Past+years

=English 10=

The purpose of this page is maintain a record of the work and assignments done in English 10, both this year and in past years. In addition, the BHS Honors Option wiki also contains resources and information gearted towards teaching English 10 at Branford High School.

Here is a site I found that deals with differentiating in a Heterogeneous classroom: http://www.maec.org/tadocs/hetclass.html Also a link of research related to the benefits of mixed-ability grouping: http://www.maec.org/tracking.html

=Some things I've done in past years=

The House on Mango Street - Students read the novel, identified figurative language in the novel and wrote a series of vignettes based on the author's style. The Moustache - A mini unit based on CAPT skills in which the students read two non-fiction articles related to the short story. They were given a CAPT-like quiz at the end Family short stories - A series of stories dealing with families and people in families. Students wrote two papers, including a five-paragraph analysis of at least two of the short stories. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds - We read the play, acted it out in class, and used it to talk about good literature. At the end, students took a CAPT-like quiz asking them to identify what the play says about people in general and whether it was good literature. As part of the unit on Gamma Rays, which we did after Thanksgiving, I posted several prompts on the blog for students to respond to.

To review for CAPT, I had the students take several CAPT-like assessments, including one after reading "The Moustache" and "Gamma Rays." For Gamma Rays, the students blogged about their definitions of good literature. We then compiled these into a graphic organizer broken down by different elements and used them to help students develop and write their own definitions for the test. Before the midterm, we reviewed all the responses, asking the students to highlight the best portions of their own responses. We used a note taking sheet with them to compile their reactions to their answers. We also reviewed the CAPT Writing task - click here to see a visual slide show about the letter's requirements

=Some other things I have done=

I'm currently doing a Literature Circles unit on Black Boy, Color of Water, and Frankenstein Here is an interesting article that deals with several of the issues raised in Frankenstein: http://www.americanscientist.org/template/BookReviewTypeDetail/assetid/15572

To begin, we read the first several pages of all three novels and completed this assignment: [| Prediction assignment - three novels.doc]

As we near the end of the Alienation & Isolation unit, I am preparing this essay

Students will read the novel and use active reading strategies to enhance comprehension Students will connect events and ideas in the novel to common theme of alienation and isolation
 * Objectives:**

Take part in in-class discussions about the novel - this can be done in class, the traditional way we've done the Lit Circles. Here is the assignment I've put together with a new wiki. Here's a brief outline of what I think we'll do: Students will participate in at least three in-class discussions and be responsible for posting on the wiki a record of their discussion highlights. This includes:
 * What I'd like them to do**:
 * A summary of what was discussed on what days
 * A list of follow up questions from the discussion
 * Extended thinking that goes beyond the discussion
 * Work from all group members
 * A list of significant passages and responses to them
 * A list of themes and evidence from the novel that relates to the theme
 * Response to comments - theirs and mine

Compile a log or other record of their discussions - ideally, this should probably occur after the in-class discussions, maybe even something as simple as writing up what happened, what was discussed, questions raised, passages focused on, etc... If this was done on a wiki, I could have a template for them to follow or something. One way to utilize the wiki could be the comment section - I could post comments there. Maybe each group could have a page and be responsible for linking information and questions etc... Write journal entries/blogs about the ideas in the novel - this might be better if it were on the discussion portion of the wiki page, linked to the page in which they record the evidence of their discussion. Again, there could be some kind of template to follow - connections, initial reactions, passages etc... Put together some kind of visual and/or graphic to help explain something significant about the novel - interactive timeline, moviemaker file, slideshow of images, connections to modern issue - I want this to go beyond what they've posted on their wiki page. Maybe it takes some aspect of the book and explores it further. I could comment on their comments as a way to give them ideas etc...

organize class time to facilitate class discussions Present mini-lessons on discussions Provide clear expectations of what should be in a log of discussions Provide software/tech support to allow for log of discussions - this could include setting up a template for them to use. Provide class time to read Provide time in class to learn how to use software Provide exemplars of possible project ideas
 * What I need to do to support it:**

We began A Midsummer Night's Dream in March, right after the CAPT. It began promising, with students posting again on the classroom blog about a creative ending, the types of comedy that are in sitcoms, and advice to the lovers. [|See the blog here].

One assignment was a mini essay, which was a character sketch of one of the characters. I modeled the process with Egeus and put together some of the adjectives the students came up with on the blog as part of a graphic organizer. Here is the graphic organizer and here is the mini essay:

Here are some videos from YouTube portraying //Midsummer// Act III - Bottom is translated - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxI_Spr6aoM Interesting take on Titania - Oberon feud and global warming - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meU_gfkIew8 Helena and Demetrius - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIbNjwQpGWI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEp1bvGj5A&feature=related - Master's spread yourselves! [|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRoIxwGsBR0&feature=related] – Act I, scene 1 – Hermia and Theseus [|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gleDhAQcYJ0&feature=related] – Titania and Bottom, Act IV [|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnOzDfCOXFc&feature=related] – Pyramus and Thisbe [|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyjvYSXeZQY&feature=related] – Pyramus and Thisbe II

The BBC has the entire play on Youtube here: []

=The final portfolio=

The final portfolio asks students to reflect upon their writing for the entire year. Students select essays and write several reflections as part of the project. I begin the introduction of the portfolio with a lesson reviewing highlights from the year. I used this PowerPoint presentation to guide the lesson:

Here is a copy of the assignmentHere is a copy of the chart I use to keep track of student conferences: = = In writing the essay, students created individual blogs and I began to use them as ways for them to research and write a research paper. Here are the blogs listed here:
 * [|Ally]
 * [|Andrew]
 * [|Grady]
 * [|Jillian]
 * [|Joe]
 * [|Krista]
 * [|Mike]
 * [|Sheree]
 * [|Zack]