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