Filming has commenced!

I have some goals in mind as we film these commercials.  I want them to see that ads are scripted and organized with a purpose: to persuade the viewer to buy their product.  I want them to understand some of the behind the scenes activities involved in the production of an ad.  They were to create a storyboard which I will use to organize their camera shots.  Later, I will join the shots together into an ad. Whereas some students wanted to just stand up and "wing it," I wanted them to see that ads are created. 

The next unit we are studying is persuasive writing.  Eventually, we will be studying the qualities of their supports.  Ads tend to appeal to the emotions more than logic.  We will analyze the arguments they used in their ads later.

What is due tomorrow?

Section 1 should hand me the final draft of their essay.  They should also be ready to film their commercial.

Sections 3 and 4 will have some time tomorrow to finish their essay.  We worked for an hour in class today.  Tomorrow we will work on their ads and film on Thursday.

We did not get as far as I would have liked today.

Students should have finished their rough drafts today.  Not all did.  I would like to take one more day to do some peer editing.  Hopefully most of the students will be ready with something to read tomorrow.

What to check for in the rough drafts of Flowers for Algernon:

____ Handshake and thesis that grab you and give you a clear direction

____ Summary that gives you enough to understand the basic story

____ Three support paragraphs that explain the thesis

          Each support paragraph contains

____ Examples from the text and/or Quote from the text

____ The essay writer’s opinion

____ The essay ends with a clear conclusion the summarizes the main points

Better writers will

____ Have no grammar errors (or few distracting errors)

____ Good sentence variety to create a nice rhythm

____ Proper word choice

Due Dates and introductions

The rough draft of the essay should be done Monday with the final draft due Tuesday.
The scripts and storyboards for the ads should be done for Tuesday so we can practice.
Wednesday we will film the ads.

Today we discussed the introductions.  I covered handshakes and thesis statements.  Here is an example:

Joseph Addison, an American writer, once mused, “Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men; but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass.” The night my dog got hit by a car, I wanted to hide in my room in cry.  I wanted to run away from the pain.  Instead, my dad told me to help him, and I am glad he did. That night, my dying dog taught me some wisdom I would never forget.

The yellow is the handshake or hook.  You don't just jump right into what you will prove.  You ease the reader in.  I discussed using a question, a fact, and a quote as a handshake.  Here is a link for 52 more types of hooks!

In section 1, we discussed how to include a summary in the beginning of the essay.  I had suggested having a summary as its own paragraph.  I showed examples where the summary was too detail or even distracting.  We discussed solutions.  One idea was to put just enough summary in the introduction.  The other was to write a summary paragraph but only include the parts or the story that relate to what are being discussed in the thesis.

Flowers for Algernon Assignments we are working on

Flowers for Algernon TV Ad Group Project (due next week)

·      Maximum 4 people in a group

·      All members must appear in the performance of the ad

·      The ad must be at least 1 minute long

·      You must create and turn in a storyboard

·      Fellow members will score you on your participation

Remember, the process is successful; however, like any surgery, there are risks! 

Your ad must address those concerns the audience will have.

Also, there will be no making fun of people with a mental disability.

 Yes, someone can be simple, but the product can also be sold to smart people as well.

Flowers for Algernon Essay Outline (Essay due Friday maybe)

P1: Intro

Handshake:

Thesis: I do not think the doctors should have performed the operation on Charlie for reason 1, reason 2, reason 3.

P2: Summary

P:3 Reason 1 (1 sentence)

Fact/detail/example from the story and explain (2 sentences)

Fact/detail/example from the story and your opinion(2 sentences)

Fact/detail/example from the story and explain(2 sentences)

P4: Reason 2 (1 sentence)

Fact/detail/example from the story and explain (2 sentences)

Fact/detail/example from the story and your opinion(2 sentences)

Fact/detail/example from the story and explain(2 sentences)

P:5 Reason 3 (1 sentence)

Fact/detail/example from the story and explain (2 sentences)

Fact/detail/example from the story and your opinion(2 sentences)

Fact/detail/example from the story and explain(2 sentences)

P6: Conclusion

I do not think the doctors should have performed the operation on Charlie for reason 1, reason 2, reason 3.

Examples of support

We see Charlie getting smarter in the scene at the factory when everyone signs the petition.  This proves that people don’t want him to get smart.

Charlie does not want to be smart.  We know this because he says to Miss Kinnian, “Miss Kinnian, I do not want to be smart.”  (Notice the punctuation of the direct quote.)

Essay due Friday

Homework:
Essay due Friday (see below)

Today:
We analyzed three different summaries to determine the qualities of a concise summary.  I have listed the book's example below.  It meets most of the rubric, but more importantly it gives a nice overview of the story and the theme.

Summary Rubric

____ 1. FFA is a story about (Main Char.)

____ 2. The story is set in ______ (place, time)

____ 3. Describe the main character so we get

             a feel for him.

____ 4. What other characters are part of story?

              What is their relation to main?

____ 5. Break story into 4 or 5 main movements

____ 6. What is the conflict/tension that keeps you

             reading?

____ 7. Climax and Resolution

               How did the characters change/ learn

               about life?

____ 8. In the end…

____ 9. What is the theme (lesson) of the story?

____ 10. Grammar errors are not DISTRACTING     

Concise summary from my teacher book:

Charlie Gordon is a 37 year-old man with low mental ability.  His teacher, Miss Kinnian, recommends him as a candidate for an experiment in which the intelligence of a white mouse named Algernon has already tripled.  Charlie’s progress is charted through the journal he keeps.  After undergoing the surgery, Charlie becomes a genius and acquires tremendous academic knowledge, as well as a painful awareness of human failings.  When Algernon begins to regress, Charlie starts his research to see if he can solve the problem.  He discovers flaws in the doctors’ theories and realizes that his own intelligence will also deteriorate.  Ultimately Algernon dies.  Charlie returns to his original level of intelligence but is unable to return to his own life.  He moves away, asking his friends to continue the practice of placing flowers on Algernon’s grave. 

 

Writing Assignment for Flowers for Algernon

Requirements:

____ Typed in Times New Roman sized 12 (or written neatly)

____ Multiple paragraphs with introduction, supports, and conclusion

____ 400 – 700 words (a little over if needed- just not a book!)

____ Grammar errors should be minimal and not distract from reading

____ Your piece is clear, detailed, and shows you understand the story

Choose one of the following topics-

·      Include a summary of the story

·      Thoroughly explain your position

·      Use examples and direct quotes from the story

·      Be sure to refer to the packet you completed

1.  Do you think the doctors should have performed the operation on Charlie?

2. If given the opportunity, do you think Charlie would have the operation again?  Compare his life before the operation to his life after the operation.

3. What kind of society would we have if everyone had the opportunity to become super intelligent?

4. If this type of operation were being tested for real, right now, would you participate in the study?

Five paragraph outline

P1

Handshake- get us thinking

Thesis- tell us what you will prove exactly

P2

Summary of the story focusing on details that lead to your discussion

P3

Topic sentence for reason one.

Explain

Explain

Explain

P4

P5

Conclusion

    

 

The 2nd MP grades are done.

If there are questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Tomorrow is the last day to take an AR test for the 2nd MP

I updated HAC a little bit.  I added the Achieve score from this week and the grade from the Flowers for Algernon test.

Over the weekend I will get in the make-up work and enter the AR scores.  By Tuesday, the 2nd MP grade will be done.

We took the test on Flowers for Algernon today.

I should have the scores in soon. 

All AR is due Friday. 

That is all.

:)

Today we wrote a summary of Flowers for Algernon

Tomorrow we take a comprehension test on Flowers for Algernon.

Write a summary of Flowers for Algernon

    It should be about 150 -250 words.

Sample Summary of Ransom of Red Chief

        Bill and Sam decide that the best way to finance their upcoming land swindle is to kidnap the child of a wealthy citizen and hold him for ransom.  The boy they choose, instead of being the docile, frightened child one would expect, is a terror who abuses Bill in every way he can think of, all in the name of fun.  The response to their ransom note is not what they would have wished: instead of paying $1500 to get Johnny back, the father demands $250 to take the boy off their hands.  In desperation, they agree, and end the story poorer than they began. (105)

Summary outline

1. FFA is a story about (Main Char.)

2. The story is set in ______ (place, time)

3. Describe the main character so we get a feel for him.

4. What other characters are part of story?

     What is their relation to main?

5. Break story into 4 or 5 main movements

6. What is the conflict/tension that keeps you reading?

7. Climax and Resolution

     How did the characters change/ learn about life?

8. In the end…

9. What is the theme (lesson) of the story?

Grades this week...

Grades this week
Section 1 must have taken three AR tests by Friday.
Sections 3 and 4 must have taken two AR tests by Friday.

There will be a Flowers for Algernon comprehension test on Tuesday.  Students may use the book and their packets.  This will be the last test grade for the second marking period.

I will collect the packets by the end of this week or early next week.  The packet should be completed to the best of their ability.  The completion of the packet will be the first grade of the third marking period.

Achieve Grade
You will notice on HAC that I have entered am Achieve grade.  The grade is the result of student effort, not student achievement.  The student must write a reply e-mail and answer a thought question.  Both are graded on completion. The student must answer comprehension questions.  The grade is curved to reflect completion.  (Trust me!  19% is 7/10.)  If you have questions, please ask me.

I will be using the same schedule for this week as I used last week.  It worked very well.  Friday's open mic time was fun, and I look forward to students sharing more of their creativity in the weeks to come.

Just another day

Homework: Students should be reading for their AR tests.

We watched a five minute video from a documentary on lobotomies.  It was a little disturbing to think that these things were actually done in the late 1940's and early 1950's.  The push to understand the brain and help people with problems has had some dark times. 

The video fit right into our reading.  The story Flowers for Algernon is about a man who had an operation to make him three times smarter.  As we finish up the story and see the tragic outcome of the surgery, we will begin to discuss if we should even search for a way to alter the brain so drastically.  Just because science can do something, should it?

Schedule for this week

My goal for this week is to stick to the schedule.  I want to finish reading the story by Friday and begin to get into studying the overall story in more depth.  Right now we are reading the story together, stopping frequently to practice the skill of inferencing.  We are like detectives.  We are looking for the clues to determine if Charlie is getting smarter.

The only homework the students have is to take their AR tests.  Remember, sections 3 and 4 must have taken two tests.  Section 1 must take three.

Monday

·      Warm-up

·      Read and study Flowers for Algernon|

·      (We will be slowly completing the packet.)

·      Achieve

·      Homework: READ FOR AR TESTS DUE JANUARY 18

Tuesday

·      Warm-up

·      Read and study Flowers for Algernon

·      (We will be slowly completing the packet.)

·      SSR- Be sure to have a book to read

·      Homework: READ FOR AR TESTS DUE JANUARY 18

Wednesday

·      Warm-up

·      Read and study Flowers for Algernon

·      (We will be slowly completing the packet.)

·      Achieve

·      Homework: READ FOR AR TESTS DUE JANUARY 18

Thursday

·      Warm-up

·      Read and study Flowers for Algernon

·      (We will be slowly completing the packet.)

·      SSR- Be sure to have a book to read

·      Homework: READ FOR AR TESTS DUE JANUARY 18

Friday

·      Read and study Flowers for Algernon

·      (We will be slowly completing the packet.)

·      Open Mic or Grammar Friday

I entered the scores for the poems.

I had a very enjoyable time reading through the work my students did before the break.  We are not all poets.  Some students, though, clearly are! 

IQ

Homework:
Students should be exploring the vocabulary on pages 2 and 3 of the packet. 
Students should also be reading their AR books.

Today:
We discussed some basic ideas of IQ and psychological testing.  The students need to understand that Charlie's IQ of 68 is going to be tripled.  They will have to recognize the changes.  I am taking time to establish Charlie now so they can watch his intellect grow.  I am sure they will have a better understanding of the concepts when we finish the story because they will have seen how he writes change dramatically!

School is back in session, and I am ready!

Homework:
Students could work on pages 2 and 3 of their packet.  They need to learn some vocabulary.  See below.

AR
Check out the new weekly schedule that I am going to follow.  Looking at the AR scores, I see that most of my students really need time in class to read.  I thought my lessons were too important, so I skipped the time.  Now the students need to do their "reading push-ups!"

Grammar Friday and Open Mic
I also scheduled time for sharing and grammar.  How much we do of each is up to them.  Either way, they benefit.

Literature
We started studying the story Flowers for Algernon.  I have organized a packet for the students so they know exactly what is required of them over the next three weeks or so.  Each day we will have some work time and discussion time, but the students have pages they must complete.  This will allow students to work at their own pace. 

Vocabulary
I know I need to get back to the vocab book, but there is plenty of vocabulary in this story.  Please see the packet.  We will get back to the book sometime. 

Today we looked at examples of Rorschach inkblots.  The students had a lot of fun with this.  It was neat to hear how we see things differently.  I don't know if all their views of the shapes reflected their inner selves or if they were trying to come up with the craziest interpretations! The picture below was a dragon, Bigfoot, a man riding a motorcycle, and a bear.