Week of 10/07/13 - 10/11/13
Mon 10/07/13
Students finished giving presentations on their natural disasters research project.
HOMEWORK: Start on Unit 3 Week 2 vocab. Week Quiz on Friday on Unit 3 Weeks 1 & 2, and what is discussed in class this week.
HOMEWORK: Start on Unit 3 Week 2 vocab. Week Quiz on Friday on Unit 3 Weeks 1 & 2, and what is discussed in class this week.
Tues 10/08/13
Students received back their mini 2. They put their essay in their portfolios and charted their scores on their performance record.
Students listened to a "compilation" essay comprised of pieces of their classmates' essays.
Students discussed thesis statements and introductions.
Students watched a short Flocabulary on thesis statements.
Students were given the following examples of GOOD and BAD thesis statements:
Finally, students practiced in groups identifying good thesis statements.
HOMEWORK: Continue Unit 3 Week 2 vocab.
Students listened to a "compilation" essay comprised of pieces of their classmates' essays.
Students discussed thesis statements and introductions.
- The thesis statement tells you the main idea of the ENTIRE essay you are writing. A topic sentence tells you the main idea of a BODY paragraph. An effective thesis statement answers the three questions pictured above.
- A thesis statement does NOT talk to the reader (first person) or list "reasons."
Students watched a short Flocabulary on thesis statements.
Students were given the following examples of GOOD and BAD thesis statements:
- Good Example: In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins points out the flaws in current American entertainment by offering an incredibly violent television show that is familiar in the worst of ways.
- Bad Example: In the next few paragraphs, I will tell you how Suzanne Collins makes American TV look bad. Suzanne Collins shows the problems with American TV by killing children, making it look fake, and making it look bad. Suzanne Collins writes about a show that involves killing children and a fake romance.
Finally, students practiced in groups identifying good thesis statements.
HOMEWORK: Continue Unit 3 Week 2 vocab.
Wed 10/09/13
Students reviewed good thesis statements. Students were given a sample introductory paragraph and asked to "pull out" the thesis statement to evaluate whether it answers all of the THREE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS (pictured above.)
Students then followed the triangle model below to revise their introductory paragraph from their mini 2.
HOMEWORK: Continue Unit 3 Week 2 vocab
- Example: In “The Legend of Old Leatherman” and “The Mystery of Round Hill Cave,” we seem to go on a journey following Old Leatherman and Ella Dodd. In these two tales, there are some striking similarities and extreme differences. “The Legend of Old Leatherman” and “The Mystery of Round Hill Cave” do bear a resemblance, but still have some differences as well, which are both shown in evidence from the text. As we dive into these two superb stories, we will get a better view of just how similar (or different) they really are.
Students then followed the triangle model below to revise their introductory paragraph from their mini 2.
HOMEWORK: Continue Unit 3 Week 2 vocab
Thurs 10/10/13
Students continued working on their introductory rewrites from their mini 2. Introductions should have a minimum of three sentences (pictured to the left.)
Fantastic example:
Students were also working on completing a capitalization assignment that we started in September.
HOMEWORK: Unit 3 Week 2 Vocab due TOMORROW. Check out study guide (CLICK HERE) for week quiz TOMORROW!
Fantastic example:
- Using suspenseful elements and lack of details make "The Legend of Old Leatherman" and "The Mystery of Round Hill Cave" two interesting reads. They both include extreme similarities and differences. Using evidence in the text, it is obvious that in their own ways, "The Legend of Old Leatherman" and "The Mystery of Round Hill Cave" are polar opposites but also as similar as the sun and stars.
Students were also working on completing a capitalization assignment that we started in September.
HOMEWORK: Unit 3 Week 2 Vocab due TOMORROW. Check out study guide (CLICK HERE) for week quiz TOMORROW!
Fri 10/11/13
Students took their quiz in class after watching the Flocabulary rap for Unit 3.
HOMEWORK: Have a great weekend!
HOMEWORK: Have a great weekend!