STEAL: Compare and Contrast

After attendance, today's classes enjoyed a brief excursion outside for a mini-lesson on what to do, an where to go, in the event that we have a fire drill during that class period:

If there is ever a Fire Drill during our class:

Meet Me By The Light Post

(the first student to correctly connect that instruction to the Narnia books will receive 3 bonus* points)

Once re-settled in class, students retrieved their S.T.E.A.L. Charts on Rainsford and Zaroff. This was last night's HW. And I checked it, for a grade. You can find it in IC right now.
If you were absent yesterday, and didn't complete the HW, scroll down to find the document. Or see me and ask me to print it out for you. Either way, bring me a completed piece of work to receive credit.

Students then began to think about both characters at the same time using this Venn  Diagram.

After a few minutes of individual brainstorming, I invited students to chat with an elbow partner (a classmate sitting to the right or left) about character comparison ideas. Just a bit of a sounding board moment, before jumping in to this writing prompt: (see slide 2 for the prompt, and slide 3 for the BONUS question from 3rd period.)

Here's a link to a helpful website with contrasting and connective transitions to use, as well as several sample Compare and Contrast writing samples!

That was it; students had the rest of the class to draft their responses. The BONUS was not required. HW for tonight was just to be aware of information, which is here below:

HW:

• Bring $10 for Membean between 8/28 and 9/4
• We begin using the program after Labor Day
• Order, or otherwise obtain, the book Speak by Labor Day
• This, for example, would be a great place to start.

The Most Dangerous Quiz

What a neat eclipse! I hope everyone kept their eyes safe and had a ton of fun in the dark sun!

As students returned this morning for the beginning of our short week, my expectation had been that they read "The Most Dangerous Game", linked below.

In order to check that students had, in fact, read the story, they all took a little quiz. 16 Questions -  see me if you missed it. That was the first thing.

After that, I shared some (informal) feedback with students about the STEAL presentations from last Friday. They were mostly OK, and generally better than last year's crew did on their first time around.
My notes going forward:

Then I invited students to give me some feedback of their own, by filling out the Peer Evaluation Sheet:

Link to the Document

(not required)

Finally, students got their HW: a document to STEAL the two main characters from MDG:

HW:

• USE THIS DOCUMENT to STEAL Rainsford and General Zaroff for tomorrow
• Note: you only have to do 1 quote per acronym letter
• You do have to complete both characters.

WKND HW: The Most Dangerous Game

Read This 

Short Story

For Tuesday

It's The Most Dangerous Game

by Richard Connell

No, you don't have to annotate it.

But you should be able to apply your skills from the first two weeks of class to it -- plot diagram, conflict, climax, character analysis, etc.

Also -- be safe during the Eclipse!

S.T.E.A.L. Project Docs

Here are digital copies of almost everything I shared with classes today about:

• Making the STEAL Poster
• Presenting Character Analysis Information

LINK to Project Rubric

Sample Poster:

Not Uploaded: Sample Presentation Video.

HW:

• Finish Character's S.T.E.A.L. Poster
• Prepare to present Character Analysis tomorrow
• Remember, the best presentations will focus on answering the question, "What is this character like?" and the worst will read off the poster like a script.

S.T.E.A.L: Summer Reading Application

Today, armed with notes about the STEAL Character Analysis Framework, students got into groups and chose a character to STEAL from the summer reading books. Students chose blindly the names from 3x5 cards.

Each group had the following:

• 2-3 Freshmen
• Access to the Summer Reading books
• An assigned character

All they needed was a place to start collecting character information. So at this point, each Freshman got a copy of the STEAL Character Chart.

The first task was for students to work with their group to complete the chart. Completing the chart means we can move on to the next step of the project: creating a poster of the information and presenting it.

HW:

• Finish any parts of the Character Chart that your group didn't finish in class.
• Groups will receive poster-paper from me when they show me a completed Character Chart, for tomorrow's Poster work day.

S.T.E.A.L. Character Analysis Framework

After attendance and a brief stretch, students recorded several notes on the S.T.E.A.L. Characterization Framework into their Notes composition notebook.

This is a link to the powerpoint, with attached Image Examples from class.

Special shout-out to 5th Period for analyzing (in and one instance, over-analyzing) The Runaway Bunny himself from yesterday's group reading. I really appreciated this moment.

HW:

• Bring summer reading books to class tomorrow, for S.T.E.A.L.ing a character from one of those texts.

Reinforcement: Identifying Literary Climax

After attendance and a little beginning-of-class stretch, here's how the day unfolded:

• Written Reflection (just an invitation, not an assignment, trust me)
• Review of the Hidden Figures Plot Point Questions
• Identifying Climax

A handful of students demonstrated some confusion last week when asked to identify the respective climaxes of the two summer reading books:

-Some students thought that Russia launching Sputnik was the climax of Hidden Figures

-Some students thought that Ender killing Bonzo was the climax of Ender's Game.

These ideas are somewhat misguided, and we clarified why today:

Everything leads up to the climax

Every detail points towards it

For a quick in-class practice, we read Margaret Wise Brown's The Runaway Bunny.

Students' job was to listen closely, and to be able to identify the story's climax.

It's when the little bunny decides to stay, and not run away. (Looking towards tomorrow, It's also the only moment of dynamic characterization. But more on that tomorrow.)

HW:

• Bring Ender's Game tomorrow, if possible
• Bring NOTES composition notebook for Characterization notes.