April 11

We used the first 30 minutes for blog time. I explained the format for the next post, then students had time to read or write the entry. This entry is due by 11pm Sunday, 4/23. All information is available on Classroom.

We resumed our studies of characters from To Kill a Mockingbird. Students worked with their groups to create a body biography of an assigned character. We will continue this work tomorrow, and presentations are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of next week.

Today's Board

April 10

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Outside entry

I reminded students to update their Currently Reading pages in their notebooks.

We finished discussing the "Will the Real ___ Please Stand Up?" handout. We also matched up foil characters from To Kill a Mockingbird and discussed what made them different.

We watched a few scenes from the film version to reinforce our understanding.

Today's Board (with foil character activity)

Week-at-a-Glance

April 7

We started class with 30 minutes of blog time. The "About Me & Goals" blog entry is due today! All info is on Classroom.

We went over the answers to the chapter 3 AP multiple choice handout.

Students collaborated on Slides to share the quotes they discovered for the "Three Points of View" activity. They handed in the written portion.

We discussed the first half of the "Will the Real __ Please Stand Up?" handout. We will finish this work on Monday.

We watched a few scenes of the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird to reinforce our understanding of chapter 3.

Today's Board

April 6

Students had a substitute today. Here's the agenda that they followed:

• First 20 minutes - Independent Reading Time. Library passes are in a holder on the board by my computer if anyone needs one. Some kids may read on devices, and that's okay.
• Writer's Notebook (allow about 10 minutes): What does it mean to live a double life? Have you ever felt like you are a different person in different situations? 
• We started the "3 Points of View" handout yesterday. Each table knows what they should be doing. I told them they could have 20 minutes to finish (no devices). 
• AP MC Chapter 3 handout - Allow about 10 minutes to work independently, then they can check their answers with their table (no devices). I'll go over this with them when I return.
• "Will the Real ___ Please Stand Up?" Instructions are clear. Students may work together, even across tables, but they should not use their devices. We'll look at this together when I return.

April 5

We used the first 30-ish minutes of class to work on our first blog entry. I reminded students where to find resources (on Classroom). This "about me" entry is due Friday.

I went over the chapter 1 AP multiple choice questions from yesterday.

Students worked in groups to discover different points of view on situations and themes in To Kill a Mockingbird. We will finish this work tomorrow.

Today's Board

April 4

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Article of the Week - "5 New Brain Disorders That Were Born Out of the Digital Age"

We did a collaborative annotation with the "Novel Achievement" article from yesterday. Students responded to each other's thoughts and questions in a round-robin writing activity.

Students completed practice AP multiple choice questions. We will go over the answers first thing tomorrow!

Today's Board

April 3

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Write about a time when you were somewhere where you didn't feel like you belonged or fit in. Where was it? What was it like?

We went over the answers to the SAT writing practice (Improving Paragraphs 1-3 handouts). We also went over the answers to the chapter 8 multiple choice questions.

Students completed a 3-2-1 writing assignment for one chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird. They handed this in before the end of class. (Students who were absent should attend tutorials Tuesday or Thursday A block to make this up.)

Students read "Harper Lee's Novel Achievement" and marked passages that provide new insight to the novel. We will start with this tomorrow.

Today's Board

Week-at-a-Glance