Objectives: Students will be able to compare the similarities and differences between two poems on friendship by using Venn diagram and synthesize their own view on friendship based on reading in writing.

CCS

R.1. R.2 R.4 R.5 R.7 R.9

L.3/ W.8/SL.1,2,4

Differentiation: Extra support for vocabulary ( word bank) and syntax, co-teaching, various access points to the text, grouping by skills and learning styles , graphic organizer, template., scaffolded instructions. 

Do Now:  Write a sentence about friendship based on your reading or to express your own thoughts.

Mini Lesson:

What’s synthesis? Why do we need to have the skill? When and where do we use it? How do we synthesize?

Identifying similarities: find categories and differences

How do we use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast? See a model.

Student Independent Practice

• create an individual diagram
• create a group  diagram
• write a paragraph to synthesize the ideas of friendship.

Exist Slip: Share your response.

The Shipping News Lessons

Objectives: Students will be able to analyze the character by identifying indirect and direct characterization traits in a carouseling activity. 

CCS 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. 

Differentiation: Extra support for vocabulary ( word bank) and syntax, co-teaching, various access points to the text, grouping by skills and learning styles , graphic organizer, template., scaffolded instructions. 

Do Now:  Use three words to describe yourself and explain briefly why. Turn and talk. Which descriptions are considered direct characterization? Or indirect characterization? 

Mini Lesson 

1. What’s direct and indirect characterization? 

In direct characterization: the author states directly a character’s traits.  Direct characterization: leaves little to the reader’s imagination. Often the writer will enhance the direct characterization through the use of connotative diction and figurative language.  

A writer uses indirect characterization when showing a character’s personality through his or her  actions, thoughts, feelings, words, and appearance, or through another character’s observations and  reactions.  When an author uses indirect characterization, he or she expects the reader to make inferences, to reach beyond the words on the page and “fill in the gaps,” by applying prior knowledge and experience to reach a conclusion about the character, based on these subtle pieces of information. As you read the following excerpt from The Shipping News, try to “see” the character of Quoyle in your mind; try to imagine him as a living, breathing human being you have known. Be prepared to discuss the way the author, Annie Proulx, employs techniques of characterization, both direct and indirect, to bring this fictional character alive for you.  

Check for Understanding: Based on the definition of Direct and Indirect Characterization, label the descriptions in Do Now. 

1. Become familiar with the new vocabulary and their usage. 

Guided Annotations 

Step 1: Underline the sentences in which the new voc words are used. Circle the new voc. word(s) in each sentence. 

New Vocabulary in the excerpt from The Shipping News

1. Camouflage: n. or v. hide or disguise the presence of
2. Stumble: v tripor momentarily lose one’s balance; 
3. Prodigiously: adv. remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.
4. Brim: v. fill or be full to the point of overflowing.
5. Virulent: adj. the severity or harmfulness of a disease or poison.
6. Ambition: n. big dream
7. Shamble: v. (of a person) move with a slow, shuffling, awkward gait.
8. Pygmy: n. a member of certain peoples of very short stature in equatorial Africa and parts of Southeast Asia
9. Curl: v. formor cause to form into a curved or spiral shape. 
10. Snivel: v. cry and sniffle.
11. Linoleum: n. a material consisting of a canvas backing thickly coated with a preparation of linseed oil and powdered cork, used especially as a floor covering.
12. Casement: n. a window or part of a window set on a hinge so that it opens like a door.
13. Crenshaw: n. a winter melon having smooth green and gold skin and sweet salmon-colored flesh. 
14. Ruche: a pleated, fluted, or gathered strip of fabric used for trimming.
15. Monstrous: adj. monster like
16. Freakish: adj. Like a freak
17. Anomalous: adj. deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected.
18. Begetting: v. give rise to; bring about.
19. Strategem: n. a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end.
20. Downcast: adj.  looking down
21. Cherish: v. treasure
22. Changeling: n. a child secretly exchanged for another in infancy;  
23. Forage: v. search widely for food or provisions. 
24. Excursion :short trip 
25. Momento:  by association with moment. The word is actually related to remember.
26. Squint: v. look at someone or something with one or both eyes partly closed in an attempt to see more clearly or as a reaction to strong light.
27. Scribble: v. writeor draw (something) carelessly or hurriedly 
28. Excoriation: n. the act of abrading or wearing off the skin. chafing and excoriationof the skin;  harsh criticism 
29. Churn: v. (of liquid) move about vigorously.
30. Amorphous: adj. without a clearly defined shape or form.
31. Sludge: n. thick, soft, wet mud or a similar viscous mixture of liquid and solid components, especially the product of an industrial or refining process; mud, muck, mire, ooze
32. Dissolve: v. close down or dismiss (an assembly or official body).
33. Muddle: v. bring into a disordered or confusing state. 

Teacher Models the Direct and Indirect characterization activity.

Student Independent Practice 

In a carouseling activity, complete the stationery chart following the task direction: 

Round 1: Read para 1-6. Underline the sentences in which the new voc words are used. Circle the new voc. word(s) in each sentence. 

Round 2: Identify examples of Direct or Indirect characterization in para. 1 or 2.

Round 3: Identify examples of Direct or Indirect characterization in para. 3.

Round 4: Identify examples of Direct or Indirect characterization in para.4

Round 5: Identify examples of Direct or Indirect characterization in para. 5

Round 6: Identify examples of Direct or Indirect characterization in para. 6

 Exit Slip: In your own words, based on your analysis of the textual details, describe Quoyle. 

________________________________

Lesson 2

Objectives: Students will be able to make inferences from textual evidence to about Quoyle’s character and explain why.

CCS 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. 

Differentiation: Extra support for vocabulary ( word bank) and syntax, co-teaching, various access points to the text, grouping by skills and learning styles , graphic organizer, template, scaffolded instructions. 

Do Now: Use one new vocabulary word to describe the character Quoyle. Turn and talk.

Mini Lesson:

How to make inferences? How to make connection between the textual details and your claim ( inference)?

Teacher Model: How to make an inference and analyze why?

Concepts:

Claim (inference): your interpretation ( educated opinion) of the evidence.

Analysis (explanation): making direct connections between textual evidence and your claim by pointing our important details ( details that have rich or deep meaning)

Verbs that indicate analysis: suggest, reveal, imply, emphasize, project, relate, prove, carry, introduce, signify, unfold, embody, express, represent, connote, denote, reflect

Textual Evidence:

“…at the state university,  hand clapped over his chin,  He camouflaged  torment with smiles and silence.”( para. 2)

Inference ( claim): He is shy, embarrassed and ashamed.

Explain (analysis): The imagery of  Quoyle “clapping” his hands over his ” chin” shows that he does not want to be noticed or seen, which suggests he is shy. The metaphor of ” camouflage” reveals he hides  his suffering or embarrassment ( paraphrasing of ” torment” ) behind smiles that he fakes -a way of camouflaging by pretending to smile . He keeps himself in ” silence” not to catch anyone’s attention, which suggests he has no confidence because he is ashamed of himself.

Example 2:

Textual evidence:

“He  ate prodigiously, liked a  ham knuckle, buttered spuds. “

Claim ( inference): He is a big and unhealthy eater.

Explain: The hyperbole ” prodigiously” emphasizes the large amount of food Quoyle consumes. The details of ” ham knuckle” and ” buttered spuds” reveal that not only does he eat a lot, he eats food with high fat content, which may suggest his negative way of coping with his self image because he does not take care of himself.

Student Independent Practice

In your group, select two quotations from the passage, one is an example of direct characterization and the other indirect characterization, and follow the teacher model to make a claim about Quoyle’s character and explain why.

Exist Slip: Hang up your group claim and analysis poster on the locker with participants’ names written on the bottom.

__________________________

Lesson 3

Essay Assessment: Text-Analysis Response

Your Task: Closely read the text provided, an excerpt from the novel The Shipping News by Ann Proulx, and write a well-developed, text-based response of three –four paragraphs. In your response, identify a central idea in the text and analyze how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) develops this central idea. Use strong and thorough evidence from the text to support your analysis. Do not simply summarize the text.

Guidelines:

Be sure to:

• Identify a central idea in the text
• Analyze how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) develops this central idea. Examples include: characterization, conflict, denotation/connotation, metaphor, simile, irony, language use, point-of-view, setting, structure, symbolism, theme, tone, etc.
• Use strong and thorough evidence from the text to support your analysis
• Organize your ideas in a cohesive and coherent manner
• Maintain a formal style of writing
• Follow the conventions of standard written English

Lesson Plans for By the Water of Babylon 

Objectives: Students will be able to analyze the tone through diction and imagery in a speed-rotation activity. 

CCS 

R1 R4 R6 R10 

L4 L5 L6 

W3 W4 W5 W10 

SL1 

Differentiation: Extra support for vocabulary ( word bank) and syntax, co-teaching, various access points to the text, grouping by skills and learning styles , graphic organizer, template., scaffolded instructions. 

Do Now: Describe one thing you know about the paragraph. Describe one thing you still don’t understand. 

Mini Lesson 

1. Using semantic web to help generate and organize ideas (page 2) 

1. Teacher Model 

Student Independent Work Activity 

1. Use speed-rotation activity to share your graphic organizer on page 3 

1. Writing Activity: Use the template on page 4 to complete two-sentence of analysis 

1. Analyze an imagery and how it contributes to the mood 

1. Analyze an example of connotative diction and how it contributes to the mood 

1. The speaker’s feeling of __________________ is illustrated through the use of the image__________________. The speaker________________( explain the mood and how it is created through the imagery) 

Exist Slip: Copy one paragraph and hand it in. 

11/27

Objectives: Students will be able to understand and identify key elements of argumentation through small group presentation and close reading.

W.9-10.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis

Do Now:  What are the key elements of argumentation that you are familiar with?  Ink, pair-share.

Mini Lesson with Guided Practice:

What the elements of argumentation? What do they mean and how they are used in advancing one’s argument?

Use the lesson tool ( Elements of Argumentation with definitions)  and discuss the assigned elements in each small group. Underline the key words or phrase in each definition. Read the  example provided. Use your own words to present your understanding.

Guided Practice: Each group presents.

Independent Practice

The class is divided into two large groups. In each group, students will read an essay on whether companies like Apples should be held responsible for distracted driving.

See the NYTime articles on Room for Debate

Read the article and do the following-

1. Identify words you don’t know and find out the meaning
2. Identify an example of each element from the article. Underline the sentence and label it by writing the name of the element next to it.

It’s Impossible to Outsource Our Decision-Making

Katherine Mangu-Ward 3:20 AM

You almost certainly already rely on technology to help you be a moral, responsible human being. From old-fashioned tech like alarm clocks and calendars to newfangled diet trackers or mindfulness apps, our devices nudge us to show up to work on time, eat healthy, and do the right thing. But it’s nearly impossible to create a technological angel on your right shoulder without also building in a workaround that is vulnerable to the devil on your left. Put another way: Any alarm clock user who denies that he has heard the siren song of the snooze button is lying.

Technology can help us make good decisions, but outsourcing good decision-making to technology, tech companies or the government isn’t just a bad idea — it’s impossible.

People already know that distracted driving is dangerous. They tell pollsters so all the time. Because of this clear customer demand, smartphone makers offer safety conscious drivers a variety of ways to minimize distraction, from handsfree headsets and voice command to mute buttons and airplane mode.

But automatically disabling certain apps in a fast-moving vehicle — as the grieving family of 5-year-old distracted driving victim Moriah Modisette is suing to force Apple to do — won’t work. One of the great glories of the smartphone era is the ability to work, chat and read while on mass transit or riding shotgun, so there’s no way to build an accelerometer-based shut-down unless you also add an opt-out. And if there’s an opt-out, then fallible, foolish humans will always use it to thwart the original intent.

What’s more, legally mandated technological fixes tend to be even less effective than their market-driven counterparts: Think of the “Are You 18?” queries that pop up on sites peddling liquor, cigarettes or other adult products. (Has anyone in the history of the internet ever clicked “No”?) Judges and regulators consistently overvalue their ability to prevent catastrophe and undervalue the costs they impose on innocent users. The most wide-reaching effect of any kind of mandatory distracted driving safety provision will simply be to force every user of every smartphone, on every bus, train and plane to click “I am not the driver” every day unto eternity, without actually dissuading the kind of jerks who are determined to FaceTime while driving down the interstate.

Technology Can Save Us From Drivers Using Social Media

Jason Mars 3:20 AM

While the untimely death of an innocent 5-year-old is tragic, it’s clear that Apple shouldn’t be legally responsible for the irresponsible driver who killed her. Almost any distraction can lead to an accident. If a driver slammed his car into someone because he took his hands off the steering wheel to unwrap a taco, surely we wouldn’t hold Taco Bell responsible, or outlaw the eating of tacos while driving.

That being said, companies do have a social responsibility to be mindful of hazards that arise from misuse of their products and take sensible precautions. In the case of Apple, it would be absolutely reasonable for it to use a non-intrusive mechanism to detect with near perfect accuracy when a user is driving to prevent hazardous distractions.

The challenge that arises here is whether the technology can achieve near-perfect accuracy in driver detection. From a technical standpoint, its straightforward to sense the rate that a phone is moving. For example Apple provides a set of software protocols called CoreMotion that lets programmers glean insights about the phone’s movement and even has an “automotive” property to predict whether the user is in a vehicle. However, detecting whether the user or owner of the phone is the driver or a passenger is trickier with just this approach. In the case of FaceTime and other apps involving a camera, there is an opportunity to use the camera, along with deep-learning algorithms, to literally look at the user and environment and discern whether the user in view is driving. There has been a wealth of research on detecting driver fatigue and other attributes, some of which has been discussed at the IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium. I would expect such a solution to be readily adopted by users if the accuracy is high enough, as mispredictions can create frustration and discourage use.

The state of deep learning technology is at a place where companies like Apple should explore its use for safety purposes. While a staunch libertarian would be opposed to the infringement on freedom, I simply can’t think of a situation where someone should be FaceTiming and driving, ever.

______________________________

11/28/2017

Objectives: Students will be able to make an evidence-based claim

W.9-10.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis

Resources:

• Argument Essay Lesson Tools
• Transition Toolbox
• Evidence-Based Claim handouts (EBC Tools)

Do Now: Each group will share one claim and evidence as well as counter claim, concession and rebuttal from articles you read yesterday abut whether Apples should be responsible for distracted driving.

Mini Lesson:

part 1: What is the difference between a claim and thesis statement? ( page 1-2 in the Argument Tool)

Guided Practice:

The class is divided into 4 groups and each group will read one source about “Should college athlete be paid?” and complete the worksheets( page 3).

Part II: How do we structure an argumentative essay?

Introduction

• Why is the topic important?
• What’s the most popular opposing view on the topic?
• What’s your position? Why( claim) ?( position + claims=Thesis statement)

Body Paragraph 1 ( claim paragraph)

• Topic sentence: develop the 1st reason into a claim statement.
• Provide supporting evidence
• Why does the evidence support the claim? Connect it back to your topic sentence.

Body Paragraph 2 ( claim paragraph)

• Topic sentence: develop the 2ns reasons into a claim statement.
• Provide supporting evidence
• Why does the evidence support the claim? Connect it back to your topic sentence.

Body Paragraph 3 ( counter-claim paragraph)

• Topic sentence: Introduce the opposing claim and reason.
• Point out the evidence the opposing side uses to support it claim.
• Explain why the claim is not valid (prove the reason or evidence used is not valid)
• Provide evidence to counter argue against the counter claim

Conclusion: Restate your position and claim on the topic.

Independent Practice

Read a sample argument essay based on 3 sources on ” whether athletes should be paid” and label each part as stated in the essay structure.

Homework: Review the elements of argumentation and structure of the essay.

Lesson Plan on The Glass Menagerie

Objectives: Students will be able to respond critically to the play, The Glass Menagerie, by identifying a specific moment, line or object (motif )  through which they create a personal memoir, or a narrative that uses an object or imagery as motif.

CCS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.A
Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.E
Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

Differentiation:

Content: Students with various writing abilities can select a technique or idea from the menu provided to write a narrative. Each student draws materials from his/her personal experiences for the writing task. Students’ topic is of personal interests and choice. Pair share and class discussion will also provide further assistance to students’ understanding of using narrative techniques to describe a memory.

Grouping rationale: Students will be grouped based on their strengths and weaknesses as a reader and writer to complete the task.

Do Now: Close your eyes and refresh your memory about the play, The Glass Menagerie. Is there anything that stands out to you, repeatedly? A sound, image, word or phrase, an object, a line etc.? Pick out one moment or imagery or object (motif) and describe it: How is it represented? How is it connected to the character or theme of the play? Is there any other significance for the playwright to include it in the play? Why does it stand out to you? Write about 7-8 minutes.

Teaching Points:

According to Miller and Paola, in their book Tell it Slant, “The memories that can have the most emotional impact for the writer are those who don’t really understand, the images that rise up before us quite without our volition…These are the ‘river teeth’, or the moments of being, the ones that suck your breath away.”

1. What repository of memory do you hold in your heart rather than your head?
2. What are the pictures that rise to the surface without bidding?
3. Take these as your cue. Pick you pen. This is where you begin.

Metaphorical memory:

Think back on that early morning of yours, the one that came to mind instantly. Illuminate the details, shine a spot on them until they begin to yield a sense of truth revealed. Where is your body in this memory? What kind of language does it speak? What metaphor does it offer for you to puzzle out in writing?

Muscle memory:

The body, memory, and mind exist in sublime interdependence, each part wholly twined with the others. These memories will have resonance precisely because they have not been forced into being by a mind insistent on fixed meanings. It is the body’s story and so one that resonates with a sense of an inadvertent truth revealed. Sometimes, what matters to us most is what has mattered to the body. Memory may pretend to live in the cerebral cortex, but it requires real muscle to animate it again for the page.

The five senses of memory

By paying attention to the sensory gateways of the body, you also begin to write in a way that naturally embodies experience, making it tactile for the reader. Readers tend to care deeply only about those things they feel in the body at a visceral level. And so as a writer, consider your vocation as that of a translator: one who renders the abstract into the concrete. We experience the world through our senses. WE MUST TANSLATE THAT EXPEIENCE INTO LANGUAGE OF THE SENSES AS WELL.

• Smell: “Smell is a potent wizard that transports us thousands of miles and all the years we have lived,” wrote Hellen Keller.
  • What are the smells you remember that even in memory makes you stop a moment and breathe deeply or make your heart beat more vigorously, your palms ache for what’s been lost? Write these down. Write as quickly as you can, seeing how one smell leads to another. What kind of images, memories, or stories might arise from this sensory trigger?
• Taste: Food is one of the most social gifts we have. The bond between mother and child forms over the feeding of that child. When you sit down to unburden yourself to a friend, you often do so over a meal prepared together in the kitchen. In his famous essay “Afternoon of an American Boy,” B. White  vividly remembers that taste of cinnamon toast in conjunction with the first stumbling overtures of a boyhood crush.
  • What are the tastes that carry the most emotion for you? The tastes that, even in memory, make you stop a moment and run your tong over your lips? Write them down as quickly as you can. Which scenes, memories, associations come to the surface?
• Hearing: Sounds often make up a subliminal backdrop to our lives, and even the faintest echo can tug back moments from the past in their entirety. Music is not so subtle but rather acts as a blaring soundtrack to our emotional lives. We often orchestrate our memories around the music that accompanies those pivotal eras of our lives. When you have the soundtrack down, the rest of life seems to fall into place.
• Touch: We are constantly aware of our bodies, of how they feel as they move through the world. Without these senses, we become lost, disoriented in space and time. And the people who have affected us the most are the ones who have touched us in some way, who have reached beyond this barrier of skin and made contact with our small, isolated selves. Think about the people in your life who have touched you deeply. What was the quality of their physical touch on your body? How did they touch the objects around them? Why do you think touch lingers in memory?
• Sight: How do you see the world? How do you see yourself? Even linguistically, our sense of sight seems so tied up in our perceptions, stance, opinions, personalities, and knowledge of the world. To see something often means to finally understand, to be enlightened, to have our vision cleared. What we choose to see-and not to see- often says more about us than anything else. When we “look back” in memory, we “see” those memories. Our minds have cataloged an inexhaustible storehouse of visual images. Now the trick is for you to render these images in writing. Pay attention to the smaller details. Close your eyes to see the images more clearly. Trace the shape of your favorite thing or the outline of a beloved’s face. Turn up the light in the living room. Go out walking under a full moon. Look at some photos and videos you have taken. Not only do these photos and films act as triggers for your memory but they can prompt you to delve more deeply below the surface.

Student Independent Practice

From the exercises above, select a motif that can BEST represent your memory. Write a narrative that either incorporates or evolves around the motif to reveal a part of your past that sheds light on you or your relationship with people you care about in your life. The narrative should be between 500-700 words in lengths.

Exit Slip: Share the “river teeth” of your memory.

Homework Assignment: Complete the personal narrative and turn it in on Friday.

1. https://quizlet.com/178711154/nys-ela-common-core-regents-vocabulary-flash-cards/
2. https://quizlet.com/23945118/common-english-regents-vocabulary-flash-cards/

Objectives: Students will be able to reflect on their performance during the 1st MP and  set new and applicable goals for the 2nd MP.

Do now: Review portfolio; check Skedula

Mini Lesson:

Review student model essay and- explains why the essay was scored a 4

Independent practice

Making up work you missed and write a reflection for the first MP-

1. Work ethics
2. Attendance  & Punctuality
3. Class Participation- verbal and written; active listening
4. Homework
5. Skill assessment: what are you still struggling with when writing a textual analysis essay? What’s your understanding? What do you want to improve during the 2nd  MP?

Homework:

1. Research about Emily Dickinson  and select 5 details about her life or work that you want to share with your group members on Wednesday.  Copy them in your notebook.
2. What was happening in the U.S. during 1830-1886? Select three events that are meaningful to you.
3. Where is New England in the U.S.? Who are some of the most famous writers who came from the region? List three.

Day 1

Objectives: Students will be able to write a literary analysis  of the poem Whitman’s poem ” I hear American Singing” through a complete writing process and the synthesis of various sources.

Agenda

1. Do Now
2. Read and discuss ” William Stafford: The Poet and His craft”
3. Read and discuss the poem ” Fifteen”
4. Analyze a student Model
5. Write independently a literary analysis of Whitman’s poem ” I hear American Singing”

Do Now: What’s your understanding of literary analysis? Pair share.

Mini Lesson and Guided Practice

In reading groups-

1. Read and discuss ” William Stafford: The Poet and His craft”

Based on the essay, what might you expect Stafford’s poetry to be like? Discuss with a partner and cite evidence from the essay.

2. Read and discuss the poem ” Fifteen” ( What words in the last stanza signifies a shift in the point of view? What does this speaker realize at this point?

HW#1: How is the poem “Fifteen” connected to the essay ,” William Stafford: The Poet and His craft”? Show evidence.

______________________

Day 2

Objectives: Students will be able to discern how the student uses the biography and the essay to inform her analysis of the poem and apply the same strategy for their own analysis of the poem.

1. Look for pattern-repetition, figurative language, motif
2. Identify binary of ideas ( opposing  and shift)
3. Anomaly ( unusual usage of words and phrases)

Guided Practice 

Read the poem ” Fifteen” and look for the details mentioned above. How do these details help you gain a deeper meaning of the poem?

Independent Practice:

Activity 1: Analyze a student Model

How did Jennifer use the biography and the essay to inform her analysis of the poem? Cite evidence for your discussion.

Activity 2: You will write a literary analysis to explore how Whitman’s life experiences are reflected in his poem ” I hear America Singing” and his journal entry ” The Real War Will Never Get in the Books”.

Step 1: Read source 1( page 90) and underline /circle information that may be useful when you write the essay.

Step 2: Read and discuss source 2(91-92): Why might Whitman have called his experiences nursing in the Civil War ” the most profound lesson” of his life? What do you think he learned?

Step 3: Read  and discuss source 3: What’s Whitman’s tone, or attitude, toward the man in the remarkable hat? Cite evidence for your response.( page 93-94)

HW#2 Complete steps 1-3.

___________________________

Day 3

Objectives: Students will be able to structure a literary analysis essay based on multiple sources by carefully examining the structure of a sample essay.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Do now: What’s your understanding of synthesizing of two sources?

Teaching Points:

Structure of a literary analysis based on two sources-

1. Where do you introduce your thesis or central idea ?
2. How do you develop each aspect of your thesis?
3. How do we use topic sentence as a ” rope” to understanding your points?
4. How to connect the two sources?

Guided Practice

Read student sample essay and identify the following-

1. thesis statement ( central idea based on both sources )
2. Context
3. Information from text 1 ( craft)
4. Connecting source 1 with the poem ” fifteen”.

Independent Practice

You will be writing a literary analysis that explores how Whitman’s life experiences are reflected in his poem ” I Hear America Singing” and his journal entry ” The Real War Will Never Get in the Books.” As you read about Whitman’s life and work, underline /circle information that may be useful when you write the essay.

Share in your reading group-

Step 1: Read source 1( page 90) and underline /circle information that may be useful when you write the essay.

Step 2: Read and discuss source 2(91-92): Why might Whitman have called his experiences nursing int he Civil War ” the most profound lesson” of his life? What do you think he learned?

Step 3: Read  and discuss source 3: What’s Whitman’s tone, or attitude, toward the man in the remarkable hat? Cite evidence for your response.( page 93-94)

Synthesis activity: How does ” Letter from Paumanok” reflect Whitman’s life? What does the piece reveal about the author?

Homework#3: Read source 4 and Source 5 and answer the questions on pages 95 and 96.

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Day 4

Objectives: Students will be able to analyze various sources about the poet Whitman and makes connections between his life experiences and work.

Do now: Based on source 1, how can a reader know about a writer through his/her work?

Mini Lesson with Guided Practice

1. Read and discuss source 2(91-92): Why might Whitman have called his experiences nursing int he Civil War ” the most profound lesson” of his life? What do you think he learned?
2. Read  and discuss source 3: What’s Whitman’s tone, or attitude, toward the man in the remarkable hat? Cite evidence for your response.( page 93-94)

Independent Practice

Small group synthesis activity: Which lines of ” Letter to His Mother” connect in some way with lines from ” The Real War Will Never Get in the Books”? Include specific lines in your thinking and discussion.

Source 5- According to Whitman, how is the recorded history of the war different from the real war? Cite evidence for your response.

 Individually,

• respond to the questions on page 99.( will be collected )
• Analyze the sources ( individually complete the blanks)

Homework#4: Develop your Essay  ( pages 102-103)

• Determine the topic
• Write  the claim or central idea
• Choose a stricture and craft the key points

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Day 5

Objectives: Students will be able to explore how Whitman’s life experiences are reflected in his poem ” I Hear America Singing” and his journal entry ” The Real War Will Never Get in the Books.”

Day 6  Structuring the Literary Analysis Essay

Objectives: Students will be able to develop their literary essay by analyzing the sources, writing a claim or central idea and choosing a specific structure to organize their ideas logically and effectively.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone

• Choose a structure and craft the key point
• In your reading group, complete the worksheet on page 102. 
• For those who have drafted your essay, move on to page 103 to complete the sheet.( individualized)

__________________________________________________________

Day 7

Revise using the check list and rubric( page 107)

Objectives: Students will be able to revise the literary analysis draft by using the structure checklist and rubric.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone

1. Develop your essay – Write the claim or central idea based on your observations of the connections between Whitman’s life experiences and his poem /journal.( page 101)
2. How to develop a central idea?
3. Citation: page 106 How to cite textual evidence?
4. Structuring your essay

Introduction: Context and thesis statement ( central idea)

Body Paragraph 1: key point 1 of his life experience that influenced the setting of the author’s writings

Body Paragraph 2: key point 2 of his life experience that influenced the voice of the author’s writings

Body Paragraph 3: key point 3 of his life experience that influenced the point of view/perspective of the author’s writings

Conclusion

________________________________________

Day 7

Objectives: Students will be able to revise the literary analysis draft by using the structure checklist and rubric.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone

Do now: Share your central idea with a partner in your reading group. What did you notice about it? Do you consider it a strong and clear? Why?

Mini Lesson with Guided Practice

Structure of a Textual Analysis Essay

How to approaching an essay topic (task)?

1. Step 1: Understanding the task
2. Step 2: Underlying the key words and phrases that help you understand the task
3. Step 3: Turn the statement into a question
4. Step 4: Answer the question
5. Step 5: Describe what you’ll need to do to provide an effective answer to the question(s)
6. Step 6: Identify the evidence that will help you generate a thesis statement

How to write an effective thesis statement?

• Directly address the essay question
• there is a shift ( tension) within the statement
• state the literary devices used by the author

How to write an introduction?

1. Provide one -sentence comment on the topic you are writing.
2. Provide an appropriate context of the narrative
3. State the thesis statement

 How to write a conclusion?

• Restate the most important point you have been making throughout the essay but in different words.
• Make a real life connection (how is the discussion relevant in real life?)

 Body Paragraph structure:

• Topic Sentence-Claim
• Context ( cite the sentences where you will “zoom’ in on specific words or phrase for your analysis
• Point out he words and phrases that are connected to your claim
• ( Analysis)Explain why the specific words and phrases represent the deeper meaning
• Making connections aback to your thesis ( so what)

Textual Analysis Structure

Introduction: ( 3-4 sentences)

1. State the central idea of the passage
2. State the (one) strategy that the authors uses to illustrate the central idea
3. Explain two steps of how the author DEVELOPS his central idea through the strategy by using the word “ first, the author….;then the author…

Body

Body Paragraph 1:

1. Topic sentence ( first the author uses ___________( a strategy) to describe/portray…
2. Context: quotations ( 2- 3 examples) – omit words you don’t need by using …
3. Zoom in ( go back to the textual evidence you have cited) and point out specific words or phrases that show a pattern . Bring out the deeper meaning( what do the details say about your claim or author’s central idea)
4. So what: making a connection back to your claim

Body Paragraph 2:

1. Topic sentence ( then the author uses ___________( a strategy) to describe/portray…
2. Context: quotations ( 2- 3 examples) – omit words you don’t need by using …
3. Zoom in ( go back to the textual evidence you have cited) and point out specific words or phrases that show a pattern . Bring out the deeper meaning( what do the details say about your claim or author’s central idea)
4. So what: making a connection back to your claim

Conclusion: Restate the central idea with different words; how does the central idea connect to a universal truth?

Tips: Two claims should be different- the 2^nd claim should be based on the first claim

Here is an example-

Introduction: state the central idea and name the strategy.

• A central theme is the narrator’s feelings of despair or helplessness as the realization takes hold that he is being a prisoner in a desolate castle.
• The write uses the tone, or his voice, to help develop the central idea.

Development

Body Paragraph 1: 

• Topic sentence: The author uses  tone to help develop the central idea of despair in the story by describing the setting.
• Context: A brief sugary that helps the reader to understand the evidence- The author describes the character’s surroundings as dull, dreary, grey, stoney and overall very depressing. 
• Evidence ( that is an example of the writing strategy): Words such as ” stone stairs”, ” narrow darkness of the courtyard” and ” the window…was tall and deep, stone-mullioned and though weather-worn” reinforce this gloomy setting
• Analysis: how does the evidence help the author develop his central idea? –When the author does this, he immediately implement the idea of depression or sadness into the piece of literature. The author also uses word choice to his advantage. The author is able to use his tone to convey the idea of despair through words and phrases like ” desperate straits” (line 13), ” prisoner” (line 1), ” I was helpless” (line 5 and ” I am, I know, wither being deceived like a baby by my own fears or ..”.( line12).
• Making a connection back to the central idea: The author is able to convey the idea of desperation and despair through these gloomy quotes and create a tone, which also helps develops the central idea.

Body Paragraph 2:

• Topic sentence
• Context
• Evidence ( that is an example of the writing strategy)
• Analysis: how does the evidence help the author develop his central idea?
• Making a connection

Conclusion: Repeat the central idea and how it reveals a universal truth.

Independent Practice

Use the structure or rubric to guide or peer edit your essay.

The following rubric give you a better idea how your essay will be evaluated:

Check for Understanding: Hand in your thesis statement ( central idea) with two separate claims ( topic sentences).

Homework#8: 2nd draft due tomorrow.

_____________________________

Day 8 : Peer review ( page 108)

Objectives: Students will be able to revise the literary analysis draft by using the structure checklist and rubric.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone

Checklist to evaluate your thesis statement?

• Directly address the essay question
• there is a shift ( tension) within the statement
• state the literary devices used by the author

 Evaluate your Introduction?

1. Provide one -sentence comment on the topic you are writing.
2. Provide an appropriate context of the narrative
3. State the central idea.

Evaluate your conclusion-

• Restate the most important point you have been making throughout the essay but in different words.
• Make a real life connection (how is the discussion relevant in real life?)

Evaluate your body paragraphs-

• Body Paragraph 1: key point 1 of his life experience that influenced the settingof the author’s writings
  1. Describea specific aspect of Whitman’s life experience;
  2. Inferwhat ideas or perspectives Whitman gains from the  experience ;
  3. Analyze how the attitude/perspective is reflected in his writing ( poem and /or journal);
  4. Evaluate how the examples from the journal or poem you have analyzed contribute (connect) to your central idea (So What).
• Body Paragraph 2: key point 2 of his life experience that influenced the voiceof the author’s writings
  1. Describe a specific aspect of Whitman’s life experience;
  2. Inferwhat ideas or perspectives Whitman gains from the  experience ;
  3. Analyze how the attitude/perspective is reflected in his writing ( poem and /or journal);
  4. Evaluate how the examples from the journal or poem you have analyzed contribute (connect) to your central idea (So What).

• Body Paragraph 3: key point 3 of his life experience that influenced the point of view/perspective of the author’s writings
  1. Describea specific aspect of Whitman’s life experience;
  2. Inferwhat ideas or perspectives Whitman gains from the  experience ;
  3. Analyze how the attitude/perspective is reflected in his writing ( poem and /or journal);
  4. Evaluate how the examples from the journal or poem you have analyzed contribute (connect) to your central idea (So What).

Assessment:  Students hand and in the literary analysis essay with the peer review feedback, rubric and the packet by the end of the period.

Homework: Write a page or two reflection on what you have learned from this unit of writing a literary analysis:

• In what areas have you improved?
• In what areas do you need to work harder to improve in the near future?
• What are the top goals you are aiming to achieve for the next unit?
• What have you learned about yourself as a learner through this unit?

______________________________________________

Objectives: Students will be able to compose a poem or song describing and reflecting their personal experience of a theme in the musical Falsetto through small group collaboration.

CCS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3
Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.B
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

Differentiation: Students can elicit ideas from the musical based on their personal experiences and connections they make individually. They are also given various options to create responses depending on their personal level of challenge and individual talent. Students can choose any genre they are familiar with to express their thoughts or feelings.

Grouping Rationale: Students will be grouped based on preparation as well as individual learning need, style, talents and personality to maximize their productivity.

Agenda

Do Now: Briefly describe one of the most poignant moments or scenes in the musical to you. What impact does it have on you? What could be the cause?

Mini Lesson with Guided Practice

Divide the class into groups of 3.

Step 1: As students share the scene and its impact (from Do Now) in a small group, ask: How does the scene connect to or illustrate a larger issue, i.e. family, prejudice, rites of passage, parent-children relationship, responsibility, acceptance or culture?

Step 2: In the scene you have described, what kind of theme is implied? What claim can you make based on the scene (i.e. Family is love not a social structure; or A real family always has many problems; Coming of age is not marked by a ritual but significant events in life.)

Step 3: Students independently or help each other generate a thematic statement based on the scene they have chosen to respond.

Group share and present.

Student Independent Practice

Students, individually or as a group, write a poem or vignette or a song on one of the themes embedded in the musical Falsetto.

For your creative work, consider using-

• Narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences or events
• Precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events and/or setting

Small groups present their work to the class.

Quick Write to Reflect: How does a musical impact people? Consider Falsetto you have seen or the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton.

Homework: Complete and polish your creative work as your group response to the musical Falsetto. You may also opt to write an individual response. Due Monday 12/19/’16.