Hello Dear Students,
It was good to be back together again in the new year! The sun was even shining, which matched the shining faces I saw 🙂
We started the day out with a Quick Write. They had a choice to either write about National Kiss A Ginger Day (yes, that’s a real day!) and National Tea Day.
After that, we previewed the Spring Syllabus, Homework Checklist and Late Homework dates linked below. We highlighted the important due dates and took a brief look at what this semester has in store.
The first essay for Writing this year is a persuasive essay about Urban Legends. I am excited about this topic and writing an essay right along with them! We discussed what an urban legend is and watched a video about six fairly famous ones. After that, we talked about their mission: to explain an urban legend, discuss why so many people believe it’s true and then to convincingly debunk it. This essay will require researching (they need four reliable sources) and MLA citations and Works Cited page. As such it is a more involved paper that will involve many skills we have learned so far. This week, we tackled the Pre-Write (due next week) and discussed the structure of how they might organize their paper. Next week, we’ll talk about how to vet reliable sources and review MLA citations.
After that, we switched gears to introduce the novella Animal Farm. After thinking about the three topics of Leadership, Government and Equity students had some time to discuss with each other and with the large group. They had some interesting insights! They especially had a lot to share on the topic of equity/equality. There were some that argued that though we are all created with equal rights, some people have different gifts and therefore, in reality, it is impossible for everyone to be “equal.” How smart is that!! And in the current culture we live in, I am really glad to hear this common sense! I told them that as the novella unfolds, we will see more of these themes.
After our spirited discussion, we listened to the audio version read aloud for a few minutes. They should continue reading (Ch. 1 & 2) and answer 3 Study Guide questions. They also have a Vocabulary Worksheet that they should be filling out as they read–it will be due at the end of the unit. To shed light on the background of the novella, they are to complete an EdPuzzle video on the Russian Revolution and read the Introduction to Animal Farm. They should take the Quiz on the introduction after they have read it.
We had enough on our plate with a new essay and novel to introduce, so we will jump into Grammar with both feet next week–no Grammar this week;)
Enjoy your weekend!
Blessings,
Mrs. G
Homework
Urban Legend Slide Show + Video
“What is Animal Farm” Slideshow
Read Ch. 1 & 2
Animal Farm Vocabulary Worksheet
Ch. 1 & 2 Study Guide Questions
EdPuzzle: Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution
Introduction to Animal Farm Quiz (GC)
“What Makes A Good Leader?” Response (due Week 3)
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