February 20, 2008

February 20, 2008
Today students viewed and took notes on a Powerpoint about using informal (contextual) citations (signal words), and creating a Works Cited list. These are skills needed for creating the book portfolio. If you were absent, get the notes from a friend in class. These will be looked for in your next binder check (under reading with the rest of your portfolio materials).

This is some of the information:
For your Works Cited list, look for and include in your entry any of this information you can find about an Internet source.
* Author and/or editor names
* Title of project, book, article
* Name of the database
* Any version numbers available
* Date of version, revision, or posting
* Publisher information (who put this on
the Internet?
* Date you accessed the material
* Electronic address, printed between
carets ([<, >]).

We read from Words By Heart.
A1 to page 88
A2 to page 108
A3 to page 84 ?
A4 to page 88?

We also went into the computer lab and spent time retaking the SRI (Scholastic Reading Inventory). We are using the results to monitor student reading ability and determine student needs.

February 15, 2008

February 15, 2008
Today Part 1 of the Novel Portfolio is due. Students should hand in their work along with the grading rubric for that part. Part 2 is due March 5.

We read from Words By Heart, and students worked in small groups and on their own to come up with ideas for Symbolic Story Representations. We used this work sheet:

S.S.R. Symbolic Story Representation:
As we read today, select one scene from Words By Heart and fill in below what objects, pictures, and shapes you could use in a Symbolic Story Representation.

Your scene is ________________________________________________
You would use --
1) An object, picture, or shape to represent you as a reader and what you do as a reader as you read this scene. What could you use?

2) An object, picture, or shape to represent at least one theme (a big, important idea) from the scene. What could you use?

3) Three or more other objects, pictures, or shapes to represent events, characters, setting, or themes from the scene. What could you use and what would each represent?

Words By Heart
A1 read to page 76, first full paragraph.
A2 read to page 98, to the page break.
A3 read to page 76, third paragraph.
A4 read to 88

February 11, 2008

February 11, 2008
-- Students received progress reports to be signed by a parent and returned for points.
-- Don’t forget the binder check on Wednesday, February 13.
-- Part 1 of the Book Portfolio is due Friday, February 15.

I. Today we practiced creating a Works Cited entry (as practice for creating the book portfolio).
Creating a Works Cited Entry: This part is your self-starter.
Put these facts together into a Works Cited Entry for this book. Use the sheet I gave you (in your binder) for “MLA Style for Listing Sources,” or turn to page 761 in the purple Writing and Grammar book. You won’t need to use all of the information I’ve given you.

The name of the book is Dawn and Dusk. (When I typed the title of the book, I italicized it. When you write it by hand, you will underline it.) The author is Alice Mead. The publisher is Farrar. It was published in New York City. The year it was published was 2007. It has 152 pages. This book is a historical/multicultural novel about how Azad and his family must flee their home in Iran because of the war with Iraq.

Don’t forget to not indent the first line, but indent second and third lines if any.

Here is another example:
Sebestyen, Ouida. Words By Heart. New York: Farrar, 1968.
For sources from the Internet, basically follow the example given on your “MLA Style for Listing Sources.” If you're confused about how to organize the pieces of information, just include everything you think would be helpful in finding that site again, and recognizing who made it and who wrote the information you used.

II. We also read from Words By Heart.

SSR (Symbolic Story Representation)
As we read today, jot down ideas for how you could use pictures or objects to represent (symbolize) what you do as a reader (your moves), who the characters are, what the setting is, what the conflict is, what happens (plot), what themes (big ideas) come out in the story, what choices the author is making. You may write more on the back of this sheet if you’d like.
  Today, especially notice what you do as a reader.

In three columns, students took notes on --
1. Page number
2. Moves, ideas, things to be represented
3. Objects or pictures I could use to represent/symbolize them.

A1 read from page 37 to page 47, paragraph 4
A2 read from page 47 to page 63, paragraph 4
A3 read from page 42 to page 47?
A4 read from page 42 to page 54, paragraph 3

February 5, 2008

February 5, 2008
Self-Starter: Continue on the page under "Reading" you wrote on last time, or start a new page.
a. "Secrets" When is it okay, and when is it not okay for parents to keep secrets from their children? Should they keep their children from finding out about unpleasant or dangerous things that might affect those children? How much should parents try to protect their children from knowing? Think about Lena and her papa in Words By Heart. Think also about secrets that parents might keep in today's world.
b. Label this part "Prepositions." Either write a definition for prepositions, or list at least five prepositions.

A1 checked the pronoun/antecedent quiz.
A2, A3, A4 did a brief "talk show" with Lena and her papa as guests. The "studio audience" were able to ask questions and express their opinions about what "Papa" was keeping from Lena. (He hadn't let her know about how dangerous and limited life really was for African-Americans during that time.)

We read from Words By Heart, started on page 19, and reading through the end of the chapter.
Ms. Dorsey showed a sample "Symbolic Story Representation" she had prepared for the chapter. Students will also have an opportunity to do a "Symbolic Story Representation" for another part of the book.

We practiced gathering facts from an historical fiction book -- Words By Heart.
Some of the facts we found in chapter 3 include these:
Fact: Taft was President of the United States in 1910. p. 21
Fact: Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech about a "New Nationalism" in 1910. p. 21
Fact In 1910, there were tensions between Russia and Austria that people thought might lead to war. p. 22

We could go to other sources to find out more about these subjects:
Notice that for the other sources, each time I give a fact, I use informal citation to tell where I found it.
Fact: According to whitehouse.gov, William Howard Taft was President of the United States from 1909- 1913.
Fact: Also according to the whitehouse.gov entry about President Taft, Theodore Roosevelt picked Taft to be his successor, then later worked to defeat him when Taft tried for re-election.

I'm collecting information to create a works cited entry: Title: "William Howard Taft" http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/wt27.html , accessed on February 5, 2008.

Fact: In January of 1910, the New York Times reported that Austria had accused Russia of espionage.

Information to use in a works cited entry: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free "AUSTRIA ACCUSES RUSSIA.; Military Attache Said to Have Been Involved In Espionage." January 27, 1910. Found in the New York Times Archives online -- accessed February 5, 2008.