Language Arts
Some of my goals for this year:
That students recognize, appreciate, and are inspired by great writing.
That the students learn to write in various styles and for various audiences, regardless of current strength/weakness
That students care about writing well, and will work hard to do it.
That students see literature as a "window" to the world and as a 'mirror' to themselves.
That students develop a love for and curiosity about words and phrases.
Vocabulary
word etymology
Dead word tombstone
Calvin & Hobbes Big Word Bin
student's personal word of the day
replacement challenge: replacing colloquialisms with "better" words
word chains (welcome back ground water fall back rest stop sign...)
Ideas for Lessons/Projects
X ways to say "it was raining"
Letter to yourself at 18
Speeches to a group
memoirs (get 6 word book)
monologues (one of which parents pick)
jabberwocky.... make up your own words
Visual essay (Animoto, etc)
Visual/Information design principles
Evolution of information literacy
Create a Facebook page (mockup) of an author
Writing about a place and explore it on GoogleEarth
Write an ad that will sell something online (craigslist, ebay, amazon, etc)
Check out StoryCorps.org for a speaking-listening project (and http://nationaldayoflistening.org/) and http://www.youtube.com/storycorps#p/u/5/dohm3-plvv8
Ideas for Routines
Use a g-site (behind h-org) per person/family for everything
Vocabulary page as a spreadhseet: word, part, def, samples, location in literature
The Dowel of Words (kids do word of the day)
Rhetoric:
Culture of Creativity, Avenue to Innovation
People:
Jay Richards
Jim Burke @ Burlingame High School
Gayle Britt retired
Jackie Armor retired
Lynn Thomas @ Borrell Middle School, San Mateo
Online Resources
Schmoop
Shelfari
http://sites.google.com/site/msdslanguagearts/
Grammar/Spelling Activities
1. Adverb Questions 2. Grand Grammar Game 3. Pronouns
1. Prefixes
2. Antonyms (opposites)
3. Suffixes
1. Subject-verb agreement (you can't repeat this one... one try, one score)
2. Spelling (unscrambling words)
3. Homophones (same sound, different meaning)
1. Commonly mis-used words (get both correct to get credit)
2. Conjunctions
4. Fragments & Run-on Sentences
1. Spelling (get 23/25 or higher)
2. Vocabulary using context clues (repeat until you get 9/10 or higher)
3. General English Jeopardy: (get a score of at least 10,000)
1. Punctuation and Capitalization
2. Vocabulary
Websites
Genre (from CDE website)
Drama
Stories composed in verse or prose, usually for theatrical performance, where conflicts and emotion are expressed through dialogue and action.
Fable
Narration demonstrating a useful truth, especially in which animals speak as humans; legendary, supernatural tale.
Fairy Tale
Story about fairies or other magical creatures, usually for children.
Fantasy
Fiction with strange or other worldly settings or characters; fiction which invites suspension of reality.
Fiction
Narrative literary works whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact.
Fiction in Verse
Full-length novels with plot, subplot(s), theme(s), major and minor characters, in which the narrative is presented in (usually blank) verse form.
Folklore
The songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a people or "folk" as handed down by word of mouth.
Historical Fiction
Story with fictional characters and events in a historical setting.
Horror
Fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread in both the characters and the reader.
Humor
Fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement, meant to entertain; but can be contained in all genres
Legend
Story, sometimes of a national or folk hero, which has a basis in fact but also includes imaginative material.
Mystery
Fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the unraveling of secrets.
Mythology
Legend or traditional narrative, often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its symbolism; often pertaining to the actions of the gods.
Poetry
Verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that creates emotional responses.
Realistic Fiction
Story that can actually happen and is true to life.
Science Fiction
Story based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planets.
Short Story
Fiction of such brevity that it supports no subplots.
Tall Tale
Humorous story with blatant exaggerations, swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance.
All Nonfiction
Biography/Autobiography
Narrative of a person's life, a true story about a real person.
Essay
A short literary composition that reflects the author's outlook or point.
Narrative Nonfiction
Factual information presented in a format which tells a story.
Nonfiction
Informational text dealing with an actual, real-life subject.
Speech
Public address or discourse.