Researchable Questions

Today's Goal: Begin our daily routine of reading for about ten minutes. Create meaningful questions for research about our chosen topics. Begin conducting research in order to answer each of your questions.

The Plan:

1. Get chromebooks and find your new seat.
2. Book Love Reading!
3. Vocabulary Roots
4. Research Paper - Questions and Research notes

Vocabulary Roots:

Each week you will receive a set of 5-10 vocabulary words that each have a specific root in them. These words are your responsibility. I will provide the slides to complete the work, and every two weeks you will be quizzed on these roots and their words. The slides in the homework section below.

Some tips:

• Write meaningful sentences that use each word, with as many versions of the word as possible (meaning, the noun version, the verb version, the adverb, etc)
• Study the parts of speech for those words
• Make sure know synonyms for those words

RESEARCH NOTES!

• CLICK HERE for the Research assignment!
• I have also provided you with a document in Google Classroom for research. You will need to access that document today.
• You will take 4 questions that you want to research and put them at the top of each page of notes. You are required to have 4 full pages of notes (or more!) with 4 different questions.
• Eventually, these will become 3 body paragraphs for your research essay. We make an extra one because sometimes we find that one doesn't provide us with enough information for a whole paragraph, and sometimes two questions are really so similar that the should be one paragraph. 
• You MUST cite all sources used at the bottom of each page. There are links on the document for you to use to help with this. DO NOT get any information off a website without citing it.
• The Research Notes are due Monday, March 21.

Credible Vs. Not Credible Sources:

Have you heard about Dihydrogen Monoxide? IT'S DANGEROUS.

Okay for real, though. You have to be careful about what websites you trust.

Check out this Prezi for some information on sources:

Homework: 

• Get To Kill a Mockingbird from the library TODAY.
• DIT/DIC Vocab Root Practice Due FRIDAY, March 18
• CLICK HERE for the slides
• Cornell Notes Research due Monday, March 21 on Google Classroom

Research: Choosing a Topic

Today's Goal: Learn about your research project and the procedures of this room. Get signed up for the online resources we'll be using in class. By the end of today, you should have chosen a topic for your research project.

The Plan:

1. Circle
2. Chromebook Procedures
3. The Blog
4. Google Classroom
5. Remind
6. Turnitin.com
7. Research Paper Assignment

Google Classroom:
Many of your assignments will be done and posted on this website. Please visit classroom.google.com to join. Use your school email address, and Ms. Black will give you your class code to join our class.

Once you join, there's a question there for you to answer. Write complete sentences.

Remind:
Remind is a tool that allows us to contact each other with much more ease than email. For example, I could remind you that we are meeting outside of the library instead of our room. I may also use this to remind you, when I can, of important homework or other school/class reminders.

To join, you can either text the class code to 81010, or click one of the following links:

Period 4 Click Here
Period 5 Click Here

Turnitin.com
This is one of many ways we track and catch plagiarism, and it's the platform in which I do some of my grading.
Join my class today, please. I will put the class code and password up for you in class.


RESEARCH PAPER:

CLICK HERE for the assignment!

Today we ONLY focus on #1 and #2. You'll have some time to research and get a general idea about the topics listed on that document.

To turn in to me today:
You will make a T-Chart on paper with two columns that looks like this:

It is incredibly important that you have MORE things in the second column then the first.
I expect that you have at least THREE pieces of information that you already know about your topic, and at least FIVE QUESTIONS you have about your topic.

I am checking for your topic before you leave today. Your T-Chart is due first thing tomorrow.



Homework:

1. T-Chart with brainstorming and questions due first thing tomorrow
2. Book Love - Get yourself an independent reading book. We read for the first ten minutes of EVERY day. This starts tomorrow.
3. Get To Kill A Mockingbird from the library if you haven't already. We start reading it on Thursday.

Welcome to 1B!

Today's Goal: Introduce or REintroduce you to this classroom and each other.

The Plan:

1. The Great Depression and Scholarly Discourse - An activity with pictures
2. Introductions
3. Circle Time
4. A Letter to Ms. Black
5. Homework

Homework and Important Dates:

1. Get To Kill A Mockingbird from the library if you haven't already.
2. Book Love - Get yourself an independent reading book. We read for the first ten minutes of EVERY day. 

Revision/Editing

Today's Goal: Get a second pair of eyes on your essay, in order to edit for grammatical errors, identify weaknesses to work on, and strengths to build on.

The Plan:

1. MLA Works Cited Page - Adding a citation. (Please see the slides provided to you for the information we will go over in class)
2. Quoting Poetry in an essay
3. Work with a partner to share your essay

An Important Note About Quoting Lines From Shakespeare (Or Any Poetry):

When you quote lines from Shakespeare, they are on different lines, right?

Well, you have to indicate this in your writing. Since you aren't putting each line on a new line in your essay, you have to add a forward slash at the end of each line. A forward slash looks like this: /

Here's a CORRECT example:

He begs Juliet for permission to kiss her, stating, "If I profane with my unworthiest hand/ This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:/ My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand/ To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss" (I.iv.102).

Revision:

• Is there a clear introduction, body, and conclusion?
• Are there sufficient transitions between related ideas?
• Does every paragraph address the subject matter of the thesis in some way?
• Has the writer used sufficient examples and detail to make his or her points clearly?
• Is the tone of the essay professional and appropriate?
• Is the language convincing, clear, and concise?

Editing:

• Has the writer checked grammar and punctuation?
• Has the writer spell checked the essay?
• Are there any quote bombs? (There shouldn't be.)
• Is the MLA formatting (header, heading, Works Cited, etc) present and correct?
• Does every quote from Romeo and Juliet have an in-text citation at the end? Is it formatted correctly?
• If the writer is quoting more than one line, do they have forward slashes to indicate that?

HOMEWORK:

• Your Romeo and Juliet Essay is due on TUESDAY MARCH 8 on turnitin.com by midnight.
• Make sure you have a Works Cited page, correct MLA formatting, and have erased everything else at the end of your document.
• CLICK HERE for the final exam study guide.
• Your final is on Thursday or Friday, March 10 or 11.
• Bring in a picture of someone or something that inspires you and will positively inspire other people. We're making a wall.

Something Fun: A Shakespearean Insult Generator. You're welcome.

Introductions and Conclusions

Today's Goal: Review effective introduction techniques, and what is necessary for an effective conclusion. Note: Don't worry about this until you have written your body paragraphs. This is what you should do LAST.

Don't forget about my model essay!!! IT'S DONE. (Well.. it's not perfect, but it's all there.)

Use the links on your document to help you find evidence, organize, and write.

Introductions:

• CLICK HERE for some ideas for your hook/bridge. This goes before your thesis.
• Do not start with a question. It's weak. You can literally invent any question.
• Don't tell me to "picture" anything. An anecdote (story) is fine, but again, you can literally create any picture.
• If you start with a quote, it can't just be a quote. It needs to be part of a larger sentence, just like you have to do with quotes you use for evidence.

Conclusions:

• CLICK HERE to look at the Harvard Writing Center's tips for conclusions. If you don't believe what I have to tell you about conclusions, you should probably believe Harvard.
• Some ideas for how to end your essay (don't necessarily do all of these, but pick what is useful):
• connect everything in your essay back to your hook/introduction (especially if you started with an anecdote.)
• address the larger implications of the theme. If we learn are to take away a specific message (theme) from Romeo and Juliet, why does it matter to your audience?
• Try ending with a quote from Shakespeare or Romeo and Juliet that exemplifies your argument (different from what you used in your body paragraph, though)
• There are SO MANY ways to end an essay. DON'T just copy and paste your thesis. That's not a conclusion.

HOMEWORK:

• Your Romeo and Juliet Essay is due on TUESDAY MARCH 8 on turnitin.com.
• Have a rough draft on Monday, so that we can work on editing and revision.
• I DO NOT WANT A PAPER COPY. I CHANGED MY MIND. 
• CLICK HERE for the final exam study guide.
• Your final is on Thursday or Friday, March 10 or 11.
• Bring in a picture of someone or something that inspires you and will positively inspire other people. We're making a wall.

Writing, Cont.

There is so much writing that needs to happen today. SO. MUCH.

Your book reviews are due today, so that's one more thing you can now check off your list! Yay!

Visit previous blog posts for resources and links you can use.

CLICK HERE to watch me write my own essay about a theme in The House on Mango Street. I'm following the same format and guidelines as you are, but I'm simply writing about a different theme using evidence from a different book. I'll be working on it this afternoon. You should visit it sometime this evening. You might even get to watch me write.

HOMEWORK:

• Your Romeo and Juliet Essay is due on TUESDAY MARCH 8 on turnitin.com.
• Have a rough draft on Monday, so that we can work on editing and revision.
• THIS IS DIFFERENT. I DO NOT WANT A PAPER COPY. I CHANGED MY MIND. 
• CLICK HERE for the final exam study guide.
• Your final is on Thursday or Friday, March 10 or 11.
• Bring in a picture of someone or something that inspires you and will positively inspire other people. We're making a wall.

Body Paragraphs

Today's Goal: Writing!


The Plan:

• Vocab Quiz
• Read or work on writing while people finish.
• Turnitin.com troubleshooting
• Discuss body paragraphs of your essay.
• Write! (I'm going to be meeting individually with people during this time)

Some example thesis statements from yesterday that are interesting, exemplary, and will mostly likely meet requirements (if the body paragraphs support them):

• In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s message is that you can not control your fate but you can control your destiny or how you react to your circumstance, which he develops through his use of character development, the plot, and figurative language.
• Over the course of the play, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s use of characters, plot, and word choice reveals the underlying message that no matter what, family should always stick together.
• In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s message is that love isn’t a choice; hate is. Shakespeare develops this idea through his use of word choice, character development, and plot build-up.
• In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses the resentment between the Capulets and Montagues to prove that no good outcome can result from hate.
• In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s message is that people make decisions that help their own personal motives, which he develops through his use of character relationships, development of plot, and word choice.

HOMEWORK:

• Your second book review is due Wednesday, March 2
• Turnitin.com submitted by midnight on Tuesday, March 1.
• Paper copy due in class on March 2.
• You must do both to avoid a zero.
• Your Romeo and Juliet Essay is due on March 7.
• Turnitin.com submitted by midnight on Sunday, March 6.
• Paper copy printed, due in class on March 7.
• You must do both to avoid a zero.
• CLICK HERE for the final exam study guide.
• Your final is on Wednesday or Thursday, March 10 or 11.
• Bring in a picture of someone or something that inspires you. We're making a wall.