

Day 28: Friday, August 7, 2015
Submit Final Portfolios
Hand Back Exams
Review Invidual Grades
Take Class Photo
Eat Donuts
HW: ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR SUMMER!!!
Day 27: Thursday, August 6, 2015
Final Test
Finish Portfolios
Day 26: Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Hand back work
Test Review
Computer Lab
Day 25: Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Today's Goal:
- To work on writing and revising our portfolio.
Today's Agenda:
- Journal: Add to "Where I Live and What I Live For"
- Computer Lab to Work on Portfolio Pieces
Day 24: Monday, August 3, 2015
Today's Goal:
- To read some nature writings and to write our own response.
Today's Agenda:
- Review schedule for the week
- Do Now: journal on our hike (and share)
- Circle reading: Walden
- Journal and share (favorite quote from Walden or "Where I Live and What I Live For")
- Small group nature poem analysis (from book of nature readings)
- Self-selected reading
Day 23: Friday, July 31, 2015
Day 22: Thursday, July 30, 2015
- Guest Speaker from Military
Day 21: Wednesday, July 29, 2015
- Sonnet Test
- Computer Lab to work on sonnet essay
Day 20: Tuesday, July 28, 2015
- Do Now: The Life of a Day
- Review poem
- Sonnets
- Period 1 - finish presentations
- Period 2 - review sonnets in circle
- Sonnet Test Review
- 5 paragraph sonnet analysis essay brainstorming/outline
- Outside Reading Time
- HW: Study for Test
Day 19: Monday, July 27, 2015
- Period 1
- Review poem analysis format
- Small groups: prep sonnets to present
- Poem presentations
- Period 2
- Medford Police Officer Presentation
Day 18: Friday, July 24, 2015
- Sonnet Introduction day
- Romeo and Juliet Sonnet
- Sonnet 18
Day 17: Thursday, July 23, 2015
- Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology presentation
- Computer lab to finish speech analysis
Day 16: Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Today's Goal:
- To type a 5-paragraph analysis of a speech using quotes.
Today's Agenda:
- Warm-Up: Self-Selected Reading
- Review Tasks for Essay
- 5 paragraphs
- at least 3 quotes
- Guiding Question: How does the speaker employ ethos, pathos, and logos to convey his point?
- Speeches to choose from:
- Kal Penn, DNC
- JFK, steel industry
- MLK, I Have a Dream
- Whisper of AIDS, RNC
- Jim Valvano, ESPYs
- Obama, Audacity of Hope, DNC
- Computer Lab
Day 15: Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Today's Goal:
- To analyze two speeches using the guiding question, "How does the speaker use ethos, pathos, and logos?"
Today's Agenda:
- "I Have a Dream"
- Listen to speech while following along with transcript.
- Small Groups: ID rhetorical devices
- Large Group: Report out and discuss
- "The Audacity of Hope"
- Self-selected reading
To do:
- Short Story Analysis
- Speech Analysis
Day 14: Monday, July 20, 2015
Today's Goal:
- Create an outline with quotes for a 5-paragraph essay on John F. Kennedy's speech about the steel industry
Today's Agenda:
- Do Now: Review lesson from Friday that you completed with Ms. Garvey
- Period 2 - Jim Valvano Speech (see Thursday's lesson plan)
- JFK's 1962 speech on the steel industry
- large group - read around and annotate
- small group - ID main idea, structure, 3 examples each of ethos, pathos, logos
- share small group findings on board
- independently, begin to write an intro paragraph for this essay in your notebook
- share with group
- Outside reading
Day 13: Friday, July 17, 2015
Today's Agenda:
- Lesson on writing speeches with Ms. Garvey
Day 12: Thursday, July 16, 2015
Today's Agenda:
Day 11: Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Today's Guiding Question:
- How do speeches use rhetorical devices to convey a message?
Today's Agenda:
- Do Now: View Kal Penn's 2012 DNC speech
- Turn and Talk about speech - what makes it effective?
- Discuss Kal Penn's speech's effectiveness with class
- Mini Lesson on Ethos, Pathos, Logos
- View and read Mary Fisher's 1992 RNC speech
- Transcript Available at American Rhetoric website
- Small Groups - ID the following:
- initial impressions
- 3 examples of ethos
- 3 examples of pathos
- 3 examples of logos
- 3 other standout quotes
- Large Group Review (and post on board - see Twitter)
Don't Forget:
- Email me your five-paragraph short story analysis essay if you have not done so already
Day 10: Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Today's Goal:
- Finish five-paragraph literary analysis essay.
Today's Agenda:
- Do Now: Make a list of the challenges you personally face when writing an essay.
- Mini-lesson - Mr. Ambrose gives tips on facing these challenges (see Tweet from today for a bullet-point overview
- Computer Lab to Work on Essays
HW: Finish five-paragraph essay and email to me
Day 9: Monday, July 13, 2015
Intro and Brainstorming Activities for Short Story Analysis Essay (in Humanities Lab for part of the time)
Today's Agenda:
- Do Now: Revisit three short stories. List things you'd like to talk about (in an essay) for each.
- "A & P"
- "Girl"
- Everyday Use"
- Selecting the topic - what types of things can you write about?
- plot
- characterization
- narrative style
- themes (i.e. coming-of-age)
- Refining thesis statement - work together to write a three-tier thesis statement
- Review school-wide rubric
- Independent or in small groups - plan out essay. Find quotes. Create graphic organizer.
- If we are ready, go to computer lab, or work in class.
HW: By tomorrow, have two of your portfolio pieces typed up.
Day 8: Friday, July 10, 2015
Today's Agenda:
Test #1
Computer Lab to Work on Revising our 2 Best Portfolio Pieces
On Tap For Next Week: Short Story Analysis Essay
Day 7: Thursday, July 9, 2015
Today's Agenda:
- Critical Reading
- Do Now: Read Critical Reading Passage (last passage of section 3)
- Small Group: Work together to answer questions
- Large Group review
- Humans of Medford
- Test Review - Download Test Review Here
HW: Study for Test
Day 6: Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Today's Agenda:
- Do Now: Grammar (Section 5)
- Songs about female gender roles
- Jamaica Kincaid biography
- Read Girl
- Small Group discussion questions
- Outside Reading time
- Large Group discussion
- Boy
- Write your own version of the story
- Share
Day 5: Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Today's Goal:
- To write your own personal narrative (650 words), inspired by an "artifact" and Alice Walker's "Everyday Use."
Today's Agenda:
- Do Now: With a partner, complete "Everyday Use" vocabulary exercise.
- Review vocabulary exercise and return to Mirrors and Windows from yesterday
- Mr. Ambrose models artifact activity by sharing bowling ball artifact
- Share artifact with partner, then with large group (consider tweeting photos to put on overhead)
- Outside Reading Time (12 min.)
- How do we put this into a narrative?
- Mr. Ambrose's example
- Karina's example
- Quiet writing, share with partner, revise
- Share finished piece with the group
On tap for tomorrow:
Day 4: Monday, July 6, 2015
Today's Goal:
- To read and analyze plot, characterization, and theme in Alice Walker's "Everyday Use."
Today's Agenda:
- Do Now: 3 SAT vocabulary questions
- Quilts - History + Alice Walker's Bio
- Read "Everday Use," complete active reading sheet
- Small Groups: Discussion Questions
- Large Group Discussion
- Mirrors and Windows
Tonight's HW:
- Bring in an "artifact" (or a photo of it) - an object you would like to use as a story starter.
On Tap for Tomorrow:
- Artifact Exchange Activity
On tap for next week:
- Monday - Girl
- Tuesday - Everyday Use
- Wednesday - Artifact Piece
- Thursday - Humans of Medford
- Friday - Test and Laptop Day
Day 3: Friday, July 3, 2015
Today's Goal:
- To practice fundamental ELA skills (like active reading of nonfiction texts).
Today's Agenda:
- Period 1 (Grade 11-12 Band)
- Do Now: Return to coming-of-age piece and add to it based on revision suggestions
- Critical Reading (online SAT practice test)
- 1-5 (vocabulary with partner)
- 6-9 (read passages together, answer with partner)
- 10-16 (small groups, then review)
- Self-Selected Reading
- Journal: SAT essay prompt about privacy (from College Board site)
- Period 2 (Grade 9-10 Band)
- Do Now: Return to coming-of-age piece and add to it based on revision suggestions
- Critical Reading
Day 2: Thursday, July 2, 2015
Today's Goals:
- To read a coming-of-age narrative.
- To write a coming-of-age narrative in this style.
Today's Agenda:
- Do Now
- Define coming-of-age - copy from board
- a narrative in which a character transitions from childhood into adulthood
- Write down 3 examples of coming-of-age narratives (books, movies, TV, etc.)
- Read "A & P"
- Small Group Questions
- Discussion
- Self-Selected Reading Time
- College Essay Prompt: Coming-of-Age
- Revise and Share
- Wrap Up
Day 1: Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Today's Goals:
- To review the syllabus and set 3 goals for the summer.
- To learn about writing philosophies (from Stephen King).
- To do some of our own writing about some images we look at today.
Today's Agenda:
- Syllabus
- Brief Survey
- 3 Goals for the Summer
- Snapshots and Short Stories Intro
- "What Writing Is" by Stephen King (read and discuss)
- Slideshow and Free Write
- "On Writing," chapter 20, by Stephen King (read and discuss)
- Pair and share - apply Stephen King's philosophies
- Revise and add to your work
- Share with the group