September

9/29: Goals check: revisit your goals over the past week or so. Put a checkmark next to goals you completed, a + next to goals you've started but haven't yet completed and a - next to goals that were less successful. On the front of the notecard: tell me about one goal you are proud you completed and tell me why you are proud. Tell me about one goal that remains challenging, tell me what makes it challenging and what strategies you can use OR what supports you need to meet the challenge (at least 2). GRADE

9/28: Please continue reading. At the end of reading, please respond to one of the prompts we talked about yesterday ("Independent reading character or theme" attached below). Be specific and clear and strive to fill the space. GRADE When you are done, Choose one of the feature articles in UpFront Magazine that interests you (one of the multipage articles, not the short blurbs in the beginning or the debate at the end ). Before you read, on the front of the notecard: Write down the title of the article and why you chose it (just a sentence or two about why). Then, as you read, write down (also on the front) the main points of the article (at least 3 -5). After you read, on the back of the notecard, respond – what did you learn? What ideas struck you as interesting, as important? How has this article met your expectations? How has it helped you form an opinion? What information do you want to share with the class? What questions do you still have? What more do you want to know? Fill the back of the card. We’ll share articles in class. GRADE

9/27: We read.

9/26: Terrific discussion about the selected quotes from our books.

9/20: We revisited Hayden's poem, talked about the father, the language, the perspective of the speaker (childhood memory but looking back on it with the understanding of an adult, etc.). We also shared out the articles. GRADE

9/19: Reading.

9/18: We started our discussion with Robert Hayden's poem " Those Winter Sundays" (attached below).

Choose one of the feature articles in UpFront Magazine that interests you (one of the multipage articles, not the short blurbs in the beginning or the debate at the end ). Before you read, on the front of the notecard: Write down the title of the article and why you chose it (just a sentence or two about why). Then, as you read, write down (also on the front) the main points of the article (at least 3 -5). After you read, on the back of the notecard, respond – what did you learn? What ideas struck you as interesting, as important? How has this article met your expectations? How has it helped you form an opinion? What information do you want to share with the class? What questions do you still have? What more do you want to know? Fill the back of the card. We’ll share articles in class.

9/15: Read and completed the book check in aspect of interest (attached below). GRADE.

9/14: We finished work on the "News and Trends" section of UpFront and did a goal check in. GRADES.

9/13: We read and started work in this month's UpFront magazine (the worksheet is attached - you'll need to check the box in class for the magazine).

9/11: We started our work with CNN 10. If you missed class, go the CNN 10 page, look for today's date and watch and do the work. GRADE

9/8: Please complete the survey (attached below) by reading the class syllabus (on the Eng 11 2017 page), the class rules and grading policies on the Important Class Materials page. The you are done hand the survey in for a participation grade GRADE.

Share a google doc with me and write me a paragraph about your current independent reading book and one about your next:). Make sure to put the title of the book, its author and the page you are on at the top. In the first paragraph, tell me what you are thinking about the book. Tell me what's going on in the book, what you are liking, what is difficult or confusing, what character you like best (or hate most) and why, what you think (or hope) is going to happen next.

Then, in the next paragraph, tell me about what you are thinking about what kind of books you want to read next. Do you want to read more from this author? Are there other books that you've seen that you are interested in? Ado you like the subject matter or genre (like mystery or survival or romance) of your book and want to find more like it?

We are going to work on building our critical thinking skills while also honoring the upcoming anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The instructions are on the handout "September 11 memorial work" (attached below).You can find Meredith Bergman's sculpture here and Zurab Tseretelli's monument here.

If you would rather type your description and the analysis questions, you can open a Google Doc and share it with me. GRADE

9/7: We read today and then worked on evidence and analysis using the "proof-analysis scenario" (attached below).

9/6: We started independent reading today (see "Eng 11 Goals check + start of reading" attached below). GRADE

9/5: Book talks for independent reading.

9/1: Reading survey (attached below)

8/30: We shared poems and visuals. GRADE.

8/29: See "Eng 11 Opening Day" (attached below). GRADE. We also spent time looking at poetry books to choose poems. Each student chose a poem, copied it out longhand and highlighted a line to illustrate.