October 31

Happy Halloween! Students from 2nd period decorated my door for the StuCo contest.

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: "You can now compete to spend one terrifying night in Dracula's castle" - students read the article and circled unfamiliar words. Students chose 4 words from the reading, looked up the definition, and copied it onto the article. They then wrote in their notebooks about whether or not they would want to win this contest.

Students used the remaining class time to finish and turn in the figurative language chart and visuals.

We will be looking at Ralph and Jack as heroes tomorrow (really!), so be sure to read the hero's journey notes on Classroom before then.

Today's Board

Week-at-a-Glance

October 28

IRT: ~20 minutes (1st and 4th)
WNB: What does it mean to be civilized?

Students continued working on the figurative language chart. We will spend a little time on Monday finishing this up. We didn't get to talk about Ralph and Jack as heroes today, so we will do that on Monday. Be sure to read the hero's journey notes on Classroom before then.

Today's Board

October 27

Students used the first 30 minutes of class to read and work on their next blog entry, due Friday, 11/11.

Students completed practice AP and SAT multiple choice questions for chapter 4 of Lord of the Flies.

Students began searching for examples of figurative language. We will continue this work tomorrow.

Students should read the "Hero's Journey" notes that are posted on Classroom before class tomorrow.

Today's Board

October 26

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: vocab and foreshadowing in Lord of the Flies

We checked our answers on the SAT Writing Practice 1 sheet. This is similar to what students will see on the SAT and STAAR tests.

Students completed AP and SAT multiple choice questions over chapter 3. After working independently, they collaborated with their groups to come up with the correct answer.

Students should read chapter 4 in preparation for tomorrow's work.

Today's Board

October 25

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: "My idea of paradise is..."

Students worked in groups to develop the perfect survival kit. We then discussed which items were most necessary in the kit.

Students read background information on the author and novel and shared new or surprising details that connected to the book.

We focused on chapters 1 and 2 of Lord of the Flies today, looking at imagery and figures of speech that connect to the idea of paradise.

Tomorrow, we will discuss chapter 3. We will also check answers to the SAT writing practice 1 handout that students received at the end of class.

Today's Board

October 24

WNB: Article of the Week - "US officially accuses Russia of hacking DNC and interfering with election" (I'll collect the annotated articles tomorrow.)

We spent some time resetting expectations of the course, discussing independent reading time and writer's notebook entries. Students suggested that I provide suggested prompts and quotes that they can reference for outside of class entries. I'm in the process of gathering these materials, and I will post them on Classroom when they're ready! (I shared these slides on Classroom. See me if you have questions!)

We visited the library so students could begin looking for their AP list title. Originally, students were to read 2 books from the AP list, but I have adjusted that requirement. The list is available in the About section on Classroom.

Students took a quiz over Lord of the Flies for the last 20 minutes of class. Hopefully, they read the book!

Today's Board

Week-at-a-Glance & Essential Questions

October 21

1st and 2nd periods took their midterm exams today.

All grades are up to date as of 5:30 pm.

On Monday, we will begin our discussion of Lord of the Flies.

Have a good weekend!