Introduction
An introduction to the class will be our first day together. The syllabus will be handed out and gone over. The class structure and material that we will be covering this summer will be discussed as well as quizzes and a final project. Students will be given a handout with information for the sticky note project. Details can be found on that handout. Silent Seat Beach Ball will be played with various questions on the beach ball that will be answered by students. At the end of class students will develop a poster board with classroom rules and expectations they see fit for our time together.
Good Vs. Evil - Macbeth
(Ms. Basgall will not be in attendance these dates)
Students will be reminded of the sticky note handout. Each day of our program there will be the first 20 minutes devoted to silent reading. It is pertinent that students have their own book that they have chosen to read. While reading they are required to produce 5 sticky notes per chapter. Details can be found on the handout.
Macbeth: A tragedy written by William Shakespeare, and is considered one of his darkest and most powerful works. The play takes place in Scotland.
Students will be given a handout outlining the characters of the play and their first assignment.
Assignment #1: Within Macbeth the theme of good versus evil occurs throughout. Think about certain parts of the play that represent good characters and actions as well as parts that represent evil characters and actions. Search for pictures of either good or evil representations. Cut/paste pictures into a Word document. Print collage. On the back of the collage write a paragraph detailing what character you believe is represented by your collage and why.
Students will be reminded of the sticky note handout. Each day of our program there will be the first 20 minutes devoted to silent reading. It is pertinent that students have their own book that they have chosen to read. While reading they are required to produce 5 sticky notes per chapter. Details can be found on the handout.
Macbeth: A tragedy written by William Shakespeare, and is considered one of his darkest and most powerful works. The play takes place in Scotland.
Students will be given a handout outlining the characters of the play and their first assignment.
Assignment #1: Within Macbeth the theme of good versus evil occurs throughout. Think about certain parts of the play that represent good characters and actions as well as parts that represent evil characters and actions. Search for pictures of either good or evil representations. Cut/paste pictures into a Word document. Print collage. On the back of the collage write a paragraph detailing what character you believe is represented by your collage and why.
Survivor
Students will begin the unit with a team building exercise known as the airplane crash survival. They will work in groups in order to determine which materials are most necessary to survive. We will be examining primary resources in relation to survival, where real life stories of survivors are told. Students will also learn about literature circles and practice how to participate in one effectively. Areas of focus will be on constituting relevant and deep discussion questions, how people are more resilient than others, and how author's use their craft to generate a response out of the reader. We'll also be looking at various example in text and media to answer these questions.
Students will be watching the movie Life of Pi along with supportive materials including 9/11 footage of survivors, the Boston Marathon and Mountain Men.
Students will be watching the movie Life of Pi along with supportive materials including 9/11 footage of survivors, the Boston Marathon and Mountain Men.
Historical Conflict: THe Holocaust and WWii
This year students will focus on the Holocaust and WWII as their foundation for research. This is to support our field trip to the Holocaust museum on July 18th. If a student is well versed in the event of WWII then they may explore other options included in our field trip to New York, such as Franklin Roosevelt.
Students will be spending a brief period of time researching and gathering information off of a major war and conflict during the 20th or 21st century. WIth historical conflicts being the main theme of our mini-unit, students will put together a piece of work focused on one genre of study. They may create a scrapbook page, a letter to home, a drawing of their experiences as a soldier in the war, etc. We will be exploring various genres and how style and voice change throughout those genres. Students will need to be able to use primary and secondary sources within their genre and define what the difference is between them. I will be exploring and learning about the Irish War of Independence along side of the students. We will spend most of our time during this unit in the computer lab research and developing ideas and material.
Students will be spending a brief period of time researching and gathering information off of a major war and conflict during the 20th or 21st century. WIth historical conflicts being the main theme of our mini-unit, students will put together a piece of work focused on one genre of study. They may create a scrapbook page, a letter to home, a drawing of their experiences as a soldier in the war, etc. We will be exploring various genres and how style and voice change throughout those genres. Students will need to be able to use primary and secondary sources within their genre and define what the difference is between them. I will be exploring and learning about the Irish War of Independence along side of the students. We will spend most of our time during this unit in the computer lab research and developing ideas and material.
Age of Enlightenment
From a literary standpoint this literary period brought about writings that were intellectual and fact based. Math, science, and political ideas flourished during this time period and fought against supernatural beliefs and notions. Some ideas brought to light included the scientific method, human rights, democracy, and evolutionary beliefs. Literature was on a fact-based level, that anything written would be supported by concrete evidence and facts. An example of a famous literary work from this period would be The Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. Student's will be learning about this period and taking notes regarding the period. Students will then be broken up into 3 areas of study, Math, Science, and Democracy. With each group they will be given a text in regards to the time period and area of study they will be focusing on. They will learn, discuss and formulate opinions about the text. Once they have completed their group study work they will go into a second group and teach the other students in their group about what they have learned about their area of study during this time and the text they read about. This is known as a jigsaw exercise.
The Crucible
The Crucible mini-unit will develop the theme of fear and mass hysteria. Throughout this mini-unit students will discuss relevant questions that require critical thinking. Questions such as what provokes fear/mass hysteria in people? How does one use fear to alter or gain control? and How can authors use their works as a statement about life during their time. The time period The Crucible takes place in is during the 1930's and revolves around the Salem Witch Trials. As we discover main ideas, themes, concepts, imagery, etc about the play by Arthur Miller, we will also discuss what Puritans lived like, the notable characters and actions within the play as well as view clips of the movie. The common assessment required for this mini-unit is a persuasive letter that focuses on a counterargument. rebuttal, logos, pathos, ethos, and calls to action.
To Kill A Mockingbird (Not applicable to 2014)
This one day will cover themes found in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. We will only have time for one day to cover the major plot points of this novel. We will begin watching a Sparknote summary of the novel and discuss lessons Scout has learned throughout her childhood. Notes will be take on major symbols, motifs, and themes found within the novel, and the lesson will conclude with an exploration into stereotypes and prejudice terms as well as context. This relates to To Kill a Mockingbird by Tom Robinsons living in a time where being African American is a stereotype and he is prejudged by the town and tried in court due to one woman's story against Mr. Robinson. Scout's father, the town's lawyer, steps in to defend Mr. Robinson and finds himself in a situation of an "us" verses "them".
A Raisin in the sun (Not applicable to 2014)
Students will be introduced to the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Students will continue their ideas of prejudice and stereotypes through the context of this play. For the first day students will read a poem by Langston Hughes called Harlem. The play's title and themes derived from this poem. We will define vocabulary terms found within the poem and read the poem together. Students will be put into groups to decipher the poem, complete a figurative language handout, and draw a picture in relation to what they think the poem is about. After group work we will share and discuss questions in relation to the poem in a whole class setting. The second day will focus on an introductory video of A Raisin in the Sun featuring interviews and interesting information in relation to the play. A film adaptation of this play came out in 2008 and stars P. Diddy.
Book Presentation
(Due July 28th) We will be presenting our book reports to the class. I am setting aside only 3-4 minutes per person to present their book. Remember this can be in any genre that you choose but you must have a visual aid. You will need to talk about a quote that stood out to you (and cite that quote correctly: "The quote that I believe relates to me or stood out to me the most would be on page 43 when Bob says..."). You will also need to talk about critical thinking that occurred during your reading as well as any other sticky notes that you would like to bring up. This is more about your reading process and advertising the book. I do want you to summarize the book but that can't be your whole entire presentation. This is where the sticky notes provide purpose.
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FInal Presentations
(Due July 31st) During our final week together students will be putting together a final project based off of one of the mini-units we have explored in class together. This could be a project related to Macbeth, Survival, The Holocaust, WWII, or The Crucible.
(Due July 30th) Another side project that students have been working on throughout the program will be their book presentation. They will need to be able to talk about a book they have read and be able to cite specific sentences from their novel to support their ideas and arguments. This ability will strengthen students areas of argumentation and providing evidence for their thoughts. They will need to create a visual as well.
Have a great summer!
(Due July 30th) Another side project that students have been working on throughout the program will be their book presentation. They will need to be able to talk about a book they have read and be able to cite specific sentences from their novel to support their ideas and arguments. This ability will strengthen students areas of argumentation and providing evidence for their thoughts. They will need to create a visual as well.
Have a great summer!