In-Class:
- Students handed in homework. Those who had it done on time got 5 points extra credit.
- I did a powerpoint presentation on research tips instead of journals.
- I passed out a research guide for students to use while they studied their topics. Students need to use their brainstorm sheets to write 6 guiding questions for their research.
- Students were each checked out a laptop where they did research on their topic and filled out the guide.
- At the end of the period, students filled in the 'L' column (what they learned) of the KWL. I gave them a grade for both the KWL (10 points) and the brainstorm activity (10 points).
Homework:
In-Class:
- Journal: Write down three social issues that are concerning to you. List why each one is important to you and one thing you would do to change it.
- I had students choose the most important one to them.
- Students filled out the first two columns of a KWL worksheet (what do you know, what do you want to know) about the social issue they chose.
- Students filled out a brainstorm sheet on the War in Vietnam Speech, showing what MLK's reasons were for being against the war and what evidences he used to support each reason. On the back, they filled out their own brainstorm on their topic with 6 reasons they felt strongly about it, along with things they wanted to learn about each reason.
Homework:
- Finish brainstorm sheet if you didn't finish in class.
In-Class:
- Journal: Each student had 8 little sticky pieces of paper that they were to use to mark significant things they heard as they listened to me read most of the rest of the speech. They labeled the sticky notes with the line number and their names and turned them in. This took the majority of the period.
Homework:
- Complete the packet about elements of a persuasive speaking and writing based on MLK's speech. It must be done at the beginning of class on Wednesday!
In-Class:
- Journal: We watched about ten minutes of of a video on the Vietnam War http://video.pbs.org/video/2166430461/ and wrote our thoughts about it. How would we have felt if we were called to go to war? Why could the government have wanted us to go to war? What other choices could have been made? What are the attitudes of the veterans on the video?
- We continued listening to the Vietnam speech as delivered by MLK and finished the worksheet on the seven reasons why he chose to speak out against the war and we turned it in.
In-Class:
- Journal: How far have we come in terms of racial discrimination? How far do we have left to go?
- We did a KWL (Know, Want to Know, and Learned) in groups about the Vietnam War. Groups first wrote down everything they knew, then what they wanted to know. Then, I handed out articles for students to read and they filled out what they learned.
- We began listening to the speech by Martin Luther King Junior protesting the Vietnam war. We started a worksheet listing the seven reasons he gives for speaking out about the war.
Homework:
- Look online for a short video clip discussing the Vietnam war (pbs.org and the history channel websites are good places to look). Write a paragraph or two about what you learned. 10 points. Due next time.
In-Class:
- No Journal
- We spent the whole class period in the computer lab typing our letter home to Mama and Papa from Annie Johns. We turned it in at the end of the period.
Homework:
- Tomorrow is the last day of the term. Get everything turned in!
In-Class:
- Journal: Talk about a building or a place that brings back a particular memory for you. Describe in great detail everything about the memory.
- Some students shared what they wrote in their journals.
- We started the final activity for the unit which is the activity on page 44 entitled, "Performance Task."
In-Class:
- Journal: Read the bio on Jamaica Kincaid. How is her writing affected by her own life? Do you think authors' writing is affected by his/her life? How much? Is your own writing affected by your life experiences? How? If you could write in any genre, what would it be and why?
- We completed a packet (20 pts.) as I read the story out loud. The last page we worked on in partners.
Homework:
- Finish the packet if you didn't finish it in class.
In-Class:
- Journal: The year is half over and high school graduation is approaching! What are you looking forward to the most about moving out and living on your own? List three things and why. What are you the most nervous about? List three things and why.
- We did reading circles for "A Walk to the Jetty" from Annie Johns. Each group member was assigned a role in the circle. Students read half the story and did a group activity as they read.
Homework:
In-Class:
- Journal, Part 1: Listen to the two examples of excellent perspective pieces and write what makes them effective pieces of writing.
- I handed back the Beowulf Perspective Papers
- Journal, Part 2: Carefully read the edits done by me and by your peer editor and answer the following questions:
- What is a strength I have as a writer?
- EXAMPLE: A strong sentence from my perspective piece
- What is something I should do to make my writing more powerful?
- EXAMPLE: A re-write of a less powerful sentence to make it more effective
- What is a technical thing I struggle with in my writing (grammar, capitalization, punctuation, passive voice, etc.)
Homework:
