School Closures - 16 March 2020 to ?????

Hey y'all,

There's a lot going on and a lot of questions that we don't have answers to. I already miss you all and hope very sincerely that you are staying home and staying safe and staying away from friends. As much as I'm sure you miss them, the safest thing for everyone is to quarantine and help slow the spread of this virus. We may all feel fine, but this is not about protecting ourselves; it's about protecting everyone.

My friends and I call each other our "quaranteam." Do you have your quaranteam? These are the people you talk with regularly and share creativity with so that you are not feeling stuck. We refuse to actually see each other in person, but we're supporting each other in finding ways to be creative and healthy. It is possible to stay connected with people without actually seeing them. We know and hope that the our loved ones are safe, but this is how we doubly ensure that. In watching the news, I saw an interview with a doctor who was asked if we were doing too much by isolating and closing everything. Their response was, "We will never know if we did too much, but we will know very quickly if we did too little." It's a weird time, y'all. I hope we get to see each other again soon, but not too soon.

As for Language Arts, I'm going to bullet point some information based on some of the questions I've been getting:

• I sent out two emails to parents (and students) on Synergy. Please read them. They contain a lot of information.
• Only assignments currently in the gradebook right now will be graded for quarter 3. All Ms. Black has left to grade are about 50 This I Believe videos and the ELA Journals. All Revision Requests are currently up to date as of Monday, March 16.
• ELA Journal grades:
• Period 1, 3, 5 - Four entries dated March 3 to March 13
• Period 2, 6 - Three entries dated March 3/4 to March 9/10
• We will accept Revision Requests until the end of the day on Wednesday, March 25
• COMMONLIT:
• Olympic Ski Racers is the ONLY REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT.
• All others given to you are OPTIONAL. You will get three each week, but they are not required.
• Please read a book or three or seven by the time we show back up to school in April.
• Please feel free to email us (including Mrs. H and Mr. Mello) about anything. Please know that if the email is "how do I do this one assignment that was due weeks ago now that I'm not actually at school to do it," I may not have an answer for you that you like. I'm sorry.
• We would love to hear about what you're reading! Please consider sending us emails about what you've been reading so that we get to hear from you and know how you're doing. We would absolutely love that.

Ms Black, why should I do optional CommonLit articles?

Because it's good for your brain. 

Because research shows that the more you read and practice critical reading while on breaks, the more confident and successful you are when you go back to school. 

Because we've got lots of time on our hands and it will make your families really happy. 

Because challenges are good for you. 

Because you want to show off your writing skills (RACE paragraphs, remember?). 

Because education is what makes us stronger, more informed, more critically engaged members of society.

Because education means PRACTICE.

Because you care about learning and growing.

Because you care about the world you live in.

What other things could I do to keep my brain engaged?

I'm going to let Ms. Keller take the reins here. She put up a whole bunch of ideas for you and your families on her class website, and she'll be updating it in the coming weeks.

CLICK HERE to go to Ms. Keller's class website!

I'll also be on Instagram sometimes, posting things in my stories for you. My instagram is @msblacktpms. See you there!

I love you all. Stay Safe,

Ms. Black

Mrs. H (Period 3)

Mr. Mello (Period 6)

Bonus: Here's a video from one of my favorite authors, John Green, about what it means to be together even when we're apart.

Teens and the News: Say Something Protocol and Annotation - 13 March and 14 March 2020

Today's Goal: How has teen use of social media affected the way that current events are spread and consumed?

The Plan:

1. Read! (And copy and paste your ELA Journal entry)
2. "Teenagers are rewriting the rules of the news" article 
3. Say Something Protocol
4. ELA Journal
5. If there's more time, it's a good time for catch-up work.

Homework/Reminders

• Finish ELA Journal work if incomplete. There are FOUR entries from March so far, including today. Make sure you have all four completed.
• No Red Ink "Fragments and Quotes"
• due Friday, 13 March, 4pm
• if it is completed after 4pm, it will be marked late and you will lose some credit.
• CommonLit Article of the Week
• "Marley Dias: The 13-Year-Old Activist & Author"
• 5 Assessment Questions - due Friday, 20 March, 4pm
• There is a link on Google classroom or you can log in with Google here

Say Something Protocol

You're going to practice ANOTHER reading technique called the Say Something Protocol using the article "Teenagers are rewriting the rules of the news".

The short directions are in the picture above. 

You will have sentence frames you can use at your table. These stay in the classroom. Please be nice to them and handle them as little as possible. Because GERMS.

Here are the VERY SPECIFIC steps for today's tasks:

1. Write your name and period at the top.
2. Write your purpose for reading at the top: How has teen use of social media affected the way that current events are spread and consumed? 
3. Number the paragraphs with Ms. Black
4. Make predictions with your partner based on the title and the FOUR headings throughout the article.
5. Read IN CHUNKS (of like 3-ish paragraphs) to your partner out loud.
6. After each section, STOP, talk with your partner about what you read. You BOTH have to talk. You have to say NEW THINGS when you talk, and you cannot do the thing where you read the whole thing and talk about it at the end. It defeats the purpose of practicing discussing the smaller parts of the text as you come to them. You don't have to write yet. Just talk.
7. After you finish, go back and work with your partner to highlight THREE pieces of evidence that show how teen use of social media has affected the way that current events are spread and consumed.
8. For each of those, you must write a note in the margin that explains why this evidence is an important piece of evidence.
9. In your ELA Journal, write a RACE paragraph that answers the question: How has teen use of social media affected the way that current events are spread and consumed? 

Here's a new thing you have to do when you write your RACE paragraph:
On the back wall of the classroom is a chart that says "Using Strong Verbs in Argument." You must use this chart today when you write your RACE paragraph. HOW?!?!?

Here's how: When you use evidence you need three things:

What I need you to focus on today, other than making sure you have the author's last name in parentheses, is using a strong verb in your introductory phrase. You cannot use the word "states" or the word "says" today.

Here's the list:

So you could write things like:

• the reporters discovered,
• the article challenges,
• the writer focuses,
• the teenagers question,
• the research indicates,
• [name] believes,
• [name] reflects,

These are just examples, not suggestions. Picking one of these may not be correct for the evidence you use.

Ready for Catch-Up Time?

• Make sure all four ELA Journal entries are done.
• Get your SOAPSTone homework turned in ASAP.
• Make sure you did your NoRedInk and your CommonLit
• Triple check that Ms. Black has your This I Believe video because she's missing a bunch.

TED Talks and SOAPSTone - 11 March and 12 March 2020

Today's Goal: 
How does screen time positively or negatively affect people’s mental and/or physical health? (R.I.6)


The Plan:

1. Read!
2. TED Talks (see below)
3. SOAPSTone (you'll get a paper copy)

Homework/Reminders

• FINISH SOAPSTone notes
• Finish ELA Journal work if incomplete 
• No Red Ink "Fragments and Quotes"
• due Friday, 13 March, 4pm
• if it is completed after 4pm, it will be marked late and you will lose some credit.
• CommonLit Article of the Week
• "Marley Dias: The 13-Year-Old Activist & Author"
• 5 Assessment Questions - due Friday, 20 March, 4pm
• There is a link on Google classroom or you can log in with Google here

TED Talks AND SOAPSTone

Today you get the opportunity of CHOICE OMG. 

Directions:

You will choose TWO TED Talks to watch today. One must come from the first list, and one must come from the second list. While you watch (and after), you will fill out a set of SOAPSTone notes for each of the videos. You may work alone or with a partner, but if you work with someone, you just have to be watching the same video.

LIST ONE:

• Technology - A Tool for Good or Evil
• 3 fears about screen time for kids — and why they're not true
• A delightful way to teach kids about computers

LIST TWO:

• Why you should quit social media
• How Social Media Makes us Unsocial
• Is Social Media Hurting your Mental Health?
• Why our screens make us less happy

Some of these have transcripts so you can read along. You can see the transcripts on the TED website. If the link is on YouTube, please make sure you turn on the Closed Captioning so you can read along. At some point, you will need to write down some evidence from the text, so I suggest you be prepared for that.

Okay great, but what is SOAPSTone?

SOAPSTone is a reading (and writing) strategy to help clarify the ideas and purpose of any text, whether it is one that you are reading or writing. When we practice "Marking the Text", we are looking at smaller chunks of the text. When we analyze with SOAPSTone, we are looking at the the text as a whole so that we can identify purpose and meaning OVERALL.

We are going to use it as a way to practice analyzing these videos and you will get notes to work with. The picture above walks through all of the words and what they mean!

If you need words that you could use for TONE, you could click here

You must turn these notes in at the end of class.

Finish Annotating our Article and Finding Author's Purpose - 9 March and 10 March 2020

Today's Goal: 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2
Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

The Plan:

1. Copy ELA Journal from Ms. Black's to yours and then Read!
2. Read "Teens who spend less time in front of screens are happier – up to a point, new research shows" - practice Marking the Text/annotation
3. Write a RACE paragraph!
4. Go to the Book Fair!

Homework/Reminders

• Finish ELA Journal work if incomplete
• No Red Ink "Fragments and Quotes"
• due Friday, 13 March, 4pm
• if it is completed after 4pm, it will be marked late and you will lose some credit.
• CommonLit Article of the Week
• "Marley Dias: The 13-Year-Old Activist & Author"
• 5 Assessment Questions - due Friday, 20 March, 4pm
• There is a link on Google classroom or you can log in with Google here

Reading and Marking the Text

We will do this in steps. Some will be together, some will be in partners or groups. Some will be individual. We will not get through everything today and that's okay.

PURPOSE FOR READING: What impact does increased screen time have on teens and their families? 

1. Write our purpose for reading at the bottom of page 1
2. Number the paragraphs and divide the reading into sections (together)
3. Skim the article and BOX any words we should define together.
4. Read each section out loud. For each section, we will summarize what the section says in the left margin, and state the author's purpose in the right margin.
5. In groups, identify and highlight FOUR pieces of evidence that help explain the impact that increased screen time has on teens and their families.

Author's Purpose: the author's reason for writing; what is the author trying to DO in that particular section? What is their goal?

Here's the deal: I am going to list NINE "author's purpose" statements here. There are nine sections for you to read.

YOUR JOB: Match the right purpose to the right section, and write it in.

• describes the study and the results
• discusses potential next steps requested of Apple
• compares and contrasts teen happiness to different lengths of screen time use
• introduces the topic
• shares an anecdote from a parent worried about addiction
• shares an anecdote from a parent becoming more lenient with gaming screens
• provides statistical data on cell phone use over time
• considers how screen time is affected by their use in schools
• questions the study's results and advocates for moderation

RACE Paragraph: 
After we annotate the article, answer the following in RACE paragraph form. 
You do not have to highlight.

What impact does increased screen time have on teenagers and their families?

Write your answer here in RACE paragraph form.

Mark the Text, Summarize, Identify Author's Purpose - 5 March and 6 March

Today's Goal: 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2
Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

The Plan:

1. Copy ELA Journal from Ms. Black's to yours and then Read!
2. Argument Vocabulary (in ELA Journal)
3. Quick-write (in ELA Journal)
4. Read "Teens who spend less time in front of screens are happier – up to a point, new research shows" - practice Marking the Text/annotation

Homework/Reminders

• Finish ELA Journal work if incomplete
• CommonLit.org Article of the Week
• due Friday, 6 March, 4pm
• You must complete the assessment questions. There are 8 of them.
• Make sure you "log in with Google" as always
• YOU CAN ACCESS THE ASSIGNMENT ON GOOGLE CLASSROOM. COOL!
• No Red Ink "Fragments and Quotes"
• due Friday, 13 March, 4pm
• if it is completed after 4pm, it will be marked late and you will lose some credit.

Argument Vocabulary

The concepts we will define together today are:

• anecdote
• counter-argument/ rebuttal
• problem/ solution
• compare/ contrast
• cause/ effect

You will likely be able to use a number of these in our reading activity later in class.

Quick-write

Answer the following in your ELA Journal in paragraph form:

How can screens affect your mood? (think about social media, tv time, video games, using your cell phone, etc.) Give specific examples and explain how they are positive or negative or both. 

If you are struggling, think about how long you spend using screens and how that makes you feel. Think about what kinds of things you do with screens and whether those things make you feel happy, sad, frustrated, angry, hopeful, or any other feelings you might have. Be specific about what content you see.

You may use personal pronouns.

Reading and Marking the Text

We will do this in steps. Some will be together, some will be in partners or groups. Some will be individual. We will not get through everything today and that's okay.

PURPOSE FOR READING: What impact does increased screen time have on teens and their families? 

1. Write our purpose for reading at the bottom of page 1
2. Number the paragraphs and divide the reading into sections (together)
3. Skim the article and BOX any words we should define together.
4. Read each section out loud. For each section, we will summarize what the section says in the left margin, and state the author's purpose in the right margin.
5. In groups, identify and highlight FOUR pieces of evidence that help explain the impact that increased screen time has on teens and their families.

Author's Purpose: the author's reason for writing; what is the author trying to DO in that particular section? What is their goal?

For the right column, you must use a strong verb to help explain what the author's purpose is. Here is the chart I just put on the wall!

While you may not know what all of those words mean, the goal is to use a word beyond "says" or "said"

Screen Time: An Introduction - 3 March and 4 March 2020

Today's Goal: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

The Plan:

1. Read! (and also copy/paste ELA Journal work!)
2. Four Corners Discussion
3. Screen Time and the Brain by Debra Bradley Ruder - you will find a copy of this in Google Classroom for you!
4. Finish ELA Journal Entry

Homework/Reminders

• Finish ELA Journal work if incomplete
• CommonLit.org Article of the Week
• due Friday, 6 March, 4pm
• You must complete the assessment questions. There are 8 of them.
• Make sure you "log in with Google" as always
• YOU CAN ACCESS THE ASSIGNMENT ON GOOGLE CLASSROOM. COOL!
• No Red Ink "Fragments and Quotes"
• due Friday, 13 March, 4pm
• if it is completed after 4pm, it will be marked late and you will lose some credit.

Four Corners Discussion

First: In your ELA Journal, you will need to decide your opinions on your own.

Then, we will discuss as a class.

Screen Time and the Brain by Debra Bradley Ruder

We will annotate this together digitally. DIGITALLY?!? Yes. Digitally.

You'll find your copy in Google Classroom.

Here's what we're looking for today:

1. Purpose for Reading: How do screens affect kids' brains?
2. Highlight and define words we don't know in YELLOW
3. Highlight key ideas in each section in GREEN
4. If we highlight, we must also leave a comment to ANNOTATE.

You will find the following questions to respond to in your ELA Journal in complete sentences:

• According to the article, how do screens affect the brain? Use evidence.
• What are two digital media tips shared in the article and why might those have a positive impact?
• Personal opinion question: How does annotating on an online document differ from annotating on paper? Which do you prefer and why?