Monday, February 11, 2008

Beowulf & Casey at the Bat

Standards: 8th Grade Language Arts
Reading-
1.0 Word analysis, fluency and systematic vocabulary development
1.3 Use word meanings within the appropriate context and show ability to verify those meanings by definition, restatement, example, comparison or contrast.
2.3 Find similarities and differences between texts in the treatment, scope, or organization of ideas.
2.4 Compare the original text to a summary to determine whether the summary accurately captures the main ideas, includes critical details, and conveys the underlying meaning.
3.1 Determine the relationship between the purposes and characteristics of different forms of poetry.
3.2 Evaluate plot.
3.3 Compare and contrast the motivations and reactions of literary characters from different historical eras confronting similar situations or conflicts.
Writing-
1.2 Establish coherence within and among paragraphs through
effective transitions, parallel structures, and similar writing tech-
niques.
1.6 Revise writing for word choice, organization, consistent point of
view; and transitions between paragraphs, passages, and ideas.
Written and Oral English Language Conventions-
1.1 Use correct and varied sentence types and sentence openings
to present a lively and effective personal style.
1.2 Identify and use parallelism, including similar grammatical forms
in all written discourse to present items in a series and items
juxtaposed for emphasis.
1.5 Use correct punctuation and capitalization.
1.6 Use correct spelling conventions.

Lesson One

Objective: Students should build a strong foundation of the language and background of the text “Beowulf” before reading it on their own.

Materials: Middle English Presentation, Movie Clip, Audio CD, Teacher’s Edition Text

New Vocabulary: Epic, Mock-heroic

Anticipatory Set: The teacher will prompt the students with a quickwrite question in regards to modern sports heroes. The students’ responses will lead the teacher into the epic and epic heroes.

Teaching: The teacher will give a mini-lesson by PowerPoint. The lesson will include new vocabulary, an introduction to the epic, and Middle English versus modern English. After the mini-lesson the teacher will show a movie clip of “Beowulf”.

Guided Practice: The students will listen to the audio version of “Beowulf”.

Independent Practice: Students will complete a word choice activity (direct teaching B).

Additional Activities

Students will complete a Standards Plus Capitalization lesson as a start of the period warm-up activity.
Students will complete a Standards Plus Vocabulary lesson as a start of the period warm-up activity.


Lesson Two

Objective: Students should be able to find relevant details by looking back at the text.

Materials: Teacher’s Edition Text

Anticipatory Set: The students will look at a piece of art from same time period as “Beowulf” and answer an analysis question. A discussion will follow.

Teaching: The students will read the text popcorn style, with the teacher pausing for further clarification on important points or concepts.

Guided Practice: The students will work together in small groups to re-read the text and record the sequence of events. Time for sharing will follow.

Independent Practice: The students will answer reading check questions #1-2, and interpretations question #6 on page 433 in their text.

Additional Activities

Students will complete a Standards Plus Capitalization lesson as a start of the period warm-up activity.
Students will complete a Standards Plus Vocabulary lesson as a start of the period warm-up activity.



Lesson Three

Objective: Students should be able to compare and contrast an epic to a mock-heroic poem, and the motivations of each poem’s characters.

Materials: Graphic Organizer Worksheet, Baseball PowerPoint, Teacher’s Edition Text

New Vocabulary: Despair, Melancholy, Recoil, Haughty, Multitude

Anticipatory Set: The students will enjoy a brief baseball lesson on the fundamentals of the game, as well as a clip of a game in action.

Guided Practice: The students will hear a portion of the poem “Casey at the Bat” by audio version.

Teaching: The students will read the entire poem popcorn style. The teacher will pause for further clarification or to point out moments for emphasis.

Independent Practice: The students will complete a graphic organizer that asks them to compare the mock heroic, “Casey at the Bat”, to an epic, “Beowulf”.

Additional Activities

Students will complete a Standards Plus Capitalization lesson as a start of the period warm-up activity.
Students will complete a Standards Plus Vocabulary lesson as a start of the period warm-up activity.


Lesson Four

Objective: Students should be able to determine if a summary is an effective indication of the original text, as well as write an effective summary.

Materials: Movie review and headline, Teacher’s edition text

Anticipatory Set: The students will informally respond to three reading comprehension questions (page 433, reading check questions #3-5).

Guided Practice: The teacher will use a movie headline and a movie review to portray an accurate summary. Together, the teacher and students will create a comprehensive list of what should be included in a good summary.

Teaching: The teacher will give an overview of the difference between a detail and a critical detail, as well as the components of a good summary: main event, cause and effect, and theme. Two students will read Summary One and Summary Two, with pauses for direct teaching.

Independent Practice: The students will respond to reading check questions as well as complete Test Practice questions # 1-4 on page 436.

Additional Activities

Students will complete a Standards Plus Capitalization lesson as a start of the period warm-up activity.
Students will complete a Standards Plus Vocabulary lesson as a start of the period warm-up activity.


Lesson Five

Objective: Students should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the poems “Beowulf” and “Casey at the Bat”, the poem’s similarities and differences as far as form and characterization, and new vocabulary.

Materials: Student Assessment, White paper, Markers/Colored Pencils

Assessment: Students will complete a written and multiple-choice assessment, followed by a completion of a story map for the poem of their choice.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Ballads

2/4/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus: Persuasive Writing

Standard: 8WS2.4-Write persuasive compositions

Objective: Students should be able to write a coherent persuasive essay with a well-defined thesis and reasons with support.

Anticipatory Set: Teacher will remind students of all the components that make a good essay. Teacher and students will review the framework for a persuasive essay.

Teaching: Teacher will monitor students’ progress by editing rough drafts while students do peer edits, using revision chart on p.721 and begin writing their final drafts.

Independent Practice: Students will complete peer edits and write a final draft, including changes from rough drafts.

Additional Topics

8WC1.6-Using correct spelling conventions

Students will continue with standards plus lessons and HH activities for homework.


2/5/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus: Persuasive Speech

Standard: 8SA2.4-Deliver persuasive presentations

Objective: Students will be able to present their point of view on an issue using specific academic language, support their point of view with reasons, address counterarguments and maintain a reasonable tone.

Anticipatory Set: The teacher will give brief examples of appropriate and inappropriate persuasive presentations.

Guided Practice: Students will present their issues in their groups, dividing into pros and cons. The teacher will monitor timing, giving each side two minutes to present their point of view, and thirty seconds for final arguments.

Additional Topics

8WC1.6-Using correct spelling conventions

Students will continue with standards plus lessons and HH activities for homework.




2/6/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus- Different Forms of Poetry

Standard: 8RC3.1-Determine purpose and characteristics of different forms of poetry
Objective: Students should be able to differentiate between a ballad and other forms of poetry.

Anticipatory Set: The teacher will remind students of previously read poems, such as, “Paul Revere’s Ride” as well as mention the use of refrain in the “I Have a Dream” speech. The teacher will introduce the ballad form of poetry by playing a song as an example and point of the elements that make it a ballad.

Guided Practice: The teacher will read the first verse of, “The Cremation of Sam McGee” and point out the use of refrain and internal rhymes. Following, the students will hear the audio version of the poem.

Teaching: Students will read the poem popcorn style while the teacher points out important elements of a ballad and the use of literary devices.

Independent Practice: Students will define vocabulary from the poem prior to reading. After reading the poem, students will answer four short answer comprehension questions.

Additional Topics

8RC3.6-Identify significant literary devices

Students will be able to identify the use of alliteration and personification in the poem.

8RC3.4-Analyze the relevance of the setting to the mood, tone and meaning of the text

Students will be able to identify how the use of refrain connects to the mood or tone of the poem.

8WC1.6-Using correct spelling conventions

Students will continue with standards plus lessons and HH activities for homework.



2/7/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus- Different Forms of Poetry

Standard: 8RC3.1-Determine purpose and characteristics of different forms of poetry

Objective: Students should be able to compare and contrast a traditional ballad to a less traditional ballad.

Anticipatory Set: The teacher will remind students of, “The Cremation of Sam McGee” and the components that make it a ballad.

Guided Practice: The students will listen to the audio version of, “The Dying Cowboy” and “Maiden-Savin’ Sam”. After the students read the poems out loud, the teacher and students will make a chart together, comparing the use of exaggeration in all three ballads.

Teaching: The students will read the poems out loud, while the teacher points out important elements of exaggeration and refrain.

Additional Topics

8RC2.0-Reading Comprehension

Students will respond to reading check questions #1-3 on p.425 for independent practice.

8WC1.6-Using correct spelling conventions

Students will continue with standards plus lessons and HH activities for homework.



2/8/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus-Assessment

Students will be assessed on the three ballads as well as a writing conventions quiz.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Worksheet

Persuasive Writing Workshop

“The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.”

Instructions: Working with your group, use this worksheet to help you build all the components of your persuasive essay. Reflect back on the above quote, and remember the goal of a persuasive essay is to make your reader believe.

Helpful Key Terms
persuasion- a tool to show your readers that your point of view is the right one
pro- for, the positive, the benefits, the good
con-against, the negative, the bad
purpose- the final goal
issue-a subject about which people disagree
audience-specific group of people to which your paper is addressed
logical appeal- speaking to the reader’s head
emotional appeal- speaking to the reader’s heart

Fill in the required information:

What is your issue:__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In a persuasive essay, your thesis statement should tell both your issue and your point of view on it.

Formula: Issue + Point of View = Thesis Statement

Example:
Issue- Should minors be allowed to get tattoos with parent consent?
Point of View- No they should not (con)
Thesis- Minors should not be allowed to get tattoos with their parent’s consent.

Thinking about your persuasive purpose, write a thesis statement on your issue:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To Whom It May Concern: You should write a persuasive essay with a specific group of people, your audience, in mind.

Which groups of people would find my issue important? _________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Which specific group do I want to convince? _______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What type of people make up my audience? _______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How does this group feel about my issue? _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What objections might this group have to my opinion? _______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Counterarguments

After brainstorming reasons with group members with the same point of view, share your responses with your opponents to determine possible counterarguments.

Possible Counterarguments:

1.)____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.) ______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.) ______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Persuasive Writing Workshop

1/28/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus: Persuasion-Thesis Statement and Audience

Standard: 8WS2.4-Well-defined thesis
8WS1.0- Awareness of audience

Objective: Students should be able to write a well-defined thesis, and identify and analyze an audience for a persuasive essay.

Anticipatory Set: Teacher will review with students last week’s lesson, the introduction to persuasive writing, focusing on thesis.

Teaching: The teacher and students will read together pp.711-12. The teacher will use an example issue to demonstrate how to combine an issue and point of view to construct a well-defined thesis statement.

Guided Practice: The teacher will use an example issue to practice identifying and analyzing an audience with the students.

Independent Practice: The students will form groups of about six (teacher assigned) and each group will be assigned a debatable issue. The group will discuss their issue and divide into pro/con (3 to a side).The groups will be given a worksheet in which they develop a thesis based on their point of view as well as identify and analyze an audience (elements of Practice 2&3).

Additional Topics

8WC1.1-Use correct and varied sentence types.

The students will be reminded of the importance of correct sentence structure and varied sentence style in order to become a strong writer.

The students, with guidance from the teacher, will complete lesson 1 Fragments of Standards Plus sentence structure lessons. The teacher will review clauses and preview tonight’s homework, Holt Handbook p. 120 #1,3&5 of exercise 1.

8RW1.0- Word analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development

The students will continue with the Standards Plus Reading Vocabulary Lessons.

Closure: Students must confirm their point of view and share their thesis as their ticket out of the room.

1/29/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus-Evaluate and Support Reasons
Standard: 8WS2.4b-Present detailed evidence, examples and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between fact and opinion.

Objective: Students should be able to develop reasons with evidence, using both logical and emotional appeal, in order to build a strong persuasive essay.

Anticipatory Set: The teacher will ask the students to recall and share a time in which they had to convince their parents to let them do or buy something and the methods they used that were a success.

Teaching: The teacher and students will read pp.712-716. The teacher will go into detail about reasons v. evidence and the possible sources. The teacher will explain and model how to organize support by creating a controlling impression and an order of importance.

Guided Practice: Together, the teacher and students will use an example issue to gather reasons and evidence, from varied sources. Next, the class will create a controlling impression by organizing the reasons by level of importance.

Independent Practice: The students will gather back in their groups. Together, they will complete their individual graphic organizers that help them fill in reasons and evidence (components from Practice 4 & 5). The pro’s and the con’s will switch papers in order to see possible counterarguments to include in their essays.

Additional Topics

8WC1.1-Use correct and varied sentence types.

The students will continue practicing sentence structure, using Standards Plus lesson 2 on run-on sentences. The teacher will preview tonight’s homework, Holt Handbook p.122, # 1,3&5 on Oral Practice.

8RW1.0- Word analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development

The students will continue with the Standards Plus Reading Vocabulary Lessons.

Closure: The teacher will recap the day’s learning.

1/30/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus- Parallel Structure and Repetition

Standard: 8WC1.2-Correct for correct use of parallelism in items in a series

Objective: Students should be able to establish a coherent essay through parallel structure.

Anticipatory Set: The teacher will remind students of controlling impression and coherence before introducing parallel structure.

Teaching: The teacher will use Standards Plus sentence structure lesson 8 to illustrate examples of parallel structure.

Guided Practice: The teacher will walk the students through the questions accompanying lesson 8.

Independent Practice: Students will continue to study sentence structure for homework, Holt Handbook, p.122 #1,3&5 exercise 2.

Additional Topics

8WC1.2-Correct for correct use of parallelism in items in a series

Students will continue to study parallel structure as it pertains to their persuasive essays. They will do the Mini-Lesson THE WRITERS LANGUAGE on p.717.

8WS2.4b-Present detailed evidence, examples and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between fact and opinion.

Students will continue to work in their groups researching reasons and supporting evidence for their assigned issue.

8RW1.0- Word analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development

The students will continue with the Standards Plus Reading Vocabulary Lessons.

Closure: The teacher will recap the day’s learning.


1/31/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Today’s Focus-Drafting a Persuasive Essay

Standard: 8WS1.0-Students write clear and cohesive essays, exhibiting students’ awareness of audience and purpose. Essays contain introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Students progress through the stages of the writing process

Objective: Students should be able to use their notes from the week to draft a cohesive persuasive essay.

Anticipatory Set: The teacher will review all the components of persuasive writing.

Teaching: Together, the students and teacher will look at the Writer’s Framework on p.718.

Guided Practice: The teacher and students will closely examine the Writer’s Model on p.719 and point out all the crucial components.

Independent Practice: Students will draft their own persuasive essay.

Additional Topics

8WC1.1-Use correct and varied sentence types.

Students will continue practicing sentence structure by completing Standards Plus sentence structure lesson 6 on awkward construction.

For homework students will complete Holt Handbook, p.123 # 1,3,&5 exercise 3.

Closure: Students will hand in a completed essay before exiting the room.

2/1/08 Daily Classroom Agenda

Students will be presenting their issues in their groups in a debate format.