Thursday, 11/21

Thursday, 11/21
Today, we will begin with a brief pre-assessment/knowledge check of text structures. We will then start reading Flowers for Algernon. Before we read, we will explore multiple intelligences in our small groups. We will target out strongest sense of intelligence and explore how it will help us work within our groups during this unit. We will use context clues to determine vocabulary. Finally, we will determine the text structure present in Flowers for Algernon.

1) Read dystopian novel for seven minutes. If you are finished, read your Independent Reading novel.
2) In small groups, review the multiple intelligence slideshow here: Multiple Intelligence.
3) Split up the work and complete your "Oh, the Possibilities" graphic organizers.
4) Discuss your intelligence strengths and limitations.
5) Whole class reading of FFA (p. 115-123)
6) Review FFA vocabulary sheets, Part I and II. Fill in the boxes as we read.

Homework: Finish ortho, psycho, and pyro Cornell Notes. They are due tomorrow. If you are having trouble, come get a graphic organizer from me.

Wednesday, 11/20

Wednesday, 11/20
Today we will do some front-loading activities for our upcoming class reading of an excerpt from Flowers for Algernon.

First we will look at an example of a Rorschach test. We will review inkblot images and discuss our initial responses to the images. We will brainstorm in small groups about what our interpretations of the images might say about us.

We will watch the following video:Computer Chips in Your Brain and respond in our writer's notebooks. What is your initial reaction to the technology described in the video. Think about how it might affect people on moral, spiritual, physical, social, and emotional levels.

We will have a small fishbowl discussion regarding our opinions.

Homework: Work on vocab Cornell notes for ortho, psycho, and pyro. These are due Friday.

Tuesday, 11/19 - Do This

1. Read your lit circle novel for ten minutes.
2. Click here and take  prepositional phrase pre-assessment.

3. Read one of the Popular Science articles below and complete the news report questions (see below): 
Monkeys Control Two Virtual Arms With Just Their Thoughts
Electric Brain Stimulation Helps Rats With Spinal Cord Injuries Walk
Vitamin B2 Can Be Used to 3D Print Medical Implants
New, Incurable Botulin Strain Has Top-Secret DNA
If You Can Smell This You May Not Have Alzheimer's
Lasers 3D Print a Home For Bacteria
Is it Possible to Control Our Dreams?
FDA Has Approved the First Artificial Pancreas
Turn A Heart On and Off With the Flick of a Switch
AIG: Scientists Recreate the Sense of Touch With Direct-To-Brain Electric Signals
AIG: Scientists Plant False Short-Term Memories Directly in Rodent Brains
Ms. Pickens/Collins: Measure your heart rate using headphones

Once you've read the whole article, answer the following News Report questions in the Reader Response section of your notebook. Make sure you use commas correctly in your responses!

1. Summarize the main ideas of the report - Include enough information to explain the report in full detail.

2. Why is the report significant to the world? Think globally!

3. In complete sentences, state two interesting facts about the report.

4. What is your overall opinion about the topic of the report? Is the scientific discovery helpful or harmful for humans?

4. Click on one of the links below and practice your comma skills!
Comma skills test
AIG: Comma skills test
Challenge: Comma splices and fused sentences assessment 
5.  Work on Cornell Notes for ortho, psycho, and pyro

6. Start reading response letter or continue reading lit circle novel.

Homework:
Complete News Report (if not finished in class). Due Wednesday, 11/20
Work on Vocabulary Cornell notes for: ortho, psycho, pyro (Due Friday, 11/22)
Work on Reading Response Letter for dystopian fiction novel (Due Friday, 12/13)

Grammar home practice: 
Comma skills test
AIG: Comma skills test
Challenge: Comma splices and fused sentences assessment

Week of 11/18 - 11/22

Monday, 11/18
Read your dystopian fiction novel for 10 minutes. Notice the author's use of commas. Are commas used frequently in the writing?

Grammar of the day
Comma notes
Activity: Place commas, if needed, in the sentences below:

1) We chopped sliced and cooked the vegetables.

2) We were prepared to play and to win.

3) While driving he glanced at the rearview mirror to check behind him.

4) He warned however that the test could be difficult.

5) The child although small is strong and healthy.

6) The car a Mercedes sped along the highway.

7) The cookies baked to a crisp and sprinkled with sugar tasted good.

8) They went to get pizza but came back with ice cream.

9) They went to get pizza but the store was closed.

10) When the bell rang the students all rushed to their classrooms.

11) On December 19 2000 there was a huge fire in our town.

12) The boy was born in December 2010.

13) My aunt lives in Redwood City California.

14) Will you John take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?

15) They were a couple of lonely troubled misfits.

16) Percy grew up to be a rugged handsome man.

Pay attention to the video as it reveals the answers: Comma rules video

Introduce Obstacles and Opportunities Unit
Essential Question: What is the role of science in improving life?

Think, Pair, Share: In what ways has science improved life? Think socially, politically, medically, psychologically, and cosmetically. Think and record a brief response. Pair with your neighbor. Share with the group.

-Read one of the Popular Science articles below and complete the news report questions (see below): 
Monkeys Control Two Virtual Arms With Just Their Thoughts
Electric Brain Stimulation Helps Rats With Spinal Cord Injuries Walk
Vitamin B2 Can Be Used to 3D Print Medical Implants
New, Incurable Botulin Strain Has Top-Secret DNA
If You Can Smell This You May Not Have Alzheimer's
Lasers 3D Print a Home For Bacteria
Is it Possible to Control Our Dreams?
FDA Has Approved the First Artificial Pancreas
Turn A Heart On and Off With the Flick of a Switch
AIG: Scientists Recreate the Sense of Touch With Direct-To-Brain Electric Signals
AIG: Scientists Plant False Short-Term Memories Directly in Rodent Brains
Ms. Pickens/Collins: Measure your heart rate using headphones

Once you've read the whole article, answer the following News Report questions in the Reader Response section of your notebook. Make sure you use commas correctly in your responses!

1. Summarize the main ideas of the report - Include enough information to explain the report in full detail.

2. Why is the report significant to the world? Think globally!

3. In complete sentences, state two interesting facts about the report.

4. What is your overall opinion about the topic of the report? Is the scientific discovery helpful or harmful for humans?

If time permits, we will begin reading the excerpt of Flowers for Algernon in our literature book.

Homework:
Complete News Report (if not finished in class). Due Wednesday, 11/20
Work on Vocabulary Cornell notes for: ortho, psycho, pyro (Due Friday, 11/22)
Work on Reading Response Letter for dystopian fiction novel (Due Friday, 12/13)

Grammar home practice: 
Comma skills test
AIG: Comma skills test
Challenge: Comma splices and fused sentences assessment

Week of 11/12 - 11/15

Volunteer opportunities for parents are listed at the bottom of this post. Parents, check it out!

Tuesday, 11/12 - Friday, 11/15

Good news! The only homework you have this week is to read for 30 minutes each night. It is important to choose something that you are interested in reading. You can read a novel, magazine, newspaper article, or whatever else that floats your boat. If you don't like what you are reading, then abandon it and move on! I can't make you love reading, but I can help you find texts that will engage you. Let me know if you need some help picking out your independent reading material.

As for the week...

Tuesday
We will begin presenting our Utopia projects. Students in the audience will evaluate their peers' presentations by completing evaluation sheets and developing open-ended critical thinking questions for each group. Groups will respond to their peers' questions later in the week.
Hint: Turn your direct compliments or criticism into questions. For example, if someone's video had terrible sound quality, ask them why they chose not to include voice-overs or background music.

Wednesday
I will have a substitute on Wednesday. In class you will respond to a brief journal prompt about writing, complete a grammar assessment, and continue reading your lit circle novel. Please take the grammar assessment seriously. I am using it to determine the specific grammar skills you need to refine during the upcoming unit. We will get back to the project presentations tomorrow.

Thursday
We will continue our project presentations. Students will complete evaluation sheets and create critical thinking questions for each group.

Friday
We will have the final presentations. After the last presentation, project groups will review their peer feedback and answer the critical thinking questions posed by their classmates. Students will then rate the performance of each member of their group.

Flash Forward: 
Next week we will start our Obstacles and Opportunities unit. Get ready to read! We will read an abbreviated version of Flowers for Algernon in class. If you would like to read the whole novel instead of the excerpt in our literature book, just let me know! We will pair this text with nonfiction texts about science and its role in improving human life. Please bring any interesting scientific articles or news articles that you come across.

This unit will have a heavy emphasis on grammar and writing skills. I know grammar is a bit complicated and frustrating, but hang in there. Practice makes perfect!

*Parents, I'd love if some of you could come in to talk to the kids about how scientific discoveries have revolutionized your career fields or how scientific discoveries have improved your lives. If you don't feel comfortable presenting in front of the class, we could have you FaceTime with the class or just write a passage for the kids to read. Please send me an email at jgrinnell@chccs.k12.nc.us if you are interested in participating.

Also, we are going to start writing our research paper in mid-December. If you would like to volunteer to help coach kids with their writing, please let me know your availability. If you are a grammar king or queen and want to give a brief presentation on anything related to grammar, you are also welcome!

Week of 11/4 - 11/8

We have a short week! Here is a glimpse of what we are doing in class.

Monday:

• Read dystopian fiction novel for 10 minutes.
• Distribute and discuss Words To Live By Assignment, due Friday, 11/8: Words to Live By  or AIG Words to Live By
• Discuss different types of persuasive techniques used in marketing and advertising. Talk with our group about persuasive techniques we will use for our utopia presentation
• Refer to Part 2 of your Utopia project packet to review what information must be presented in our group presentations.
• Plan presentation (storyboard, draft drawing, blueprints, etc.)
• Plan what materials you will need to bring, how much time to spend on each section, etc.
• Being working on presentation

Remember! Vocabulary Cornell Notes for helio, hydro, hypno, magni, and mono are due on Wednesday, 11/6!

New Contest Opportunity. Submissions due by 11/14:Writing contest

Tuesday:

• No school

Wednesday:

• Turn in vocabulary Cornell notes. Fill out No Homework sheet if you did not bring your homework. Place it in the No Homework binder.
• Delegate responsibility for project presentation. Create a plan for the day.
• Use the iTouches with iMovie to record any scripts. Mr Bales is here to help you with technology questions.
• At the end of class, gather with your group members to figure out what still needs to be done.

Homework: 

Work on Words to Live By. (See above for link.) It is due Friday. Chunk the assignment so it's easier to complete.

Finish hydro, helio, hypno, magni, and mono Cornell Notes if you didn't turn them in today. Late submissions can receive a max score of 80%.

Thursday:

• Finish filming presentations
• Edit films/projects
• Practice your class presentation. Food for thought: Do you have an introduction? Do you have a wrap-up/summarizing activity at the end? Is it engaging? Will the audience participate? Does every member of your group speak during your presentation?
• Mr. Bales will be here to help you with technology questions and filming.
• By the end of the class, your project should be completed and your presentation should be planned.

Homework: Work on Words to Live By. It is due Friday.

Friday:

• Submit your Words to Live By assignment to the class crate on top of the bookshelf.
• Read dystopian fiction novel for 10 minutes.
• Small group discussion about Gandhi's quote: "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
• Rehearse presentations and put finishing touches on project
• Grammar pre-assessment - Google form (if time permits)

IMPORTANT UTOPIA PROJECT INFORMATION

Hello all! Steps 5-10 of your Utopia project are due today. By now you should have submitted them to me as paper documents, Google folders, or through email. I'm going to check them for completion this weekend.

I hope you have been talking to your group members about the format for your Utopia project presentation. Per the instruction sheet, the presentation must inform your audience about the important parts of your society as well as persuade them to want to come live at your utopia. Look at Part 2 of the Utopia Project Sheet if you are still uncertain of my expectations for the presentation. All members of the group must be active participants. You will start presenting these projects by next Friday (at the latest). I have high expectations for your presentations. Today we discussed the importance of challenging yourselves and pushing yourselves to the limit when it comes to creating unique presentations. For this project, I encourage you to take some risks by trying presentation methods that are out of your comfort zone. Find ways to incorporate your individual talents in the creation of the projects. Find ways to wow your audience by engaging them and showing them things they've never dreamed possible. I want to encourage you to stray away from the "safe" presentations you've always done well. Think outside of the box and come up with something unique and exciting. You may even discover that you have a hidden talent!

I understand that not having presentation requirements completely spelled out may make some of you uncomfortable and frustrated. This is intentional. By limiting the restrictions and guidelines set on the presentations, I am opening the door for you to come up with your own unique ideas. The discomfort that you feel might actually lead you to push your own limits and think outside of the box. This sort of open-ended critical thinking is what you will need in order to succeed in the work place and as a productive member of society. Please remember, though, that I have provided some presentation options on your project sheet. I've also provided you with a rubric that tells you what I'm looking for when I grade your projects. If you have questions or concerns after reading the information, then come to me and ask me specific, well-formed questions so I can help guide you. I am not going to tell you if things are right or wrong, but I will ask you questions to guide you towards your own realizations. There is also an updated calendar on the project link Utopia Project Sheet that will help you plan how you will dedicate your work time in class.

I've seen a lot of diligent, hard-working groups who are embracing the project and are coming up with exciting, innovative ideas. Members of these groups have become fueled by the fire of creative freedom and high expectations. Thank you! On the other hand, I've noticed groups that are unproductive, confused, bickering, and complaining. Rather than fight, complain, feel sorry for yourself, or sit around like lumps, you must come together to find each other's strengths. Incorporate everyone's ideas and talents to make presentations that will blow our minds! You have the tools you need to succeed; the most important tools, however, are your brains. You are the masters of your own destiny here. Make it happen!