Miss Barrus's Wonderful World of English

10/13 - 10/14

2011-10-14T15:42:00.004-06:00

Today's objectives:

Review clauses and punctuation
Create an original allegory to share with the class

What we did:

Students completed a review exercise in their writer's notebooks where they had to create sentences about a picture according to specific instructions using clauses and appropriate punctuation.
Students received instructions about a group project that we will be working on for the next two days. Students divided up into groups and began working on creating their own allegories based on a topic of their choice. They were required to first decide how they were going to symbolically represent their topics. Once they had planned their stories out, they worked to create a storyboard, complete with drawings and captions, showing their allegories. We did not have sufficient time to finish, so we will continue working next time and present at the end of class.
No homework aside from outside reading.

10/11 - 10/12

2011-10-14T15:35:00.002-06:00

Today's objectives:

Distinguish between independent and dependent clauses.
Punctuate sentences with multiple clauses correctly.
Define allegory and interpret a sample allegory.

What we did:

We took notes on independent and dependent clauses (see website under today's date to get the notes). We then did a class activity where everyone was given a clause to work with, and they had to match up with other students in order to form sentences. Students practiced writing a variety of sentences with independent and dependent clauses, punctuating correctly with commas and semicolons.
We learned that an allegory is a symbolic story that represents real situations. Students listened to the Dr. Seuss story, "The Lorax" and made connections between the fictional characters and real people. We discussed how this children's book is an allegory of the conflict between environmentalists and business people/developers.
No homework aside from outside reading.

10/7 - 10/10

2011-10-14T15:33:00.002-06:00

Today we took the practical part of the short stories exam. Students were given a short story to read and annotate. Once they were finished they were sent to the writing lab to write a Schaffer paragraph describing how the story's symbolism contributed to an overall theme. Students who missed this portion of the test can make it up during flex time in the testing center (room 306).

10/5 - 10/6

2011-10-06T15:16:00.002-06:00

Today's objectives:

Take part one of the short stories unit exam (vocab)
Review pre-writing strategies
Review expectations for part two of the exam (writing)

What we did:

Students took the vocab exam. We corrected it together after everyone was finished.
We watched a video rendition of Guy de Maussapant's "The Necklace," after which I modeled for the students how I would write an analysis paragraph about its symbols and theme. I did this to give students an idea of how to approach the writing prompts they will receive next time, and how pre-writing to plan a written response is a good strategy.

Homework:

Article of the week #3 (due next time!)
Review Schaffer organization, theme, and symbolism for written test next time.

10/3 - 10/4

2011-10-06T15:10:00.002-06:00

Today's objectives:

Identify elements of plot structure and examine how plot structure is modified in order to create a certain effect.
Review vocabulary terms in preparation for vocab test

What we did:

We reviewed plot structure terminology (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement, etc.) as a class.
We talked about a couple of ways in which typical plot structure is modified by the use of flashbacks, plot within a plot, etc. and how that affects the story.
We read a short story, "Cranes." Students then worked in groups to trace the plot structure, identifying "interruptions" in the traditional plot structure. They also identified the climax and theme, and evaluated the overall effect of the plot structure on the theme.
We played a few rounds of Vocab Bingo in order to review for the text next time.

Homework:

Review for the test
Article of the Week #3 (due Friday for A day students and Monday for B day students)

9/29 - 9/30

2011-09-30T15:16:00.002-06:00

Today's objectives:

Determine how literary devices shape themes
Write about a theme, describing how it is developed
Evaluate paragraphs for organization elements

What we did:

The students were given an assignment to read Katherine Mansfield's "The Apple Tree" as a practice for our short stories exam. I explained that on the exam next week, the students will be expected to cold read a short story, determine a theme, identify literary devices (such as irony and symbolism), and write about how the literary devices help to develop the theme throughout the story. After reading "The Apple Tree," the students practiced all of these steps in groups and produced an 8-sentence paragraph. Once they had finished, we went through the paragraphs step by step to check for organization, and the students color coded their sentences to show the Schaffer model organization. No homework was assigned for tonight other than reading and making sure that parents have given permission for school computer access on Skyward.

9/23 - 9/28

2011-09-27T15:09:00.003-06:00

Today's objectives:

Define symbolism and identify symbols in the world around us.
Recognize symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony in a short story.
Analyze an author's choice of symbols, identifying various levels of meaning.
Write about how literary devices (symbolism, irony, characterization, allusion, etc.) help us to see how themes are developed.

What we did:

We spent some time talking about common symbols in the world around us. We viewed several examples, and we heard from various class members about what different things these symbols could represent.
We discussed how one symbol can have various meanings that require different levels of interpretation to discover. Some meanings can be classified as "surface level" while others require a little more inference, or looking at them from multiple perspectives.
We applied what we learned about symbols to a short story, "Like the Sun." Students worked in groups to read the story and interpret the symbolism in it before reporting back to the whole class.
We discussed how understanding the symbolism in a story can lead us to a theme or overarching idea that the story expresses. I modeled for the students how they can use the Schaffer paragraphing model to write about a theme, using symbolism examples as supporting details.
I assigned the students a different story to read, where they were responsible for noticing literary devices that helped them in their understanding of theme. The students worked on creating their own paragraphs in which they stated a theme, and then argued how the story's symbolism, irony, allusions, characterizations, etc. helped them to arrive at that theme.

Homework for tonight:

Read for at least 30 minutes from your personal reading book
Have your parents log in to Skyward with their family access login and password. Have them follow the instructions to grant you permission to use school computers.

9/21 - 9/22

2011-09-22T16:18:00.003-06:00

Today's objectives:

Learn the roles of the protagonist and antagonist in a short story's characterization.
Analyze the impact of setting and conflict on the characters of a short story.
Define irony (verbal, situational, and dramatic) and locate examples within a short story

What we did:

A2 - After today's Writer's Notebook prompt, we finished last time's activity with "The Cask of Amontillado by getting into groups to share and document how the characters, setting, and conflict each contributed to the overall horrifying effect of the story. We tied that into Schaffer paragraphing, and how the students can compare textual evidence (quotes) to concrete details and quote explanation to commentary. We then introduced our new short story element (irony) and took notes on the differing types. Homework for tonight is Article of the Week #2 (due next time).

A3 and B3 - After today's Writer's Notebook prompt, we wrapped up last time's short story, "All Summer in a Day" by discussing the 5 questions from last time's assignment as a whole class. We then took notes on our new short story element, irony, and discussed real-life examples of when we see irony. We started to apply this knowledge to a short story, "The Ransom of Red Chief" by reading the story aloud, "reader's theater" style. We did not finish, so I instructed the students to finish at home and come prepared to discuss the irony found within the story. Homework for tonight is Article of the Week #2 (due next time).

9/15 - 9/20

2011-09-19T15:23:00.003-06:00

Today's objectives:

Learn ways to incorporate concrete details and commentary into a literary analysis paragraph
Know the difference between direct and indirect characterization
Recognize and create examples of direct and indirect characterization

What we did:

A3 and B3 - Those classes that did not finish the group poster activity with the story "There Will Come Soft Rains" finished during the first few minutes of class. We discussed how finding textual support to back up our inferences is like writing concrete details to support a topic sentence. We also connected the students' explanations of their textual support to commentary and how commentary will always explain or expound upon concrete details. Once we finished with that activity, we began the next lesson with reviewing the terminology having to do with characterization on the students' vocabulary sheets. We then took notes on indirect and direct characterization (see my website under 9/15 - 9/16 for the notes), and students experimented with writing their own examples. A3 and B3 then read "All Summer in a Day" in which students were looking for instances where direct and indirect characterization was used. They also responded to some questions about the story (see my website under 9/19 - 9/20 for the questions).
A1 - this class, being ahead of the other two classes, read "The Cask of Amontillado," in order to review characterization concepts and to add setting and conflict to our analyses. Each student was assigned a specific "lens" through which to focus as we read (the characterization of Montressor or Fortunato, the story's setting, or the story's conflict). Students read and highlighted parts of the text that spoke to their specific lens. Next time, we will get together in groups and discuss how each element (characterization, setting, and conflict) adds to the horror of the story.

Homework:

Read (at least) 30 minutes every day
Article of the Week #2 (due Friday for A Day students and Monday for B Day students)

9/13 - 9/14

2011-09-14T16:55:00.002-06:00

Today's objectives were the following:

Understand what it means to infer and imply something.
Make inferences based on factual information presented in the short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains."
Support inferences with concrete details and commentary.

Students started off class by writing in their writer's notebook about the benefits and curses of technology in the world today. We used this prompt as a springboard into our discussion of "There Will Come Soft Rains," which is a futuristic science fiction story. Before reading the story, we discussed what it means to make an inference (to draw conclusions based on factual evidence; an educated guess). As we read the story, students recorded their inferences in the margins of the text, trying to determine conclusions about the characters and setting in the story. Those groups who finished the story in class began working on a poster on which they recorded their inferences about what must have happened just prior to the beginning of the story, along with supporting details from the text. A2 and B3 did not have homework, owing to the fact that they were able to finish the story in class. A3 did not finish, so the homework for them was to finish the story, continuing to make inferences in the margins, and come prepared to discuss it next time.

9/9 - 9/12

2011-09-14T16:53:00.002-06:00

Today we were in the media center for an orientation and scavenger hunt. We learned about the resources that are available in the media center, how to find and return books, and policies on computer usage at school. No assignments were made that need to be made up, and there was no homework other than reading for 30 minutes, as usual.

9/7 - 9/8

2011-09-07T14:49:00.002-06:00

Today's objectives were the following:

Assess learning from the first 2 weeks of class
Use the Schaffer model to compose an organized 8-sentence paragraph
Become familiar with common short story elements

We started class with a pop quiz on the reading strategies we covered in the first 2 weeks of class (please come see me if you were absent and need to make this up). We then referred back to the pyramid graphic organizer that students created last time in order to review Schaffer terminology and work together as a class to create an 8-sentence paragraph that corresponded to the parts. Students then chose a subject to write about and practiced paragraphing with the Schaffer model, which I checked off with each student. We ended class today in groups playing a matching game. We worked in groups to match common short story terminology with their descriptions in order to review learning from past years and become exposed to new vocabulary that will be useful this year. Homework for tonight is to continue reading for 30 minutes every night.

9/2 - 9/6

2011-09-07T14:40:00.003-06:00

Today's objectives were to

Share and turn in A of W #1
Review theme, moral, motif, and subject
Become familiar with the Schaffer paragraphing method

We started off class having a discussion about this week's article--sharing insights and "ahas," asking questions, clarifying information for each other, etc. before everyone turned them in. We then finished the jigsaw activity from last time where students compared and contrasted the two poems ("Those Winter Sundays" and "Snowfall") and found a common theme, moral, motif, and subject. Students then turned in their poem sheets for credit. We ended class with learning the terminology associated with Jane Schaffer's paragraphing method. Students created a reference sheet for themselves by taking notes in a pyramid graphic organizer and color coding the different parts of the pyramid (Red for TS, Blue for CD, Green for CM, andPurple for CS) See my website for a copy of the pyramid organizer. Homework for tonight was to read 30 minutes every day over the weekend.

8/31 - 9/1

2011-08-31T16:32:00.003-06:00

Today's objectives were the following:

Self-assess my writing according to the General Writing Rubric.
Learn and implement "after" reading strategies to analyze and evaluate texts.
Develop a working vocabulary for the terms theme, moral, motif, and subject.

To start off class, students picked up their writing pre-assessments from the 2nd day of school and self-assessed them using a copy of THS English Department's General Writing Rubric. The purpose for this was for students to recognize their strengths and weaknesses in writing and to have an idea of general writing expectations that we will be working to develop over the course of the year. Students then took some notes on what it means to find a theme, moral, motif, and subject of a piece of literature (notes are under today's date on my website). We examined a poem, "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" together as a class, and I modeled for them how I would approach finding these things. We started a group activity for students to practice this concept with two poems, "Those Winter Sundays" and "Snowfall," but we'll need to finish next time. No homework was assigned other than to finish the Article of the Week and prepare to turn it in next time.

8/29 - 8/30

2011-08-31T16:26:00.003-06:00

Today's objectives were the following:

Learn about the role and importance of writing in the reading process
Implement writing during reading through annotation and reflection

Today I modeled for everyone "during" reading strategies in the form of annotation (see the notes posted as an attachment under today's date on my website). This was in preparation for everyone to complete their first Article of the Week assignment. Every week or two, students will be sent home with an article to read and respond to. The purpose of this is so that students can build critical reading skills and become familiar with current world issues so as to make it easier to see connections in the literature we will be reading. At the end of class, I assigned this week's article, a link of which can be found under today's date on the website. This is due Friday for A day, Tuesday for B day.

8/25 - 8/26

2011-08-26T15:01:00.002-06:00

Today's objectives were as follows:

Pre-assess my reading and writing skills
Learn about what characterizes a critical reader and a casual reader and determine my position on the spectrum

Students started class with by taking a short reading pre-assessment to gauge current reading abilities. We then participated together in a "carousel" activity where students were divided into groups and rotated through several discussion questions relating to what makes an effective or ineffective reader. Students received the handout, "Critical vs. Casual Reading" to keep in their binders and refer to over the next week (handout is on my website). At the end of class, students produced a sample of their writing to turn in as a writing pre-assessment (prompt is on my website). Homework for tonight is to complete the personal profile if you didn't already turn it in, and to bring a reading book of your choice to class next time.

8/23 - 8/24

2011-08-19T16:48:00.002-06:00

Welcome to THS! I am excited to get to know you this year in my class. Today we had the following objectives:

Share information about myself with the class and become familiar with my classmates.
Understand how the class policies and procedures will help me to achieve success in English 10.
Learn what a SMART goal is and set one for myself for 1st quarter.

Today each student introduced him or herself to the class. We then read and discussed the class policies and procedures as outlined in the disclosure document. To finish, each student reflected on his or her past experiences with English and created a SMART goal (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound) for 1st quarter this year. This goal will be revisited at the end of the quarter to measure success. For homework tonight, you'll need to download, print, and complete the Personal Profile assignment o nmy website. This is due next time we meet. Also, don't forget to have your parents read and sign the disclosure document. This is also due next time.