Entering The Village: October 31, 2019

Focus: What Transcendentalist elements does The Village use, and to what purpose?

1. Warming up by passing around the conference sign-up sheet; BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN YOUR CONFERENCE TIME AND LOCATION.

2. Setting up our close reading of The Village (viewing guide linked here)

• Take notes as you watch; by the end of the film, every inch of the sheet should be filled.

• Keep your phones in the pockets in the front of the room and laptops away.

• Please make sure you are sitting in your assigned seat (we got new seats on Monday).

3. Watching The Village with a critical eye

4. Wrapping up with your viewing guide questions

HW:
Show up on time for your writing conference.

Entering the Gothic House: October 29, 2019

Focus: What role does the house play in American Gothic literature?

(image from https://www.thinglink.com)

1. Warming up with a visualization / activation of your pre-existing knowledge of Gothic homes

2. Investigating Gothic Mystery #1: What is the role of the Gothic house?

• Please tape, staple, or glue Gothic Mystery #1 into the Passage Study part of your notebook.

The Others: 0-10:00
Edward Scissorhands: 7:55-16:30

3. Wrapping up with an exit ticket

HW:
1. For TODAY: Make sure your Gothic essay is complete and shared with me.

2. For WEDNESDAY: Bring your book club to check back in (if you had one of my copies).

35 Minutes of Self-Improvement: October 28, 2019

Focus: How we can use this short class period to exercise our emotional and intellectual minds?

1. Warming up with three good things and a cell phone reminder

• Each time your cell phone is not in its pocket, you lose two points in your Academic Character category. WE NEED TO BE MENTALLY PRESENT, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A COMMUNITY.

• Enjoy our new charging station!

2. Celebrating some successes from Friday and explaining the two grades for major writing assignments such as this one:

Grade 1: Attempt and Completion: 

• 50 points for completing it on time, by tonight at the latest
• 5 point deduction per each day it's late unless you have asked for an extension to due extenuating circumstances
• Ex: If you finish it on Wednesday, you'll receive a 40/50

Grade 2: Mastery

• 100 points possible, even if it's late
• Reflects the content and quality of what you've written
• All students will conference with me after receiving their scored essays; revisions will be strongly encouraged! New grades replace old grades.

2. Revisiting the rubric and a few highlights from the proofreading list; taking take to time to finish composing, revising, and editing

HW:
Please make sure your literary essay is complete and shared with me tonight. I will start grading them tomorrow morning. Communicate with me if something is going on with you that's keeping you from being able to do this. 

Writing the Literary Essay: October 25, 2019

Focus: How do we compose a meaningful literary essay?

1. Warming up by opening your document from yesterday and reading the reminders that you wrote to yourself

MAKE SURE YOU ARE SITTING IN YOUR ASSIGNED SEAT FOR THE WRITING.

2. Click HERE if you need an online version of the literary essay

• It needs to be silent, but you may listen to music if you wish.

• You may use your book and all of the planning you've done in your notebook.

• Do not use any online sources that summarize or analyze your book; this is considered plagiarism. I want your thoughts only.

• When you finish, proofread carefully using the proofreading checklist.

HW:
If you did not finish your essay in class, please finish it by Monday.

Finding the Complex Thesis: October 24, 2019

Focus: How do we read our quotations closely and use them to form a complex thesis?

1. Warming up with a sample close reading: How to find the MAGIC!

2. Close reading your notecards

3. Breaking for a demonstration on finding patterns using one of your notebooks

4. Using those patterns to form a thesis

Sample thesis: Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner reveals that in order to live deliberately, we must atone for our past mistakes.

5. Starting the document for tomorrow and giving ourselves a few reminders

HW:
Friday, Oct 25: Be ready to compose your literary essay in class this day. You may use your book and all of the prep work you've done in your notebook.

Mental Health Day: October 22, 2019

Transcendental Take-Aways: October 23, 2019

Focus: What are your transcendentalist book club take-aways?

1. Checking in with how you're doing today

2. Returning the big Transcendental questions and brainstorming

• Write the Transcendental question you have selected at the top of a fresh sheet of paper in the WRITING section of your notebook.

• You have ten minutes with your book clubs to discuss your questions. You do not need to have the same question as the other members of your group.

• As you listen and discuss, jot down ideas on that same sheet of paper.

• Spend about 5 more minutes individually reflecting on your question:

• Which scenes, characters, setting, symbols, and other highly specific elements from your book might help you answer this question?

3. Seeking specific evidence

• Grab 5 notecards.

• Flip back through your book and find five quotations that relate to your Transcendental question.

• Span the whole book; some quotations should be from the beginning, middle, and end of your novel.

• Write one quotation on each notecard, and be sure to include the page number, speaker, and context (a little plot summary).

• Paste each notecard at the top of its own sheet of paper in your WRITING section.

HW:
1. For Tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct 23: 

• Finish today's activity if you did not finish in class.
• If you'd like to revise your personal essay, please set up a conference with me by this date.

2. Friday, Oct 25: Be ready to compose your literary essay in class this day. You are welcome to type or handwrite.

Final Day of Book Clubbing: October 21, 2019

Focus: What are your transcendentalist book club take-aways?

1. Warming up with three good things

2. Enjoying your final day of book clubs

• Structure and Shift: Reread the last couple of pages, Then reread the first couple of pages. What has shifted, and why?

• Theme and Tone: What does your author want us to understand better or differently?

3. Composing an exit ticket on the dynamics of your book club

HW:
1. For tonight:

• Make sure you have finished reading your book club novel. This is not the same as reading the Sparknotes (that's what we call "fake reading," and it will make you dumber).

• Look back through the overview of the literary essay that I gave out last Friday.

2. By Wednesday, Oct 23: If you'd like to revise your personal essay, please set up a conference with me by this date.

3. Friday, Oct 25: Be ready to compose your literary essay in class this day. You are welcome to type or handwrite.

What Must We Transcend Today? October 15, 2019

Focus: What must we, as Americans, transcend today?

1. Warming up with "Less Stuff, More Happiness"

• What do you, personally, connect to in this Ted Talk?
• What connections can you find between this speaker's message and any of the Transcendentalist essays?
• What are your takeaways from this Ted Talk?

2. Exploring modern transcendentalist communities (some are actual places; some are cyber spaces)

• What are the goals of each community or each speaker?

• Which transcendentalist concepts (self-reliance, strong connection to nature, living deliberately, redefining "essential," and civil disobedience) are celebrated in these communities and by these speakers? What's being transcended, and how?

• Do any of these communities / speakers appeal to any part of you? Why or why not?

Websites:
Acorn Community

The Farm in Tennessee

Twin Oaks

Utopian City

Utopian States

Julia Butterfly Hill (and her tree, Luna)
Trash Is for Tossers

Ted Talks:
Tiny Houses

Becoming Minimalist

Modern Science and How Everything Is Connected
Suelo's Ted Talk
Zero Waste

3. Finishing our large-class transcendental brainstorming; offering you an overview of next week's literary essay and giving you time to start connecting your book to Transcendentalism

HW:

1. Ongoing: Please let your parents/guardians know that I will only be at conferences from 4:00-6:30 next Wednesday because I am part-time.

2. For Monday, October 21: FINISH YOUR BOOK CLUB NOVEL. Monday will be your last book club meeting, and you will start composing a literary essay on your Transcendentalist essay on Tuesday.

3. By Wednesday, Oct 23: Conference with me if you wish to revise your personal essay.

Reflecting: October 14, 2019

Focus: How do we improve as writers and readers?

1. Warming up with three good things

2. Listening to my feedback on your personal essays, completing the reflective rubric, and discussing revision opportunities

• Be sure to turn in your reflective rubric today.

• If you wish to revise your personal essay, you must conference with me outside of class by next Wednesday, October 23rd.

3. Reading your book club novel (this will be the last reading in-class reading day)

HW:
1. Ongoing: Please let your parents/guardians know that I will only be at conferences from 4:00-6:30 next Wednesday because I am part-time.

2. For Monday, October 21: FINISH YOUR BOOK CLUB NOVEL. Monday will be your last book club meeting, and you will start composing a literary essay on your Transcendentalist essay on Tuesday.

3. By Wednesday, Oct 23: Conference with me if you wish to revise your personal essay.

Transcendentalist Book Clubbing, Round 2: October 11, 2019

Focus: What Transcendentalist concepts are emerging in your novels so far?

1. Warming up with a run-on "quiz" (it's really just a revisitation)

2. Enjoying our second round of Transcendentalist book clubbing!

3. Wrapping up with Exit Ticket #2

HW:
1. Ongoing: Please let your parents/guardians know that I will only be at conferences from 4:00-6:30 next Wednesday because I am part-time.

2. For Monday, October 14: Bring your book club novel to class for your last book club reading day.

3. For Monday, October 21: FINISH YOUR BOOK CLUB NOVEL. Monday will be your last book club meeting, and you will start composing a literary essay on your Transcendentalist essay on Tuesday.

Civil Disobedience: October 10, 2019

Focus: What is civil disobedience, and when is it justified?

1. Warming up with a trick I played on my unsuspecting Honors American Lit class back in the day and playing a round of "Yes, No, Maybe"

Follow-up questions:

Think about these “new requirements.”  What common denominator(s) do these requirements share? 

What relationship do they create between the government (in this case, the administration) and the individual (the student)?

Where did you draw the line for yourself, and why?

2. Engaging in high-velocity, highly opinionated writing using some of Thoreau's and Martin Luther King's statements from their time in jail

3. Finding your own understanding of "civil disobedience" on your blog

• Develop your own definition based on what we've read and reflected on today.

• Find an example of civil disobedience (any time from the last century is fine) and connect it to Thoreau or MLK.

HW:
1. For TOMORROW: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-creating for tomorrow. Keep in mind the feedback you received on your first syllabus.

2. Ongoing: Please let your parents/guardians know that I will only be at conferences from 4:00-6:30 next Wednesday because I am part-time.

3. For Monday, October 14: Bring your book club novel to class for your last book club reading day.

4. For Monday, October 21: FINISH YOUR BOOK CLUB NOVEL. Monday will be your last book club meeting, and you will start composing a literary essay on your Transcendentalist essay on Tuesday.

Rising Action in Your Transcendentalist Novel: October 9, 2019

Focus: What conflicts are on the rise in our Transcendental novels?

1. Warming up with a little indulgence in nature, beauty, and gratitude

• As you watch, capture one beautiful line, phrase, or idea.
• Check out some of your photos and reflections from yesterday.

2. Taking 10 minutes to reflect on your book club novels using either the "Tracking Your Thinking" prompts or the Thought Log #2 questions

3. Reading your book club novel / preparing your syllabus

A thought about your syllabus...you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Think about the resource you already have in in American Lit, and feel free to use those to create your syllabus:

• Tracking your thinking prompts
• Thought Log prompts
• Transcendental connections to self reliance, living deliberately, and nature
• Throwback to the first unit: Interesting craft moves and beautiful words

HW:
1. For FRIDAY, OCT 11: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-making (your book should be two-thirds finished by then). Remember approximately how many minutes of reading per week you have committed to.

2. Take a minute to look at the sky.

Nature: October 8, 2019

Focus: What is the relationship between nature and the human spirit?

1. Warming up with a little scientific evidence that you and the universe are composed of the same stuff

2. Getting into nature (literally): Going outside and looking for evidence of the human spirit in nature

• Take photos of all aspects of nature that, to you, represent some aspect of human nature/the human spirit (kindness, melancholy, independence, acceptance, competition, etc.).

• Think about taking pictures of three levels: the ground, the sky, and things in between.

• You will have 8 minutes (we'll set our timers together).

• You must stay on campus, preferably within earshot.

3. Reading Emerson's "Nature" together and finding lines that support/add complexity the photos you took

4. Creating your next transcendentalist entry

• Draw your photos from today (or other relevant nature photos you happen to have). 

• Explain what aspect of the human spirit you see in each natural image. 

• Bring in a line or two from Emerson's "Nature" that supports/adds complexity to each image and reflection.

• Feel free to work your reflection and Emerson lines directly into the drawing.

HW:
For FRIDAY, OCT 11: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-making (your book should be two-thirds finished by then). Remember approximately how many minutes of reading per week you have committed to.

Notebook Check #2: October 7, 2019

Focus: What's the central conflict of your novel, and how is it building?

1. Warming up with three good things and an Academic Character clean-up

2. Offering you a quick overview of your second notebook check (click here)

3. Spending 10 minutes tracking your thinking OR thought logging and 30 minutes reading

• If you were absent on Friday, you will need to use this time to deliver your speech, watch it on your phone, and complete your self-reflective rubric.

• Please turn in your notebook as soon as you're finished with your 10 minutes of reflection.

HW:
For NEXT FRIDAY, OCT 11: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-making (your book should be two-thirds finished by then). Remember approximately how many minutes of reading per week you have committed to.

One-Minute Speeches, Round 1: October 4, 2019

Focus: Which aspects of our speaking skills are strong, and which aspects do we need to work on?

1. Warming up with practice attention grabbers to break the ice

2. Delivering one-minute speeches in small groups; in each group, you need the following:

• A timer
• A videographer (record the person on his/her phone, not yours)
• A claim-writer
• Note: Switch roles each time so that you get to do each task.

3. Using your footage to perform a highly guided self-reflection on your first one-minute speech

4. Wrapping up with a return to Grammar You Must Know #1: Run-On Sentences

HW:
1. Monday, Oct 7: I will collect your notebooks for Check #2. Click here if you'd like to see the rubric.

2. For NEXT FRIDAY, OCT 11: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-making (your book should be two-thirds finished by then).

Book Clubbing, Day 1: October 3, 2019

Focus: What transcendentalist ideas / other intriguing topics are emerging in our book clubs?

1. Warming up with a group synthesis of "Self-Reliance" and "Walden" to figure out what we know about Transcendentalism so far

• Quick Notebook Reflection: Are you noticing any Transcendentalist ideas in your book club novel yet?

2. Enjoying your Transcendentalist Book Clubs, Day 1; PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU BOOK CLUB FOLDER IS SHARED DIRECTLY WITH ME AND THAT YOUR SYLLABUS IS IN IT.

3. Debriefing how Book Clubs went and composing your first exit ticket

HW:
1. For THIS FRIDAY, OCT 4: 

• 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."

2. For NEXT FRIDAY, OCT 11: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-making (your book should be two-thirds finished by then).

Investigating Your Book Club Novel: October 2, 2019

Focus: What am I noticing and wondering in the opening chapters of my novel?

1. Warming up with ten minutes of tracking your thinking: See "Track Your Thinking" sheets with my handwritten directions

• Paste the "Tracking Your Thinking" sheet in the "Passage Study" part of your notebook.

• Write for at least a full 10 minutes on your book club novel so far. Use as many of the prompts on the sheet as you need to fill the 10 minutes, but you are under no obligation to use all of them.

2. Taking 5 minutes to touch base with your group, making sure you know the following:

• Who is in charge of the syllabus for tomorrow? Click HERE for the sample syllabus.

• What chapter do you need to read through for tomorrow?

3. Reading your book club novels silently (and preparing your syllabus if you're done with the reading)

HW:
1. For THURSDAY: Assigned book club reading and syllabus-making. First book club meeting! Remember that the syllabus must be finished BEFORE class begins. 

2. 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."