English : Wednes day , October 23, 2012

1. English: Wednesday, October 23, 2012 Handouts: * None Homework:Study for a 50 pt. Lit Quizover Folk Lore tomorrow: * Can you name each of our four sub-genres of Folk Lore? * Can you state the purpose of each of the sub-genres? (That is, what makes it different from the other sub-genres?) * Can you list the 10 characteristics of fairy tales? * Can you cite the 5 characteristics of mythological heroes? 3. Assignments due: * None

2. Lesson Goal: Review key features of folk lore and devise strategies for memorizing those elements. Outcomes: Be able to . . . Identify proper nouns, common nouns, and collective nouns. Apply the correct noun form for any word given to make it singular, plural, or possessive. Devise a strategy for memorizing important material in lessons. Define “mnemonic” and apply that technique in preparing for a quiz.

3. Starter #1Everything I say today is strategic (that is, with a plan or purpose in mind). So listen carefully and think about what I am saying and why I am saying it. . . .  How many of you could tell me the name of my dog? Champ is his nickname: Can you guess his full name? How many of you like to take Cornell Notes? How many of you would welcome studying for a test or a quiz without me giving you any notes in advance? It’s up to you today whether you take notes. If you do, I’m not going to tell you how to do it.

4. Starter #2Recently I had an “aha” about my dog, Champ. I realized that we have something in common (that is, a common characteristic). We both love a challenge!  As a student, that quality comes in handy. When a teacher gave difficult or demanding material to learn, I viewed that as a game of sorts—a personal challenge. So I would create memory tricks to help me learn new material. If I had a long list of items to memorize, I would narrow things down to the most import words/phrases. Then I would re-arrange the order to fit my memory trick. For example, if I were studying for a quiz over the Folk Lore Unit, I might do something like this. . . . [Take out your Cornell Notes for the Folk Lore Unit and I’ll show you my memory trick.] 

5. Starter #3To memorize the 10 elements of fairy tales, I would narrow down the phrases and re-arrange the order, like this: Magical charms/spells Youngest/only child is hero Character types: princes, princesses, witches, etc. Happy ending A disguise Makes things happen in “three’s” Poses riddles Impossible task Overcomes evil with goodness Not able to open a door Can you see the pattern, the memory trick?

6. Starter #4There’s a name used for memory tricks like this. They are called “mnemonics” (pronounced “nehmoniks”). Here is how my mnemonic plays out: Magical charms/spells Youngest/only child is hero C haracter types: princes, princesses, witches, etc. Happy ending A disguise Makes things happen in “three’s” Poses riddles Impossible task Overcomes evil with goodness Not able to open a door

7. Starter #5How could we use a mnemonic to remember the 5 characteristics of mythologicalheroes? Maybe we would use something like this: M _______________ H ________________ E ________________ R ________________ O ________________ Magical powers/abilities Helped by the gods Eventually save their whole society R (are) sometimes demigods Overwhelming difficulties

8. Starter #6How could we use a mnemonic to remember . . . • The four sub-genres in our Folk Lore Unit? • Folk Tales (includes Fairy Tales), Myths, Fables, Legends (includes Tall Tales) • The purpose of each of those sub-genres (what makes them distinct/different)? • So . . . how could we use a mnemonic to remember these lists? • That’s for you to decide . . . as you study. 