01.30 - [Snow Day]

There was no school today due to the inclement weather.

01.29 - Midterm Review

Today in class we reviewed the midterm. To do this, I provided students with nameless examples of responses from the midterms and copies of rubrics. Everyone then used the rubrics to assess these responses and we did a four-corners activity to share out and discuss the scores that people gave the responses. I used this time to explain how I read and assessed the responses.

This activity also helped us to prepare for our essay on The Road which will similarly be focused on theme and message and will be assessed by some of the same standards. We will wrap up this discussion tomorrow.

Homework:

Complete your assessment of the model essay (we will review this tomorrow in class).

01.28 - [Snow Day]

There was no school today due to the inclement weather.

01.27 - [Snow Day]

There was no school today due to the inclement weather.

01.26 - Essays and Waffles

The focus of today's class was on the components of an essay and how those work together to create the whole essay. I made waffles in class and explained the different role that ingredients play in the recipe both in terms of flavor, texture, and the chemical reactions that occur in baking.

Everyone was to take notes on these roles during the lecture and then use those notes to draw analogies between this and the components of an essay on the back of the sheet. At the end of class, everyone also got to try some of the waffles.

Handouts:

Essays and Waffles


Homework:

Complete the essays and waffles note sheet.

If you missed today's lecture, you can read and take notes from this article which covers the same information.

01.20 - 01.23 - Midterms

This week we are having our midterm exams.

Everyone will be following the midterm exam schedule handed out in advocacies.

There is no homework this week aside from preparing for midterms.

01.16 - A Boy Named Sue

At the beginning of class today, we had the set eleven roots and prefixes quiz.

Following this, we returned to our work with theme and message by looking at "A Boy Named Sue". People shared out the plot summary sentences that they had created using the various sentence types we have studied so far. Then, in their table groups, people discussed themes and messages present in the song. We discussed these as a class and weighed out which themes and messages seemed to be the most dominant.

Next, we practiced theme and message a little bit more by having groups consider the theme and message of texts we have already read this year (A Separate Peace, The Giver, and Anthem). Groups shared out their assessment of theme and message for these texts and their responses provided further discussion for our class around what makes a strong theme/message.

At the end of class, I handed out copies of Harrison Bergeron. People should read and annotate their copy of the story. The story, along with something with which to write, are the only outside materials that will be permitted during our final on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

In reading this story, people should also be on the lookout for motifs that contribute to the theme and message.

Handouts:

"Harrison Bergeron"
Midterm Directions

Johnny Cash - "A Boy Named Sue" (lyrics and reading questions)

Homework:

Read and annotate "Harrison Bergeron" in preparation for our mid-term on Tuesday (the Wednesday portion of our midterm has a different focust)

01.16 - Theme and Message

Everyone worked on the set 11 practice page at the beginning of class today. We reviewed responses together as a class and then returned to our work looking at plot, theme, and message.

As part of our class, everyone identified a narrative (movie, book, short story, folk tale, etc) that they knew well and that others would likely know and wrote down the plot of that narrative. Next, we used that plot summary to play a game in which the summary is turned into a one sentence riddle that people could try out on one another. Here's an example:

Lord of the Rings: Frodo Baggins is accompanied by nine friends in a quest to destroy a magic ring that the evil Lord Sauron wants to reclaim so that he can become all-powerful. Frodo and his friends can only destroy the ring by casting it back into the magma of the volcano where it was forged.

Plot Riddle: Nine friends work together to return a piece of jewelry.

Upon writing their plot riddles, people tried them out on one another. We then shared some of these riddles and followed this with discussion of the themes and messages that are present in these stories.

Next, we took a look at plot, message, and theme in the song "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash. We will wrap up this work tomorrow.

At the end of class, we talked a bit about the midterm which we will be having next week.

Click Image to Enlarge

Handouts:

Sentence Types 

      (see pages 8-9 for compound-complex sentences)

Set 11 Roots - Root List

Set 11 Roots - Practice Sheet

Johnny Cash - "A Boy Named Sue" (lyrics and reading questions)

Homework:

Respond to the reading questions for "A Boy Named Sue".

Write down definitions for the set 11 root words listed on the practice sheet.

Complete or revise your second motif paragraph as necessary (due Friday, Jan 16)

01.14 - Plot, Theme, and Message

We started today's class by looking at the final root from this week's set of roots and prefixes. Everyone used this root (see below) to respond to the following writing prompt:

sist, sta, stit - stand

Brainstorm words that use these roots and explain how the root meaning may relate to the word meaning.

Write two sentences (per root) using some of the brainstormed words.

Next, everyone received the word list for the set eleven words (see below). People wrote down the words on the practice sheet on the back of the word list in the appropriate boxes of the example word list. For homework, everyone should look up the definitions to these words.

We then reviewed sentence types and looked at compound-complex sentences (see page eight of the sentence types packet).

In the last part of class, I introduced and reviewed the definitions for plot, motif, theme, and message (see definitions below). We looked at these elements more in depth by listening to the song "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash. For homework, everyone should use different sentence types to summarize the plot of the song and then analyze the theme and message.

Click Image to Enlarge

Handouts:

Sentence Types 

      (see pages 8-9 for compound-complex sentences)

Set 11 Roots - Root List

Set 11 Roots - Practice Sheet

Johnny Cash - "A Boy Named Sue" (lyrics and reading questions)

Homework:

Respond to the reading questions for "A Boy Named Sue".

Write down definitions for the set 11 root words listed on the practice sheet.

Complete or revise your second motif paragraph as necessary (due Friday, Jan 16)

01.13 - Formal Diction & Complex-Compound Sentences

At the beginning of class today, I presented everyone with two more roots from this week's set of roots and prefixes. In their writer's journals, everyone then responded to the following prompt:

spir - breath

crea - create

Brainstorm words that use these roots and explain how the root meaning may relate to the word meaning.

Write two sentences (per root) using some of the brainstormed words.

Next, we finished reviewing the formal diction packet by looking at cliches, stage directions, and specific language. People turned in these packets for a repeated practice grade.

We then returned to our work with sentence structure looking at compound-complex sentences (see below). We reviewed the sentence structures we have worked with so far and then looked at the compound-complex sentence structures.

Handouts:

Sentence Types 

      (see pages 8-9 for compound-complex sentences)

Formal Diction Packet

Work Submitted Today:

Formal Diction Packet

Homework:

Come up with two compound-complex sentences (see page 8 of the sentence type sheet).

Complete or revise your second motif paragraph as necessary (due Friday, Jan 16)

01.12 - Roots and Formal Diction

We started today's class with two of this weeks roots and prefixes (see below). People brainstormed words that used these roots and prefixes explaining the connection to the root's definition and then wrote two sentences for each root using two of these words.

tele - distant, far off

dent, dont - tooth

Next, we returned to our work with the formal diction packet. We reviewed sections B - E and then people worked on sections F and G with others in their group. We discussed these responses together as a class.

Handouts:

Formal Diction Packet

Homework:

Complete the formal diction packet.

Revise or complete your 2nd motif paragraphs for The Road as necessary.

01.09 - Quizzes and Revisions

At the beginning of class today, everyone took the unit two roots and prefixes test. Following this, everyone had the opportunity to revise their responses to questions four and five on the section 10 quiz for The Road and to complete or revise their 2nd motif paragraph as necessary.

When people were finished with this, we took a look at elements of speech in the casual speech register that should not be used when communicating in the formal register. Together in class we looked at section B (colloquialisms) and discussed some of these. For homework, people should complete sections B, C, D and E. We will review and discuss these in class on Monday and look at the rest of the packet as part of our work for class next week.

Handouts:

Formal Diction Packet

Homework:

Complete sections B (colloquialisms), C (filler words), D (contractions), and E (abbreviations) of the formal diction packet.

Revise or complete your 2nd motif paragraphs for The Road as necessary.

01.08 - Code Switching

We started today's class with a little more language register identification and practice with code switching. We looked at a selection from Amy Winehouse's song "Rehab" and everyone responded to the following prompt:

Which speech register does Winehouse's "Rehab" employ? How do you know?
Rewrite the featured lines from this song & in doing so code switch to a different register.

To help understand and interpret these lines we listened to an a cappella performance of the song for this year's American Idol by Maine native Cherry Lemonade (see video below).

Featured lyrics: 

They tried to make me go to rehab but I said, “No, no, no.”

Yes, I've been black but when I come back you'll know, know, know

I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine

He's tried to make me go to rehab but I won't go, go, go

The man said, “Why do you think you're here?”

I said, “I got no idea.”


After everyone had a chance to respond to the writing journal prompt, we discussed people's answers and everyone had a chance to share out one of the lines that they code switched into a different register.

Most people identified the speech register of Winehouse's song to be "casual" and code switched the register to either "formal" or "consultative". This lead us into some discussion of how elements of speech registers can be mixed. We also looked at how casual speech can be difficult to interpret (e.g. "yes I've been black") which is why more formal registers focus on having clear meaning and carefully selected words.

Our discussion touched on why interventions like rehabilitation centers are often a positive life choice for people.

We then played a review game in preparation for our unit 2 test on Friday.

Tomorrow, we will have representatives from the Lewiston Regional Technical Center (LRTC) come in to speak to us about their programs.

At the end of class, I returned updated grade report sheets. We will have some time for revision work on Friday after the roots and prefixes unit test.

Homework:

Prepare for the unit 2 roots and prefixes test on Friday.

Cheer for Maine and check out Cherry Lemonade on American Idol. 
(after making sure all of your homework is complete).

01.07 - LRTC Presentation

Today, LRTC came in and presented information about the various programs that they offer.

If you would look more information about LRTC's programs, you can check them out here: Lewiston Regional Technical Center.

Homework:

Prepare for the unit 2 roots and prefixes test on Friday.

01.06 - Speech Registers

Today we looked at and discussed speech registers. These are different forms of speech that people use in various situations. Different registers of speech (which you can also think of as "styles" or "levels") are used at different times, in different situations, with different purposes.

We started class with a bit of a creative thinking activity looking at a conversation as presented by the musical group "The Books" in the track "PS" from their album The Lemon of Pink.

To see what we did with this and to see the rest of the information associated with speech registers, see the following presentation:

Formal Diction: Speech Registers

The speech register table (for quick reference):

Click Image to Enlarge

Homework:

Write a five sentence review of The Road in a casual register (like you were telling a friend what you thought of the book).

Then, rewrite that review, expressing all of the same ideas in a formal register (like you were writing a New York Times book review).


Class site bonus:
Another track by The Books (this is what their music generally sounds like).

01.05 - Sentence Structure and Roots Review

We started today's class with a review of sentence structures. Everyone then selected an activity card or two that represented their break and then used the sentence structures to write about their break.

Example:

Activity card:

Sentence types:

Compound:

Semicolon - Her dress is melting; it must be really hot out.

Coordinating Conjunction - Her dress is melting, so it must be really hot out.

Adverbial Conjunction - Her dress is melting; therefore, it must be really hot out.

Complex:

Subordinating conjunction & dependent clause - The lady is happy although her dress is melting.

Subordinating conjunction & dependent clause (start) - Although her dress is melting, the lady is happy.



After everyone had a chance to create their sentences we shared these out and people had an opportunity to talk about their break.

Next, we reviewed the unit 2 roots and prefixes in preparation for a test over all of these roots on Friday (see handouts for a practice sheet).

At the end of class, I handed back quizzes for the final section of The Road. People will have the opportunity to revise these quizzes tomorrow (all quizzes were handed back in at the end of class).

Handouts:

Unit 2 roots list


Homework:

Prepare for the unit two roots test on Friday by studying the list of words.

If you are going to be revising your quiz grade for the final section of The Road tomorrow, review the end of the book to help you prepare.