Welcome to my page for Summer School 2015!  Check in regularly to see the daily agenda, lesson plans, and helpful links.

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

• Hike in Fells

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"
• See above
• 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:

• Speech Analysis:  Jim Valvano's ESPY speech
• Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Message and Tone
• Structure
• Military Guest Speakers

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
• Video of Humans of New York
• Archive of Images
• Brainstorm Interview Questions
• Interview and Photgraph
• Share
• 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:

• Girl, Jamaica Kincaid

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
• Large group active reading of Lincoln and Whitman eulogies
• Small group - answer 8 questions, plan open response
• Large group - share brainstorming, write solid paragraph response (with topic sentence, 3 talking points, quotes, and clincher)
• Download group brainstorming and paragraph we wrote together!

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

Links for handouts, etc.

Summer School 2015 Syllabus

Opening Day Survey Questions

Short Story Intro PPT (with images for free write)

Excerpt from Stephen King's On Writing (chapter 20)

"A & P" questions

College Board practice test

2015 MCAS

JFK Speech Analysis 

Possible portfolio pieces

Portfolio 1

Day 1 - Snapshot

Day 2 - Coming-of-age

Day 3 - Privacy (SAT essay)

Day 5 - Artifact Exchange

Day 6 - Girl/Boy

Day 7 - Humans of Medford

Day 8 - Short Story Analysis

Portfolio 2

Day 11 - Kal Penn's 2012 DNC speech

Day 11 - Mary Fisher's 1992 RNC speech

Day 12 - Jim Valvano's "Don't Give Up" 1993 ESPY speech

Day 14 - JFK's 1962 speech about the steel industry

Various poems and sonnets - Analysis