10-19-10

1. 10-19-10 Syllabus modification: Oct 26 Collaborative reviews due (for all book club books) Nov 02 Election day – no classes. Nov 09 Book Clubs 3(Graphic Novels) Discussion: What interpretive skills do students develop while reading graphic novels? Midterm check ofreading journal Nov 16 Genre: Romance. Individual book reviews due for final four books Oct 26 Collaborative reviews due for book club books 1 & 2 Nov 02 Election day – no classes. Nov 09 Book Clubs 3 (Graphic Novels) Discussion: What interpretive skills do students develop while reading graphic novels? Midterm check ofreading journal Nov 16 Genre: Romance. Individual book reviews due for final four books. Collaborative review due for book club book 3

2. Short (5- to 10-minute) lesson focused on a single aspect of literature, reading, writing, or speaking. Minilesson: Present minilessons. (Shoot for 5 minutes, but be aware that I’ll stop the lesson if it runs more than 10 minutes.)

3. Book clubs • Discuss: • How, if at all, might you use your book in class? • How might you work with a Social Studies teacher to augment a study of WWII in general or the Holocaust in particular? • How can novels augment the curriculum in other content-area classes?

4. Year-Long Plan = Multiple Units Year-Long Goals (based on SC ELA standards) Anglo-Saxons Middle Ages Renaissance Restoration Romantics Victorians &18th Cent The Seafarer, Beowulf Sonnet styles Sir Gawain, Medieval ballads Essayists: Swift, Defoe, Johnson Romantic Poets Tennyson Macbeth Canterbury Tales Metaphysical and Cavalier Poets Heavier Emphasis on SPEAKING (oral interpretation) Heavier emphasis on critical READING Heavier emphasis on WRITING (critical analysis, persuasion) Daily minilessons: vocabulary, grammar, mechanics, sentence structure, test-taking (short answer), etc.

5. Canterbury Tales unit (Big Idea: To understand a text, understand its context.) Standard E4-1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and nonprint formats. Standard E4-2 The student will read and comprehend a variety of informational texts in print and nonprint formats. Standard E4-3 The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently. Standard E4-4 The student will create written work that has a clear focus, sufficient detail, coherent organization, effective use of voice, and correct use of the conventions of written Standard American English. Standard E4-5 The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Standard E4-6 The student will access and use information from a variety of sources. Goals: TSW understand medieval class structure (nobles, merchants, serfs) and power structure (nobles, church). TSW understand how different texts can contribute to one’s knowledge base. TSW use knowledge of Middle Ages to read, understand, and appreciate selected Canterbury Tales. Objectives: TSW use a variety of sources to learn about medieval class and power structures. TSW use a variety of formats to present their knowledge about medieval class and power structures. TSW explain how knowledge of medieval culture contributes to an understanding of medieval texts. Strategies: Read/discuss YA novels (Crispin, Midwife’s Apprentice, etc) to build knowledge of medieval culture. Do traditional research (library and internet) to build knowledge of medieval culture. Present knowledge to classmates through novel summaries, character sketches, posters, oral reports, etc. Read and discuss several tales, making explicit connections between CT text and student presentations. Assessments: Individual or group presentations about medieval culture, focusing on class and power structures. Bibliography of sources, in MLA format, used for presentations. Class discussions of how background knowledge helps readers interpret specific passages of CT. Quickwrites and exit tickets: class content (i.e., facts about Middle Ages or CT). Test on CT. (Secondary Idea: Triangulation beats sole-source research)

6. Strategies: Read/discuss YA novels (Crispin, Midwife’s Apprentice, etc) to build knowledge of medieval culture. • Do traditional research (library and internet) to build knowledge of medieval culture. • Present knowledge to classmates through novel summaries, character sketches, posters, oral reports, etc. • Read and discuss several tales, making explicit connections between CT text and student presentations. • Assessments: Individual or group presentations about medieval culture, focusing on class and power structures. • Bibliography of sources, in MLA format, used for presentations. • Class discussions of how background knowledge helps readers interpret specific passages of CT. • Quickwrites and exit tickets: class content (i.e., facts about Middle Ages or CT). • Test on CT. Unit Overview: (sort of a “story arc” for teaching & testing the big ideas) Pique students’ interest in Middle Ages; explain importance of context; begin research on MA Assign groups: Knight’s Tale, Wife of Bath’s Prologue & Tale; Summoner’s Prologue & Tale Read novels & do “traditional” research: chivalry, women, church Share knowledge in small groups Create individual presentations for whole class (written, spoken, enacted static displays) Lecture on Chaucer, Thomas Beckett and pilgrimages to Canterbury Cathedral Close reading of prologue; work on vocabulary (context clues) & describe pilgrims Each group presents summary of tale, plus close reading of 2 or 3 key passages Review game: Middle Ages, Chaucer, Canterbury Tales Test

7. Strategies: Read/discuss YA novels (Crispin, Midwife’s Apprentice, etc) to build knowledge of medieval culture. • Do traditional research (library and internet) to build knowledge of medieval culture. • Present knowledge to classmates through novel summaries, character sketches, posters, oral reports, etc. • Read and discuss several tales, making explicit connections between CT text and student presentations. • Assessments: Individual or group presentations about medieval culture, focusing on class and power structures. • Bibliography of sources, in MLA format, used for presentations. • Class discussions of how background knowledge helps readers interpret specific passages of CT. • Quickwrites and exit tickets: class content (i.e., facts about Middle Ages or CT). • Test on CT. Goals: Determine level of student knowledge of Middle Ages, introduce “big idea,” begin multi-faceted research on medieval culture Hook: Movie clips (Excalibur, Knight’s Tale, Monty Python & Holy Grail, etc) Quickwrite: List everything you know about the Middle Ages (chivalry …) Share: Pair-share, then whole-class share; write facts on board Show: “Canterbury Rap” (CT prologue) – once for viewing, once more for note-taking Write: Summarize or paraphrase the text of the prologue (make hard copy available) Share: Volunteers to read aloud for whole class Identify: unfamiliar vocabulary (Zephyrus, palmers, etc) Explain: how to use context clues to help with unfamiliar words Define: “Context” (X slices Y with a knife: good or bad? 1-X is crook. 2-X is surgeon.) Explain: how context, or background knowledge, can help you understand a larger text, too Assign: students to one of three groups & let groups choose a tale (knight, wife, summoner) Distribute: novels, assignment options, rubrics, research tips Preview: novels (i.e., book talk) Read: novels for remainder of period; finish through page X for homework 10 min 7 min 4 min 5 min 12 min 6 min 3 min 2 min 1 min 1 min 5 min 5 min 3 min 26 min

8. Questions about teaching unit? For next week: Collaborative reviews 1 & 2 due. Focus: What do we need to work on? (No class on Nov 2 – election day) Nov 9 – book clubs (graphic novels)