Week 11/26-11/30

Last week, well, it was wonderful! The air quality was not the best; however, being with family and friends was a true blessing and just the little break that we all needed (and wanted). It was just the rejuvenation that all of us needed to make it to the end of the semester and winter break that will begin in three and a half short weeks!

This week, we will finish reading Maus I: My Father Bleeds History and then students will move into writing their own illustrated research-based narrative essay that follows the monomyth or the hero's journey/archetype. Students will start by outlining the plot for their narrative and finding evidence to support each part of the journey. While this is a big endeavor, the students generally have fun writing this essay! 

Monday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Chapter 6)
Tuesday
Holocaust Hero's Journey: Outline 
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
Holocaust Hero's Journey: Outline 
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Holocaust Hero's Journey: Outline 
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Holocaust Hero's Journey: Departure
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Check (Log/Signature)
*Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level of 3.5+ for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 30 points at every checkpoint (12/11, 03/19, and 05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information. 

Week 11/19-11/23

Week 11/12-11/16

Students will finish Maus I: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman (1986) this week. It has been so much fun to watch them engage with one another while they take on character voices as they read. I wish I could get a good video; however, whenever I come around with the camera, they stop! Arrrgh...Teenagers! They have also been collaborating with one another and engaging in academic discourse throughout this entire process. They seem to enjoy the book and I hope it will serve as background information for the hero's journey narrative they will write when they return from Thanksgiving break.

Monday
Veterans' Day Observed
Tuesday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Chapter 4)
Wednesday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Poster)
Thursday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Chapter 5)
Friday
School Canceled Due to Air Quality

Week 11/5-11/9

Last week, students completed their Hero Definition Essays. Please click here to see examples of student writing that met the 8th-grade level standard. 

Students also started to read Maus I: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman (1986) in literature circles. It is fun to watch them engage with one another while they take on character voices as they read (pictures of Period 2 to the left). This will help them improve their reading fluency and listening comprehension, all the while having a little fun. Students also worked collaboratively on a depth and complexity poster to help with understanding the graphic novel and the embedded literary elements.

Monday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Chapter 2)
Tuesday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Poster)
Wednesday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Poster Due)
Thursday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Chapter 3)
Friday
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (PDF)/Group Poster Instructions (Poster)
AR Log Check (Log/Signature)
*Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level of 3.5+ for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 30 points at every checkpoint (12/11, 03/19, and 05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information.