Agenda December 1st, 2011

1. Do this grammar exercise #1 and #2
2. Common assessment
3. Please work on your research

Of Mice and Men assessment choices

OF MICE AND MEN 

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT CHOICES

Directions:  Please choose one of the following below.  

Due date:  November 22^nd.  Late work will be marked down one letter grade.

Theme Essay: Develop a thesis around one of the themes we discussed in class and write a five-paragraph paper.  Rubric: Thesis rubric.

Character Essay: Choose a character. Develop a five paragraph essay that analyzes one of the major characters in the novella. Rubric: Thesis rubric.

Compare/Contrast Essay:  Compare and contrast the American dream of today with Lennie and George’s American Dream in a five- paragraph essay.  Discuss how they are similar and how they are different. Rubric: Thesis rubric.

Newspaper Assessment:  Create a local newspaper designed to be read by people living in the 1920’s or 1930’s in the vicinity of Soledad/the ranch/surrounding towns.  Include in your newspaper the following:

a). Two work wanted ads: one for George, one for Lennie

b). Two letters-to-the-editor (written by two characters)

c). One obituary

d). One front page news article (detailing a key event at the ranch)

e). One editorial column (expressing and supporting an opinion about a key societal issue)

1. Adding small extra items (sports results, photos etc) will add to the overall effect of your presentation.   This project must be typed.  Product rubric. 

Sound Track:  Collect six different songs that relate to the themes and characters in the novella. For each song, write a paragraph explaining how the specific lyrics relate to themes or characters.   Be detailed and explicit in your response.  Be sure to use specific evidence from  Of Mice and Men to back up your choice in lyrics. Provide me with copies to the lyrics you chose. Creative writing rubric.

Honors Challenge: Poetry Collection:  Collect three different poems that relate to a theme in the novella.  Two poems must be from known American poets.  One poem can be more modern.  For each of the collected poems, write a paragraph describing how the lines of the poem relate to a theme in the novel or to a particular character.  Be sure to cite specific examples and quotes from the novella. Then create a poem of your own.  In a paragraph explain how it relates to the novella.  Creative writing rubric.

Honors Challenge: Digital Story of the American Dream: Use i-movie to create a digital story.   Compare and contrast the American dream of today versus the Lennie and George’s American Dream in the style of a digital story.  In the digital story, discuss George and Lennie’s American dream given the time period and their position in society.  Then discuss your own vision of your American Dream.   You will be required to read information about digital stories and to view a few as examples.  Product rubric. Product rubric.

References:

1. Explanation of digital story and steps to creating one: http://www.digitales.us/resources/seven_steps.php#

1. http://www.digitales.us/story_details.php?story_id=84
2. http://www.digitales.us/story_details.php?story_id=121
3. http://www.digitales.us/gallery/gallery_docudrama.php

Honors Challenge: Re-write the ending. Be sure to write in the same style and tone as Steinbeck.  Keep in mind the characters as Steinbeck has created them.  In other words, don’t have characters do something that is out of character.  Creative writing rubric.

Agenda May 24th: Romeo and Juliet

1. Go over homework from Act IV.
2. Read out loud Act V-discuss.
3. Watch old version R&J
4. Reminders: Choice project for Romeo and Juliet due next class. See homework page.

Agenda May 20th: Romeo and Juliet

1. Go over review questions Act 2 and Act 3.
2. In groups, work on theme and character development.
3. Read in groups out loud Act 4
4. Movie
5. Homework: Choice assignment: see handout and handout over Act 4.

Agenda May 16th: Romeo and Juliet

1. Students will peer-edit papers.
2. Class will read Act 3: 5 and discuss.
3. Class will watch movie.
4. For details on homework go to the updated homework page. I apologize for the confusion from last nights homework.

Agenda May 10h: Romeo and Juliet

Agenda:
1. As a class, write collaborative essay on Nurse and Juliet's relationship. Send to ferranta.spsd@gmail.com
2. In class, read Act 3: Scenes 1.
3. View movie


Homework: Go to this website and answer the questions from Part 3 only. You will need to go to No Fear Shakespeare for help.

Agenda May2nd: Romeo and Juliet

Warm up: Discuss some differences and similarities to the two versions of movies of Romeo and Juliet. Which did you think helped you do understand the play better and why? Post your answers on this blog.
1. Go over questions from last class.
2. Go over any questions from homework.
3. Handout on Romeo and Juliet: scene 1:5
4. Quiz next class over Act 1
5. Read Act 2:Scenes 2-3 in groups
6. Movie

Agenda April 28th: Romeo and Juliet

Hello students, today you will be reading the scene between Romeo and Juliet that we viewed yesterday. We will look at it in more detail next class. Zared and Emma would you please set up your computer to the LCD player to play the movie. The movie will last about 40 minutes. Red 3 start it at about 11:40 and Red 4 at 1:10.  Thank you. Can someone in each class please print out the directions below and give them to the sub if he/she doesn't have a computer?  Please be angels for the sub.

1. Go to No Fear Shakespeare and read Act 1: Scene 5. Here you will be able to read the Shakespeare version and translated version.
2. If you didn't finish your handout last class please do so and hand in.
3. Go to this website where there are  review questions of Act 1.  Go to part 111. You will have to scroll down a bit. Don't do the section on vocabulary or literary terms. I don't mind if you work in pairs/three but  each person must hand in a copy. You do not need complete sentences.
4. You will watch another version  Romeo and Juliet through Act 1.  Zared and Emma, please stop the video after Romeo and Juliet meet-before the balcony scene.  Be prepared to discuss differences next class.
5. Homework: Go to this website and take the quiz.  Write down your answers and pass in next class.

Agenda April 14th: Romeo and Juliet

1. Student pages: Fill out the handout reviewing the following wiki-pages: Crime and punishment, food, fashion, housing, music
2. Looking closely at R & J: Act 1: Scene 2: Handout
3. Auditorium reading: Act 1: Scene 1-3

Agenda April 12th: Romeo and Juliet

1. Go to student wiki page and write down four things from pages:
2. Check in quiz
3. Read English translation of Romeo and Juliet in groups of three.
4. Read R & J as a class
5. Movie
6. Character pages

Agenda March 28th, 2011

1. Grammar worksheet
2. Book review
3. Introduce research project

Agenda March 16th, 2011

1. Common Assessment-timed essay for 60 minutes. Quiz grade.
2. Discuss Poetry Portfolio

Agenda March 14th, 2011

1. Silent reading choice books
2. Technology discussion via the wiki
3. Poet research-post on wiki
4. Poem assignment
5. Wednesday will be a writing assessment: Counts as a quiz grade. Review writing rubric.
6. Friday: We will begin This I believe part 2 of creative writing unit

Agenda March 7th, 2011

1. Poetry types handout-see link on my websites
2. Reminders on choice book assignments
3. Digital story presentations

Agenda February 16th, 2011

Students should continue to work on their digital stories. Be prepared for class with your interviews, music and photographs. See homework for more details on assignments and storyboards.

Agenda February 8th, 2011

1. Share ideas for digital story. Pass out my storyboard
 2. Working in threes,  go to the wordl website to create your own wordl. List 15-20 invisible aspects of culture observed in the novel Children of the River.  Send me the link so that I can print them and hang in classroom.  Then on a large poster, in groups of three you will have to do one of the following:
-List and give examples of challenges Sundara faces adapting to culture.
-List and give examples of challenges Soka faces. Paragraph on how it's different than Sundara.
-Differences between how grandmother and Ravy adapt to U.S. culture.
-List and give examples of the difficulties Jonathan faces adapting to Sundara's culture.
-Describe two themes and examples from the book
3. Brainstorm interview questions

Homework: Go to the link on free rice, sign up and compete in grammar sections. There are various levels. Work on digital story.

Interview Question:

At what age did you come to the United States? 

• Describe your earliest memory of your country.

• What were your impressions of the U.S. before you came and when you first got here?

• Did you encounter any challenges in your country, for example, poverty?

• What was your reason for coming to the United States?

• What are some big differences from your country to this country?

• Have you visited your country since you've moved here?

• Do you still have family there? If so, do you still keep in contact with them?

• What is the worst thing, in your opinion, about the United States, and what is the best?

• How did you learn the language?

• What part of your old culture do you miss and wish was in the United States?
• What kind of food did you eat?
• What were the biggest challenges in adapting to US culture?
• What are the differences in the economy and government?
• What kind of clothes did you wear?
• Could people in the US tell you weren’t from here and did they treat you different?
• Did you experience any discrimination in the US?
• Were your daily routines different here than there?

Interview Questions for digital story

Hyena blog-Classwork

1. If your paper is starred, please check your papers for comma errors. Then put it in your writing folder.
2. You will be reading an essay written by a young adult who arrived in Portland, Maine due to civil unrest.  Please read Hyena, then choose something in the essay that stood out to you and why.  Respond to it on my blog.
3. Check out the writing contest from the Telling Room if you wish.
4. Overdue classwork from 2nd quarter:
      Wiki-space 2-6
       Wiki-space 7-8
       Wiki-space 9-10
       Questions from chapter 11-12
       Culture display
5. Overdue classwork from 3rd quarter
      Wiki-space 14-16
      Wiki-space 11-12

6. Classwork today: Discuss chapters 14-end of book.
7. Introduce assessment for the Children of the River.

Agenda January 14, 2011

1. Funny in Farsi reading/journal response/homework check
2. Wiki-space groups-share reading logs
3. Discuss chapters 9-10
4. Culture as an iceberg
5. Research on Cambodian culture

Agenda January 3, 2011

1.  Poetry out Loud reminder.  Extra credit. Honors challenge must recite from memory and non-honors challenge must read poem out loud. Counts as an A quiz grade.  Everyone else for homework grade must choose a poem and in a paragraph describe what the poem means to you and and what you like about the style and structure. Due next Tuesday.
2. Introduction to book and to characters. Read aloud chapter 1.
3. Cambodia-map.  Genocide key points.
4. Killing Fields.

Daily Agenda: November 18th, 2010

1. Comma handout
2. Movie and discussion
3. Group work review OMM for assessment