Blog Archives - Ms. Hunter's Classroom

Ms. Hunter's Classroom

Winter Break 2016!

12/23/2016

Everyone have a wonderful winter break! Take some time to relax, sleep and recharge your mind. Don't forget to finish your Introduction + Three Body Paragraphs over the break as well! Use your graphic organizer to help you out.

Instructions for the Mastery Work can be found below:

TASK → Write a persuasive, well-developed argument essay that takes a position on the issue which your non-fiction literature circle group researched and discussed.
Remember:
1) a thesis is your position + your reasoning
2) an introduction paragraph needs a compelling hook + background info + thesis
3) body paragraphs must follow TE/EA structure & develop claims that support the thesis
4) a conclusion paragraph must tie all the claims together, reviewing key information to support the thesis, but also leaving the reader thinking with a call to action, warning, or final thoughts.
ROUGH DRAFT DUE DATES:
       First 4 paragraphs - Tuesday, January 3
                    Conclusion paragraph - Wednesday, January 4
       *typed, if possible
       *rubric should be attached

FINAL DRAFT DUE DATE:
       Revised & edited five paragraph essay - Tuesday, January 17
       *must be typed
       *rough draft and original rubric should be attached

Essay Outline: Graphic Organizer

12/22/2016

Using your graphic organizer, the information from your Lit Circle Meetings and your articles, outline the structure of your essay.

Create a topic sentence for each of the three body paragraphs
Find two pieces of evidence that support each topic sentence from any of the articles that you read.

Check out the sample organizer below:

Your Introduction Paragraph

12/20/2016

DUE WEDNESDAY 12/21

For homework, finish writing your introduction paragraph. Remember, an introductory paragraph must include:

Hook
Background Information
Thesis Statement

For more information and a sample paragraph, check out the notes below:

Your Thesis Statement

12/19/2016

Using your position trackers and what you’ve learned about thesis today, draft 2-3 thesis statements for your Lit Circle topic:

You can try different variations of the roadmap thesis.
Be sure that your thesis is debatable and includes reasoning!

Check out the notes from class below:

Poetry Out Loud Presentations!

12/16/2016

POETRY OUT LOUD

You need to have your entire poem for Poetry Out Loud memorized for Monday 12/19. You will be doing your poetry recitation for a small group of your peers. Be sure to:

Memorize the ENTIRE poem.
Bring a copy of your poem.
Bring the rubric for the Poetry Out Loud performance.

**If you haven't yet turned in your TE/EA paragraph Mastery Work, Monday is the LAST day that it will be accepted!

Friday: Quiz, Poem Analysis & Poem Creation

12/15/2016

DUE FRIDAY 12/16

1. Your poetry analysis TE/EA paragraphs are due 12/16. Check out the instructions below. Choose only ONE option.

2. Your original poem is also due TOMORROW 12/16!

Must include three literary elements.
Must include the rhyme scheme you chose.
Must include the topic you chose.
Must be at least 10 lines long.

LASTLY...you have a quiz on Poetry and Literary Devices tomorrow 12/16! Be sure to study:

Literary devices
Poetry annotations
Poetic devices (stanza types, poetic vocabulary, etc).

Lit Circle #2 & Turnitin

12/12/2016

Tomorrow is your second literature circle meeting! Be sure that you are 100% prepared to participate in your circles.

Read the article(s) thoroughly!
Prepare for your ROLE (Discussion director, Connector, Analyst).
Complete all homework that needs to be done before class begins.

If you need further instructions, check out the previous post about Literature Circles.

In addition, you must create a turnitin account and upload your Mastery work (Click HERE to go to turnitin.com)! The instructions and class codes are listed below:

C BLOCK

D BLOCK

Mastery Work and Poetry Out Loud!

12/9/2016

DUE MONDAY 12/12

This weekend you must complete your TE/EA Paragraph Mastery Work Portfolio (Click HERE to view the mastery work). Use the checklist to make sure that you have ALL required elements!

In addition, your second poetry check for Poetry Out Loud is due on Monday 12/12!

You must have the title, author and first 8-10 lines of your poem memorized and ready to recite (for Ms. Hunter only).

You MUST bring in a copy (either printed or handwritten) of the poem for reference and for the classwork for the day.

Lit Circle Meeting #1

12/8/2016

Tomorrow is the first Lit Circle meeting for your groups! Make sure that you are 100% prepared and ready to discuss the article that your group chose. It is EVERYONES responsibility to read the article for class.

If you're not clear what the other responsibilities are for your role, check out the information below:

Discussion Director:

Facilitates the analyst and connector sharing what they've brought to the discussion.
Come up with 5-10, meaty, open-ended questions for discussion.
- Answer one of the discussion questions in a paragraph.
Ensure all group members are participating and on-task.
Maintain the discussion for the allotted amount of time.

Analyst:

Identify the thesis statement in the article.
Outline the article’s structure.
Identify three key passages/phrases.

Connector

List and explain 3-5 connections you found between the reading and the outside world.
Find and print an outside article from 2016 that is related to your topic.
Briefly summarize your article and explain how/why it is connected to your topic.

➽ HOMEWORK
➽ CLASSWORK

Note that anything that is in RED must be completed BEFORE coming to class! Don't let the members of your group down by showing up unprepared.

Tone Maps

12/7/2016

When practicing recitation for your Poetry Out Loud performance, the tone in which you read your poem can convey a lot of emotional impact on your audience.

Your task: Create a tone map for the poem that you will be performing for Poetry Out Loud.

Using either a printed or hadwritten copy of your poem, practice reading the poem aloud and look for tone shifts.
Use the tone list (Click HERE for the link) you were given in class (or words of your own) to outline the tone shifts in your poem. Be detailed!

How can tone be created in a poetry recitation?

The speed at which you read (faster or slower).
The volume at which you read (softly or loudly).
Facial expressions and gestures.
The emotions that you put into your speech.

Check out the sample tone maps below from Poetry Out Loud's website and from Ms. Rush!