December 21

I met with just 2nd period today due to the early release schedule. We wrapped up our work with To Kill a Mockingbird and watched the film version.

I hope everyone has a restful break! Be careful out there, and I'll see you next year!

December 20

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Outside entry

We discussed the theme and questions for Chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird. I recapped the book leading up to Chapter 20, then we read Chapter 20 and answered questions.

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December 19

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Yesterday, we learned a little about Scout's neighborhood (pages 5-6). Write about your neighborhood. Who can you count on to be in the front yard every Saturday morning? Who is always at the mailboxes when you check your mail? What dogs do you meet when you're out for a walk?

We reviewed the SAT Writing multiple choice from yesterday and read more passages (from chapters 8 & 10) from To Kill a Mockingbird.

(I forgot to take a picture of the board before I erased it, so here's a picture of my dogs with Santa instead.)

December 18

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB:

today's notebook entry

We discussed some important dates and themes relating to To Kill a Mockingbird and began reading passages and answering AP-style multiple choice questions. We also discussed which themes are covered in the passages. We'll use this book for the rest of the week.

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Week at a Glance

December 15

We visited the library today so students could find books to read over the holiday.

We checked our answers for the last passages from Lord of the Flies and read passages from Life of Pi and answered questions.

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December 14

Students had the first 30 minutes of class to complete the work for today's Writer's Notebook check. Today's entry: This entry is just 1 word long. What 1 word sums up the year 2017 for you? Students had time to read when they finished the notebook check.

We checked answers for the last passage from Oedipus Rex. We read passages from Lord of the Flies and completed practice AP multiple choice questions.

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December 13

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Imagine it's 100 years in the future and an archeologist has somehow discovered the entire contents of your digital life. What does your "digital footprint" reveal about you? If you think of your online presence as a historical artifact, what will future historians know and think about you? And how do you think the contents of your digital life match up with what you would want to be known about you? After thinking about a future person discovering your entire digital life, are there any changes you would want to make to what you do and share online?

We continued looking at AP-style multiple choice questions, reading excerpts from Oedipus Rex today. I reminded students not to be discouraged if they're not getting every question right--the work we're doing right now is just practice for when it will count next year if they take AP and in the future when they take the PSAT, SAT, or ACT.

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December 12

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Today's entry was inspired by the 1000 Awesome Things blog. Students had 3 minutes to make a list of things they think are awesome. They then selected one thing from the list and wrote about why it's so awesome.

We revisited Antigone and completed AP-style multiple choice questions. We checked our answers using Socrative and discussed questions that we had difficulty with.

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December 11

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - John Dalberg-Acton

I passed back the persuasive essay that students submitted for a major grade and the Socratic packets from Friday. I'll have the minor grade essays complete by the end of the week. Students will have a notebook check on Thursday.

We revisited Julius Caesar and completed some practice SAT questions.

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Week-at-a-Glance

December 8

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Outside entry -- Next notebook check is Thursday, 12/14.

Students participated in a Socratic Seminar and discussed our essential question for this unit: How do texts connect the human experience across time and culture? We had great discussions about family, fear, and how we connect with books.

Next week, we'll begin reviewing some of the major works from this term and studying sections of new pieces.

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December 7

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: If you were not scared, how would you live your life? (from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/9-questions-for-humanity)

Today's Notebook Entry

Students read/listened to three more short essays ("Roll Away the Stone," "Our Lives are Ephemeral," and an excerpt from an interview with Cheryl Strayed) in preparation for tomorrow's Socratic seminar. We discussed the process and how it will be graded and began writing questions and statements for tomorrow's discussion. The prep sheet and rubric are posted on Classroom.

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December 6

Students took the STAAR English II EOC test today!!!

December 5

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: What does it mean to be human?

We reviewed the reading section of the STAAR practice test from last week and discussed different strategies for answering questions.

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December 4

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Horror movie or comedy movie? Create an argument!

We discussed the notebook entry and built an outline for both sides. We reviewed the revising and editing section of the STAAR test from last week and discussed different skills. We completed a few activities on Chomp Chomp over word choice as part of this review. Check out the Grammar Quizzes site for more practice on commonly confused words.

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Week-at-a-Glance

December 1

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: What kind of traditions do you and your family have during the holidays?

Students completed a reflection activity over the last two essays and determined which one they would like to submit for a major grade.

Students who had not completed the STAAR practice had time to do so. We'll go over this in class beginning Monday.

Today's Board