-mail a copy to yourself, etc. I expect this turned in at the beginning of class. If you are not in class, I'm expecting a copy e-mailed to me.
Today was an in-class work day for several different assignments. First, students who need to retake the Narrative Essay B.O.E. were provided with their alternate prompt, and have two days to complete this assignment - it needs to be in to me by the beginning of class on Wednesday, 12/22.
Students who do not need to retake the B.O.E. were given today to add finishing touches to their projects, peer edit the written components and work on polishing the typed final drafts.
In class writing prompt - What theme/idea from Fahrenheit 451 do you feel was the most important to learn about? How does this theme connect to you personally?
I also gave students time to complete missing writing assingments (check PowerSchool if you think you are missing anything).
All students were provided this information - THE FINAL PROJECT IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TOMORROW, 12/21.
As I have explained to the class, if you have been having problems with the project, you need to see me early on. If you have been having a hard time with the project but do not bring it up until five minutes before the bell, it is near impossible to provide you with adequate feedback and time before the due date - I expect students to be ready and completed by this time.
No excuses, explanations, or rationalizations if it is not turned in.
This means make a hard-copy, e-mail a copy to yourself, etc. I expect this turned in at the beginning of class. If you are not in class, I'm expecting a copy of the written component e-mailed to me.
10th Grade -
Today was relatively simple. Students who needed to retake the literary term B.O.E. were given the class period to do so, using the same literary terms from the previous test matched with The Crucible.
Students who did not need to retake the B.O.E. were given time to peer-review their essays, and work on typing final drafts in the library.
All students were provided this information - THE FINAL DRAFT IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TOMORROW, 12/21.
As I have explained to the class, if you have been having problems with the essay, you need to see me early on. If you have been having a hard time with the essay but do not bring it up until five minutes before the bell, it is near impossible to provide you with adequate feedback and time before the due date - I expect students to be ready and completed by this time.
No excuses, explanations, or rationalizations if it is not turned in.
This means make a hard-copy, e-mail a copy to yourself, etc. I expect this turned in at the beginning of class. If you are not in class, I'm expecting a copy e-mailed to me.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Dec. 17th Daily Plan
9th Grade -
Today was the last day that students have in-class to work on their Fahrenheit 451 projects. We continued to discuss what my expectations are for the final product - namely, there needs to be a strong written component to accompany any music/imagery that students are providing.
Remember, do not get caught up in the media portion if the writing still needs works. This is an English class, and I am expecting a high-level of written analysis on anything you use for your project.
Students who had a complete (or near complete) written component also performed a peer review in class today, to get another student's opinion on what could be done better. The peer review is useful because it allows someone to evaluate your work before me; since once I am evaluating it, you are getting graded!
10th Grade -
We finished up working on the essays in-class today, and a completed draft ready-to-be-typed is expected for monday. What we discussed in class -
Necessary Components for an Introduction -
paz.
Today was the last day that students have in-class to work on their Fahrenheit 451 projects. We continued to discuss what my expectations are for the final product - namely, there needs to be a strong written component to accompany any music/imagery that students are providing.
Remember, do not get caught up in the media portion if the writing still needs works. This is an English class, and I am expecting a high-level of written analysis on anything you use for your project.
Students who had a complete (or near complete) written component also performed a peer review in class today, to get another student's opinion on what could be done better. The peer review is useful because it allows someone to evaluate your work before me; since once I am evaluating it, you are getting graded!
10th Grade -
We finished up working on the essays in-class today, and a completed draft ready-to-be-typed is expected for monday. What we discussed in class -
Necessary Components for an Introduction -
- Hook - a sentence to grab the reader's attention.
- Background Information - Author, Title, Setting. What does a reader need to know for your paper to make any sense?
- THESIS - One sentence that summarizes what the entire paper is about.
- "Wrap It Up" - some sentence that provides closure to the essay.
- Restate Thesis - you may want to redirect attention back to your thesis at the end of an essay.
- "So What?" - Why was this worth reading? Your conclusion should have some aspect of "why" the essay was written, and why what you chose to write about made the most sense of the possible options.
paz.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Dec. 15th Daily Plan
9th and 10th Grade -
Both classes had a very similar structure today, as both classes are in similar stages with their essays/projects in class. Basically, today focused on the proper usage of quotations and evidence from a text in relationship to writing.
Generally, the format is as follows. Every body paragraph of an essay needs the following components.
Topic Sentence - a sentence explaining what the paragraph will be about.
Concrete Details/Evidence - Taken directly from the text, generally in the form of quotes. These are generally facts, but do not stand alone without . . .
Commentary/Opinion - Every concrete detail needs some analaysis and opinion attached to it. Basically, the commentary is a sentence explaining why your evidence is useful.
Warrant/Connection - It is not enough to just state a fact and your opinion using it. The warrant is a connection between the concrete detail and the commentary, an explanation of WHY your evidence works well for your opinion.
Concluding Sentence/Transition - A sentence that either sums up your paragraph or moves the reader into the next paragraph.
HOMEWORK - 10th GRADE - FULL DRAFT OF BODY PARAGRAPHS FOR THE CRUCIBLE ESSAY!
HOMEWORK - 9th GRADE - FULL DRAFT OF ALL WRITTEN COMPONENTS FOR PROJECT!
Both classes had a very similar structure today, as both classes are in similar stages with their essays/projects in class. Basically, today focused on the proper usage of quotations and evidence from a text in relationship to writing.
Generally, the format is as follows. Every body paragraph of an essay needs the following components.
Topic Sentence - a sentence explaining what the paragraph will be about.
Concrete Details/Evidence - Taken directly from the text, generally in the form of quotes. These are generally facts, but do not stand alone without . . .
Commentary/Opinion - Every concrete detail needs some analaysis and opinion attached to it. Basically, the commentary is a sentence explaining why your evidence is useful.
Warrant/Connection - It is not enough to just state a fact and your opinion using it. The warrant is a connection between the concrete detail and the commentary, an explanation of WHY your evidence works well for your opinion.
Concluding Sentence/Transition - A sentence that either sums up your paragraph or moves the reader into the next paragraph.
HOMEWORK - 10th GRADE - FULL DRAFT OF BODY PARAGRAPHS FOR THE CRUCIBLE ESSAY!
HOMEWORK - 9th GRADE - FULL DRAFT OF ALL WRITTEN COMPONENTS FOR PROJECT!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Reel Rock Film Tour
Tomorrow night at 7:30 the JHHS Mountaineering program will be presenting the Reel Rock Film Tour. This is a fundraising effort for the Teton Boulder Project.
The films are all amazingly well done, and there is going to be a raffle with some good prizes for the outdoor-inclined. Climbing shoes, a climbing rope, some ski passes . . .
Tickets are $10 at the door. Hope to see some students there!
http://www.tetonboulders.org/ - Teton Boulder Project Website.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVRDb1CBh58 - Reel Rock Film Tour Trailer
The films are all amazingly well done, and there is going to be a raffle with some good prizes for the outdoor-inclined. Climbing shoes, a climbing rope, some ski passes . . .
Tickets are $10 at the door. Hope to see some students there!
http://www.tetonboulders.org/ - Teton Boulder Project Website.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVRDb1CBh58 - Reel Rock Film Tour Trailer
Dec. 15th Daily Plan
9th Grade -
We worked on our Fahrenheit 451 projects in class today, with a very specific focus on certain areas.
First, I provided an example of a piece of media that I felt connected well to the novel. It is the song "The Thing About It" by Sweatshop Union. If you missed class, you can find the song on Youtube. We spent a short amount of time as a class finding which themes, scenes, ideas, etc. that the song could be connected to (its possible in many, many different ways).
I also provided the class with two example paragraphs for what I am expecting for the writing component. Students had to choose which of the example paragraphs did a better job connecting the song to the novel, and explain why. It is from these models that we set guidelines for what I am expecting from student's work.
1) Words that you DO NOT USE in academic writing - first, no vague words.
10th Grade -
Part of today was focused on getting all three 10th grade classes segued back on track to finish The Crucible essay at the same point. I have extended the due date to Tuesday, Dec. 21st to make up for the day students were taking the PLAN-ACT.
All three sophomore classes should now be absolutely finished reading the play, and have the characterization guide filled out to outline their essays.
I explained to the class there are two simple ways to organize the paragraphs in this assignment.
1) Organization by Act - ex. Proctor in Act 1 would be a paragraph, Proctor in Act 2 would be a paragraph, and so on.
2 Organization by Trait - ex. Proctor-Pride would be paragraph 1, Proctor-Compassion could be paragraph 2, and so on.
However you choose to organize your essay, it needs to be clear. As long as there is a logical progression of logic, other forms of organization can work.
HOMEWORK - Full draft of body paragraphs, several quotes ready for use in-class tomorrow. We will revise the body paragraphs in class tomorrow and then start on the intro/conclusion work.
paz.
We worked on our Fahrenheit 451 projects in class today, with a very specific focus on certain areas.
First, I provided an example of a piece of media that I felt connected well to the novel. It is the song "The Thing About It" by Sweatshop Union. If you missed class, you can find the song on Youtube. We spent a short amount of time as a class finding which themes, scenes, ideas, etc. that the song could be connected to (its possible in many, many different ways).
I also provided the class with two example paragraphs for what I am expecting for the writing component. Students had to choose which of the example paragraphs did a better job connecting the song to the novel, and explain why. It is from these models that we set guidelines for what I am expecting from student's work.
1) Words that you DO NOT USE in academic writing - first, no vague words.
- ex - thing, stuff
- ex - do not say "its" "theirs" "his" unless you are very clear WHO or WHAT you are referencing!
- It is required that students use some quotations from the book. In order to use these quotes well, you must explain HOW/WHY they connect to your argument.
10th Grade -
Part of today was focused on getting all three 10th grade classes segued back on track to finish The Crucible essay at the same point. I have extended the due date to Tuesday, Dec. 21st to make up for the day students were taking the PLAN-ACT.
All three sophomore classes should now be absolutely finished reading the play, and have the characterization guide filled out to outline their essays.
I explained to the class there are two simple ways to organize the paragraphs in this assignment.
1) Organization by Act - ex. Proctor in Act 1 would be a paragraph, Proctor in Act 2 would be a paragraph, and so on.
2 Organization by Trait - ex. Proctor-Pride would be paragraph 1, Proctor-Compassion could be paragraph 2, and so on.
However you choose to organize your essay, it needs to be clear. As long as there is a logical progression of logic, other forms of organization can work.
HOMEWORK - Full draft of body paragraphs, several quotes ready for use in-class tomorrow. We will revise the body paragraphs in class tomorrow and then start on the intro/conclusion work.
paz.
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