Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, June 12th - Friday, June 13th
Today, the 12th, your memoirs are due. I expect to have everyone's paper this morning. The rest of the class period will be devoted to reading your second novel. Tomorrow, as well, you will have the class period to read your novel because you will need to be finished by the following Monday. I hope everyone has enjoyed the lesson plan. Congratulations on finishing the unit plan!
Wednesday, June 11th
I checked out everyone's memoirs, and I have to say that I was very impressed. As a basis for other students, I will share a few that I think show progress and hard work. All of them are anonymous.
Example #1) The first time I saw him I got this feeling that was different from anything I ever felt. Although I was standing almost thirty feet from him, I'm sure he could see my hands trembling and hear my heart pounding. As I watched him stand at the back of the church with his family, I wondered what this new emotion could be. I took note of his clothes, his face, th way he walked, and I realized maybe this was love. I told my mom and she said I was too young, but for the last three years these feelings haven't subsided. Every time I see him, only once a week for a mere hour, the feelings start over and I wonder when will I be able to talk to him at least for a minute?
Example #2) Gazing down at the empty counter, I could feel extreme boredum settling in. A small line started to form in front of my register, so I had no choice but to help ring the customer up. Working at CVS has really put a damper on my mood, but I continued to work through my misery; four more hours left. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a cute guy with gorgeous red hair walk through the massive doors, and I couldn't help but stare.
Example #3) I looked back to where I used to live; my home, my life, was about to be left behind. I smiled gently letting out a heavy breath of relief, turned around, and got into my car. It was time to go; for good.
All of these examples are touching, provide details, and follow the basic rules of a memoir. I suggest looking at other students' as well and seeing if your memoir is "up to par." Along with this, Wednesdays will be BLOG DAYS. Today, you will be blogging about how far along you are with your memoir and your reading. Remember, add some extras as well!
Example #1) The first time I saw him I got this feeling that was different from anything I ever felt. Although I was standing almost thirty feet from him, I'm sure he could see my hands trembling and hear my heart pounding. As I watched him stand at the back of the church with his family, I wondered what this new emotion could be. I took note of his clothes, his face, th way he walked, and I realized maybe this was love. I told my mom and she said I was too young, but for the last three years these feelings haven't subsided. Every time I see him, only once a week for a mere hour, the feelings start over and I wonder when will I be able to talk to him at least for a minute?
Example #2) Gazing down at the empty counter, I could feel extreme boredum settling in. A small line started to form in front of my register, so I had no choice but to help ring the customer up. Working at CVS has really put a damper on my mood, but I continued to work through my misery; four more hours left. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a cute guy with gorgeous red hair walk through the massive doors, and I couldn't help but stare.
Example #3) I looked back to where I used to live; my home, my life, was about to be left behind. I smiled gently letting out a heavy breath of relief, turned around, and got into my car. It was time to go; for good.
All of these examples are touching, provide details, and follow the basic rules of a memoir. I suggest looking at other students' as well and seeing if your memoir is "up to par." Along with this, Wednesdays will be BLOG DAYS. Today, you will be blogging about how far along you are with your memoir and your reading. Remember, add some extras as well!
Monday, June 9th - Tueday, June 10th
Welcome back! Today students will be adding a small part of their memoirs to their blogs. This way, other students will be able to read over their peers' work and make comments on them. Having another pair of eyes always helps, especially when it is a rough draft. When everyone is done with their post, you will be given the rest of the period to continue reading your second novel.
Tomorrow, we will be creating "blog buddies," a concept that will help all students see other students work and progress. You will be able to choose your partner. Everyone is required to put a link on their blog for their blog partner. Every week, you will be looking at your partner's blog and leaving them a comment. This comment should include constructive criticism for your partner on their blog.
Tomorrow, we will be creating "blog buddies," a concept that will help all students see other students work and progress. You will be able to choose your partner. Everyone is required to put a link on their blog for their blog partner. Every week, you will be looking at your partner's blog and leaving them a comment. This comment should include constructive criticism for your partner on their blog.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wednesday, June 3rd - Friday, June 6th
Students will spend today starting their second novels. They will be given the day to read in class.
Tomorrow, we will be starting our lesson on memoirs. Since Nicholas Sparks incorporates a lot of his personal life and memories into his novels, we will be learning how to write a memoir. Each student will be required to write a 2-3 page memoir about an event in his or her life that deeply impacted him or her. This paper will be out of 75 pts and will be due a week from now on Thursday, June 12th. The rubric will be as follows:
1) Varied sentence structure and effective writing style _____/25 pts.
2) Follows the basic layout of a memoir ______/25 pts
3) Paper is handed in on time and clearly shows effort ____/25 pts.
Use the websites below to learn about memoirs and how to write them:
http://inkspell.homestead.com/memoir.html
http://www.theamericanscholar.org/archives/sp06/howtowriteamemior-zinsser.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Write-A-Memoir&id=764081
Friday we will continue working on our memoirs in class...and have a great weekend!
Tomorrow, we will be starting our lesson on memoirs. Since Nicholas Sparks incorporates a lot of his personal life and memories into his novels, we will be learning how to write a memoir. Each student will be required to write a 2-3 page memoir about an event in his or her life that deeply impacted him or her. This paper will be out of 75 pts and will be due a week from now on Thursday, June 12th. The rubric will be as follows:
1) Varied sentence structure and effective writing style _____/25 pts.
2) Follows the basic layout of a memoir ______/25 pts
3) Paper is handed in on time and clearly shows effort ____/25 pts.
Use the websites below to learn about memoirs and how to write them:
http://inkspell.homestead.com/memoir.html
http://www.theamericanscholar.org/archives/sp06/howtowriteamemior-zinsser.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Write-A-Memoir&id=764081
Friday we will continue working on our memoirs in class...and have a great weekend!
Monday, June 2nd - Tuesday, June 3rd
Today we will be starting something new called a socratic seminar. As a class, we will be discussing our novels and our opinions on them. I will be providing questions below that will be discussed during the socratic seminar. Each and every student is required to respond to at least 5 of the questions in order to receive the full 20 points of participation for the seminar. Half of the class will go today, while the other half will participate on Tuesday.
Questions for Socratic Seminar (June 2nd):
1) Which novel did you choose to read?
2) Is there a specific reason why you chose this one in particular?
3) Did you enjoy reading it?
4) What do you think of Nicholas Sparks as an author?
5) Would you choose to read one of his novels on your own free time? Why or why not?
6) Do you like the genre that Sparks writes? Explain.
7) Did you think the novel was exciting? Why or why not?
8) What is your overall opinion on the novel?
Questions for Socratic Seminar (June 3rd):
1) Which novel did you choose to read?
2) Did you look at book reviews before you chose it?
3) What do you think of Nicholas Sparks as an author?
4) What would you have changed in your novel? Was there any part you particularly enjoyed or did not enjoy?
5) Based on the reactions of your peers, would you have chose a different first novel?
6) Are you looking forward to reading your second novel by Sparks?
7) If you could pick any novel written by any author, what would it be? And why?
8) Did you enjoy the writing style of Nicholas Sparks?
Questions for Socratic Seminar (June 2nd):
1) Which novel did you choose to read?
2) Is there a specific reason why you chose this one in particular?
3) Did you enjoy reading it?
4) What do you think of Nicholas Sparks as an author?
5) Would you choose to read one of his novels on your own free time? Why or why not?
6) Do you like the genre that Sparks writes? Explain.
7) Did you think the novel was exciting? Why or why not?
8) What is your overall opinion on the novel?
Questions for Socratic Seminar (June 3rd):
1) Which novel did you choose to read?
2) Did you look at book reviews before you chose it?
3) What do you think of Nicholas Sparks as an author?
4) What would you have changed in your novel? Was there any part you particularly enjoyed or did not enjoy?
5) Based on the reactions of your peers, would you have chose a different first novel?
6) Are you looking forward to reading your second novel by Sparks?
7) If you could pick any novel written by any author, what would it be? And why?
8) Did you enjoy the writing style of Nicholas Sparks?
Friday, May 30th
It's finally Friday! And...our papers are due today. All students are required to hand in their papers at the beginning of the period to me. Every day it is late, the grade will go down one letter grade. Today we will be taking it easy and will be researching which book to read second. Although you may have done this already, it will give you the opportunity to change the novel you were planning to read. I suggest looking up book reviews for The Choice, Message in A Bottle, and Nights in Rodanthe. This way, you can see others opinions on the novels. Even though you may not agree with them, you will still get an idea of what the novel is about. Find a book that interests you.
Enjoy the weekend!
Enjoy the weekend!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Thursday, May 29th
Today, I want students to start off the class period by logging into their blogger account and checking out all of the tools it provides its users. Students will be required to add two "extras" to their page, such as pictures, polls, questionaires, etc. I also want students to create their first real post. This post should include how well the student likes blogger, as well as what he or she is working on and how they are managing their time. I want this post to detail what your research paper is about so I have an idea of what all students are writing about. This should only take about 15/20 minutes.
The rest of the class period, students can work on their research paper. I expect all students to have their paper ready to be handed in in the beginning of the class tomorrow, Friday the 30th. Good luck everyone!
The rest of the class period, students can work on their research paper. I expect all students to have their paper ready to be handed in in the beginning of the class tomorrow, Friday the 30th. Good luck everyone!
Wednesday, May 28th
Today we will be working with something new and are going to take a little break with our papers, at least for the first half of the period. Everyone has been reading the unit plan on the blog that I have created, so I thought it would be a good idea to have all of the students create one as well. We will all be creating them in class together, but if you get lost, follow these simple instructions:
1) Go to www.blogger.com
2) Click the orange arrow that says CREATE YOUR BLOG NOW
3) Then, you will have to create a google account using an email address and password. Remember, keep these simple so you don't forget them!
4) Then, you will choose a name for your blog, as well as the URL for the website that you will be creating.
5) Once you have finished that, you will pick a template, or background for your blog, and then you're done!
Since today is your first day using blogger, students will experiment with the website and see how everything functions. Students will create their first post, but it does not have to be detailed at all. It should include the student's opinion of the website and if he or she thinks it will be a useful tool for this unit plan.
If students have extra time in the class period left, they may read their novels or work on their research papers.
1) Go to www.blogger.com
2) Click the orange arrow that says CREATE YOUR BLOG NOW
3) Then, you will have to create a google account using an email address and password. Remember, keep these simple so you don't forget them!
4) Then, you will choose a name for your blog, as well as the URL for the website that you will be creating.
5) Once you have finished that, you will pick a template, or background for your blog, and then you're done!
Since today is your first day using blogger, students will experiment with the website and see how everything functions. Students will create their first post, but it does not have to be detailed at all. It should include the student's opinion of the website and if he or she thinks it will be a useful tool for this unit plan.
If students have extra time in the class period left, they may read their novels or work on their research papers.
Monday, May 26th - Tuesday, May 27th
Welcome back, students! I hope everyone had a great weekend. To start the week off, students will all be meeting in the media center today to get their papers looked over by the writing center. This is one of the requirements for the paper and students must have at least their introduction and first body paragraph completed by today. To ensure that all students have the chance to get their work edited, we will also be going to the media center tomorrow, the 27th, as well. If a student's paper has been looked over already, he or she will be required to continue working on the paper. Remember, the final drafts are due this Friday!
I am also here if anyone wants an extra set of eyes to read over their paper. It can't hurt!
I am also here if anyone wants an extra set of eyes to read over their paper. It can't hurt!
Wednesday, May 21st - Friday, May 23rd
Today, Wednesday the 21st, we will be starting our research paper. Students will be required to write a three to five page research paper on one aspect of Sparks' life, writing style, literature, etc. This paper will be due on Friday, May 30th for all students. The paper will be double spaced in 12 pt font and must be supported with a variety of published sources.
Rubric for research paper---> due by May 30th or earlier :) out of 100 points
1) Student uses varied sentence structure and mature vocabulary to make his or her point and prove thesis. _____/25 pts.
2) Student backs up all information with solely published sources, yet still incorporating his or her opinion in the paper. These sources must be checked by the teacher to make sure they are okay. _____/25 pts.
3) Student meets all requirements for the paper, including length, quality, and sources. _______/25 pts.
4) Student goes to the writing center to get paper looked over & included a sources cited page. _____/25 pts.
Tomorrow and Friday, students will have the class periods to work on their research papers. I hope students will be using the time in class to look up quality sources that will support their papers, especially using the databases that our school is enabled to use (Proquest, Contemporary Authors, EBSCO, etc). These databases are not only helpful and contain useful information, but they are all primary sources.
Over the weekend, students will continue to read their novels.
Rubric for research paper---> due by May 30th or earlier :) out of 100 points
1) Student uses varied sentence structure and mature vocabulary to make his or her point and prove thesis. _____/25 pts.
2) Student backs up all information with solely published sources, yet still incorporating his or her opinion in the paper. These sources must be checked by the teacher to make sure they are okay. _____/25 pts.
3) Student meets all requirements for the paper, including length, quality, and sources. _______/25 pts.
4) Student goes to the writing center to get paper looked over & included a sources cited page. _____/25 pts.
Tomorrow and Friday, students will have the class periods to work on their research papers. I hope students will be using the time in class to look up quality sources that will support their papers, especially using the databases that our school is enabled to use (Proquest, Contemporary Authors, EBSCO, etc). These databases are not only helpful and contain useful information, but they are all primary sources.
Over the weekend, students will continue to read their novels.
Tuesday, May 20th
All students were required to research and choose two novels written by Nicholas Sparks. Today, students will be getting the day in class to start their first novel. Since this unit plan is going to span over about a month, students will be given time in class to read their novels, but they will also be required to read some at home. Enjoy your novels because they are truly amazing!
Friday, May 16, 2008
The First Day
Welcome, students! Today, Monday, May 19th, we will be starting our new lesson plan on Nicholas Sparks, one of the greatest contemporary authors today. We will begin class with a discussion of what makes an author a "quality writer" and talk about the characteristics a writer has to include in his or her work to make it entertaining and a good read. Then, students will be required to research a little about the life of Nicholas Sparks, as well as his novels. We will have three novels to choose from, but students will only be required to read two. Of course, if you feel like you want to indluge in a third one, go right ahead! The three novels I have chosen are Message in a Bottle, Nights in Rodanthe, and The Choice. All three of these are excellent stories with outstanding plotlines, so I'm sure no matter which novels you choose, you will enjoy them. When you have done a little research and have decided which novel you want to read first, I want students to write a small paragraph (about 6-8 sentences) explaining why you chose it and why you feel as if it is an interesting read.
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