We're English 10 Nerds and Loving It: January 13, 2014

Focus: Which parts of your life might be worth writing about?

Sharing your weirdest poem ever? Any takers?

1. Telling stories about your object (small groups); writing about your object using 25 prompts

2. Overviewing the purpose and details of the memoir unit

3. Writing your random autobiography: Click HERE for ideas on how to start and examples.

4. Sharing your writing on a voluntary basis

HW:
1. Finish your random autobiography if you did not finish in class.  Pick any 3-5 lines from your random autobiography and publish them on today's blog. They can be consecutive lines or separate lines.

2. Reread the overview of the memoir unit and highlight any parts of your random autobiography and your object writing (in other words, any of the writing you did today in class) that might work for this assignment.  In other words, which moments described in your poem might be developed into a longer writing about a moment of change?

3. Signed class policies due tomorrow at the beginning of class.

We're English 10 Nerds and Loving It: January 10, 2014

Shortened class today

Focus: What are we up to second semester?

1. Welcoming you back and moving forward

2. Overviewing the syllabus and class policies for second semester

3. Exploring the memoir unit and trying out our first prompt: Telling Lies

P.S. If you have your school copy of A Long Way Gone, please turn it in today (de-sticky noted).

HW:
1. On Monday, bring in an object of particular meaning from your childhood.
2. Signed class policies are due on Tuesday.
3. Monday is the last day to turn in A Long Way Gone before I issue fines. Please take out your sticky notes prior to turning it in.

We're English 10 Nerds and Loving It: January 8, 2014

Focus: Do you remember that school is a fun, safe place?

1. Optional:  Finishing your stories...and the rest of the letter is up to you.  If' you'd like a grade, please take some time with it and indicate at the very top that you are doing this for a grade.

2. Enjoying school, Sam-style

HW:
1. Take care of yourself.
2. E-mail me if there's anything strange about your grades.
3. Turn in your school copy of A Long Way Gone (de-annotated).

We're English 10 Nerds and Loving It: January 7, 2014

Focus: So what happens now?

From our Fall 2013 Class Policies:

What is the purpose of English 10?

In this class we read, write, and expand our ways of thinking.  We ask good questions.  We write and write, and then we write some more.  We examine heroism and villainy in the world around us, and we explore our own heroic journeys (yes—we get to be heroes, too).

1. Welcoming you back and explaining what's going to happen in English 10 this week

• You are NOT expected to complete or present your projects on cultures of violence.

• You will be given full credit for all preparation work completed before December 13th; this will be a 100% in the Mastery category. This is half of the green rubric given out during the last week of class.

• During the finals periods Wednesday and Thursday, you will be asked to compose a letter about healing (details will be given out at the end of class) and to share at least part of it. This will form the other half of your final exam grade and will be entered in the Mastery category.

• You are expected to be here for both the MWF final and the TR final; in other words, you will come to class both Wednesday and Thursday.

• Friday will be the first day of second semester.

2. Collecting your contact information:

1st Hour: Please click HERE.

3rd Hour: Please click HERE.

6th Hour: Please click HERE.

3. Sharing my letter with you and inviting you to compose your own

Some thoughts...

• Tell your story.
• What are some of the things that you're having to deal with right now?
• What is it going to take for you personally to heal from this? What about your friends? Our school as a whole?
• What will you have to let go of?
• What will you have to hold onto?
• Can you make any connections to the healing aspect of your project on a culture of violence?

HW:
1. Take care of yourself and each other.
2. Check over your grades and e-mail me ASAP if anything looks weird.
3. Bring your A Long Way Gone books to class tomorrow to turn in.

December 13, 2013: What's Happening in English

Focus: What do we need to do make our presentations excellent?

1. Warm-up: Taking a survey to help out one of our groups

2. Taking a moment to think about...

a. Your originality
b. Your Works Cited page: Try out easybib.com!
c. The rubric

3. Working, working, working on your final projects (due first thing on Monday)

4. Establishing the presentation order

HW:
Presentations start first thing Monday. Technological glitches will NOT be accepted as an excuse for not being ready, nor will absences.  Be present.  Be ready.

December 12, 2013: What's Happening in English 10?

Focus: What can we actually do to counteract a culture of violence?

1. Warm-up: So what are you actually going to do about it?

3. Do something to counteract this violence, to help the healing, to be part of the solution.  Consider what you learn about this healing process through A Long Way Gone.  

Presentations should be 5-10 minutes in duration.

2. Working, working, working on your projects

3. Returning vocabulary quizzes and tests

HW:
Projects are due Monday.  I strongly suggest allowing yourself some time tomorrow and over the weekend to practice, practice, practice, and practice some more.  Preparation leads to confidence.

December 11, 2013: What's Happening in English 10?

Focus: How can we organize our presentation in a compelling way?

1. Warm-up: Thinking about how we use digital media in a presentation

Critique the following aspects of my presentations:

• How I open
• My use of digital media
• My professionalism and preparation
• My delivery (voice, eye contact, posture, etc.)

Presentation A

Presentation B

2. Working on the research and digital media aspects of your presentation

3. Taking on the most daunting challenge: What are you actually going to do to counteract this violence?

HW:
Decide what you need to do with your project tonight to stay on task and finish on time.