Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Weekly Calendar 11/24-11/26

Monday 11/24
  • Objective: Share learning from first round of SSR Book Groups
  • Activities: 1) Officer Baxter, 2) book illustrations, 3) Book Talks, 4) SSR & Quickwrite
  • Homework: Write a reflection on your first round SSR/Book Group. What do you like and why; what don't you care for and why? What's helping you think more deeply about the book and why; what's not any why? 1 full page.

Tuesday 11/25
  • Objective: Practice outlining for essays
  • Activities: 1) Identify key elements in an essay, 2) sample essay outlining, 3) brainstorm for essay on thankfulness
  • Homework: Highlight and fill in the outline for the sample essay (Lights, Camera...Give Me the Remote!). Do not copy entire sentences onto the outline; just pick out or paraphrase phrases that summarize key ideas.

Wednesday 11/26
  • Objective: Identify thesis & main ideas for essay on thankfulness
  • Activities: 1) Review sample essay outline, 2) Complete brainstorm for thankfulness essay, 3) begin outlining
  • Homework: 1) Do any make-up work needed, including missing homeworks or missing/incomplete SSR letter; 2) Read 20-30 pages in your SSR book and annotate with 10-13 Level 2-3 annotations; 3) Consider Challenge work for extra credit.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Weekly Calendar 11/17-11/21

Monday 11/17
  • Objective: Trouble-shoot with paragraph structure
  • Activities: 1) Grammar practice, 2) Outlining lesson, 3) Sample outlining, 4) SSR & Quickwrite
  • Homework: Write a developed 2-chunk paragraph on the following: What is the hardest challenge you have ever stepped up to, and what made it so difficult? Use pink guidelines.
Tuesday 11/18
  • Objective: Expand writing into "3-chunk" analysis
  • Activities: 1) Grammar practice, 2) Highlight/outline homework, 3) Writing structure game, 4) 3-chunk writing prompt
  • Homework: Read and annotate short story with Level 2-3 notes
Wednesday 11/19
  • Objective: Understand and practice outline for multiple paragraphs
  • Activities: 1) Grammar practice, 2) Multiple paragraph outlining lesson: tie it together with a thesis, 3) SSR & Quickwrite, 4) Book Groups meet
  • Homework: Prepare and outline for an essay on: What is the underlying message of the short story we just read for last night's homework? Your outline should include Main Ideas to start every paragraph, Concrete Details to support every main idea, Commentary to explain each concrete detail for three separate body paragraphs, each with two chunks.
Thursday 11/20
  • Objective: Practice outlining and writing from an outline for multiple paragraphs
  • Activities: 1) Officer Baxter, 2) Quiz on grammar: homophones there/their/they're, too/to/two, know/no, our/are, 3) Multiple paragraph writing workshop
  • Homework: Finish writing up all three body paragraphs, making sure you develop your ideas in detail and use sophisticated, powerful lanugage
Friday 11/21
  • Objective: Self-asses writing structure and practice
  • Activities: 1) Open Mic!, 2) SSR & Quickwrite, 3) Book Talks, 4) Multiple paragraph writing workshop, 5) Creative writing
  • Homework: Read 15-20 pages in your SSR book & annotate with 6-8 Level 2-3 notes.
REMINDER: SSR Response Letter is due Monday 11/24. See guidelines on the peach sheet for the 2-part, 2-page letter.