Quiz on Unit 6 Tomorrow

Students should finish unit 6 in the vocab book.
We will take the quiz.
Then we will finish the second movie.

Next week, we will spend the two days writing and proofing the essay on Red Chief.  I want to be finished this unit before the break.  That way we can come back and start fresh.  I have some fun ideas!  (Well, I think they will be fun!)

Movie Time

Homework:
Pages 62 and 63 in the vocab.  I told the kids that they MUST have pages 61 and 62 perfect.  I will score them using the responders as a homework check.  

Today:
We have started watching the two Red Chief movies.  Today we watched the 1952 version.  The kids liked it.  It has some really funny lines.  The movie is similar to the story, but there are many differences.  Here is what I had the kids think about today:

Literature

Think critically about a movie adaptation of a story.

•What was changed?

•What was kept true to the story?

•How do the director’s choices affect your enjoyment of the story?

Here is the Common Core standard that asks students to analyze and evaluate a movie version of a story.

CC.8.R.L.7 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

I am going to offer students two choices for their written piece.

1. Write the formal response to literature they started for the rough draft.  I collected those today.  

2. The other option is to write a compare contrast essay discussing which version of the story the student liked best: the written, the 1952 version, or the 1998 version.

I will provide the students with time to organize and write the piece.  Hopefully they will have it written by the Thanksgiving break.   

Rough draft of the response to literature for Red Chief due Wednesday

Homework:
Pages 60 and 61 vocabulary.  
Rough draft of the response to literature for The Ransom of Red Chief due Wednesday.


Today I introduced the new vocabulary words.  Then we read good examples of responses to literature from Stop the Sun.  I showed the students what is expected.  I told them they should have an organized rough draft for tomorrow.  I should be able to quickly read through the pieces to see that they have the required sections.  This should be an easy 25/25 points. We spent over 45 minutes writing in class today.

I told the students to think about the following:

A good response to literature is comfortable to read.  It shows that the writer understands the story and thought deeply about its meaning for themselves.

Big grades coming in the next few days.

We took the open book test on The Ransom of Red Chief today.  I will have those scored by the end of the day Tuesday.  

Then I discussed how I would like the students to write a rough draft of a response to literature on the written story before we start watching the movies.  I know from experience that once I see a movie of a story, I start mixing the two up.  I want them to get down how they feel about the story now so they don't forget.

I have taught the students about some choices the writer made:

·      His use of irony to produce humor.

·      His vocabulary/word choice. 

·      The three characters and how they are brought to life through descriptive words, quotes each says, and things others say about them.

I am going to reinforce that students need to include specific examples from the text. 

·      They could use direct quotes that characters said.

·      They could summarize or include a specific incident from the story

Next week we will have a regular vocabulary and a quiz Friday.

Response to literature

The Ransom of Red Chief

P1

Start with a focusing statement (focus of critique/connection)

Summarize story to give context for your commentary

         Quick summary of the story

         Main conflict

Mention the characters to pique our interest

         Story leads to theme

P2

Critique the text: Writer’s Craft

Exposition | Characters | Setting | Conflict | Rising Action | Climax | Resolution | Theme | Flashback | Choice of characters | Use of dialogue | Use of vocabulary | Use of irony

Critique, explain, example from text.

         Critique, explain, example from text.

P3             

Connections: Explain your reactions to the piece.

Connections: Text-text | Text-self | Text-world

Connect, explain, example from text.

                  Connect, explain, example from text.

Finish with a strong conclusion (You proved your focusing statement.)

Writer’s craft: Word Choice

For you as an audience, does the writer’s word choice (in this case vocabulary) add to or take away from your enjoyment of the piece?

Would making the words of the story simpler make the story better?

What is the purpose of the story: P. I. E.?

…get after us with anything stronger than constables and, maybe, some lackadaisical bloodhounds and a diatribe or two in the Weekly Farmer’s Budget.

…figured that Ebenezer would melt down for a ransom of two thousand dollars to the cent.

There was a sylvan attitude of somnolent sleepiness pervading that section of the …

… we collaborated a letter that ran this way:

If you attempt any treachery or fail to comply with our demands…

I… posted my letter surreptitiously and came away.

Sand ain’t a palatable substitute.

… we would get the ransom and be off with it by midnight if old Dorset fell in with our proposition.

I had a scheme for collecting that ransom without danger of being caught by counterplots that ought to commend itself to professional kidnappers.

(about the letter)  “of all the impudent-“

Things have been a little crazy!

Sorry to write so much.  If you are really interested in what is going on in the class, I wanted to tell you.  :)

The Thursday before the storm, I left school early to go to the dentist.  That Friday, I got a root canal.  Then Sandy hit.  Those two days back were stressful because the marking period was ending and AR was not finished.  I was out Monday (yesterday) because my daughter's nose was broken and we needed to see a specialist.

In short, the grades are entered for the first marking period.  We are working our way through "The Ransom of Red Chief."  I have a plan for the writing piece which will be another response to literature.  However, we will be watching two movie versions of the story as a compare-contrast to the written.

 The Accelerated Reader program was not perfect the first marking period, but I made every attempt to be fair to the students.  Now that I understand how the program works, I am going to step back and see how I will use it for the second marking period.

Achieve 3000 is up and running.  We are required to get the students on the program twice a week. That is not a problem with block scheduling.  Again, I am new to the program, so I am figuring out how to best use it to help the students.  Right now, I am attempting to read their three sentence e-mails they are required to write for each session.  We are not allowed to use the Achieve scores for grades, but I can score their writing.  I have established the following rubric for earning points.  I do not think that asking for three perfect sentences is too much.  The students will get points for writing the e-mail even if they do not get the full five points.  As of now, these grades will be used in a general way of C, B, A. And, like I said, I am trying something out with the goal of helping the students use correct grammar.  The grade is not my real focus.

Achieve Grade: Use perfect grammar in communications with your teacher!

(Use Word to double check.  Use a friend to proofread.)

0 points-         Two or more grammar errors: Spelling, apostrophes

                        I send it back to you. You can fix. I hope I get back to it! (This might be impossible.)

5 points -         One error is not fine, but you should have caught them using Word.

                        Must be three sentences long and make sense. 

                        Statement, support, support

10 points-        None or one error.

                        Over three sentences and well supported.

                        You showed me that you really thought about your choice.

                        Brought in things that you know about the topic.

Remember, the points I give you go towards your Achieve points!  I don’t know enough to say where you should be, but getting points is good!

Grades are almost done

There is no homework accept a few students need to finish another AR test.  I will explain how I dealt with AR tomorrow.  I need to enter a few more grades.

We have started our next literature study.

Homework:
Pages 52 + 53 in vocab.

Here is the basic idea of the next assignment.  We are going to read O. Henry's "The Ransom of Red Chief."  We could stop there and write another response to literature.  Instead, I would like to address one of the Common Core Standards- CC.8.R.L.7 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.  

I am going to have the students study the written story first.  Then we are going to watch two versions of the story: the 1952 version on O. Henry's Full House DVD and the 1998 version staring Haley Joel Osment.  I want them to use the adaptations of the story as a way to critique the written story.

The assignment is a work in progress.  Today we watched the biography of O. Henry found on the Full House DVD. 

I do not know when it is due because I am not sure how long it will take me to prepare the students to write.  I will announce the due date in the future when I am convinced I have taught the students the skills they need to know to be successful.

I handed out grade slips today.

Homework:
Pages 49, 50, and 51 in the vocab book.

Today:
I discussed the schedule for the week. (See my website: www.mrboz.com)
I handed out grade slips so the students know what they are missing.
(I still have to enter the unit 4 quizzes from Friday.)

We started Achieve 3000.  
Most students are familiar with the program from last year.  I, however, am not.  I am being trained on how to best use the program.  Today, we only got through the placement test.  As of now, my only requirements are that students DO the work that is assigned.  

We will be having 45 minutes for Achieve on Monday and Wednesday. 

Do not forget that AR is due next Wednesday!

Have a good weekend

I updated HAC with all that I have. 
Don't forget that AR is due October 31.
I will enter HWK grades next week.
I have to score Section 4's Stop the Sun pieces.  I am trying so hard to get to them. 

:)

October 17, 2012

Homework:
Vocab pages 44 + 45
We will have a pronoun quiz tomorrow.

Here is what we discussed in class.

Lesson 10: More Pronoun Problems

Copy these notes.  Trust me, you need to take your time and think about these.

Linking verb: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, appears, seems, feels

Use the subject pronoun I, she, he, we, or they in a compound subject or with a predicate noun or pronoun. (see page 61)

Greg and she decided to learn more about Sacajawea.

The researchers are Polly and I.

Is this Brad? Yes, this is he.

Use the object pronoun me, her, him, us, or them in a compound object. (see page 63)

Her story has always fascinated Polly and me.

The research was divided between Greg and her.

Phrases that interfere

Don’t be confused by the words in between.

Page 82

1.   Meriwether Lewis is a favorite topic for Polly and (I, me).

2.   In 1803, President Jefferson sent (he, him) and William Clark to explore thousands of acres of wilderness.

3.   Lewis and Clark me Sacajawea, a young Shoshone woman in 1804; (they, she) hired her as a guide.

4.   They had first hired her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, as an interpreter.  Both Sacajawea and (he, him) translated their conversations with Native Americans.

5.   Lewis, Clark, a band of soldiers, and (she, her) headed west when she was around 17.

6.   She survived near starvation and illness as (she, they) accompanied the explorers.

7.   Gre, Polly, and (I, me) learned that she was very important to the expedition.

8.   The baby on Sacajawea’s back made (her, it) much less threatening to Native Americans than the white soldiers alone would have.

9.   At one point, she, Lewis, and Clark visited (her, their) people’s summer home.

10.               The expedition, short on food and medicines, was able to restock (its, their) supplies from her tribe’s stores.

B.

Polly and me read Lewis and Clark’s journals.  Sacajawea and them met at Fort Mandan, near present-day Bismark, North Dakota.  Several months later, Lewis described how their supplies were washed overboard as he traveled by boat.  Sacajawea’s quick thinking saved journals, instruments, and medicines.

Sacajawea introduced Lewis and Clark to their tribe, the Shoshone, in the summer of 1805.  Lewis had left she, Clark, and most of the other men behind while he scouted ahead, looking for the Shoshone villages.  Finally, he met a Shoshone leader named Cameahwait.  When Clark and Sacajawea rejoined Lewis, she recognized Cameahwait; he was her brother!  Now Lewis and him could be friends.

Error in page 83

Polly and me read Lewis and Clark’s journals.  Sacajawea and them met at Fort Mandan, near present-day Bismark, North Dakota.  Several months later, Lewis described how their supplies were washed overboard as he traveled by boat.  Sacajawea’s quick thinking saved journals, instruments, and medicines.

Sacajawea introduced Lewis and Clark to their tribe, the Shoshone, in the summer of 1805.  Lewis had left she, Clark, and most of the other men behind while he scouted ahead, looking for the Shoshone villages.  Finally, he met a Shoshone leader named Cameahwait.  When Clark and Sacajawea rejoined Lewis, she recognized Cameahwait; he was her brother!  Now Lewis and him could be friends.

Ex. 10 page 615

1.   When our teacher asled Jason and (I, me) to do a presentation on an explorer, we chose the Frenchwoman Alexandra David-Neel.

2.   David-Neel, the daughter of French parents, made (her, their) way into the forbidden city of Lhasa, becoming the first Western woman to do so.

3.   Jason and (I, me) read about David-Neel’s great interest in Buddhism, the religion of Tibet and other countries in Asia.

4.   David-Neel, who spent much time away from home, still enjoyed a strong and lasting relationship with (she, her) husband.

5.   In 1912, David-Neel met the Dalai Lama, leader of the world’s Buddists; she and (he, him) became friends.

6.   While living and studying in a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim, she met a boy named Aphur Yongden, who became (her, his) adopted son.

7.   (He, Him) and David-Neel explored Tibet and its capital, Lhasa, which was forbidden to Westerners.

8.   One winter, freezing temperatures forced Aphur and (she, her) to seek refuge in a mountain cave, where they had a dinner of shoe-leather soup!

9.   Disguised as a Tibetan peasant, (she, her) and Aphur spent two months exploring the secret city.

10.               The current Dalai Lama, the 14^th leader to hold the title, and many of (his, their) followers live in India, far away from the city of Lhasa.

Work Work Work

Homework:
Pages 42 +43 in vocab book

Today:
We discussed the vocab words again and reviewed the homework.
We reviewed the pronoun lesson from yesterday and did another lesson.  See work below.
I am having students use the responders to get formative grades.  I am looking at the scores to see which concepts I need to cover before I test them.  The test will be Thursday. 

Today's sentences 

Page 614 Ex. 8

1.   Has anyone ever read about prehistoric cave paintings in (their, his or her) trips to the library?

2.   No one who has ever seen prehistoric cave paintings will forget the powerful impression they make on (them, him or her).

3.   Many have written about (his, their) impressions of prehistoric paintings of horses, deer, bears, bison, and aurochs, an ancient breed of cattle.

4.   One of the horses in a cave in Chauvet, France, tosses (their, its) mane proudly while others watch.

5.   Several are so skillfully painted that it looks as if (it, they) could stampede right off the cave walls.

6.   Some of the animals are shown making (its, their) way across the cave walls in large herds.

7.   Another raises (its, their) head to challenge a rival in battle.

8.   All of the prehistoric artists who left (his or her, their) drawings on the cave walls are unknown.

9.   None of the artists were able to sign (his or her, their) names to the paintings because written language had not been developed.

10.               However, each has left (his or her, their) mark through the beauty and power of the paintings that have survived for more than 30,000 years.

Lesson 9: Pronoun Problems

Copy these sentences:

We humans don’t always appreciate trees.

Trees can feed and shelter us humans.

Sara and Anne want to become tree farmers.She works after school at an orchard.

Use the subject pronoun after linking verb: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, appears, seems, feels

“Is this Brad?”

“Yes, this is he.” 

(# 9 on 615.  Use subject.)

A.  Page 80

1.   For decades, (we, us) carpenters used wood from chestnut trees to build houses and furniture.

2.   Chestnuts were a nutritious food for both (we, us) country dwellers and wildlife.  The trees provided bushels of them.

3.   Then in 1904, a fungus began killing (them, the trees).

4.   Now scientists are crossbreeding American chestnut trees with Chinese chestnut trees.  (They, Chinese chestnut trees) resist blight.

5.   (They, Scientists) hope the new hybrid trees will survive for centuries.

B.

Us chestnut trees are very generous.  We give you boards for building and nuts for eating and even flowers in the spring.  They make furniture.  They taste sweet and crunchy.  However, a fungus is killing us.  What do we ask you to do for we trees in return?  Just help us fight it.

Tell Me Something Good!

Homework:
Pages 40 + 41 vocab.
Please see the calendar for all this week's due dates.

Tell Me Something Good
Do you spend too much time thinking about the things that are going wrong in your life?

Take a look at this list and see if you can find some good!  Sometimes, being happy for others is OK.  The world is not all about us!

Check out this page for the list we compile each day.  It is on my website www.mrboz.com .

Indefinite Pronouns:
Here are the sentences we studied today.

Lesson 8: Indefinite-Pronoun Agreement

Copy these sentences:

·     Everyone added his or her favorite item to the capsule.

·     One of the girls put her soccer ball in the box.

·     Many contributed their favorite CDs or video games.

·     Few realized that their electronics may become completely outdated.

·     Some of the time capsule looks like it is very old.

·     Some of the time capsules list their contents outside.

Ex. A page 78

1.   Everyone likes to think that (he or she, they) will leave a mark on the world.

2.   We all want to create something, and we hope (it, they) will outlive us.

3.   Some take an unusual approach; for (him or her, them), a time capsule is the answer.

4.   Anyone who assembles a time capsule hopes that (he or she, they) can send a message to the future.

5.   Each of the people who planned the time capsule at the New York World’s Fair in 1939 had (his or her, their) opinion about what should go in it.

6.   What did all of those experts finally agree on?  (He or she, They) put nineteen items in the capsule.

7.   Most of the items would be familiar to us today.  (They, IT) included an alarm clock, a safety pin, and a dollar bill.

8.   However, none of the people knew at the time that (his or her, their) slide rules would become outdated in just a few decades.

9.   One of California’s tar pits acts as a time capsule because (it, they) contains people’s throwaways.

10.               Although time capsules often remain sealed for decades, few are meant to keep (their, its) treasures hidden for as long as the Crypt of Civilization.  Completed in 1940, it is meant to last until the year 8113!