12/19

Poetry "books" finished in class today.  I can't wait to share tomorrow!
HW: READ-LOG-POST IT
150 minutes due Monday after break.

12/18

Today we spent time searching for poems after a quick overview of how to navigate an anthology.

Ten poems should be selected and copied over by the end of the block on Wednesday.

See yesterday's post for links.

HW: Read, log, post it

150 minutes due after break.

Monday 12/17

Today we begin our quest for 7 of our favorite poems.  We will head to the library for the first part of the adventure, then will continue the process throughout the week.  Wednesday will be a blocked period and hopefully students will have all poems found and copied over by the end of the block on Wednesday.

Poets students may like:

Sandra Cisneros
Anne Sexton
Gary Soto
Langston Hughes
William Stafford
Seamus Heaney
Theodore Roethke
Robert Frost
Naomi Shihab Nye
Billy Collins
Rita Dove
Gwendolyn Brooks
Lucille Clifton
Nikki Giovani

Links to Poetry sites:

Academy of American Poets

Poetry 180--A Poem a Day for American High Schools

Find a poet at poetryfoundation.org

Barteby: Modern American Poetry

List from Mr. Nellen: Poets on poetry

Note--Stay away from .com poetry sites as anyone can post a poem.  The poems you select need to be ones the have been published in a forum other than just online.  

Expand your horizons. Read poems that challenge your ideas about what you like and don't like in poetry.

Friday 12/14

Today after the 10 minute read we watched two poetry performances and then read and discussed The poem "Saying Things" by M. Krysl.
HW; 150 minutes due Monday.

12/13

Today students were given a packet of poems about poetry. The instructions were to read each poem in the packet at least twice, underline the best line in the poem. Explain what you like about it in the margin then write 3-5 sentences explaining what the poem means to you. Repeat this for each of the 4 poems.Then consider and reflect on the questions below.  Do all reflecting in your reader’s notebooks in the reflection section.

1.    What is poetry?       

2.    Where do we find it?

3.    What is your experience with poetry?

HW: Rewrites due tomorrow 150 minutes due Monday.

Wednesday 12/12

Today we read and our essays were returned. I conferences with each student about rewrites and we added to our editing considerations page. Students who have to redo must resubmit by Friday.

Tuesday 12/11

We read for 10 minutes to start class off then Maggie presented top 5 lists of books. I collected logs from 12/3 to 12/10 and instructed students to date new logs 12/10-12/17.
  HW: In reflections section of RN create an entry with your top 5 five lists of books in your life.  Tell what has stuck with you about the book and explain for each of the 5 titles you have provided.

Absence responsibility:
Turn in RL from 12/3-12/10

Monday 12/10

I was absent.  While I was gone, the class took a reading test. Please see me if you were absent today, you will need to make up the test during tenth.  Time was spent reading in IR books.  Logs will be collected tomorrow but new logs should be picked up and started today.  HW:Read/log post it and complete a new long write.

Friday 12/7

Half day so we read and talked books.  Don't forget logs are due Monday.

12/6

Today we looked over the power school grades we printed out then we worked with our logs to set goals in our reading notebooks. We also reviewed long write format and expectations as many are getting to relaxed with these! We talked books for a bit and then read for 15 minutes of class.

HW: one long write and read/log post it

If you missed today be sure to do the following:

• Hand in your PS grade-be sure your name is on it, you have highlighted bad grades and provided a plan for them and given smiley faces for excellent grades.
• See me for Longwrite refresher
• read

12/5

Today students wrote me a friendly letter telling about the book they are currently reading.  They addressed the ideas listed below within their letters. Letters needed to follow friendly letter format. Students also were instructed to check for grammar spelling and capitalization.

Ideas to cover in letter:
Title, author
Brief summary of book so far
What you are enjoying about the book
One idea you are growing as you read the book this could be about plot or about character.

I then returned a slew of reading logs and we began the process of organizing and using those to set some goals.

HW: Read, Log, Post it and print Power School Grade.  Bring this to class.

If you missed today be sure to:

• Write the friendly letter and submit to me (graded)
• See me for the reading logs and for direction to organize them--I will need to give you a hanging file folder
• once you get  logs from me, you will need to create an entry in the all about me section of RN where you notice your habits as far as RL assignments go.  YOu should note if you are turning them in late, finishing all the minutes of reading, underlining and capitalizing titles and including authors, filling in genre and dates etc... You should set goals regarding these basics in this entry dated 12/5

12/4

Today you turned in all drafts and work done toward your final paper.  The stapling order is on the previous post. Writer's notebooks were used as place to reflect on what you learned about yourselves and about the processor writing an essay over this last few weeks.  We did this by dating a new entry and reflecting in writing being sure to respond to the following ideas:
What I learned:

• about writing an essay including the mechanics of it, the process  and the structure.
• about myself as a writer including where I do my best work, what my strengths are, what my weaknesses are and what I need to be sure not to forget to do next time.

We then spent time adding self editing notes to the back of our notebooks so we can begin to hold ourselves accountable for writing with better mechanics.

HW: Read/log/post it.  Be sure to have reading log and reader's notebooks with you in class tomorrow.

Responsibilities for those absent today:

1. Show me your reader's notebook so I can check long writes
2. Assemble all work including final draft and turn that in to me
3. open your writer's notebook and complete the entry described above
4. review your drafts and note editing and usage issues you have noticed through the drafting process use the last section of your writer's notebook to record this.

12/3

Welcome December!  Today we spent time looking at each other's typewritten draft # 3. We rotated around the room and looked specifically at the elements on this worksheet. I also collected reading logs and distributed new ones.
HW: Finalize essay and bring all drafts including this 4th and final one to class with you tomorrow.  You will turn in everything from the first worksheet to the peer editing suggestions for drafts 2 and 3 to all 4 drafts.  Points are assigned for all pieces.  4 drafts are required and all steps expected to be completed before a final draft will be accepted.

Order from top to bottom:

1. Final Draft
2. Rd # 3
3. peer editing sheet (blue)
4. Rd # 2
5. Peer editing sheet for Rd #2
6. RD #1 with all the pretty highlights
7. Worksheet 

Responsibilities if you were absent:

•      Turn in reading log 11/26-12/3 (150 minutes)
•      get new log 12/3-12/10  (150 minutes)
•      Print out worksheet from this page or see me for one and have someone go through your essay and complete the editing so you can edit your paper.

11/30

We typed all period. I would encourage you to check your pink sheets against this draft to be sure you have followed directions.  HW: Complete typing and read 150 minutes and log your time.

11/29

Today we are peer editing RD # 2 using the peer editing sheet here.
Friday we will spend the day typing and revising as we type.
Monday we will check for grammatical errors.  The final typewritten draft and all work leading up to that draft will be due on Tuesday.  Tuesday will be the last day of Writer's workshop for a few weeks as we will switch back to reader's workshop on Wednesday--our foci will be on non-fiction.

HW: Read/log/post it  Longwrite explain your post it.

11/28

Sorry I had to be out today.  I hope you found the conclusions handout helpful and that the whole period to write your rough draft #2 was a productive one. We will look at conclusions tomorrow and then move into the final draft!
HW:Read/log/post it

11/27

Tuesday 11/27

Please take out your rough draft and take the next 5-7 minutes reviewing the suggestions made by your peer.  Also use this time to be sure you are able to find all those items from the checklist you searched for in your peer’s paper in your own paper.

Complete the following prompt in your writer’s notebook in the “My Work” section.

Reflections on suggestions:

After yesterday’s class filled with suggestions I think I have to work on making the following revisions to my essay in order to make it meet the qualifications more successfully.

Mini lesson quotes

HW: Read/log/post-it

11/26

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving vacation. We are going to finish up this essay this week. Here is today's agenda:

Monday 11/26

• Please be sure your log has the correct dates on it  11/19—11/26—I will collect

• Please take out your rough draft

We will work with partners to make sure you have organized and included the right information in your body paragraphs. If you are only partially done, you will need to work with what you have and then stay with me period ten to finish the rest of your rough draft—I will keep a list

• partner work

HW: Read/log/post it—new longwrite where you explain how the author created a reaction you had or how s/he led you to predict what you are predicting.

11/19

Happy Thanksgiving. Your homework for over break is to be sure you have completed 150 minutes of reading over the week.  If you were not in class on Monday for any reason including not having class, you will need to turn in a log that indicates 300 minutes of reading on Monday, Nov 26.
Enjoy the break.

11/16

Friday 11/16

ROUGH DRAFT WORKDAY

USE YOUR WORKSHEET TO WRITE YOUR ROUGH DRAFT—IT IS DUE BY THE END OF THE PERIOD SO GET TO WORK!

TRANSITION

TRANSITION

TRANSITION

HW: Logs collected Monday for per 3 (150 min) another 150 due on Monday when we get back.
Periods 8 and 9 300 minutes collected on Monday after break.

11/15

Thursday 11/15

Welcome.  Pease take out the worksheet “Prewriting Character Analysis”.  I will show you one example then you will complete this on your own.  Once this is done and I have looked at it, you should begin your first rough draft of the essay where you bring everything together.  Use the essay I gave you yesterday as an example.

Rough draft work

USE TRANSITIONS!!! 

HW: Read/log/post it

150 minutes due Monday (period 3)

300 minutes due Monday after Thanksgiving (periods 8.9)

Example:

Adjective: Trusting  (how I describe my character)

Example—she turns back on him when purse is there

Brings him home with her  (an example of when this is shown)

Quote: “She did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch the purse she left behind on the daybed”  p 79  (a quote from the book that shows the character trait)

Explanation: This act of leaving her purse there was pretty risky but she needs to convey to Roger that she trusts he will make the right choice.  It works because he doesn’t take it and run, instead we get the real sense that he respects her more for it, which goes to show if we treat others well, they will often treat us better…(this is where you explain the quote and how it shows your lesson)

11/14

Wednesday 11/14

Turn in PS GRADE—IN LARGE LETTERS WRITE YOU NAME ON TOP

Welcome.  Please take out worksheet “Character Analysis Prewriting” and begin filling it out based on Nightjohn and all of the work you have done thinking about character in your writer’s notebooks.

Sample Essay—ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

HW: Read/log/post it—long write based on post it (READERS NOTEBOOK)