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.
Monday, November 12, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
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:
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
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
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.
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?
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.
Monday, November 5, 2012
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.
Friday, November 2, 2012
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. _____________
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).
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).
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