Revision Stations! - 29, 30 January and 3, 4 February 2020

Today's Goal:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

The Plan:

1. Read
2. A Duty to Family, Heritage and Country by Ying Ying Yu (29, 30 January)
3. The Sisterhood of Roller Derby by Erin Blakemore (3, 4 February)
4. This I Believe REVISION Stations! (Google Classroom)

Reminders/Homework:

• READ!
• Continue working on your essay.
• No Red Ink Diagnostic #3 
• Due Friday, 31 January 4pm
• Ms. Black will no longer accept this work late for full credit. You will receive partial credit if you finish it after 4pm on Friday.
• No Red Ink "SWABIs"
• Due Friday, 7 February 4pm
• You will not be able to access this until you complete the "Diagnostic #3" and Ms. Black gives you access.
• Ms. Black will no longer accept this work late for full credit. You will receive partial credit if you finish it after 4pm on Friday.  This applies even if you don't have access to it because you didn't do the Diagnostic. 

Stations!

You will be given the opportunity today to practice different methods of revision. At each station, you will find a new seat and go to the directions on your Google Classroom document. Read the directions aloud to each other and begin.

There are 6 stations:

• STATION ONE - TEACHER CONFERENCE
• STATION TWO - STRONG VERBS/DIALOGUE
• STATION THREE - SENSORY DETAILS/SNAPSHOT
• STATION FOUR - PEER CONFERENCE
• STATION FIVE - CONTROL OF CONVENTIONS
• STATION SIX - HOOKS AND CLOSINGS

You will find a document with directions for each station on Google Classroom. Each station will require you to review a concept. It may also include a video lesson about the given topic, and a discussion to be had with your table. 

Each station requires you to use YOUR ESSAY to work on improvements and share ideas. If you leave today with nothing changed or no plan for improvement, you have not used your time in a way that is helpful.

Ms. Black will not be able to help you with the stations because she IS a station. That means that if you are confused, you will have to work together to solve the issue. The only exception is if the video doesn't work. If that happens, then Ms. Black needs to know ASAP.

You will have a 17 minute timer for each station.

This I Believe Writing Day! - 27 January and 28 January 2020

Today's Goal:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

The Plan:

1. Read
2. "Being Content with Myself" by Kamaal Majeed
3. Writing Time!
4. "Singing Badly, and Loudly" by Megan
5. More Writing Time!
6. "America's Beauty is in it's Diversity" by Alaa El-Saad

Reminders/Homework:

• Read!
• Finish your This I Believe Essay! (By finish, I mean write it all. I do not mean make it perfect. We still have work to do, but you have to write it all out first.)
• NoRedInk Diagnostic #3
• Due Friday, 30 January, 4pm
• It is a diagnostic, so you won't know the answers. You will not be penalized for wrong answers. Just try. This is the pretest so we can see the growth!
• As of RIGHT NOW, Ms. Black will not give you full credit No Red Ink Assignments completed late. You will get partial credit, but if it is not done by 4pm on Friday, you will not get full points.

There is nothing else to report today. You have many tools at your disposal on Google Classroom and in previous blog posts and in your Writing Stations. Today is dedicated to writing. You will not get another full day dedicated to writing, so please use it.

Let's Start Writing Our This I Believe Essays! - 23 January and 24 January 2020

You've trained for this. Today you start the race.

Today's Goal:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

The Plan:

1. No Red Ink Growth Quiz
2. Read when you are done
3. "Finding the Flexibility to Survive" by Brighton Earley
4. This I Believe Rubric
5. This I Believe Writing Time!

Reminders/Homework:

• Read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ READ READ READ.
• Work on your essay. Please keep in mind that it must be a minimum of 500 words. It can definitely be longer. I am not counting paragraphs, but "more than one" is required.

No Red Ink Growth Quiz

I believe in you! This is on the No Red Ink Website. All I ask is that you do your best. When you are finished, read your book.

"Finding the Flexibility to Survive"

Today, your only task is to listen and think about this story. 

• What is powerful about it? 
• Where does the author put their "I believe" statement? 
• How does the writer start her story, if not with "I believe"?
• How does the writer end it?

We will discuss. You will not do any writing for this.

This I Believe Rubric and Expectations

HERE is the rubric!

It has lots of things, but they all relate to the things we've been working on, including:

• Having a strong, clear belief statement
• Using specific and personal memories
• sensory details
• dialogue
• varying sentence length
• word choice (snapshot, strong verbs, using specific details, showing vs. telling, etc)

This I Believe Writing Time

Some things to know:

• Your essay must be at least a minimum of 500 words. 
• Next class we are going to talk about showing vs. telling.
• The number of paragraphs doesn't matter, as long as there are multiple. There can be 3 there can be 20. It doesn't really matter as long as the paragraphs make sense.
• If you don't know where to start, start with your I believe statement. 

You may not start your essay with:

• "Imagine if..." or "Imagine that..."
• a question

I love you. Don't do it. You're not trying to convince or hook anyone. You are simply telling your story.

Austin's Butterfly and Tuning Protocols - 21 January and 22 January 2020

Today's Goal: 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.B
Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.C
Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

The Plan:

1. Read!
2. Austin's Butterfly
3. This I Believe Tuning Protocol (You will need your This I Believe Stations open to Station 3)
4. "Do Talk to Strangers" by Sabrina Dubik
5. Exit Ticket: Fill out this Google Form before you may leave today.

Homework/Reminders

• READ!
• No Red Ink Growth Quiz next class (23 and 24 January)
• No Assignment due this Friday (you're welcome)
• You have until Thursday morning before school starts to turn in any revisions on your work.
• Book Review Scores will be in the gradebook Tuesday evening.
• Ms. Black will be in her room after school on Tuesday and Wednesday to help you with anything you need.

Austin's Butterfly

CLICK HERE to visit.

These are the questions I want you to think about:

1. What is the purpose of redrafting your work?
2. How can you apply this to the writing process?

Tuning Protocol

This requires that you follow directions and timing carefully. Use your Station 3 notes on the This I Believe Writing Stations, and as people give you any ideas or questions, write them down on this document.

Mrs. H and I made you a video in which we show you what the process looks like!

BE KIND

BE HELPFUL

BE VERY SPECIFIC

LISTEN

TUNING PROTOCOL This is the short version of the class copies at your desks.	TIME
PRESENT  - Describe your topic.   Explain why you chose this topic and why it was important to you.   Include the value you associate with it, and how that value relates to your topic. What do you BELIEVE in?	2 Min.
QUESTION - The listeners ask both probing and clarifying questions about the topic.   Clarifying Questions are questions that help you understand the facts of the story	3 Min.
DISCUSS - While the presenter acts like a fly on the wall, the listeners now discuss strengths, weaknesses, and wonderings about the topic.	2 Min.
REFLECT - The presenter reflects on the feedback and how they’re thinking about how the topic has changed.	1 Min.
TOTAL	8  Min.

"Do Talk to Strangers" and Exit Ticket

1. "Do Talk to Strangers" by Sabrina Dubik
2. CLICK HERE to fill out the Google Form. It will ask you to answer a few questions from all parts of class today.

Book Reviews and Revisions - 16 January and 17 January 2020

Today's Goal:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.10
read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.




The Plan:

1. Read
2. Book Review on Google Classroom
3. Ketchup Time

Reminders/Homework:

• Read!
• Revise anything and everything you want and fill out revision requests. I will not promise to get to it if it's an old assignment from super early in the quarter, but I will do my best. Please remember to revise and get help early when you get assignments back that need revision
• Typing.com
• LAST ASSIGNMENT EVER
• Advanced Lessons #1-3
• Due Friday, 17 January, 4pm
• Finish Stations if they are not complete.

Book Reviews

Okay, you've done these before. Here's my greatest piece of advice: More of your opinion and less summary. If you haven't finished the book and don't talk about specific things that happened in the story, I you haven't really shared your opinion. If you say it was a cool adventure, I can say that about almost any book. I want you to talk about what parts of the adventure in that book that you thought were really cool. 

The picture here is the same as the chart in the back of the room. Remember, each box is one paragraph, but you can also change them as necessary. 

You can look at my examples HERE.

Stations

If you need any of the table resources, you can find them digitally by clicking HERE, or by looking at the resource I have added to the actual assignment in Google Classroom.

Those are due, but they will not go on this quarter's grade.

Other Catch-Up Work

Here are your choices:

1. Revise your ELA Journal and submit revision requests
2. Revise your book reviews or your Hatchet essays and submit revision requests.
3. Finish any missing Typing.com or No Red Ink assignments.
4. Finish your Stations.
5. READ.

There are no other choices. You will lose your computer if you are not using it appropriately. You will not receive a warning.

Writing Stations - 10, 13, 14, and 15 January 2020

It's a train station because you're going to
be going to different stations today!

Today's Goal:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.B
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events.

The Plan:

1. Read
2. Stations! (Google Classroom)
3. "Do Talk to Strangers" by Sabrina Dubik

Reminders/Homework:

• READ!
• Have a book prepared to write a book review on January 16 and 17. You have about a week to finish your book so you can write it! It WILL go on Quarter 2 grades, so be prepared.
• No Red Ink Capitalization and Conjunctions
• Due Friday, 10 January
• Typing.com Advanced Lessons #1-3
• Due Friday 17 January
• This is your LAST typing assignment this year!
• Ms. Black is grading and inputting grades for your ELA Journals and first book reviews THIS WEEKEND. It should have happened sooner, but it will happen now.
• Revise everything and submit revision requests! There's a lot happening and you want to finish the quarter strong! Please be aware there are a number of grades going into the gradebook in the next week, including ELA Journal!

Stations!

You will be given the opportunity today to learn about different writing techniques through stations. At each station, you will find a resource you will need and a topic you will learn about. 

There are 6 stations:

• STATION ONE - STRONG VERBS
• STATION TWO - SENTENCE LENGTH
• STATION THREE - TEACHER CONFERENCE
• STATION FOUR - SENSORY DETAILS
• STATION FIVE - DIALOGUE
• STATION SIX - SNAPSHOT

You will find a document with directions for each station on Google Classroom. Each station will require you to read or listen to one This I Believe Essay. It may also include a video lesson about the given topic, a discussion to be had with your table, and some writing or a short activity to practice the skill you are learning about. Each station also has a document or resource at your table that you will need.

Ms. Black will not be able to help you with the stations because she IS a station. That means that if you are confused, you will have to work together to . The only exception is if the video doesn't work. If that happens, then Ms. Black needs to know ASAP.

You will have a 17 minute timer for each station.

"Do Talk to Strangers" This I Believe essay

We will simply listen to this essay at the end of class and talk about the author and their belief. We will try to close with a new This I Believe essay each day so that we get more examples and ideas and a wide range of stories to hear and learn from.

"Getting Angry Can Be a Good Thing" and Outlining Your Memories - 8 January and 9 January 2020

Today's Goal:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning

The Plan:

1. Read
2. Copy and Paste into your ELA Journal. Here's Ms. Black's
3. "Getting Angry Can Be a Good Thing"
4. This I Believe in your Personal Life - Outlining Your Memories

Reminders/Homework:

• Next Thursday and Friday, you will be writing your second book review of the quarter. It is due on Friday, 17 January, and it WILL be on your Quarter 2 grades. Be prepared.
• Read!
• No Red Ink due Friday!

"Getting Angry Can Be a Good Thing" This I Believe Essay

You will be reading and annotating this with a partner today. I will give it to you on paper!

Purpose for Reading: What does the writer believe and how did she come to believe it?

You will annotate in this way:

• Write our purpose for reading at the top
• number each paragraph
• Circle and define words we need definitions for
• highlight/underline key ideas in each passage and make note of why it's important/what it means

When you are done, you will answer the purpose for reading in your ELA Journal

Outlining Your Memories

You will probably need to refer back to your "This I Believe Personal Brainstorm" for this. Your task is to choose three moments in your life that taught you some sort of lesson or was meaningful to you, and fill out three outlines like the one below in your ELA Journal. You need to describe the event first, and then answer the four questions below. 

• Brief Description of Event - 
• What lessons and/or value did I learn? - 
• How did it make me feel about it then? - 
• How have I used this lesson since? How has it affected my decisions? - 
• How do I feel about it now? - 

You may have guessed that you will be writing your own This I Believe essay in the coming weeks. You are correct. This is how we begin to whittle down our memories and pick some important ones. You will be sharing your events with at least one person next class, so be prepared for that.

You will also need to remember that not every memory is positive, but every lesson is meaningful. 

This I Believe Audio Listening - 6 January and 7 January 2020

Today's Goal: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2
Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
The Plan:

1. Read
2. Read some more (you're getting a whole bunch of extra reading time today. Please also make sure you update your reading notebook.)
3. This I Believe essays in audio format. You can follow along with the text by CLICKING HERE
4. ELA Journal Questions (copy and paste from Ms. Black's)

Reminders/Homework:

• No Red Ink due Friday
• Read a book!

"This I Believe" in audio!

We're going to listen to three texts today. They are linked below.

After you finish listening to all of them, answer the questions in your ELA Journal.

Directions:

1. Listen to ALL THREE of the following audio clips. Ms. Black has to play them for you. You can follow along with the text by CLICKING HERE
1. “The Power of Hello” by Howard White, Nike Executive, 2008
2. “The Act of Giving Thanks” by Michelle Lee, 2014
3. “Baking by Senses and Memories” by Emily Echols, 2014
2. Answer the questions in complete sentences.