09.14.2015 - 09.18.2015

09.14.2015

Happy Monday!!! Today is a library day!!! Let's all show respect and proper behavior as we explore our interests in the school library!

Tuesday, 09/15/2015

I: Launch: Take a piece of candy on your desk

 and hold it in your hand. DO NOT EAT IT 

YET! Open up your journal to a fresh page.

In your notebooks, we will SILENTLY write

 our observations about the candy. Using 

SENSORY DETAILS, describe the size, color,

 texture, sound (if there is one). 

NOW, put the candy in your mouth. Do not

 GOBBLE it. Instead, savor it and describe the

taste in your journal. 

Turn to your elbow partner and shared what

you wrote. 

As a class, let's write a poem about the candy 

using some of the sensory details we chose. 

See if we can use words that evoke a reaction

in the reader of our poem. We will call this

poem "Ode to ________." 

II. Poetry writing workshop: 

Remember poem needs to be:

4+ stanzas

use sensory language and very detailed 

language

use metaphor, similes, other figurative 

language

repeat the phrase "I'm from... "

at least start and end your poem with these 

two phrases. 


when you perform: 

Practice using gestures, a variety of facial

 expressions, a variety of tone/voice.



III. Editing workshop

How this works:

 
Turn into table group silently

Table group editing protocol during our 

poetry workshop:

1. Fill out page one independently and 

silently.

 What do you want help on from your table 

group today? 

Poetry Writing Group Agenda

1. Poet’s Introduction. Poet explains what s/he would like help with.

2. Read Draft. Poet reads draft aloud.  Peers read along and take notes in the space below.

3. Peer Discussion. Peers each share at least one strength of the poem and at least one suggestion for revision (adding, deleting & rearranging).  Poet takes notes on “revision plan” handout.

4. Poet’s Plan.  Poet explains his/her plan for revision based on what peers said.  

5. Thank You.  Poet thanks the peers for

 feedback.  Peers thank the writer for sharing.
 

Ex Strength: I loved the way you described your 

family, I felt like I could hear them cooking in the 

kitchen too.

Ex Suggestion for revision: I think you can add 

more sensory language like sight and sounds to 

your description of soccer.



3. REPEAT with a new person



IV. Early finishers, independently edit your 

poems using your groups feedback


Wednesday, 09/16/15

Performance techniques

1) voice projection: speaking at a good volume

so everyone can hear

2) articulation: speaking clearly so all words

can be understood

3) timing and rhythm: emphasising the rhythm

of the lines, respecting punctuation, not

reading too quickly

4) mood: varying tone of voice, volume etc to

suit happy / sad bits of a poem

5) facial expression: using expressions to suit

different parts of the poem

6) gesture/body movement: emphasising or echoing the meaning of the poem with hand gestures and body movement

Week of June 1st, 2015

Happy June!!!


DO NOW: Independent Reading! Take out your books and get lost!!!

ENGLISH 8 AWARD CEREMONY!!!

For this second to last week of school, we will be preparing for our own award ceremony. You will be assigned a classmate. It is UP TO YOU to create an award for this classmate to celebrate his or her work this year and to highlight all of the qualities that will may him or her successful in High School!!!

REMEMBER: This is an award from the heart. No put downs or "side" compliments will be tolerated and will result in immediate points lost on your final grade. This is no place to put each other down, but to support each other instead. "I was just joking" is not an excuse and you will lose points and receive further consequences if you need to be reminded even once. 



Format: You will start your award by answering the following questions in your notebook. Copy questions and answers.

Who is the recipient of your award? 

How long have you known this person?

List at least three things you notice this person does well in class.

List at least three things you notice this person does well outside of class.

What do you respect and admire about this person? 

Now, give an award title. For example, "The Super Organized Award" or "The Kindest Heart Award." Your award title should highlight the success of your recipient this year.

Finally, write a 5-7 sentence paragraph about your recipient that you will present to him or her. Describe all the things you admire and how each of these talents and strengths will serve him or her next year in High School. We will decorate these drafts tomorrow and Wednesday to present! Keep it a secret if you can until the big day!!!

Closing: Students will share out the start of their awards to a mesa partner. 

May 11 - May 15th, 2015

Monday, May 11th, 2015

HOORAY TO BEING FINISHED WITH THE SBAC!!! YOU STUDENTS ROCKED IT! WAY TO STAY FOCUSED AND DRIVEN DURING DIFFICULT STANDARDIZED TESTING!

DO NOW: Please take out your independent reading book 

and begin reading!

 

Vocabulary: wary – watchful; on guard against danger 

sinister – evil or threatening

pursue – to follow in order to capture; to chase

(review)

divert – to send in a different direction; to distract

insane – not of rational mind; senseless

preserve – to keep alive; to keep safe from harm

Read-Aloud: The Pearl Chapter 6 pp. 73-78

Discussion Questions: Is Kino being too paranoid when it 

comes to the trackers and their abilities?  Or is he being

 smart and cautious?  Why does Kino think it would be better

if he were taken?  Why does Juana disagree? Why is she

suddenly speaking up against and disobeying Kino?  Do you

think they will be caught by the trackers?  Why or why not?

WHAT ARE SYMBOLS? In pairs, brainstorm 5 modern symbols and what they represent. 

Group Session

Assignment #25: Students will work with their group 

members to determine what Steinbeck might be symbolizing

or representing by showing certain characters and objects 

inThe Pearl.  For each symbol, students will argue what it

could represent in the story and provide a reason or textual 

evidence as support.

Summary/Closing

Students will share their responses during a whole class 

discussion.  They will discuss what each symbol could 

represent and provide support as to why they think that 

using valid reasoning and/or textual evidence.

HOMEWORK: Identify three SYMBOLS you see in day-to-

day life and three SYMBOLS you see in The Pearl. Write 

them down in your notebook. This will be checked tomorrow. 

Reminder: a SYMBOL is something, usually a visual image 

or object, that represents something more. 

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015

DO NOW: Please take out your independent reading book 

and begin reading! Have your homework out on your desk for a 

homework check!

 

Do Now: What do Kino and Juana disagree about while on 

the run from the trackers?

Vocabulary: 

foliage – leaves, flowers, and branches

weary – physically or mentally exhausted from hard work

Read-Aloud: The Pearl Chapter 6 pp. 78-84

Discussion Questions: What kind of person has Kino 

become on the run?  

How do readers know this?  What can happen if Coyotito 

makes noise?  What is Kino’s plan regarding the three 

trackers?  Do you think Kino will kill again 

to save himself and his family?  Why or why not?

Group Activity # 25 continued from 5/11/15

Week of April 20th, 2015

Monday, April 20th, 2015

DO NOW: Please take out your independent reading book 

and begin reading!

 

Introduction

Do Now: Why isn’t Juana angry with Kino for hitting and kicking her?

Vocabulary: divert – to send in a different direction; to distract

Read-Aloud: The Pearl Chapter 5 pp. 63-67
Discussion Questions: What has Kino lost because of the pearl?  Why do Kino and his family pretend that they disappeared?  Why can’t their neighbors know the truth?  What does Kino mean when he says that “the pearl has become [his] soul”?  Why doesn’t he just destroy the pearl?

Closing:  Share out discussion questions in mesas and in whole groups.

Tuesday, April 21st, 2015

DO NOW: Please collect your things to review expectations for our library trip today.

Library Trip: We will be choosing new independent reading books and completing independent reading in the library. This will take twenty minutes and then we will return to class.

You are expected to: be quiet, be respectful, act in accordance with library rules and regulations.

The Pearl Essay: Students will annotate and become familiar with the essay assigned for The Pearl, in which they will analyze the differences in Kino’s life from before and after finding the pearl based on the information they compiled during the previous day’s lesson (Assignment #24).  They will write a 4-5 paragraph essay analyzing the changes in Kino’s life, using reasons and inferences supported by textual evidence.  The format for the essay is as follows:

Close Reading Annotation Symbols

Symbol	What this symbol represents...	What to write as your annotation
+	I agree with what the text/author says here!	Explain why you agree with the text/author.
	I disagree with what the text/author says here!	Explain why you disagree with the text/author.
underline	Important information, key ideas/concepts	Summarize or paraphrase the important information/ideas.
?	Information you are confused about or doesn’t make sense	Compose a question to express what confuses you.
=	Information that reminds you of something you’ve read/heard/seen before	Discuss the connection you are making between this information and previously read/heard/seen information
	Put a circle around words you are unfamiliar with	Look up the word and write a brief definition in the margin.

 Paragraph #1 – introduction (includes summary and changes)

 Paragraph #2 – explain first change (with textual evidence and

 Paragraph #3 – explain second change (with textual evidence and

 Paragraph #4 – explain third change (with textual evidence and

 Paragraph #5 – conclusion (what does all this say about the pearl

importance/implication)

Group Session

Students will write the introduction paragraphs of their The Pearl essays.  They will include the book’s title and author, as well as short summaries of the plot thus far.  They will also state the changes in Kino’s life (without
explaining them) that they will discuss in their essays.  These paragraphs should be 4-5 sentences.

Summary/Closing

Students will self-edit their introduction paragraphs using a checklist of questions to make sure they are ready for peer-editing when their first drafts are complete.  They will then share their introduction paragraphs with their group members.

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

Review The Pearl essay assignment (see above) and begin working on introductory paragraphs.

Thursday, April 23rd, 2015

Please take out your independent reading book and begin reading!

DO NOW: Take out your introductory paragraphs and read it to a mesa member. Mesa members will give one warm and one cool piece of feedback to their partner. 

Objective  Students will be able to:

 Compare the main character from different points of time in The 

 Cite textual evidence to support their comparisons.

 Draw conclusions about the importance and/or implications of these 

 Organize their thoughts and ideas in a coherent written format 

Pearl.

 9.RL.3  Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with 

 9.W.1  Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of 

 9.W.4  Produce clear and coherent writing in which the 

multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a 

text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or 

develop the theme.


Whole Class

Review The Pearl essay.  By now, everyone should be done with their introductory paragraphs and ready to move on to body paragraphs. We will use comparisons and textual evidence. Please reference assignment #24 as you write. 

The suggested format for body paragraphs is: 


 Sentence #1 – introduce the change in Kino’s life

 Sentence #2 – explain how this thing was before Kino found the pearl.

 Sentence #3 – explain how this thing is after Kino found the pearl

 Sentence #4 – provide textual evidence that shows this change? (quote and page number)

 Sentence #5 – conclude with the importance of this change and what implication or impact it will have on Kino and his family 



Group Session

Students will use the comparisons and textual evidence they compiled in their charts from Assignment #24 to begin writing their body paragraphs.  
These paragraphs will analyze the changes in Kino’s life, show the importance and/or implication of them, and provide textual evidence (direct quotes from The Pearl) that show them in the book.  Each paragraph should analyze one change only.  These paragraphs should be at least five sentences.

Summary/Closing

Students will self-edit their body paragraphs using a checklist of questions to make sure they are ready for peer-editing when their first drafts are complete.  They will then share their body paragraphs with their group members.