February 26th, 2014

2/26/14

In Class:
Journal--  What does one have to do to earn your respect and trust? What characteristics do you value in other people?

Lesson on Literary Analysis:

Using the iceberg analogy, discussed literature as a reader-informed process. Although the author can control what we literally see on the page (above water), most of the content is shaped by the community of readers and their various life experiences & beliefs. Therefore, things like theme, meaning, tone, etc. (below water) are created by a transaction between the author and the readers.

literary analysis: an 'underwater' exploration of a piece of literature.
Read and discussed "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, using supplementary materials from The Bedford Guide to College Writing to guide literary analysis.

Students worked independently on the following tasks:
  * GMX.
  * TW #5 on "So the Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans?" by Jimmy Santiago Baca and "In Response to Executive Order 9066" by Dwight Okita (see prompts to the right).
  * Final project.
  * Missing assignments/journals.

Exit ticket: Identify one way that you can kick butt next week for finals.

Homework:
Work on final project!
Finish TW #5.

February 24th, 2014

2/24/14

In Class:
Journal--  What are you looking forward to in life? How do you plan to accomplish this?

10 minutes of guided, independent GMX work.

Lesson on Synopsis:
(See summary lesson, also.)
synopsis: a summary which includes your reactions, questions, and beliefs.
Practiced synopsis using Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour."

Students worked independently for the remainder of class on the following tasks:
  * Read for final.
  * Write for final.
  * Catch up on missing assignments and journals.
  * Read poems ("So the Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans?" and "In Response to Executive Order 9066") for TW #5.
  * GMX/Independent Reading.

Exit ticket: Name one person toward whom you will express gratitude today.

Homework:
Work on final!
Catch up on missing work.

February 19th, 2014

2/19/14

In Class:
Journal--  Using the photo as a jumping-off point, free-write a story or poem. Imagine all the details!

10 minutes of independent, guided GMX work.

Lesson on Summary:
summary: a condensed version of a larger text.*
   * a text can be any vehicle of communication (e.g., books, poetry, film, music, etc.)
To summarize, 1) annotate, 2) re-think, and 3) re-tell.
     - Title & author
     - Who, what, when, where, and why?
     - Important supporting details and quotes
As a class, we practiced summary using "High school senior's mission: Educate about autism" by Cindy Sutter. (See example summary to the right.)
Independently, each student found an article from a local news source and, using the techniques we learned in class, wrote ~1/2 page summary of it.

Introduced and discussed final project. Be sure to ask any and all questions you have on the project!

Distributed "So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans?" by Jimmy Santiago Baca and "In Response to Executive Order 9066" by Dwight Okita for Timed Writing #5, next Wednesday.

Exit ticket: Name one thing you are proud of.

Homework:
Finish your article summary.
Start working on final project.
Read Baca & Okita poems for next Wednesday.
Catch up on missing work!

Final Project -- Elements of Language Arts

February 12th, 2014

2/12/14

In Class:
Journal--  Describe the person who a) taught you how to tie your shoes, or b) taught you how to ride a bike.

Note: School will not be in session on Monday, February 17th, 2014. This class will meet again on Wednesday, February 19th.

10 minutes of independent, guided GMX work time.

Reminder on the importance of starting a paper by composing a working thesis statement.

Played "City Don't Sleep" by Macklemore.

Exit ticket: Name three things you want to accomplish over the long weekend.

Homework:
Finish TW #4.
Catch up on missing work.

February 10th, 2014

2/10/14

In Class:
Journal--  In detail, explain:
  1) how to fail a class.
  2) how to cook your favorite food.
           or
  3) how to tell someone something he or she doesn't want to hear.

10 minutes of independent, guided GMX work time.

Lesson in Expository Writing:
expository writing: writing that clearly and directly explains how to do something or how something is done.
   -> e.g., recipes, persuasive writing, giving advice, instruction manuals, career writing, etc.
  * Clearly identify your purpose or objective.
  * Use specific, descriptive language, particularly verbs
  * Use strong, clear transition words (first, then, next, last) or sequencing cues (1, 2, 3)
  * Use diagrams, if appropriate.
  * Provide important context/background information.
  * Most importantly, explain to death. Always try to add one more sentence of explanation (one more red light).

Reviewed an excerpt of Malcolm Gladwell's "The Trouble with Fries" and Shane Abrams' "Nine Steps for Getting Over Someone."



To practice expository writing techniques, students began a board game assignment in pairs. Each pair chose and played a game at least five times through in order to become 'experts.' For their pair's game, they wrote a set of rules and strategies based on their gameplay experience.

Exit ticket: Copy the following statement--"I promise to be on time to class and to only take a five minute break."

Homework:
Finish Game Rules Graphic Organizer.
Read Bill Krauth profile for TW #4 on Wednesday.
Catch up on missing work.

February 5th, 2014

2/5/14

In Class:
Journal--  Reflect on the first half of the block so far. What went well? What are you proud of? What will you do better in the second half of the block?

10 minutes of independent, guided GMX work.

Lesson on The Listening Process:
~ Receiving, Attending, Understanding, Remembering ~
Receiving
   * Most communication falls flat here because the listener isn't "tuned in"
   * "Hearing is the reception of sound; listening is the attachment of meaning."
Attending (Attention)
   * At any given time, dozens of stimuli are competing for our attention. Therefore, we must either consciously or unconsciously choose which to attend to. This depends on the following aspects of attention:
       - selectivity
       - strength
       - span
Understanding/Interpreting
    * This step requires you to interpret what the stimulus means, using prior knowledge, verbal cues, and body language.
Remembering
   * With all listening, remembering is a selective but significant aspect.
   * By committing our understanding to memory, we open up doors for future listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Students worked independently on midterm projects and missing work.

Exit ticket: What did you accomplish in class today?

Homework:
Finish midterm ASAP.
Compile and submit journals.
Complete any missing work.

February 3rd, 2014

2/3/14

In Class:
Journal--  Write a letter to yourself five years from now (or) five years ago.
*Note: journals will be collected on Wednesday. If you have been late or absent, be sure to make up the journal entry.

10 minutes of guided, independent GMX work.

Discussed and reviewed midterm project -- due February 6th, 2014.

Students worked independently on research for the midterm or homework assignment.

Exit ticket: If you could have any one animal as a pet, what would it be?

Homework:
Work on midterm.
Read "Listening Skills" and complete guided notes.
Catch up on any missing work or journal entries.

Midterm -- Elements of Language Arts

Elements of Language Arts – Midterm

Due February 6^th, 2014 by 1:00 PM

In order to explore the significance that reading, writing, speaking, and listening will hold in your life outside of school, you will complete a brief research project on a career of your choice. This assignment will provide you an opportunity to demonstrate your growing competence in the fields of writing and communication.

Assignment: Your task is to identify the styles and uses of literacy in a career field of your choice. (Keep in mind: literacy refers to reading, writing, speaking, and listening.) You should ask yourself the following questions while investigating:

·      What sort of texts does one encounter in this career? ·      What sort of language is used by the people in this occupation? ·      How is communication important in this profession?

·      What specific literary strengths must one have to be successful in this field? ·      What educational background do people of this occupation have? What standards of literacy does it require? ·      What is the practical application of literacy in this job field?

In order to answer these questions (and others that you may have), you will have to do independent research. You may use any reliable resource, including books, the Internet, and people directly involved with the career field. However, all of your research must be documented. Any information that you gather from any source outside of your own knowledge needs to be properly cited. The citations should be in MLA format: consult Shane or Purdue OWL (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/) for information on proper citations. See back of this page for examples.

Your paper should be typed in 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. It should be no fewer than two pages.

Tips for success on this project:

·      Start early. The more time you allow yourself, the better your research and writing will be.

·      Ask questions. I’m here to support you throughout this project—you are absolutely welcome to ask for help, to bounce ideas off me, or to just chat.

·      Choose a career that really matters to you; not only will it make this project more relevant, but it will make your writing more meaningful and lively.

Works Cited

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Page.” Title of Website. Publishing organization or institution. Date published. Web. Date accessed.

Phillips, Mark. “5 Myths that Sabotage Our Love of Teaching.” Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. 13 January 2014. Web. 2 February 2014.

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. City of publication: Publisher, Year of publication. Print.

Fey, Tina. Bossypants. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2011. Print.

Interviewee’s Last Name, First Name. Personal interview. Date of interview.

Adeli, Andre. Personal interview. 10 December 2012.