IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: What can be done to make the world safer?
Students participated in a socratic seminar to wrap up our work with Lord of the Flies. Lots of great conversations about the role of fear and the lack of females on the island!
Today's Board
Coming Up:
Thursday, 12/15 - Argument and Persuasion Test
Friday, 12/16 - Blog due
We used the first 30 minutes of class for blog time. The next blog entry is due Friday, December 16. Remember, at least one entry this 9 weeks must be about your AP book.
We finished up our argument and persuasion notes with logical fallacies (available on Classroom).
We read "On Nuclear Disarmament," a speech from 1988 by Carl Sagan. We discovered examples of repetition and parallelism as we read, and we will discuss these more on Monday. (Absent students can find the speech and reading guide on Classroom.)
Students received a copy of the argument and persuasion test review (also on Classroom). The test is Thursday, December 15.
I reminded students to be sure their questions are ready for tomorrow's socratic seminar on Lord of the Flies.
Students took the STAAR English II EOC test today!
Coming Up:
Friday, 12/9 - Lord of the Flies socratic seminar (major grade)
Thursday, 12/15 - argument and persuasion test (major grade)
Friday, 12/16 - blog due
IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Outside of class entry--see prompts on Classroom if you need ideas.
We went over the Anna Quindlen commencement speech, marking examples of repetition, parallelism, analogy, and allusion and discussing their effectiveness.
I handed out the prep packet the Lord of the Flies socratic seminar that students will participate in on Friday.
I returned students' first STAAR persuasive essay. We discussed writing a clear thesis and providing specific support and examples. We also looked at our use of pronouns and talked about revising vague sentences.
Essay scoring explanation & strategy for discovering examples
An example of a vague sentence that would benefit from revision.
We took notes over rhetorical devices and persuasive techniques. These notes will be tested on the argument and persuasion test that is scheduled for Thursday, 12/15. Students will receive a review for the test this week. (Notes posted on Classroom. Come to tutorials A block Tuesday or Thursday if you're confused!)
I handed out copies of Anna Quindlen's commencement speech. Students should read it and look for examples of rhetorical techniques. We will look at the speech more closely tomorrow.
IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Horror movies or comedy movies? Write a half page response presenting a claim with reasons and evidence for support.
For the notebook check, students counted their entries (beginning with Monday, 10/24) and wrote that number on a post-it. Then they flagged their best example of writing for this 9 weeks (any entry since 10/24) and handed in the notebook.
We watched one more speech and finished our logos, ethos, pathos chart from yesterday.
William Wallace in Braveheart (apologies for the foreign subtitles)
I shared a handout of sample persuasive essay openings and closings on Classroom. Students chose one of their "this or that" notebook entries from this week and wrote an opening for that topic. We read our writing out loud and discussed ways to improve. They then wrote a closing to go along with their opening.
IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Pick a superpower: flight or invisibility? Write a half page response presenting a claim with reasons and evidence for support.
After reviewing the STAAR test with students yesterday, I determined that there are four areas of grammar that we can easily improve. Students worked in groups to curate lessons and quizzes that effectively teach those skills and shared the links on collaborative Slides. After sharing their own findings, they looked at the other lessons and quizzes. We also talked about what makes a reputable website--students did a good job of selecting good sites! (Absent students should read through each lesson and complete at least one quiz.)
To further our understanding of logos, ethos, and pathos, we watched two speeches and evaluated them for effectiveness in each of those areas using a chart like the one below.
Speech 1 - Ashton Kutcher at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards
Speech 2 - Elle Woods in Legally Blonde 2
Notebook check tomorrow! Make sure yours is up to date!
