Daily Class Notes 11/20/19

1. Reviewed upcoming deadlines.

2. Invited students to come to me during class or after school with questions about falling action or resolution of their novels to help complete this week's work. Several groups saw me for help.

3. Introduced the story "Harrison Bergeron." See me if you missed the background info and I will get you caught up tomorrow in class.

4. Went to computer lab to review Dialogue from Pictures writing assignments in the Writing Folder section of the notebook. I gave students info on the MOST common errors to correct BEFORE I do final grading. I checked in with students who needed help.

5. Students satisfied with their writing read the "Harrison Bergeron" story and began answer questions.

Daily Class Notes 11/19/19

1. Reviewed upcoming deadlines: Finish reading novel and Wk 7 log by FRIDAY and QUIZ dates next week

2. Reviewed PowerPoint attached above with information about how to apply this week's terms and examples of quotations that help show the terms.

• Students had time (10-15 minutes) to continue reading and sticky-noting the novel to find examples of falling action,resolution, and Theme.
• BLUE class had time to finish quiz from last week.

Daily Class Notes 11/18/19)

1. HANDED OUT: Week 7 Reading log (printable file attached to HW above).

2. Reviewed upcoming deadlines: Finish reading novel and Wk 7 log by FRIDAY.

NEXT Monday/Tues Quiz on this week's terms (Falling Action, Resolution, Theme) The day you take the quiz on the half days next week:

Orange class (per 1) and yellow (per 3 odd) will take quiz MON

Blue (per 5 odd, 7 even), green (per 2 odd) and red (per 6 odd/2 even) will take the quiz TUES.

3. Students circled terms and underlined definitions on first page of wk 7 logs to learn for quiz.

4. We discussed that novels have many threads that come together in the CLIMAX and get sorted out in the FALLING ACTION.

In CRASH, the major questions/conflicts involving the protagonist leading through the CLIMAX included:

• Will Crash learn to be less competitive and selfish and accept Penn?
• Will Crash win the Penn Relays?
• Will Crash stay friends with Mike?

Major questions involving OTHER characters included:

• Will Scooter die or will he be able to talk again?
• Will Abby defeat the mall or will her Mom's business succeed?
• Will Mike change?
• Will Crash's parents realize they need to spend more time with their kids and worry less about money?
• Will Jane and Crash become friends?

5. Students THEN worked in novel groups to develop questions like those above to enter onto #3 and #4 on the log. Students will focus on and sticky-note scenes in the FALLING ACTION and RESOLUTION of their novels this week that help ANSWER any of the questions they recorded for #3 and #4.

6. I checked in with MOST groups to see if they had developed focus questions that make sense.

7. SOME groups had time to finish any unfinished questions from last Friday's quiz. All classes except the blue class (per 7 today) were given the 20 minutes after lunch to finish if they did not do so in class. Blue class will get time tomorrow at the START of class.

Daily Class Notes 11/15/19)

1. Students took quiz on Week 5/6 terms, spelling, and dialogue punctuation and capitalization rules.

• I will give an additional 10 minutes on Monday for students who need to work on pages 3 or 4 of the test. There will be no more time for pages 1 and 2.
• If you did not take the quiz, please plan to stay after on Monday or Tuesday to make it up.

2. There was not time to hand back graded Wk 5/6 logs to Orange and Blue classes. Any student who wants to revise that homework may do so on Monday after I hand it back. Revision will be due Tues.

NO NEW HANDOUTS

Daily Class Notes 11/14/19)

1. I reviewed what will be on quiz tomorrow and showed where to find info in Homework Hub.

2. In YELLOW, GREEN, and RED classes I HANDED BACK Wk 5/6 logs. There were lots of errors. Students in these classes have until TOMORROW to correct errors and return to me for full credit.

Students in ORANGE and BLUE classes will get logs back tomorrow and have time to redo if they want credit back.

3. Reviewed PPT on basic dialogue punctuation rules. This is posted in the WRITING FOLDER section of One-Note.

4. Students corrected each other's HW on dialogue punctuation. Students took back copies so they know what to study tonight.

5. In lab, students started the Dialogue from Pictures page in the Writing Folder in One-Note. This MUST be finished for tomorrow. Read all directions CAREFULLY and follow the model example I put on the page.

NO NEW HANDOUTS

Daily Class Notes 11/13/19)

1. I reviewed that Quiz is postponed until FRIDAY so we can learn more about dialogue punctuation.

2. Students had small group discussions of "If Cornered, Scream."

THIS STORY, like "The Elevator" shows how VERY TALENTED WRITERS can create tension in stories in which NOTHING much happens! The tension is all in the READER--who feels that tension of the main character and shares the character's "what if" thoughts.

• They summarized the story to make sure all students understand that the author plants details to make it seem as though something terrible will happen to the nurse and that Gabriel will be a bad guy BUT the twist at the end reveals that Gabriel SAVES the nurse from a bad guy hiding in her car.
• The use of THIRD-PERSON LIMITED helps build tension because readers feel the nurse's tension but DON'T know what Gabriel knows until the end.
• In their small groups, students shared the details that foreshadow that something bad will happen and how Gabriel figures out the real danger. Students ALSO looked for what, if anything, could have been left out without lessening the tension or leaving out a fact that is important to the resolution.
• I used props to SHOW how Gabriel saw the bad guy and why the nurse would have thought he might have been targeting her in the climax.
• As a whole class we marked something that caused tension in EVERY paragraph of the story and noted the small details that readers see set up the real ending.
• EXAMPLE: We noted, for instance, that immediately after washing the windows, he asks the nurse to come into the office to see a present. On the first reading, this weird request seems like evidence that Gabriel is dangerous and sketchy. On SECOND reading, the reader realizes that cleaning the windows is when he sees the bad guy and then immediately gets her out of the car to safety with an odd request --but one that won't alert the bad guy.
• We briefly reviewed directions for the dialogue punctuation exercise.

Daily Class Notes 11/12/19)

1. I reviewed that Quiz is postponed until FRIDAY so we can learn more about dialogue punctuation. After school help moved to WED this week.

2. We modeled HOW to follow directions at top of "If Cornered, Scream" page in Short Stories section of One-Note.

• Students reminded to read the ENTIRE story and mark words, phrase, and events that create tension in the reader.
• Students MUST write WHAT causes tension or what question the reader has as SOON as they highlight something. Write in the right-side margin. The most important part of this assignment is to explain what you understand about HOW tension is created. Do NOT highlight everything and then go back and try to remember why you highlighted.
• Do NOT highlight foreshadowing in pink until you FINISH reading the entire story and highlighting in yellow.
• Kids asked how to make a line to mark the beginning and and of the Climax. Just look above the "p" key and hold down the short hyphen key across the page.

3. Open the "If Cornered, Scream" questions and answer them carefully.

• Put quotation marks around every line you copy and paste from the text. You might also want to change the font color to show which part is your answer.

Daily Class Notes 11/8/19)

1. Next WED Nov 13: short QUIZ on the literary terms Foreshadow, Infer, and Climax and the spelling words tried, definition, writing/writer, knowledge. We will NOT test dialogue until later in the week since we have not had lesson yet.

2. We discussed survey of cultural diversity in Grade 7 and noted the many different countries that students, parents, and grandparents came from. We noted how a nation's literature is influenced and changes and the English language itself continues to change and evolve. Language is not just a set of words and rules, it is shaped by the people who use the language and tell their stories.

2. Students "graded" their logs to mark where and whether they had included the literary terms and key words from quesitons in their Reading logs.

3. Small novel group discussions of moments of high tension and what they may foreshadow about the climax of each novel.

4. STUDENTS PASSED IN WEEK 5/6 logs. TURN IN ON TUESDAY if you did not turn a log in today. Students KEPT flashcards to practice with.

5. A few classes read a bit more of "If Cornered, Scream but most had very little time. We will finish the story on Tuesday.

Daily Class Notes 11/6/19)

1. I modeled how to make a spelling word flash card. You can use MY model OR come up with your OWN 2-3 ways to remember how each of this week's commonly misspelled words SHOULD be spelled. NO DEFINITIONS on spelling cards.

2. Students took 10 minute on-line dialogue punctuation pretest. This will not count as a grade, but will help me know what you already know and what I need to teach about dialogue punctuation and capitalization.

2. Students had rest of period to read week 5-6 pages in novel or work on literary term or spelling flashcards.

3. NO NEW HANDOUTS

Daily Class Notes 11/5/19)

1. I finished reviewing the PowerPoint on Climax, Foreshadowing, and Infer and how to apply the terms to know what to sticky-note from this week's reading.

• I told a story of how "time stood still" during a critical moment when I thought my nephew was drowning. This is what writers make happen when they stretch time and our emotions in an effective climax.

2. COMPLETING WRITING ASSIGNMENTS in Writing Folder section of One-Note: POV and Elevator Ending

• Students went to computer lab to finish POV writing assignment and follow the directions to HIGHLIGHT use of pronouns and phrases that show internal thoughts/worries/conflicts in their versions told from the dad's point of view and the elevator's point of view.
• Students who had time returned to Elevator Ending draft to complete and insert highlighting as directed in the FCAs in the directions at the top of the Elevator Ending page.
• Students will finish for homework.

3. NO NEW HANDOUTS

Daily Class Notes 11/4/19)

1. I handed back Wk 4 quiz and flashcards for quizzes

• Students filled in last page of ELA binder to write down strengths and what to work on based on results of the quiz AND any comments on flashcards. Many students incorrectly copied definitions onto flashcards or use the wrong source for the definition or examples.
• Students told to write the entire definition of any term they got wrong on the quiz into the WORK ON column in their binders.

2. COMPLETING WRITING ASSIGNMENTS in Writing Folder section of One-Note

• Students went to computer lab to finish POV writing assignment and follow the directions to HIGHLIGHT use of pronouns and phrases that show internal thoughts/worries/conflicts in their versions told from the dad's point of view and the elevator's point of view.
• Students who had time returned to Elevator Ending draft to complete and insert highlighting as directed in the FCAs in the directions at the top of the Elevator Ending page.
• Students will have half of tomorrow's class to complete these or finish for homework tomorrow.

3. NO NEW HANDOUTS

Daily Class Notes 11/1/19)

• STUDENTS TOOK WEEK 4 TERMS QUIZ. ANYONE ABSENT today needs to take the quiz MONDAY during the 20 minutes AND or after school. IT took most students between 20-30 minutes.
• Students PASSED IN FLASH CARDS they used to prepare for today's quiz on Wk 4 terms.
• Students passed in ANY hard copy planning or writing they did for the (POV-Point of View) Elevator writing or the brainstorming or planning for the Elevator Ending.
• I assume ALL other students have work on the planning of BOTH writing assignments in the Writing Folder section of One-Note. If you did the work in One-Note you don't need to hand anything else.
• NO NEW HANDOUTS

Daily Class Notes 11/22/19

EXTRA CREDIT INFO that ONLY THOSE WHO CHECK THIS SITE will know for MON or TUES quiz:

WEIRD FACTS ABOUT WILD TURKEYS:

They can fly for short distances at 55 miles per hour.

Ben Franklin thought TURKEYS would be a better national symbol than the Bald Eagle.

2. I reviewed dates for quiz and content to study. Reminded students that on MONDAY I said that students MUST develop a metaphor to compare the 5 sections of plot to 5 steps or stages in something in their own life. This will be a quiz questions and you WILL not have time to think of the example on the spot.

3. I reviewed how to do the Group Discussion. Students went through the steps and recorded answers in their novel groups.

Students TURNED IN completed Group Discussion Packets. If you did not complete or turn yours in, you MUST do so MONDAY!

4. I sat in with as many groups as possible to correct misunderstandings of the terms for the week or issues with novel comprehension. I also marked up items to revise on most Wk 7 logs. I heard some great discussions and insights.