Monday, 11/12/09

Agenda
1) Welcome to our new room
2) New seating chart
3) Introduce Extreme Earth
4) Sample presentation

Homework
None


Happy New Year and welcome back to our students. As of today we are in a new classroom, E125. The primary reason for the move was so that Journalism, which I also teach, could take advantage of a mini computer lab we set up in a room that adjoins E125. But all of my classes will benefit from the new room, which is much bigger than my old room and a much better fit for my typically large classes.

Today we introduced the Extreme Earth project, which is an oral presentation. Each student will get a category, for example "hot." This student will then research the hottest place on Earth, and present a 2-minute oral presentation about it. This is the last project in our Research unit.

To help the students get up to speed I gave a sample presentation about The Deadliest Lake in the World. Lake Nyos, in Cameroon, killed 1,700 people in a single day. Ask your kids how.

Wednesday, 12/17

Agenda
1) Book Club
2) Gallery

Homework:
Book Club report due Friday.


Today the Feature Article was turned in. We put them up on the wall and each student read them and voted on which one they thought was best. The top vote getter in each class got an automatic A.

The winners:

Period 1: Brandon Slater
Period 2: Luke Chayo
Period 5: Jessica Valice and Kiersten Boyer
Period 6: Darian Nejad

Congratulations.

Tuesday, 12/16

Agenda
1) Book club
2) Peer Review

Homework
Feature article due tomorrow
Book club report due Friday

Today students shared their drafts and gave each other feedback.

Monday, 12/15

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write your article
2) Book Club
3) Write your article

Homework
Feature article due Wednesday
Book Club report due Friday

Today students worked on writing their article, which is due Wednesday. If any student brings in their first draft tomorrow I will proof it during class.

Friday, 12/12

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write three leads (see below)
2) Book club
3) Surprise endings

Homework
None, but remember that the Feature Article is due Wednesday 12/17, and the book club elements report is due Friday 12/19.


Today we worked on writing a lead, or introduction, for the feature article. During the warmup students wrote three leads, one each of the following three types:

News Lead
Sum up the story (who what when where why how) in at most two sentences.

Example: The Philadelphia Phillies ended their long wait for a World Series title with a short burst of baseball last night as they clinched the crown by completing a rain-suspended 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

One Fact lead
Start with the one most important or amazing fact.

Example: The Philadelphia Phillies are World Champions again.

Mysterious Lead
Start with a quote or fact that doesn’t make sense until you read more.

Example: “It’s kind of weird, kind of odd, that the game is going to start with the seventh inning stretch,” said the Phillies’ Brett Myers, who exaggerated by an inning, but made his point nonetheless.

Feature Article Instructions

Here are the final instructions for the Feature Article.

The Feature Article is due on Wednesday, 12/17. Don't be late!

You will interview an adult who was threatened by a natural disaster—like the recent brushfires—and write up their story as if it were an article in a newspaper. You will also research the disaster and include information about the disaster itself—separate from the person you interviewed—in the article.

Your article must include
❏ A headline
❏ Eight paragraphs
One paragraph introduction
Three paragraphs telling the story of the person you interviewed
Three paragraphs telling about the disaster
One paragraph conclusion
❏ Article must include at least three quotes from your interview
❏ Quotes must be integrated into the story with correct punctuation
❏ Article must include at least three facts from your research
❏ Facts must include parenthetical citations in the article
❏ Must include a works cited list with all entries in correct MLA format
❏ No wikipedia, ask.com, or search engine (google, blackle, etc.) in your works cited list
❏ Article must be written in third person—no I, me, we, my, etc. (except in a quote)
❏ Article must be typed on the computer
❏ Article must be written in 12-point Palatino or Times
❏ Article must be printed in black ink or toner

Special note about plagiarism:
If you plagiarize any part of your article you will receive a zero for this project.


Here is a pdf file of the grader.

Agenda
1) Warmup
Tell me about the disaster you researched.

Alternate warmup for kids who haven't done their research yet:
Write a letter to your parent/guardian telling them why you do not do your work.

2) Book club
3) Feature article instructions and grader

Homework
None

Today we had an extended warmup, designed to help kids get a head start on the part of their feature article that discusses the disaster itself. I also handed out and went over the final instructions for the article, including the visual rubric that will be used to grade the final product.

The Feature Article is due on Wednesday, 12/17. Don't be late!

Wednesday, 12/10

Agenda
1) Computer Research

Homework
Finish research (if necessary)

When we come back from winter break, our class will move into classroom E125. This is my new classroom because it has an attached workroom which we've been able to make into a mini computer lab for the Journalism class (which I also teach). Today we met in classroom E125, so kids would be able to familiarize themselves with the room. The workroom has 14 computers, so everyone got a 15-minute block to do some research.

This may not be enough time for every student to finish their research, but it was enough for everyone to get started and to get help from me if they were unsure how to proceed. The rest of the research, if necessary, can be done as homework.

Tuesday, 12/9

Agenda
1) Warmup
Tell me the story of the person you interviewed.
2) Book club

Homework
Write 5 research questions that you need to answer to write about the disaster.

As we get closer to the end of the feature article assignment, class is slowing down as I try to make sure that everyone understands what we're doing, and to give everyone a chance to do as much of the work as possible in class. Today's warmup was basically a short rough draft of the part of the article that tells the story of the person you interviewed.

Tomorrow we will get on the computer and do some of our research, so the homework is to write five research questions whose answers you'll use when writing about the disaster itself. So, for example, if you're writing about your parent who experienced the Northridge Earthquake, you're also going to be writing about the earthquake itself, or about earthquakes in general—what causes them, or how do they predict them, or what to do in an earthquake, or how building codes have changed to protect against earthquakes, etc. So write down the five questions you have about the disaster you're writing about, and tomorrow we'll try to find out the answers.

Monday, 12/8

Agenda
1) Warmup

2) Book club
3) Lessons and Kindness

Homework:
None


Today we finished analyzing "Lessons and Kindness Come From Disaster," the sample feature article. This week we will do our research and begin writing the article itself, which will be due on Wednesday the 17th.

Friday, 12/5

Agenda
1) Warmup
Tell me about the hardest thing you've ever done.
2) Book club
3) Lessons and Kindness

Homework
None


Today we continued analyzing the sample feature article about the Northridge Earthquake. No homework -- have a great weekend.

Thursday, 12/4

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write the top ten things a news story can have that would make it interesting.
2) Book club
3) Lessons and Kindness

Homework
Read "Lessons and Kindess Come from Disaster"


Today we began discussing "Lessons and Kindess Come from Disaster," which is a sample of the kind of feature article we are working on. It's very valuable to see what we're working towards.

Wednesday, 12/3

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write ten reasons why someone would put something fake on the internet
2) Book club
3) Citing websites

Homework
None


Today we did a paper-based version of the citing websites activity we couldn't do yesterday because of the technical problems in the computer lab. Not quite as much fun but still an effective way to learn the required skills, which relate to State Standard for Writing 1.5: Give credit for both quoted and paraphrased information in a bibliography by using a consistent and sanctioned format and methodology for citations.

Tuesday, 12/2

Agenda
Meet in computer lab
Do Citing Websites activity

Homework
Finish citing websites activity

Today was an exercise in frustration. We met in the computer lab to do an exercise involving doing online research and writing up the results in your own words, using proper citations in MLA format for a website.

Unfortunately the computer lab's internet connection was broken. So we switched to a different computer room, which had internet access but didn't have a printer (and half the computers didn't have microsoft word).

So we had to improvise a lesson in how to judge whether a website is a reliable source of information. And the actual citing websites activity became homework. If students follow the instructions in the Citing Websites post (right below this one) you'll get it.

By the way all ten of the websites in the citing websites post are fake!

Citing Websites

For today's assignment, you will
1) Go to any website from the list below.
2) Pick any one fact from that website.
3) Open a new document in Microsoft Word and type your name.
4) Write the fact into your word document, in your own words.
5) Write a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence.
6) Create a "Works Cited:" list after your sentence.
7) Enter the website you used into your Works Cited list. Use correct MLA format as shown here:

Author's name, last name first. "Title of the website in quotation marks." Publisher. Date you accessed it in 2 Dec. 2009 format. .

Here's my example. I visit the website of the Glen Canyon Institute. There it says:

Due to its high desert location and huge surface area, Lake Powell loses an average of 860,000 AF of water annually to evaporation and bank seepage. Glen Canyon Dam is unnecessary and counterproductive to the water storage and delivery purposes for which it was built.

So I open a word document and type this:

When you store water in a reservoir, some of it evaporates or seeps into the ground. Every year Lake Powell loses 860,000 acre-feet of water! (Glen Canyon Institute)

Then my works cited entry would look like this:

Works Cited:
Glen Canyon Institute. "Water Supply and Lake Powell." Glen Canyon Institute. 1 Dec. 2009


Now you do the same with one of these websites:
1. The history of boilerplate, the world's oldest robot.
2. If you love dogs, you'll send your dog to dog island.
3. New genetic techniques make it possible for a man to become pregnant.
4. Now parents can choose their kid's DNA.
5. Learn about the dangers of dihydrous monoxide, an incredibly common chemical.
6. This might be the strangest addiction of all time, but this website documents how people become addicted to lip balm.
7. If you like weird animals, the Pacific Tree Octopus is one of the weirdest.
8. The most beautiful money in the world is from Antartica.
9. If you always thought Minnesota was cold, me too. But the town of Mankato is different!
10. You kids are too young to remember when Kresky was the hottest show on television.

Monday, 12/1

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write a short story with ten sentences. Every sentence must contain a quote.
2) Book club
3) Transcribing Comics

Homework
Interview transcript due Wednesday.


Today we continued our basic skill of describing events that include quotes. This addresses the state standard for:

Written and Oral English Language Conventions 1.4 Demonstrate the mechanics of writing (e.g., quotation marks...)

Agenda
1) Book Splunge
2) Splunge 2
3) Splunge

Homework
Splunge



Today we closed for Thanksgiving with a reprise of the very popular Splunge game. Here’s how it works:

1) Choose teams. So far we have had good success with boys versus girls, especially since we’re already sitting that way in the room. But we’ll change it up soon.
2) Each student chooses a word, then writes a sentence to communicate that word. Then they write the word and the sentence on an index card, except that in the sentence they put in the word splunge.
3) I read one student’s sentence to someone else on that person’s team. If the second student can guess the first student’s word, the team gets a point.

For example, one student wrote I love all splunges, but especially border collies and Australian Shepherds. Her teammate correctly replied, “Dog.”

For the record the Girls won periods 1, 2, and 6, while the Boys won period 5. Obviously, then, girls are smarter than boys, during periods 1, 2, and 6.



Splunge is a fun way to learn state standard 1.3: Clarify word meanings through the use of definition, example, restatement, or contrast.

Definition: He is the Splunge of the United States—the highest elected official.
Example: The iPod nano comes in nine splunges, including red, white, and blue.
Restatement: They are experienced splungers; they have been preparing food for ten years.
Contrast: I thought state standards would be hard, but instead it was splunge.

This week, every student who used one of these four sentence types scored a point. They work.

Tuesday, 11/25

Agenda
1) Book Club
2) Follow Up Questions

Homework
None


Today we did an exercise on asking follow-up questions. In doing the interview for our Feature Article, each student will write out their first ten questions in advance (We have already done this—it was due today). But then you'll ask five more follow-up questions, each of which is based on the answer to one of the previous questions.

Here's an example, based on interviewing someone about fast food:
First question: What's your favorite fast-food meal?
Answer: Burger and fries.

Follow-up question: What do you have on your burger?

This is a perfect example of a follow-up question. It is based on the answer to one of the original questions and asks for more information about it. Often follow-up questions produce the best quotes for interview articles.

Monday, 11/24

Agenda
1) Warmup
Tell me about a dangerous situation you were in.
2) Book club
3) Interview questions

Homework
Write 10 interview questions on the worksheet.


During this short week we will be getting ready to do the interview section of our feature article project. Students will write their questions this week, and the interview must be completed by Wednesday, 12/4.

Please note:
1) Only the questions are due tomorrow. Do not do the interview yet.
2) The interview will be due by a week from Wednesday, not the article. We're going to do some research before we start writing.
3) Before the interview, you will write 10 questions on the worksheet. During the interview you will ask those ten questions, and write down the answers. Then you will ask five more follow-up questions, based on the answers you get to the first ten. The completed interview worksheet—with 15 questions and 15 answers—is due on Wednesday, 12/4.

Friday, 11/21

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write 10 sentences about Candy or Food. Each sentence should contain a simile, metaphor, or idiom.
2) Book club
3) Wearing a Raincoat

Homework
Choose a person to interview for your feature article. Write down their name and the danger they faced on a piece of paper and bring it to class on Monday.


Just a reminder that the definitions of simile, metaphor, and idiom are right here.


Wearing a Raincoat is a song by They Might Be Giants. As an exercise we listened to the song and read the lyrics, and then students decided the author's position on drugs. Each student then chose a quote from the lyrics that backed up their interpretation.

The goal was to reinforce the skill of backing up our interpretations with details and explanations from the text. The song, I believe, is about ambiguity, and about how nothing is all good or all bad. For example, even though we teach kids to avoid drugs, Aspirin is a drug, and we don't avoid that.

The song does not mention any specific drugs by name, so it is not clear if it is about medicinal drugs or recreational drugs. However it did provide a good opportunity to reinforce the dangers of drug abuse.


When a student chooses a person to interview for the feature article, there are two requirements:
1) The person must be an adult.
2) The person must have been in some kind of dangerous situation. The first choice is a person who had their house or place of work threatened by a brushfire, like the recent Sylmar fire. But I have students who interview people who experienced the Northridge earthquake, people who experiences hurricanes, one student's dad was on a plane that made an emergency landing. What matters is that the danger was real enough that it affected your behavior.

Most students will interview a family member, but this is not a requirement. Many students interview teachers.

Thursday, 11/20

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write ten questions you would ask someone who has been threatened by a natural disaster.
2) Book club
3) Paraphrasing and summarizing

Homework
None


Note that the questions should include one each of the basic questions of journalism:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How

Wednesday, 11/19

Agenda
1) Citation
2) Book Club (for real!)
3) Feature Article Anticipation

Homework
None


Today we finished the citation exercise that we did not get to yesterday. Students practiced writing a "Works cited:" entry for the mini interview they conducted on Monday. The MLA format for a personal interview looks like this (assuming that I was interviewed today)

McCabe, Pete. Personal interview. 19 Nov 2008.


We had our first day of Book Club today. Everyone sat and read for 10 minutes—it was great to see. Note to parents: ask your kids about the book they're reading.


We also did the anticipation exercise for the feature article, in which students agreed or disagreed with each of the following 6 statements.

1) Writing a feature article is more like writing a story than an essay.

2) A fact is a fact, it doesn’t matter who said it.

3) People who write news have to be objective.

4) Journalism is easy because you just write down what happened.

5) Reporters will lie to make the story seem better.

6) If it’s on the internet, it’s probably true.

For parents, again: see if you can guess whether your child agreed or disagreed with each of these.



There is no homework, but any students who do not finish the anticipation exercise can finish it and hand it in tomorrow (Thursday).

Tuesday, 11/18

Agenda
1) Warmup:
Write 10 sentences about things people said. Use a different word for "say" every time."
2) Book club (reminder)
3) Write up interview (from yesterday)
4) Citation

Homework
None

Today we continued working on our skills required to write up an interview. The warmup focused on the rules of punctuating a sentence that contains a quotation.
Mr. McCabe said, "Quotations are easy."
1) Comma before the quotation.
2) Capitalize the first word of the quotation.
3) The period (or exclamation point, etc) goes inside the final quotation mark.

We also learned how to do an MLA-style citation entry for a personal interview:

Works Cited
McCabe, Pete. Personal Interview. 18 Nov 2008.

Book Club details

Every student will be required to read at least one book of at least 100 pages each month that we are not reading a novel in class. The first book club will begin on Wednesday, 11/19 and will end on the last day of school before winter break (Friday, 12/19). Every day in class we will have 10 minutes of silent reading, so students can complete their book. (We may not have book club on Tuesday because of the shortened schedule.)

I have books in my classroom library that students are welcome to read. Students can also get books from the school library or the public library.

After reading the book, each student will fill out a chart of the elements of the story: plot, setting, conflict, protagonist, antagonist, climax, resolution, and theme. The chart will be a graded assignment (20 points).

Details
The book must have at least 100 pages of text (or more!) No comics, Manga, etc. Books can have pictures/drawings, but there must be 100 pages of text.

Once you have finished your book and the elements chart, you can read anything you like during book club. Books, magazines, comics, cheat codes for your Xbox, anything. But you have to finish your book and the chart first.

If you have already started a book, you may use that book for Book Club as long as you have at least 100 pages left to read as of Wednesday.


Note to parents: The Platt branch of the public library has a bookstore that sells books donated by patrons of the library. These books sell for extremely low prices—most paperbacks are a quarter and current hardcovers are one or two dollars. The selection varies wildly but this is a great resource for books. (Many branches of the LA public library have similar bookstores.)

Monday, 11/17

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write 10 sentences about the last meal you ate.
2) Book club (announcement)
3) Write 3 questions
4) Interview

Homework
None

Today we started the Research Unit. In this, students will interview an adult who had their home or workplace threatened by a natural disaster. The home or workplace doesn't have to be damaged—just threatened. So, for example, over the past several years wildfires have threatened the Hale Campus. So students can interview any teacher at Hale. Many students have relatives who experienced the Northridge Earthquake.

Students will interview the adult and also research the disaster itself, combining their results into a feature article, like you would see in a magazine. Complete details will be posted on the blog soon.

On Wednesday, we will begin Book Club. Complete details for that will be placed in a separate blog entry.

Friday, 11/14

Splunge
1) Splunge:
What is the definition of rock and roll music?
2) Splunge

Homework:
Splunge

Today we played Splunge. You'll have to ask your kid what it means.

Thursday, 11/13

Agenda
1) Warmup:
If you could travel into the future or the past, and you could ask one question to anyone, who would you ask and what would the question be?
2) 20 Questions

Homework
None

The narrative unit is now over, and we are beginning the research unit. In today's class we had a bit of fun as a reward for the kids hard work on their essay. We played 20 questions, which is a deceptively educational activity for learning logic and also for asking questions, which will be an important part of the research unit's main project, the feature article.

There will be no homework for the rest of the week so that students who did not turn in their essay on time will have the maximum chance to do so.

Wednesday, 11/12

Agenda
1) Warmup:
What about you should I respect? What do you respect about Mr. McCabe?
2) Gallery

Homework:
None

Final essays were due today. They can still be handed in for credit, but every day late more points will be taken off.

Today we taped everyone's essay to the board. Everyone read the essays, and then voted on which they thought was best. The three essays with the most votes earned a guaranteed A. Peer review is an important part of our class—students need to be able to judge their own work and that of their peers.

Monday 11/10

Agenda
1) Warmup
Pick one of the four stories we read:
How would it be different if you were in it?
2) Gradesheets
3) Essay instructions and Grader
4) Grammar checklist

Homework:
Essay final due Wednesday
Signed gradesheet due Wednesday


Today I gave the students gradesheets showing how they earned their ten-week grades. These must be signed and returned on Wednesday. Getting the gradesheets signed and returned is a graded assignment.

The essay final draft is due on Wednesday. The instructions and grading criteria are posted in the Essay Instructions post.

I gave out a checklist with all the most common grammar mistakes my students make. Read this list during the proofing process and make sure you aren't making these common errors.

Essay Instructions

Here are the requirements for the essay. The final draft is due Wednesday, 11/12. It must be typed on the computer—if your printer doesn't work, email the essay to me at pjm4649@lausd.net. If you don't have access to a computer, see me at nutrition or lunch.


Theme Essay
Instructions and Grader

Write a 5-paragraph essay about the theme of one of the four stories we read:
Priscilla and the Wimps, How the World Was Saved, All Summer in a Day, and The Veldt.

Formatting
❏ One page only!
❏ Your name/date/period at the top of the page
❏ Font Palatino or Times, size 12 or 14.
❏ Margins 1.5 inch top, bottom, left, and right.
❏ Indent each paragraph by .25 inch.
❏ Essay printed in Black.

Essay structure
1st paragraph: Introduction
2nd paragraph: 1st body paragraph
3rd paragraph: 2nd body paragraph
4th paragraph: 3rd body paragraph
5th paragraph: conclusion

Introduction
Must have at least three sentences.
1. First sentence tells what character in what story you are writing about.
2. Second sentence tells why the author wrote the story.
3. The last sentence of the introduction is your assertion: The theme of ____ is ____.

Body paragraph
Must have at least six sentences:
1) Topic sentence
2) 1st Detail sentence
3) 1st explanation
4) 2nd detail sentence
5) 2nd explanation
6) Summary sentence.

The essay will be graded on five basic categories:
How strong is the writing
How many of the requirements did you meet
How good is your use of essay techniques (details, explanations, topic sentences, introduction, conclusion, etc.)
How many mistakes are there
How great was your effort

Friday 11/7

Agenda
1) Warmup
What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you.
2) Ten First Lines

Homework
None

Today we did a sort of peer review exercise where each student wrote down the first lines of ten different essays, for a total of ten points. I find that many students just don't know how to begin an essay. Even those who are comfortable with the use of details and explanations often just don't know how to start.

So now everyone has a list of ten different ways to start an essay. Before you do your final draft, take another look at the list of first lines, and see if you can't figure out a better way to write your first sentence.

Thursday, 10/6

Agenda
1) Write essay—first draft

Homework:
Finish essay first draft.


Today we wrote the first draft of our essay in class. This is a graded assignment—if you finished in class today, you got a ten. Any Any student who was not able to finish in class should finish for homework—if you bring the finished essay to class tomorrow, you'll score a 9.

It is vital that every student bring their essay draft to school tomorrow, because we will be having a peer review session and you can't participate without your essay.


Note: The final draft of the essay, typed on the computer, is due on Wednesday. (Remember, no school next Tuesday.)

Agenda
1) Warmup
Who or what would you vote for and why?

Homework
None



Today we wrote about and discussed the election -- not just the presidential race, but the various state propositions. It was a very energetic class, and I was very proud to see that the students care, and that they are able to disagree while respecting each other's opinions.

Monday, 11/3

Agenda
1) Warmup
Write a paragraph in which you tell me that Chris is mean. Include three facts:
a) Chris tortures a neighbor's dog
b) Chris kicked a baby in the head
c) Chris refused to help an old lady cross the street

When writing your paragraph, pay attention to four things
• Topic sentence—introduce the subject
• What order do you put the facts in?
• What connecting words do you use to introduce each fact
• The last sentence, which summarizes the paragraph

2) Essay Worksheet

Homework:
Finish worksheet


Over the weekend I came up with a new way to teach the details and explanations part of the essay process. So rather than wait until next year, I decided to reteach this process right away.

Friday, 10/31

Agenda
1) Ghost Storyline

Homework
None

Today we played storyline, a creative writing game. No homework—happy halloween.

Thursday, 10/30

Agenda
1) Warmup
If you could paint a big painting, what would you make it a picture of?
2) Gallery

Homework
None


Today we continued working on our detail and explanation charts. We're spending a lot of time on this, because it's so critical to writing a good essay. Today we put all the students' charts up on the board, and each student read them all and voted on which was the best. The top three vote-getters in each class received extra credit for this assignment.

Important Reminder: The last day to turn in any missing work for the 10-week report card is Monday. Work will still be accepted after that, but it will not count towards the 10-week grade.

Wednesday, 10/29

Agenda
1) Warmup:
How would you describe yourself to impress:
a) Someone your own age
b) A teacher
c) a parent or guardian
d) A celebrity or fictional character
2) Details and Explanations

Homework
Details and Explanations chart


Today we worked on the details and explanations chart, which is the foundation of essay writing. Students chose their assertions (i.e. the thesis for their essay), which all revolve around the theme of the story. After choosing the assertion, the students must find details from the story—direct quotes from the story—which prove the assertion. Each detail is accompanied by an explanation of how that detail helps prove the assertion.

Tuesday, 10/28

Agenda
1) Warmup:
What would your life be like if you lived in zero gravity?
2) Make an assertion
3) Detail and Explanation chart

Homework
Finish chart


Today we started working on the essay. We chose our assertion (aka our thesis statement), and began looking for quotes from the story to back it up.

The thesis statement will be "The theme of _______ is _____." Students can write about any of the four short stories we have read:
Priscilla and the Wimps
How the World Was Saved
All Summer in a Day
The Veldt

This year I am offering my grade-level (period 5 and 6) an alternate version of the essay assignment, which I'm calling the Basic Essay. This is intended for students who require extra help in essay writing. In the Basic Essay the students will be given the thesis (Monk is a Bully) and will be provided with extra help in writing the essay. For example, I will provide the first sentence of each paragraph, and will help students identify the details needed to prove their thesis.

The tradeoff is that the basic essay has a maximum score of 90. What I'm trying to do is make it easier to get a B or C, but the cost is that it's almost impossible to get an A.

Monday 10/27

Agenda
1) Warmup
I write essays so I can _____.
2) Introduction to Essay Writing

Homework
Re-read your chosen story.


Today we will begin the process of writing our first essay. Since I have been a professional writer for 20 years, I feel that I have a lot to offer in terms of the writing process, and I really believe my students will get a very strong grounding in techniques that apply to writing essays and a whole lot of other things besides.

Today I gave the students an overview of the process, which will last the better part of two weeks.

Friday, 10/24

Agenda
1) I am...

Homework
None


Today, as a reward to the kids for their excellent effort on the district test, we did a fun activity which (don't tell anyone) is actually quite educational. The students wrote 100 sentences, each of which begins with the words "I am." One point for every sentence. The entire activity counts for 10 points. This is an activity in which anyone who wants to should, with normal effort, get a perfect score.

This is a new lesson for me and it turned out to be a great success. Kids worked in groups of their own choosing, which improves their interpersonal skills. A tremendous amount of work was done, especially for a friday. And almost everyone got a perfect score.

Not every student finished, so those who don't can hand it in on Monday with a ten-point penalty for lateness. Still a ninety -- that's still an A.

Thursday, 10/23

Agenda
District Test, day 2.

Homework
None

Today we (most of us, anyway) finished the district test. Tomorrow we'll have a fun-type activity to reward the kids for their effort over the last two days, and then on Monday we'll start our first essay.

Wednesday, 10/22

Agenda
1) District test

Homework
None


Day one of the two-day district test. Just FYI this is not the high-stakes state test that comes in the spring. This is a test of how well the students are learning the standards from the narrative unit, the first unit of our year.

Tuesday, 10/21

Agenda
1) Warmup
What do you see when you look in the mirror?
2) Making Assertions

Homework
None


Today we worked on making assertions about characters, which will be on the district test tomorrow.

By the way, we're not supposed to give the students study materials for the district test, which is why you haven't seen homework assignments to study for the test.

Monday, 10/20

Agenda
1) Warmup
When is it good to be active?
When is it bad to be active?
When is it good to be passive?
When is it bad to be passive?
2) Active vs. Passive Voice
3) Pronoun Chart

Homework
None

This week we will be taking the district tests on Wednesday and Thursday. This is NOT the state tests we take in the spring. It's something the district uses to monitor progress and the effectiveness of the district-provided lessons and training. We use it to guide instruction, particularly with regard to what we need to reteach.

Today we went over active voice vs. passive voice. Here's the definition and a few examples.

Active Voice: The subject of the sentence is doing the verb.
Passive Voice: The subject is having the verb done to it.


Active: I drove the car.
Passive: The car was driven by me.

Active: He threw the ball gracefully.
Passive: The ball was thrown gracefully.

Passive: The man was shot by the soldier.
Active: The soldier shot the man.

Note that this last pair has the passive voice first and active voice last. Newspapers and politicians frequently use passive voice when describing something unpleasant to make it seem not so bad.


We also went over the basics of pronouns and pronoun agreement. Tomorrow we'll take a look at writing in 1st person vs 3rd person.

Friday 10/17

Agenda
1) Warmup
If you had to change your name, what would you change it to and why?
2) Grade Tests
3) Luxo Jr. and Red's Dream

Homework
None

Today we had an offbeat warmup designed to shake the kids creativity up a little bit. Then we graded the Elements of Stories tests we took yesterday. As a reward for their good work on the tests, I showed two short films by Pixar. Over the course of the year we will see all of the Pixar short films, which are excellent examples of telling a story without any dialog.

Just a note that although we have the students help score the tests, I do the final grading. And of course, students are always allowed to challenge any grade they feel is not correct.

Thursday, 10/16

Agenda
1) Elements of Stories Test

Homework
None

Today we took the Elements of Stories test.

We also took the chance to review some of the behavior standards for the classroom, some of which have gotten a little lax over the last week or so. In particular we discussed not getting out of your seat without raising your hand first, and not speaking out of turn.

Wednesday, 10/15

Agenda
1) Warmup
Who or what is the antagonist in your life story?
2) Test tomorrow
3) Elements of stories chart

Homework:
Finish elements of stories chart
Study for test


Today we did a review activity to prepare students for the test tomorrow. The homework shows two items, but if the students are doing the elements of stories chart, that counts as studying for the test, since the test will be include the same activity of reading a story and identifying the various elements.

Tuesday, 10/14

Agenda
1) Warmup
Agree or disagree: People should always say what they really mean.
2) Test on thursday
3) Fact or Inference

Homework:
Study for the test.

First of all, the test on the elements of stories is on Thursday. It will be exactly the same as the practice test, but with a different story. The students will be asked to define the basic terms of narrative analysis:
Plot
Setting
Conflict
Protagonist
Antagonist
Climax
Resolution
Theme

They will then read a short (very short) story and identify each of these elements within the story.

You can find the definition of the elements here.


Today we worked on the difference between fact and inference. When you're using these words to discuss a story, a Fact is something that the story tells you directly. An Inference is something you have to figure out yourself.

Monday, 10/13

Agenda
1) Warmup:
Who or what is responsible for what happened in "The Veldt?"
2) Debate

Homework
None


Today we continued with "The Veldt," a short story by Ray Bradbury, which the students read last week. We focussed on who or what is responsible for what happens. After writing about that in the warmup, we broke into teams based on our answers and had a debate.

In general the debate went well and I was pleased that kids were able to read a challenging story and organize their thoughts on it, all on their own.

Friday, 10/10

Agenda
1) Veldt Reading Comprehension Challenge

Homework
None


Today I was out of school. My son woke up sick and I had to stay home with him on very short notice. The students finished reading "The Veldt" which we started on Wednesday, and then filled out a worksheet designed to assess how well they understood the story. The story was read silently by the students, not out loud (the way we've usually done it), so this was a bit more of a challenge.

Figurative Language Definitions

We have studied four types of Figurative Language.

Simile: Describing something by saying it’s similar to something else, using the word “like” or “as.”

McMurphy fell 12 stories and hit the pavement like a paper bag filled with vegetable soup.

Then, wildly, like animals escaped from their caves, they ran and ran in shouting circles.

That sun. He could feel it on his neck, still, like a hot paw.


Metaphor: Describing something by saying it is something else.

You are a couch potato.

She’s a brick house.

The sun is a flower that blooms for just one hour.


Idiom: An expression that doesn’t mean what it says, and you can’t figure it out—you just have to know.

Somebody spilled the beans.

Suzy’s mom had a cow.

I wanted to go snowboarding, but my brother got cold feet.



Analogy: Describing something by pointing out the parallels between it and something else.

Nolan Ryan is the Brett Favre of baseball: he had a great arm, and was a star player for a long time.

A class is like a sports team: the teacher is the coach, the students are the players, and the classroom is the stadium.

Wednesday, 10/8

Agenda
1) Warmup:
What do you think about technology?
2) Begin reading "the Veldt"

Homework
None

Today we began reading the short story "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury. We will finish in class on Friday. (No school tomorrow)

Tuesday, 10/7

Agenda
1) Figurative Language, part 2
Idioms
Analogies
2) Gradesheets

Homework
Finish Figurative Language worksheet
Have gradesheet signed by parents—due Friday


Today we went over two more forms of figurative language: the idiom and the analogy. We will have a test on these two, plus simile and metaphor from yesterday, next week. I will put the definitions in a separate post so students can study.

Gradesheets went home, showing the grades the students have earned for the five-week progress report. These gradesheets must be signed by a parent or guardian and returned to me by Friday, 10/10.


Note: no school tomorrow.

Monday, 10/6

Agenda
1) warmup:
My life is like ______.
2) Figurative Language

Homework
Finish the front of the figurative language worksheet.


Today we introduced figurative language, aka figures of speech. We studied two:
Simile: Describing something by saying it’s similar to something else, using the word “like” or “as.”
Metaphor: Describing something by saying it is something else.

The front of the figurative language worksheet has places for each of these definitions, as well as spaces for the students to make up three similies and three metaphors.

Friday, 10/3

Agenda
Which is worse: 1) to have something great for only one day, and never to have it again, or 2) never to have it at all?
All Summer in a Day

Homework
None


Today we read the short story "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury. This is a great science-fiction story about a school on Venus, where it rains forever, without ever stopping, except that once every seven years the sun comes out for two hours, and then goes away.

I have to say that I was extremely proud of all my classes today. This is a more substantial story than we have read so far—it's longer and the writing is more advanced. But even in sixth period, on a Friday, when all the kids are almost desperate for the weekend to begin, everyone did a great job of reading when they were called on, and following along when someone else was reading.

Thursday, 10/2

Agenda
1) Warmup
What makes a good warmup prompt?
Write a good warmup prompt.
2) Return graded work
3) Hand out gradeseets

Homework
None


Today I gave the students back some work that had been graded (in case you were wondering, it's official—I'm slow at getting work graded and returned). We went over the grades, and spent some time discussing how I mark up the students' work.

The most important thing is that if there is a red minus sign in the right margin, that means there is some mechanical error in that line—either a typo, wrong word, grammatical mistake, etc. If you fix all the errors, and turn the minus signs into plus signs, you can hand the work back in for an improved grade.

Note to parents: I gave the students their gradesheets, showing the work we have done so far. I did not make it mandatory that students show these gradesheets to their parents—I like to give the students the chance to make up any missed work first. But of course, you know about the gradesheet, so you are free to make your child show it to you if you want.

Wednesday, 10/1

Agenda
1) Warmup
What does your score on the practice test say about your value as a human being?
2) Grade practice test

Homework
None


Today we graded the practice test in class; I gave the answers and the kids graded each other's tests. I hope to give everyone a gradesheet tomorrow, with their current grade in the class. Just so you know, on the five week report, all students with either an A, B, or C will just get a slash. I don't feel we've had enough high-stakes work at this point in the semester to saddle kids with a letter grade. However, per LAUSD policy, any student earning a D or F will get that grade, as an alert to the parents.

By the way, today's warmup was an attempt to help students analyze the way their grades affect their sense of self worth. I certainly want kids to understand that grades do reveal something about you. But I don't want kids who get bad grades to think of themselves as bad people, or even bad students.

Monday, 9/29

Agenda
1) Warmup:
People say practice makes perfect. Does it really?
2) Practice Test

Homework
None

Today students took the practice test. I was not in school; I had to arrange for a substitute to give the practice test. (Actually this was lucky -- a practice test is the least disruptive lesson to miss.)

I'll post more when I read the report from the substitute.

Friday, 9/26

Sorry, but a family matter delayed Friday's and Monday's blog posts.

Agenda
1) Warmup—When you have kids, what will you do the same as your parents did? What will you do differently?
2) Extended Share
3) Practice Test announcement


Homework
None


Today, in honor of Back to School night, I had the students write about their own thoughts on parenting. It was very revealing! The great majority of kids have great respect for the way they were raised by their parents.

Because today was a minimum day, we had an extended period of students sharing their warmup with the class.

Additionally I announced and explained the practice test coming on Monday. The test includes definitions of all of the narrative unit vocabulary:
plot
setting
conflict
protagonist
antagonist
climax
resolution
theme
The definitions are all posted on the blog.

There will also be a short story to read, and then identify the plot, setting, etc. of the story. I will post the story after the test.

The test counts, but for only 10 points. The real test will count 50. It will come after we have read the next two stories.

Thursday, 9/25

Agenda
1) Warmup: Write a letter to your parent/guardian, telling them about Mr. McCabe and his class.
2) Book fair

Homework
None


In honor of back to school night, I borrowed an activity from my son Monty's 3rd-grade teacher at Welby Way (Mrs. Denne). Since the ten minutes we have for each class isn't really enough time to tell you about me, I had the kids write a letter to their parents, telling you about me and the class.

I will give out the letters at Back-to-School night, and any that aren't given out will be sent home with the kids. Ask for them!

Wednesday 9/24

Agenda
1) Warmup: How do you think the world will end?
2) Read "How the World Was Saved" by Stanislaw Lem
3) Fill in Elements of Stories worksheet

Homework
None


We are certainly not afraid of challenging topics in this class! The warmup was designed to relate to the day's activity, a funny science fiction story in which Trurl the Constructor builds a machine that can create anything beginning with N, and his friend Klapaucius asks it to make "Nothing," and the machine takes him literally and begins destroying the entire universe (so it can create perfect nothingness).

I gave students the option of writing about a related topic, if they found the end of the world upsetting, and a couple of students took me up on it. One clever student write about the beginning of the world instead.

Tuesday, 9/23

Agenda
1) Warmup: Will your life be easier or harder after you are done with school?
2) New endings to "Priscilla and the Wimps."
3) Detail and Explanation

Homework
Detail and Explanation chart


Today we worked on the idea of making an assertion about a story and backing it up with evidence from the story. For homework, the students will make a chart of three details from the story that indicate what kind of school they go to in the story (elementary, middle, high, or college). Each detail is accompanied by an explanation of why that detail tells us what kind of school.

Example
Answer: High School
Detail: The students take showers in school.
Explanation: At most middle schools, the students don't take showers.

The detail is a fact from the story.
The explanation is the reason why the detail proves what you are saying.

Monday, 9/22

Agenda
1) Warmup: How bad is bullying at Hale? How does it compare to other schools.
2) Priscilla and the Wimps
3) Elements worksheet

Homework
What happens when they get back to school? Write a new ending to Priscilla and the Wimps (2 or 3 sentences)

Today we read our first short story, called "Priscilla and the Wimps" by Richard Peck. It deals with bullying, so we started by discussing bullying at Hale. Most of my students reported that there is very little bullying at Hale, especially compared with other schools.

The story of "Priscilla and the Wimps" ends somewhat unresolved, so for homework the students will write a new ending that will be answer the question of what the students find when they come back to school after the snowstorm. Just one paragraph .

Friday, 9/19

Agenda
1) Warmup:
If you were writing a story, what would it be about?
Who would be the protagonist? What is his or her name?
What does the protagonist want?
Why can't they get it?
2) The Soundtrack Game

Homework
None

Today we played another creative writing game. The kids all planned a short story during the warmup, and then wrote the entire story in just 8 minutes. A song played, and the kids tried to write the story to match the music, as though the song were the soundtrack of the story.

The song we used was "The Rumble," from West Side Story, a rock version done by Chick Corea's Electric Band and Steve Vai's Monsters.

Thursday 9/18

Agenda
1) Final 55-word story
2) Short Story Anticipation

Homework
None



Today the students copied the final draft of their 55-word story onto an index card. These cards will be put up on display in the classroom, so look for your child's story at Back to School night next week.

We also did our anticipation exercise for the four short stories we will be reading in the upcoming couple of weeks. There are four stories; two are about technology and two are about bullying, so the anticipation guide addresses these two subjects. Here are the agree or disagree statements:

1. Someday computers will be smarter than people.

2. People become bullies because they feel bad about themselves.

3. The ultimate goal of technology is to eliminate all work.

4. It’s fun to have power over other people.

5. The easiest way to feel good is to make someone else feel bad.

6. In the future, machines will destroy the world.


If you're interested, discuss these statements with your child. It's a great way to stay involved.

Wednesday, 9/17

Agenda
1) Warmup—If you were going on The Dating Game, what three questions would you ask to decide if you wanted to date someone? What answers would you hope to get?
2) The World's Shortest Stories Part II

Homework
Revise your 55-word story and bring in the final draft tomorrow.

Today we discussed some of the 55-word stories we were not able to get to yesterday. Some students shared their own 55-word stories with the class, and then everyone did a peer review on each other's stories.

Elements of Stories—Definitions

Because some students were absent when we went over the elements of stories, I thought I would post the definitions here.

Plot: the sequence of events of the story; what happens
Setting: Where and when (past, present, or future) the story takes place
Protagonist: the main character who drives the action, who wants something but can’t get it
Antagonist: the person or thing that keeps the protagonist from getting what he or she wants.
Conflict: The struggle between the protagonist and the antagonist. Protagonist vs. antagonist.
Climax: the high point of the conflict; the scene where the conflict is finally decided
Resolution: the outcome of the conflict; the result
Theme: the author's ultimate message to the reader

Tuesday, 9/16

Agenda
1) Warmup—tell me about your favorite kind of music.
2) World's Shortest Stories

Homework
Write a 55-word story

Today we continued our examination of the elements of stories by reading a sample from the book The World's Shortest Stories. This book is a compilation of entries from a contest in which writers tried to write a complete story in just 55 words. Because the stories are so short, we have time to read ten of them in class.

For homework, students will write their own 55-word story. This is not easy! We will work on the stories in class tomorrow, and the final drafts will be posted on the wall. Look for them on Back to School Night.

Monday, 9/15

Agenda
1) Warmup—What is the difference between an A student and a D student?
2) Elements of Stories
3) Elements of Little Red Riding Hood

Homework
Finish Chart

Today we defined the basic elements of story analysis, and applied them to Little Red Riding Hood. The elements are:
Plot
Setting
Protagonist
Antagonist
Conflict
Climax
Resolution
Theme

Students were given a chart to enter the definitions and apply each term to Little Red Riding Hood. For homework, students will complete the chart and bring it to class tomorrow.

Friday 9/12

Agenda
1) Warmup: What is your favorite game?
2) The Basic English Challenge

Homework
None

Today we decided to finally answer, once and for all, the question of who is smarter: boys or girls. Kids compete to see who could write the best dictionary-style definitions of the following words:
letter
word
sentence
paragraph
essay
vowel
syllable

Sounds pretty simple—the kids all know what these words mean. But defining them is quite a challenge.

After a partially scientific study of four 7th grade classes, here are the results: Girls two, boys one, one tie. Girls are smarter than boys by one . You go girl(s)!

Thursday, 9/11

Agenda

1) Warmup: What is your favorite fairy tale and why?

2) Little Red Riding Hood

Homework

None

Today we began the narrative unit in earnest. We started by reading Little Red Riding Hood—we read the oldest known version, from Tales of My Mother The Goose by Charles Perrault (1697). This is different from the more common version: in the original the wolf eats Red's grandma and then eats Red, the end. We also read the revised ending written by The Brothers Grimm for their book Children and Household Tales (1812), where a huntsman comes along and cuts the wolf's stomach open, saving Red and her Grandmother. 

I like to start the narrative unit by reading this story because everyone is familiar with it, so when we start discussing the plot, conflict, protagonist, antagonist, theme, etc., the kids already know the story, so it's easier to learn the new terms. We will use fairy tales in a similar way a little later in the unit. 

Advisory

In Advisory today we discussed 9/11. We reviewed what happened, and I tried to help the kids understand what happened and its repercussions. 

Wednesday, 9/10

Agenda
1) Warmup—One thing people don't know about me is _____.
2) Hello Goodbye

Homework
Type up your Hello Goodbye chart on the computer.

Today's Hello Goodbye exercise compared different languages by charting common words like hello, goodbye, yes, no, etc. across different languages that the students speak. Students who speak two or more different languages have a big advantage in understanding the basic structures of language, so I'm trying to help the kids who speak only English to tap into this.

The homework is very simple but must be done on the computer using tables. This is partly to help students learn basic word-processing skills, but also as a kind of systems check—there will be later assignments that must be done on the computer for maximum score, and so this is a smaller assignment to help make sure students can access that capability. 

• Students who do not have access to a computer can come into my room during nutrition or lunch or after school to use one of the four computers in my class. 

• If your printer doesn't work you can email the file to pjm4649@lausd.net. 

Tuesday, 9/9

Agenda

1) Seat assignments

2) Warmup—the best thing about being from _____ is _____.

3) Course Content letter

Homework

None

Today I put the seating plan in effect (a little later than usual because of the computer problems in the programming office—I don't know how they got the classes programmed!). Currently boys and girls are separated. I only started doing this last year, after reading a fascinating book called Why Gender Matters by Leonard Sax. The basic idea is to encourage my female students to express themselves more freely, a role that is frequently taken by boys in mix-gender groups. So far it seems to be working very well. 

Your child should give you the course content letter today, which goes over the most basic information about the class. Of course, you'll learn much more on Back to School night, which this year is on Thursday, 9/25. 

Monday, 9/8

Agenda

1. Warmup—What is the most interesting thing you can see right now?

2. Textbooks

Homework

None

Today we did our first regular warmup. Normally this will only take about 15 minutes each day, but because this was the first time we went over the process in much more detail. 

We also discussed our textbooks, so let me tell you what I told the kids: we will not use the textbooks at all this year. When we read a short story, article, or essay, I will give the kids a xerox copy, so they can keep it, make notes, etc. There is a state law that we must give each child a textbook, so we do. But we won't use it. 

I have instructed the kids to take their textbooks home and put them somewhere safe until we return them in June. 

Friday, 9/5

Agenda
1. Storyline

Homework
None

Today we played a creative writing game called Storyline. This is, every year, the most popular activity I do with my students. It is a lot of fun, but while the kids are having a good time, they are also getting a lot of practice writing. I don't know any other activity where every kid in the class will write for thirty minutes straight, and then beg me to let them do it again the next day. We will play Storyline again on Halloween.

Thursday 9/4 agenda and homework

Agenda
1. 7th Grade Anticipation

Homework
None
(Note: Students who do not finish the Anticipation Guide in class will complete it for homework.)

Today there's no homework because the kids did a lot of work in class. We filled out the 7th grade anticipation, which is part of the introductory activities we do while we're getting to know each other. The basic idea is to get the kids to think about the upcoming school year, and the things that will make it a success. And of course, to practice expressing their thoughts in writing.

Any parents who are interested, it's a great idea to talk about some of these questions with your kids. Here's what they wrote about:

First section, agree or disagree and tell me why

Seventh grade will be better than sixth grade.
The older I get, the more important school is.
It’s okay to use bad grammar if people know what you mean.
People who get bad grades think school is stupid.
The better you read, write, and talk, the more freedom you will have.

Answer these questions
What will be your favorite part of this class? Why?

What will be your least favorite part of this class? Why?

What role will you play in this class? (class clown, rebel, jock, cool kid, shy, teacher’s pet, player, hater, skater, skater hater, wallflower, average Joe/Jane, nerd, geek, freak, superfreak, goth, brain, BMOC, etc.) How does that role work for you?

What grade will you probably get in this class? What does that grade mean to you?

What will have the biggest effect on how much you get out of this class?

What will make this a successful year for you in this class?

Welcome to English 7

This is the official blog of Mr. McCabe's English 7 class at Hale Middle School.

It will contain:

• Every day's homework and agenda
• Classroom rules and policies
• Other announcements that may or may not interest you
From time to time I may post links to other sites or resources.


If you are the parent or guardian of a student in my class, please
1) Click the link below to post a comment to this entry
2) Include your name, your child's name, and your email address
It is much easier for me to contact you by email, so this will be the best way for us to stay in touch. Your email will be saved, so I can contact you easily, but will not be posted to the blog, so your privacy will be protected.