All Boys, All Blogged: December 18, 2012

A Few Reminders:

1. We need to keep it extra quiet today.

2. Turn in your A Long Way Gone books.

3. Your final grades will be posted Thursday by noon.  No changes will be made after this time.  

4. You may pick up your presentation rubrics anytime after this morning.

All Boys, All Blogged: December 17, 2012

Focus: Presenting Our A Long Way Gone Projects on Violence and Healing

1. Warm-up:

 

 "A hero is a man who does what he can."

--Romain Rolland, Nobel Prize winner

 

2. Establish presentation order and get your rubrics ready

3. Present your projects!

HW: Bring your A Long Way Gone books to turn in tomorrow (or you will be issued a fine).  Your final is tomorrow (Tuesday) from 7:21-8:46.  

All Boys, All Blogged: December 14, 2012

Focus: Developing your final project for A Long Way Gone

1. Turn in content revisions

• Please remember to highlight all changes on your new draft.
• Staple your new draft to the old draft with the rubric and my comments.

2. A few presentation reminders:

• Take 3 minutes to reread the overview and peruse the entire rubric.
• Practice, practice, practice, using the same public speaking skills you displayed in your book talks.
• Show me your research as you go.

3. Work time, work time, work time!

HW: 
1. Finish your project and be ready to present this Monday.
2. Complete any make-up work (missed fishbowl blogs, grammar revisions, etc.) by Monday.

All Boys, All Blogged: December 13, 2012

Focus: Discussing the resolution (or lack thereof?) of A Long Way Gone

Announcement: If you are choosing to take the vocabulary test today, you may do so at the very beginning of class.

1. Warm-up: Watching an interview with Ishmael Beah

• What are your impressions of and reactions to this interview?

• Please write down thing Beah says in this interview that you find significant.

2. Final fishbowl discussion: Chapter 20-end of A Long Way Gone

HW: Essay content revisions due tomorrow; work on final project.

All Boys, All Blogged: 12/12/12

Focus: Researching your final presentation topic

1. Warm-up: Project Q&A and reminders

2. Collect grammar revisions

3. Work time, work time, work time

HW:
1. Finish A Long Way Gone for tomorrow's fishbowl discussion.
2. Study SAT Lists 1-9 for tomorrow's cumulative test IF YOU PLAN ON TAKING IT.  REMEMBER THAT THE TEST IS NOW OPTIONAL, AND YOU MAY TAKE IT THURSDAY OR FRIDAY.
3. Essay content revisions due Friday.
4. Any make-up work from the last 6 weeks is due Monday.

All Boys, All Blogged: December 11, 2012

Focus: Developing your projects for A Long Way Gone

1. Warm-up: Book talks!

2. Overview of the project rubric

3. Work time, work time, work time

HW:
1. Grammar revisions due TOMORROW.
2. Start studying for Thursday's vocabulary test over lists 1-9.
3. Finish reading and annotating A Long Way Gone for Thursday.
4. Essay content revisions due Friday.

All Boys, All Blogged: December 10, 2012

Announcement: Make-up book talks will take place Tuesday (as in tomorrow).

Focus: To what extent is family a part of a person's identity?

1. Memoir warm-up:

• Tell the story of a typical (or special) day with your family.  Try to include dialogue to reveal the nature of your relationships with your mom, dad, siblings, stepparents, etc.  Remember that you're trying to immerse the reader in a three-dimensional universe by using your five senses.  

• As you write, show the reader what roles your family members play in your life so that anyone could pick up this piece of memoir and have a vivid glimpse of your family's inner-workings.

• *An extra challenge for the brave and bold*: Try creating a metaphor for a member of your family that illustrates this person's role in your life.  Example: "My mother was a lighthouse, guiding us safely to shore when we started drifting away from each other."

2. Fishbowl discussion #6: A Long Way Gone, Chapters 18 and 19

HW: 
1. Essay grammar revisions due Wednesday.
2. Finish reading and annotating A Long Way Gone for this Thursday's final fishbowl discussion.
3. Start reviewing your vocabulary for this Thursday's cumulative test, which will cover all words from SAT Lists 1-9.
4. Essay content revisions due Friday (conference recommended).

All Boys, All Blogged: December 7, 2012

Focus: Wrapping up loose ends from the week: SAT vocabulary, presentations, and final projects

1. SAT List 9 vocabulary quiz

2. Time to start on Monday's A Long Way Gone reading (Chapters 18 and 19).

3. Book talks!

4. Project work time: Review the overview, finalize your choices and start on step 2.

HW: 
1. Read and annotate Chapters 18 and 19 in A Long Way Gone for Monday.
2. Hero's journey grammar revisions due Wednesday.  Click HERE for the format.
3. Hero's journey content revisions due Friday.  Remember to highlight all changes and staple the new draft to the original.

All Boys, All Blogged: December 6, 2012

Focus: Student-led discussion of healing and other topics in A Long Way Gone

1. Warm-up: Memoir quickwrite

15 minutes: Think of a time in which you were mentally or physically injured.  

Describe what happened, then describe your process of healing.  

2. Fishbowl discussion #5: A Long Way Gone, Chapters 15, 16 and 17

HW: Study for tomorrow's List 9 SAT vocabulary quiz; start working on your final project; bring your book and annotations to class tomorrow.

All Boys, All Blogged: December 5, 2012

PLC: Shortened Class

Focus: Augmenting your vocabulary; developing ideas for your final project

1. Kody's book talk

2. Distribute List 9 SAT vocabulary words; circle story time review (20 minutes)

3. Time to work on final projects; you must accomplish Step 1 by the end of class and start working on the next step.

HW: 
1. Prepare for tomorrow's fishbowl on Chapters 15, 16 and 17.
2. Start studying for Friday's SAT List 9 vocabulary quiz.
3. Make sure you have posted your blog on "Trained To Kill."

Response to "Trained To Kill"

Please finish reading the article "Trained To Kill."  Then, select one specific section and compose a 5-8 sentence response to this question.  Remember that a response is not a summary; instead, it is a reaction to, an analysis of, or a questioning of the author's assertions.  Your response can also connect the article to A Long Way Gone.

This response is due Wednesday, December 5.

As always, please read others' responses before posting you own, and feel free to comment on your peers' posts as well.

All Boys, All Blogged: December 4, 2012

Focus: Revising your essays and preparing for your final exam/project

1. Warm-up: Book talks!

2. Return early essays and explain revisions for grammar and content

• All students will complete grammar revisions.  Click HERE for directions and an example.  These are due Wednesday, Dec.12.
• If you received a 79% or lower, you must also revise for content.  
• It is highly recommended that you conference with me before you revise. 
• Please highlight all changes on your new draft.
• Staple your revised draft to the essay with my comments and the rubric.  Revisions that don't follow this policy will not be accepted.  
• These are due on the last day of class, Friday, Dec. 14.

3. Overview of your A Long Way Gone project, which will also be your final exam

4. Time to start working on your project

HW: 
1. Continue reading and annotating Chapters 15, 16, and 17 for Thursday (make sure you bring your book and annotations to class each day).
2. Bring your List 9 vocabulary to class tomorrow for review.
3. Start working on essay revisions.