Genesis: We defined patriotism and discussed how this definition was manipulated in Nothing But the Truth. Students learned how to develop high-level interpretive questions on points of doubt in tough text, using Mark Twain’s maxims on patriotism as their source material. We successfully held our mock trial on Nothing But the Truth, where students took on roles as characters in the novel as well as prosecuting lawyers. Students practiced clarifying their position in an argument, as well as defending their claims using text evidence. They did a fantastic job!

Legacy/Explorers: We wrapped up our reading of Cry, the Beloved Country. After reading the novel, students interpreted Paton’s world view in their own writing. Our novel study culminated in a multigenre product showcase, where students performed poems, songs, and drama based on the novel’s themes and essential ideas. In writing, students learned how to identify parody, and can locate purpose and audience in nonfiction text using the clues of its organizational pattern. They can also craft a document that shifts purpose based on a change in the audience (we looked at three forms of scientific writing—an abstract, an essay, and an op-ed column—to study this in-depth). We continued our daily poems, grammar study, and weekly perspective checks.

Explorers X Block: We came to an understanding of diction and syntax during our prose analysis enrichment.

Genesis, Legacy, Explorers Reading: Bring 1-2 independent reading books to class on Monday for reading workshop.