Tag Archive for monsters are out there

Essay Friday!

March 17, 2017 / / No comments

Standard:

  • ELAGSE9-10W1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Learning Target: I will compose an argumentative essay, citing evidence from the text to back up my claims.

Opening Session: Argumentative Essay by Shmoop

Work Session: Welcome to class! Today we’re going to be continuing the essay we began yesterday. We are down in Ms. Gelston’s room (203) to type using the laptops, and you’ll have all class to work on your essay. We can also send people two or three at a time upstairs to get textbooks as needed.

You will have all class period to work, as well as the second halves of Monday and Tuesday. We will be in this room all three days.

Good luck!

Closing Session: Put your laptops back and return your textbooks; essay check-in

Assessment: Formative checks for understanding; essays will be graded

Differentiation: Process (scaffolded essay prompts, frameworks); product (modified essay length)

Brainstorm Thursday

March 16, 2017 / / No comments

Standard: 

  • ELAGSE9-10W1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Learning Target: I will begin brainstorming and collecting quotes for my argumentative essay on The Metamorphosis.

Opening Session: Finishing Alien from yesterday!

Work Session: Ok y’all, let’s get into writing your essay for this unit! Yaaaaay…..

Here’s the skinny:

Metamorphosis Close Reading Essay

Prompt:

Throughout the unit as we have read The Metamorphosis, we have discussed two possibilities for what is going on in the story: either Gregor has really transformed into a monster, or it is all in his head. For this essay, you will choose either “Team Transformation” or “Team Insanity” and argue your side using evidence from the story (quotes) to support your point. You must use at least four quotes from the story. As a reminder, all quotes must have a lead-in (no quote should stand on its own!) and your paper should focus on a single argument (do not switch sides!).

Requirements:

  • MLA Format (MLA heading, size 12 Times New Roman, double spaced)
  • 4 quotes from the story with MLA parenthetical citations
    • All quotes need a LEAD-IN!
  • MLA Works Cited (we will go over this in class)
  • At least 750 words
  • DUE TUESDAY, MARCH 21ST.

The first thing we need to do for this essay is write a thesis statement. This is one clear, strong sentence where you state what you’re arguing about and what side you’re on. You can use this stem to help you:

  • In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, it is clear that the character Gregor (has/has not) actually transformed into a monster, and in fact he is _________________________ ____________________________________________________________.
    • (Examples for the blank:
      • “a giant monstrous vermin, as he is described in the book.”
      • “insane and his troubles are the result of extreme stress.”
      • “nothing more than an overworked and deranged man who has not transformed at all.”
      • “truly experiencing a great, mysterious, and tragic transformation that his family must now learn to cope with.”

Of course, you’re not required to use that stem at all!

After you have your thesis statement, I want to talk about lead-ins. This was an issue with our last essay! I saw a lot of this:

  • Dissatisfaction plays a major role in why communism has reached its high. “When any form of government, whether capitalist or communist, fails to meet the basic needs of its people, civil unrest is bound to follow.” (Why Didn’t Communism Work in Eastern Europe?). The quotes simplifies the basic reason why dissatisfaction from society prevents any form of communism to takeover completely in America.

The problem with that excerpt is that the quote is just sorta hanging out there. There’s an explanation after it, which is good, but it would be a billion times BETTER if we used a proper lead-in:

  • Dissatisfaction plays a major role in why communism has reached its high. Simply put, the basic reason why dissatisfaction from society prevents communist takeover in America is that “when any form of government […] fails to meet the basic needs of its people, civil unrest is bound to follow” (Why Didn’t Communism Work in Eastern Europe?).

Here is a super cool guide that should refresh your memory:

http://olympia.osd.wednet.edu/media/pagefiles/3189.tlq.pdf

One more thing for today: We need to do our MLA Works Cited!! It should look like this, everyone copy it down…

Kafka, Franz, and Stanley Corngold. “The Metamorphosis.” Prentice Hall Literature: World Masterpieces, Penguin ed., Pearson Education, Boston, MA, 2007, pp. 1066–1108.

For the rest of class, we’re going to collect your four quotes and write the lead-ins for them. Tomorrow you’ll be actually drafting your essays – we’re going to be downstairs in room 203 (that’s Ms. Gelston’s room!) using the laptop cart!

Closing Session: Share a lead-in with a partner and check that they’re doing it correctly!

Assessment: Formative checks for understanding, essay brainstorming grade

Differentiation: Process (modified/scaffolded essay); product (varied length of essay, modified quote requirements).

Testing Tuesday!

March 14, 2017 / / No comments

Standard:

  • ELAGSE9-10RL1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Learning Target: I will demonstrate my knowledge on a comprehensive unit test.

Opening Session: 5 minutes of chill before your test…no stress, just Oddly Satisfying!

Work Session: Today you will be taking your Metamorphosis unit test….GOOD LUCK!!

Closing Session: Unit reflection – what could have been better, what was good, what did you like, what did you dislike?

Assessment: Tests will be graded

Differentiation: Specialized instruction as needed, Process (annotated text), product (modified requirements for writing sections, etc.).

Reviewy Monday

March 13, 2017 / / No comments

Hey y’all! Your test is TOMORROW!!! #ohcrap #ineedtomakethetest #ijustdiscoveredhashtags #notreally #dontsayit #iknowimnotcool

Standard:

  • RL.9-10.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • RL.9-10.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Learning Target: Students will review for their Metamorphosis Unit Test tomorrow!!

Activator: 

First things first, let’s check out some different book covers for The Metamorphosis!

bookcover1 bookcover2 bookcover3 bookcover4

What does each cover depict? What does that say about the book? Why would the artists choose to portray the story in this way?

Next up, we’re gonna play a little review game! Everyone split into groups of 4 and for goodness sake, please put the desks into neat little tables -_- stop this “let’s destroy the classroom” nonsense… It makes me twitchy.

Anyway, once we are in groups of 4, we’re gonna start answering questions about the story. I have 180 questions! I’m going to hand a question packet out to each group and give you time as a group of 4 to work on it. Then, after you’ve had some time, I think an hour or so (that’s approximately 20 seconds per question!) we will come back together and go over the answers. Whichever group gets the most correct will get 5 points extra credit on their test!! WHOO!!

That’s our day today…be prepared for your test tomorrow, y’all! AND DON’T FORGET YOUR MOVIE PERMISSION FORM BY WEDNESDAY SO WE CAN WATCH ALIEN!!!!!!!

Closing Session: Ticket out the door – what questions do you still have that I can review tomorrow before the test?

Differentiation: Process – students will be able to find answers in the way that best suits them.

Assessment: Students will be formally assessed on the test tomorrow.

Impromptuesday

September 20, 2016 / / No comments

Welcome to Tuesday, everyone!

Hey, by the by, just to update you on the schedule for the week – today we will be writing an impromptu essay about The Metamorphosis, tomorrow we will be reviewing for our unit test, our test is Thursday, and on Friday we are doing something super special where you’ll all go to a different class than normal. AND THEN IT’S FALL BREAK!!!!

Standard: 

  • ELAGSE9-10RL1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Learning Target: Students will practice citing evidence from The Metamorphosis in order to validate or refute the claim that Gregor is a monster.

Activator: 

Today we’re going to be writing an impromptu essay…sort of. So, for the last couple of essays in here I’ve cut you loose and asked you to make an argument. This time around, we’re going to focus in on a specific part of an argument, citing evidence. Did you do this in 9th lit? I hope so….

Each of you will write an essay in class today, but you’re going to do it using a frame I’ve created for you. Yes, you do have to copy down all the words, and fill in the blanks with your own.

  • The first two blanks should be filled with quotes from the story.
  • The second two blanks should be fill with paraphrases from the story.

For each quote or paraphrase, you will write the page number down in the small blank in the parentheses.

Here’s the essay frame if you’re writing from home: Metamorphosis essay framework

After we take some time to do this essay together, we are going to check out some book covers:

bookcover2 bookcover4

bookcover3

bookcover1

After we view each of these book covers, I want you to complete the following ticket out the door:

Closing Session

  • Choose one of the book covers we reviewed in class. Describe what is happening on that cover. Then, write down ten adjectives that go with the cover.
  • For example, “I chose cover 4. It shows Gregor waking up as a giant bug. Adjectives: scary, weird, abnormal…”
  • Turn it in to the basket!

Differentiation: Process – printed frame given as needed; Product – quote/paraphrase requirements lowered as needed.

Assessment: Impromptu essays be graded.

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