All Boys, All Blogged: December 3, 2012

Focus: Examining how Ishmael becomes a child soldier in A Long Way Gone

1. Warm-up: Quick whip-around the room to recap Ishmael's journey thus far

2. Examining how teenagers are conditioned to be violent by starting to read "Trained to Kill."

• Mark which parts interest you (What do you agree or disagree with?  What made you think? What surprised you?).  Explain in the margins why you marked these passages.
• Mark any parts that could possibly connect to A Long Way Gone.  Explain in the margins how these parts connect to and shed light on A Long Way Gone.

3. Fishbowl #4: Chapters 11-14

HW: 
1. Finish reading and annotating today's article; by Wednesday, please type a 5-8 sentence response to one section of it on the blog (there will be a separate blog posted for this).  
2. Start on this week's reading assignment for A Long Way Gone; be sure to bring your annotations to class each day for random checks.
3. Start looking over List 9 SAT vocabulary words.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 30, 2012

Focus: Wrapping up this week's tasks: Vocabulary, reading, and memoir writing

1. Taking the list 8 SAT vocabulary quiz

2. Start on your weekend reading assignment for A Long Way Gone (and annotation checks)

3. Book talks!

4. Finishing your dialogues using description and the five senses

HW: Read and annotate Chapters 11, 12, 13 and 14 for Monday; prepare for Monday's fishbowl discussion.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 29, 2012

Focus: Student-led discussion of A Long Way Gone, Chapters 7-10

1. Warm-up: Tightening the reigns: A necessary overview of expectations and consequences in English 10


2. Fishbowl #3: Chapters 7-10

HW: Study for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz over List 8 SAT words; bring A Long Way Gone book to class tomorrow; prepare for book talks.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 28, 2012

Focus: Learning new vocabulary; revising your dialogues from yesterday

1. Warm-up: "What are you alluding to, police officer?" : SAT List 8 vocabulary review using dialogue

• First, create a "voice" for your character.  How would this character speak?  What kinds of verbal tics would he (or she) have?  What kinds of things would this character say?
• Imagine a situation in which your two characters would meet.
• Create a dialogue between these two characters using EIGHT of your List 8 vocabulary words.

2. Overview of the purpose of dialogue; revising yesterday's memoirs

• What inferences could a reader make about your personality based on this dialogue?
• What inferences could a reader make about your friend, parent, etc. from this dialogue?
• Where and how could you strengthen the voices in this dialogue?
• Add descriptions in between the pieces of dialogue to create the entire scene, thinking about:
• Setting
• Physical description of characters (clothes, hair, skin, posture, etc.)
• Gestures and movement
• Thoughts (what's NOT said out loud)

HW: Finish reading Chapters 7, 8, 9 and 10 by tomorrow, remembering your annotation focus; prepare for tomorrow's fishbowl discussion; study your vocabulary words for Friday's quiz.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 27, 2012

Focus: Telling your story

Please have out your annotations so that I may check Chapters 1-6.

1. Book talks!

2. Warm-up: 6-word memoir

3. Discussing Beah's first page and composing the first page of your memoir.  That's right!
   Click HERE for the rules of memoir club.

• What can we infer about the narrator from this little piece of dialogue?
• What can we infer about his high school friends?
• Why might the author start his memoir this way?

     Your task as a memoirist:

1. Start  a new folder in Google Drive and call it "Memoir."
2. Open a new document and call it "Opening."
3. Here is your first sentence: "My high school friends have begun to..." Finish that sentence in a way rings that reflects a conflict, or at least a sense of tension, between you and your friends.  If you can't think of a conflict with your friends, feel free to substitute "My parents" for "My high school friends."
4. Complete your opening page by offering a one-page dialogue between you and your friends.  Try to capture their voices and your voice as accurately as you can.  Of course, there are gaps in your memory; try to fill them as best you can, but don't worry if you have to use a little of your imagination (there's a big difference between "filling in the gaps" and straight-up lying).

HW: Work on Thursday's reading assignment (Chapters 7, 8, 9 and 10 with annotations); start looking over SAT List 8 vocabulary words and bring them to class tomorrow.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 26, 2012

Focus: Student-led discussion of A Long Way Gone, Chapters 3-6

1. Warm-up: Creating annotation bookmarks for A Long Way Gone:

• Give yourself a title that incorporates your role (ex: If Sam had chosen the "Outdoorsman" task, he could call himself "Sam vs. Wild").
• Create a symbol for your particular focus as an annotator and draw it carefully on your bookmark.
• Write your own motto, or use the one I gave you, or look up a new one.
• Write three role-related questions that you should be asking yourself as you read (ex: How is the land described?  How does that description reflect what's going on with the narrator here?).

2. Signing up for one-on-one essay conferences

3. Fishbowl Discussion #2: Chapters 3-6 of A Long Way Gone

HW: Start on Thursday's reading assignment and annotations; bring your book and annotations to class tomorrow; book talks; start preparing for this Friday's List 7 SAT vocab. quiz.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 16, 2012

Focus: Understanding the beginning of A Long Way Gone and establishing ourselves as memoirists, too

Kite Runner books and essays are due today.  Please turn them in right away.

1. Warm-up: Book Talks

2. Q&A on the "Journal with a Purpose" handout and applying it to the first pages of Chapter 3 for practice; also, figuring out a fair number of annotations per chapter.

3. Discussing Beah's first page and composing the first page of your memoir.  That's right!
Click HERE for the rules of memoir club.

• What can we infer about the narrator from this little piece of dialogue?
• What can we infer about his high school friends?
• Why might the author start his memoir this way?

Your task as a memoirist:

1. Start  a new folder in Google Drive and call it "Memoir."
2. Open a new document and call it "Opening."
3. Here is your first sentence: "My high school friends have begun to..." Finish that sentence in a way rings that reflects a conflict, or at least a sense of tension, between you and your friends.  If you can't think of a conflict with your friends, feel free to substitute "My parents" for "My high school friends."
4. Complete your opening page by offering a one-page dialogue between you and your friends.  Try to capture their voices and your voice as accurately as you can.  Of course, there are gaps in your memory; try to fill them as best you can, but don't worry if you have to use a little of your imagination (there's a big difference between "filling in the gaps" and straight-up lying).

HW: 1. Prepare for Monday's fishbowl by reading and annotating Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6; remember to mark the book each time you see an instance of your particular focus as a DJ, astronomer, sociologist, etc.  When you mark it, annotate it by offering an interpretation or posing a question about it.
2. Please finish today's memoir assignment by next Tuesday, November 27.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 15, 2012

Focus: Stepping into the violent world of A Long Way Gone

Announcement: Vocabulary is cancelled this week.  Enjoy.

1. Warm-up: Book talks

2. Finishing yesterday's activity and connecting our culture of violence to Ishmael's

3. Fishbowl #1: A Long Way Gone, Chapters 1 and 2

4. Wrap-up: Self reflections and goals

HW:  1. Read through the "Journal with a Purpose" handout (also linked HERE) and come to class prepared with any questions you may have.

2. Make sure your Kite Runner essay is turned in tomorrow during class at the latest.

3. The Kite Runner books must be turned in by tomorrow.

4. Start on your next reading assignment for A Long Way Gone by reading and annotating Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 (next fishbowl discussion is the Monday after Thanksgiving).

All Boys, All Blogged: November 14, 2012

Focus: Investigating cultures of violence

1. Warm-up: Reflecting upon and turning in webquests

2. Reacting to timeline and images of our culture of violence

HW: Prepare for tomorrow's fishbowl by reading and annotating Chapters 1 and 2 of A Long Way Gone; bring your vocabulary to class tomorrow for review of List 8 (quiz Friday).  FINAL DRAFT OF KITE RUNNER ESSAY DUE TOMORROW (FRIDAY AT THE VERY, VERY LATEST).

All Boys, All Blogged: November 13, 2012

Focus: Understanding the background of A Long Way Gone

1. Warming up with a few book talks!

2. Distributing A Long Way Gone and reading the first page together.

3. Exploring critical background information for A Long Way Gone through a webquest.

HW: Finish the webquest and bring it to turn in at the beginning of class tomorrow; start reading and annotating Chapters 1 and 2 for Thursday's fishbowl discussion; continue editing essays.

All Boys, All Blogged: Monday, November 12

Focus: Stylistic editing for your hero's journey essays

1. Warm-up: Signing up for A Long Way Gone fishbowls

2. Self-editing: Click here for today's slides.

3. Peer editing using the official rubric.

HW: Continue editing your essay (due Thursday, or Friday at the very, very latest); if you have your own copy of A Long Way Gone, bring it to class tomorrow.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 9, 2012

Focus: Putting the "A" in essay, Ms. Leclaire style

1. Warm-up: Announcing the winners of yesterday's close reading contest
Check: Are you putting this same level of analysis into your discussion of every quote and example?

2. Listening to our first book talks: Sam and Philip

2. Editing both body paragraphs.  Click here for today's editing slides.

3. Muddling through everyone's least favorite part: The conclusion

HW: Finish your entire draft (introduction, two body paragraphs, and conclusion) by Monday.  BRING AN ELECTRONIC COPY TO CLASS; Monday will be the final day of editing.

Note: Final draft due Thursday, November 15, or Friday November 16.  First come, first graded.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 8, 2012

Focus: Strengthening your body paragraph

1. Warm-up: A little contest...analyze this!  Note: The two winners will have their choice of an extra point on their essay or homemade Leclaire cake:

Examine closely the quotation you have been given from The Kite Runner (a little academic treat from me to you).  In as much depth as you can, analyze the quotation by responding to the following questions:

• What heroic trait(s) does this quotation reveal and HOW?
• How does this moment contribute to Amir's journey?
• Why is this moment crucial to Amir's development as a hero?  What does it help him realize or conquer?
• Why must ALL heroes undergo a moment like this one?  

2. Musical chairs editing of the body paragraph using the official rubric.

3. Time to revise the first body paragraph and start working on the second.

HW: Finish revising your first body paragraph; draft your second body paragraph and bring it to class tomorrow.  Tomorrow we will be having a work habits check in class to make sure that your introduction and two body paragraphs are complete.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 7, 2012

Focus: Clearing up any confusion and moving onward and upward to the body paragraph

1. Warm-up: Grade my introduction!  Google share with the other people in your membership grid group; use the rubric below to assess others' introductions and give feedback:

Introductory Paragraph: _____ / 10 points

Engaging opening sentence

• Does it grab your attention?
• If it's a quotation, is it famous, said by a famous person, or from one of the texts?
• If it's a question, does it sound sophisticated (and avoid "you" or "I")?
• If it's a statement or story, is it powerful?

Mentions titles and characters from both works

• The introduction should do this before you even get to the thesis statement.

Develops two traits of the hero’s journey

• Does it define the two traits?
• Does it explain why the two traits are important?
• Does it briefly explain how your two heroes embody these traits?

Transitions from opening sentence to thesis

• Does it ease you smoothly into the thesis statement?
• Is the thesis statement the last sentence of the introduction?

2. Revise your introductions based on your group's feedback.

3. Dissecting the anatomy of a body paragraph using yesterday's sample rough draft.

4. Time to compose body paragraphs.

HW: Finish revising your introduction and composing your entire first body paragraph; bring either an electronic version or a hard copy to class tomorrow.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 6, 2012

Focus: Revising your thesis statements and watching them grow into introductions!  Also, recapping topic sentences and body paragraphs.

1. Warm-up: I need a few brave volunteers to share their thesis statements and topic sentences...

2. How does a little thesis grow into a big, beautiful introduction?  

Want to write a college-level introduction?  Click here for extra help from University of North Carolina.

3. Dissecting the anatomy of a powerful body paragraph. See examples given out in class.

4. Turn in your thesis and your two brainstorming charts before you leave class today, please.

HW: By tomorrow, please finish your introduction and first body paragraph.  You may bring either a hard copy or an electronic copy to class.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 5, 2012

Focus: How do we write strong, complex thesis statements about the hero's journey?

1. Warm-up: Hero throw-down: Amir vs.  _____________

• Which traits are the most significant to these two heroes?  Why?
• If we put these two heroes in a boxing ring, which one wins each battle and why?  How do they stack up?
• In the overall contest for more compelling hero, which one wins?

2. Checking your charts

3. Reading through the overview and trying out several different thesis structures.

4. I need a few brave volunteers to put their thesis statements under the microscope...

Is it clear?  (easy to understand and beautifully written)

0           1          2          3         4         5

Is it specific?  (mentions both heroes and both traits from the hero's journey, as well as text titles)

0           1          2          3         4         5

Is it debatable?  (makes an argument...perhaps about what the most important traits are, or which one is a    more compelling hero and why, or why all heroes must undergo these two steps, etc.)

0           1          2          3         4         5

Is it provable?  (there is evidence from both texts to support the argument)

0           1          2          3         4         5


5. What is a topic sentence, and how do I write a good one?

HW: Start a new Google doc and type the strongest version of your thesis that you can create; type your two topic sentences underneath (one for each body paragraph).

All Boys, All Blogged: November 2, 2012

Focus: Augmenting your vocabulary and your understanding of the hero's journey

1. Warm-up: SAT List 7 vocabulary review:

Scattegories: Round 1

• Something you would do to gird yourself for a zombie attack
• A type of animal that daunts you
• A student behavior that would keep English 10 in a state of flux
• A place where you might find a hovel
• An exclamation that a cadaverous pirate might make

Scattegories: Round 2

• Types of sounds that you would hear in a gothic, haunted mansion
• A country where many people suffer from penury
• The place in your house that serves as an egress to the magical land of Narnia
• A kind of food that brings you great felicity
• Something a despot would say to his subjects

2. SAT List 7 quiz

3. Overview of the hero's journey essay (click here for the electronic version of the essay overview).

4. Time to finish brainstorming and to start narrowing down the topic of your essay.

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR A BOOK TALK DATE TODAY.

HW: By Monday, your yellow hero's journey chart needs to be finished, as does the chart in your essay overview (including specific quotations); continue working on book talk.

All Boys, All Blogged: November 1, 2012

Focus: Analyzing the conclusion of The Kite Runner film and the conclusion of the novel; reviewing vocab.

Warm-up: Hero's journey human minesweeper

Finish watching and discussing film version of The Kite Runner

• What is the single most powerful choice you think the director made?  
• What is the worst choice you think the director made and why?

SAT List 7 vocabulary review

HW: Finish the second page of the hero's journey chart by tomorrow; study for tomorrow's SAT List 7 vocabulary quiz; work on book talk.