After updating the reading logs and making goals for the week, we reviewed "The Elevator," which we read on Friday. Students then had an opportunity to write their own endings to "The Elevator." Students could work by themselves or in groups of up to 4 people. Students had 15 minutes to complete the story and judging from the conversations overheard, there are going to be some very creative endings. We finished up class by calculating our reading rate. Students had ten minutes to read quietly and kept track of how many pages they read. We will revisit this number throughout the year.
I hear the excuse, "I don't have any time to read..." all of the time from my students. When I saw this video a few years ago, I knew that I would have to use it. I explain to my students that if Lebron James, the most famous basketball player in the world, can find time to read, they can too. We read "The Elevator" by William Sleator together and discussed some ways that the author characterizes the characters. Students had a few questions about the story to work on once we finished the story.
Lebron James and reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3E0sMgzRbg In an effort to get students excited about the Rebecca Caudill nominees, I shared book trailers and book talks about the 20 books that were selected. If students read three or more books, they can vote on what one was their favorite. If they read 10 or more books, they can participate in a donut party and if they read all 20, they get their very own READ Poster. I have attached the website with descriptions and links to all of the books selected.
http://pub.lucidpress.com/Caudill2016/ We began our characterization unit by reviewing some plot and setting notes that students learned last year. During this unit, we are focusing more on characterization and how authors develop characters. The four vocab words that we discussed today were: Protagonist, Antagonist, Dynamic Character, and Static Character. We finished the day by passing out book suggestions and KBAR.
Weekly Reading Logs were handed out and explained to begin the day. Once that was explained, students took the "Characterization Pre-Test." As we read The Outsiders, we will really take a look at how authors write about characters. Along with looking at characters in the text, we will take a close look at what makes up our character as well. Book Orders were passed out to end the hour.
It was great getting a chance to see many parents at Orientation last night. Today, we started off by signing into Google Classroom. We will be trying to do more work in Google Classroom in an effort to cut down on paper usage. On most Fridays, I like to share some sort of "inspirational video." I found this one over the summer, and as I watched it, I found myself nodding my head and thinking, "This guy is speaking my language." After watching the video, students had a chance to reflect on what the video meant to them and to answer the question, "If there was a video titled, 'What teachers really need to hear,' what would that sound like?" I had some great answers given! Enjoy the video.
In order to fill up students' "To Be Read List," we conducted a book speed dating activity. Students started with a pile of books on their desks and they had 50 seconds with each book. Once that 50 seconds was over, they had to decide whether or not it was worthy to go on their list. They moved throughout the room and most students finished the class period with a lengthy list of possible titles.
I shared the great news with the students that no matter what their previous experiences in reading class were, they were going to be successful in this class.
My pledge to my students is that: 1. You will learn and you will be successful. 2. I will do everything in my power to help you, academically, socially, however. The first day of the 2015-2016 school year was a fantastic success. After a brief introduction and run-through of the syllabus, we got right down to some fun. Students enjoyed playing with play-dough and creating something that said something about themselves. We had everything from cattle to music notes to cell phones. Students introduced themselves, shared their creations, and shared what their favorite books were. Creating a reading culture from Day 1 is very important to me. A few pictures from the first day (before the students) are below.
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September 2015
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