Walden: October 1, 2019

Focus: What's essential to living a fulfilling life? What does it mean to live deliberately?

1. Warming up by taking inventory of your material possessions

Turn to a fresh page in the "Passage Study" part of your notebook and jot down the following:

• Make a list of the material possessions you use on a daily basis. 

• Which ones are essential to you? Put these in bold or a different font color.

• How did you define "essential" as you were doing this exercise?

2. Meeting the Man Who Quit Money

• What is essential to Suelo?

• What is deliberate about his lifestyle?

3. Reading the excerpt from Walden and discussing in small groups:

• How does Henry David Thoreau define "essential"? In other words, what do humans need to live a fulfilling life?

• What must humans transcend in order to live a fulfilling life, and how do we do this?

                                                                           Walden Pond
4. Applying this to your own life:

• In the "Passage Study" part of your notebook, cut out the lines from Walden that capture or reflect your truth. 

• Paste them into your notebook and compose short reflections on each of them:
• How would you put each line into your own words?
• What does this line have to do with your daily life? With your ambitions? With your beliefs?

HW:
1. For WEDNESDAY: 

• Assigned book club reading (you'll be doing an initial thought log that day, so make sure you're at least 30 pages into the reading). 

• Bring your book to class.

2. For THURSDAY: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-making. First book club meeting!

3. For FRIDAY: 

• Deliver your one-minute speech on your independent reading book. Please note that if you are absent on Friday, you will need to deliver your one-minute speech to the whole class on Monday

• You will also submit your notebook on Friday for Notebook Check #2.  I will be looking largely at what you've done with "Self-Reliance" and with "Walden."

Prepping for the Week: September 30, 2019

Focus: How do we prepare for this week?

Note: TODAY is the last day to submit any work from the last 6 weeks for credit.

1. Warming up with three good things and my expectations for Tuesday and Wednesday

2. Practicing speech attention grabbers

3. Reviewing the sample book club syllabus and reading your book club novels

HW:
1. For WEDNESDAY: 

• Assigned book club reading (you'll be doing an initial thought log that day, so make sure you're at least 30 pages into the reading). 

• Bring your book to class.

2. For THURSDAY: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-making. First book club meeting!

3. For FRIDAY: 

• Deliver your one-minute speech on your independent reading book. Please note that if you are absent on Friday, you will need to deliver your one-minute speech to the whole class on Monday

• You will also submit your notebook on Friday for Notebook Check #2.  I will be looking largely at what you've done with "Self-Reliance" and with "Walden."

Independent Speaking: September 27, 2019

Focus: How do we turn independent reading into an opportunity to practice speaking?

1. Warming up with an overview of the one-minute independent reading speech

2. Taking 30 minutes to read either your independent reading book or your book club book

3. Working on your one-minute speeches / checklist

HW:
1. For this MONDAY: 

• Bring your independent reading books (we're going back to reading on Mondays and Wednesdays).

• ALL MAKE-UP / REVISED WORK FROM THE FIRST 6 WEEKS IS DUE. This includes letters, personal essay submissions, and all four independent reading thought logs.

2. For next FRIDAY, OCT 4: We will deliver our independent reading one-minute speeches to small groups. If you are absent on Friday, prepare to deliver your speech to the entire class on Monday, Oct 7.

Successes, Mistakes, and Goals: September 26, 2019

Focus: What are your successes, mistakes, and goals from the past six weeks?

1. Warming up with a six-week IC check-in and reflection

2. Reading and thought log time

3. Completing your "Self-Reliance" journal entry if you did not finish on Tuesday

HW:
1. Bring your independent reading books to class Thursday and Friday.

2. For FRIDAY: Independent books must be 100% finished. If you haven't been committing to the weekly hour of reading for the past five weeks, you will need to use this week to make up for it. 

3. For MONDAY, SEP 30: ALL MAKE-UP / REVISED WORK FROM THE FIRST 6 WEEKS IS DUE. This includes signed letters, surveys, personal essay submissions, and independent reading thought logs.

4. Next FRIDAY, OCT 4: We will deliver our independent reading one-minute speeches to small groups. If you are absent on Friday, prepare to deliver your speech to the entire class on Monday, Oct 7.

Dressing Up for Book Clubbing: September 25, 2019

Focus: How do we set ourselves up for successful Transcendental book clubs?

Please have your book club books and signed green letters on your desks.

1. Warming up with a 10-minute read to establish your reading rate for book clubs

2. Offering you an overview of book clubs: Your freedoms and responsibilities

• Click HERE for a sample book club syllabus.

3. Setting your own schedules

• Fill out the bookmark: Which reading will be due which days? Who will be in charge of the syllabus each day? Please write this on your bookmark AND in your calendars.

• Create a shared folder called "_________ (title) Book Club Folder." It should be shared with each member of your group and placed inside your Transcendentalism folder. ALL SYLLABI AND CLASSWORK must be placed inside this folder.

HW:
1. Bring your independent reading books to class Thursday and Friday.

2. For FRIDAY: Independent books must be 100% finished before you walk into class. If you haven't been committing to the weekly hour of reading for the past five weeks, you will need to use this week to make up for it. 

3. For MONDAY, SEP 30: ALL MAKE-UP / REVISED WORK FROM THE FIRST 6 WEEKS IS DUE. This includes letters, personal essay submissions, and all four independent reading thought logs.

Self Reliance: September 24, 2019

Focus: What does it mean to be self-reliant, and why did the Transcendentalists value self-reliance

1. Warming up with a satirical criticism of millennials and their lack of self-reliance; creating a "Self-Reliance" double-spread in the "Passage Study" part of your journal

• Before watching: What does it mean to be self-reliant? Create your own definition.

• While watching: To what extent is the video's criticism accurate? Do you think millennials lack self-reliance? What enables this?

• After watching: Based on your definition, would you describe yourself as self-reliant? Why or why not?

2. Taking time to read "Self-Reliance" and physically steal the lines that speak to you

If you finish early, click HERE for a recent article about helicopter parenting.
Reading...

• Read Emerson's "Self-Reliance" (there's a vocab sheet if you're getting stuck).

• Let your eyes skim over the lines that don't interest you as much.

• Let your eyes settle on the lines that resonate with you. Cut them out with scissors.

Journaling...

• Find 3-5 lines from the essay you appreciate/love/agree with. Use them to make a shape in your notebook that fits your thinking about those lines (see example).

• For each line you've chose, reflect and react. You can simply write, you can also draw, and/or you can bring in photos to glue in that supplement your thoughts.

• Use your reaction to figure out why you're connecting to the lines you've chosen. Why does this matter to you? Why should this matter to everyone?

• "To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature...The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child." -- from Emerson's "Nature"
•  I chose this image of my three-year-old and five-year-old, bundled up in sweaters, jackets, and hats, because they beg me each morning and afternoon to go outside. They enjoy the quiet darkness of a winter morning. They can't wait to kick their legs on the swings in the summer. In the fall, they chase leaves, In the spring, they taste rain and leave sloppy footprints in the leftover snow. When did I stop going outside to play? 

3. Solidifying book clubs

HW:
1. Submit your essays to Turnitin by 4:00 today.

2. Bring your independent reading books to class on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

3. for WEDNESDAY: Bring your book club book and signed green letter to class (you get an extra day to do this).

4. For FRIDAY: Independent books must be 100% finished before you walk into class. If you haven't been committing to the weekly hour of reading for the past five weeks, you will need to use this week to make up for it. 

5. For MONDAY, SEP 30: ALL MAKE-UP / REVISED WORK FROM THE FIRST 6 WEEKS IS DUE. This includes signed letters, surveys, personal essay submissions, and all four independent reading thought logs.

Coffeehouse Reading: September 23, 2019

Focus: What can we learn about empathy through sharing our stories?

1. Warming up with three good things, baked goods, and an overview of how the note cards work

• On each note card, please write your name.

• Which stories were shared that made you feel empathy for the writer? How so?

2. Sharing our personal essays in a coffeehouse reading

3. Submitting our essays to Turnitin and going over the independent reading one-minute speech

HW:
1. Submit your essays to Turnitin by 4:00 today.

2. Bring your independent reading books to class on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

3. for WEDNESDAY: Bring your book club book and signed green letter to class (you get an extra day to do this).

4. For FRIDAY: Independent books must be 100% finished before you walk into class. If you haven't been committing to the weekly hour of reading for the past five weeks, you will need to use this week to make up for it. 

5. For MONDAY, SEP 30: ALL MAKE-UP / REVISED WORK FROM THE FIRST 6 WEEKS IS DUE. This includes signed letters, surveys, personal essay submissions, and all four independent reading thought logs.

Independent Reading Turning Points: September 20, 2019

Focus: What kinds of readers are we growing into?

1. Warming up with a book club title perusal

• Which books interest you?

• Which people are interested in your book, too?

• We need groups to be no smaller than 3 and no larger than 5. No student may work individually; the whole idea is to collaborate. :)

2. Composing your next-to-last independent reading thought log (make sure you look at the questions I scribbled on your previous thought logs)

3. Introducing your first one-minute speech, which also happens to be your independent reading final assessment

HW:
1. For MONDAY: Submit the final draft of your personal essay to Turnitin.com by 4:00 pm.

2. For TUESDAY: Decide on your book club book; have your letter signed and bring your new book to class.

3. For NEXT FRIDAY, SEP 27: 

• Finish your independent reading book and prepare your final assessment (we will go over the assignment this Friday, but click here if you'd like a sneak peek or are absent). If you are absent on Friday, you will need to present to the entire class on Monday.

• All make-up work / revised work from the first 6 weeks is due this Friday. After this, all grades in IC will stand as they are.

Final Editing: September 19, 2019

Focus: What final changes can we make to turn our rough drafts into final drafts?

1. Warming up by using Turnitin for editing (it's quite helpful with grammar and style)

• 22449596
  Class ID
• Leclaire
  Enrollment key

Please make sure you submit your rough draft to Turnitin at the beginning of class.

2. Peer editing using the guided sheet

3. Editing and conferencing on your best drafts so far

HW:
1. For FRIDAY: Bring your independent reading book to class.

2. For MONDAY: Submit the final draft of your personal essay to Turnitin.com by 4:00 pm.

3. For TUESDAY: Decide on your book club book; have your letter signed and bring your new book to class.

4. For NEXT FRIDAY, SEP 27: Finish your independent reading book and prepare your final assessment (we will go over the assignment this Friday, but click here if you'd like a sneak peek). If you are absent on Friday, you will need to present to the entire class on Monday.

Forming Book Clubs: September 18, 2019

Focus: How do we take our reading skills to the next level?

1. Warming up with Academic Character reminders and independent reading

2. Offering you the transcendentalist book club overview and giving you time to browse and start forming groups

HW:
1. For THURSDAY: 

• Continue adding to/editing your rough draft. THURSDAY WILL BE OUR LAST IN-CLASS DAY TO EDIT ON PERSONAL ESSAYS. 

• I will be checking them for completion in class.

2. Commit to at least one hour of independent reading outside of class each week.

Monday, Sep 23: Final draft of personal essay due / Coffeehouse Reading

Friday, Sep 27: Independent reading book(s) must be finished.

3. For FRIDAY: Bring your independent reading book to class.

Manipulating the Run-On: September 17, 2019

Focus: How can we manipulate grammar to create meaning in our writing?

1. Warming up by reading Magonia with a focus on the narrator

2. Discussing Magonia's use of the run-on and hyphen

*Taking a brief intermission to chat about Academic Character.*

3. Trying out grammatical craft moves in our own drafts

HW:
1. For WEDNESDAY: Bring your independent reading book to class.

2. For THURSDAY: 

• Continue adding to/editing your rough draft. THURSDAY WILL BE OUR LAST IN-CLASS DAY TO WORK ON PERSONAL ESSAYS.

3. Commit to at least one hour of independent reading outside of class each week.

Monday, Sep 23: Final draft of personal essay due.

Friday, Sep 27: Independent reading book(s) must be finished.

Identifying Run-ons: September 16, 2019

Focus: What do we need to understand about punctuation before we can use it to create meaning?

*If you took home your independent reading thought log, please return it to me as soon as you finish it (no later than Thursday).*

1. Warming up with three good things and making sure everyone is on the class Remind account

2. Introducing to you Grammar You Must Know #1: Run-ons

3. Independent reading and conferencing

HW:
1. For TUESDAY: 

• Edit your rough draft using the self or peer feedback you received today.

2. Commit to at least one hour of independent reading outside of class each week.

Monday, Sep 23: Final draft of personal essay due.

Friday, Sep 27: Independent reading book(s) must be finished.

Applying Narrative Shape: September 13, 2019

Focus: How does applying narrative shape help you develop as a reader and a writer?

1. Warming up with your independent reading thought logs

2. Using the narrative arc questions to self or peer edit your personal essays

3. Drafting, editing, and conferencing

HW:
1. For MONDAY:

• Bring your independent reading book to class.

2. For TUESDAY: 

• Edit your rough draft using the self or peer feedback you received today.

3. Commit to at least one hour of independent reading outside of class each week.

Monday, Sep 23: Final draft of personal essay due.

Friday, Sep 27: Independent reading book(s) must be finished.

Slowing Down Key Moments: September 12, 2019

Focus: How can we draw out meaning by slowing down key moments?

1. Warming up by considering the role of slow motion in film

2. Exploring two short examples of slow motion in personal narrative; trying out slow motion in key moments in your own personal essays

3. Finishing the rough drafts of your personal essays and conferencing with me

HW:
1. For TOMORROW:

• Bring your independent reading book to class for a short, graded reflection.

• Make sure your rough draft is complete. At this point, you should have at least two typed pages.

2. Commit to at least one hour of independent reading outside of class each week.

Monday, Sep 23: Final draft of personal essay due.

Friday, Sep 27: Independent reading book(s) must be finished.

Remembering: September 11, 2019

Focus: What is the importance of remembering a hard memory?

1. Warming up with a silent gallery walk and freewriting responses to 9/11 children's drawings

2. Offering you a few thoughts on my own attempts to write about 9/11

3. Independent reading

HW:
1. Ongoing: Commit to one hour of independent reading outside of class (and let me know if you finish your first book this week).

2. For WEDNESDAY: Bring your independent reading book to class for notebook reflection.

3. For FRIDAY: Finish the rough draft of your personal essay.

Monday, Sep 23: Final draft of personal essay due.

Friday, Sep 27: Independent reading book(s) must be finished.

The Power of Personal Narrative: September 10, 2019

Focus: How do we find power in telling our own stories?

1. Warming up with a filmmaker's take on the power of personal narrative

• As you watch, please jot down three takeaways in the writing portion of your notebook--anything that inspires or interests you. WRITE THEM BIG.

2. Offering you two more sample essays (if you need them)

3. Drafting your personal essays and conferencing individually with you

• Note: Rough drafts should be complete by this Friday.

HW:
1. Ongoing: Commit to one hour of independent reading outside of class (and let me know if you finish your first book this week).

2. For WEDNESDAY: Bring your independent reading book to class.

3. For FRIDAY: Finish the rough draft of your personal essay.

Monday, Sep 23: Final draft of personal essay due.

Friday, Sep 27: Independent reading book(s) must be finished.

Finding the Narrative Shape: September 9, 2019

Focus: What shape do all texts take?

1. Warming up with three good things

2. Performing a popcorn reading of Sherman Alexie's "Indian Education" with short discussions of craft moves

3. Working with partners to examine the underlying structure and charting it together on the board

4. Independent reading: Which part of the narrative arc are you on in your book right now?

HW:
1. Ongoing: Commit to one hour of independent reading outside of class (and let me know if you finish your first book this week).

2. For WEDNESDAY: Bring your independent reading book to class.

3. For FRIDAY: Finish the rough draft of your personal essay.

Monday, Sep 23: Final draft of personal essay due.

Friday, Sep 27: Independent reading book(s) must be finished.

Reading Check-in: September 6, 2019

Focus: Where are you as a reader right now?

1. Warming up Friday fun reads: Top titles of September 2019

2. Taking a quick time-out to get a sense of your reading history and to check in with your reading goals

I'd say at this point, you should have spent at least two hours reading this book (one hour from in-class time, one hour from out-of-class time).

Look back to your reading rate. How many pages an hour do you read in this book?

• Multiple that by two.
• Check what page you're currently on.
• Are you ahead? Behind? Right on task?
• If you are behind, figure out how many extra minutes of reading you need to spend next week to catch up. 
• Everyone should finish at least one book during this first unit, and many of you should be finishing two books.

3. Reading your books OR working on your drafts and starting to conference with me

4. Exploring your author's craft and sharing beautiful words

HW:
1. Spend at least one hour of your own time each week reading your independent reading book. If you haven't been committing to that, now is the time to catch up.

2. For Monday:

• Bring your independent reading book to class on Friday.
• Complete at least one page of your personal essay draft (typed and double spaced).

What's Your Question? September 5, 2019

Focus: What question do you hope to answer through the process of writing?

1. Warming up with "My Father's Voice" and an MMM reading

2. Returning to the idea of using a question to structure your essay:

• The question can be explicit (stated directly), or implicit (suggested subtly).

• The question should be somewhat apparent in the first couple of paragraphs of writing.

• The ending of the story should reflect on the question and offer a complex answer to the question.

3. Sharing our questions aloud and returning to drafting with the goal of completing at least one full page, typed and double spaced

Try to bring in the craft moves that you've liked in our mentor texts, such as...

• Sensory imagery
• Dialogue
• Descriptive writing
• Short, clean sentences
• Humor, if applicable
• Vulnerability
• Using a question to guide the structure
• Using your story to answer / reflect upon that question
• Titles that work on more than one level

4. Conferencing on your drafts, using RADaR revision, and sharing beautiful words

HW:
1. Spend at least one hour of your own time reading your independent reading book.

2. For Friday:

• Bring your independent reading book to class on Friday.
• Complete at least one page of your personal essay draft (typed and double spaced).

Determining Your Question: September 4, 2019

Focus: How can we use a question to seek and find meaning in our personal essays?

1. Warming up with independent reading and considering what question your book may be trying to answer

2. Reading Glazner's "Foul Ball" and discussing his use of craft moves

3. Exploring how Glazner uses a question to structure his essay and considering what question you're seeking to answer through the process of writing your personal essay

HW:
1. Spend at least one hour of your own time reading your independent reading book.

2. For Friday:

• Bring your independent reading book to class on Friday.
• Complete at least one page of your personal essay draft (typed and double spaced).

Widening Your Lens: September 3, 2019

Focus: What does a personal essay look like?

Please pick up your notebooks on your way in!

1. Warming up with three good things (and returning your cell phones to their pockets)

2. Reading "A Wider Lens" and discussing craft moves

3. Returning to your drafts and developing them with craft moves inspired by today's text (and last week's activities)

4. Using RADar revision and sharing beautiful words

HW:
Spend at least one hour of your own time reading your independent reading book.

Tomorrow: Bring your independent reading books.