From Reading Short Stories to Writing Them!

This week students will shift gears from reading short stories to writing their own.  They will engage in a variety of pre-writing activities at stations, including character "interviews", brainstorming setting details, and charting out plot events.  Their written notes might also be accompanied by sketches of characters and/or storyboard thumbnails.  Once students have moved through these stations, they will practice how to "show, not tell" the action of their stories, as well as how to accurately write and punctuate dialogue.

In addition this week, students will use their Monkey's Paw vocabulary words in sentences and play with them on quizlet.  There will be a vocab quiz on Friday.

Finally, all students are reading another novel of their choice, and as these were chose early last week, I'm sure there are students who have already finished their books.  If this is the case, I'm encouraging them to find a new one and read!

Homework:

Monday-Friday:  read choice book with sticky notes to monitor your thoughts (clarifying, predicting, summarizing, visualizing, wondering/questioning, ah-ha! moments, learning new words, etc)

Monday:  Choose 4 Monkey's Paw vocab words; write a sentence for each one.
Tuesday:  Choose 4 other MP vocab words; write sentences; finish station #1 work as needed.
Wednesday:  Write sentences for remaining 4 vocab words
Thursday:  Use quizlet to play with words;  QUIZ tomorrow!
Friday:  Finish up station #2 work as needed.

Monkey's Paw Vocab Quizlet

Short Story Writing Instructions/Tracking Sheet

Short Story Summary Organizer

Pre-writing Organizers for Short Story

Giving Thanks for Our ELA Class Community

This first break in the school year seems like an apropos time to pause and reflect on our learning and progress so far.  In doing so, I realize that among the many things to give thanks for this year, I am truly grateful to my students for sharing their ideas, opinions, and experiences as we've explored literature and writing.  I am thankful for this job in which I can foster communities of intelligent and engaged readers and skilled and creative writers.  I know that our work can be a passion for some and a dread for others, but if we can consider and share common human experience through reading and writing, we've achieved something vital to our growth as individuals and a community.

This week we will visit the library so that students may again choose their own novel to read.  While there may not be a culminating project with this one, we will revisit the strategies that readers use to deepen their comprehension of text, and students will be using sticky notes to monitor their thoughts as they read.

We have a new list of vocabulary drawn from "The Monkey's Paw" for which students inferred meaning based on context in the story, checked their inferences against a thesaurus or dictionary, and began composing word ladders of synonyms for these words.  We will revisit them after the break to play with them some more.

After the break, students will embark on a short story writing workshop.  They will engage in multiple pre-writing activities to brainstorm character, setting, conflict, and plot events.  This will give them a chance to use the elements of fiction we have been examining within short stories to write their own!  It will also facilitate their use of descriptive language and "juicy" word choices in their writing.

I want to wish all families a peaceful, pleasant, and safe Thanksgiving!

Homework:  read novel w/sticky notes to monitor thoughts; enjoy your book!

Monkey's Paw vocab quizlet

Be Careful What You Wish For...

This week continues our gothic short story reading with W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw".  In this story with a twist, a family comes into possession of a monkey's paw talisman that has the power to grant three wishes to its owner.  Exploring the theme of fate and it's consequences, this fantastical tale warns us to be careful what we wish for...

Students will be exploring characterization and theme in this story, and they will have a chance to do a little creative writing connected to it.  They will also engage in vocabulary study drawing on words in the story.  This is one of the tales we will see performed by the Chamber Theater Company in December.

Homework:

Tuesday-Wednesday:  None unless Poe essay needs to be finished; submit on Google Classroom.

If you were absent on Wednesday, please go to Google Classroom and take the Reading Strategies Survey.

Thursday:  Finish vocabulary work.

Friday:  If you have a novel you have just begun or want to begin, please bring it on Monday.  We will be visiting the library to choose books!

Analyzing & Synthesizing: How Setting and Language Create Mood

Today students will realize that they are building an essay, paragraph by paragraph, in which they are analyzing "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" for ways in which Poe uses setting and language to create the mysterious and suspenseful mood of his work.  They have also realized that our analysis work with these two texts has been building up to the synthesis of their thoughts in this writing piece.

Students should have already completed body paragraph one; today they will begin organizing their ideas and evidence for body paragraph two.  This paragraph, drafted and edited, is due on Wednesday.  On Wednesday, they will craft an introduction paragraph, and on Thursday, a concluding paragraph.  Hence, by Friday, they will have built a 4-paragraph essay.  They will then give it a final edit/revision and submit it to Google classroom.

Homework:

Monday:  finish drafting & editing paragraph 2 (due Wed)

Wednesday:  finish drafting & editing introduction paragraph

Thursday:  finish drafting & editing conclusion paragraph

Friday:  none unless need to finish up the Poe essay, in which case, please finish over weekend and submit to Google classroom.

Poe Writing Activity Instructions

Editing Checklist

Essay Rubric