Day Two: The Harvest Gypsies

Thursday's class:

Today we will be reading an excerpt from The Harvest Gypsies,  John Steinbeck's nonfiction report of migrant farmers from 1936.  

1. Questioning Texts (we will fill out handouts in groups):

PURPOSE:  to use guiding and text-specific questions to help us find key details and understand a text better.

Here is a link to the form so we can VOTE on the best questions and use them for class discussion: Harvest Gypsies Form.

Link to RESPONSES:  RESPONSES

2. THEN, choosing one of the text-specific questions that you like, make a new copy of this document and be sure to share it with me.  Then fill it in with details from the Harvest Gypsies and commentary from your group. 

Of Mice and Men: "I coulda made something of myself"

Day One: Two Pictures and Chapter 1

1. Two Pictures

Examine the images below. What stands out to you as you examine the image? 

Use the Guiding Questions handout to ask and answer other questions about the image.

Create at least one text-specific question about each image.  This should come from looking closer at the text and should help us get a better understanding and awareness of key details.

Two Pictures

Discussion: What did you notice about the text and what questions did you have? 

What are the three key details in each image? 

Create a caption that summarizes what you think the image is about.

Here is a sample picture and caption to help you: Hope Returns to Phillipines

2. Library check-out of book Of Mice and Men.

3. How to Begin at the Beginning....chapter 1!

Monday's class

Today students worked on their final paragraphs for the Brain Gain unit.  The goal was to compose a paragraph that uses details to help you define your understanding of a big idea in Text #9 and how it develops across the text.

Two reminders:  Your topic sentence is YOUR IDEA.
The EVIDENCE should come from two distinct places in the essay (like the middle and the end).
See the post from last week for sentence starters, if you need them!

If students did not finish, they had the night to complete the assignment to turn in tomorrow.

Thursday: Vocabulary Lesson 7 and Analyzing Details

Today students took notes on Lesson 7 vocabulary words.

After 30 minutes, students then worked on finding details to support a text-specific question on TEXT #9 from the BRAIN GAIN unit.  One example I gave that might make this assignment more accessible for you is

What details support Arne Duncan's belief that I should go to college?

DON'T FORGET to write down line numbers after you have found a good quotation.

You are ready for the final assessment if you have completed the Analyzing Details chart today.

Writing your Final Assessment Paragraph: A little help?

Here is a template with sentence frames for writing your final assessment: Final Paragraph Assessment Template

For those of you in first period, you will need to work on your Analyzing Details chart first on Thursday, before you can begin writing on Friday.  I hope that you will make good use of your time in first and third while I am at Napa High School tomorrow.

Paragraphs are due on Monday.

WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY: Analyzing Details

Choose from the following text-specific questions and write it at the top of your Analyzing Details chart:

-What details does Duncan give to support his assertion that, "Closing the achievement gap and closing the opportunity gap is the civil rights issue of our generation"?  What does he mean by achievement gap and opportunity gap?

--Duncan describes "a paradox at the heart of America's efforts to bolster international competitiveness."  What is the paradox and what does he argue is the best path for education in the United States?

--At the end of the passage, Duncan states that these "new partnerships must also inspire students to take a bigger and deeper view of their civic obligations..." What does this suggest about how Duncan wants the United States to think about global competitivenss in terms of education?

What details does Duncan use to support the idea that "education is still the key to...reducing poverty?"

What details support why it is so important that the United States have the highest proportion of college graduates by 2020?  (AND?OR "What details support how we will reach the goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates by 2020?")

What details support the claim that "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world?"

Then, find details from the speech that help you to answer that question.  

Start working on your commentary by filling in the "what I think" boxes.

Tuesday's class: 3rd period

Today we, too, started with a really energetic DOL!  Then we went to the library to check out The Pearl.  The assignment is to read chapters 1 and 2 and complete a triple entry journal by Friday.  DON'T FORGET your GOLDEN LINE!