Thursday, 1/29 & Friday, 1/30

Pre--
Complete TKAMB 8-12 Quiz.
When you finish, work on gathering evidence and revising your thesis on the essay brainstorming worksheet.

Lesson--
Why do we write essays well?

"As a novelist, the major part of my task is to make everything, even an ultimate concern [like religion or Christianity], as solid, as concrete, as specific as possible. The novelist begins his work where human knowledge begins--with the senses; he works through the limitations of matter, and unless he is writing fantasy, he has to stay within the concrete possibilities of his culture."

We are writing analysis, not fiction--but even so, as creatures of God it is our duty to be highly attentive to the real, to the fine details of the work before us. So--only create arguments that are actually based in the evidence in front of you (the work)

Essay Phase 2: Outlining (find template for outlining on Focus, Google Folder, or opt for physical version).

Be sure your thesis is revised in light of your evidence, and begin working through each phase of the outline. When you finish, you are ready to start your rough draft, and may do so in a new Pages document.


Post--
If you finish, you may read your Q3 Reading book.

HW--
Finish your Rough Draft--submit to turnitin.com by Monday at 8 AM. Make sure it is double-spaced, but do not include a header, so that our Peer Editing will be anonymous.

Read your Q3 book.

Wednesday, 1/28

Pre--
Q3 Reading Check--be ready to tell a partner what your plan is.
Pull up TKAMB Chapter 11

Lesson--
Review your thesis.
Look for evidence you could gather from Chapter 11; read together

Post--
Finish Chapters 11 & 12, and complete one entry for both.
If you finish, revisit your thesis & work on compiling evidence

HW--
Finish Ch. 11 & 12; (need 3 entries total for 8-12)
Compile evidence; be prepared to start on an essay rough draft on block day.

Tuesday, 1/27

Pre--
Pull out Notebook and pull up assignment below.
Journaling Assignment: Scapegoats & To Kill A Mockingbird
Journal a solid 1-1&1/2 pages

Lesson--
When you finish journaling, begin reading and annotating TKAMB Chapter 9-10.
Continue to take good notes to prepare you for entries & essay evidence. 

Post--
Read TKAMB 9-10 & complete one entry for both.
You may find that the new evidence you gather requires you to revise the original claims in your thesis. Do so now if you have time.

HW--
Finish TKAMB 9-10 + 1 entry for both
Read Q3 reading book/be ready to show me your reading plan tomorrow

Monday, 1/26

This week's prayer:

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth thy right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Habakkuk 1

Pre--
Pull up Lit Analysis Essay 1 Brainstorming--thesis & evidence
During this time, show me your thesis, and begin to gather evidence from what we have already read--copy down quotes (on your planning guide) that could be developed as evidence for your thesis.

Lesson--
Read TKAMB Chapter 8. Consider:
-How Harper Lee develops characters with racism/prejudice
-The various struggles that the Finches have to undergo
-How Scout and/or Jem are developing or not developing empathy.

Take good notes so you are prepared for your entry, and so you can find solid evidence for your thesis.

5 minutes: read aloud
10-15 minutes: partner reading

Post--
Silently read Chapter 8 & develop entry; also consider gathering possible evidence for essay

HW--
TKAMB Chapter 8 + Entry

Thursday, 1/22 & Friday, 1/23

Pre--
Q3 Reading--Pull up book, or search for a copy of the book now.
Review the Q3 Independent Reading Assignment under "Major Assignments"
Discuss:
   What should you do while reading to prepare for the "proposal?"
   What do you need to do to manage this assignment independently?

Lesson--
Read To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 7

Example of Quality Literary Analysis

Begin brainstorming/rough draft for Lit Analysis Essay 1
Download the Essay Assignment from Focus or Google Drive

Post--
Work on Literary Analysis Essay 1
Quiz Make-Ups

HW--
Finish entries for Chapters 5-7
Create a reading plan for your Q3 book to be finished a week prior to March 5th/6th
Finish Tentative Thesis

Wednesday, 1/21

Today, be diligent and respectful in my absence. By tomorrow, I expect you to have TKAMB Chapters 5-6, and an entry for each (2 total) completed.

Use this class time diligently.

If you finish, here is a fun poem about a strange substitute teacher; I'm sure your experience will be a bit less odd.

HW--
Read Chapter 6, complete an entry per Chapter.
Purchase the book you have chosen for the Q3 Independent Reading Assignment (see Focus for the book list)

Tuesday, 1/20

Pre--
Prepare for and take Punctuation Quiz. When you finish Quiz, work through all items below.

Lesson--
Q3 Journal 1

Why is Martin Luther King Jr. important in American history? Do his ideals still apply today? Why or why not? How might his ideals apply to To Kill a Mockingbird? Why?

Martin Luther King Day Article: Read

PBS page for MLK Jr.: Read

If you finish...

Q3 Reading Assignment:
Download Book List from Focus or Google Folder.
Review Assignment under "Major Assignments" tab.

If you finish reading the Q3 Reading Assignment & Book List, continue below--

Post--
Begin reading Chapter 5; Read Chapter 5-7, with an entry for each, by Block Day

HW--
Finish Chapter 5

Thursday 1/15 & Friday 1/16

Pre--
TKAMB 1-4 Quiz/Assessment
You may use your entries, but nothing else. I am watching.

Lesson--
Punctuation Lesson & Practice: Download the document "Punctuation" from Focus, or our google folder.
Notes here.

TKAMB Notes:
Entailment in the American South (The Finches, Cunninghams, and others)
Racism after the Civil War (Tom Robinson)
A solidified class system sprung upon a supposed democracy after the Great Depression
Coming of age in this context (Scout)
Justice: Respecting authority while working for change (Atticus)

If justice starts in the human heart, what characters exemplify justice? What characters exemplify injustice?

Post--
TKAMB Ch. 5-6 - Develop one entry for each chapter.

HW--
Complete Punctuation Assignment; Practice using Grammar Bytes. Quiz on Monday.

Wednesday, 1/14

Pre--
Pull up To Kill a Mockingbird

Lesson--
Read TKAMB Ch. 3-4
Read in groups of 2-3. Move quickly. I will assign groups. Practice annotation--ask each other what strategies are being used.
Develop a single entry for Chapters 3-4 when you finish.

Post--
Read & develop a single entry for Chapters 3-4.

HW--
Finish Chapters 3-4 & entry; Quiz on TKAMB Ch. 3-4 on Block Day. You may use whatever entries you have developed.

Tuesday 1/13

Pre--
Review the major plot & characters of Chapter 1. Share entries.
Share strategies for: vocab, character, theme.
Make sure the following are in your Reading/Literary Devices notes:

• Vocabulary identification: consider the context, analyze the word's construction
• Theme: a pattern of ideas, philosophies, tensions, questions, or lessons developed by an author
• Character: the personality and general make-up of people in stories.
• Protagonist: main character
• Antagonistic: a character who opposes the main character(s)
• Narrator: the character telling the story
• Point-of-view: the vantage point (first, second, or third) from which a story is told.
• Direct characterization: the author's explicit description of a characters' personality, appearance, or action
• Indirect characterization: the author's implicit development of character through action, dialogue, description, or other subtle details.

Lesson--

Read Chapter 2

Post--

Read silently and develop Entry #2. Click here for Entry instructions (find under Major Assignments-->To Kill a Mockinbrid)

HW--

Finish Ch. 2, make a Chapter 2 Entry.

Monday, 1/12

Pre--
Find groups of four with people who sit on different walls of the classroom than you (no one from your own row).
Share a summary of your current event research, and pose one of your questions to the group.
5 minutes to discuss--about one minute each.

Lesson--
Share how you expect the questions we discussed to relate to the novel.

Our goal is to analyze how Harper Lee uses characters, characterization, plot, images, symbols, and other things in order to develop one or several themes (recurring ideas, tensions, or lessons)

TKAMB Reading Entries: 

Create a new document in which to make "TKAMB Entries" organized by Chapter, with your name date and period at the top.

For each chapter, find:

-3 Vocab Words (circle)

-2 Observations about character (underline)

-1 observation about developing themes (*asterisk)

-A quote displaying an observation ([brackets])

Read TKAMB Chapter 1, practicing annotation style

Post--
Reading TKAMB Chapter 1 silently, and work on first entry. Homework is to finish. Continue to Chapter 2 if you finish.

HW--
Finish TKAMB Ch. 1 and first entry (see below)

Create a new document in which to make "TKAMB Entries" organized by Chapter, with your name date and period at the top.

For each chapter, find:

-3 Vocab Words

-2 Observations about character

-1 observation about developing themes

-A quote displaying an observation

Thursday, 1/8 & Friday, 1/9

Pre--
Pull up your analysis assignment (3 questions)

Lesson--
Share & discuss in groups of three: with classmates wearing relatively the same color shirt (by the time the bell rings).

Give each other feedback on writing--simply type at the bottom a strength of their analysis (in general) and a weakness of their analysis, and suggestions for improvement.

Remember, good analysis:
1) Is focused on what the author is doing
2) Has a claim sufficiently proven by the evidence
3) Uses quotes appropriately
(NOT TO MENTION CORRECT GRAMMAR!)

Discuss Rainsford & Zaroff's motivation, and the author's intention regarding "the human heart.

Watch this video to introduce the TIME of Harper Lee's writing

Introduce TKAMB--take notes as I present. The presentation will be available on Focus and HERE.

Post--
Following instructions on the final slide in order to complete the "Current Event Research Assignment." Turned in through Google Classroom by Monday at 8 AM.

If time, begin reading To Kill a Mockingbird silently.

HW--
Begin reading Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Wednesday, 11/7

Pre--
Pull out a piece of paper and pen/pencil--a half-sheet will be sufficient.
Prepare for 5-question quiz on "The Most Dangerous Game."
Reminder--if you did not submit your Grace Reflection to Google Classroom by 11:59 last night, it is late.

Lesson--
We will be discussing and creating written responses to the following questions:

1. What motivates General Zaroff? (use at least one quote)
2.  What motivates Rainsford? (use at least one quote)
3. What portrait of the human heart is Conell (the author) painting with these two characters? (use at least two quotes, and consider whether or not you think Zaroff's "heart" is different than Rainsford's "heart," or if they are the same).

Reminders about analysis (which should be in your notes!):

1. Focus on what the author is doing, in this case, how the author is developing characters. Seek to describe specific elements--like dialogue, plot, imagery, or figurative language--and how the author uses these things to portray the characters' motivation, or "the human heart."

2. When using quotes, weave the quote into the sentence using a signal phrase and by only quoting the necessary details, in a way that allows the sentence to flow smoothly.

"For example, General Zaroff is... "..."

Pull up "The Most Dangerous Game," and find a partner.
-What quotes could be used to develop a response to each question? Use this time to develop responses before writing.

Post--
Begin writing your responses on a separate document, numbered 1-3. Turn it in through Google Classroom.

HW--
Have a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird by Block Day.
Finish the 3 analysis questions and submit to Google Classroom

Tuesday, 1/6

Pre--
Go to Google Classroom.
Enter this code to join our class:
Period 1: 5bo1ci

Period 4: bbvdvi9

Lesson--
Pull up a blank document, and answer the following questions. Each question should be at least 2-3 sentences, be free of grammar errors, and include quality reflections.

1. What does grace mean?
2. Why is it important to show grace?
3. What did you do for your project-- give me step by step details!
4. Why did you choose that project?
5. How did the person feel?
6. How did you feel?
7. Do you think you can make it a practice to show grace again more often? Why or why not?  How might you try to show grace in the future?

Once you are done, submit it via Google Classroom. You may finish and submit it by 11:59 tonight.

Then, move on to the instructions below.


Post--
As we jump into this semester, we are going to do a simple exercise wherein we simply focus on getting to know the characters--just as good authors love their characters, good readers love the characters they read about by taking a deep interest in them.

Download "The Most Dangerous Game" from Focus or the Google Folder. As you read, consider and take notes on these questions:

1. What motivates General Zaroff?
2.  What motivates Rainsford?
3. What portrait of the human heart is Conell (the author) painting with these two characters?

In-class, we will complete and turn in written responses to these three questions.

HW--
Finish reading "The Most Dangerous Game;" there may be a quiz on it in class tomorrow. Time will be given in class to complete written responses of the three questions.

Dowload a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird

Monday, 1/5 - First Day of Semester 2!

Today we will:
1. Share stories (see below) - Grace Projects?
2. Introduce/review logistics
    -Blog format
    -iPad & desk
    -Academic expectations
3. Overview of Sem2 (see "Curriculum Overview" Tab)
4. Reflect on Reading, outside.
      You will need: Pencil/pen and paper. For 5 points, at the end of the time, you will turn in a short reflection about how you will build off of last semester in order to grow as a reader, considering Lewis' insights. Write well, free of grammar/syntax mistakes, and offer quality insights, for 5 points.

See bottom of today's blog for Homework.


Sharing Stories--
Welcome Back!
Stories--anything specific to share about your break? Highs? Lows?
Mr. Kirkendall's break in sum:

1)

2) 

3)

 

4) 

HW--

Obtain an e-text or text of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, by Block Day. Begin reading.

We will review the final on Block Day.