April 14/15, 2010

April 14/15, 2010

A Reminder of the March-April Book-of-the-Month Assignment

Your Book-of-the-Month Club Project is due today!

Preparing for Core Testing.

Students took a brief practice test for the State Core Test

Practice for Core Test
B1 watched a PowerPoint about Main Idea.  If you were absent, see the PowerPoint and other materials at http://cavemanenglish.pbworks.com/Finding-the-Topic-and-Main-Idea 

All B-Day classes took notes on topic, main idea, and internal text structures (A-Day did this last time.)

Notes on Finding a Topic

Use these clues when looking for the topic of a passage :

illustrations, captions

titles, headings, subheadings

repeated words

synonyms

pronouns

Notes on Finding or Creating a Main Idea

Main Idea = topic + the idea the author is stating about the topic

Main Idea and Topic Sentence are synonyms.

We usually talk about the "Main Idea" when we are talking about nonfiction.

The "main idea" in fiction is called the theme.

The Main Idea must be a complete sentence.

The Main Idea will NOT be a question.  It must be a statement.

Most Common Places in a paragraph or passage to Find the Main Idea:

1.  Beginning/First Sentence

2.  End/ Last Sentence

3.  Middle

4.  Not there!  This is called Implied or Unstated  (Those two words are synonyms.)

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We learned about using the verbs lay and lie and reviewed subject-verb agreement.  

Subject-Verb Agreement

The verbs lay and lie:
verb              meaning     forms: 1. present, 2, present participle (with helping verb), 3. past, 4. past participle (with helping verb)
"lay" means "to place"   forms:   1. lay, 2, laying,  3. laid, 4. laid
"lie" means "to recline"  forms: 1. lie, 2. lying, 3. lay, 4. lain

Notes on Lie/Lay Confusions

Lay, laid, laid  = to place   -- Notice that this verb takes a direct object.  That means it is acting on an object.  In the following sentences the object is the book.

Present tense (happening right now):  I __________ the book on my desk. (lay)

Past tense (happened in the past): Yesterday I __________ the book on my desk.  (laid)

Past participle (has happened in the past and may still be happening):

       I have _________ that book on my desk every day for a week.  (laid)

Lie, lay, lain = to recline   -- Notice that this verb does not take a direct object.  It is not doing something to an object. 

Present tense:  I ___________ on the couch right now.   (lie)

Past tense: Yesterday I __________ on the couch.  (lay)

Past participle:  I have ___________ on the couch every day for a week.  (lain)

 

Using the Irregular Verbs Lie and Lay  -- See this post for more information.

 

Attention B4:

Finding the Topic and Main Idea in a Passage/Paragraph
If you were absent or would like to review, find downloads of materials used in class at
  http://cavemanenglish.pbworks.com/Finding-the-Topic-and-Main-Idea 

The download for B4 is here:

Work for B4 to do at home and hand in:  (Other classes may do these as practice.) 

You could download and print, complete the exercises and hand it in, or complete the exercises and then attach to an email to me.

Wednesday/Thursday, December 3/4, 2014

Announcements and Reminders:

• Turn in your November Book Assignment if you haven't done that yet.
• The assignment:  November Book of the Month.docx 
  
           Click on the Download tab to open and print this document. 
• If you need to finish it or redo it, do so as soon as you can.
• Your December book will be science fiction or fantasy.
• If you went to the party for the 40 Book Challenge (10 books or more), please come see me.  Thanks!
• 
  
• Post - Test on Main Idea and Supporting Details next time
• 
  
• Composition Book Check next week

• Composition Book Check for Term 2 - December 11/12

1. Individual Reading



2. More on Central Idea
   Too Narrow, Too Broad, Just Right

   A Narrow or a Broad Topic?

Main Idea:
Summary of the passage
What you would say to a friend to briefly summarize the passage or article or essay
NOT too broad & NOT too narrow
The overall idea of the passage
Just enough information to get what it is about
What the author wants the reader to know about the subject
It helps you make sense of the passage
It could be used as a topic sentence or thesis statement
The focus of the passage

Narrow Idea:
Details about the main idea
Gives descriptive or elaborative information
May describe something in the passage
Helps us visualize part of the passage
Not enough information to get the whole idea
It could be a fact from the passage
Makes you want to know more
One single part of the overall subject
A specific idea or concept in the passage
Describes something that happened or what someone did

Broad Idea:
Lacks details
Too general
Doesn’t really describe very much
Covers many possible topics
Too big to be main idea
Doesn’t help visualize much in the passage
Can go lots of different directions
Open idea
Wide, a variety of topics can fit within this statement

• Example: http://readinggurus.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/group-brainstorming-activity-sheet_weedsample.pdf
• Handout/Assignment: Go through an example of a central idea, one that is narrower, and one that is broader.
• Handout/Assignment: In groups of two or three, fill out the rest of the tables.

3. More on Essays and the Rubric -- Translate the back of the page.

4. The Outsiders and Characters

Character	Description
Ponyboy Darrell/Darry p. 6-7 Sodapop p 7-8  Johnny  p. 11-12 Steve Randle  p. 9  Two-Bit Matthews p. 9-10	14 years old  gray-green eyes light brown, almost red hair long hair for a boy likes to watch movies and read books 20 years old, the oldest brother,  6'2", rough without meaning to be, isn't sorry, broad-shouldered, muscular, dark-brown hair, eyes like pale blue-green ice, tough, cool, smart,  16 going on 17, happy,  scared, was mugged, 16+ Soda's best friend

If you were absent, 
review the information about main ideas above,
ask for the worksheet on main ideas and supporting details -- Broader, Main Idea, and Narrower,
complete the back of the rubric for writing informational text, 
catch up on the chart for characters from The Outsiders.


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Links for more information about Central Idea (Main Idea):
Music for Main Idea  on YouTube(Building a Paragraph)
or
Main Idea Song  on TeacherTube

Clues for Finding the Topic and Main Idea

Central Idea and Supporting Details

Paragraphs

Central Idea Practice

Thursday/Friday, February 22/23, 2018

Announcements and Reminders for Thursday/Friday, February 22/23, 2018:                            Slideshows and Book Projects  Finish up your book project and/or slideshow (if still needed) as soon as possible.  Share the finished Google slideshow with Ms. Dorsey and check for comments from her.   Share your book project Google Doc with Ms. Dorsey, check for comments, revise and edit as needed, then print the document and attach it to the front of your rubric. Jan BookoftheMonth 2018.docx How They Croaked Teaching Project Rubric.docx  Link to the Sample Slideshow:   https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oSWW8nZtqYtPpTyOqjjbghkZiHUBw9VU3gZIvPP1IhM/edit?usp=sharing' Nonfiction Book Project  Our new book project is nonfiction.  We will be going to the media center on Thursday and Friday of this week.  There are also nonfiction books available for checkout from our classroom.  Pick a book and start reading.  You will be looking for one or more central ideas in your book and how the central ideas are supported by details in the book.   For instance, in the movie, The Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum learns that the most important goal in life is to develop caring relationships with others.   We could find many details in the movie that support that idea. Recommended Nonfiction                              Don't forget to complete your eighth-grade registration by February 26.   It's LIVE Week! Live a little -- make new friends, get to know your old friends better.

Targets for Today: Reading: Informational Text Standard 2  I can determine  central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; I can find details to support ideas and conclusions. Conventions of Standard EnglishLanguage Standard 1  I can demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a.  Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. b. Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.

Today’s  Agenda for Thursday/Friday, February 22/23, 2018: Pick up your composition book. 1.  Prepare for your test on spelling and other conventions. 2.  A1 and B-Day Media Center for a presentation  about Nonfiction and time to find books Bring your composition book and a pencil or pen.   Write down titles in Books I'd Like to Read. A1  Beginning of Class A2 (last 25 minutes)  10:25 -  B5, B7  Beginning of class  3.  Take the Spelling and Other Conventions Test  This week we will take a break.   Just review your past spelling and conventions assignments.  Look for links to learning helps in the light blue boxes on this blog.   Conventions of the Week #5.docx Conventions of the Week #4.docx Conventions of the Week #3.docx Conventions of the Week #2.docx Conventions of the Week #1A.docx 4. Receive the Book Assignment -- Central Idea  Nonfiction Book of the Month Rubric.docx Helpful Information for Nonfiction Book Project.docx Finding the Central Idea Graphic Organizer.docx Central Idea = the topic         plus the main point the author is making about the topic.  Synonyms:  main idea, main point, gist.   Examples:   A Woman in the House (and Senate)  Women frequently bring a different perspective to decision making.  If we are to celebrate the options available to girls and women today,  we must learn about those who fought to give life and reality to our dreams.  The Finest Hours: The True Story of A Heroic Sea Rescue  The Coast Guard rescuers told about in The Finest Hours  fought against insurmountable odds.   (Supporting details would tell about the odds  and what made them insurmountable.) Non-examples:  theme, topic, specific details supporting detail   noun Supporting detail is additional information that explains, defines or proves the main idea. Information in Supporting Detail Facts - Statistics or graphs Statements - Quotations or opinions from authorities or experts Examples - Comparisons, contrasts, graphs, case studies, illustrations,  or predictions Explanations - Clarifications, definitions, sequence of events,  causes and effects, or summaries Descriptions - Character traits, setting, action or events, or directions An example of a supporting detail in a story is a description of the character's clothing. An example of supporting detail in a newspaper article are sentences that answer       the questions who, what, where, when, why and how. An example of supporting detail in a movie review are sentences that explain       how or why the critic came to that decision: perhaps the acting was mediocre        or the dialogue stiff and cliched. YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2017 by LoveToKnow Corp Read more at http://www.yourdictionary.com/supporting-detail#KBM3Bm1GJE3xtQ4c.99

The "5-Paragraph Trick" for finding a central idea for a nonfiction book: Most nonfiction books are structured like a 5 paragraph essay, only longer. In a five paragraph essay  we are guaranteed to find a concise statement of the main idea/theme of the book at the end of the  introductory paragraph. Similarly, a nonfiction book will often have a concise statement of the  main idea in towards the end of the introductory chapter.   (Introduction, prologue,  first chapter -- Where else in a 5 paragraph essay can we find a concise restatement of the main idea? last chapter) It doesn't always work, but it does often enough to be helpful.  Examples:  My Yosemite  by Mike Graf The first page ends with "Read on, then explore what makes Yosemite special for you."  Central Idea:   Yosemite is special to different people for different reasons.  Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow  738 pages  "Today we are indisputably the heirs to Hamilton's America [and to his vision of the modern world] (6)." Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan by Rick Bowers The character of Superman “stands guard against threats to human dignity and freedom.” P. 149  The Children of Willesden Lane: A True Story of Survival During World War II by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen Music gave Lisa Jura the strength to face hard times and an uncertain future (vii). Choosing Courage: Inspiring True Stories of What it Means to Be a Hero by Peter Collier This is a theme -- not a central idea!  “Courage isn’t something you’re born with, but rather something you discover within yourself “(xiii). _______________________________ A2  Media Center for a presentation about Nonfiction and time to find books Bring your composition book and a pencil or pen.   Write down titles in Books I'd Like to Read. A1  Beginning of Class A2 (last 25 minutes)  10:25 -  B5, B7  Beginning of class

If You Were Absent: See above. Arrange a time to take your test on spelling and other conventions. Nonfiction Book of the Month Rubric.docx Helpful Information for Nonfiction Book Project.docx Finding the Central Idea Graphic Organizer.docx

Vocabulary: Central Idea = the topic         plus the main point the author is making about the topic.  Supporting detail is additional information that explains, defines or proves the main idea.

Help and Enrichment  Study and Review:  Conventions of the Week #5.docx Conventions of the Week #4.docx Conventions of the Week #3.docx Conventions of the Week #2.docx Conventions of the Week #1A.docx See the helps and enrichment for the previous days we have worked on spelling and conventions. Conjunctions:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2biawdXGAiI More About Types of Phrases Reading Comprehension Tips: How to Find Main Ideas in a NonFiction Book Gretchen Wegner https://gretchenwegner.com/2011/12/11/reading-comprehension-tips-how-to-find-main-ideas-in-a-nonfiction-book/