It was good to be back in the classroom and to see everyone's smiling faces.
Today is National Stick to your Resolutions Day. For our Quick Write today, we talked about the word “resolve”--which means to reach a firm decision about something. We watched a short section from a Studio C clip where the main character shared his New Year’s resolutions: he is a thief–and therein lies the humor! I challenged the class to make up a character and write a New Year’s Resolution list for them. They could also opt for sharing their resolutions or sharing an opinion on Resolutions.
We did not have any Words of the Day, but students can bring them to class for us to enjoy. (The only extra credit that will be offered this semester.) For the rest of the semester, students can bring in interesting words for our weekly Words of the Day part of our discussion. For these words, they also need to include the etymology and a definition.
Our first order of business was organizational. I have tweaked a few things since last semester and we talked about those:
We previewed this semester Syllabus and Homework Checklist. Students saw what Literature we would be reading and also how many and the types of Essays that will be assigned. This gives us a map for moving forward.
In Semester 2, I will be much stricter on Deadlines. We reviewed my Late Homework policy.
Also, in Semester 2, I will be much stricter about phones in the classroom. For most students this hasn’t been a problem, but I want to be upfront. My desire is to keep this class as distraction-free as possible. As per CHAT policy, if I see a phone out, it will be turned into me until the end of the class. If it’s a problem after that, I will take it for the entire day. It can be picked up at the end of the day. In both cases, parents will be contacted.
Because of the nature of my Gradebook set up, I have chosen to forego most Extra Credit assignments from here on out. As stated above, Words of the Day will be our only Extra Credit opportunity this semester.
I distributed blank notebooks for students to use for the class from now on. We divided it into 3 parts: Notes, Annotations and Words of the Day (no more index cards!) Each section has its own tabs.
When we take notes, they will go in there; when handouts are given, they can be attached there (use tape or glue.). Annotations, which we will be using for close reading and class discussions will also “live” there.
Speaking of Annotations, after that, we had a mini-lesson on Annotating. I explained that making annotations is “reading with a pencil.” This practice promotes thoughtful reading, gives us fodder for class discussions and is something that I hope will become a lifelong habit. When we annotate a text, we write directly in the book (if we own it!). Annotations are simply notes in the margins with predictions, questions, opinions and thoughts. These notations help students “interact” with the text and hopefully the days of reading a paragraph over and over without understanding it are over.
I gave the class laminated Annotation Guides that they can use as a bookmark they can refer to while reading. They will be required to annotate each time I assign a reading. We practiced annotating “The Lion and the Mouse”--a short fable by Aesop. They will record 2 annotations per selection in the corresponding section of their Writing 1 Notebooks.
The next topic we covered was our first Writing assignment -- a Narrative Essay. I like to call a Narrative Essay a "story with a purpose." In this type of essay, students re-tell a series of events, but they are not simply telling a story. They must have a reason for telling these events to their readers. This reason could include a turning point in life, a traumatic experience that changed a life, an achievement that made a significant difference, etc. The Pre-Write and Rough Draft are due in 2 weeks on January 27.
Next on the agenda was our first book for the semester. This semester we will be reading a British classic that was written in 1915 -- The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. This is one of the first espionage, man-on-the-run types of books. I've taught this book to British Literature classes, and I think we'll all enjoy this book. As part of our discussion, I asked the students to write something as a Pre-Reading assignment for The 39 Steps. I had them think about what they would do if they were on the run -- either from some bad guys or some good guys (which meant they might be a bad guy.) They were to think of possible options for hiding and staying safe. This is a very creative bunch! I heard some of their ideas and look forward to reading what they wrote.
We did not have time to get to the Grammar portion of the class. We will begin next week. Our focus will be reviewing sentence patterns.
Homework
Read the 39 Steps Ch. 1-2
Quiz on Intro Material (GC)
Record 3 Annotations in Writing 1 Notebook
Answer 3 Study Guide questions
39 Steps Pre-Reading Writing Activity
Start the Narrative Essay
-Final due 2/9
Links for this week
New Year’s Resolution Youtube clip
About the Narrative Essay
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