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ARCHIVED WEBSITE from Spring 2020 schools closures due to pandemic. Note: Some content may not be available to students & families after June 2020.
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Week 1: April 6-10
Week 1: April 6-10
Learning Goal:
Learning Goal:
- I can evaluate a recently watched movie of my choice and critique this movie in writing.
- I can review and demonstrate my understanding of commas in a series.
Estimated Time for The Week: 60 minutes
Estimated Time for The Week: 60 minutes
Learn & Practice:
Learn & Practice:
- Grammar Warmup (10 minutes)
- Reflect on what you remember about using commas in a series. These slides will help you practice and review this comma rule.
- Movie Reviews in Digital Media (20 minutes)
- Think about a movie that you have seen in the last few weeks.
- Was it amazingly interesting? Horribly boring? Grotesquely gruesome? Incredibly hilarious? Now is your chance to be the movie critic and evaluate a film in writing.
- Read and/or listen to at least two real movie critics who make a living watching movies and telling the world their opinions on them (what a cool job, right?).
- ‘The Invisible Man’: - When Danger Is Present -- and Clear
- New ‘Emma’ Is a Frosted Cupcake Come to Life
- ‘Birds of Prey’ Is a Fast, Fun, Feathery Mess
- Pixar’s Latest Adventure Is the Animated Film ‘Onward’
- Notice none of the critics simply summarized the movie. A movie critique does include some summary, but its primary goal is to evaluate the movie.
- Become the Movie Critic (30 minutes)
- Choose a movie that you have watched recently (either for the first time or the tenth time).
- Be sure that the movie is complex enough for you to truly analyze and evaluate. Then use this sheet to guide you as you write your critique (review) of the movie.
- Don’t forget to give it an overall “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” at the end.
- Share your completed movie review with your family, a friend or your English teacher!
- Be curious: AFTER you write your review, spend some time searching movie review websites to see how your opinion of the movie you chose compares to how professional movie critics feel.
- Reflect on the areas in which your opinion is similar to and/or different from published reviews.
Pre-AP Challenge:
Pre-AP Challenge:
- Now that you have written a movie review for an intended audience (eager movie-goers), think about how your writing would change if the audience is flipped.
- What movie have you seen that you absolutely loved but that received terrible reviews?
- This could be the same movie as you used above or a different movie.
- What movie have you seen that you absolutely loved but that received terrible reviews?
- Now write an “open letter” in which you are the director of this movie.
- An open letter is a letter that can be intended for an individual but more typically is intended for a wide audience. An open letter is provided to the public through newspapers, blogs, or other forms of media.
- Your audience is the movie critic who publicly bashed your film.
- Defend the quality and integrity of your film.
- Consider your use of rhetoric as you attempt to persuade this critic to change his/her mind about the movie. Remember that this letter would (hypothetically) be published for the world to read.
Week 2: April 13-17
Week 2: April 13-17
Learning Goal:
Learning Goal:
- I can research opposing arguments on an issue and analyze a claim for its validity.
- I can review and demonstrate my understanding of using commas in compound sentences.
Estimated Time for The Week: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Estimated Time for The Week: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Learn & Practice:
Learn & Practice:
- Grammar Warmup (10 minutes)
- Reflect on what you remember about using commas in compound sentences. These slides will help you practice and review this comma rule.
- Mini-Research on Current Event (20 minutes)
- The events surrounding the coronavirus change on an hourly basis, but one consistent theme during this pandemic is the importance of sound decision making.
- Read the online articles below regarding Navy Captain Brett Crozier.
- As you read, find the places in the article where an argument is made regarding whether or not Crozier should have been removed from his position.
- Remember: An argument is a reason given to persuade an audience that an action or idea is either right or wrong.
- Argumentative Analysis (40 minutes)
- Now it’s your turn to analyze the validity of one side of this issue (this should be the side that you most agree with). Validity is the quality of being logically or factually sound.
- Before starting your analysis, watch this video as a refresher on the difference between summarizing and analyzing. If you are having trouble accessing the video on your Chromebook, you may need to use a personal device for viewing.
- Now you are ready to analyze one or more arguments from the articles that support your stance on Captain Crozier’s dismissal from the USS Roosevelt. Use this graphic organizer to help you get started.
- It’s time to type up your analysis. Refer to this sample of an argument analysis paragraph if you need an example before you get started.
- Be sure to answer these questions as you compose your thoughts:
- Which argument(s) from articles best support your opinion?
- What evidence from the articles prove the most valid?
- How does this evidence convince you that you have chosen the “right’ side of the argument?
- Optional - If you want to analyze the counterargument using the “PEEL” method, feel free to do that as well!
- Don’t forget to quote your evidence AND refer to either the author or the publication to give proper credit for the sources used.
- Keep in mind what we reviewed above about proper comma placement for compound sentences. Maybe even try using a semicolon!
- Share your completed argument analysis with your family, a friend, or your English teacher!
Pre-AP Challenge:
Pre-AP Challenge:
- If you didn’t already come across this in your research, you should know that Captain Crozier has now tested positive for COVID-19 (see article below for more details).
- “Navy Captain Removed from Carrier Tests Positive”
- Does this information change your opinion at all for your argumentative analysis? If so, edit your writing as necessary, incorporating new evidence from this article into your argument.
- Now look at the evidence you used in your analysis. Determine what type of evidence you have. Is it logical, empirical, or anecdotal? Refer to this slide if you need a refresher on the difference between these types of evidence.
- If you used one of these types of evidence in your analysis, highlight it and label the specific type in in the comments. If you did not, find areas to incorporate it now. Then highlight and label in the comments before sharing your work with a family member, friend, or your English teacher.
Week 3: April 20-24
Week 3: April 20-24
Learning Goal:
Learning Goal:
- I can use a comma to separate a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence from an independent clause.
- I can evaluate Ted Ed videos in order to analyze central theme connections and rhetorical devices.
- I can produce a podcast that highlights my analytical skills as related to this week’s theme.
Estimated Time for the Week:1 hour and 20 minutes
Estimated Time for the Week:1 hour and 20 minutes
Learn & Practice:
Learn & Practice:
Click on this presentation to guide you through the following learning activities.
- Practice and Apply Grammar Usage. (10 minutes)
- Reflect on this week’s theme: Growing up. (10 minutes)
- What does it mean to be growing up?
- How is growing up today different or the same as when your parents were teenagers?
- Using rhetoric for analysis review. (10 minutes)
- Applying rhetoric and theme to Ted Ed videos. (20 minutes)
- Create an analysis podcast. (30 minutes)
- Share your podcast with your teacher and/or a friend.
- Pre-AP English II challenge activity. (30-45 minutes)
- Analyze a Ted Ed video of your choice. The final product is a written analysis. Show off your rhetorical analysis skills and share your Google Doc with your teacher!
Week 4: April 27 - May 1
Week 4: April 27 - May 1
Learning Goal:
Learning Goal:
- I can use a comma to separate non-essential information from the rest of a sentence.
- I can evaluate narrative texts for the use of literary devices like tone, symbolism, and irony.
- I can create narrative writing using narrative elements and literary devices.
Estimated Time for The Week: 110 minutes total
Estimated Time for The Week: 110 minutes total
Learn & Practice:
Learn & Practice:
Click on this presentation to guide you through the following activities:
- Grammar Review - use commas to separate non-essential phrases from the rest of the sentence. (15 minutes)
- Discover the importance of grit in overcoming adversity as an introduction to our theme for this week by watching a video.
- Read and analyze a narrative poem about grit. (30 minutes)
- Watch a nonfiction spoken story about a person from one of a variety of walks of life who displays grit.
- Complete a narrative analysis chart about the talk you chose. (30 minutes)
- Write your own story about grit in poetry form and share it with an audience. (30 minutes)
- Be curious; conduct a 5 minute search online to learn something new about grit, using it to be successful in school or your favorite activity, or using it to survive a challenging time (like this one!). (5 minutes)
Pre-AP Challenge
Pre-AP Challenge
- Find an example of a narrative SONG - yes, even songs can be narrative.
- Complete a narrative analysis about the story of the song you chose. (20 minutes)
- Then, write a paragraph discussing the literary devices used by the writer of the song. (20 minutes)
Week 5: May 4-8
Week 5: May 4-8
Learning Goal:
Learning Goal:
- I can evaluate different points of view and perspectives in more than one text.
- I can use commas correctly in a compound, complex and compound-complex sentence.
Estimated Time for The Week: 80 minutes
Estimated Time for The Week: 80 minutes
Learn & Practice:
Learn & Practice:
- Grammar Practice (15 minutes)
- Reflect on what you remember from using commas in a compound, complex, and compound-complex sentence.
- Watch this video as a review on how to use commas in these different types of sentences.
- Reflect and write on how your daily life has changed since this time of social distancing.
- In your writing, create one compound, one complex and one compound-complex sentence. Click here to pull up a sample.
- Reflect on what you remember from using commas in a compound, complex, and compound-complex sentence.
- Different perspectives (30 minutes)
- Have you participated in a Zoom meeting? What was your experience? Was your meeting “zoom bombed”? If so, how did it make you feel to have your meeting interrupted or taken over by someone?
- Read and/ or listen to the two articles below before moving on to the next step. As you explore the articles, complete this handout to help with your evaluation. If you become really interested, feel free to conduct additional research!
- “A Must For Millions, Zoom Has A Dark Side — And An FBI Warning”
- Video Meeting Platform Zoom Addresses Criticisms As It Sees Explosive Growth In Users
- Notice each article offers some similar, but also different perspectives regarding Zoom.
- Create your own perspective. (40 minutes)
- Reflect what you wrote on the handout.
- Did you agree more with one of the perspectives? Did you find a new perspective?
- Create a written response that explains your perspective on the use of Zoom. Use this handout to help you. There is a creative surprise somewhere on the handout!
- Be curious: Keep an eye out for articles about new developments and/or updates to Zoom, or create a sketch to create your own app for communicating!
- Reflect what you wrote on the handout.
Pre-AP Challenge:
- You have written a news article on your perspective about the safety of Zoom. Consider how your writing would change if your audience changed.
- The Edmond Board of Education was so impressed with your article, they have asked you to speak at the next Board meeting.
- How would your word choice change? What additional information would you include in your presentation? Considering your changes, write the speech you would say to the Board.
- The Edmond Board of Education was so impressed with your article, they have asked you to speak at the next Board meeting.
Week 6: May 11-13
Week 6: May 11-13
Learning Goal:
Learning Goal:
- I can evaluate different testimonies and see the impact they make on others locally and globally.
Estimated Time for The Week: 60 minutes
Estimated Time for The Week: 60 minutes
Learn & Practice:
Learn & Practice:
- Virtual Field Trip (30 minutes)
- Are you ready to temporarily leave Oklahoma and go on a virtual field trip?
- Watch this video to be taken on a journey about the power of testimonies.
- Are you ready to temporarily leave Oklahoma and go on a virtual field trip?
- Writing a Testimony (10 minutes)
- Reflect on a book you read for English II. Was there a person/character you enjoyed? What did you like about the person? Could you identify with them on a personal level? Click here for a sample and more detailed directions.
- Create your own testimony. (20 minutes)
- Reflect on your past experiences.
- Create a video of your own testimony! Click here for detailed directions.
- Be curious: Watch the Stronger Than Hate Challenge video clip here.
- Decide if you want to join the challenge. If so, join the challenge here!
- Reflect on your past experiences.
Pre-AP Challenge:
- Log onto your Discovery Education account. Explore the various testimonies given on Discovery Education.
- Read a new non-fiction book that is recommended on Discovery Education.
- Challenge: Look at the world through the character’s eyes. Write a revised testimony from their point of view, but based on our current global concerns.
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