Tuesday-Wednesday,+September+13-14

Today's Announcements:

Bell Ringer
First, we need to complete a few surveys. Click here to take a quick survey for the principal. Use a pencil to take a college survey for the counselors.

Diggin' Into the Texts

 * Last time, you read and annotated your assigned text with your 'expert' group. Either President George W. Bush's Address to the Nation on September 11, 2001, or one of the three sections of Osama bin Laden's Dispatch to Terror Agents on the Eve of 9/11. Then you returned to your home group and shared your knowledge from your assigned text.
 * NOW, with your 'home' group, complete the graphic organizer with at least 3 strong questions, text evidence, your own explanations, and conclusions. Do this on a Google Doc and share with all of the members of your group and me, cafeharmon@gmail.com. Remember: 4 Columns- Questions, It Says..., I Say..., So...

Mini-Lesson: Can you PEE in your paragraph?
Now...how can we turn those connections into a GOOD cohesive paragraph? We PEE on our paragraphs! Take a look at the examples, rubric, and information regarding writing good paragraphs.


 * How did you do on your Target Test Open Response? Check out the student exemplars to see how your work compares.

Discussion
Share the graphic organizers with the class. Which questions and responses would lead to good writing? Which threads do you think need some work or were not strong questions to begin with? If the students in each group each chose one question to write about, which one should it be? (Do you see where this is leading?)

Homework

 * If you are unhappy with your grade on your open response, you can rewrite and resubmit it to me (email or on paper) by Monday (A Day) or Tuesday (B Day).
 * Read and Journal.
 * Next time- We will work on embedding quotations into your writing. We will also write exceptionally great paragraphs from your work with these 9/11 texts and publish them to our blogs.