Tuesday, September 28th

Happy Tuesday!

Goals:  To revise our paragraphs using feedback from our peers and teacher.To practice close reading strategies.


1)  Peer Feedback on paragraph of "Three Skeleton Key"
I will give you a copy of these questions to refer to as you read your classmate's paper.  These are also great questions for YOU to use when evaluating your own work.

Read the first sentence.  It should have the following:

Title of story IN QUOTES and capitalized properly-  “Three Skeleton Key”

Name of author (capitalized correctly)

ONE element (imagery or foreshadowing) that the author uses to create suspense

Read BOTH quotes.  Are they both EXCELLENT examples of the selected element?  Do they create suspense?  Could the writer have chosen a more powerful example?

Are PAGE #s in parenthesis after each quote?  Remember-it should like like this:

“...and then he raced down the street as fast as he could” (16).  

Does EACH quote have a lead-in that provides the CONTEXT of the quote?  In other words, it explains WHAT is happening in the story when the sentence appears in the story.

Is each quote followed by a MINIMUM of two sentences of commentary?  Do these sentences explain HOW the writer creates suspense by using the sentence?  

Read over and look for fragments, run-ons, and other errors. Let writer know if you find any errors.

 Summarize your thoughts of the paragraph

2)Article of the Week #1

• circle key words/underline author's claims
• annotate/write in the margins

TO DO

Bring your completely annotated article tomorrow.

Your revised paragraph is due to TURNITIN.COM by 10PM TOMORROW night.

Friday, September 23rd

Happy Friday!

Goals: To learn how to seamlessly integrate quotes into an essay.  To apply our knowledge of the two-chunk paragraph to writing a literary analysis.

Agenda:

1) Check homework

2) Watch blending quotes video and look at handout

Blending Quotes

3)  Use template to write a literary analysis of how the author creates suspense in "Three Skeleton Key"
4 Essay Template- We will be using this as a model.

TO DO-Bring rough draft on Tuesday.  It must be typee

Tuesday, September 20th

Goals: Finish the Direct Writing Assessment

1) Pass out packets
2) Review strategies for the writing component of the assessment
3) Finish assessment

Thursday, September 22nd

I am so excited to read today's story!

Goals: To practice close reading strategies and analyze the effect of literary techniques on a piece of writing.

AGENDA:

1) Quick  homework check (vocabulary sheet) If you were absent, see yesterday's post for the handout.

2) RATS video clip
Jaws clip
3) Listen to/follow along as we read "Three Skeleton Key". I will be pausing to ask questions, point out things, etc.    Notice any of your vocabulary words? :)  We will focus on:
suspense (How does the author create it?)

irony 
foreshadowing
allusion
imagery

(I love the narrator's creepy voice)

Here is the story:

"Three Skeleton Key"

Plot Terms and literary techniques (You might want to print this out and keep in your notebook)

TO DO BY TOMORROW

Read through the story again.  Pick two examples of foreshadowing, imagery, or irony from the story.  Copy down the page number and quote from the story.  You should pick the literary element that you think MOST helps to create suspense in the story!

  

Wednesday, September 21st

Goals:  To analyze how punctuation and grammar is used in model sentences and to emulate good writing.  To learn words that will help our understanding of the story we will read, as well as expand our own vocabularies.



Agenda:


1) Mentor Sentences - We will be using mentor sentences to analyze punctuation and grammar, as well as to look at models of good writing.
Click here to go to Socrative where we will share our amazing sentences and vote on our favorites

2) Vocabulary
Three Skeleton Key Vocabulary

TO DO:  Please finish your vocabulary if not finished in class

Monday, September 19th

Happy Monday!  It's our FOURTH week of school already.  

Goals: Write an argumentative essay which will be scored holistically. We will compare this essay to what you write at the end of the year. It will be exciting to see how much you grow!

Agenda:

1) Collect six-word memoirs
2) Pass out packet and review directions/brainstorm strategies to tackle the reading  and writing components of the assessment
3) Work on assessment
Here us a link to the video about pennies
Pennies Video

To Do:  We will finish the assessment tomorrow.  If you were absent today, you can come in at CAT.

Friday September 16th

Happy Friday!

Goals:  To write several six-word memoirs and revise one to perfection.  


Agenda:

Watch a short clip of six-word memoirs.

Follow step-by step instructions on how to write your own.

Write a minimum of three memoirs.

Peer feedback

Select your best to put on our class slideshow.

Homework:

1)  PRINT your slide or, if you don't have access to printer, write it by hand and decorate it.  It must be colorful, neat, We will do the Direct Writing Assessment on Monday and Tuesday. Bring your favorite writing took AND paper (not the kind you rip out of a spiral, please).