7th pd: Exams have been posted

7th Period:  Your exams have been posted.  You may now check your grades on Gradespeed.

Exam Review

Small Study guide available here:

You Can't Spell "Readjust" Without READ

Classes were warned today of an adjusted TKAM-reading schedule to compensate for the snow day yesterday.

In class, two volunteers re-enacted the striking revelation that Atticus makes during his examination of Heck Tate and Bob Ewell during the trial proceedings:

• Mayella (the victim) was bruised mostly on the right side of her face.
• Which means an attacker likely lead his attack with his left hand.
• Bob Ewell demonstrates his literacy by writing his name with his left hand.

This is what you should have heard in your head when you read this.

It's what Jem heard.

Then, we read most of Ch. 18, which focused on Mayella Ewell's testimony.

• Harsh, defensive, emotional, and confrontational are all words that come to mind regarding her time on the witness stand.

Students took home a document that asked them to analyze the different animals Harper Lee uses to describe some of the characters in the trial:

• TKAM Animal Comparison Sheet

And now, here are some handy hints:

Judge Taylor (undisturbed)

Judge Taylor (disturbed)

Bob Ewell

Mayella Ewell

All of the character/animal comparisons will be found in ch. 16-18.

HW:

• Finish Ch. 18, and read through 23
• Complete the Animal Comparisons handout.

IKWCBS Retake Info

• Complete this recovery work to retake the quiz on Ch. 16-20
• Complete this recovery work to retake the quiz on Ch. 21-25
• Complete this recovery work to retake the quiz on Ch. 26-30
• Complete this recovery work to retake the quiz on Ch. 31-36

Completed recovery work is due before 5PM, Friday, 12/13.

I will schedule a time to take a retake version of the quiz when you present your recovery work, and I give you the yellow Re-take Ticket.

Focus: Minor Characters

Today class was devoted to better understanding the often-taken-for-granted minor characters in TKAM.

After a brief refresher of the chapters, students received the following guide to work on, alone or in groups, in class:

• Minor Keys: Characterization in TKAM
• We did Mrs. Dubose together as an example in class.
• What's that you say? That's too much work for classwork? Aw, poor baby!
• Pipe down, whiner. I've also gone ahead and done this assignment. Here is a collection of my responses to these minor characters. It's probably nicer than you deserve, but it's the holiday season.

HW:

• Read TKAM Ch. 15-17
• Finish the Minor Keys packet. Or just download my .pptx above. Whatever works for you.

Enter Friday, Shortened by Ice

The threat of impending bad weather forced MNPS schools to close 2 hours early today. It was awesome.

On our short schedule, students who were present took a Quest over Part 1 of TKAM. If you were absent (and many students were), see me to set up a time to make it up.

HW for the Weekend:

• Read Ch. 12-14 of TKAM
• Be warned: Chapter 12 is AWESOME. There's poverty, church, Lula, Cal's character gets expanded, and there's a surprise waiting at the end! :)

TKAM End of Pt. 1: Don't Judge A Book...

There was a, you guessed it, Reading Quiz on Ch. 9-11.

Also, there were the following extension questions:

• Explain the title of the book. What does a mockingbird symbolize? Which characters might be considered mockingbirds?
• According to Atticus, what is "true courage"? How does this idea connect to Mrs. DuBose?
• Which characters connect to the old phrase, "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover"? Whom has Scout been quick to judge, when really she learns more about them later?
• Atticus
• Mrs. DuBose
• Boo Radley

Oh! I almost forgot!
Are you curious to see what money was "worth" back in the Great Depression?
Check out this cool conversion website!
http://www.measuringworth.com/index.php

HW:

• Study & Review for a Quest over Part One tomorrow
• "Quest" = bigger than a quiz, smaller than a test
• No new reading for tonight

Foreshadowing & Making Predictions

Before the Reading Quiz over Ch. 4-8, students took some time in class to complete this foreshadowing activity:

• Veiled Visions: Making Predictions

Then there was the promised Reading Quiz. 5 Q's, one each from Ch. 4-8.

HW For Tonight:

• Read Ch. 9-11
• a.k.a. Finish Part One of TKAM

TKAM: Welcome to Maycomb, Miss Caroline!

Today, students enjoyed their first reading quiz on To Kill A Mockingbird. It featured 5 questions taken from Ch. 1-3, the HW assigned last night.

Classes then focused on 3 questions that were not on the quiz, because of their higher-order nature:

1. How does Miss Caroline teach us about the social environment of Maycomb?
• This was the hardest question.
• From Scout's recounting of her school day, we can tell that Miss Caroline just doesn't GET IT (Bless her heart). What is the IT she doesn't get? Life in Maycomb. Of course she doesn't, she's not from in-town. She's from North Alabama, and therefore an outsider. Even worse, she's different.
• Scout attempts to explain Walter's reluctance to accept her money by simply stating his last name. In Maycomb, everyone knows everyone, and minds everyone's business. And this social monitoring has been going on for generations. This means that, for better or for worse, families (last names) carry connotations, reputations, and understandings. For example:
• The Cunninghams: Don't bother trying to give them money. They're a proud family. They won't take anything they can't pay back.
• The Ewells: Filthy animalistic barbarians who operate outside the laws of Maycomb and Manners. They should be tolerated, but just barely. They don't help themselves, and can't be helped.
• The Tidymans: Don't buy them closed-toed shoes for Christmas, they're a hard-set flip-floppin' family. Have been for years. (I made this up. Duh.)
• Maycomb is tight-knit, and socially vigilant. They are connected by years of judgments and long-built family understandings. This knowledge connects everyone who's a "townie" just the way that all the strands of a spiderweb are connected. Miss Caroline is a fly who's gotten stuck, and she doesn't know what's up. What's worse for her, is that she's not a very good listener, and doesn't seem to be learning the ropes very quickly.
2. Why doesn't Walter Cunningham Jr. accept the quarter from Miss Caroline to buy lunch?
• This was the easiest question.
• Because his family has pride. The Cunninghams, though slammed by the Great Depression, have maintained their dignity. They shun charity, and make their own way in life, even though that way may be paved with hunger and debt.
3. How are the Cunninghams and the Ewells different? They're both poor; what sets them apart?
• This was a middling question.
• The Cunninghams have pride in themselves; the Ewells don't. Nor do the Ewells have any respect for authority (See Burris' exchange with Miss Caroline). Nor do the Ewells set any priority on personal hygiene. Nor do the Ewells find education important.
• I'll come right out and say it: the Ewells are the "powhitetrash" of this book. Thank you, Mrs. Angelou, for that word. The Cunninghams are at least trying. The Ewells seem to have given up on improving their lot in life.
• More of this will make sense once we meet the father in the family, Mr. Bob Ewell.

HW for tonight:

• Read Ch. 4-8

Welcome Back; Into the Home Stretch

Freshmen had two points of concentration for today's class:

1. To finish their written response portions of their IKWCBS tests
2. To begin reading To Kill A Mockingbird in class.

Tonight's HW:

• Read Ch. 1-3 (that's to the END of 3) of TKAM
• If you don't have a copy of the book, activate your technological literacy. Start up your googlers and browse the intertubes. Dedicated sleuths will find what they seek.

Links for I.C.E.

The Art of Persuasion:

Understand the Subject

Form and Deliver Your Opinion

Support Your Opinion with Evidence

This is a link to a digital copy of the prompt and two source texts.

THIS ONE is a word document of the prompt (for the copying and pasting.)

This is a link to Turnitin.com, where you will submit this.

This is a link to a .Docx file already pre-formatted in MLA. I made it for you because even when I'm mean, I'm nice.

Progress Reports; S.T.E.A.L.ing Daddy Bailey

Today was a tornado of names and numbers, because Progress Report grades were due @ 3pm. As an English teacher, I don't really like number tornadoes.

Go and look at your GradeSpeed. Do you have a 50?
If so, come see me. If you missed that day, and didn't get the assignment, you can make it up. If you just plain did poorly, there's a chance you can do a re-take.

Progress Reports will go home Wednesday.

I gave a RQ on Ch. 26-30.

Classes received the S.T.E.A.L. indirect characterization document, available here. No, I didn't take it up at the end of class. It comes back to class tomorrow.

PTI: Final Update/True Charity

Ladies and Gentlemen. We've done it.

This week we collected close to

50 copies

of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian to loan to Freshmen at Hillwood High.

You should be proud of yourselves (you know who you are). The Hillwood Freshman teacher was stunned when she saw the collection box.

I am impressed by your generosity. Everyone gets candy next week.

And yes, candy aside, I am willing myself to consider this an act of CHARITY.

Here is a picture of the smile I had on my face when the last book was contributed:

:D

Good job, guys.

Attitudes Towards Education

First thing in class, students had to demonstrate to me that they completed their annotations on their Attitudes on Education packets (see post below for link). It was a small completion grade. Many students opted not to do this at all.

But a couple of students did an amazing job!

• Student example of GREAT Annotations (from 2nd P)

Following this HW Check, students had to used their annotated packets to respond to the following question:

These interviews were collected and published around 70 years ago.

Are any of these attitudes/emotions concerning Education still present today?

(Spoiler Alert: Yes, many of them are.)

HW for the Weekend:

• Read IKWCBS Ch. 26-30
• A small warning. Vivian is a spicy character. She uses some spicy language in these chapters. Just because she uses that language does not mean that I want to hear it/see it in my class. You have been warned.
• Be ready for a RQ Monday

Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing

Today began with the promised Reading Quiz on Ch.21-25. Many students were of the opinion that it was easy. Of course it was easy. I gave ya'll an extra day to do the reading, plus we talked about half of the chapters in class.

If you've read, all the quizzes have been easy.

But enough judgment.

We then spent a minute or two connecting Edward Donleavy to the Minister's sermon on REAL vs. FALSE charity (Ch. 18). His charity is FALSE:

• He brags about his own generosity  ("Charity vaunteth not itself.")
• He expects something in return for the educational improvements he's made.
• He specifically expects votes.

Moving to happier ground, we listened to the song Henry Reed, the Valedictorian, sings with the graduates. He saves the day with James Weldon Johnson's song, often referred to in the book as the Black National Anthem.

• Links to the song, as well as the lyrics, are in the post below, from yesterday.
• Cameron W., of 2nd period, pointed out that the tone of the three verses of the song follow Maya's own emotional well being as she progresses through her Graduation day. Yeah, I think that's an amazing connection to make. I don't know if he's right or not, I'm just delighted and amazed that he was able to make the connection. 
• #brainbomb

Students took home a rock-solid piece of Informational Text from Understanding I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings historical casebook. Here's the link:

• Attitudes of African Americans Toward Education

HW For Tonight:

• Read the handout linked above.
• Annotate the reading.
• Here's an example of Annotation in Ch. 18
• Here's Ch. 23, fully annotated.
• Mark what's important, particularly striking, or anything that's puzzling for you.
• You DO NOT have to answer the Study Questions that appear on the very last page.

PTI Update III: The Home Stretch!!

GUYS

AND ALSO LADIES

I am so happy to announce that we have collected

33 books!

And we only need

2 more!

I cannot be the only one who knows how AWESOME this is!

I want to extend serious gratitude to 5 particularly exquisite contributors:

Mrs. Syes' Students: Yeah! Bipartisanship!! Woo!

Brooklyn V.

Aaron O.

Carla L.

Emilyn G.

And Also:

Alondra H., who was willing to loan a signed copy of the book!

You guys. You don't know how extraordinary this is.

2 more books! 2 more books!

Friday!!

Need a little help on Ch. 23?

Hey. Ch. 23 is hard. It's a long and complicated chapter.

Would you like to take a glimpse inside my mind, and see what I thought about as I read it?

Here is a link to a Tidyman-Annotated scan of Ch. 23.Warning, this is a 22mb file. It might take a minute to load.

The pinkish marks are for the happy lead-up to Graduation.
The green marks are for Donleavy's terrible, terrible speech.
The blue marks are for when Henry Reed saves the ceremony with the power of song.
The brown marks are for significant terms in Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing.


I hope my notes help you. If not, well, I'm sorry. Bring me your questions tomorrow.

Don't forget: Reading Quiz Tomorrow on 21-25.

Ch. 21-23: Playing "House", Mortality, and a Broken Graduation

Since the last set of chapters in IKWCBS contained 50 pages of reading, the RQ on the material has been moved to tomorrow: Thursday, 11/14/13.

But I did take up the Carnera Questions (see post below for link).

Today, students focused on the first set of chapters in this section: 21-23.

What's up w/ Ch. 21?

• "Bailey & Joyce, sittin' in a tree..." Except by kissing I mean "playing house" and by a tree I mean a blanket-made tent out back of the Store.
• Why this chapter? Why do we have to read it? What is its purpose? To accomplish the following goals:
• To reinforce the concept that children during this time period were ignorant and uncomprehending about "family matters." (This idea was introduced back in Chs. 11&12)
• Why? Because it was taboo! It wasn't considered "polite", and let's not forget, it was considered a sin, in a very religious time and place.
• So how did kids learn about..."it"? Look in the chapter. How does Bailey learn? Trial and error. Scary to think about.
• To introduce the theme of GROWING UP. Bailey, and soon Maya, will be adolescents. They're becoming young adults, and this chapter (and the Tommy Valdon episode) show us these changes taking place.
• To explore developments in the sibling relationship that unites Maya and Bailey. Joyce's leaving affects Bailey, who in turn is different towards Maya. We are all connected in positive, and negative, ways.

What's up w/ Ch. 22?

• Mortality & The Haunting of Mr. Taylor
• Maya recalls going to Mrs. Florida Taylor's funeral, and her first having to acknowledge that all things mortal must die. She makes death's fearful acquaintance. Coming to terms with death is an important part of growing up (see above)
• "Nothing gold can stay..." (Robert Frost)
• A handful of students asked, over the course of the day, what was up with that angel-baby that haunts Mr. Taylor?
• Remember: Mrs. Taylor had wanted children.
• Remember: The angel-baby had blue eyes. ("Wait, what?" It's in the chapter. Go read)
• Remember: from the beginning, what was the popular racial conception of God, the Afterlife, Angels, and generally good things? White. These things were all thought of as White. And why not? White people in the setting of the book lived blessed, privileged lives. 

What's up w/ Ch. 23?

• It's Maya's 8th grade graduation! Yaaaaaay! Super-awesome! Gifts! Dresses! Hairdos! Food! Respect! THE FUTURE!
• Until the commencement speaker arrives, and ruins everything with a racist speech.
• Edward Donleavy
• Edward Donleavy
• And then, as suddenly as he walked in, he walked back out, to his white world and white prerogatives.
• Oh and PS: "Let's all vote for Donleavy this fall!"
• NOT :P
• But the Valedictorian of the class saves the day:
• Lift Every Voice and Sing
• By James Weldon Johnson, 1899
• Also called The Black National Anthem
• Full lyrics

And that's where we're going to pick up tomorrow: With triumphant singing.

HW For Tonight:

• BE READY for a RQ on Ch.21-25
• Re-read the Commencement Address in Ch. 23
• Bring in PTI to share with Hillwood??

PTI Update II: More Sharing, More Caring!

Don't be fooled by this awesome picture:

It's only 22 copies. Remember, we're going for 35.

Which means that we need how many more before 3pm Friday? C'mon math magnet.

22 + X = 35

You know what? I want to reward someone for reading this website. First one of my students to solve for X and leave the answer as a comment to this post will get candy, even if you haven't turned in a book.

Seriously, great work you guys. Keep it up!

Ch. 19: The Broad-Shouldered Brown Bomber

Classes today focused on the magnificence, and the meaning, of:

JOE LOUIS

May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981

Primo Carnera, left, Joe Louis, right. He's standing on a scale.

Here we see him, and his opponent, Italian boxer Primo Carnera, at the weigh-in before the fight that is broadcast to a packed audience at The Store in Stamps, in Ch. 19 of IKWCBS.

Behold this matchup. The year is 1935. He may look slight next to the "Ambling Alp", but here's what you can't see in the photo: he's got all of Black America on his shoulders.

You can tell. Just pay attention to the way the people listening to his match at the Store react to his triumphs, setbacks, and eventual victory over Carnera.

Would you like to see the whole match? Here's a YouTube link.

1935 video quality - you have been warned.

Joe Louis had such a profound effect on Americans, particularly Black Americans, throughout his career, that he was honored with his own memorial in Detroit, MI.

Behold the Joe Louis Memorial

In class we read, and made notes on, this handout reflecting on this particular matchup. 

Primo Carnera killed a guy.

The bottom of the handout contained these follow-up questions, connecting the fight itself to the way it is recounted in IKWCBS. 

HW for tonight:

• Read Ch. 21-25 of IKWCBS.
• Complete the Carnera Questions from the bottom of the handout (see link above.)

Sharing is Caring: PTI Update

Quick Update, Y'all!

Our PTI collection box for Hillwood High freshmen now has:

13 books!

That's more than half-way!

Awesome work, guys! Keep bringin' in those books! Friday's the last day!

Ch. 18: A Sermon Divided (The Tent Revival)

Boy oh boy, the chapters over the weekend had some AMAZING passages in them! I hope you were as struck as I was by Ch. 18's Tent Revival Sermon, and Ch. 19's heartfelt retelling of an epic Joe Louis boxing match from June 25th, 1935.

The first update I gave all classes was that, to my delight and astonishment, SIX students have already contributed their books to the Hillwood PTI Collection Box! 3rd and 6th period are tied, with two students in each class bringing in their books.

• Books: 6/35
• Days left: 4

Big thanks go out to Nash, Lasherrinda, Alleah, Abigail, Jillian, and...oh, wait. And me. I put my book in there too. Bring in those books, guys. I believe in you.

Then we got into "the muscle" of class. (AWWWW snap! IKWCBS reference right there!)

After I collected many (but not all) students' Powerpoint Notes Questions from Friday (see post below for link), I then gave a short, 6 question Reading Quiz over Ch. 16-20. If you missed class, you missed this, so come and see me.

Following the quiz, the class participated in a VERY focused Close Reading activity of the minister's sermon at the tent revival. Why? Because it's an amazing piece of speaking, and well worth a full understanding. Also, it pulses with the life of human voice.

Let me just reiterate what I said in class:

I did NOT present this passage as any kind of religious instruction, nor did I attempt to vaunt this sermon (or Christianity) as the only acceptable religious belief.

We simply read, closely, for understanding of the passage.

Please believe, and practice, whatever spirituality you feel is right for you.

So we took a VERY close look at, not ALL of Ch. 18, but the sermon:

Here is a link to the exact passage we looked at!

Here, if you are so inclined, is the exact passage from the Bible that the minister read:

Matthew 25:30-46. This is not required reading.

I tried my best to do this passage justice by reading it aloud. My afternoon classes were particularly helpful in explaining, and helping me with, the "Waah"s and "Raagh"s.

But as we read through this passage, we also marked it up, because just under the surface of this stirring sermon is a strongly racially-charged message.

What's that? You missed my class, and have no idea what to mark? You don't know what the message is?

Here is a link to a completely marked-up version. Who's got your back? I do.  (WOW that was surprisingly hard to make.)

So look over those notes. Notice how his message, and opinion, about CHARITY is split down racial lines?

See if you can answer these questions: If you can't, you need to analyze deeper. Come see me and I'll help you, if you bring me questions.

HW For Tonight:

• Review Ch. 19, get ready for some JOE LOUIS!

Treading Delicately In Tragic Territory

The first order of business today was an announcement concerning an opportunity to do a nice thing for a neighboring school:

• Freshmen at Hillwood High are gearing up for a unit on Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Remember Junior? Rowdy? Gordy? Sweet but flawed Penelope? Mr. P? 

• They would love to BORROW (as in, return at some point) 35 copies of this book from MLK students willing to lend them.

If you are willing to LEND your copy, come drop it off in the Collection Box in my room! I can't give you bonus points, but I'll gladly give you candy. See Collection Box below:

A lot of times when I think I'm funny, I'm just sad.

And then, real class began.
Classes today were remarkably serious. Rather than take a Reading Quiz on Ch. 11-15, we used class time to appropriately, and respectfully, process the traumatic events that happen to Maya in Chapters 11 and 12.

The notes sheet we used in class became a take-home quiz (Students were instructed to provide answers to the questions that accompanied Ch. 13-15.)

Here is the sheet of powerpoint questions and notes. I will take this up on Monday, to review answers to Ch. 13, 14, and 15.

HW for Over The Weekend:

• Answer Q's on slide-notes sheet for Ch. 13, 14, and 15
• Read IKWCBS Ch. 16-20

Character Paragraphs

Students brought their analytical acumen to bear in class today, as Character Focus groups worked together on a culminating writing assignment.

Students used the character notes they'd taken on their S.T.E.A.L. charts (see link in post below) to develop a fully fleshed out Character Analysis Paragraph.

It was a single paragraph, written by the whole group, that was due at the end of the class period.

• Here is a link to the assignment students completed.
• Here is a link to the Product document (this is the one that contained the final draft, that I collected)
• And here is the Character Paragraph Rubric (it was on the back of the assignment sheet)

5th period was the exception to this assignment, as they had to play catch-up from yesterday's Tripod survey.

Tonight's HW: (which, unlike yesterday's, applied to ALL classes)

• Read (or refresh) Ch. 11-15
• Full disclosure REPRINT: You're going to read about some very upsetting events that take place in St. Louis. Please don't think that the whole book is about this, or that the point of this autobiography is this, and this alone. It's not. It's about Maya's healing, renewal, and eventual triumph over this passage.
• There will be a Reading Quiz tomorrow, after dealing with these troublesome chapters.

Reading Quiz Information

Your first two IKWCBS Reading Quiz Grades have been posted to Gradespeed.

If you are interested in attempting a Quiz Re-take (for either quiz, or both) you must first complete the ALL of the required Recovery Work for the quiz(zes) you wish to take:

1. Complete the Vocabulary Practice Worksheet

• P-Ch. 5 Vocab Handout
• Ch.6-10 Vocab Handout

1. Complete all study guide questions for the assigned chapters. (complete this on a separate sheet of notebook paper)

• P-Ch.5 Study Guide Questions
• Ch.6-10 Study Guide Questions 

1. Write a one page summary for each chapter (P-5 to retake the first quiz, 6-10 for the second, P-10 to retake both) (summaries should be completed in your composition notebooks. Make sure each chapter is labeled) 

• Notes on summarizing are available on page 714-722 of the purple Elem. of Language books in my classroom.
• Here is a link to an online guide to summarizing.

The original reading assignment was first assigned Thursday, October 31, 2013. The first quiz was given Monday, 11/4. The second quiz was given Tuesday, 11/5. 

Recovery Work was assigned on Wednesday, 11/6, and is due Monday, November 11, 2013, by 3:30 pm. Late work will not be accepted. Retakes will be given Wednesday, November 13, 2013. A parent signature is required on the retake ticket (which you will receive after your recovery work is graded) BEFORE the retake is administered. Students will NOT be allowed to use notes on this retake.

And now, let's take a moment to honor some students who knocked this quiz out of the park. Their answers weren't just correct, they were excellent. I asked their permission to show their work, as an example of what magnificent answers look like (as well as to have proof that it was an achievable goal to do well on these quizzes.) They weren't hard questions.

Student Quiz #1 (from 2nd)

Student Quiz #2 (also from 2nd)

Notice the complete sentences, the attention to detail.

Student Quiz #3 (from 3rd)

This student delivered correct answers using beautiful vocabulary.

Student Quiz #4 (from 6th)

Correct answers, great details from the book, and delightfully legible handwriting. This quiz has it all!

Homophones, S.T.E.A.L., and a Tripod Survey (5th)

5th period students completed a district-mandated survey during class time. So everything you read below doesn't apply to them, until I see them tomorrow. If you're a student from 5th period, reading this to get a drop on tomorrow, I commend you thoroughly.

Classes today:
Due to a surprising number of basic errors committed on the recent IKWCBS reading quizzes, all classes responded to a quick grammatical review of the There/They're/Their suite of homophones. Of course, I shared a Powerpoint to quickly review the rules & uses of these three troublesome words.

• Here's the .ppt review file!
• Here's the in-class practice!
• And here's the answer key! (Ask me if you have any questions about the answers. But seriously. It's straightforward. And see the notes in the .ppt above.)

Students then got back into their groups to complete their S.T.E.A.L. indirect characterization charts that they began yesterday. If you are/were in a group that was focusing on Vivian, Maya and Bailey's Mother, I recognize that she hasn't actually spoken a word by the end of Ch. 10. But you're not off the hook. You must still complete the Speech row, with information from tonight's assigned chapters.

While students worked towards completing this, I rotated around to different groups giving back RQs and answering questions.

HW For Tonight: (Remember, this doesn't apply to 5th period)

• Read IKWCBS Ch. 11-15 (to end of 15)
• Full disclosure: You're going to read about some very upsetting events that take place in St. Louis. Please don't think that the whole book is about this, or that the point of this autobiography is this, and this alone. It's not. It's about Maya's healing, renewal, and eventual triumph over this passage.
• Bring your finished S.T.E.A.L. sheet to class tomorrow.

Characterization: Direct & Indirect

Today began with the collection of the Dr. Kenneth Clark written responses. Do you need a new copy? The .pdf links to the materials are in the post below.

Then, students took a reading quiz on IKWCBS Ch. 6-9. I was taken aback at the level of astonishment that this assessment inspired in students. I thought, considering the generally poor performances on the first reading quiz, surely students would be falling all over themselves to demonstrate a new commitment to reading, remembering, and comprehending the text. I was mistaken.

So, if you are one of my students reading this blog, lean in close, so I can whisper this hint to you: There is going to be a reading quiz for every section of reading assigned. 

Then, students got into groups to approach Character Analysis using the S.T.E.A.L. mnemonic device. The information was packaged in this 3-page packet. 

Remember that indirect characterization can include:

• Speech:What the character says / How do they say it?
• Thoughts: What does the character think/feel? (Easy w/ narrators)
• Effect on other characters: How others act around/react to your focus character
• Actions: What does your character do? How do they behave?
• Looks: What do they look like / how do they dress?

This activity will be continued tomorrow.

HW For Tonight: (A Catch-Up Night)

• Read, if for any reason you have not, to the end of Ch. 10 in IKWCBS.
• Bring the Characterization Packet to class tomorrow.

No, None of The HW Was A Joke

Today, after taking attendance and leading classes in a brief stretch, I collected the 2013 College Fair Essays.

If for any reason I did not get it from you in class today, please use this handy link to send it to me in an e-mail.

After this, students took a reading quiz on IKWCBS, covering the Prologue through Ch. 5. See me if you missed the quiz, or if you are concerned about your performance on it and would like to attempt a re-take.

Then students completed (as classwork) a short Vocabulary Practice.

Lastly, students took home a short write-up of Dr. Kenneth Clark's famous Doll Experiment. They also took home a response prompt that asked them to connect Dr. Clark's findings with Marguerite's own opinions about race that she reveals in the opening chapters of the book.

Responses should use complete sentences, but do not necessarily have to fill the entire page.

HW For Tonight:

• Read about, and respond to, the Dr. Clark Doll Study (see links above)
• Read IKWCBS Ch. 6 through (thats "to the end of") 10

Following Up: The Career Fair Essay

• This is the official prompt, as written in the back of the 2013 Career Fair Workbook.
• This is the Essay Assignment sheet given out in class, with handy examples.
• Just for fun, here's the original picture I used at the bottom. Look at how happy this kid is. Incredible.
• This is the sample expository essay that accompanied the Essay Assignment Sheet.
• This is the website where the winning entry will be posted (hence the inclusion of headings, figures, charts, and pictures. How hip! How modern! How "flashy"! Thanks to Jordan Malone, 5th p, for that adjective.)
• This is the TCAP rubric used for scoring expository essays.
• Don't know how to format an essay in MLA? Here's a handy guide on how to put your essay into the proper format.

• Here is the IKWCBS Anticipation Guide. I took this up at the end of class.

HW for the 3-Day Weekend:

• Type the Career Fair Essay
• Read Ch. 1-5 of IKWCBS (that's through Ch. 5, which means stop at Ch. 6)
• Have a safe, fun, chocolate-covered Halloween.
• I mean, candy is bad for you and you shouldn't eat it. Enjoy your broccoli tonight.

Think On Your Futures

The administration of the PSAT took up the bulk of the morning. Freshmen lunched in the Auditorium to facilitate going on the Career Fair field trip.

Our 6 busses departed for the Music City Center downtown right around 12:10. Students interviewed professional representatives in a plethora of career paths, and came back to school in time for the last bell of the day.

I'd like to send out a huge thank you to the teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, and most importantly, our MLK parents, for helping today run smoothly!

Note on tomorrow: We have an Awards Assembly tomorrow, and will be running our Activity Schedule.

Oh, I almost forgot to say! Freshman Royals looked GREAT in their professional clothes! Way to dress up! Particularly the handsome representation of bowties.

New Directions; Wednesday Groundwork

Today, students handed in their responses to the Reading Guide Questions about Maya Angelou's "New Directions" (in the Lit Textbook.)

After returning some student work, and collecting a few straggling Career Fair Permission Slips (Are you reading this, Caleb P? Zach C?), we took some time in class to lay a strong foundation for tomorrow, which by all accounts, is going to be a pretty crazy day:

• Students arrive to school ON TIME (you will not be allowed to begin the PSAT late)
• Report to your 1st period class
• Take the PSAT (Everyone is taking it. Questions about this absolutist statement should be directed to the Guidance Department.)
• There are no snack/bathroom breaks during the PSAT. That means until 11:35ish. Prepare accordingly.
• After the administration of the PSAT, students have a lunch block until about 11:55
• Freshmen will gather in the Auditorium to get into their bus groups, meet their chaperones, and receive their Career Fair Workbooks.
• We'll head out to the Music City Center for a wonderful afternoon of exploring future opportunities.
• When we return (around 2:30), we'll wind down the day in the auditorium.

Reminders For Tomorrow:

• Dress For Success
• Questions about what Business Casual Means? Check this out. Or just google it yourself.
• Bring pencils/pens
• You probably won't need your whole backpack.
• Leave your electronics behind. At you house, in your locker, whatever.

Non-Fiction Group Work, Report Cards, Career Fair

Here's how today began:

• I collected students' answers to Q1-4 from the HW over the weekend ("The Washwoman")
• I also collected the Career Fair Permission Slips for this Wednesday.

Then students took out their textbooks and worked on the Literary Analysis: Personal Essay sheet concerning Singer's "The Washwoman."

Q3 was the hardest, because it dealt with the author's purpose: why did he write this? What was Singer trying to achieve? How are we, his audience, supposed to be different at the end?

If I had to give an answer to that question, here's what I'd say:

Singer wrote "The Washwoman" to extol the virtues of hard work and dedication, as demonstrated by the washwoman, who embodies a spirit of duty to responsibility that transcends her lowly station. I can tell, because of her commitment to finishing that last load of wash, and the way he describes her saintly passing in the final paragraph of the piece. 

And here's what the actual Key says:

"But Mr. Tidyman, what exactly is dignity?"

Lastly, before students left, I gave them their Q1 Report Cards (see me if you didn't get yours), my Q2 MNPS Syllabus, and gave out the HW. See below -->

• The HW for tonight was to read "New Directions" by Maya Angelou, and answer the Close Reading Guide questions that accompany that piece of non-fiction.
• You do not have to bring your textbooks to class tomorrow, but you do have to bring the questions from the bullet point above.
• And I would like to have ALL of the Freshman Career Fair Permission Slips turned in tomorrow.

The Washerwoman: Weblink for Online Textbook

Here's a generic portal to access the online textbook. Remember, your assignment is The Washerwoman, and the 4 accompanying questions on pg 32.

1. Navigate to the Pearson Login Page.
2. Enter the username TidysClass
3. Enter the password tidyman09
4. Click on "Open Book" on the lower left-hand side.
5. Get to reading!

10/22: Introduction to Non-Fiction

First, freshman classes reviewed the difference between Fiction and Non-Fiction writing using this short, simple Powerpoint.

Then we used this Non-Fiction Practice Handout to begin classifying certain scenarios as being Fictional or Non-Fictional.

After this relatively simple exercise, the whole class was invited to sort out a table full of a mixed collection of fiction and non-fiction books. We discussed reasons why books belonged in one pile or the other:

Remember, this is really a book on PHILOSOPHY,
which makes it Non Fiction.

Then, we took a look at the Venn Diagram comparing F and NonF on the back of the linked document above. Basically, the details broke down like this:

Notes on Venn Diagram

After having spent the day reviewing the NonF genre, I assigned HW, which was:

• A NF Reading Practice
• NOTE: You don't have to complete the bottom part: EXCEED. Just do 1-6.
• Bring English Textbooks (Teal) to class tomorrow
• Don't forget: we're getting ready to read Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Get yourself a copy ASAP!

Monday, 10/21: 306 Lab Survey

As we begin the 2nd 9 weeks, please take a moment to complete this survey for our Guidance Department:


Guidance Link

Pronouns: MORE Than Professional Nouns

Students refreshed their understanding of the many varieties of the PRONOUN in a class well-ballasted with grammar. Using this EOL Pronoun Notes Sheet, students took notes from our purple grammar books. Then, on the back, they answered Q1-10 of Exercise 5 (pg 53 in textbook), whose answers were shared and discussed in class.

I also illustrated the power of pronouns with this example:

Reflexive and Relative Pronouns are the hardest, and we will practice those much more.

HW:

• Read to pg. 116 in Speak
• Bring book to class

DEA Testing: Online

Students took the online DEA assessment. It was 32 questions long, and most students completed it in class. I expect the results back sometime next week.

If you missed today, see Guidance upon your return to setup a time to take the test.

Mr. Tidyman, what does portage mean?

It's a very specific, quasi-nautical term, thank you for asking.

Melinda x Peter Pan: Just Think A Happy Thought

Now that we've read halfway through Melinda's freshman year, we took a moment to step back from the harrowing depression and emotional pain that color her life at home, and at school.

We looked instead at the brief flashes of happiness Melinda has given us so far. We used this document to record our thoughts: Melinda & Happiness

There are times when Melinda seems to be excited or hopeful about her future (her first day of art class comes to mind), or perhaps taking a secret pleasure in others' oafishness (Principal Principal & The Errant Student, or maybe the cheerleader-girls trying to rhyme "wombat) but these are not the most sterling examples of true happiness.

Consider the way Melinda thinks/feels when:

• In PEELED & CORED, she remembers where she first smelled "applesmell." And then gets extra-credit during a lab.
• She makes a snow angel, and remembers Christmastime for the Sordinos when she was young.
• Both Ivy and Mr. Freeman compliment (even respect) her painful Turkey Sculpture/Memorial.
• She was a Witch for Halloween.

If you're having trouble, I highly suggest you review these passages.

Highly. Suggest.

HW:

• Bring book to class to tackle Melinda's Depression tomorrow.
• Sidenote: I am going to be absent tomorrow for an event out of town. I will return Tuesday, 9/17.) Be good to the sub.

A Quiet Sword; A Silent Shield

Today students focused their analysis on David Petrakis, paying particular attention to the confrontation with Mr. Neck. We also discussed Q1 and Q4 from the HW sheet (see link below)

After connecting David's direct-action, nonviolent protest to our summer reading selection Why We Can't Wait using the phrase "the sword that heals", we considered another character who consciously employs silence: Melinda herself.

This image pretty well sums up our conclusion about the nature of David and Melinda's silences:

I dare someone to recognize the fictional universe that sword is from.

Then, students transitioned to a consideration of the Sordino Family Thanksgiving by responding to this Journal Entry in their Composition Notebooks.

HW:

• Finish reading the Second Marking Period
• Respond to Qs 6-7 on the 2nd MP document.

The Rising Action: Melinda's 2nd Q

Today in class, I gave out this sheet: 2nd Marking Period Vocab / Characterization / Analysis

Students had time in class to look up the words, and more complex terms, on the front side of the sheet, using the class dictionaries. While we made great progress, some students may not have finished collecting these definitions.

If you're still looking for the meanings of words: Check out the Merriam Webster Online Resource.

Example.

Then, we read together in class, up to or around page 55.

HW: 

• Read up to page 74, stopping at the section FOUL. 
• Complete Q1-5 on the document linked above.

Also note: Pay special attention to Thanksgiving at the Sordino house. It will be our focus of analysis tomorrow.

Symbolism: Response Analysis

If you are reading this, and you were absent Friday, 9/6, see me ASAP about making up the Speak Vocab Quiz.

Today, after calling attendance and having a stretch, students reviewed and edited their responses to Friday's Symbolism Analysis Sheet. We did this, because many of the responses I saw (not all of them, but many) were lacking in development and quality.

So we look at some examples, and then improved the responses. Here is the PowerPoint we examined. Student examples (anonymous) are included. We discussed what made stronger responses versus weaker responses when addressing Symbolism.

Then I took it up.

Finally, we broke down how the end of Q1 of Melinda's year also marks the end of the book's exposition.

HW: Bring Speak to class tomorrow. 

Symbolism & Substitutes

Today, I was out sick.

During my absence, here's what the students focused their energies on:

Freshmen took a 15 Q Vocabulary Pop Quiz. This can be made up by any students who also missed Friday.

After the quiz, students were prompted to arm themselves with Speak, something to write with, and this document: Symbolism in Speak.

This sheet pointed the students to two passages that, while interesting enough on their own, become vastly more powerful when read in conjunction with one another.

The bottom line: It examines the dual nature of characters through exploring the dual nature of objects. Specifically, Melinda's family's white couch, the cheerleaders, and Melinda herself.

Students are probably already familiar with the idea that a person (character) might have a dual nature. They appear one way on the surface, but are another way on the inside.

Some characters have an easier time keeping their imperfections on the inside than others:

Harvey Dent a.k.a Two-Face
from Batman: The Animated Series

No, Harvey Dent is not going to be a character in Speak.

HW: 

• Finish the Symbolism Sheet
• Finish reading the First Marking Period (pg. 46)

Charting Melinda's Escape

Students contributed responses from their School Life / Home Life analysis document, so that I could record them on a T-Chart on the whiteboard. Students backed up their responses by sharing the quotes from the book that had informed them.

After some sharing, my board looked like this:

Excellent ideas courtesy of 3rd period.

We did this to understand Melinda better as a character, particularly to understand her actions. Using these ideas, we were able to trace Melinda's Path of Escape to a rather grim conclusion:

Melinda has a negative school life, so...

She escapes school to go home. But that's not much better, so...

She escapes her home by fleeing to her room. But it doesn't even feel like her room, so...

She escapes her room by crawling into bed, and pulling the covers over her head. But she can still see her reflection in a mirror, so...

She turns the mirror around, and puts it in the back of her closet, and gets back into bed.

So what is Melinda really trying to get away from?

She's running from HERSELF.

The problem is, this might look like an answer, but it only invites more questions:

• Why is she trying to escape from herself?
• No one can really get away from themselves. But what might this impulse drive someone to do? To themselves, and others?

HW:

• Bring Speak to class
• Study for a Vocab Pop Quiz (Melinda's 1st Day vocab)

Analysis: Melinda's Two Lives

Students began class by responding to the following Journal Response prompt in their Composition notebooks:

•Journal Response: Open your books to page 5. Number your papers from 1-10.

Examine the “FIRST TEN LIES” section.

•Which of these do you feel are lies that apply to the MLK high school experience? Do any of them not apply?

•Are there any “lies” you feel like you have been told about HS, that you would add to the list? Add them, and clarify why they are false.

After some shared responses, mild discussion, and more than a little venting, we bent our gaze in the direction of Melinda, and Speak. We examined Melinda's life, and the quality thereof, in two spheres: School Life, and Home Life.

Students were given this guide-document (School/Home Life), and asked to complete it. This included quotes from the book to support students' perceptions of her life.


HW: To complete the document from class (see link above), and also read the book to pg. 26, stopping at the section headed "DEVILS DESTROY".

Speak: Melinda's First Day of School

In class today, students began reading Speak.

As we read through Melinda's first day of high school, suffering the tragedies and injustices that befall her at nearly every turn, we focused our study and discussion on vocabulary the narrator uses, as well as characterization. We had this document to help us navigate these items:

First Day of School: Vocab & Characterization

I've gone ahead and filled in the names of the characters we "meet" through Melinda's eyes between pages 3-14. Some will prove to be major, others minor. That's not the point. The point is, what are we learning about Melinda herself from the way she interprets other people?

Cue the brain-bomb.

Students were asked to complete the sheet (look up the vocab you don't know) and read UP TO "HOME. WORK." on pg 14.

Though I suspect it'll be hard for some students to stop reading there...

Getting into Speak: "Listen"

Today's classes moved from a lighter tone to a more serious one as we prepared to embark on our first Extended Text of the year: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

To dip our collective toe into the waters of the upcoming book, we read (multiple times), annotated, and discussed the poem "Listen".

This poem was included in the very first pages of the older printings of the book (it is absent from the 10th Anniversary Edition -- but any copy of the book will be fine for reading in class.)

As explained in the book, this poem excluding the first and last stanzas, was compiled from lines written to Laurie Halse Anderson in thousands of letters, e-mails, and messages from her readers. This can be a jarring disclosure, but a powerful one.

If you haven't yet, get Speak. See the post below for resources and recommendations.

Autobiographical Narrative: Finalizing and Submitting

Today, all 9th graders logged into my classes at:

TurnItIn

and made their own student profiles. When they were done typing their narratives, they had to upload it to this online database, through their personal profile they'd just developed.

If you for any reason cannot join my class (you can only join YOUR OWN class period), see me to get the login code and we'll hammer out the problems.

For tonight, students were given a Part Time Indian Question Preparation sheet, on which to write questions (at the different levels of Bloom's Taxonomy) about the other summer reading selection, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Need help on Bloom's Taxonomy? Check out the ENGL I guide to Bloom's, and the Bloom's Question stems. Lastly, here's an example of Bloom's Taxonomy applied to a popular fairy tale, so you can see it at work.

We'll use them in class tomorrow to hold a mini-fishbowl discussion about that book.

Don't forget to get Speak! (See post below!)

Typing & Finalizing: Day One

Students in class had time with the mobile lab to type up and edit their final drafts. In class, we covered proper MLA format for typing papers, but in case you've forgotten, or want to check it out:

Here is a great guide on MLA formatting for typed documents!

It's even got samples to look at, and explicit directions for changing Microsoft Word's default settings over to MLA. How cool is that?! (I know, it's not cool.)

We will have the lab again tomorrow to finish typing the papers, and for submitting them online.

I encourage students to bring in either a thumb-drive (USB), or to send themselves a copy of their writing by attaching it to an e-mail.

Or access a copy stored in a cloud-storage service, like Dropbox, or Google Drive.

Looking Forward: SPEAK

Don't forget! We're going to be starting Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, in September.

You can order it off the internet right here!

Or you can check for it at one of these fine Nashville booksellers:

Parnassus Books (Green Hills)

Bookman Bookwoman (Hillsboro Village)

Books A Million (West Nash)

McKay's Used Books And Media Emporium (Old Hickory Blvd.)


Behold! The powerful, beautiful, and heavily symbolic cover: