Genesis: Reading workshop continued with a focus on Socratic discussion; each day, we investigated the ideas inherent in various folklore and fable.  We also practiced inferencing with a passage from Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres.  Students continued independent reading and conferences.  In writing, I taught a minilesson on how four-line grammar analysis helps identify run-on/incomplete sentences.  Students were assessed on their ability to locate ungrammatical/run-on sentences in writing.  They drafted and shared a variety of narrative drafts with their peers.  We also read and interpreted a science fiction excerpt by Philip K. Dick which referenced James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake–we had lots of fun reading through some of the “referential” nonsense-language from that text!  Another highlight of the week was Block 5’s engaging One-Word-Story game.  Using a deck of “found” words generated by the class, we continued the “bouts-rimes” tradition with language improvisations that included poetry, songwriting, and fiction.

Legacy: In writing workshop, we considered how an awareness of social contexts impacts different genres’ writers with excerpts from a poet, science fiction writer, and Pulitzer-winning novelist.  We also developed the different strategies used in planning sheets for writing projects–clustering, bulleting, listing, tracking ideas, and others.  In reading workshop, we continued guided reading practice for social context with an excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.  Throughout the week, we continued independent reading/writing and conferences.  We also read and interpreted a science fiction excerpt by Philip K. Dick which referenced James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake–we had lots of fun reading through some of the “referential” nonsense-language from that text!  Using a deck of “found” words generated by the class, we continued the “bouts-rimes” tradition with language improvisations that included poetry, songwriting, and fiction.

Explorers: Our writing workshop week centered on creative and critical drafting inspired by Fahrenheit 451.  Students developed their own points of view in their writing in order to improve their “6 Trait” skills as writers.  They also reflected on their work using the rubric as a guide before turning in their collection of drafts.  Instruction has been differentiated by individual writing conferences with students on their drafts.  Example topics from this week’s conferences include revising thesis statements, clustering ideas, elaboration strategies, topic and concluding sentences, integrating interpretation before/after text quotation, MLA quotation format, editing for concise prose, colon/semicolon rules, transitions, matching pronouns with antecedents, the comma rule following dependent clauses, and others.  Using a deck of “found” words generated by the class, we continued the “bouts-rimes” tradition with language improvisations that included poetry, songwriting, and fiction.

No homework* for all classes!  Enjoy a restful break!

*Explorers who have not turned in final portfolios/reflections–please email these to me ASAP.

Genesis: Continue daily independent reading.

Legacy: Continue daily independent reading and writing.

Explorers: Continue working on Fahrenheit portfolio/reflection.

Genesis: Block 5’s run-on sentence quiz is Thursday!

Legacy: Continue daily independent reading and writing.

Explorers: Continue working on Fahrenheit portfolio.

Genesis: Continue independent reading.  Run-on sentence test this week!

Legacy: Continue independent reading DAILY for 30 minutes.

Explorers: Continue working on Fahrenheit writing portfolio.

Genesis: In reading, we continued Socratic discussion circles around the focus skill of inferencing texts.  Students interpreted both literature and integrated arts in these conversations.  We focused on how writers develop symbolism in their work, and we derived inferenced characteristics from authors’ use of this literary device.  In writing, students worked on revising run-on and incomplete sentences.  They developed various narrative drafts in order to practice these skills using their own writing.  I will be teaching four-line grammar minilessons next week in the heterogeneous classroom.

Genesis X:  We read A Light in the Forest during X Block time and will hold our discussions on the novel next week using our Literature Web thinking framework.

Legacy: We began the choice-motivated reading and writing workshop study that will span the remainder of Trimester 3.  Students reflected on what kind of writers they are, and we discussed how writers integrate nonfiction readings of human interest with form, genre, and style.  Students found their own human interest current events articles that will inform future writing projects.  In reading workshop, we considered how social context impacts the reading of texts–oftentimes, students want to read literature with a contemporary lens, which leads to misinterpretation.  Through a close study of the first two chapters of Charles Dickens’ Hard Times, I modeled strategies readers use to investigate how their social contexts intersect with the social contexts of various literature selections.  We also investigated writing progress stages through a minilesson on the drafts of “One Art,” a villanelle by Elizabeth Bishop.  We noticed how her work evolved from free verse “scraps” into a polished, coherent final.  Students worked on their own independent reading and writing during workshop time.

Explorers: Our writing workshop week centered on creative and critical drafting inspired by Fahrenheit 451.  Students are developing their own points of view in their writing in order to improve their “6 Trait” skills as writers.  Instruction has been differentiated by individual writing conferences with students on their drafts.  Example topics from conferences include how to develop thesis statements, reduce wordiness, increase word choice specificity, create dialogue tags, introduce setting, organize outlines, avoid adverbs, use vivid verbs, and others.

Genesis: Inferences informal assessment/complete sentences assessment next week.

Genesis X: Finish reading A Light in the Forest this weekend if incomplete.

Legacy: Continue independent reading and writing.

Explorers: Continue independent reading and work on Fahrenheit writing portfolios.

Genesis: Continue independent reading.  Persuasive essay rewrites due by spring break.

Legacy: Continue independent writing project.

Explorers; Continue working on Fahrenheit writing portfolio.

Genesis: Continue independent reading at home.  Bring in current events article on Friday 3/20.

Legacy: Continue independent reading at home.  Bring in current events article on Thursday 3/19.

Explorers: Continue independent writing for portfolio at home.  Fahrenheit portfolio is due Friday 3/27.

Genesis: Bring current events article on Thursday 3/19.

Legacy: Bring current events article on Thursday 3/19.

Explorers: Continue work outside of class on writing portfolio.