Genesis: We continued our reading and writing workshop with independent reading and conferences as well as story editing and revising.  Our reading minilesson focus for the week was interpretive questioning, and students developed interpretive questions for an excerpted text by Plato (”The Theaetetus”) and a Persian fable.  They followed up this question development with their own Socratic discussion.  We also began reading a short story, “Homework,” by Helen Simpson, to evaluate a fiction author’s style and make connections to our independent reading and writing.  Students advanced their grammar study with beginning two- of the four-line analyses (parts of speech and subject/predicate).

Legacy/Explorers: Students considered four essential questions when reading editorials–What is the issue?  What is the author’s position?  What are the arguments that support this position?  How does this editorial change how I think about the issue?–and evaluated author’s intent by investigating organizational patterns of editorials and potential revisions for drafts.  We read many editorials this week and debated the various sides of the issues.  Students also began generating their own ideas for editorials to write based on previous classroom inquiry questions.  Explorers continued their social studies response drafting/revisions with writing conferences.  Legacy began their class blog project with Ms. Heller. 

Genesis X Block: Completed “change” conceptual study with our creative writing revisions–stay tuned for our group work to be posted online!

Explorers X Block: We took a look at comma rules at the beginning of the week.  Students worked with their team teachers on Terranova test prep.

Genesis Reading/Writing: 30 minutes of independent reading daily.

Legacy Reading/Writing: Read a newspaper editorial that interests you over the weekend.  Clip it and bring it to class; be prepared to “book talk” your editorial for us.  30 minutes of independent choice reading daily.  Keep independent writing for your blog!

Explorers Reading/Writing: Your social studies response FINAL DRAFT is due Monday.  Please email me any drafts for comments by Saturday at noon if you would like feedback.  Read an editorial in the Chicago Tribune over the weekend.  Clip it and bring it to class; be prepared to “book talk” your editorial for us.  30 minutes of independent choice reading daily.