Overview from 12/8 and Assignment due 1/12

Today we took notes on book choosing strategies and started talking about good books from different genres. The notes are pictured below.

For our next meeting in January: Students should come to class with their journal AND the first book they are going to read that they chose themselves. This book should be FICTION and it should be within an appropriate Lexile Level Range. (See notes below)

Overview from 12/1 and Assignment due 12/8

Today I collected student journals when they showed up for the ISEE exam. I graded the journals while they were testing, and I gave them back when they finished the exam.

I COUNTED THE JOURNALS TODAY AS THE SIGNPOST TEST since I asked students to look for examples of each one that we learned in the remainder of the book.

FOR NEXT WEEK: students MUST bring their journal as we will take notes on book choosing strategies and how we will operate in the Spring semester.

They no longer need their "Blood, Bullets and Bones" book since we have finished (or should have) prior to our meeting today.

Overview from 11/10 and Assignment due 12/1 when you show up for ISEE

When students show up to take the ISEE exam on 12/1, they should bring their Critical Literacy journal with the following assignment done:

Read the rest of our Nonfiction book by 12/1 (3 weeks from today…about 42 pages per week) AND try to identify and explain as many signposts as possible. I am hoping you have at LEAST TWO examples of each:

      •Contrasts and Contradictions

      •Extreme and Absolute Language

      •Numbers and Stats

      •Quoted Words

I will grade your journal while you take the ISEE exam, and you will take it with you when you leave. You will be expected to bring the journal with you on 12/8 for our last class of 2018 before our Enrichment trip on 12/15

Here are the notes from today:

Overview from 11/3 and Assignment due 11/10

Overview from 10/27 and Assignment due 11/3

Today we took notes on Nonfiction Signpost #1 Contrasts and Contradictions. After taking the notes, we looked a sample texts to spot and respond to them. The notes are below.

For next week, students are to read pages 28-63 of Blood, Bullets, and Bones AND complete a journal entry on as many Contrasts and Contradictions (C&C) as they can find in that reading section. They must remember to identify the C&C and answer the anchor question from their notes and how the C&C relates to authors purpose, main idea, or cause and/or cause and effect.

Overview from 10/20 and Assignment due 10/27

I reviewed with students the scores they got for the TDA from last week and explained common mistakes that were made. The following is the handout given to the students in class. I walked them through what is expected of this.

DUE 10/27/18:

1.       Started cover page for Blood, Bullets, and Bones

2.       3 Big Questions journal entry for Blood, Bullets, and Bones

You are responsible for bringing the current book we are reading AND your journal to class each week. Not having either of these items is irresponsible and unacceptable and will result in a zero score for whatever is due that day.

Number your pages (make sure you number the front and back of EACH page)

                SINCE YOU ARE WRITING ON THE FRONT AND BACK OF EACH PAGE, I WOULD SUGGEST ALWAYS

                WRITING IN PENCIL SO INK DOESN’T BLEED THROUGH THE PAGES.

Page 5 will be the Cover Page for Blood, Bullets, and Bones

                A cover page needs the following:

a.       Title of book (Blood, Bullets, and Bones)

b.      Author of book (Bridget Heos)

c.       Genre of book (Nonfiction/Informational)

d.      Picture for the book (drawn or glued in)

e.      A summary of the book (should only be 5-7 sentences, and should just be the overall idea of the book without spoiling too much or giving too many details…do NOT copy the back of the book.) You may have to wait until you are a good way into the book before doing this.

f.        A rating for the book on your own creative rating scale WITH 2 SPECIFIC REASONS FOR YOUR RATING (You will have to add this to your cover page AFTER you finish the book…don’t forget!) Your reasons cannot be as simple as: It was entertaining and good…give reasons for that.

Page 6 will be where your journal entry will start. Journal entries are to be a MINIMUM of 3 well-developed paragraphs each week. Well-developed paragraphs are to be at LEAST 5-7 complete sentences. You may continue onto page 7 and beyond if needed. Your first journal entry is to be written after reading pages 1-27 of Blood, Bullets, and Bones, and you are to use the following “3 Big Questions” as your topics for your first journal entry.

3 Big Questions:

1.       What surprised me? (Expect to learn something new.)

2.       What did the author think I already knew? (When confused, stop and write about it.)

                …if the author did a good job explaining everything, you are welcome to talk about how

                good of a job he/she did in doing that.

3.       What changed, challenged, or confirmed what I already knew? (This can be something subtle, but at times will be something huge!)

Overview from 10/13 and no assignment due 10/20

Today the students explored the difference between what is explicit and implicit. We analyzed a painting with an activity that showed the importance of giving anything we analyze a second, or even third, look/read.

After the activity, I students take out the TDA that was due today and mark their evidence and analysis. I am hoping that after today's lesson, they were able to see the difference between the two and make sure they are showing both in their writing.

There is no assignment due for next week, but we will be moving into our informational texts next week and will be reading our group book up until the end of the semester.