Tuesday, April 30th

1. Literature Circles: 
        Literature Circle PACKETS

Individual requirements: 

• 3 journal entries. 1 for each literature circle meeting. Due at beginning of each meeting.
• Role sheets completed BEFORE the literature circle meeting. Print off and fill out for meeting.
• Reflection paper

Group requirements: 

• Group report due at the end of each literature circle meeting. 
• Preparedness and participation during literature circle meetings. 
• Final group project. 

Due dates: 

• May 3rd: Group roles reported on Schoology. 
• May 9th/10th: Literature Circle Meeting #1. Journal and individual role sheet due. 
• May 14th/15th: Literature Circle Meeting #2. Journal and individual role sheet due. 
• May 21st: Literature Circle Meeting #3: Journal and individual role sheet due. 
• May 24th: Individual reflection paper due
• May 28th-31st: Group projects

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2. Take LMC Survey- Schoology
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3. EOC Writing Preparation.

Review the following documents: 

Blended Writing Handout

Blended Writing MODEL

Basic 5 Paragraph Essay Outline

Blended Writing- Scoring Conventions

Blended Writing Scoring- Development and Content

Blended Writing Scoring- Organization and Flow

EOC Writer’s Checklist

• My essay has an effective beginning, middle and end.
• My essay flows smoothly from one idea to another.
• My essay contains a strong controlling idea that stays on topic.
• My essay includes specific and relevant details, reasons and/or examples.
• My essay uses precise and vivid language.
• My essay contains sentences that are clear and varied in structure.
• My essay includes correct grammar, usage, punctuation, capitalization and spelling.
• My essay effectively blends at least two genres of writing (choose from narrative, argumentative and/or expository).
• My essay integrates material from both sources. 

Practice run through- Questar

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EOC Reminders: 

1. Charge your Chromebook. Seriously.

2. Bring earbuds for test day #1 (Wednesday/Thursday)

3. For test day #1- review reading test strategies and literary terms/grammar Quizlets. 

4. For test day #2- review blended writing handout, paper outline, and writing Quizlets. 

Monday, April 29th

Happy Monday! It is almost MAY!

1. Take part 2 of EOC practice test. As you are taking the test, focus on the skill the question is asking you to perform.

When taking a reading assessment... THINK LIKE A WRITER. *Author purpose.* Effects of the writing choices. *Main idea. *Best support for the main ideas.

When you are done with the EOC reading test... look over the prompt for test 2 (Writing). Starts on 42. Prompt on page 50.

2. For TUESDAY, read through and review the following handout on BLENDED WRITING. EOC Blended Writing Handout.

The WRITING assessment will be asking you to demonstrate how well you can BLEND the major styles of writing: NARRATIVE. EXPOSITORY. ARGUMENT. 

The DESE-released Writing Prompt SAMPLE:
You have read two passages discussing the U.S. highway system and other forms of transportation. Write an essay in which you compare the challenges and benefits involved in the creation of the national highway system to the challenges and benefits discussed in Secretary Chao’s speech, especially those related to advancing technology and the needs of the public. Incorporate material from both passages in your essay, citing sources either formally or informally. Your essay should blend writing from at least two genres (argumentative, expository, and/or narrative).

EOC Writer’s Checklist

• My essay has an effective beginning, middle and end.
• My essay flows smoothly from one idea to another.
• My essay contains a strong controlling idea that stays on topic.
• My essay includes specific and relevant details, reasons and/or examples.
• My essay uses precise and vivid language.
• My essay contains sentences that are clear and varied in structure.
• My essay includes correct grammar, usage, punctuation, capitalization and spelling.
• My essay effectively blends at least two genres of writing (choose from narrative, argumentative and/or expository).
• My essay integrates material from both sources. 

3. Keep reviewing the EOC QUIZLETS. After you have looked over the Blended Writing handout, review the 3 writing Quizlets.

Friday, April 26th

1. Practice EOC test #1- Identify skill with each question.

2. Literature circle meeting- Establish reading assignments.  Post to Schoology discussion.

3. Papers due at 11:59 PM- TONIGHT

Wednesday/Thursday, April 24th/25th

1. EOC Information:

• May 1st/2nd: Multiple choice tests. 
• May 3rd/6th: Written test. Listening component- NEED HEADPHONES!
• Score on EOC will be 10% of your grade. 
• Advanced or proficient will not have to take the final exam. 

When you are done proofreading, you will need to review through the 6 EOC QUIZLETS posted on class website under EOC links (to your right). These will address literary terms, comma rules, grammar/mechanics reminders, and the three types of writing review.

 Please go through these a couple of times EACH DAY until test day.
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2. Rough Draft Proofreading:

You will have 2 partners read through your paper marking the following:

Proofreaders:

1. The first read: You will start with the LAST sentence. You will read ONE sentence at a time until you are reach the top of the paper. Yes, you are reading the paper BACKWARDS. In this reading you are ONLY looking for grammatical and spelling errors, and sentence clarity.  Is there subject-verb agreement? Pronoun-antecedent agreement? Sentence mechanics are correct? Capitalization correct? No emphasis capitalizing? Diction choices accurate? No "YOUS". No "I". If you find an error, make a comment in BLUE. Do not fix the error.

2. The second read: You will start at the TOP of the paper. In this read  you will be looking solely at CONTENT. Does the paper have a CENTRAL THESIS? Is the evidence logical and sufficient to the thesis? Is the evidence relevant? Does the entire paper support the requirement of the prompt? Are there appropriate EXPLANATIONS following the evidence? Does it sufficiently address the purpose of writing? Mark errors or comments in RED. 

3. The third read: You will be assessing the SOURCE MATERIAL. Has the primary source been thoroughly examined and addressed in conjunction to the thesis? Has the source material been introduced? Contextualized? Processed through warrants/explanations? Cited correctly? Mark your comments/errors/suggestions in BLACK!

4. The fourth read: You will start at the TOP of the paper. In this read you will be looking solely at STYLE and STRUCTURE. Is the tone appropriate for the audience and the content addressed. Does the introduction utilize the INTRO FORMAT? Has narrative been integrated into the introduction? Does each section have a topic sentence that supports the overall thesis? Does the paper utilize an obvious structure? Does is utilize active voice?  Do they use effective transitions? Between sentences? Between sections?  DO THEY UTILIZE careful and strategic DICTION and SYNTAX? Does the conclusion utilize the CONCLUSION format/purpose synthesizing the thesis? Has the conclusion returned to the narrative from the introduction? Mark suggestions and comments in GREEN.

IMPORTANT-

4. The fifth read: You will be, again, starting at the TOP of the paper. In this read, you will be looking solely at FORMATTING. YOU NEED TO OPEN UP THE PURDUE OWL AND DO A LITERAL CHECK ON ALL COMPONENTS. DO NOT ASSUME!

Purdue OWL MLA Guide

Sample MLA paper- Compare with this.

How to write an academic title

Has the author appropriately addressed MLA Style Guide? Colon formatted Title??  Works Cited page done correctly? In-text citations? No differences in font, size, etc? Mark in PURPLE. 

5. In the sixth, and final, read. You will read through from top to bottom and read for the complete experience. Does the entire paper work together? Any last concerns? Mark in ORANGE. 

Pay specific attention to this proofing process. This is an excellent strategy to ensure that your final product achieves its intended purpose.

5. FINAL DRAFT IS DUE TO SCHOOLOGY BY FRIDAY AT 11:59 PM. 

End-of-Year Schedule

End-of-Year Schedule:

Monday, April 22nd: EOC prep. Main Idea practice.
Tuesday, April 23rd: EOC prep. Reading passage practice.
                                  Lit circle book check out.
Wed./Thurs., April 24th/25th: Expository paper rough draft due.
                                                 Peer editing.
Friday, April 26th: Expository paper final draft due at 11:59 PM.
                               Initial literature circle introduction and meeting.
                               EOC Practice Test #1

Monday, April 29th: EOC prep.  Blended Writing. Types of writing. EOC Practice Test #2
Tuesday, April 30th: EOC prep.  Blended Writing. Writing practice.
Wednesday, May 1st: EOC TESTING- 2nd hour(A day)
Thursday, May 2nd: EOC TESTING- 3rd hour (B day)
Friday, May 3rd:  EOC TESTING- 2nd hour (A day)

Monday, May 6th: EOC TESTING- 3rd hour (B day)
Tuesday, May 7th (B):  Literature circle meeting #1 (note.. another B day)
Wednesday, May 8th (A): Literature circle meeting #1
Thursday, May 9th (B): Ted Talk. Reading
Friday, May 10th (A): Ted Talk. Reading

Monday, May 13th:  Theme- Literary Analysis
Tuesday, May 14th:  Symbolism- Literary Analysis
Wednesday/Thursday, May 15th/16th: Literature circle meeting #2
Friday, May 17th: Reading day

Monday, May 20th: Author purpose- Literary Analysis
Tuesday, May 21st:  Literature circle meeting #3
Wednesday/Thursday, May 22nd/23rd: Final preparation
Friday, May 24th: Final preparation

Monday, May 27th: No school
Tuesday, May 28th:  Finals
Wednesday, May 29th: Finals
Thursday, May 30th: Finals
Friday, May 31st: Finals. Half day. SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!!

Tuesday, April 23rd. Shakespeare's Birthday!

1. Check out literature circle books. Get started reading your books. We will have our first meeting on Friday to set reading assignments.

LITERARY CIRCLE GROUPS:
2nd Hour-
Hidden Figures: Destiny, Mikayla, Elizabeth, Ryley, Bradley, Reggie, Bailey
Lord of the Flies: Kevin, Nicolette, Kya, Zaylen, Jackson
Animal Farm: Carson, Aedin, Franco

3rd Hour-
Animal Farm: Zane, Taryn, Hailey, Jourdan
Night: Matthew, Shonese, Kenyia, Ainsley
Lord of the Flies: Yasmeen, Kyle, Devon, Savanna, Amil
The Alchemist: Jace, Kayla, Ashley, Sam

2. EOC Reading Passages Practice.

Active reading means:

Ask questions and take notes as you read the passage. Asking questions about the passage and taking notes needs to be the integral parts of your approach.

You should ask questions such as:

• Why did the author write this word/detail/sentence/paragraph?
• Is the author taking a side? If so, what side is he or she taking?
• What are the tone and purpose of the passage?
• The “why” or the central idea of the passage—in other words, the thesis statement
• Transitions or changes in direction in a passage’s logic
• The author’s opinions and other opinions the author cites

Make sure you remember to:

• Read the question stem carefully. What are the key words in the stem?
• Take notes, circle keywords, and underline key phrases.
• Predict and answer. Consider an answer before looking at the answer options. 

3. In Schoology, you will need to complete the EOC reading practice. There are two passages with a question set for each. Take your time. Think about what the question is asking you. Use the online tools to annotate the passage.

Monday, April 22nd

1. Make sure that you have completed the literary circle book selection form. (Found at the end of last post)

2. Full rough drafts- Body, introduction, conclusion, works cited page are due Wednesday/Thursday PRINTED OFF when you come to class. You will not receive credit for the draft if you do not have a paper copy with you when you come to class.

In-text Citation Help: 
Book: (Achebe 33).
Film: (Attenborough)

Works Cited Help:
WC- FILM: WC Film Citation- Purdue OWL
WC- BOOKS: WC Books Citation- Purdue OWL

Sample WC Page: Sample WC Page- Purdue OWL

3. EOC SKILL Practice: Finding Main Idea

Finding MAIN IDEA Handout

- Read through the following handout addressing the skill of finding the main idea.
- The subject matter will not be interesting... don't commit, or over think the subject matter for standardized testing.
- Go into the paragraphs with a strategy of recognizing a hierarchy of ideas... what is a overarching topic?.. what is specific evidence?  Think as a WRITER.

Complete the practice exercises found on Schoology by tomorrow morning (Tuesday @ 7:30 AM)

Tuesday, April 17th

Expository paper schedule:
April 17th/18th- Outline due
April 24th/25th- Rough draft due
April 26th- Final draft due

For our next literary circle, please select from the following books. Fill out book request form found at the end of this post BY MONDAY, APRIL 22nd.  

1. Night- Elie Wiesel (Memoir) 

Born into a Jewish ghetto in Hungary, as a child, Elie Wiesel was sent to the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. This is his account of that atrocity: the ever-increasing horrors he endured, the loss of his family and his struggle to survive in a world that stripped him of humanity, dignity and faith. Describing in simple terms the tragic murder of a people from a survivor's perspective, Night is among the most personal, intimate and poignant of all accounts of the Holocaust. A compelling consideration of the darkest side of human nature and the enduring power of hope, it remains one of the most important works of the twentieth century.

2. Lord of the Flies- William Golding  (Novel)

At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate. This far from civilization they can do anything they want. Anything. But as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far removed from reality as the hope of being rescued.

3. Animal Farm- George Orwell  (Dystopian novel)

George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel—a scathing satire on a downtrodden society’s blind march towards totalitarianism.

A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned—a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible. When Animal Farm was first published, Stalinist Russia was seen as its target. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell’s masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.

4. The Alchemist- Paulo Coehlo (Novel)

The Alchemist follows the journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, he asks a Romani fortune teller in a nearby town about its meaning. The woman interprets the dream as a prophecy telling the boy that he will discover a treasure at the Egyptian pyramids.


Early into his journey, he meets an old king named Melchizedek, or the king of Salem, who tells him to sell his sheep, so as to travel to Egypt, and introduces the idea of a Personal Legend. Your Personal Legend "is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is."[3]

5. Hidden Figures- The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race a 2016 non-fiction book written by Margot Lee Shetterly.

Shetterly started working on the book in 2010. The book takes place from the 1930s through the 1960s when women were still viewed as inferior to men. The biographical text follows the lives of Human Computers such as Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, three mathematicians (known as "human computers") who overcame discrimination, as women and as African Americans, while working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race, as well as Christine Darden, who was the first African-American woman to be promoted into the Senior Executive Service for her work in researching supersonic flight and sonic booms.

After reading the previous book blurbs, researching each book, please fill out the following form by Monday, April 22nd.  LITERARY CIRCLE BOOK CHOICE FORM

Monday, April 15th

1. Finish Gandhi.

2. Start working on Expository outline.... Found HERE: Expository Outline- Handout
2nd hour- DUE WEDNESDAY
3rd hour- DUE THURSDAY

Expository Techniques:

• Are you explaining the significance of your evidence or examples?
• Are you defining a concept and explaining its relevance to your proposal?
• Are you explaining the How and the Why in each section of your paper?
• Is there a topic sentence at the start of each paragraph/section?
• Are you explaining by showing a cause and effect of your evidence?

Wednesday/Thursday, April 10th/11th

1. Discussion of Expository Writing.

The expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and effect, etc.

2. Unpacking the prompt. To-do list for Expository paper.

3. Continue watching Gandhi.

Monday, April 8th

1. Things Fall Apart quiz. Entire book.

2. Things Fall Apart/ Gandhi Expository paper-

Expository essay: The expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and effect, etc.

Expository Paper Instructions- Purdue OWL

Paper prompt:
How does the human spirit triumph in the face of adversity? 

Guiding questions to consider: 
- What is the human spirit?
- What skills do humans rely upon when facing adversity?
- What does it mean to persevere? 
- What is the relationship between success and strength? 

Gandhi Film Questions- Due the day after we finish the film.

Wednesday/Thursday, April 3rd/4th

Things Fall Apart Socratic seminar

Socratic Seminar:  A LEVEL Participant Rubric 

• Participant offers enough solid analysis, without prompting, to move the conversation forward
• Participant, through his/her comments, demonstrates a deep knowledge of the text and the question
• Participant has come to the seminar prepared, with notes and a marked/annotated text
• Participant, through his/her comments, shows that he/she is actively listening to other participants
• Participant offers clarification and/or follow-up that extends the conversation
• Participant’s remarks often refer back to specific parts of the text.

For THURSDAY:
1. USATESTPREP exercises due in the morning.

For FRIDAY:

1. Socratic seminar reflection

2. Finish Thing Fall Apart 

For MONDAY:
1. Quiz over entire book.

Monday, April 2nd

1. Small group practice Socratic Seminar. First review the Socratic seminar scoring. You will talk through, as a group, one of your questions. You will focus on the process of integrating the text into your answers... not being satisfied with just one answer... staying on discussion of the text, not wandering into the hypothetical "what if" scenarios.  . .  repeating what was said before your comment and tying in your additions.

Socratic Seminar:  A LEVEL Participant Rubric 

• Participant offers enough solid analysis, without prompting, to move the conversation forward
• Participant, through his/her comments, demonstrates a deep knowledge of the text and the question
• Participant has come to the seminar prepared, with notes and a marked/annotated text
• Participant, through his/her comments, shows that he/she is actively listening to other participants
• Participant offers clarification and/or follow-up that extends the conversation
• Participant’s remarks often refer back to specific parts of the text.

When you are done, spend time ensuring that you have multiple examples for each question, and that you can access them easily.  Make sure that you have page numbers with your quotes so you can lead other classmates to the passages you are referencing.

2. Complete the posted EOC prep practices in USATESTPREP by Thursday morning.

Monday, April 1st.

1. Quiz over Part 2 of Things Fall Apart. 

2. Continue preparation for Socratic seminar over book.

REVIEW Part 2: PART 2 TFA Quizlet

REMEMBER: We are meeting in room 2116 on TUESDAY!
Make sure you have your TFA book and notes.