Assignment: Comp: think, research, and write Date:Thu, Oct 12, 2006
English11 American LitIn class: Brainstorm about what’s interesing or unique or puzzling about the person you are writing about and his or her work. How might the world would be different without the work he or she does? How has doing that work shaped his or her perceptions? What difference does the work they are doing make? Focus on your thoughts and opinions about what’s interesting or important about this person’s work.
Create a spider concept map http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/ACES100/Mind/graphics/spiderb.gif as you brainstorm ways in which the person’s work is important. Use this concept map as a pre-writing activity to stimulate and organize your thoughts. Then write at least one paragraph, beginning with a clearly stated topic sentence, such as “Jim’s work as a food delivery driver is an important link in the food chain that makes the school function” or “The way Jim does his work provides a revealing glimpse into the sort of person he is.”
Optional research: It’s always possible to make an essay more interesting by adding facts, statistics or other information gathered by library or internet research. How many people are involved in the industry your worker is part of? How did the occupation develop in history? What workers served an analagous role in societies of the past? (You might, for example, gather some information about the Pony Express so you can write a comparison of a UPS driver to pony express riders).
At this point, you are reflecting on your interview and observation, trying to “flesh out” ideas triggered by your research. You should be trying to organize your thoughts around one main idea you want to express, thinking about what additional knowledge might be useful.
Assignment: Declaration of Independence Date:Wed, Oct 11, 2006
English10 CompositionIn class: Quiz: From memory, write the first sentence of the second paragraph.
Period 2: Test over Declaration of Independence. After test, do “Unalienable Rights” worksheet. By end of period, hand in answers to these questions. What are natural rights? Why are they unalienable? What happens to the concept of unalienable rights when the belief in God is removed.
Period 4: In small groups, discuss answers to questions from the handout on unalienable rights. Explain what natural rights are, and why they are unalienable. Where do the colonists claim they get the right to rebel against England? Why is a belief in God important to the argument they make? Summarize the arguments of Blackstone and Locke.In small groups compare the diagrams you made yesterday. Create a new diagram the group agrees on for one paragraph. One group report on the last 2 paragraphs, one on the third from the last paragraph, one on the fourth and fifth paragraphs.
In your notebook, find and write down at least two examples of parallelism.
Homework: Write a two-paragraph summary of the theme of the document, including some supporting detail relevant to your interpretation.
Assignment: Comp: making field notes Date:Wed, Oct 11, 2006
English 10 Speech & MediaIn class: Do writing based on interviews
Readings: 3 essays on work
Homework: Make observations of a place (a grocery store, auto track, football practice), an event (car races, pep assembly), or someone working (a day care teacher, a football coach, a custodian)--something you may be able to use in your writing. Be sure to take several pages of notes. Get at least 10 pieces of information from that observation. What do they look like? What is the place like? Describe them doing things, both what they do and how they do it. Explain what they are trying to accomplish.
Assignment: Speech: transitions Date:Wed, Oct 11, 2006
English11 American LitInformative Speech: Your research and outline should be done. Now, write transitions between each main point (see page 275).
Write an introduction and conclusion.
Homework: Rehearse your speech in front of a parent or guardian. Make revisions after your rehearsal, improving the rhythm and the naturalness of your text.
Assignment: Declaration of Independence Date:Tue, Oct 10, 2006
English11 American LitIn class: In small group, compare the concept maps based on reading the first 3 paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. Agree on a concept map and write it on the board.
One group report on paragraph 2, one on paragraph 3.
Find 3 examples of parallelism.
Homework: Test tomorrow: memorized first sentence of second paragraph.
Read handout on unalienable rights. Explain what natural rights are, and why they are unalienable. Where do the colonists claim they get the right to rebel against England? Why is a belief in God important to the argument they make? Summarize the arguments of Blackstone and Locke.
Make concept map (p. 115) of last 5 paragraphs of Declaration.
Assignment: The Declaration of Independence Date:Mon, Oct 09, 2006
English10 CompositionIn class: Read the Declaration of Independence, p. 114 - 125
Review the guide sheet for the mid-term exam.
Review the strategies used by expert readers.
Discuss “parallelism” (p. 115)Analyze the first pagraph, breaking it into clauses and identifying the main subject and main predicate.
Homework: Make a chart as suggested in “Reading Skills and Strategies” on page 115. Page closest attention to the first 3 paragraphs and the last 5 paragraphs.
Memorize the first sentence of the second paragraph.
Assignment: Pre-writing: 5-paragraph essay on “work” Date:Mon, Oct 09, 2006
English11 American LitIn class: Read “Where I Learned What it Meant,” “Paper, Plastic, or Box,” and “Great Grandpa’s Dream”
Homework: Interview a person about his or her work. Find at least 10 pieces of information about what they do and how they feel about it. You might explore how they got involved in their work to start with, what they like most and least about it, what a typical day is like, what the most memorable experiences they have had, etc. Be sure to write down some verbatim quotes to use in your writing. Be sure to describe the setting of the interview as well as a description of the person you interview. Jot down notes as you do the interview and then, the same day, write detailed paragraph based on your interview. If you got more information that fits in one unified paragraph, write up a set of field notes (more organized than your jottings but less formal than paragraphs) to save the information before your memory fades.
Assignment: Eng11: Work on independent reading Date:Fri, Oct 06, 2006
Read for book reports. These people will present oral book reports:
2nd: Stephen B, Johnnie G
4th: CJ, Marietta, Lindsey G, Bryan H, Jeff J, Marissa K, Brandon K, Andrew M, Emily P. Alysia R, James S, Kenny S, Logan