English 9

English 9 2017-2018




8/30 First day of school

  • Cornell notes: This I Believe "The Power of Hello" by Howard White
  • Syllabus
  • Composition notebook writing prompt

8/31 Picture day and AVID Writing Survey

  • The AVID Writing Survey takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. Please respond on a separate sheet of notebook paper and be thorough in your answers. The survey is due on Tuesday, 9/5

9/1 Syllabus and Technology

  • Cornell Notes
  • Syllabus
  • Digital Resources and Textbook

Tuesday, 9/5:

  • A classroom with purpose: establishing classroom relationships with guidelines for how to speak, listen, and learn in English 9 as an individual and member of the community
  • TED Talk with Cornell notes: How do we speak so that others want to listen?
  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman. Check out novella from the library

9/6

  • Begin Whirligig by Paul Fleischman with audiobook through page 7
  • Cornell Notes Process: 10-24-7
  • Class Discussion: Our Guidelines

Thursday 9/7


Friday 9/8


Monday 9/11


Tuesday 9/12

  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman pp. 36 - 42
  • Low Stakes Writing Prompt (LSW) in composition notebook. AVID Strategy prewriting assessment
  • PREWRITE (LSW): Make a list of incidents from your life in response to this series of questions. Where possible, make connections to your life experience or coming of age:
    • When was I . . .
    • At a turning point in my life?
    • Completely embarrassed?
    • Extremely proud of myself?
    • Very much afraid for myself or someone else?
    • Deeply disappointed?
    • Perfectly happy for a few hours or so?
    • Sad about a loss?
    • Challenged by something, physically or mentally?
    • Aware of some aspect of myself that makes me different from others
  • Revisit Cornell notes from TED Talk last Tuesday by Julian Treasure "How to Speak so that People Want to Listen"
  • Norms and Rules for the class
    • referral form
    • school wide intervention policy
    • Form shared in English 9 folder about developing classroom norms

Wednesday 9/13

  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman pp. 42 - 48
  • Diagnostic Quiz: The Writing Process
  • The Writing Process AVID strategy handout
  • LSW PREWRITING: Narrow down your topic
  • Finish Career Center Survey and turn it in
  • Finish Zinc Lab reading and quiz

Thursday 9/14

  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman pp. 48 - 55
  • collaborative share on topic so far
  • Cornell notes check and binder check

Friday 9/15

  • Career Center

Monday 9/18

  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman pp. 55 - 62
  • Cluster
  • Guided Reflection. Write the name of your chosen incident at the top of a page. Using the rest of the page answer the following questions:
      • What was your first response to the incident?
      • What did you do, think, feel?
      • Did you tell your thoughts or show your feelings at the time?
      • What did you think of yourself at the time?
      • What did you think of other people who may have been involved?
      • Are those your judgements now? Why?
      • What does the event say about you or anyone else as a person?
      • What do you understand as a result of the experience?
  • Tuesday 9/19
  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman pp. 62 - 70
    • Set up a new sheet of notebook paper with Cornell notes for chapter three. Aim for 7 - 10 observations per reading on step 1.
    • Essential Question: Find examples of imagery--see, hear, taste, touch, smell. Also, track characters in terms of characterization. How is imagery linked to characterization?
  • Introduce First Writing Assessment, Due 9/28

Wednesday 9/20

  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman pp. 70 - 75
  • On a new page in LSW journal, write the heading: “Description of the Scene”
      • Complete a 5 - 10 minutes quickwrite in which you describe the senses of the incident you selected. Think about the way things looked, sounded, smelled, felt, and even tasted.
  • On another page in your LSW journal, write the heading: “People in the Scene”
      • Complete a 5 - 10 minute quickwrite in which you describe others who were part of the scene. In addition to explaining each person’s role in the scene, record specific and unique descriptions about each person--their looks, mannerisms, actions

Thursday 9/21

  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman chapter "Bellevue, Washington"
  • Appointment Calendar:
    • Make an appointment with five different students in class from tables different than your own. Be sure to have the other student write your name on the same numbered line of your lists. In some cases you may need to be in a group of three. We will be working with this appointment calendar through the writing process.
  • Working with a partner, exchange quick write and do the following:
      • Read the piece through once quickly.
      • Read the piece carefully a second time. As you read:
      • At the end of the paper, write down what you think are the main points/main feelings expressed in the quickwrite. Respond quickly, spending about two minutes to record your first impression.
    • Conclude the activity by:
      • Summarizing your partner’s quickwrite in a single sentence
      • Choosing one word from your partner’s quickwrite that best summarizes it.
      • Choosing a word that isn’t in the piece to summarize it.
  • After you have finished, discuss your incidents with each other and ask questions to help each writer clarify the details of your incident.


Friday 9/22

  • Pierce County Library talk in the library. Today you will sign up for a library card; we will use this card to access databases over the course of the school year for research and other forms of writing.

Monday 9/25

  • Mrs. Bruey was absent today
  • Read model essays
  • Show vs. Telling in writing focus lesson

Tuesday 9/26

  • draft
  • Prewrite assessment check in

Wednesday 9/27

  • draft day two
  • Prewrite assessment check in

Thursday 9/28

  • Reader Response

Friday 9/29

  • Reader Response

Monday 10/2

  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
  • I need a volunteer who is willing to have his/her paper displayed to the class. A table group will pass out your chromebook. Open your first rough draft. Open “Final Draft Autobiographical Incident.” Please get out your rubric for this assignment.
  • REVISE: Using the verbal and/or written feedback and the assignment rubric, and revise your draft.
      • Revision is more than simply rewriting the paper a single time. Revision entails working/molding each part of the essay; it requires refining, perfecting, and blending to achieve final form. In much the same way a musician is taught to learn a piece of music (by practicing a few measures at a time), students should be taught/encouraged to focus their revision efforts, addressing small pieces and/or concepts, and eventually blending them into a final draft.
  • TIMELINE: establish a timeframe for completing the paper. I want to provide opportunities for students to get additional reader responses/make further revisions prior to due date. We will begin Unit 1 in SpringBoard textbook on Thursday. This autobiographical incident will be due Wednesday 10/11. Flexible due date Monday 10/9.
  • REPEAT: students repeat the reader response if needed.
      • Flexible due date: students submit papers at different times. This gives you the opportunity to revise several times at your own pace, without feeling confined by a rigid deadline. I will need to keep track of how long it is taking you to write and revise to help you progress productively in a timely manner.


Wednesday 10/3

  • Publication
  • Self Evaluation and Reflection
  • First Essay/Summative Assessment due date

10/23 Monday

  • Parallel Structure
    • Activity 1.4 in SpringBoard
    • See googleslides presentation


10/24 Tuesday

  • Activity 1.5 in SpringBoard
  • see googleslides presentation

10/25 Wednesday

  • 1.5 Marigolds Second Reading
    • Answer text based questions and cite text evidence on graphic organizer

10/26 Thursday

  • 1.5 Marigolds Second Reading
    • Answer text based questions and cite text evidence on graphic organizer

10/27 Friday

  • Zinc Vocabulary and Reading


10/30 Monday

  • Zinc Vocabulary and Reading
  • Classmate Inventory
  • Embedding direct quotations
  • Visualizing and citing text evidence in MLA format

10/31 Tuesday

  • Zinc Vocabulary and Reading
  • Visualizing and citing text evidence in MLA format
    • Embedding direct quotations

11/1 Wednesday

  • Zinc Vocabulary and Reading
  • Activity 1.5 Develop open-ended questions for tomorrow’s interview with staff member

11/2 Thursday

  • Library to interview

11/3 Friday

  • Zinc reading and vocabulary
  • Mrs. Bruey will check your plans for interviews
  • Interviewing your partner and writing a short narrative introduction
  • Wednesday 11/1 - Wednesday 11/8, find time to interview someone
  • Thursday 11/9 and Friday 11/10, class time to write narrative (refer to steps and rubric)


11/6 - 11/9

11/13 - 11/17


Tuesday 11/14/17

  • 15 minutes of drafting or Zinc Reading
  • Reader Response
    • check in your English 9 folder for the handout that guides what to revise for

Wednesday 11/15/17

  • 15 minutes of drafting or Zinc Reading
  • Reader Response and Revision Day 2

Thursday 11/16/174

  • Publication/Self Evaluation and Reflection

Friday 11/17/17

  • Begin Unit 2 Style Analysis and Fiction
  • Poetry Out Loud Competition