I did a notebook check and collected reading logs today. Students then drafted their essays. There was also a grammar workbook assignment: pp. 53-57.
Wednesday, February 27 February 28, 2008
We finished going over the following parts of the sentence today:
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predicate nominatives
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predicate adjectives
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direct objects
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indirect objects
We then began a pre-writing activity using the”House” graphic organizer. We spent the remainder of the class time generating thesis sentences, topic sentences, and supporting ideas to fill in the sections of the House organizer. Tomorrow, we’ll draft the essay.
Monday and Tuesday, February 25-26 February 26, 2008
Students worked on identifying sentence fragments. They also began prewriting for an individual essay on the following topic:
Are people more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others?
Friday, February 22 February 22, 2008
After completing the daily journal entry, students worked with their groups to finish the R&J essays.
R&J Quiz by Leigh, Danielle, Jonathan, and Ashley H. February 22, 2008
http://www.bored.com/cyberquizzes/quizcode.php?q_id=73306
This quiz was created with attention to Bloom’s taxonomy.
Thursday, February 21 February 21, 2008
Eduardo selected our current events for the journal activity today. He also wrote the journal question. http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3856411n&channel=/sections/earlyshow/videoplayer500202.shtml
Today Mrs. Wilson, our New Schools Project instructional coach, came to third period to lead the silent discussion on “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton. After reading the story, students participated in a five rounds in which they alternatively composed “fat” questions or responded to their peers’ “fat” questions (refer to Cornell notes on Bloom’s taxonomy). At the end of the silent discussion activity, the class had generated numerous excellent seminar questions based on the story. I think everyone had fun today!
We ended class with about ten or fifteen minutes to work in the Romeo and Juliet essays, but I don’t believe many groups got much done because the silent discussion activity was quite mentally taxing for some of you.
Wednesday, February 20 February 20, 2008
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Today students completed and discussed a journal on a current events video, “Bullying Babies”: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3851693n&channel=/sections/earlyshow/videoplayer500202.shtml
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We then took Cornell notes on higher-lever thinking questions, later applying these questioning strategies to very basic texts. One class viewed a brief film version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” while the other class viewed “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Students then worked in pairs to write one lower-level question and one-higher level question based on the stories. We then shared and discussed each pair’s questions. Tomorrow we will try out these questions with a more difficult, grade-level text.
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Class ended today with time for work on the Romeo and Juliet essays.
