Day 100: WordSkills and TKAM Discussion February 9, 2010
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Today we covered:
1. WordSkills 5.11-5.15.
2. Discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird. We discussed the power of Scout standing up to a gang of men in Chapter 15, why the narrator says Atticus couldn’t do “a woman’s work,” who is a mockingbird and who is a bluejay, and what exactly the prosecution and the defense is in the first place.
HW: Read through Ch. 23 by Wednesday. Visual Journals through Ch. 23.
Meet in Media Center tomorrow for registration.
Day 99: To Kill a Mockingbird Group Work, Day 2 February 5, 2010
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Students finished up their work answering questions about To Kill a Mockingbird today.
HW: Read through Chapter 23 by Tuesday. Do Visual Journals.
Day 98: Mockingbird Group Work, Day 1 February 4, 2010
Posted by garvoille in Annoucements, Homework.Tags: to kill a mockingbird
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1. Announcements and Passbacks: Students can still do test corrections on WordSkills Unit 3 and 4 Tests. Some students also need to invite me to view their GoogleDoc research notes.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird Group Work. Students began answering questions in written and visual form about To Kill a Mockingbird. They will continue working on this tomorrow.
HW: Read through Chapter 18. Do visual journal.
Snow day! January 31, 2010
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Since everyone has a day off on Monday, it would be an excellent time to redo any research notes that are incomplete in your GoogleDoc. At this point I have graded all the notes (your grade is highlighted in your document) and very few are actually complete.
HW: Notes on non-profit organization (what they do and how people can help) due on Tuesday.
Day 97: Apples-to-Wordskills and Why it’s called “To Kill a Mockingbird” January 29, 2010
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1. Students created their own Apples-to-Apples cards using WordSkills vocab words. I’ll be typing these up so we can play an educational card game! Honors made Red Apple Cards (nouns) and Standard made Green Apple Cards (adjectives). They had ten minutes to make as many cards as possible with Unit 5 words. They were brilliant!
2. Mockingbird Discussion. We discussed the meaning of the title, the importance of mockingbirds and bluejays, and the difference between the narrator Scout and the character Scout.
HW: Research on non-profit due in GoogleDoc on Tuesday. TKAM reading and visual journal entries due on Monday.
Day 96: Research on Non-Profit Organization January 28, 2010
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Today, we went to the computer lab to find a non-profit organization and research what they do and how people can help. Students received these directions: Research on Non-Profit Organization (Directions). For more information, see the Homework tab.
HW: Nonprofit Research due Tuesday 2/2 via GoogleDocs. TKAM Reading and Visual Journal due tomorrow (see calendar).
Day 95: Mockingbird Intro Discussion January 27, 2010
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1. WordSkills 5.6-5.10. During WordSkills, I checked visual journals.
2. Questions on To Kill a Mockingbird.
3. Intro Discussion on TKAM. We discussed questions students had as well as questions I posed.
HW: TKAM Reading and Visual Journal.
Day 94: Tests Returned, WordSkills Reborn January 27, 2010
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1. Students received their Short Story Tests. This was part annotation, part multiple choice on a reading, part essay. We discussed the breakdown for the essay grade and students recorded that grade on their Writing Portfolio cover sheet.
2. Example timed write essays. I distributed two samples of excellent student essays so students could see what a grade-A timed write looks like (download here: SS Test Example Writings). Students partnered up to discuss the sample and then we reviewed as a group the main features of a successful writing.
3. WordSkills 5.1-5.5. We took notes on the first five words in Unit 5. Thanks to my extremely knowledgeable 9th graders, I now know the difference between a biosphere and a biome! Thanks, Bio teacher! We also learned that ambulances were originally “hopitals ambulants” or traveling hospitals, and that duct tape was originally created to repair air ducts. I love how WordSkills brings out the inquisitive side in us all.
4. Infamous. In the classes that didn’t get to watch the clip of the movie about Truman Capote and Harper Lee, we watched it. Except 3rd period, because they were very inquisitive during WordSkills.
HW: SIRS database research was due today. If you didn’t do it, do it! Reading through Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as visual journals, due tomorrow. Download the calendar under the Homework tab at the top of the page.
Day 89-93: EOC Benchmarks January 22, 2010
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We took the benchmark EOC on these dates. Students must take this test as their midterm. It will count as 20% of their grade.
Day 88: EOC Review January 16, 2010
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1. Terms on the EOC Benchmark. In order to fully understand the questions on the EOC, there are certain terms you need to know. We reviewed these terms and students received a handout outlining them: Understanding Terms in the EOC Questions. Students circled terms they did not know. Students should make flashcards for these terms with the definitions on the back.
2. Simon Says. We played a round or so of the game Simon Says with these EOC terms: critique, critical essay, critical, concise, coherent, clarity. Here’s what we did:
- critique: a positive and/or negative literary analysis. Movement: plus sign and negative sign with the arms.
- critical essay: a positive and/or negative literary analysis. Movement: plus sign and negative sign with the arms.
- critical: having a negative opinion of something. Movement: negative sign with the arms.
- concise: said simply without excess words. Movement: scissors for cutting away the excess.
- coherent: making logical sense. Movement: numbering 1, 2, 3 like counting the points in an argument.
- clarity: being without confusion, vagueness, or muddiness. Movement: outlining a window with index fingers – clear like a window.
3. Grammar Review. Students received this worksheet to help review complete sentences: EOC Grammar Practice for January benchmark. If not completed in class, this should be finished for homework. We went over the answers by tossing around the awesome world globe beach ball I got from Borders over winter break.
HW: Review for EOC – Complete grammar review sheet (front and back) (see 3.). Complete extra credit passages in the purple textbook: EOC Practice Passages from English Textbook. Notes on 3 sources from SIRS database due Tuesday 1/26. To Kill a Mockingbird reading and visual journal through chapter 8 due Wednesday 1/27.
