Your Last Lesson on Theme

Today's Goal:  Understand and apply the concept of theme in literature through a collaborative application of multiple themes to multiple forms of media.

The Plan: 

1. Read
2. Play (you'll see)
3. Write

Theme: the last lesson you'll ever need. 

I'll post the slides we use later for your enjoyment.

Homework:

• Read House on Mango Street, pages 56-64
• "Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark"
• "Born Bad"
• "Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water"
• You have a quiz tomorrow on pages 46-64

BOOK LOVE

You know how you're reading an independent reading book every day in class?

By January 8, 2016, you're going to want to be completely finished with at least one of those independent reading "Book Love" books. 

That gives you about 3 more weeks to complete at least one book of your choosing.

GROW: Nouns and Adjectives

Today's Goal: Practice with nouns and adjectives. Read together.

The Plan:

1. Read!
2. Self-Grade your English Journal
3. GROW Notes
4. House on Mango Street reading

Self-Grading Your English Journal:

First, CLICK HERE to take a look at the English Journal Scoring Guide

Second, copy and paste the following two sentences into your English Journal (at the top, as usual), and fill it out:

I believe that I have earned a ____ on my English Journal. I have earned this score because _____

Homework:

• Read pages 53-55
• "The First Job"
• If you scored yourself lower than you'd like to have scored yourself on the rubric, you need to spend some time making up that work. 

Figurative Language Practice

Hello everyone, I apologize that I cannot be with you today. I fully expect that you will be respectful to the adult in the room who is here in my place!

Today's Goal: Identify and analyze Cisneros' use of figurative devices in The House on Mango Street.





The Plan:

1. Read for 10 minutes quietly.
2. Take your House on Mango Street quiz. (NO books. You have 15 minutes.)
3. Work on the figurative language worksheet. You may work with the people around you to have conversations about the work, but ultimately, you have to write down your own words. You also should not be speaking any louder than necessary to quietly talk to the people at your tables. This is due at the end of the period.
4. Catch yourself up on your English Journal Assignments (See chart to the left). If you are missing any, the instructions should be found on the blogpost from that date. I would also recommend asking a peer to help/explain it to you.

Homework:

• Read House on Mango Street pages 46-52, and flag one thematic concept in each vignette
• "Chanclas"
• "Hips"
• MAL Root Handout Due Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 16
• You will have one more HOMS reading quiz before break. It is on Friday, December 18

Vocab Roots and Style

Today's Goal: analyze the stylistic choices of Cisneros and how it affects the way in which we read the story.

The Plan:

1. Read!
2. Introduction to your new vocabulary: roots and the words that contain them.
3. Working with Punctuation (this gets copied and pasted into your English Journal)
4. Read House on Mango Street together

Words to use instead of "said"

Homework:

• Read House on Mango Street, pages 39-45
• "The Family of Little Feet"
• "A Rice Sandwich"
• You have a quiz tomorrow on House on Mango Street pages 28-45 
• You will NOT get to use your book.
• MAL homework due Wednesday, December 16

Introduction to a Two-Chunk Paragraph

Today's Goal: Using everything we have discussed, practiced, and learned so far this year, we will learn the basic structure of a two-chunk paragraph, gather evidence, and write your own.

The Plan:

1. Read!
2. Brainstorm the concept of childhood innocence
3. Take a look at the evidence of simile and metaphor you gathered in "Laughter" (pg 17-18) 
4. Two Chunk Paragraph Introduction
5. Practice writing a two-chunk text analysis paragraph in your English Journal using the "Laughter" vignette. The Topic Sentence you should use is below. The evidence will come from the similes and metaphors you wrote from "Laughter"

Two Chunk Paragraph Organization: (You can copy and paste this and use the labels for organizational purposes).

Topic Sentence: In “Laughter,” Cisneros illuminates Esperanza’s child like innocence when she compares her family’s style of laughter to the laughter of her friends

TCE 1:

Commentary 1A:

Commentary 2B:

TCE 2:

Commentary 2A:

Commentary 2B:

Concluding Sentence:

Homework:

• Read House on Mango Street (pages 31-38) and in each, flag one quote that relates to a thematic concept on your bookmark (a picture of the bookmark is in the sidebar if you need the list)
• "Alicia Who Sees Mice"
• "Darius and the Clouds"
• "And Some More"
• I have a number of you that need to make up the first House on Mango Street quiz. You need to do that by Friday, or it'll become a permanent zero.
• I also have a number of you that have not joined Remind.
  Period 3 Click Here to join (it will let you join by email OR phone)
  Period 4 Click Here to join (it will let you join by email OR phone)

Implicit vs. Explicit meanings

Today's Goal: Discuss implicit vs. explicit messages in texts, and the thematic concept of innocence.

The Plan:

1. Read!
2. Take your Literary Devices Test
3. Read "There Was an Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn't Know What To Do" and discuss implicit messages.
4. Return to Marin "Marin"
5. Discuss the thematic concept of innocence
6. Gather evidence of simile and metaphor in "Laughter" (pg 17-18)
7. Two Chunk Paragraph Introduction (probably not time for this, but it's here just in case.)

Gathering Evidence:
You will need to make a table in your English Journal that has two columns. (2x4) One column should be labeled "Examples of simile and metaphor" and the other should be labeled "meaning YOU infer."

In this table, you will find one example of a simile and two examples of metaphor in "Laughter." and discuss the implied meanings that you infer in the second column.

Homework:

• Read
• Complete your classwork in your English Journal. It's not worth getting a zero on.
• I have a number of you that need to make up the first House on Mango Street quiz. You need to do that by Friday, or it'll become a zero.
• I also have a number of you that have not joined Remind.
  Period 3 Click Here to join (it will let you join by email OR phone)
  Period 4 Click Here to join (it will let you join by email OR phone)

White Flight

"...in the meantime they'll move a little farther north from Mango Street, a little farther away every time people like us keep moving in" (Cisneros 13)

Today's Goal: Learn about "White Flight" and how this phenomenon is represented in The House on Mango Street.

The Plan:

1. CLICK HERE for the Mango Street Quiz
2. Seal your Letters to Your Future Selves in envelopes!
3. Explore the Dot Map of the United States by looking at Detroit, Atlanta, and Chicago (and more if you'd like.
4. Read "White Flight Never Ended"
5. Read "Those Who Don't" Together
6. Write in Your English Journal

Questions for your English Journal:

1. Based on the article, what is white flight and when did it originate?

2. After looking at Detroit, Atlanta, and Chicago on the dot map, what do you notice about the demographics of these cities? What observations did you make, and what questions does it leave you with?

3. What connections can you make between what you've observed, and the vignette "Those Who Don't?"

4. Our vehicle for understanding this issue is Esperanza, our protagonist. How do you think this phenomenon impacts Esperanza’s identity?

Homework:

• You have a literary devices quiz tomorrow.
• Finish your classwork in your English Journal
• I have a number of you that need to make up the first House on Mango Street quiz. You need to do that by Friday, or it'll become a zero.
• I also have a number of you that have not joined Remind.
  Period 3 Click Here to join (it will let you join by email OR phone)
  Period 4 Click Here to join (it will let you join by email OR phone)