DAY 01 - CYCLE 11 - SEMESTER 01: 11-30-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
You received two exam review guides:

• PART I: Contains information about what is covered on the exam, the skills on which you will be tested, and the format of the exam.
• PART II: Tips for how to study the stories and prepare for vocabulary.
• You also received a syllabus to take us through the end of the semester.
  

IN CLASS TODAY:

We continued with sentence diagramming, looking at articles, direct objects and attributive adjectives.



We covered introductory material for Poetry Out Loud.

WHAT:

Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide competition in which high school students recite (from memory) anthologized poems and are judged on their performances. The competition is run in a pyramid formation; after winning classroom competitions, students compete against other classroom winners of the sophomore class until three remain. These three sophomores will compete against the top three juniors. Two winners from this group of six may go one to represent USM in the regional competition. Each region will select three winners to go on to the state competition.

Winners at all levels are eligible for prizes.

SCHOOL PRIZES: To be determined.
STATE PRIZES: Each winner at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington (with an adult chaperone) to compete for the national championship. The state winner's school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. One runner-up in each state will receive $100; his or her school will receive $200 for the purchase of poetry books.
NATIONAL PRIZES: A total of $50,000 in scholarship awards and school stipends will be awarded at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, with a $20,000 college scholarship award for the National Champion.

HOW MANY POEMS MUST YOU MEMORIZE?
To recite in the classroom and to the sophomore class 1 (this is the one that counts toward your English grade)
If you are one of the winners of the soph. class competition 2
If you are the winner of the school competition 3
State and national contestants will recite their poems in rounds, not consecutively, with each student reciting one poem in each round.

WHEN WILL POETRY RECITATIONS TAKE PLACE?
You must be prepared to recite before your class by December 7.

Sophomore class recitations will be done on January 6
The recitation assembly will take place in the middle of January.
Regional contests will take place in mid to late February
The State contest will take place on Saturday, March 13th in Madison.
The National contest will take place on April 26th and 27th in Washington D.C.

WHERE MUST I FIND A POEM?
All poems MUST come from the online anthology at the Poetry Out Loud website: http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poems/

HOW WILL I BE JUDGED?
In the classroom, you will be judged by your peers and your teacher. You will be evaluated on the following elements:

• Physical Presence
• Voice and Articulation
• Appropriateness of Dramatization
• Level of Difficulty
• Evidence of Understanding
• Overall Performance
• Accuracy

Please visit the following web address for full details about each of these criteria: http://www.poetryoutloud.org/students/checklist.html

********************END OVERVIEW*******************
After we discussed the overview of the Poetry Out Loud project, we looked at a video so you could see the contest in action.

CLASS NOTES:

No class notes for today.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:

1. Find a poem to memorize on the Poetry Out Loud website
2. Print it out
3. Join the class wikispace.  There is a link at the top of this page.

DAY 05 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 01: 11-24-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
No handouts today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

You wrote an in-class essay.

CLASS NOTES:

No class notes for today.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:

None.

Hard to believe, huh?

DAY 04 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 01: 11-23-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
We looked at the collected elements of your proposed rubrics.  Ali pointed out a mistake, and that has been corrected in the version posted here.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We covered the words incarcerate, incumbent, jocular, ludicrous, mordant.

CLASS NOTES:
Incumbent as an adjective can be a bit tricky. Note the following examples to get a better understanding of it in action:
• It is incumbent upon all members to attend the Spanish Honor Society meeting tomorrow.
• It is incumbent for a batter to have great eyesight.
• It is a duty incumbent upon me, and I accept the obligation gladly.
• To follow the Common Trust is incumbent upon us all.

We split up into two groups and created a final rubric with the traits of A and B followers and leaders.

We came up with the following possible questions/topics for tomorrow’s in-class essay about Watership Down.  You will be given ONE of these tomorrow in the computer lab.  You should report directly to the computer lab tomorrow.  You may bring your book, but that is all.

• Who is the most valuable team member and why?
• Whose style of leadership is more effective: Hazel’s or Woundwort’s?
• Why is Cowslip’s Warren unappealing, even though they get everything they want?

Notes for today's class may be found above.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:

Prepare for tomorrow's in-class essay.  You may bring your book, but nothing else.  Please report directly to the computer lab.

DAY 03 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 01: 11-19-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:
There were no new handouts for today.  We spoke about the articles about followership.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We talked about what it means to be a good leader and follower in the classroom setting.  What are the defining features of A level followership and A level leadership?  According to you, it's the following:

LEADER

• Gives direction
• Motivates
• Trusts and is trustworthy
• Inclusive
• Selfless
• Courage
• Quick thinker
• Fair

FOLLOWER

• Independent thinker
• Voices opinion
• Asks questions
• Comes prepared and ready to go
• Dissents when appropriate
• Listens attentively
• Takes notes
• Understands what he/she is doing
• Fosters good chemistry
• Knows when to talk and when to shut up

 At the very tail end of class, AND THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART, I tried to point out to you that just by looking at the criteria you offered, you could see that good leadership is a lot about showing deference to others, and good followership is a lot about showing initiative and strength.  Is this paradoxical? It may seem so at first, but it isn't once you think about it--not in the classroom and not in Watership Down.  However, it also means that your success is very much pegged to the success of others in the classroom with you.  We habitually see leadership as something we show as individuals, demonstrating our very own initiative apart from those around us, allowing us to stand out from the crowd.  Given that you all feel you earn your grades on your very own, you probably think about leadership in this way, too.  But that is worth a grain of doubt.  Look again at how good leaders should be assessed, according to your discussion today.  Does an A+ leader take total charge, seek to escape the pack, and set him/herself obviously apart?  Absolutely not. Instead, and according to you, they are those who find ways to let others rise to the occasion by orchestrating opportunities, calling on others' strengths, and giving others room for a bit of glory.  So what do you really need to do to improve your skills and grade in the class?  Invest in assuring everyone's success, not just your own.  It seems counter-intuitive, but I guarantee that if you demonstrate true  leadership as you have defined it above, in and out out of the classroom, you, like Hazel, will be worthy of having a "-rah" tacked on to your name.

CLASS NOTES:
Notes for today's class may be found above.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
1. READ THE ABOVE POST IN FULL AND THINK ABOUT IT CAREFULLY.
2. Add a comment to this blog post identifying what YOU see as the chief traits of an A and B leader and follower - they should be measurable.

On Monday, you will work together as a group to develop THREE possible questions to answer in a 12-sentence paragraph in the computer lab on Tuesday.  As you will be writing a 12-sentence paragraph for the exam as well, doing so under timed consitions will be good practice for that.

DAY 02 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 01: 11-18-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

Today's handout was the full study guide for Watership Down.  The reading schedule, leader assignments, and all study guides are in there. We led ourselves, thank you very much.

IN CLASS TODAY:

We learned how to diagram DEFINITE ARTICLES, INDEFINITE ARTICLES and PREDICATE NOMINATIVES.

We also spoke about a flower from mathematical, scientific, cultural, aesthetic and language-based perspectives to talk about why we do a lot of the stuff we do in school.  It's all intellectual dribbling drills for later games, but ultimately all so you can make meaning of your time on earth.  No kidding.

We learned the words teleological and deplorable.

We started to talk about the end of the novel, which we will continue tomorrow.

CLASS NOTES:
Notes for today's class may be found here.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
1. READ the following articles about followership.
2. Arrive to class with proposed criteria for a rubric to judge leadership and followership in the classroom.

DAY 01 - CYCLE 10 - SEMESTER 01: 11-17-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

Today's handout was the full study guide for Watership Down.  The reading schedule, leader assignments, and all study guides are in there. Maddie was our leader for the day.

IN CLASS TODAY:

You discussed pages 421-456. Maddie was our leader for the day.

You coined the term consummate (I don't know how to do the accent over the e).
Your discussion about psychological and physical effects of fear was absolutely gorgeous.  Well-substantiated, evolving, recursive and insightful, you produced one of the finest discussions I have seen in years.  Thank you.
CLASS NOTES:
Notes for today's class may be found here.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
1. Finish the novel.
2. Complete the 12 sentence paragraph assigned on page 36.  This will be due on Wednesday, November 18th.
3. Tomorrow, bring your grammar book.

DAY 05 - CYCLE 09 - SEMESTER 01: 11-16-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

Today's handout was the full study guide for Watership Down.  The reading schedule, leader assignments, and all study guides are in there. Lonnisha was our leader for the day.

IN CLASS TODAY:

You discussed pages 394-421. Lonnisha was our leader for the day, and she shared really good vanilla Oreos.

In class, Lonnisha had us address discussion questions, and added one of her one: Why does Woundwort pursue the Watership Down rabbits? Why not just let them go?

Today, while most participated, listening was a problem.  Many of you tuned out, or listened just long enough to start thinking about your reply, at which point, you stopped listening.  Speakers, sometimes you mumbled in monotone down into your lap, which really is nature's way of saying "Don't pay attention to me."  Though everyone encountered words he or she did not know in last night's reading, no one looked the words up.  In short, you folks are treading water, but no one is looking to swim. Given how bright and capable you are, there's no reason not to expect more from yourselves.

You should review the following.
WHAT ARE THE BEHAVIORS WE ASSOCIATE WITH A-LEVEL STUDENTS?


• They bring materials to class, and have them out and ready to go right away
• They wait until they are dismissed to pack up
• They initiate, moderate, and pay keen attention to discussion
-----o They offer ideas, grounded in text
-----o They ask follow up and clarification questions
-----o They invite others to join the discussion
-----o They are aware of how much they are speaking
-----o They LISTEN.
• They sit up at the table, at attention
• Their book is open
• They re-read as necessary
• They take notes in their books
• They take notes on discussion in class
• They demonstrate excitement and engagement in the world of ideas
• They write with mastery
-----o Their arguments are sound, focused, and deep
-----o Their support is well-selected, well-organized, and well-introduced
-----o They write with their reader in mind
-----o They transition between ideas
-----o They edit carefully for standard grammar and usage conventions
-----o Their phrasing is fluid and interesting
• They self-advocate
-----o They seek clarification on assignments
-----o They seek help in skill-development
-----o They seek to recognize what they have not yet mastered
-----o They develop strategies for building those skills
-----o They follow up on absences without being reminded
• They continue practicing the skills they have mastered
• They seek to expand their own knowledge without prompting (looking up terms, researching concepts, etc.)
• They read and follow directions carefully and consistently
• They review material on a regular basis
• They plan projects and papers well in advance
-----o They break larger tasks down into smaller ones
-----o They stick to a plan for completing those tasks
• They plan for contingencies
• They plan around athletic events and other responsibilities

WHAT ARE THE ABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH AN A-LEVEL STUDENT?
• They think abstractly
• They have informed, nuanced opinions about the material
• They can read for detailed comprehension
• They can make inferences
• Their writing reflects a developed sense of style and voice

Think about this. Reflect on it.  Above all, ACT ON IT!

CLASS NOTES:
Notes for today's class may be found here.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
1. Read 422-454.  Maddie will be our next leader.
2. Complete the 12 sentence paragraph assigned on page 36.  This will be due on Wednesday, November 18th.
3. Tomorrow, bring your vocabulary book.