October 28-November 14
We have been busy for the last few weeks. We completed a maintenance test for the Test Taking Strategy we learned in September. We discussed how much we remember and focused on where we can improve when using this strategy. We also wrote our own myths about the sun, trees, cats, language, and a high school. We also read "La Relacion" and learned how the Spanish fared on their trip to America with the weather and interactions with the Natives. In addition, we started "Of Plymouth Plantation" and began to consider the account of the Pilgrims coming to America. If you can believe it, the class also visited two colleges and worked on the iEARN project, collecting favorite weird NJ stories or collecting a list of "must see" attractions in NJ.
October 7-24
We completed our character analysis paper using Noodletools. We then discussed Native American Mythology and read two creation myths that detailed the beginning of the world and the origin of humans. We created chronological time lines for these myths to see how their creation stories differ from ours. We will be writing our own myths on a natural occurrence next week.
September 29-October 6
We completed our work on the Test Taking Strategy. We will now practice using this strategy on tests in not only literature, but in other classes as well. We also reviewed short story structure, active reading strategies, and completed our first short story, The Life You Save May Be Your Own by Flannery O'Connor. In the next few weeks, we will use Noodletools.com to complete a character analysis paper based on the story.
September 8-26
Upon completion of our presentations, (which were wonderful and entertaining), we began work on our first strategy of the year, the Test Taking Strategy. The class completed their pretest and received instruction in the strategy. After modeling the strategy, the class took their first practice exercise using the steps they learned. We also considered the first lecture in Tim McGhee's Star Student Lecture Series. We found out that learning requires us to connect new information to what we already know. We will be using this approach throughout the year to make sure we are all learning as much as we can.
Welcome Back to your First Assignment!
I know you all worked very had this summer reading your two, (or more), novels. As we saw from the 32-Second Macbeth example and the Reduced Shakespeare Company's Macbeth, it is possible to take a large novel and turn it into a simple presentation. Your job is to take your summer reading novel and turn it into a manageable, and entertaining, presentation for the class. Use the sheet you were given in class as a reference for what information you need to include. Be as creative as you want with this. Write a poem, a song, a paragraph, a dialogue, make a video, create a storyboard, role play your story in your video games and show us the results. The possibilities are endless, but see me if you get stuck or overwhelmed.
