Texts:
In the Middle.  N. Atwell.
Illuminating Texts.  J. Burke.
Making the Journey: Being and Becoming a Teacher of English Language Arts.  L. Christenbury.
Teaching Grammar in Context.  C. Weaver.
Strategic Reading.  J. Wilhelm.

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01.20.03
 

Standards for the English Language Arts

 I enjoyed getting a brief overview of the standards for English before reading the next articles.  They are clear cut and to the point.  It's amazing how many of these standards can be accomplished as a whole.  The article points out that even though they are listed, they should be viewed as one.  After reading them I understood why this was so.  A few integrated projects or units could sweep up many of the standards listed here.

Weaving It All Together

 The point I made above is illustrated quite well in this article.  Van Horn points out quite specifically what standards her students accomplished, and more often than not they are the majority.  I believe she did this through showing how interested she was in what her students were interested in.  For example, when Max started to do research on how to survive in the wilderness, Van Horn jumped on the opportunity to help him learn even more, showing her own interest in the child's ambition.  She let her students decide what they wanted to learn about and integrated the standard recommend skills through this.  Because the children were working on something they wanted to, it was hardly realized that they were learning the standards.  Thematic units are growing in popularity in the school culture-and it's no wonder!  There is so much that they can lead to, the possibilities for learning can be endless.

Giving Grades

 "Wouldn't it be nice if we could value the evocative questions our kids are learning to ask and their varied responses to literature, rather than the teacher-pleased answers to our test questions?"  In answer to this question, I say "why can't we?"  Working in school and observing, I've noticed several ways teachers give their students points for areas other than written test scores or homework pages.  Behavior points, attitude points and participation points are seen often.  Some of the teachers even use weighted grades to way some of these categories heavier than the traditional!  If this is possible, it may be possible to come up with categories for using language freshly, developing attitude toward learning, and interest in reading as well, though this may be a challenge for the teacher to keep up with!  As for using language to find out what students value, it gets my vote, but there is a considerable challenge when it comes to using this completely in replace of grades.  As she mentions near the beginning, both students and their parents seem to depend greatly upon them.  Old habits die hard.  But I suggest we add new categories as mentioned above to create a letter grade that could be more fair to each individual student.

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01.27.03

Christenbury
Chapters 4, 7 & 8

 If there is anything I have experience with it is student apathy.  I work in the Special Education department where the like of school is practically non-existent.  This is not to say that some students do not like school, but unfortunately, most students do not.  It is challenging on a day-to-day basis to try and teach kids who do not like to learn.  Or, perhaps they do like to learn, but just not about the current subject matter.  A positive point on my behalf is that I understand what apathetic students are like.  I hope when I get into the general education setting there will be less indifference around me.
 I was pleased to read Christenbury's guidelines for "dealing with" alienated students.  I found it most helpful, and was even happier to read that I do many of her suggestions every day, especially making deals!
 Big bucks reminds me of a common token economy.  I can't help but ask myself if this is appropriate for students at the high school age.
 The author's take on teaching vocabulary is fabulous.  I plan to hopefully teach a novel I love to my future classes.  This particular book is loaded with interesting vocabulary words.  The plan is to teach them, or have them teach each other, a few of those intriguing vocabulary words per chapter, and then read the chapter so when the new words surface, the students already know them.  My dream would be to see them get excited that they know such a complicated word!  Perhaps an even better idea would be to use context clues (I could go on and on with ideas that keep coming to me, but I'll stop here!).
 Christenbury says that  grammar cannot effectively be taught if the students do not see it as something they need in real life.  I must ask the question, "how can I persuade my students to want to become better grammar users and writers?"
 I agree that students have their right to their "own language," but only to a certain extent.  Some of my student's daily "street" language includes four-letter words every other word.  Is it their right to speak this way in front of adults and possibly younger, more impressionable students?
 It is warned that the standard English teacher should not only know all the parts of speech, but know them extremely well.  I wish I could say I had all those terms memorized, but I do not.  I would love to learn them all to the point of total confidence, but in my busy life now where can I find time?  And when I become a full-time teacher, I expect to only get busier.  When it comes to my ability to teach English, this is the only weak-point I believe I have that makes me feel a little bit nervous.
 Everything Christenbury had to say about writing was ideal.  To me most of what was said "goes without saying."  My first year as a teacher I hope to be able to spend as much time as I can commenting on student papers and helping them.  I will mostly likely insinuate the idea of writing groups as well.
 I loved reading about the many various ideas for writing such as "Scars" and having the students research the day of their birth.  Such ideas help me to inspire my own.

Weaver
Chapters 5 & 6

 I have always been good at grammar (or should I say "usage").  Even when I was younger, when it came to where to put commas and subject-verb agreement, I always knew what was right.  It just sounded right to me.  Well, that's all fine and well, but I can't tell my students "Write what sounds correct!"  Therefore, this book has been a godsend to me.  Just as Christenbury commented, it is truly the teacher's dream.  I plan to reap several benefits from Weaver's genius.  She has already softened my worry about not knowing every part of speech.
 The author's view on constructivist learning theory was something I had the idea of, but no term for, since before attending graduate classes.  Perhaps I was fortunate enough to have many teachers to practiced constructivism (possibly without even knowing it.)  In my last class, the professor had us do a venn diagram focusing on the old, traditional ways of teaching and the new paradigm.  It was great to read about both perspectives straight from the heart of a langauge arts teacher.
 I love the Daily Oral Language program.  I wish I had the entire set of plans!

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02.03.03

The Study of Language for Adolescents:
A U.S. Historical Perspective

    Simmons writes, "The logic of oral language activity and student-centered language instruction became increasingly viable to scores of teacher educators, curriculum supervisors, and classroom teachers."  At first to this statement, I had to ask the question of how do we as teachers do this?  What are the best techniques?  The four tips provided on the next page of the article soon answered this question.  However, I still had other questions that were not answered.  How do we get our students to create a sense of caring toward things such as learning new grammar and vocabulary, and sometimes even literature?  When it comes to oral grammar, what exactly is the author referring to?  Am I suppose to correct a student if when speaking aloud uses "bad" grammar?  Of course this seems ridiculous, for I would constantly be harping on the students about how they talk.  And of course, they have a right to speak how they wish (within reason).
    Later in the article Simmons talks about middle schools and junior highs.  To me they have always been one in the same, yet somewhere along the line middle schools "replace" junior high schools.  What are the differences between the two establishments, if any?
    The first paragraph under the section "Literature and Students' Experience I found, quite bluntly, to be nutty.  However, I found myself smiling upon reading the next paragraph, I breathed a deep sigh of relief.  Of course the students are suppose to interpret a work for themselves!  To me, that seems like common sense.
    Finally, at the end of the article it states that the rest of the book helps Language Arts teachers make those basic and significant decisions about how to teach what they teach.  I want those chapters!
 

Teaching Vocabulary in the
Literature Classroom

    "That's right: learning words can improve comprehension."  I hate to say it, but that quote is so obvious it deserves to fall under the "well duuuh," category!
    Barton states that students should use newly learned vocabulary in their writing.  This is a fantastic (yet given) idea that I most defiantly plan on doing.  However, I was wondering if it is inappropriate or not to ask students to try and use these words in personal journals?  Is it good extra practice, or does it put a damper on what normally would be a chance for the students to write completely freely?
    I greatly appreciated reading about the steps in how to create a Concept-Related vocabulary lesson.  I plan to take advantage of this!
    Last semester, I did my lesson plan based around teaching vocabulary to middle school students.  There are many fun activities (such as the thermometer and tree) that can be included in this Concept-Related method.  The possibilities are endless!

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02.10.03

Christenbury
Chapters 5 & 9

 In Chapter Four, Christenbury says "...if your own education has left you deficient in some area, it is your responsibility as a teacher, as a professional, to make up that deficiency."   I agree completely.  However, as much as I would love to spend time studying everything possible to do with the Language Arts curriculum that I have less than adequate knowledge about, the time needed to do so evades me, and that worries me.  There are classes now to contend with, then student teaching, and even over the summer I am going to be taking middle school endorsement classes.  By the time these are completed, I will be driving into a new position and have to concentrate on students, lesson plans, meetings, and the other seemingly millions of responsibilities teachers must contend with every day.  Still, I hope to take some time here and there to brush up on "the basics."  Also, I plan to learn as I teach as well.  But will this be enough to truly become a professional in my content area?
 I am not sure where I stand on the idea of the "New Criticism".  It is true that the piece of literature should be treated as art, and the meaning of it should be derived from each individual student.  However, where it came from, who wrote it, the history, and like information is just as important.  When I student teach, I will be fortunate in the fact that when we discuss a piece of writing, the historical information etc. will already be taken care of.  This is because I will be working in a program called Freshman Studies, a three period block where English, Social Studies and Biology come together.  At the same time, I will still receive the experience of having to deal with all aspects of a piece of literature in two other English classes I will be teaching.
 This book is wonderful because it highlights actual examples from the classroom itself.  These have helped me put Christenbury's advice on a realistic perspective.
 In Chapter Nine, Christenbury tells of the importance of questions and how to go about maintaining a good class discussion.  It is very important to know when a conversation as gone too far off task, and how to end it and go on with the lesson.  On the other hand, it seems that letting students talk can lead to very in-depth discussions that they may learn from.  Every conversation will be different and every time a new one occurs it will be a learning experience for the teacher.  Thinking about my students engaged in a conversation that developed because of a piece of literature, making arguments, presenting points, just being "into" it, is one of the reasons teaching appeals to me so.  I will be there to guide my students to their own interpretations and dialogue by letting them lead, being flexible, and even letting risk play a role, as the author suggests.
 Reading about questions I will not want to ask was informative as well because Christenbury suggests ways to reword these questions (I must boast and say I did well on her Bad Questions Quiz - 90%!).  Her suggestions for behaviors are great, yet obvious.  All in all, the chapter was something I will find myself using as I grow as a teacher.

Burke
Chapter 1

 First off I must express that I know exactly what Burke means when he comments on the use of language we see as emoticons.  I chat online occasionally, and every time someone uses "ur" or "oic" or "ruok" it is enough to drive me crazy.  I believe that when people chat like this, even online, it makes them look ignorant.  Many students practice these emoticons all the time, and I can't help but wonder if it has anything to do with the decline in students' ability to write well.
 Burke mentions that many of our textbooks have factual errors.  One of the recommended readings for one of last semester's course was Lies My Teacher Told Me by Loewen.  I read as much of it as I could in-between semesters, and was astounded by all he knew that our traditional high school history text books got wrong.  There is no excuse in this universe for any text, in any subject, to contain factual errors.
 As for the standards listed, I agree with most of them.  Also, most of them students can do easily without realizing it or having to study it.  On the other hand, when it comes to standards like learning literary devices, perhaps they will complete the standard that day, but need review for a test, and will most likely forget when the unit or course is complete.
 Figure 1.4 is like a quick guide to check up on every once in a while as a teacher works throughout the year.  However, it may be impossible to achieve everything in the left hand column, and teachers may resort to the typical fashion.  We cannot find much harm in this, because at least the educator is trying their best to be "perfect" (and to me "beating the odds" every day would justify such a term).  All of this looks wonderful on paper and in a book, but it will be quite a challenge to apply to the everyday classroom!
 Burke mentions an online course which he taught.  This past summer, I took part in an online course.  It was a very beneficial experience.  Like Burke says, it was almost as if we were creating our own book through the posts online.  It was wonderful to hear every single student's interpretations or answers to questions, as it was required for each student to post each week.  In regular classrooms (especially high school), most teachers won't hear a peep out of a lot of their students.
 The author also suggests that our students should be prepared to read in different ways for different varieties of texts.  I agree this would help them in the long run, but is this realistic?  Can each teacher begin the year with a unit on how to read for their particular class?  With how much content they are expected to plow through, I doubt it.  However, what if a new class was developed for incoming freshman dealing with the aspects of how to read for different subjects?  That is something they could carry with them through their high school careers and beyond.

Earthman
The Siren Song

 These two next readings fit in perfectly with the mythology unit I am helping with in one of my English classes.  The teacher had them get with partners for a project to start off the unit.  Each student was to pick a story out of a book, read it, and present what it was about to the class.  These freshman students had a lot of trouble with the terms.  Therefore, the teacher then had them look up definitions of many mythological characters and terms.  Needless to say, the students found this activity to be exasperating and boring (I agree...who wants to spend four classes looking up definitions-uhg!).  After all this was complete, she showed a recent movie about Odysseus and his adventures.  I believe the students might have been much more engaged from the start if they were to learn how many every day products etc. were inspired from the name of mythological characters and why.  They could of decided if Ajax was a proper name for a kitchen cleaner, or who or what exactly was Nike and why do we name shoes after it?  The many references to books at the end of the article will come in very handy when it comes time for me to teach a unit on mythology.

Allender
Myth Ritual Theory

 Allender's unit, without a doubt, is one of the best in-depth I have read.  He must have had a wonderful, bright class to have such responses and insights.  I wonder if his students meet all the goals he describes.  I can only imagine how challenging it would be to have complete success in building an understanding between myth, ritual, and philosophy.  Is it possible for me as a teacher to borrow his ideas and try them myself with my own class?

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02.13.03

Talking Points

Romano
Family Stories and the Fictional Dream

     This story is one of those inspiration pieces that make me glad I am becoming a teacher.  To think that a simple assignment meant so much to one student and her family is amazing.  I especially love the idea of the assignment itself.  What an innovative idea, to create a piece of fiction from real facts of the past.  It is yet another assignment I will most likely use in my own classroom.
 

Walker
Authentic Assessment in the Literature Classroom

    This is another one of those articles that makes me feel slightly nervous about becoming a teacher of literature.  The plans and assessments Walker talks about are wonderful.  But as he said, the road getting there was not easy to say the least.  I have to point out that the author states that all of his students "are almost exclusively white and largely rural."  This of course provokes the question "what if my students aren't exclusively white and largely rural?  Will such projects and assessment still work?"  It seems that Walker and his partner most of had quite a wonderful class to achieve such adequate results the first time around.  I must admit I worry about my own ability to create such an impressive full-year plan.  Perhaps that is one of the many things that come with teaching experience.
 

Burke
Chapter Two

     I agree completely that our students, most of them anyway, need to be taught how to read the Internet as Burke suggests.  Let's say some of my students are searching for information on spiders.  Some of them will type in "www.spiders.com" and expect it to be a wonderful web page with everything they need to know for their project.  Several times I have explained that first you must go to a search engine, then type in the word "spiders."  Even then, they'll have to browse through several web pages to find what they need, and still may not find it at all.  Just hearing the fact that the Internet won't yield immediate results for their paper turns the students off (just like the library and using real books, magazines, and periodicals I'm sorry to say).  No student has ever asked me if a certain page is a good page to use or not.  When I was in Music History back at Elmhurst, my professor devised a worksheet similar to Burke's Appendix B.  From that I learned a great deal about what web pages are better to use than others.  I plan to make a simpler version of this for my high school or middle schoolers.  It will be done at the beginning as a pre-activity to our first research project.
 

Tchudi
The Technophobe Seeks Common Denominators

    I found it funny that Tchudi does not see people earning their degrees without ever stepping a foot on campus as progress, yet he believes that in the near future he's sure the computer screen will take over books.  I personally do not ever see this happening.  Not everyone in America will be able to afford a computer, and certainly not every school or college will be able to afford a computer for each student on campus as well.  Other than this, the author makes very good points and well explains his common denominators.  And he is correct when he says, "Someone needs to help kids sift through the interdisciplinary quality world of the media.  Who better then us?"

Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

The Day Before

 The students and I discuss briefly the vocabulary assigned for homework.  The assignment included looking up the words, and then using them in an everyday sentence.  Words: Alienation, metamorphosis, symbol.  Students are then asked to discuss the question "Based on what your definition of "metamorphosis", what would a story entitled Metamorphosis be about?  Allow about 10 minutes overall.  Next, the students take out their journals and write a quick entry based on this question: "If you woke up tomorrow morning to find out you had turned into something (anything!), what would it be and why?"  5 minutes or until all students are done, whichever comes first.  Next, students read the masterpiece Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka in class aloud.  The teacher will start the reading and end it, but in the middle students may read aloud for extra credit.  Whatever is not finished in class will be read for homework.
 

Standards (From NCTE):

 Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

 Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
 

Objectives
Students will:

 Discuss the use of symbols in literature.
 Select a symbol to represent an important issue.
 Write a description of the symbol's meaning.
 

Materials

 Paper, pens, pencils
 Copies of Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka
 
 
 

Procedures

 1.  I will begin the lesson by holding a class discussion about the role of symbols (one of the vocabulary words) in literature.  Why do authors use symbols?  What do symbols convey?  Students will be asked if they think symbols are a powerful literary device.

 2.  Then the students will think about Metamorphosis.  They will discuss the compelling symbol at the centerpiece of the novel - Gregor Samsa's transformation from a man into a large insect.  Students will be asked for ideas about what this symbol represents.  Some suggested ideas:

 The transformation, or metamorphosis, represents Gregor's alienation  and the effect of his dead end job.

 Gregor's metamorphosis symbolizes problems in his family and how  the demands placed on him have worn him down.

 Gregor's metamorphosis illustrates the power struggle within his  family and shows how Gregor's transformation alters the family.
 

 3.  Next, I will tell students that they will have an opportunity to experiment using symbols in a piece of writing. Working in pairs (having the IEP student work with someone who generally does well in the class), students will think of a symbol that represents a big idea. Examples include increasing violence in our society, the threat of terrorism, or how peer pressure affects behavior.  I will explain that a symbol representing the threat of terrorism may be an image of a student burdened by the weight of a heavy backpack. The student could represent people in the United States or throughout the world, and the backpack symbolizes the burden of having to worry about a random act of terrorism happening anywhere, at any time.

 4.  After students think of a symbol, they will incorporate it into a piece of writing up to two pages long. The piece could be an essay on what the symbol means, a piece of fiction, or a poem describing the symbol's meaning.

 5.  Students will have time in class to work on their writing, and use up the rest of the period.
 
 

Follow Up (the Next Day)

I will ask for volunteers to read their work. What issues are of concern to students? What symbols did they select?
 

 I will conclude by revisiting the questions asked at the beginning of the lesson.  After students have experimented using symbols in their writing, a class discussion will be held about why authors use them.  Do students think symbols are a powerful literary device?  They will give reasons to support their ideas.  For a final activity, there will be an ending journal.  The topic will state "When Metamorphosis was published, Franz Kafka told his publishers that he did not want any picture of the insect itself to appear anywhere on the book.  Why do you think this is?"
 

Evaluation

 Full Credit: Students participated actively in class discussions, developed a compelling symbol to represent their ideas, and used their symbol effectively in writing.

 Some Credit: Students participated in class discussions, developed a symbol to represent their ideas, and used their symbol in writing.

 Little Credit: Students participated minimally in class discussions, had difficulty developing a symbol to represent their ideas, and did not use their symbol in writing.

 All journals will be collected and evaluated at the end of the quarter.
 

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Visual Literacy & Speech

Time: 45 - 55 minutes

Materials

-Copies of the three images (Please see attached.)

-Small strips of paper, 3 with the words factory owner, 3 with environmentalist, 3 with owner of a company that sells milk, 3 with head of a recycling organization, 3 with real estate agent, 3 with city developer.

-Magazines with Ads

Grade Level: Honors 9
 

Objectives

-Students will be able to understand that images can function as a means of persuasion.

-Students will be able to use an image to persuade an audience.
 

Procedures

Identifying Images that Persuade (Small Group - 10 - 15 minutes)

It will be explained to students that images can be used as a mechanism for persuading an audience to do or believe something.

Questions  to ask the class for discussion (Informal speech): Who uses images to persuade? What are some of their reasons for doing so? Where do you think you could find images that intend to persuade? In what ways do those who use images to persuade frame them?

Students will be divided into groups of three. They will receive two or three magazines and asked to find examples of images that are being used to persuade the viewer of something. They will then cut out these images and write down what the image is trying to persuade the viewer.
Questions: What is the intended message of the image? From whom is this message coming? Is this message targeted towards a specified audience? If so, who is in that audience? How has whoever wants to send the message framed the image to make it clear to their audience?

Some of the examples will be discussed with the entire class (more informal speech).
Does the rest of the class agree with the group's answers?
 

Persuading Debates (Working up to Formal Speech - Mocked debates - about 20 minutes)

Each group of three students will be given one of three images and a corresponding role:

-The factory - one perspective is that of the factorry owner who will argue how important it is to keep the factory running, and the other is that of an environmentalist who advocates shutting the factory down.

-The vacant lot with the plastic bottles - one side is that of an advertiser trying to sell milk, and the other is that of an organization that is trying to stop littering.

-The two houses - one side will argue from the point off view of a real estate agent who wants to sell the two houses and the other side will assume the role of a city developer who wants to tear down the two houses.

Students will participate in mock debates. They must assume their designated role, and use evidence from the image to persuade the rest of their class of their agenda.

Students will have time to brainstorm, and then, perform the mock debates. During the debates, each side will be given two to three minutes to present their side. They will be encouraged to use the image as much as possible when presenting their argument.
 

Assessment

Creating Ads with Images (Students work individually - 15 - 20 minutes)

The students will be instructed to create an advertisement using any one of the three images.  They may take on one of the roles used in the debate, or they may assume a perspective that they create. They can frame the image however they would like in order to best communicate their point. They will be reminded that captions could also be used.
 

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Poems

Robert Frost
The Road Not Taken

 PRE-READING EXERCISE

 -Ask the students what kind of daily choices they have to make in their lives.  For example, every day you decide to attend or not attend classes.  Have students write down four choices they make on a daily basis, and then list those choices in order of importance.  They will then compare with the student next to them.  Are there similarities?

 -Explain that the poem they are about to read was written by an famous American poet, and that it is about an important decision someone had to to make.  List these words on the board: WOOD, UNDERGROWTH, TRODDEN, GRASSY, WORN.  Do the students understand what they mean?  Based on these words and the title of the poem, what might it be about?

 READING THE POEM

 Answer the following question with the class:

   What are the differences between the two roads?
  Is the author happy with his choice?
  Do you think this decision was difficult?
  What does the poem mean?
 

 -Explain that Frost has used shorter sentences and has also changed the word order in some cases.  Ask the class for suggestions for rewriting the following phrases to something they are more use to.
For example, The Road Not Taken = The Road Which Wasn't Taken.
 

  And sorry I could not travel both
  And be one traveler long I stood
  Then took the other, just as fair, and perhaps having the better claim
  Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubt I should ever come back.
 

 -Reread this line from the poem "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- -I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.  Ask students why they think the word "I" was repeated twice.  What effect does this have on the poem?
 
 

 ENDING ACTIVITY

 -Have students take out their journals and base the entry at least three (or all for extra credit) of the following questions:

  Do you like the poem?

  Many people consider this their favorite poem.  Why do you think this   is so?

  A moral is something you can learn from a story.  Does this poem   have a moral?

  Have you ever had to make any big decisions in your life?  Did you  take the road less traveled by?
 

 -When students finish, ask students about what they wrote.
 
 

 My four week unit plan is based around the young adult novel by Robert Cormier entitled We All Fall Down.  I chose this novel because of the very many issues it deals with, including vandalism, juvenile delinquency, relationships, alcoholism and divorce.  These are issues that many teens face daily.  Also, it is a very riveting story that will keep my students wanting to read more and find out what happens (I hope)!
 

 LENGTH AND GRADE LEVEL

 4-5 Weeks approximately.
 Freshman or Sophomore average class.
 

 OBJECTIVES

 Students will be able to use new vocabulary words.
 Students will be able to keep a daily reading and thinking log.
 Students will be able to conduct research for a project.
 Students will be able to incorporate research into a presentation using       technology.
 Students will be able to evaluate their peers and themselves.
 Students will learn about such issues as mentioned above.
 Students will better be able to consider more points of view before they       make a final decision about an issue.
 

 MATERIALS

 Copies of the novel  We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier.
 Copies of Agree/Disagree worksheet.
 Copies of Four-Dimensional Study sheet.
 Copies of an Overhead version of the Four-Dimensional Study sheet.
 Overhead projector/screen.
 Computer.
 Copies of Peer and Self Evaluation worksheets.
 Copies of research project packet.
 Copies of Daily Reading and Thinking log.
 Copies of vocabulary test.
 Copies of KWL worksheet.
 

 TECHNOLOGY

 When students present their research projects, they may use either an overheard projector or a Power Point presentation.  Students will be using computers and the Internet to do some of their research as well.
 LIST OF ACTIVITIES

1.Students will fill out the Agree/Disagree sheet as a pre-reading activity (see attached).
2.Students and I will read the novel everyday during class.  Sometimes I will read, other times I will take volunteer readers.  Those who volunteer to read will receive extra credit.  Every time we come to a pivotal point in the novel, I will ask the students to take out their Daily Reading and Thinking logs (see attached) and write about what just happened.
3.After the reading of the novel is complete, we will take a day to re-fill out the Agree/Disagree sheet and see if there are any differences between now and what we thought before the novel.  There will be a class discussion.
4.Next, we will partake in a vocabulary activity.  This book contains many great potential candidates for vocabulary words, and I have chosen the following: astuteness, deigned, denizen, fastidious, forlornly, furtively, menagerie, petulant, surreptitiously, vigil. Students will then get into pairs, and each pair will have one word to look up (some words may be repeated if the class is large).  The students will use the Four-Dimensional Study sheet (see attached) with their vocabulary word.  One day will be used to look up the word and fill out the Four-Dimensional study.  The students will then copy what they have done onto the overhead sheet.  The next day, the pairs will present their word to the class, and the class will take notes on each word.  They will have the rest of this class period to study the words, because the next day they will have a quiz on the words (see attached).
5.The final culminating activity is a research project.  Students may work alone or in pairs.  They may choose from the following topics: Vandalism, suicide, murder, juvenile delinquency, coma's, alcoholism, divorce, cheating and lying in relationships, stalking, kidnapping, sexual assault, or gun control.  ALL OF THESE topics are touched upon in the novel.  Students will have an entire week to plan and research their project.  The first day, they will pick out a topic and fill out a KWL sheet.  Next, research will commence (hopefully there will be a few library days in there) until I see that most of the students are finishing up (I will set a due date as we go along).  The end result will be a presentation on their topic.  The presentation will include an introduction (students names and what their topic is), background (the questions they wrote on the KWL sheet and why they chose that topic), data (about their topic and answering the questions they wrote for the KWL), conclusion, a visual, and sources used in MLA format (we will take a day out of research toward the end to go over how to properly site sources and create MLA).  Having all these components done will earn them an A.  A letter grade will be subtracted for each major component missing or not fully presented.  During the presentation, every other student in class will be filling out an evaluation sheet on the presenters (see attached) and the group will fill out their own self-evaluation as well (see attached).
6.The last part of the unit will include an essay test on the novel (see attached).  Students will have one to two days of class time to complete it.
 
 
 
 

 ASSESSMENT

 The vocabulary activity will be assessed through the presentation.  This would just be general points for participation and effort.  The quiz will be graded and put into the grade book.  The project will be assessed through the evaluation sheets from the students, the self evaluation, and all the points I mentioned above (what is to be included in their presentation).  Also, I will watch to see how hard the students are working on their research during the time given in class.  Finally, the 10 question essay test will be given a grade depending on how well thought out the answers to the students questions were, and how many were correct.]
 

 ILLINOIS LEARNING STANDARDS

 Preview reading materials, clarify meaning, analyze overall themes and coherence, and relate reading with information from other sources.

 Read age-appropriate material with fluency and accuracy.

 Interpret, evaluate and apply information from a variety of sources to other situations.

 Critique ideas and impressions generated by oral, visual, written and electronic materials.

 Produce documents that exhibit a range of writing techniques appropriate to purpose and audience, with clarity of focus, logic of organization, appropriate elaboration and  support and overall coherence.

 Evaluate written work for its effectiveness and make recommendations for its improvement.

 Using available technology, produce compositions and multimedia works for specified audiences.

 Apply listening skills as individuals and members of a group in practical settings.

 Deliver planned informative and persuasive oral presentations using visual aids and contemporary technology as individuals and members of a group; demonstrate organization, clarity, vocabulary, credible and accurate supporting evidence.

 Demonstrate a knowledge of strategies needed to prepare a credible research report.

 Design and present a project.

 Use multiple sources and multiple formats; cite according to style manuals.

 Produce oral presentation s and written documents using supportive research and incorporating contemporary technology.