Thursday, Sept. 30th - Meet the Netbook Lab!

No silent reading today.

The Netbook Lab!

- Meet the babies! Each one is delicate and easily broken. They are little babies who need to be loved and treated with TLC.

- Clear your desk. The only thing you need is your rough copy of the short story you have begun working on.

- Listen to Ms. Gerome's instructions about signing out the netbook.

- Playing around with the webcam, and checking FB, and hotmail, etc... is totally not going to be okay. I'll take the netbook away and ask you to watch someone else work on theirs. Ya. I'm grumpy like that.

Daily English 11 - Our starting place...

I keep our daily notes and assignments here. Follow along as I tour you through some of what we'll be working with online this semester.

Grou.ps
FB Group - Colborne's Classes

Google Apps

Welcome to the new way that School District 71 is going to deliver email services next year. It's a gmail-like service offered by Google. You are one of the first groups of students to try it out.

TO DO:

• Log in - username and password is your student ID#


• Forward your email to an account you actively use


• Open up Google Apps and begin to type up your story.
  

Wallwisher Page What do you think of the netbook lab. Contribute a sticky note here. This page will be open for days... feel free to come back if you think of other ideas to add.

Wednesday, Sept. 28th - Short Story Writing Begins!

1) Silent Reading

2) What are the Elements of a Terrific Story? Group task. Put ideas on the board.

3) Stay in groups. Share the setting you brainstormed last night. Discuss. Each group will be asked to share the best one and explain why it's intriguing. Las minute changes? Grab a giant sheet of paper and staple this to it.

4) Sticky Note Characters - everyone must now develop a quick sketch of a character of their own invention. Include name, age, height, weight, hair style, eye colour, skin complexion, facial features, build, mannerisms, back story. (After activity sticky note goes on your sheet).

5) Three random words from a dictionary - drum roll please... write three words down in bold.

6) Draw a Point of View and a Conflict. Tape these on your sheet.

7) Now you have all the pieces to begin writing a story. Brainstorm on your working sheet. Begin writing... no suggested word length.

8) Have your rough draft ready for tomorrow.

"It takes a certain amount of nerve to be a writer." Margaret Atwood

Listen to Maggie or she'll come yell at you.

Tuesday, Sept. 27th

1) Silent Reading

2) Survey Says:

How many of you have a Facebook account?

How many visit the site at least 5 times per week?

Computer in house?

More than one computer in house?

Computer of your own?

Cell phone?

Bullied online?

Approached by a stranger online?

Looked at stuff your parents would rather you didn't?

How many of you want more tech toys in your life?

How many of you think technology defines your generation?

3) Vids and Q's

Lost Generation video - What's your generation all about???

What do you think the future looks like? Check out the possible future of tech.

4) Notes: Science Fiction, Genre, Dystopia, Utopia

5) Read: I Saw the Best Minds of my Generation Destroyed by Google

6) Homework: Brainstorm an idea for a futuristic setting.

See/Smell/Touch/Feel chart. Plus short descroption. Rough draft fine...

Friday, Sept. 24th

DUE: Gender Identity Response

We've talked about gender identity at great length... we've read the story "Boys and Girls," by Alice Munro, and now it is time to embark on your second literary response.


250-500 words
Respond to one of the following topics:

1) What is the conflict of our "just a girl" protagonist? Use supporting quotes from the story to prove your thinking.

2) How do the mother and father represent gender stereotypes? Use supporting quotes to prove your thinking.

3) What is the central theme of the story. Use supporting quotes.

Wednesday, Sept. 21 - Critical Q's Cont'd

1) Silent Reading - return "The Liar" paragraph...

2) Back to your groups.

Remember our discussions about gender identity and stereotypes from yesterday - look at your question - checking the critical thinking questions on the back, write down in clear sentences your "answers," your ideas. Use the large white sheets and big print so that we can see some of your ideas. You will recieve a mark according to the following criteria:

Answers had depth, breadth, accuracy, etc... 1 2 3 4 5 6

Consider this: the horrific story of the gang-rape images on FB.

3) Library - now tell me what you think as an individual. Pick ANY ONE of the questions and produce a 250 - 500 word response.

THINK.
WRITE.
EDIT.
THINK.
WRITE.
EDIT.

Make it good. I'm upping the marks ____/12

Tuesday, Sept. 21st - Critical Questions about Gender Identity

1) Silent Reading

2) This is a Critical Thinking Day! One of many days where we will grab a really BIG topic and ask some tough questions. We might not figure out all of the answers but we will definitely do some serious thinking. First, we will need to consider the basic elements of critical thinking - Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, etc... see handout. Make posters to put up on the wall to remind us how to think critically every day.

3) Today's Issue: Gender Identity

Introductory videos. What do I mean by gender identity? Gender socialization? Had things changed much in 40 years? Have they changed today?

I love Lucy 1950's Friends 1990's

4) Groups - sort by numbers... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Introductions.

5) Critical Thinking Elements - distribute and explain... your group will be in charge of policing this element throughout our discussions.

6) Remember that it is PEACE day... be respectful and peace-loving during our discussions.

7) Board Work: Sugar and Spice vs Puppy Dog Tails

What are we really made of?

8) Critical Thinking Questions - each group must come up with an answer and present their thinking

9) Homework: write a one page response to this topic - think and write critically. Edit!

Monday, September 20th - Review a Story!

Writing a story review in a group.
It's importnat to be able to articulate your ideas out loud.
Talk. Negotiate. Write a two pargraph review.
See handout.
/6

Tomorrow - gender roles

Friday, Sept. 17th - Identities Cont'd

I am away today... but I'm still watching you... be good to the "sub!"

1) Silent Reading for 10 minutes

2) Group Think for 15 minutes - Okay, so yesterday we did not get to finish our discussion about the short story, "Identities," (p.3) BUT today you have to put your ideas together and find a visual way to answer the following questions.

- What are the five most interesting qualities about the central character?
- What do the contrasts between the two settings represent to our protagonist?
- Why is the title important?
- What is the theme, the central idea, of the story? (There are many possible answers...)

Grab a little white board (at the front on the floor) and a dry erase marker (in my drawer), or a big sheet of paper and a marker, and find a way to draw/sketch/label your way to a visual version of your answer. Leave them for me to view on Monday. Also, be prepared, on Monday, to explain what they mean.

3) To the Library to Write a Narrative
Keeping in mind, the feedback I recently gave you on your writing, and considering the expectations of the six-point scale, write a 250 - 500 word response to ONE of the following topics:

If figuring out who you are is necessary, then who do you think you are so far? What are your values? What are your goals? What really matters to you?

OR

Describe what Fall makes you think of. What memories come back? What hopes, desires, feelings surface when the air becomes crisp and the leaves turn.

A personal response like this will be written in first person, "I." You may opt to write a narrative/story or a personal essay.

DUE MONDAY!

Have a happy and safe weekend, people! :)

Thursday, Sept 16th - Identities Mistaken

1) Silent Reading

2) Return Descriptive Paragraphs - discuss... (common errors - a lot, apostrophes)

3) What is it about the smell of Fall? What does it make you think of?

4) Short Story - Identities... use the Elements of Fiction handout...

5) A group "get" on the white board - present to all.

6) Homework - Personal Essay or Narrative: If figuring out who you are is necessary, then who do you think you are so far? What are your values? What are your goals? What really matters to you? 250 words minimum

OR

Describe what Fall makes you think of? What memories come back? What hopes, desires, feelings surface when the air becomes crisp and the leaves begin to turn?

Wednesday - Time to Work on Paragraphs

Don't forget they are due tomorrow.

Tuesday Sept. 14th - A Literary Reponse

The Liar Paragraph - Library Block
DUE: Thursday!

What is going on with James' identity? Why is he lying? What is your theory? You may want to use the psychological terminology we considered in class. (Identity crisis, moratorium, role confusion, etc...)

Use your armchair psychologist ideas to develop a Thesis Statement that will guide the shape of your paragraph.

Your paragraph should:

- be at least 8 - 12 sentences long
- contain three supporting quotations
- have a detailed thesis statement that includes an organizational plan
- begin with a catchy opening (primacy effect)
- end with a strong conclusion (latency effect)

Your paragraph should not:
- re-tell the story
- use first person

Monday, Sept. 13th - The Liar and Adolescent Identity

1) Silent Reading - The Liar, by Tobias Wolff, pg.310

2) Adolescent Identity Handout - Discuss in groups...

3) Finish reading The Liar - I will read it out loud.

4) Discuss

5) Paragraph...

Friday, Sept. 10th - First Writing Sample

1) Silent Reading - if you have not read the last part of A&P, please do so now.

2) Another Literary Term: Theme - What do you think this story is all about? How do you know? The importance of finding supporting quotations. Group work - write a one sentence theme statement.

3) Understanding the Characters - The Narrator and "Queenie"

Graphic Organizer - In pairs and then share...

4) Silent Writing - you've had a chance to get to know me over the last few days... what is it you would like me to know about you. What do you like to read? What concerns do you have about this course? What makes you happy? What are your interests?

5) Weekend Homework - Write a descriptive paragraph of at least 8 sentences.

Describe what it is like to be a teenager growing up in the Comox Valley.

OR

Describe one of your workplaces.

OR

Describe one of the most interesting people you have ever met.

The description can be poetic, humourous, factual, whatever.... DUE MONDAY

Wednesday, Sept. 8th - Icebreakers and Intros

Okay, you have likely been up all night reading and re-reading the epic outline so today is mostly about having a little bit of fun and getting to know one another better. We have to work together, so let's find out who we are first.

1) Welcome to the Daily English 11 blog...

2) Attendance! Argh!

3) Silent Reading - we'll save this for the end of the class, if we have time...if you do not have a book to read, borrow a book or magazine from the front.

4) TP talk

5) Three Words - Collaboration presentation

- Think of three words that can represent you well.

ex.
creative,
intense,
ridiculous.

- Pair up and discuss your three words. Any last minute changes?

- Groups - about 5 people - share all of your words...

- 10 minutes to create a way to share all of those words - a poem, a sculpture, a song, a rap, a game, a mime, a chant, a story, a quiz, an interview, a whatever... I will even give each group up to six marks for it.

Day One - Sept. 7th

The Course Outline. It's epic.