Sticky Note Madness

Literature circle discussions start this week.

For each discussion you need six sticky notes.

Four Role Notes:

Click on the following links for the role requirements
Connector

Visualizer

Passage Picker

Questioner

Download the full sticky note guide here.

Additional requirements:

One Wild Card Response per meeting
–Meeting One: Authentic Setting
–Meeting Two: An example of advanced punctuation technique.
–Meeting Three: An example of one of the lit techniques we’ve studied: alliteration, simile, metaphor, sensory language…
–Meeting Four: An interesting fact about the real place or time period of your book. You may use the Internet but include the source.
One Word Wizard response per meeting
–Copy the quote. Underline the word.
–What did you think it meant from context clues?
–What was the actual definition?

To view the literature circle discussion dates click here.

Plot Bookmark (Due 2/28, B and 2/29, A)

It's homework time! In class we will be discussing plot soon, and then you will need to complete a plot bookmark.

Plot Bookmark Directions

-- Choose a short story from your textbook or another collection.
--Identify and explain the type of conflict. Include a quote that helped you decide the type of conflict in your book.
-- On your plot diagram explain what is happening at each stage.
--Answer one of the questions for each stage (see below). Provide a quote and page number that demonstrates your explanation.
--After you finish your story, continue reading your current book and document the time and pages. You are still required to read 90 minutes and 50-150 pages.

Due date: 2/28 (B) 2/29 (A)

Visualizer RL#3 Due on October 29 (A) and October 30 (B)

The next reading log requires you to visualize a passage from your reading. With over a week to complete the log, you should read 1.5 hours (50-150 pages). To download the special visualizer form see the Language Arts Links section of the blog (it's the first link) on the bottom right of the page. Here are the directions for this log:

Visualizing:
1. Choose a passage that indicates an important event or that exhibits good writing. Explain how the passage is important in order to the understanding of the book. In other words, how is it significant?
2. Create a visual representation that illustrates specific details of the quote. The visual representation may be a drawing, collage, or collection of symbols. It should fill the box (touching three sides). It should be obvious to this “viewer” how the picture relates to the quote. You may add words to the picture to help me understand it. It should have color and detail to represent specific elements of the scene you are visualizing. (Details from other sections of the book that you have read may be necessary to keep your representation accurate.)

Making Connections RL#2 Due 10/11 (B) and 10/12 (A)

In order to understand what we read, our brains naturally make connections. For this week's reading log, you will need to document three types of connections from your reading. You will make a text-to-text, text-to-world, and text-to-self connection.

•Text to text: Compare this week's reading to another book or even another kind of text like a movie or TV show. A basic response to this connection is to explain how the book you are reading reminds you of another book you have read before.
•Text to world: Compare this week's reading to something happening in the world. It can compare to a historical event, a current event, or an issue that affects society and the world community.
•Text to self: Compare a character in the book to yourself or compare an event in the book to something that has happened to you or someone you know personally.

For each connection, you should label the connection (T-T, T-W, T-S) and copy the passage that you are connecting to. Then, explain the connection in detail. Show us how the connection is meaningful and helped you understand your reading.

The reading log form is available to download at home. Go to:
http://www.schoolnotes.com/32202/izzok.html
or
http://www.dreamsbeginhere.org/lavilla/jackson/default.htm

Remember you will be graded on the following requirements:

RUBRIC: How did you do? Did you…
____ ____read at least 1.5 hours per week from books or magazines that appropriately challenge your reading level; (approximately 50-150 pages per week depending on individual reading level)
____ ____clearly document the title, author, pages read, & time spent reading; (Or, is a bookmark attached?)
____ ____fill or exceed all the space provided on the reading log handout;
____ ____include a very brief summary of the major events/elements of the week’s reading using SWBS or Fortunately/Unfortunately;
____ ____focus on the appropriate element of the standard or reading strategy for the week;
____ ____support a judgment (or opinion) through multiple references to the text, references to other works, authors, and/or non-print media, and/or references to personal knowledge (In other words, did you use many specific, varied details and quotes from the book and add your own explanation?);
____ ____define one or more new or interesting words from the reading;
____ ____discuss your reading with a parent or guardian and get a signature? Parent Signature—I’ve seen my child reading this week & we’ve discussed the reading log: _________

Choosing Important Passages

Our next assignment spans two weeks: the passage picker reading log. It's due on September 26 for A day and September 27 for B day. This means you'll need to document three hours of reading (90 minutes per week). Here are the directions for this reading log:

Passage Picker
--You must choose three (3) passages from your book for this reading log.
-- Passages should be anywhere from 1-3 sentences in length. You must include page numbers. Then explain why you chose it. Your explanation and comments about a passage must be longer than the passage itself.
--Your explanation and your support for your explanation must be detailed and must refer to the passage.
3 Required Passages
1. You must choose a passage that reveals one of the conflicts. Then, explain what type of conflict it is using details from the passage. Ex: Human vs. Human; Human vs. Nature; Human vs. Society; or Human vs. Self.
2. You must choose a passage that reveals the true nature of a character in the book through a choice they make. What does the character’s choice tell you about their personality?
3. You must choose a passage that is an example of “good writing” or an example of your writer’s style. Identify what good writing is, or what your writer’s style is. Then explain how the passage demonstrates this.