What to watch for in stories...

Recap of what we need to always be on the look out for when reading stories:

• Good readers notice when author's use the setting to set the stage for events
• Good readers notice how events set the mood or tone of a piece
• Good readers look for objects or symbols reappear frequently
• Good readers listen for when the author repeats details or focuses on something
• Good readers pay attention to when the author makes an important statement that can hint a future action or be significant later in the book (turning point)

H/W

Be prepared for 'parts of speech' assessment for tomorrow.

For Monday: Make sure you have read the story in your blue package: "All Summer in a Day" - -linked. MAKE SURE you show your thinking about the story by making notes in the margins. We will discuss this story as a class on Monday. How effectively will you be involved in the discussion?

Your next reading response about a character will be set in two weeks!

Structure of Stories

For Thursday - DO NOT forget your sticky notes about your short story. You will need them for class

Reflection
We learned a great deal today about the 'structure' of a piece of writing. From now on you will be able to classify writing by types of scenes and not by beginning, middle, and ends.

H/W (Due Fri)
Make a copy of the file below
a) Read the memoir  here and categorize  the following scenes based on the structure below:

1) Setting descriptions

2) Character descriptions

3) String of action shots

4) Inner thought shots

5) Dialogue

b) Add any other descriptors to the scenes where possible. e.g. flashback, change, learning, background etc.

You should come to class with the text color coded story. Additionally, this story is an excellent resource to show you want a final memoir paper reads like. It does not have to be printed.

I STILL DON"T KNOW WHAT MY THEME IS FOR MY MEMOIR!

Bring any questions you have about your memory paper to Friday's session. I have attached a list of 'cliched' themes here . If you are still searching for direction in your memoir piece, these might help.
Persevere. Often, you will find your theme in the process of writing your piece...

Growing Theories about Characters

Today, we discussed growing theories about characters. Remember the steps we followed in order to grow a theory:

We introduced our new set of  Greek and Latin roots - Which meanings do you remember?

H/W
Finish the story you were asked to read in class and write an  extended sticky note theory about the character.  You should bring a sticky note(s) to class that shows your thinking about your character. Your final piece should be a maximum of x2 sticky notes long.
(Due: Thur)


Reminder: Parts of Speech assessment is Friday. (Are you using your purple cards to learn?)

Parts of Speech: Review

Recap on our discussions on parts of speech: Which parts of speech of you most concerned about?

If you would like to learn about how to find theme again, here is the video from class

Blog post on your learning so far. (Due tomorrow). This is a short 1-2 paragraph reflection. Make sure you add the label: rla so I can see this post.

Keep up to date with your independent reading.

For Wed.

Come with the 'theme' for your memoir written as a sentence. You should have a rough idea of the anecdotes you plan to use. You do not have to write any of the anecdotes.

Welcome Back & What do Grades Mean?

"Get our learning on..." A new video from Kid President

I hope you all had a thoroughly enjoyable CWW experience. I certainly did!

Start the new week by being organized
1) Blog post on your learning: Due Tuesday (see sample below)

2) Parts of Speech practice exercises: Due Tuesday (see last blog post - You are expected to have a basic knowledge of the 8 parts of speech. We will review these in class on Tuesday)
3) Make sure you have made copies of these new files ready for class on Monday and Tuesday
Word Study Unit 2
Thinking Critically about Characters
Unit 2 Grammar Opening and Delayed Adjectives

Memoirs - single anecdote papers - Your grades are in powerschool. If you do not have a grade listed it is either because you did not put your name on your work or  because you have not turned in a PAPER copy to me.

Understanding Grades
Student X scored these grade in Reading Responses  D  D C  C  B A A
What grade do you think is on the report card?

Wrong - It is not  a B or a C. It is an A!
Why? - These grades show a growth in a student's understanding. Grades are NOT averaged.  Grades ONLY show how well you have done on a specific learning target at that time.  The purpose of school is for you to 'LEARN.' If after 5 practices, you can prove that you have 'learned,' then you would be given the grade at that time and not an average of all your previous grades. It is not where you start, or how you go; it is where you FINISH! Does this mean that all you have to do is work hard on the last paper of a unit? No! You need to 'consistently' show mastery of a learning target.

The good news is that teachers are stopping 'averaging' grades from the beginning of a unit when you are learning something new and are giving students more credit for their growth! THEREFORE - If you have scored lower grades so far - DO NOT get disheartened. These grades are only a 'snapshot' of how close you are to a specific learning target at that time. They do not say anything about you as a person. If you do more practice (more work), you will earn the grades where you finish! Ask me in class if you need further clarification.

This short video talks a little about assessments.