English 4 & 4H: 9/26,27/12

Guidng Q

• What, how, and when do you use prewriting techniques?
• How do you trouble shoot and solve project plan problems and issues?

Bell Ringer

• Students are to get their book and read the 3rd set of 10 pages
• Students are to find three examples of comparison (any type) in today's reading. Examples and explanations given.
• Note page and paragraph of examples listed.

Activities

• Handout: prewriting and 5 stages of writing
• Discussion and teaching of the handout
• Warning/threat: at any time the teacher feels free to test, pop and surprise, over any of the handouts given and explained in class
• Assignment: Must create a large prewrite, using any or all of the types explained on the handout. The subject of the prewrite is to focus on all possible topics a student is willing to consider for a compare/contrast essay topic. Students are to fully develop their prewrite to include topics and details about topics that might be considered
• Discussion, explanation and details regarding the dangers and problems of "learned helplessness"
• Explanation as to how to do phase 3 of the castle project: How to create a figurative or descriptive language comparison for each of the castle labels.
• Castle projects are due 9/28/12
• After that will be late for less credit
• Next vocabulary test and vocabulary homework is 10/5/12
• Any remaining class time was to be spent on make up work and/or the castle project

Drama: 9/26,27/12

Guiding Q

• How do I develop a project folder?
• The who, what, when, where, why, and how of script writing?

Bell Ringer

• Each group is to create a group name and identity and show it in a creative self introduction

Activities:

• Readings from Webb Garrison's book on Civil War Curiosities
• Notes and discussions related to the Civil War world
• Work/discussion of project folder and its expectations/requirements
• Students will be checked on Friday to see if they have the folder begun
• Work on various warm ups and Ransom script

English 4 & 4H: 9/24,25/12

Guiding Q

• What does castle architecture say about the life and times of the people?
• How does descriptive language compare and add to understand

Bell Ringer

• Read 2nd set of 10 pages of their book
• Find five examples of descriptive and/or sensory and/or figurative language
• Note the page and paragraph for each example

Activities

• Pass out papers and answer questions about grades
• Notes and handout about Mary Lewis Paragraph and the need for good specific writing
• Assign a Mary Lewis paragraph and give 10 minutes in class for the process
• Assign next vocabulary test with related homework
• Test will be on 10/5/12
• Words are scribe to monarchy
• As soon as students turn in their Mary Lewis paragraph, they are to pick up a computer and continue their project work.
• The castle project is due 9/28/12.
• Any project turned in after that date, for any reason at all, will loose points.
• Students can turn the project in early for extra credit.

Drama: 9/24, 25/12

Guiding Q

• What does it take to work effectively in a group?
• How do I create and use a project folder?\

Bell Ringer

• Groups create a pose that tells a story

Activities:

• Issues related to journals and especially observational journals: detail required
• Mary Lewis Paragraphs: a style for writing well and descriptively.
• Assign a Mary Lewis descriptive paragraph, due next class.
• Note taking discussion with examples: This will be a necessary skill.
• Cornell Notes handout
• Covered outline, Cornell notes, two column notes, and Q & A note taking formats with examples
• Project folder
• Have one begun by next class
• Need to have at least two major sections: one for general information, and one for character specific information
• As time permits, group work

English 4 & 4H: 9/21/12

Guiding Q

• How do I learn to start/organize work

Bell Ringer

• Get the book chosen for your group and begin reading. Answer the following 2 questions based on the first ten pages of the book.
• How does the author start the book in the first 10 pages? and
• Why do you think the author starts the book that way

Activities:

• Remind students to check the agenda book or the online agenda and not to fall behind
• Hand out Cornell Notes guide sheet for section 6 of the notebook.
• Show the Cornell Notes PowerPoint slide show (It is posted in the class agenda book), and discuss the needs and techniques of note taking for critical thinking and survival skills
• Take up bell ringer for the day
• Take up signed midterm reports
• Take up any addition missing work that has occurred since the midterm grades were posted. All work that was assigned on or before 9/14/12 are now permanent grades

Drama: 9/21/12

Guiding Q

• How does history impact drama?
• How does culture influence drama?

Bell Ringer

• No bell ringer

Activities

• Discussion and choice of daily reading. We will be reading excerpts from a variety of sources related to the Civil War as background study and familiarity with the time and culture as preparation for our major production, the Olustee Festival
• Resources will include, but no be limited to the following
• Curiosities of the Civil War by Webb Garrison and More Curiosities by the same author
• Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz
• Civil War in Columbia County from the History of Columbia County
• The Federal Campaign of 1864 in East Florida by Mark Boyd
• I Was a Slave, compiled by Donna Wyant Howell
• A wide variety of individual journals, letters, and excerpts from other books as presented in the application The Civil War Today, created by the History Channel
• And other sources as we find them.

English 4 & 4H: 9/19,20/12

Guiding Q

• What are the parts of the castle and what does that mean for the people who live in it?
• How does figurative language work to compare?
• How do I learn to start/organize/process work?

Bell Ringer

• Do a freewrite response to "The City from Greenwich Village" by John Sloan (painting)

Activities

1. Follow through on bellringer, sharing purpose and use of the prewrite strategy
1. Share some of the creativity in the writings
2. Hand out midterms and discuss grades and work ethic. Students are to have parents sign midterms and return them for a grade
3. Break into groups. Students will have 10 to 15 minutes to go through their book summaries and decide what book their group is to read.
4. Turn in book list summaries for a grade
5. Students were given the rest of the period, minimum of 45 minutes, to work on the current castle project, which is due, complete, on or before 9/28/12

Drama: 9/19, 20/12

Guiding Q

• How does history impact drama?
• How does culture influence drama?
• What is a productive work ethic?

Bell Ringer

• Get a computer and log on
• Google/Bing "Method Acting"
• Write a 1/2 page summary of what you find

Activities:

• Discussion: grades and work ethic, attendance and performance issues
• Complete auditions and establish groups
• Do group warm up: the bag story
• Begin/continue script for "Ransom of Red Chief"
• Begin, this class or next, historical readings with notes in preparation for Olustee

English 4 & 4H: 9/17,18/12

Guiding Q

• What are the parts of a castle?
• How does figurative language work to compare?
• How do I learn to start/organize work?

Bell ringer

• For one of the masks hanging on the wall:
• Create a simile
• Create a personification

Activities:

• Complete the bell ringer: share the writing and clarify correct examples. This is a model of what they will be doing as part of the castle project.
• Students assigned notes titled "Overcoming confusion
1. How to start and get things done
• Dealt with grades and work ethic as part of the notes
2. Breaking the code of open ended assignments
3. Students took notes for which they received a grade. Students will get extra credit if an absent person copies their notes and show them to me for a make up grade.
• The book list assignment is due next class
• Computer time
• Students were given a minimum of 45 minutes to work on the computer to complete current assignments.

Drama: 9/17,18/12

Guiding Q

• How does history impact drama?
• How does culture influence drama?
• What is a productive work ethic?

Bell ringer

• Describe a favorite movie/TV character/actor, and explain why you chose him/her.

Activities

• Go over bell ringer.
• Discuss expectations for journals and practice as needed
• Deal with grades and work ethic
• Complete auditions
• If time, show video blog 1 from Hobbit to show the many intricacies that go into production

English 4 & 4H: 9/14/12

Guiding Q

• Castles and computers?
• Figurative language?

Bell Ringer

• Create a list of all the things for which a hat or the color yellow can be used. The example was the different things a brick can do, from build a house, to door stop, to grind up for make up.

Activities

• Make up work
• Current grades including all make up work to date are posted in the back of the room.
• Today at 3:30 is the final deadline for all make up work except the vocabulary test.
• The vocabulary test can be made up on a later date.
• Computer work
• Students are to use any time remaining to work on the two current projects
1. Book list: create 3 to 5 line summaries of the books on the list. A choice will be made from the list as a reading assignment by group or by the class
2. Castle/figurative language project as described in earlier blogs.

Drama: 9/14/12

Guiding Q:

• What are vocal qualities?
• How and why do we complete auditions?

Activities

• Discuss "Yellow" event and how it was going
• Make up work due today
• Guest Frank Hubert from Alligator Community Theater (ACT)
• Students introduce and discuss drama, acting, and goals

English 4 & 4H: 9/12,13/12

Guiding Q:

• Figurative languate: what, why, how?
• Castles and computers, similar? different?

No Bell ringer
Activities

• Go over and give each student a complete list of all the work each is missing.
• Students have until Friday after school to make up all work except the vocabulary test, which can be made up anytime.
• Give students computer directions on the overhead
• Log on instructions
• General directions
• Behavioral requirements
• Students are to spend the period working on any or all of the following three assignments:
1. Make up due by Friday after school
2. The book list; look up summaries for the list of the books we have for class reading
3. Castle figurative language project.

Drama: 9/12,13/12

Guiding Q

• Refer to 9/10/12

Bell Ringer

• Breathing exercises

Activities

• List all make up work, and give students a chance to work to catch up.
• Assignment: Friday is yellow day; wear yellow and talk about yellow things
• Working on auditions

English 4 & 4H: 9/10,11/12

Guiding questions

• How do we use modifiers?
• Figurative language - what, why, how?
• Castles and computers - similar? different?

Bell ringer

• Get a grammar workbook from the back shelf
• Do not write in the book
• Read and do all assignments on page 130 (on your own paper)

Activities

• Follow through on page 130
• Ten minute sell that grammar is reasonable
• Explanation of use of modifiers
• Grade, correct, and turn in assignment
• Choosing the right book assignment
• Students are given a list of available books
• Each student is to look up all the books on the list. For each book, they are to write a 3 to 5 line summary of what the book is about.
• This assignment is for their group discussion when they plan and choose a book. It is also for a grade.
• Update on grades
• Go over all assignments that have been graded to this point
• This is grace week to complete and turn in all missing work by Friday
• After Friday, the grades won't change
• Castles slide show
• The life, architecture, and times of the people
• Assign figurative language project
• Students are to create an artistic rendering of a castle, 2D, 3D, or digital - real or imagined
• Students are to label all parts of the castle with real names and purposes
• Students are to label all parts with a figurative language image/reference. (This is like car keys are what they are, and they represent freedom and mobility - also responsibility)
• Discuss computer behavior and expectations

Drama: 9/10,11/12

Guiding Questions

• What are vocal qualities?
• How does literature effect drama?
• How and why do we participate in auditions?

Bell Ringer

• Vocal qualities warm ups

Activities

• Present/discuss about vocal qualities
• Go over grades and missing work with a list of all assignments
• This week is grace week to get all work caught up and turned in
• After Friday, all listed assignments become permanent.
• Take up missing work
• Work on auditions

English 4 & 4H: 9/6, 7/12

Guiding questions

• Continue from 9/4,5

Bell Ringer

• Complete and turn in vocabulary homework

Activities

• Review and take vocabulary 1 test
• Go over how to use the eBook and make sure everyone has checked out a book of some sort.
• Introduce metaphor
• Hold up a plastic item and have students
• Guess what the item is
• Based on what they believe the item is, decide what it represents
• For example: Had I held up car keys, I would identify them as car keys and say that they represent freedom and mobility
• Discuss and go over in detail, sharing students' ideas and sharing what the item really is
• Give handout "Figures of Speech"
• Explain figures of speech
• Have students label and put in their folders
• Give basic overview of the project beginning Monday with the computers and figurative language
• Discuss reading problems and issues related to Beowulf
• Share ideas for problem solving and fixing techniques for reading issues.

Drama: 9/6, 7/12

Continued from 9/4, 5/12

Guiding questions:

• How does literature impact the study of drama?
• What is the point, purpose, and process of auditions?

Bell Ringer

•  L 3/4's guide students through a class warm up on body language

Activities

•  Discussion and examples of body language
• Assignment: watch the body language of people in conversation. Describe the body language used, what it seems to mean to the people talking, and how you interpret its meaning
• Evaluate where we are with the literature vocabulary and take up remaining work
• Evaluate where we are with "Ransom of Red Chief" with discussion as to where we are going with it.
• Spend as much time as possible working on auditions

English 4 and 4H: 9/4, 5/12

1. Guiding questions
• What is the value of knowing word parts?
• How does figurative language enrich understanding?
• What techniques help you understand complex text?
2. Bell Ringer
• For the word: antidisestablishtarianism
• Use your word parts handout
• Break the word into its parts: prefix, suffix, root word
• Define each of the parts
• Do your best to guess the meaning of the word from what you've done
3. Activities:
• Complete bell ringer
• Ask students for their definition of the bell ringer.
• Give a complete definition and explanation with the value of why we study word parts
• Give students additional time to complete Beowulf assignment and take up all related work
• While students work, have them sign up and receive their eBook or hardbound copy. All have instructions for the online book
• Have students identify issues with reading and understanding Beowulf
• Find best solutions and techniques that will help overcome the problem

Drama: 9/4, 5/12

1. Guiding questions:
• How does literature impact the study of drama?
• What is the point, purpose, and process of auditions?
2. Bell Ringer
• L 3/4's guide students through a class warm up on body language
3. Activities
• Discussion and examples of body language
• Assignment: watch the body language of people in conversation. Describe the body language used, what it seems to mean to the people talking, and how you interpret its meaning
• Evaluate where we are with the literature vocabulary and take up remaining work
• Evaluate where we are with "Ransom of Red Chief" with discussion as to where we are going with it.
• Spend as much time as possible working on auditions

English 4 & 4H: 8/29-31/12

Joiner: Lesson Plans for all English Classes: 1, 2, 3, 5

Wednesday and Thursday, August 29, 30, 2012

• In the literature book: on back shelf -- Students will have to share
• No more than two students per book
• Students working in pairs may help each other but - - -
• They can not speak above a whisper
• They must each turn in their own individual work
• Read "Beowulf" and related stories from page 38 to 67
• Answer all margin questions: labeled "A" through "Y"
• These questions are in the margin with the definitions to the right of the text.
• Answer all end questions on pages 50, 57, and 67
• Before the end of class
• Have students read pages 36 and 37 in the literature book
• Have students write an exit journal explaining why they believe Beowulf was so important that it was told orally for hundreds of years before it was written down, and it is still important enough to be put in a literature book today.
• This is their best guess -- however I expect them to give good reasons to support their guess.
• Have students turn in all work before they leave!!
• Students who complete their work before class is over
• May find something to read silently
• or May begin tomorrow's assignment
• or May work on their homework for next week's vocabulary test

Friday, August 31, 2012

• Give each student a copy of the short story, "The Use of Force"
• Assignment:
• Students are to practice annotation and dialectic responses on this short story.
• Annotation means add notes to
• Dialectic response means 1 the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions. 2 inquiry into metaphysical contradictions and their solutions. • the existence or action of opposing social forces, concepts, etc. The ancient Greeks used the term dialectic to refer to various methods of reasoning and discussion in order to discover the truth.
• To simplify, dialectic means to respond to the reading as though having a conversation, looking for deeper meanings, questions, analysis, questions to show they are digging in to the reading to really think about it and understand it.
• I expect students to really dig into the story to understand it. They are to treat the story as a scientist would while examining a new discovery.
• Students are to put their name on their paper and their notes and dialectic responses.
• All work is to be turned in at the end of the period -- even if it is incomplete.
• Classes next week will begin with a discussion of the story.
• I expect students to have something to talk about -- related to the story.

Drama: 8/29-31/12

Joiner: Lesson Plans for Drama Classes: 4, 7

August 29 and 30, 2012

• Have the level 3 and 4 students: they know who they are
• Break the class into groups of 4 or 5.
• These groups will remain together throughout the entire process of working on the short story, "The Ransom of Red Chief"
• Give each group a copy of the story, "The Ransom of Red Chief"
• Students are to read the story out loud in their group
• Every person should have some chance to read.
• Have them keep the volume to their group so the other groups can hear themselves.
• While they listen and read they are to do the following: Each individual will . . .
• Be sure your name is on your paper.
• Create a list of characters in the story
• List the qualities of each character: dress, size, attitude, personality, style, ----------- etc.
• Create a list of basic events of the story.
• Explain the conflict or conflicts in the story
• Explain what elements or contradictions in the story make it funny, serious, sad, or ?
• Each student is to do their own work, but they can be helped by others in their group.
• As a group:
• Each group will
• Put all group members names on a common paper
• All the following will be written and reported on their joint paper
• Will create two or three improv suggestions pitting one or more of the character together or using the story, story elements, characters or ? in some way
• Begin to script a plan of the story for performance in the class
• Once the script is complete, the group should consider casting for the characters within their group
• Consider how the performance will be staged in the classroom
• Begin to work out all things needed to complete their performance including costumes and an estimation of how much rehearsal time they will need.

August 31, 2012

• Students are to be handed the short story terms handout
• Each student is to work individually or in pairs to look up and define all words on the list.
• Each student is to do their work on their own individual paper.
• Students may use the literature book glossary or the classroom dictionaries to look up the words.
• As soon as these words are completely defined
• Students are to turn in their work to the homework chair - and
• Students are to return to their groups and continue working on the "Ransom of Red Chief" project - very quietly
• If both projects are complete,
• Students are to read quietly by themselves.