Students work to complete the Final Assessment, due at the beginning of the final exam period to TurnItIn.com. (Early submissions are encouraged.)
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
Continue to develop your Final Assessment, due at the beginning of the final exam period to TurnItIn.com. (Early submissions are encouraged.)
If you have any late work, submit to your teacher ASAP and notify her of your submission(s). If you have any concerns about assignments or late work, reach out! Wednesday is the LAST DAY to submit late assignments.
Tuesday, December 15 Opener
Meet in the Learning Commons.
Work Session
Students work to complete the Final Assessment, due at the beginning of the final exam period to TurnItIn.com. (Early submissions are encouraged.)
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
Continue to develop your Final Assessment, due at the beginning of the final exam period to TurnItIn.com. (Early submissions are encouraged.)
If you have any late work, submit to your teacher ASAP and notify her of your submission(s). If you have any concerns about assignments or late work, reach out! Wednesday is the LAST DAY to submit late assignments.
Wednesday, December 16 - Asynchronous
Continue to develop your Final Assessment, due at the beginning of the final exam period to TurnItIn.com. (Early submissions are encouraged.)
If you have any late work, submit to your teacher ASAP and notify her of your submission(s). If you have any concerns about assignments or late work, reach out! Today is the LAST DAY to submit late assignments.
Thursday, December 17 Final Exams for 1st & 2nd Periods If you have not yet done so, submit your Final Assessment to TurnItIn.com by the beginning of the period.
Friday, December 18 Final Exams for 3rd & 4th Periods
If you have not yet done so, submit your Final Assessment to TurnItIn.com by the beginning of the period.
Catch up on any late work as needed - send a message to your teacher, or join virtual office hours to make sure you’re where you need to be!
Thursday, December 10 Opener
Share your alternative ending to “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” with the class.
Work Session
Examine the Borges quotation: “When I write I try to be true not to things actually happening but to my particular dream at the time. I know that the reader feels it in that way. If the reader feels that a writer is lying, he lays down the book. If the reader feels that the dream is in response to a real dream then he goes on reading. That's the way I think that literature is made--by sincere dreaming. Not just juggling with words. I try to forget the words and to say what I have to say perhaps not through the words but in spite of the words, and if a book is really good you forget the words.”
Respond to the quotation: what does Borges mean when he says “ if a book is really good you forget the words”? Can you relate to this experience as a reader? Explain.
Read the introductory content of “11 Life Lessons from Jorge Luis Borges.” Then pick two of the “lessons” to summarize in your own words and respond to. We’ll discuss these as a class.
Give your teacher your printed copy of a myth, legend, or folktale. Today we will read the stories you have brought to class. Use your Tale Untangler to decide what type of story each is.
Closer
Reflection: Why do people tell myths, folktales, and legends? What satisfaction do you personally draw from reading them?
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
Catch up on any late work as needed - send a message to your teacher, or join virtual office hours to make sure you’re where you need to be!
Wednesday, December 2 - Asynchronous
Catch up on any late work as needed - send a message to your teacher, or join virtual office hours to make sure you’re where you need to be!
Thursday, December 3 Opener
Consider magical realism and the title of our short story: “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.” What elements of realism and what elements of magic can you predict?
Start your MLA formatted essay tonight by typing up the introduction. Bring your typed intro to class tomorrow.
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
Finish pages 1 and 2 of your Prewriting worksheet if not finished in class. Type your introduction into a Google document - bring your typed introduction to class tomorrow. Be ready to compose body paragraphs tomorrow in class.
Tuesday, November 17 Opener
On your typed, printed introduction, label its various parts - Abstract Idea Hook, TAG Sentence, Brief Summary, Thesis. Submit this to your teacher.
Work Session
Outline your argument - what body paragraphs will you need to fully support your thesis statement? In what order should these paragraphs go to create a smooth experience for your reader?
Write your body paragraphs. Remember to review the requirements for body paragraphs on your Things Fall ApartLiterary Analysis assignment.
Limit your quotations to 7 words!
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
Add your body paragraphs to your typed literary analysis essay. Bring intro and bodies to class Thursday.
Wednesday, November 18 - Asynchronous
Add your body paragraphs to your typed literary analysis essay. Bring typed, printed, double-spaced intro and bodies to class Thursday.
Finish writing your body paragraphs and revise for grammar.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
Submit your completed literary analysis for a PeerMark by 11:59 tonight. (PeerMark extra credit - 5 points - must both submit and complete a PeerMark assignment to receive bonus points.).
Check in with the class. Is everyone safe? How far have you read in TFA?
Discuss due dates in light of two lost days last week.
Work Session
Review the Mother is Supreme annotation that you completed last week.
Discuss (Unmute and TALK): What values does Uchendu describe and how do they conflict with the values Okonkwo reveres?
Work on annotated bibliography.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items for the next two asynchronous days.
Tuesday, November 3 - Election Day, Asynchronous
Complete and submit your rough draft ofTFA annotated bibliographydue to TurnItIn.com by 11:59 tonight. Include at least one article plus the novel for a total of at least two entries.
Check in with the class: How did you feel about the shared synchronous learning environment yesterday? Did you notice strategies used by other teachers that would help us in this class?
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
October 26-30, 2020
Monday, October 26 Opener
Share your 100-word summary of Part 1 in the CTLS discussion board. Read your peer’s summaries and evaluate your own post. How similar are the summaries? What information did you omit or add that others did not? Whose summary seems to capture the nature of Part 1 most effectively?
This week’s reading goal: Part 2--chapters 14-19. We will specifically discuss ch. 14 on Thursday this week--come to class prepared to talk!
This week’s annotated bibliography goal: at least two total examples of your topic from the text (one from each part of the novel); at least two scholarly articles (one each from pre-colonial and post-colonial times)
Work Session
Open your Turnitin.com account and complete the PeerMark assigned to you for the TFA narrative. Examine closely for proper dialogue punctuation and first person point of view.
Begin revising your narrative according to the feedback you receive from the PeerMark. Your revised narrative is due to Turnitin by 11:59 pm tomorrow.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Review the sampleannotated bibliography on p. 315 in SpringBoard.
Review this video about how to find sources in a database.
Work Session
Record some words you could use to search for your topic. Think of synonyms and related words. Feel free to Google your topic and see what other words come up.
Select a database, and use your search terms to find articles for your annotated bibliography. Remember that you will need to have both pre- and post-colonial information.
Save the article to your Google Drive (look for the icon to the right of the article).
Copy and paste your article citations into a new document. Begin writing your article evaluations. Look again at how to format your annotated bibliography.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Wednesday, October 28 - Asynchronous Asynchronous Student Action Items
Find at least two total examples of your annotated bibliography topic from the text (one from each part of the novel); at least two scholarly articles (one each from pre-colonial and post-colonial times). Remember: TFA annotated bibliographydue to TurnItIn.com on Sunday, 11/1 by 11:59 PM: .
Thursday, October 29 Opener
Examine the Part 2 analysis assignment; your completed analysis is due Monday, November 2 to Turnitin.com by 11:59 pm
Continue working on this week’s Things Fall Apart assignments. Ask your teacher to hop into your document for feedback.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
October 19-23, 2020
Monday, October 19 Opener
You have an opportunity to earn 5 points back on your Gandhi Rhetorical Analysis essay. Fill in this errors chart and submit to Turnitin.com by Tuesday 10/20 by 11:59 pm.
Goal: Read chapters 10-13 this week!
Let’s Discuss! Based on your responses to questions #1-4 (under the heading “Ikemefuna”) on page 149 in SpringBoard, compose a response to the prompt: What is Ikemefuna’s role in the novel? (You may focus your response on one of the following ideas: What does he do for the community, for members of Okonkwo’s family, for the novel’s plot, or for the novel’s themes?) Consider adding a discussion question at the end of your post for others to address. Add your response to the CTLS discussion! Respond to one peer’s post.
Continue reading TFA - chapters 10-13 are due this week. Once you’ve finished reading through chapter 13, complete the Part 1 Analysis assignment, due to TurnItIn.com Sunday, 10/25 by 11:59 PM.
Please read ahead if you finish early!
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Finish reading through chapter 13 and complete the Part 1 Analysis assignment; submit your completed copy of the document to TurnItIn.com.
Ongoing: As you continue to read the novel - remember to note passages that pertain to your annotated bibliography research topic. Find at least one article this week for your annotated bib. Consider reading ahead, and revisit previously read chapters as needed.
Thursday, October 22 Opener
What questions do you have about the narrative assignment? Send a chat to Tatum if you need help in your Google doc.
Work Session
Continue working on this week’s Things Fall Apart assignments:
TFA Narrative (due Sunday to TII): Compose your Things Fall Apart narrative assignment. Be prepared to submit a line of properly formatted dialogue from your narrative to the Zoom chat tomorrow!
Chapters 1-13 Analysis (due Sunday to TII): Continue reading Part 1 of Things Fall Apart. Once you’ve finished reading through chapter 13, complete the Part 1 Analysis assignment, due to TurnItIn.com Sunday, 10/25 by 11:59 PM.
Please read ahead if you finish early!
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Friday, October 23 Opener
Submit a line of properly formatted dialogue from your narrative to the Zoom chat.
Work Session
Continue working on this week’s Things Fall Apart assignments:
Chapters 1-13 Analysis (due Sunday to TII): Continue reading Part 1 of Things Fall Apart. Once you’ve finished reading through chapter 13, complete the Part 1 Analysis assignment, due to TurnItIn.com Sunday, 10/25 by 11:59 PM.
Please read ahead if you finish early!
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
As you read chapters 5-6, use the TFA Ch. 5-6 Analysis handout to track character relationships between Okonkwo and his family members on the chart provided (be sure to save a copy of this document to your own Google Drive folder).
Review the green box labeled Language & Writer’s Craft: Compare/Contrast on page 144 of SpringBoard.
On the same TFA Ch. 5-6 Analysis handout, compose a paragraph response to the Writing Prompt: Literary Analysis (blue box, SB p. 144): Write a literary analysis paragraph explaining how Okonkwo’s family relationships make him a sympathetic or unsympathetic character. Compare and contrast Okonkwo’s relationship with at least two other characters. You may consider using Ezinma, Nwoye, Ikemefuna, and/or Ekwefi. This should follow a CEI structure.
Your completed TFA Ch. 5-6 Analysis handout is due tomorrow by 11:59 PM to TurnItIn.com.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Tuesday, October 13 Opener
Review topic signup - any questions about the annotated bibliography?
Work Session
Introduce Assignment: Before you come to class on Thursday, read “Life is Sweet at Kumansenu.” After you finish reading, write a theme statement for the story (use this theme statement resource). Also in writing, answer this question: How can reading an additional text from the same part of the world help us to understand elements from a primary text? Connect “Life is Sweet at Kumansenu” to Things Fall Apart.
Finish work on chapters 5-6 by completing and submitting the chapter 5-6 handout to TurnItIn.com by 11:59 PM TODAY.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Wednesday, October 14 - Asynchronous Student Action Items for Asynchronous Learning
By Thursday’s Class: Read “Life is Sweet at Kumansenu,” construct a theme statement (theme statement resource), and compose a written response to the following: How can reading an additional text from the same part of the world help us to understand elements from a primary text? Connect “Life is Sweet at Kumansenu” to Things Fall Apart.
Ongoing: As you continue to read the novel - remember to note passages that pertain to your annotated bibliography research topic. Consider reading ahead, and definitely revisit chapters 1-4.
Find at least one example of your annotated bibliography topic in the chapters you have read. Ask for help if you need it.
On page 145 in SpringBoard, answer question #1 on foreshadowing.
Read chapters 7-9 in Things Fall Apart. (Make sure to have read at least chapter 7 before you come to class tomorrow; chapters 8-9 due by class time on Monday, October 19th.)
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Friday, October 16 Opener
What are your reactions to chapter 7? If you had to create a title for this chapter, what would it be? (Submit your titles in the chat box.)
Read chapters 7-9 in Things Fall Apart (due by Monday’s class.)
Examine #1-4 (under the heading “Ikemefuna”) on page 149 in SpringBoard. Pick one of the four questions to analyze in depth independently. Take notes on the right side of the page in your textbook and be prepared to share your ideas with the class on Monday, October 19th.
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
October 5-9, 2020
Monday, October 5 Agenda Opener
Ponder & Respond: Our next text comes from Africa. What are your expectations for this text?
Goal: By the end of this week, read chapters 1-4 of Things Fall Apart.
Work Session
Begin the Things Fall Apart WebQuest! As you read the various sources, you’ll be asked to construct typed responses to the three guiding questions. Please save a copy of the TFA WebQuest answer template in your own Google Drive folder (Click on “File,” then click “Make a copy,” then select your HWL F20 folder, then click “OK”). Once you’ve completed the webquest and composed your typed responses to the four questions, submit your work to TurnItIn.com by 11:59 pm Thursday, Oct. 8th.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Tuesday, October 6 Agenda Opener
Watch Chimamanda Adichie’s TED talk “The Danger of a Single Story” & discuss as a class: what is her primary claim? How effective is Adichie’s use of argument?
Work Session
Read “An African Voice” (an interview with Chinua Achebe) SB pp. 177 - 183.
Ponder & Respond: Using details from both “An African Voice” and “The Danger of a Single Story,” respond to the following question: What is the relationship between storytelling and power? How does storytelling contribute to our understanding of the world? Consider the following proverb: “Until the lion has a voice, stories of safaris will always glorify the hunter.”
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Wednesday, October 7 Asynchronous Student Action Items
ASAP: Acquire a copy of Things Fall Apart if you would prefer to read a physical copy.
By Thursday, 10/8 @ 11:59 PM: Complete the TFA WebQuest and submit your responses to TurnItIn.com.
Consider starting to read the novel!
Thursday, October 8 Agenda Opener
Ponder & Respond: Pick one of the following phrases to explain:
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Actions speak louder than words.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
When it rains, it pours.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Work Session
Read the background information on proverbs and folktales on page 134 in SpringBoard; answer questions 1 & 2 in your book. Be prepared to share your answers!
Read the two folktales “Why the Bat Flies at Night” and “The Lucky Fisherman.” Pick one of the tales to analyze in a paragraph response: What does the purpose of this folktale seem to be & what does its message reveal about early Nigerian culture? Provide evidence to support your claim. You will submit this paragraph directly in CTLS. After you type, click "save draft" and then click "submit."
Review the pronunciation guide on page 137.
If time, begin reading chapters 1-4 of Things Fall Apartby Chinua Achebe. You may want to listen to the audiobook as you read.Hint: view the highlighted comment for chapter start times.)
As you read, look for notes on the father/son motif to complete the graphic organizer.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Friday, October 9 Agenda Opener
What questions do we have about the novel so far?
Work Session
Continue reading chapters 1-4 of Things Fall Apartby Chinua Achebe. You may want to listen to the audiobook as you read.Hint: view the highlighted comment for chapter start times.)
As you read, look for notes on the father/son motif to complete the graphic organizer.
Complete your reading and analysis of chapters 1-4 by the time you come to class on Monday. Submit the father/son comparison graphic organizer to TurnItIn.com by Sunday, October 11th by 11:59 PM.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
September 21-25, 2020
Head’s up: After fall break, we will begin reading the novel Things Fall Apart. This link is a pdf of the book, but you may want to purchase a used copy or borrow one from the library. You are welcome to get a head start on reading over the break if you have time.
Planning Your Week Monday, September 21 Opener
Submit your rhetorical analysis thesis statement to your teacher through the Form (Tatum Link).
Assignment: NoRedInk on Connecting Clauses with Colons and Semicolons. Complete #1 Unit Diagnostic on NoRedInk.com. If you score 100% on the diagnostic, you do not complete the practice or quiz; you’re done! Otherwise, complete #2 Practice AND #3 Quiz due by 11:59 PM on Thursday, 9/24.
Work Session
Work to develop your Rhetorical Analysis Essay beyond the introductory paragraph (you should have already completed Task 1 - Task 4.). If you have questions for your teacher about your rhetorical analysis essay, add comments to the Google doc and let your teacher know through chat to take a look. Your fully developed draft is due to TurnItIn.com by 8:00 AM Tuesday, September 22 (tomorrow).
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
By Thursday, 9/24 @ 11:59 PM: Complete the NoRedInk assignment on Connecting Clauses with Colons and Semicolons.
Due by Sunday, Oct. 4 @ 11:59 PM: Replacement Zinc Reading Sprint due.
Tuesday, September 22 Opener
PSAT Practice: Writing Test - “Thomas Nast, the Crusading Cartoonist” (Tatum Link)
Work Session
Complete a PeerMark in TurnItIn.com for a friend’s Gandhi rhetorical analysis essay.
If you have questions for your teacher about your own rhetorical analysis essay, add comments to the Google doc and let your teacher know through chat to take a look. Final draft due Sunday, September 27th.
Continue working on NoRedInk on Connecting Clauses with Colons and Semicolons. Complete #1 Unit Diagnostic on NoRedInk.com. If you score 100% on the diagnostic, you do not complete the practice or quiz; you’re done! Otherwise, complete #2 Practice AND #3 Quiz due by 11:59 PM on Thursday, 9/24.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
By Thursday, 9/24 @ 8:00 AM: Complete a PeerMark in TurnItIn.com for a friend’s Gandhi rhetorical analysis essay.
By Thursday, 9/24 @ 11:59 PM: Complete the NoRedInk assignment on Connecting Clauses with Colons and Semicolons.
Wednesday, September 23 - Asynchronous Asynchronous Student Action Items
By Thursday, 9/24 @ 8:00 AM: Complete a PeerMark in TurnItIn.com for a friend’s Gandhi rhetorical analysis essay.
By Thursday, 9/24 @ 11:59 PM: Continue working on NoRedInk on Connecting Clauses with Colons and Semicolons. Complete #1 Unit Diagnostic on NoRedInk.com. If you score 100% on the diagnostic, you do not complete the practice or quiz; you’re done! Otherwise, complete #2 Practice AND #3 Quiz due by 11:59 PM on Thursday, 9/24.
By Sunday, Oct. 4 @ 11:59 PM: Replacement Zinc Reading Sprint due. If you did not score a 100 on the first reading sprint, you have the option to replace your grade. If you scored a 100 on the first one, congratulations! You’re done!
Thursday, September 24 Opener
View PeerMark feedback and reflect - what questions do we have as we move into revising final drafts?
Work Session
Continue to revise your Rhetorical Analysis Essay in class.; final draft due Sunday, September 27th by 11:59 PM.
If you have questions for your teacher about your rhetorical analysis essay, add comments to the Google doc and let your teacher know through chat to take a look. Final draft due Sunday, September 27th.
Continue working on NoRedInk on Connecting Clauses with Colons and Semicolons. Complete #1 Unit Diagnostic on NoRedInk.com. If you score 100% on the diagnostic, you do not complete the practice or quiz; you’re done! Otherwise, complete #2 Practice AND #3 Quiz due by 11:59 PM TONIGHT!
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
By TODAY @ 11:59 PM: Complete NoRedInk on Connecting Clauses with Colons and Semicolons.
By Sunday, September 27 @ 11:59 PM: Submit the final draft of your Rhetorical Analysis Essay to TurnItIn.com.
If you have questions for your teacher about your own rhetorical analysis essay, add comments to the Google doc and let your teacher know through chat to take a look. Final draft due Sunday, September 27th.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Student Action Items
By Sunday, September 27 @ 11:59 PM: Submit the final draft of your Rhetorical Analysis Essay to TurnItIn.com.
Ask last minute questions for your argument essay. Remember to submit tonight!
Next Zinc reading sprint assignment details:Replacement Zinc Reading Sprint due by Sunday, Oct. 4 @ 11:59 PM. If you did not score a 100 on the first reading sprint, you have the option to replace your grade. If you scored a 100 on the first one, congratulations! You’re done!
Due by Sunday, Oct. 4 @ 11:59 PM: Replacement Zinc Reading Sprint due. If you did not score a 100 on the first reading sprint, you have the option to replace your grade. If you scored a 100 on the first one, congratulations! You’re done!
Thursday, September 17
Opener
Open discussion: What do Antigone, Gandhi, Lincoln, and Thoreau all have in common?
If you have completed the Antigone analysis, view this short video introduction to Malala Yousefsi’s story. Then read her bio and speech here:Tatum Malala Do not complete the extra discussion post. Instead, we will discuss out loud together.
Due by Sunday, Oct. 4 @ 11:59 PM: Replacement Zinc Reading Sprint due. If you did not score a 100 on the first reading sprint, you have the option to replace your grade. If you scored a 100 on the first one, congratulations! You’re done!
Friday, September 18
Opener
What is a rhetorical analysis essay? Review the strategies we have used this week: SOAPSTone, SAMPLED.
Work Session
Complete a left-right reading to prepare for a rhetorical analysis essay on Gandhi’s “On Civil Disobedience.”
Look at the timeline for the rhetorical analysis essay.
Student Action Items
Monday 9/21 by class time --Have the introduction to the rhetorical analysis essay for Gandhi completed and in your Google folder when you come to class. We will work in class to finish the draft.
Labor Day - no school today! Enjoy your long weekend!
Tuesday, September 8--Remember School Starts at 8:20 am beginning today!
Opener
Read SB pp. 448-450 and 461. Highlight in yellow everything that you already know; highlight in green anything new that you learn.
Work Session
Spend today on the independent elements of your Antigone Dramatic Reading project. (Tatum Antigone PerformanceLink)
If you have questions for your teacher about your argument essay, add comments to the Google doc and let your teacher know through chat to take a look.
Closer
Sign up for a 10-minute individual writing conference as needed (Tatum sign up). Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Wednesday, September 9 - Asynchronous Asynchronous Student Action Items
Complete Argument essay Peer Mark in Turnitin.com, due tonight by 11:59 pm.
Work with your Greek family to prepare for dramatic reading on Friday. Antigone Performance
Thursday, September 9 Opener
Open your Turnitin.com account and read your argument essay peer review. Revision is due Monday, Sept 14 by 11:59 pm
Finish up work with your Greek family to prepare for tomorrow’s dramatic reading. Antigone Performance
If you have questions for your teacher about your argument essay, add comments to the Google doc and let your teacher know through chat to take a look.
Closer
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Friday, September 11
Opener
Take a moment to connect with your group for any loose ends!
Prepare to evaluate another family.
Work Session
Performance Day: Dramatic Reading of Antigone!
Closer
Reminder: peer and group evaluations are due by Sunday at 11:59 to Turnitin.com
Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
August 31-September 4, 2020
Monday, August 31 Opener
Housekeeping: Google Folder set up
Introduce close reading for timed test settings - (use the strategy handout!)
Begin the Greek Webquest! As you read the various sources, you’ll be asked to construct typed responses to the three guiding questions. Please click here to create a copy of the answer template in your own Google Drive folder (click “Make a copy”). Once you’ve completed the webquest and composed your typed responses to the three questions, submit your work to TurnItIn.com by 11:59 pm Monday, Sept. 7.
Closer
Sign up for a 10-minute individual writing conference as needed (Tatum sign up) . Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
Make a plan to share contact info and a Google doc with your Greek Family.
Friday, September 4 Opener
Read SB pp. 448-450 and 461. Highlight in yellow everything that you already know; highlight in green anything new that you learn.
Continue your work with the Greek Webquest. Remember to compose paragraph responses to the three guiding questions. (Make your own copy of the student response template here.)
Closer
Sign up for a 10-minute individual writing conference as needed (Tatum sign up). Answer any questions about today’s content and review action items.
August 24-28, 2020 This Week’s Learning Goals: Students will examine elements of argument writing, including the connection between claims and evidence, the structure of argument, and the stylistic choices speakers make to connect with their audiences. Students will compose constructed responses with their own claim statements, use of evidence, and detailed analysis. Students will begin to practice parallelism and will focus on building their understanding of academic vocabulary.
Monday, August 24 Opener
Housekeeping: Reminders to join all platforms on the tech sign up sheet; present first NoRedInk assignment & Zinc Reading Sprint; share details about one-pager presentations.
Work Session
Our first unit is dedicated to analyzing and creating argument essays. Let’s look at the basics of argument essays: Intro to Argument.
If you have a printer available, you may want to download and print this SB Argument Graphic Organizer to help guide your thinking as you develop CEI paragraphs and argument essays. The organizer is not required, but it is a good visual reminder.
Read Kofi Annan’s bio on SB p. 67 (Activity 1.10), and read his Nobel Lecture on pp. 68-69. As you read, explore elements of argument, focus on claim, consider # 1 & 2 p. 70.
Action Item: Construct a CEI to answer #3 on p. 70: What conclusion does Annan draw about the future of the United Nations, and what does he argue the UN should change? Your claim will answer the question. Your evidence will be the evidence Annan offers. Your interpretation will evaluate the success of Annan’s argument. You may want to refresh your knowledge on the United Nations. Submit your CEI (in MLA format) to Turnitin.com by 11:59 PM tonight.
Closer
Consider what issues you feel passionate about in today’s world. What claim would you like to make? Consider what you would like others to do or to think. You will write an argument essay on an issue that matters to you, so begin thinking of claims tonight.
Tuesday, August 25 Opener
Do you need a CEI paragraph refresher? Do you need an MLA format refresher? You learned this last year, and we expect you to remember it now.
Read the three articles that present arguments about video games on SB pp. 90-100 (Activity 1.12): “How Video Games Affect the Brain,” “Video Games are Good for Your Brain,” and “Brain Training Apps Don’t Seem to Do Much of Anything.” On today’s structure powerpoint, each article was identified as following a particular argument structure.
Action Item: Choose ONE text to analyze. Construct a CEI paragraph to answer the following prompt: How does the article demonstrate a particular argumentative structure? For instance, your claim will state that the article is a good example of X structure. Your evidence will be what the author includes for each of the structural elements. Your interpretation will be how the evidence is a good example of the structural element. Submit (in MLA format) to Turnitin.com by 11:59 PM today.
Closer
Start thinking about the structure you think will best deliver your argument essay about the issue you have chosen.
Wednesday, August 26 - Asynchronous Asynchronous Work Action Items
Log in to TurnItIn.com and complete the peer review activity on this week’s CEI paragraphs. When you work as a peer reviewer, your goal is to consider both your peers’ application of writing and analysis skills and your own. Complete this today by 11:59 PM.
Start collecting evidence to argue your claim in the argument essay. Begin by creating a list of personal experiences that you could use as anecdotal evidence in your argument essay. Then conduct some research online: what outside sources can you find that will help you to support your claim? What resources can you find that support the other side of your issue? (Document these resources by taking notes on their content and saving their URLs. You may want to create a Google document simply to track your research - this kind of cataloging is what expert researchers do!) Consider how you can use arguments for and against your position to establish your own credibility with the audience and to anticipate their potential objections. Be ready to share some of your sources with your teacher on Friday.
Begin thinking about the context of your argument essay and who your target audience may be.
Continue working on your ongoing assignments:
By Friday, Aug. 28 - Have the following prepared for your own argument essay:
A precise and arguable claim
A structure you think will best deliver your argument about the issue you have chosen
A few outside sources to support your claim
An identified audience/context for your argument
By Monday, Aug. 31 - complete the Pre-Course Assignment (due to TurnItIn.com) & presentation (due to Flipgrid)
By Friday, Sept. 4th - Complete the NoRedInk assignments on parallelism
By Friday, Sept. 11 - Complete the Zinc Reading Sprint
Thursday, August 27 Opener
Intro to style--SB Focus on the Sentence pp. 18, 28, 43, SB Language & Writer’s Craft p. 45
Work Session
Before you read Read Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Lecture (SB pp.71-74), set a purpose for examining Wiesel’s stylistic elements. Get a highlighter handy, and as you read, highlight any powerful sections, lines, or specific words that you notice. (You can listen to the speech here as you follow along in your book!) Complete # 4, 5 and the Focus on the Sentence activity on p. 75 of SpringBoard.
On your copy of the speech, annotate how Wiesel’s style engages his audience. Look for the style elements we discussed at the beginning of class--diction, parallel structure, sentence length, repetition/anaphora, antithesis. What did Wiesel want his audience to feel when they heard these elements?
Submit your argument essay plans to your teacher. (Tatum Form)
Work Session
Spend today working on your argument essay. Please remember to create your document within the Google folder you shared with your teacher so she can check in on your progress and provide guidance.
To make a Google Folder, open Google Docs. Select New and choose Folder (at the top). Title it EXACTLY like this: Last, First HWL 2 or 4. Then open the folder you made and choose the drop down arrow beside the folder name. Click Share. Add my email address: [email protected].
To create a document in the folder, open the folder. Select New and choose Google Docs. Title the document with your last name and the assignment name.
As you work, make a list of 1-2 specific questions you would like to ask your teacher about your draft during your writing conference next week. Your questions need to be specific in nature. For example, the following questions are specific and therefore good examples for writing conferences: “Can you please give me feedback on whether my claim is arguable?” “Here is my use of parallelism - could up please look at it and provide guidance?” The following questions are vague and therefore bad examples for writing conferences: “What do I need to fix on my draft?” “Can you tell me if my essay is good?”
Confirmation Bias (slides 1-7): What is it, and how can we avoid it when thinking about literature and people from countries outside our own experience?
Students will preview SpringBoard Unit 1. Open the Resources tab in CTLS for access to the textbook.
Read the quote on SB page 1: “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. ...We may be powerless to open all the jails and free all prisoners, but by declaring our solidarity with one prisoner, we indict all jailers. None of us is in a position to eliminate war, but it is our obligation to denounce it and expose it in all its hideousness.” --from “Hope, Despair, and Memory” by Elie Wiesel.
Ponder these questions: What is the author’s key idea? Who are the prisoners? Who are the jailers?
Read About the Unit on SB p. 4: One person has the power to influence fellow human beings to take action or change their thinking. To persuade an audience, writers, speakers, and artists work to craft well-organized, well-supported, vivid, and engaging arguments with clear statements of opinion.
Ponder these questions: How should we interact with the world around us? To what extent are we responsible for our fellow humans? How do we use evidence to create a persuasive argument?
Read the argument presented in “Reality is Broken” on SB pp. 8-10. Don’t forget to read about the author as an insight into the rhetorical situation. Answer #s 6, 10, 15, 18 on SB pp. 11-13; these questions have you consider the rhetorical situation.
Finish reading the part 2 of the article on SB pp. 15-18. Answer #s 3, 4 on SB p.19.
If McGonigal and Jones had a conversation about technology and reality, what would they say to one another?
Closer: Expectations for Asynchronous Work: 1:30-3:30
Read the article The Flight from Conversation on SB pp. 22-26.
Prepare to discuss this question: To what extent does technology assist or impair our ability to communicate with one another? Have ready to share at least one of your own observations and experiences; at least one idea presented in the texts we have read; and at least one thought-provoking question to pose to your peers.
Review your preparation notes for the question:To what extent does technology assist or impair our ability to communicate with one another? Record your ideas here: Tatum Padlet
Work Session
Read “We Need to Talk” SB pp. 38-41. Answer #s 2, 3 on p. 42.
We are going to discuss our question: To what extent does technology assist or impair our ability to communicate with one another? What ground-rules, or norms should we put in place, especially in this virtual forum?
Conduct a whole group discussion about some of the thought-provoking questions provided in our opener. Observe our established norms.
Closer: Expectations for Asynchronous Work: 1:30-3:30