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