11.27 - Poetry Out Loud - Poem Selection

We started today's class with twenty-five minutes of poem reading. Everyone had access to the Poetry Out Loud site and a physical copy of the Poetry Out Loud anthology. People could bookmark or write down the titles of poems that they felt they would like to save for reciting.

For the first twenty minutes of this time, everyone was asked to just read poems, write down any that seem appealing, and then keep reading other poems. In the last five minutes of this time, everyone determined which poem they would like to work with (or, if they had not found a good one yet, kept looking).

Everyone then responded to the following prompt in their writer's journal:
What is your poem about?
What speaks to you in this poem?

After everyone had a chance to respond to this prompt, we discussed students' answers.


Homework:

Start becoming familiar with and memorizing your poem.

If you have not yet found a poem, find one using the Poetry Out Loud site.
Choose a poem that you like and that you would like to work with more.
(choosing a random poem or one that just looks easy will not be as fun to work with) 

11.26 - Poetry Out Loud

At the beginning of class today, everyone responded to the following writing prompt:

Do you think that authors intentionally put symbolism in their work? Why/why not?

After everyone had a chance to respond to this prompt, we discussed students answers. I then handed out copies of the article "Famous Novelists on Symbolism in their Work and Whether it was Intentional." Everyone was then asked to read the article and respond to the following two questions:

1 - How did this article inform your response to the question about whether or not author's put symbolism in their work intentionally.

2 - Choose one of the four questions from the survey and respond to it as though you are William Golding. Use examples from Lord of the Flies to explain your response.

Once everyone had responded to these questions, we reviewed answers as a class.

Next, we started working with Poetry Out Loud. I read the poem I am going to memorize ("To a Mouse") to the class. We then reviewed the guidelines and practice tips for Poetry Out Loud.

Everyone then had the rest of the period to read poems and identify poems they may be interested in reading. The approach for reading poetry today was to be a lot like looking at a restaurant at a menu where you review a lot of the items and keep in mind what sounds best before making a final decision.

The Poetry Out Loud poem finder page is a great resource in looking for poems.


Homework:

Read through a variety of poems for Poetry Out Loud and find a poem that you would like to memorize and recite (choose a poem you want to explore and would like to work more with).

Revise or complete any assignments from class as necessary.

11.25 - Roots and Prefixes Set 6 Quiz / Revisions

At the beginning of class today, everyone had a few minutes to review their roots and prefixes from set 6. We then played language ninja for ten minutes as a means of review. After the game, we had the set 6 quiz which we corrected together when everyone was done.

In the remaining half of the period, we reviewed class performance on recent assignments and talked about what worked well and what needed improvement on these assignments generally (slides below).

 (click image to enlarge)

(click image to enlarge)

Several students then helped me to return work and I handed out grade report sheets. Everyone had the remaining time in period to complete any missing work and revise any assignments scoring below a 3.

Homework:

Complete or revise assignments as needed.

11.22 - People in Society

Today in class we went over the prompt and rubric for the final piece of writing associated with Lord of the Flies. This information can be found in the following document:

People in Society and Lord of the Flies

I also handed out assessments of individuals' notes on the person, place, and object that they were tracking. If people need to revise their notes (add more detail or find more notes in certain parts of the book), they can work on that this weekend.

Everyone then had the rest of the period to work on their final response (as well as their letter to Percival if that was note done at this point).


Homework:

Finish your essay on
People in Society and Lord of the Flies

11.21 - Letter to Percival / People in Society

For today's class, everyone had time to finish their response letter to Percival regarding what the beast really was. The link below connects you to the prompt and rubric.

Letter from Percival Madison

Next, we began our final look at Lord of the Flies which is to focus on one of the boys (or the little 'uns) and a place on the island and determine what Golding was trying to say about human nature through his presentations of these elements.

To help everyone in beginning to analyze this character and place we had the People in Society and Lord of the Flies note sheet (which also includes the final writing prompt and rubric).

Person, Place, and Object Tracking Responses.


Homework:

If you did not finish your response to Percival about the beast in class, do so for homework. 

Finish your notes on a place and a person in Lord of the Flies using the note sheet included with the People in Society and Lord of the Flies document.

11.20 - Letter to Percival

At the beginning of class today, we looked at the portrayal of the jungle in Lord of the Flies since this is one of the places where the beast lives and a place where Simon spends a lot of time in connection with the beast. To look at the portrayal of the jungle we compared it to the portrayal of the jungle as it is represented in the Guns n' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle."After everyone had a chance to listen to the song, we looked at what jungles represent in this song and the book with the following handout: Welcome to the Jungle(s).

Next, we returned to our work with the beast. Last class, we finished looking at the different representations of the beast in the novel. Today, we were focused on bringing those representations together into one solid explanation by responding to a letter from a little 'un thirty years after the childrens' rescue from the island. To read the letter and see the rubric for the response see:

Letter from Percival Madison

Everyone had the rest of the period to work on writing this response.


Homework:

If you did not finish your response to Percival about the beast in class, do so for homework.

11.19 - Beasts in the Jungle and on the Beach

At the beginning of class today, I handed out the root/prefix list for our set 6 words. Everyone then had fifteen minutes to work on this sheet (what isn't completed in class should be completed for homework).

Set 6 Roots and Prefixes

We then returned to looking at the representation of the beast in Lord of the Flies. We reviewed our discussion around the beast from water and the beast from air. Working with partners, everyone then looked at the beast in the jungle and the beast on the beach. Analysis of these different perspectives on the beast were tracked on the representations of the beast sheet.

Upon looking at each of these four scenes that feature the beast, everyone responded to the final question on this sheet:

Based on your understanding of the three representations of the beast, what does the beast represent in the story?
Explain your response by referring to the different representations of the beast.

Homework:

If you did not do so in class, complete the set 6 roots and prefixes sheet (we'll have the quiz over these words on Friday)

Finish responding to the question about what the beast represents in Lord of the Flies.

11.18 - Unit 1 Roots and Prefixes Quiz

At the beginning of class, everyone had a few minutes to review their unit 1 roots and prefixes.

 

We then played a round of Language Ninja in preparation for the unit 1 review quiz. The rules for this game and extra roles are below. For the unit review version of this game, we focused on defining the roots and prefixes only. We were not accepting answers of words that contained the root or prefix.

 (click image to enlarge)

 (click image to enlarge)

We then had the unit 1 roots and prefixes quiz which we corrected immediately after everyone had completed it.

 

Tomorrow, we will return to our analysis of the beast in Lord of the Flies (everyone should have their  representations of the beast filled out for the "Beast from Water" and "Beast from Air" chapters completed).

Homework:

 

Make sure that your "Beast from Water" and "Beast from Air" sections are complete on the beast tracking sheet.

 

Make sure that your person, place, and object tracking information is up to date on the Google Drive spreadsheet (email Mr. Collins if you need to be granted access to this document).

11.15 - Different Beasts

We started today's class by taking a look at the official definition of the word "beast" in the Oxford English Dictionary. We read through different uses of the word and looked at how use of the word grew and changed over time. After discussing the official and historical use of the term, everyone responded to the following writing prompt in their writer's journals:

How does the official definition of the word "beast" compare to our discussion of the term from yesterday? What does the official definition add to our understanding of the term?

After everyone responded to this prompt, we returned to looking at different representations of the beast in Lord of the Flies. We reviewed everyone's analysis of the beast in the chapter "Beast From Water" and then I read a selection from the chapter "Beast from Air." Everyone then spent some time responding to the analysis questions on the beast for this chapter.

Homework:

If you did not do so in class, finish your analysis of the representation of the beast in the chapter "Beast from Air."

Prepare for the unit 1 roots and prefixes review quiz on Monday.

11.14 - Beasts

Today, we started class with the question "What is the beast in Lord of the Flies" to answer this, we looked at the question more broadly as "What is a beast." We looked at several images of beasts that turned up in a Google image search and then everyone responded to the "What is a beast?" question in their writer's journal. We then shared out these responses and came up with:

an animal
hairy
aggressive
a predator
has sharp teeth/tusks
stays hidden most of the time
mean
like a werewolf

With this idea of a beast in mind, we then took a look at the Rolling Stones' song "Sympathy for the Devil" and looked at the qualities exhibited by the speaker of the song. After responding to and discussing these questions (questions I & II) we talked about similarities that exist between the speaker of the song in "Sympathy for the Devil" and the beast in Lord of the Flies.

We then started taking a look at representations of the beast in Lord of the Flies. Today we focused on the beast as it is addressed in the chapter "Beast from Water."

In class, I had hand outs of photocopied sections from the book.
If you are making this up from home, simply refer to the "Beast from Water" chapter.

Homework:

If you did not do so in class, finish analyzing the representation of the beast in the chapter "Beast from Water."

11.13 - Place Tracking and Character Analysis

We started today's class with a review of the set 1 - 5 roots and prefixes. Everyone did their best to identify which roots and prefixes they could still remember and then we reviewed responses to check the actual meaning of each root/prefix (results are pictured below).

(click image to enlarge)

Next, everyone met with their place partner to complete tracking references to their assigned place in the Lord of the Flies story.

In the last fifteen minutes of class, we returned to the character analysis work that we had been doing looking at the principal characters of the book as Golding presents them in the first eight chapters.

At the end of class, I explained the level 4 assignment: Lords of Hogwarts that combines our discussion of personality and character analysis.


Homework:

Prepare for the unit 1 roots and prefixes quiz next Monday (reviewing sets 1 - 5)

If you did not finish it in class, complete the the character analysis work for chapters 1 - 8.

If you have elected to do so, complete the Lords of Hogwarts assignment.

11.12 - Zodiac Signs and Object Tracking

At the beginning of class today, everyone looked at the response they wrote on Friday describing their personality. With this description in mind, everyone read up on what their personality should be like according to their zodiac sign and then responded to the following prompt:

How well does your description of your personality match the prescribed description of your zodiac sign personality?
Overall, do you believe this is a credible way to describe someone's personality? Why or why not?

After everyone had a chance to respond to this prompt, we discussed individuals' answers. Our discussion addressed how there is no scientific basis for these descriptions being correct, what is meaningful is the discussion that comes out regarding how people see themselves and what evidence they use to describe themselves.

We then returned to working with our object tracking in Lord of the Flies. Everyone met with their object partner and got their list of references to their object kept up to date through chapter 11 in Lord of the Flies.

Homework:

Finish reading Lord of the Flies.
Keep track of references to your character, place, and object with your sticky notes.

11.08 - Character Analysis Cont'd / Roots and Prefixes Quiz Set 5

We started today's class with everyone responding to the following prompt:

Describe your personality in terms of your strengths and your particularities. Provide specific examples of actions/moments that illustrate these traits.

We will be using responses to this prompt next week in looking more at personality characterizations.

After responding to this prompt, we played a round of Language Ninja based on the unit 1, set 5 roots and prefixes. The rules for this game, extra roles (aside from that of player), and the class generated responses are below.

 (click image to enlarge)

 

(click image to enlarge)

 (click image to enlarge)

We then had the set five roots and prefixes quiz which we corrected immediately after everyone had completed it.

Next, everyone returned to working with the data on Lord of the Flies characters that we began reviewing yesterday. Today, everyone looked over the notes they had taken and began formally assessing each of the characters using the Lord of the Flies Character Analysis sheet. We will continue working with this next class.

Homework:

Read through chapter 11 in Lord of the Flies. Continue taking notes on your character, object, and place.

11.07 - Hogwarts Houses and LotF Characters

We started today's class with a review of the different houses at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. We talked about how sorting people into houses is really a type of character analysis as it argues for what elements of their character are the most significant and requires evidence for those judgements. With this in mind, everyone then had ten minutes to respond to the prompt below:

Which Hogwarts House would you be? Identify characteristics associated with the house you feel represents you and provide specific examples of when you have exhibited those traits.

While everyone responded to this prompt, I tried to guess which house each person would be. At the end of the ten minutes, everyone shared out which house they said they were and why. I then shared out whether my guesses were right or wrong. The class then sorted me into Hufflepuff.

Next, we took a look at doing some character analysis of characters in Lord of the Flies. I printed out the summary sheets that everyone had produced for their characters so far in the book. Working with a partner, everyone then began looking through this data and taking notes on important elements. Directions for this part of the activity are below.

(click image to enlarge)

We will turn these notes into a formal analysis of character next class.

Homework:

Read chapter nine of Lord of the Flies. Continue to put down sticky notes when your person, place, or object is mentioned (one sticky note per page, per element is fine).

Continue to study the set 5 roots and prefixes.
Roots and Prefix Set 5 list
Roots and Prefix Set 5 practice

11.06 - Object Tracking and Armageddon Character Analysis

We started today's class by having people meet with their object partners for The Lord of the Flies. Partner groups had 20 minutes to look through their sticky notes and add information about their object to the Google Drive spreadsheet. We will be using this sheet to look at all of the collected information on characters, objects, and places (email Mr. Collins if you need to be granted access to this document).

Next, we took a look at a scene from the 1998 movie Armageddon in which we are introduced to five important secondary characters. Each character is introduced through a short vignette in which the FBI attempts to round them up to help NASA destroy a large asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth.

In the scene, the men do not know that their help is wanted, they just know the FBI has arrived. In these vignettes, we were looking at where the men are, what they are doing, who they are with, how they are dressed, how they respond to the presence of the FBI. To achieve this, we watched the scene four times. Everyone took notes on four the characters' actions and then we began discussing the observations that people made. We will continue with this activity next class (and then look at applying this sort of character analysis to The Lord of the Flies).

Armageddon Character Analysis Sheet

Homework:

Read chapter nine of Lord of the Flies. Continue to put down sticky notes when your person, place, or object is mentioned (one sticky note per page, per element is fine).

Continue to study the set 5 roots and prefixes.
Roots and Prefix Set 5 list
Roots and Prefix Set 5 practice

11.05 - Set 5 Words / Person Notes

At the beginning of class today, everyone worked with a partner to look at the set 5 roots and prefixes. Looking at these roots and prefixes, everyone identified several words that make use of these roots and prefixes. Each partner group shared out the words they found with other groups so that by the end, we had all of the words for the set covered.

Next, everyone met with their partner(s) for the character tracking in Lord of the Flies. Today, groups were entering the information that they had on sticky notes into a Google Drive spreadsheet that we will be able to use to look at all of the collected information on characters, objects, and places (email Mr. Collins if you need to be granted access to this document). We will be working with this more next class.

Homework:

Read chapter eight of Lord of the Flies. Continue to put down sticky notes when your person, place, or object is mentioned (one sticky note per page, per element is fine).

Continue to study the set 5 roots and prefixes.
Roots and Prefix Set 5 list
Roots and Prefix Set 5 practice
 

11.04 - Character, Object, and Place tracking

We started today's class by looking at the set five roots and prefixes. Today, we were only concerned with drawing initial pictures and identifying any words that people already knew that use these roots/prefixes.

Extra copies of these sheets are available here:
Roots and Prefix Set 5 list
Roots and Prefix Set 5 practice

Next, we made book covers for our Lord of the Flies books on which everyone wrote the book title, their name, and the three things they are tracking in the story. Along with writing the person, object, and place being tracked, everyone could draw their character in the place they are focused on with the object they are tracking.

Everyone then had time to meet with each partner with whom they are working on this.

Homework:

Read chapter seven in The Lord of the Flies. Continue to put down sticky notes when your person, place, or object is mentioned (one sticky note per page, per element is fine).

11.01 - Language Ninja

We started today's class with a review activity for the set 4 roots and prefixes. This activity is based on the group game "Ninja." We first went over how to play Ninja and then I introduced the modified rules to play "Language Ninja." These rules were as follows:

(click image to enlarge)

(click image to enlarge) 

During Language Ninja, I kept track of root/prefix definitions and words used.

After playing Language Ninja, we had the set 4 roots and prefixes quiz along with the formal diction quiz. 

See Mr. Collins if you were absent and need to make either of these quizzes up.

 

Homework:

 

Read chapter six (6) in The Lord of the Flies. 

While you read, put a summary on a sticky note on any page in which your character, object, or place is mentioned.