Redkudu

· How is an individual’s character defined?
· How does an individual’s character influence society?
· Why is an individual’s character important?

This is a great challenge. I'm not as well read in the literature of this period as I'd like to be, but just looking at my collection of readings, I can think of four that would allow students to examine how the authors addressed these issues at the time, and then to compare those works to their own opinions/ideas about the answers to these questions.

I think I'd look at Self Reliance for addressing the first and third questions. Civil Disobedience for the second, especially the section where Thoreau creates 3 categories of people and the ways in which they serve the state, and discussing his own act of civil disobedience and the realizations his night in jail brought him about character and spirit. You could even talk about perceptions of religion and faith and bring in Dickinson's "Some keep the Sabbath going to church..." poem. Whitman's I Hear America Singing could probably be worked in there, and is always a good one to have students read so that the Langston Hughes reply later makes sense.

I know from having finished my 2nd 6 weeks planning for English III that we are going to spend a lot of time with the Declaration of Independence and growing ideals of individuality and personal responsibility/rights that came about from it, before we swoop into transcendentalism, especially Self Reliance.

The one thing I don't have right now that I wish I did was some sort of very contemporary companion piece to any of these, which either reflects or re-imagines the thoughts and ideas of the time. Any ideas on that?

Ms. Q: Update

I have been away--I was able to attend the ASCD summer conference on differentiating instruction in Salt Lake City this past weekend. I have posted about my learning experiences here and will have more coming soon, please check it out!

I have an even better understanding of UbD and differentiation and plan to work these into my plans shortly. I am currently working on plans for Unit 3, which will focus on the Rise of Individualism--covering works such as Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman, and Irving. My trouble with this unit is the idea of individualism and the good versus evil concept my textbook offers as the theme. I am not opposed to the study of individualism as good versus evil, in fact it ties right into things like political corruption and reform we will study concurrently in AP US History. My issue is how do I cover such a wide range of material in a very short amount of time.

If you were to cover this idea and the following Essential Questions, what works would you consider to be most peritnent from the time period?

Essential Questions
· How is an individual’s character defined?
· How does an individual’s character influence society?
· Why is an individual’s character important?
Essential Understandings
· Character is defined by the choices and actions of an individual.
· Character can be influenced if the individual allows it to be influenced.
· Romantic and transcendental literature sought to examine and explain the concept of individualism.

Redkudu

I think you just gave me my focus question! What choices did a person have during the time of the novel, and how are they similar/different to the choices we have today? (I'll have to finesse that a bit.)

This will be the first time they will have done any substantial research in the year, so my plan is this (still developing, so still without a lot of detail):

1. I will provide the students a list of questions to be answered, and the group they will research. We will do an activity of some sort about finding reliable sources, summarizing, citation.

2. We will spend a day or two in the library. Day 1 will be book research, day 2 computer research.

3. Day 3 will be compiling the info in the classroom. I think we will make some sort of class graph - where each group contributes their findings to a graph which will hang on the wall. Probably something like average household income, maybe level of education (or opportunity for higher education?).

4. At this point they will have a good foundation for the time period, and we can begin reading the novel. About halfway through the novel, we'll pause classroom instruction (but not reading) to repeat the process with research from today. Then they will be ready to compile the info into the "report" form I'll specify and turn it in. I think each student should do some written reflection on the focus question. This might also be a good time to review embedding quotes, so they can use data from the research to support their analysis. We can use in-text citation there.

Okay. Now we're cooking. I'm going to think about this some more and come up with the concrete details. I think that at this point I am going to try to build in some sort of research activity into all units for the rest of the year, culminating in a major research paper.

Ms. Q: Research

The mini research project sounds interesting. I like the idea of incorporating the minority angle, but it doesn't really tie into Gatsby, but your overriding focus does--what choices did a person have at the time and why would s/he make the choices s/he did.

You mention, as a goal, having students synthesize the infromation into a written and visual product--how do you teach this? In small chunks? Give it to them all at once? Build slowly on all skills as the year progresses?

Looking at my planning for next year, I am trying to teach research skills across the year and culminate in a large scale project for the end of the year. So, for instance, as we cover primary source material throughout the year--I plan on having the students work on research skills slowly:

1. Summarizing--focus on finding the gist of the info being presented and incorporating this into their writing
2. Note Taking
3. Citing Sources--each time we use a source, we will practice citation writing
4. In Text Citing of sources

I am hoping the more of this we use over the course of a year, the better it will be when it comes to the end of the year.

Redkudu: Mini Research

I don't have the idea fully fleshed out yet, so feel free to make suggestions (and ideas would help too!). Looking at my end goal, I'd like to see three things: students collect information from reliable sources, report the information in paragraph form (if not in full research paper form), and transfer the information into some type of graphic representation. At this point, the idea I have is to put them in small groups, or even pairs. I would like them to research different groups: African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Anglo-American, etc. I want them to find the answers to several basic questions, the answers to be based on info from the time of the novel (Gatsby), and today.

Questions will be issues like household income, opportunity for education, opportunity for business ownership, commonly held employment, pioneers, etc. So in the end they will get a sense of the difference in opportunities, social and financial, available to different groups since the time of the novel, if that makes sense. For instance, what were the opportunities available to Hispanic Americans at the time? Could they go to any college they wanted? Could they work at any job they wanted? Could they go to any restaurants, stores, events?

Basically, I want the kids to discover and discuss the difference in opportunities available, and transfer that to Gatsby, and theorize what he had to do to get where he ended up and why he did it. They would prepare a 1-2 page report of their findings, and then create a bar or pie graph for each time period, and a Venn diagram for the comparison, I think. The purpose here is to show me they are able to synthesize the info they collect into a visual and written analysis.

You can see it's all still very abstract. I'm worried it doesn't tie together well, but I still like the idea. Any thoughts?

Ms. Q: Keeping Novels Going

Your mini research idea is a great one, as it should sustain student interest in the novel and introduce research, which will be covered more in depth later in the year. Can you remind me of your plan for the mini research project?

I have used many different techniques to keep a story going and interesting. Here is a short list of things I have used in the past:

1. Show a video clip of an important, foreshadowing, or mysterious scene. For Huck Finn I have showed the clip where the fight occurs between the two farm families, where Huck's friend dies and he has to confront his idea of society's ideal of right and wrong again. I stop is just after the boy dies, so the students are literally on the edge of their seats.
2. Have students get into pairs after the first few chapters have been read. Each partner chooses a character and then these "characters" journal back and forth to each other throughout the remaining reading. Students predict, infer, question (both the characters and the author).
3. Bring in outside resources--stop reading the novel for a day or two and bring in something from history or today that relates and have a discussion about it, how it relates to novel, and what it might signify for the outcome of the novel.

These are just a few of the ideas I use to keep the reading interesting.

Redkudu

Your use of the stories to practice speaking in class is a great idea. It's too bad you don't get more time for this unit - some of the Native American speeches would be great for this as well. Thanks for the clarification of your assessment. It helped with some ideas I've been working on for my English II Antigone unit. You know that I have this Native American unit all planned out so if I can help with anything (my handouts, etc.) let me know. (I have one ready for the Bradstreet poem that has questions in the margins to be answered after reading that prompt annotation and analysis if you want to look at it. I think I told you about it - you fold it in half to read, then open it back up to analyze.) I love this literature. For a very brief time I studied Anthropology in college, so the myths and folklore are near and dear to my heart.

I know what you mean about choosing what elements to teach. I have the same problem, and struggled with it. I've decided to do something like your Plan 2. I look over the works I'm going to teach in the unit, and find those elements that are most strongly represented. Then I prepare my exams and skills tests with the tasks I know I want the students to be able to successfully achieve. I always use an unfamiliar piece for assessment - they should be able to take what they've learned and apply it to anything, I believe. Then I work backward, looking at the pieces I'll use in my teaching, and finding places where I can emphasize the elements.

I had also thought about something like your Plan 1, teaching everything with each unit, but after careful consideration decided that doesn't really seem to allow for good, specific practice, and seems to put too much on the student's plate all at once. For myself, I decided I want to build up. I'm hoping that will facilitate retention.

Now I'm up to planning for Gatsby, and I'm stuck. One of the things that's always hardest for me is continuation. I can get the novel started, but always feel it begins to lag, and I haven't yet come up with a good activity that spans the length of the novel. That's why I'm considering the mini-research I mentioned. I'll be teaching Gatsby just before the winter holidays, so I won't be able to do anything too extensive, but I thought the mini-research could facilitate discussion of some of the themes in the book, and prepare the students for a larger research project in the spring.

What do you do with novels? How do you keep the kids/the lesson from lapsing in the middle?

Ms. Q

what is your purpose and intent for these two [performance] assignments?

Great question and one which has me reviewing my understanding of UbD assessments. My intent and purpose with both assignments is to ensure their understanding of the Essential Understandings. Looking at the oral storytelling assessment, I want students to retell the story orally, as this is the format Native Americans used. The only purpose oral telling has is to get them practicing their speaking in class and I have designed this for them to do in groups, so each person has support. The creation of a myth will show evidence of use of the criteria used in the myths we study in class. After reading 3-4 myths, they will create a chart listing the elements found in common. From this chart they will create their myths.

The other performance assessment, creating a poem/sermon, will build on the idea of culture, society, and individuals within a society, which will be a theme running throughout all units this year (both Eng III & US His). This will be assessed using a rubric, created after learning the structure of a poem/sermon. I am still working on rewriting my rubrics, as they did not assess the understanding I was trying to get the students to know.

The overall purpose of the unit is to get students to understand (know) the cultural beliefs held by both parties (Native Americans and European colonists) and to be able to reiterate those back to me, as well as to start creating their own written set of beliefs. I am plannning for this to lead to conclusions about how culture beliefs are defined, conveyed, and used.

To assess the literary aspect of the myths and the other works, students will be writing a response comparing oral storytelling and the historical narratives.

Truth be told--this is the unit I dislike teaching the most. This is the area of literature I know the least about and I find it personally unengaging. It was hard for me to come up with assessments to assess true understanding.

Note--my unit plan does not have any learning activities outlined as of yet, I am working on those once I have the overall plan for all units outlined. I want to make sure my themes run through all units, as I need to have something unifying the whole year, besides it just being American Literature.

The "Question for the Teacher" sheet sounds interesting. How do you conduct that activity?

I have struggled with how to get my students to ask questions when they are still not understanding something. This year, I have decided to implement a "Question for the Teacher" handout. There are several ways I could do this: 1) create a sheet with several "Question for the Teacher" boxes and give a few to the students at the beginning of the quarter. They could then write their questions and turn them in inconspicuously when turning in other work, 2) have a box labeled as "Question for the Teacher" box with slips of paper beside it and allow them to write questions and put in box, or 3) have them write questions at the bottom of homework/tests. I have tried #3 before, but have not had a good experience with it. Most students either skip over that section or rush through it and ask a knowledge based question, when the real question they still have is one of concept understanding. I am leaning most to #1, as I think the confidential factor involved would best suit my students.

Here is an issue I was discussing with myself today--teaching the "elements of literature." As I was combing through my literature text (which is half of my problem) I was baffled by some of the choices of "elements" chosen for certain pieces. It is hard for me to focus on one element over the others, when I know there are several illustrated in key ways, but I also don't want to overload my students learning by addressing all of the elements used. So, I came up with two plans, but have not yet decided which one I will choose for the year.

Plan 1:
Teach all elements in a unit, before getting into the actual "American Literature," using short pieces of selections we will study at length later. This will give the students a brief intro to all elements and many of the works to be read. My plan would be to teach all elements, have students reproduce a compendium of elements for reference throughout the year, and then test them on said elements using other pieces of writing (transference). Then as we go through the units of literature have assigned elements for students to look for in all works. (each student is given 2-3 elements OR groups of students given a list and they are the ones looking for elements and will share with the rest of class)

Plan 2:
Choose one or two elements to teach in minilessons before beginning the unit. Focus on these one or two as the unit progresses. Remember to come back to these throughout subsequent lessons.

The hardest part for me in plan 2 is choosing which ones to focus on. Not all pieces of a unit will have the same elements portrayed as prominently as others. Also, if students have a good understanding of hyperbole why waste time teaching it as part of a unit, when it can simply be looked for in the unit. I don't know if I am being clear about my difficulty with this issue, but I know, as I have been planning, this has been the hardest part of the planning.

Redkudu

Whew! Finally all moved in and with shiny internet too! I was beginning to have withdrawal pains.

The opportunity of having the APUSH class aligned with your English III class is a rare one. I always wish we could somehow align better in our History and English classes.

I see you're using the UbD questions. I happened across them at Huffenglish the other day. Very interesting. They certainly add a depth of purpose and intent to a lesson.

Question/observation about your performance tasks: I know it's a time-honored tradition to have students create original compositions in the style of what they're currently reading. (Somebody always trots it out with Shakespeare.) But I'm wondering (as I've taken an increased interest in my own assessments and activities for the next year), what is your purpose and intent for these two assignments? Is the purpose and intent for students to gain some greater understanding of the literature itself? If so, how is writing a version of their own going to do that, and what results/insight will you expect to see modeled, and how? (In other words, how are you assessing these, and toward what end?) For example, you say "Group telling of a past/present/future cultural myth—either real or created by the group—based on a list of criteria created by class." From this I assume your purpose is to have the students recognize elements of Native American folklore/myth. I'm doing this myself: teaching specific examples of Above and Below/Diver creation stories from several tribes. (Comparing how creation is attributed based on location: which tribes had tales of crawfish or turtle diving to find mud, which had tales of a woman falling from the sky and animals making land for her to live on, etc.)

So then, I suppose my suggestion/thoughts on this would be to question how this activity is going to make them more aware of the characteristics of this type of literature, and, conversely, how comparing the beliefs of the Native Americans' folklore/myth allows for greater comparison/contrast to the beliefs of the colonists. I see you're using a chart on the beliefs of the Native Americans vs. the colonists for comparison as well. Will the students be attempting to point out how those beliefs are illustrated in the literature they are reading? Those are the questions that come to mind when I look at your performance tasks - not completely clear on what the intent is.

The "Question for the Teacher" sheet sounds interesting. How do you conduct that activity? I do something similar with my students, after assigning an exam or project. I let them write any and all questions on the board, then make their peers answer all they can from the directions I've given. But yours sounds connected to the textbook somehow. I'd be interested to learn more.

Ms. Q: Unit 1--Colonial Literature--Plan

Here is a brief outline for unit 1. I have titled it colonial literature, even though Native American lit is part of it. Still working on a different title. I have 8 days to cover this unit, 90 minutes each period. There will have to be an end of unit assessment which will eat up at least 1/2 a period, but more likely a full period. Let me know your thoughts, suggestions, etc.

Unit 1: Colonial Literature
UbD Filter
Why study colonial literature?
· Native American myths—because myths are part of every culture.
· Shows a difference between beliefs and culture of Native American thought and European thought.
What makes the study of American colonial literature universal?
· Taking over something (especially land and people) has been occurring since the beginning of time.
· Without colonization, the USA would be very different
What’s the Big Idea implied in the skill or process of reading colonial literature?
· All cultures express their beliefs in an effort to convey these beliefs.
What larger concept, issue, or problem underlies a study of colonial literature?
· Many different cultures came together to create the “American” culture.
What couldn’t we do if we didn’t understand colonial literature?
· How Native Americans became a displaced minority.
· How the culture of American has changed throughout the years.
How is colonial literature used and applied in the larger world?
· It is used to determine how life was lived during this period.
What is a real world insight about colonial literature?
·
What is the value of studying colonial literature?
· Gain a sense of who founded our nation.
Essential Questions
· How is a culture defined?
· What has helped define American culture?
· Where do people get their beliefs?
· How are beliefs passed from one generation to another?
Essential Understandings
· Although depicted as savages by Europeans, Native Americans had their own belief systems, around which their societies were built.
· European colonists and their belief systems were as diverse as the Native Americans.
· All literature is rooted in a culture.
· Many modern stories use ideas from past stories.
Essential Knowledge
· Author’s purpose
· Structure
· Metaphors
· Myths—creation
· Historical narrative
· Storytelling
Essential Skills
· Reading with a purpose—determine a culture’s belief system
· Literary analysis—author’s use of structure to tell a story
· Writing to convey understanding of content
Works Studied
· The World on the Turtle’s Back (Iroquois creation myth)
· The Way to Rainy Mountain (Momady-short story)
· La Relación (de la Cabeza—historical narrative?)
· Of Plymouth Plantation (Bradford—historical narrative)
· To My Dear and Loving Husband/Upon the Burning of My House (Bradstreet—poetry)
· Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (Edwards—sermon)
Acceptable Evidence
Performance Tasks/Projects
· Group telling of a past/present/future cultural myth—either real or created by the group—based on a list of criteria created by class.
· Create a poem/sermon depicting cultural beliefs of teenagers today—following criteria in rubric.
Quizzes/Tests/Academic Prompts
· Vocabulary Quiz
· Knowledge/Comprehension Test
· Writing Prompts (1 per section OR literary analysis)
Other Evidence
· Chart on cultural beliefs of Native Americans versus colonists
Student Self Assessment
· Elements covered—page 129 textbook--students will list all elements covered into student journal and will write what they know about each. If there are elements they don't know or are confused about they will highlight them and write them on a "Question for the Teacher" sheet.

Ms. Q: Answer

My APUSH class and Eng III class are a shared class. I have the same kids for the same periods everyday, but they switch from APUSH one day to Eng III the next day. This is an effort to 1) allow me to teach APUSH all year long, rather than in a semester as our block schedule should do, and 2) make it harder to drop from my APUSH class--since we will only have covered 1/4 of the material at quarter time, per class, than everyone else. We'll see how it works.

I am working on the answer to persuasion today and should post at some point today. I had to spend a few days doing the summer child switch with my ex-husband, so I have been away from the house for awhile, but I'm back! Hope your house moving is going well!

Redkudu

Question for Ms. Q:

Does your APUSH class coincide with your English III? What I mean is, do you teach the same students English III one day, then APUSH the next?

Redkudu

Quick answer here, then more later. (I'm in the home stretch to move to the new house on Sunday.) I especially want to talk about teaching persuasive techniques.

How do you teach research? Is it a unit saved for a specific time? Is it a building of skills?
I would like to build on research skills all year too, but it's difficult. I either have to book time in the library, or book time on the laptops, usually months in advance. This year, I'm trying to bring more supplemental literature into each lesson, and have kids refer to that literature for compare/contrast, analysis of ideas, etc. It isn't quite research, but it's an attempt to have them use different sources to develop their arguments and analyses.

How much fiction versus non-fiction do you cover?
All the novels are fiction. Quite a bit more fiction than non-fiction, but again, I'm making an effort to bring in non-fiction to supplement. For instance, the first 3 weeks are Nat. Am. folklore, then 3 weeks of speeches. The next 3 weeks are Puritan lit, Bradstreet and "Sinners," then 3 weeks of the Declaration of Independence and Transcendentalism. So we won't get to lengthy fiction until Gatsby, in the 3rd 6 weeks, which is where I'd like to conduct some sort of research, although doing that right before the holidays is difficult, so I'm thinking of a kind of mini-research. I'm trying to focus a lot with the students on putting information from text into other forms (charts, graphs, notes), and also reverse (translating from charts and graphs into their own writing), so I may do something with that. I'm thinking about the Payne article - maybe something comparing laws, social relationships, etc. between the 20's and today? I don't know. You can see that's still just an abstract idea.

Do you discuss or point out purposes for reading (i.e.; reading a textbook, reading for specific information, reading to determine author's purpose, etc.)? How?
I do as often as possible. I do it a lot through comparison of language and syntax. I point out the difference in language (slang, academic vocab, etc.), and syntax (variation of sentence length, etc.). I like to do author's purpose with the Nat. Am. speeches (especially the use of irony), and reading for details and diction with the transcendentalists.

Do you teach dialogue writing?
Whenever I can. I hardly get any time for fiction writing anymore, but I do try to teach them to include it in personal essays. When I can't teach it, I point it out in the reading.

Do you do an author study?
I have not yet done an author study, but I am considering it this year for my English II class.

Question for you: How do you teach persuasive techniques?

Ms. Q: Some Planning Questions

Ok. Here is where I am at right now.

I have taken my state standards and culled the ones I won't have time to cover (because the have "already" been covered and we work on them with every story anyway--like reading comprehension).

I took my list of standards and turned them into B R O A D objectives.

I took these broad objectives and found the following list of CONCEPTS I need to cover:
Vocabulary development using roots and affixes as inference clues
Literary elements: hyperbole, metaphor, etc. (the list seems endless!)
Author's purpose (all genres)
Theme-P O V-Setting-Characterization-Plot
Poetry elements
Author's use of evidence
Structure
Persuasion (techniques, use of)
Writing Process
6 Traits of Writing
Types of Writing: Personal Narrative, Non-fiction, work document, persuasive piece
Research

Now I am looking at my history outline and determining what eras I will cover when and determining how much time I have for each era.

Once I have determined this, I will move on to selecting the major work(s) to study for each era and some of the supplemental materials.

Once I have this I can go ahead and determine where the above concepts are best covered.

I have stumbled across a few questions:

How do you teach research? Is it a unit saved for a specific time? Is it a building of skills?
I want to build on research skills all year. When I have taught it as a distinct unit in the past, students did not do well with research. I do think being able to incorporate more primary and secondary source documents will help teach certain research skills small amounts at a time. I plan on having the students complete the research standards through the election project. More on this as the project develops.

How much fiction versus non-fiction do you cover?

Do you discuss or point out purposes for reading (i.e.; reading a textbook, reading for specific information, reading to determine author's purpose, etc.)? How?

Do you teach dialogue writing?

Do you do an author study?

Ms Q

APUSH is AP US History. I teach it in addition to English III. I am currently working on aligning time periods between APUSH and ENG III and should have an updated plan posted soon.

Redkudu: Sharing Resources

Dana asked:

Do you think the effectiveness of the grade graph is primarily due to the visualization of the bars, or more to having a record of each of their grades?

I think probably both, depending on the student. The visual record is certainly helpful. I know that there were times when I was in school when I was mystified about where my grade came from. I don't want my students to be mystified about anything having to do with my class.

I wanted to post this helpful site for anyone reading as well: Incompetech.com

This site allows you to generate your own graph paper to your specifics. They have an amazing amount of graph papers to choose from. If you know a math or science teacher, you might pass that on to them. Also, if you scroll down, you can generate storyboards as well, which I know somebody can find some clever use for. I'm looking for a way to use them when we study the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. I'm not a huge fan of artsy projects, but this is a unit where I know students really are inspired to respond with many different forms of expression. Illustrating a poem or powerful passage from something we read, I think, will create some beautiful results.

Redkudu: Graphs and Grade Weighting

Dana, I attached the actual grade graph from my 1st 6 weeks to a post at Redkudu. You should be able to open it. If not, let me know. In the first column is the assignment title. The second column is where the kids write their actual grade. Then, out to the side, they graph the grade by coloring in the row. For grades that are weighted twice, they color in two rows. Then, at certain intervals, we go through and calculate the total grade according to the percentages, as I explain below.

On Grades:
Our district has a set policy for grades. We only have 2 categories: daily, and major.

Daily grades: 6-8 per 6 weeks required, can be activities, reading, quizzes, writing, etc. Worth 40%.

Major grades: 2-3 per 6 weeks required, can be tests, papers, projects, presentations, etc. Worth 60%.

So you can see my hands are slightly tied in regards to grades. However, I can weight homework to be worth 2 daily grades, and etc., as you can see by the grade graph.

I had similar problems with the grade graphs before. I tried them, but hadn't plannned as well, and they fell by the wayside, which is why I'm trying to be more organized this year. When I did use them, I found the kids more attentive, and there were fewer "surprises" come report card time.

A collaboration on something like what you're working on would be interesting. I'd love to give it a try.

What is an APUSH class?

Ms. Q: Payne and Homework

While I have heard of Payne, in fact missed the great staff presentation the year before I moved here, I have not read her work, but have seen her quoted in many places. This is an issue I am currently struggling with in my graduate program. I am planning my study around Hispanic students, for many reasons, least of which is they are my students, and I have been coming across research I am finding very interesting and worth looking into. Specifically, I want to look into the resilience of the students who succeed and see if there are ways to promote resilience using culturally competent, rigorous, and relevant curriculum. Middle class values--politically loaded word, but I do believe there is some backing behind the arguments for and against Payne. I was just reading an article the other day on culture and sensitivity and the cultural deficit model and was thinking along the same lines as you are. I think using something in class on this might prove interesting. Let me look through my piles of research again (still haven't set up a real filing system, unless you count the numerous piles scattered around my house). I bet we can come up with a collaborative project, even!

As for homework--

I have found, in my area, if I don't make homework a daily thing, kids are less likely to do it when I do have a homework assignment for them to complete. So, homework for me must be everyday, except for on Friday (unless it is a paper/project).

[the weight of the grade] it's going to make a big difference if they don't do any of it

I find this is necessary as well. But, I still struggle with the equality in grading. What am I truly grading for? I believe we do teach life skills, as well as content. Just because the standards don't address these does not mean we should discount them.

I think your idea for grade graphs is an excellent idea. I have a friend who has used these and she swears by them. The reason I have not implemented them before is due to a lack of planning and preparation on my part. There were weeks I had no idea what I was teaching until Monday morning during planning. This is why I decided to try this collaboration this summer. I want to plan and need to plan, but have always needed a sounding board, someone to share ideas with, get clarification from, or someone to just tell me I am doing something wrong and this is what and why!

The actual assignments I give run the gamut--sometimes it's a review sheet for a concept we learned. Sometimes it's reading comprehension & higher order questions for the next days discussion. In the beginning of the year, I have smaller assignments and we always start them during class so they "know" what is expected.

The way you seem to plan is according to the UbD scheme of things. You start with the end in mind and work from there. I think I need to step away from UbD (the book) and just start planning. When given a form, I try to force myself to follow the form exactly and I think this is why I have been so frustrated with UbD in the past. I just need to take what I know and work from there.

I do have class everyday, BUT for me it's an alternating block (I have the same kids everyday, for the same periods, but I teach APUSH one day and Eng III the next). Normally, I would have the kids everyday for a semester and then be done with Eng III. Our classes are also 90 minutes long.

You mention weighting--do you weight your grades? Do you do points, percentages, what/how?

Redkudu

Here's some interesting reading. I know you'd probably see it eventually, but since I'm thinking about Gatsby and etc, it was serendipitous. From Joanne Jacobs: on Ruby Payne and Class Consciousness.

Oddly enough, I'd been seeing the name Payne pop up for a while in a couple of books I got off a half-price bookstore shelf, always associated with statistics having to do with poor, middle class, wealthy. Now I know why. I'd be interested to know what you think about bringing this into the classroom somehow - both sides - for students to consider. It's certainly interesting. I could see it leading to either debate, or personal scrutiny through journals. Very interesting debate on both sides.

Redkudu

Thanks for the ideas for Gatsby. I think I will seriously consider using excerpts to lead into that. I finished up my 2nd 6 weeks lessons and materials last night, so I'm about ready to begin working on Gatsby in the 3rd. The kids end the 2nd 6 weeks writing an essay comparing the growing ideals for an independent nation as laid forth in the Declaration to specifics from "Self Reliance" so I'm hoping they will have a strong foundation to begin looking at these notions of new wealth and individualism. I ended up using the Declaration to introduce and practice recognition of the 8 parts of speech so they will be familiar with it. This is new for me, so I'm hoping it works.

Homework...gah. What haven't I done? The only homework I used to have was reading and revising work for final drafts, but I'm not satisfied with that any more. I'm going to try some new things this year. First, I've weighted homework more. It's not going to mean the difference between passing and failing if they skip a few, but it's going to make a big difference if they don't do any of it. Second, I'm creating grade graphs. Basically, I made a graph, and filled in all the assignments I will take a grade on, including skills tests and exams. The kids will fill in the grade they made, and then create a bar graph by coloring in columns. They can then calculate their overall grade, as well as have a visual representation of their grade. I am hoping this will solve the "out of sight, out of mind" problem a lot of our students seem to have in regards to their grades.

For the first 2 six weeks, I've created homework assignments which can be copied, but even if they are, the student will be reviewing in some way, at least. (Or that's my theory). All of the homework assignments are directly related to what we've done in class that day - in other words, reinforcement. We check the homework at the very beginning of the period - so if they're going to copy, they need to get it done before class! :P Some of the homework I've chosen came out of a workbook I found in our English office which did not match our textbooks, but I thought was interesting. They are articles, letters, short stories which correspond with certain subjects/works. For instance, there is an article on the life of Anne Bradstreet which will be their homework after they've read and analyzed "On The Burning of Our House" in class. These worksheets require close reading and using context clues to analyze vocab. I have some for Nat. American folklore, Emerson, science fiction...just about anything we might read, so a few of these, I think, will be good supplemental materials. I am structuring lessons as best I can so that some of the vocab they are introduced to is reinforced in the next day's lesson, and some of it is what they're responsible for memorizing and experimenting with in their writing.

I keep fairly tight control on writing for the first 2 6 weeks. This is due to my previous experience and background knowledge of our students - they generally come to me without really knowing how to plan writing, so we do a lot of brainstorming, organizing, and composing in class. Once we hit Gatsby, I kind of like Dana's idea (from the comments) - I might look at using it somehow. At that point they will be reading the novel for homework as well, so it would be a good opportunity to have written responses to the novel - perhaps some kind of journal that would build up toward whatever their major writing component will be for that unit.

I read a post at Huffenglish.com about UbD, and now I'm even more intrigued. It sounds a little like what I do - plan for the desired results first. Would you say, from what you know, that it's similar? I'll have to wait a while to purchase new books - new house and all - but I definitely want to see that one and the English book as soon as possible.

How do you fight the homework battle? Or do you have to? Also, do you have classes every day? I have classes every other day for 90 minutes.

Ms. Q: Homework

How do plan for/deal with homework?

Ms. Q: Daily Outline & Partial Answer

First--daily outline. Mine is very similar to yours, however, I have not done a good job of using time wisely. I start with bellwork, like your warm up it is related to what was already covered or an introduction question for a new unit. After bellwork I would begin the day's lesson, which may have been reading or working on a project. I rarely gave notes. I usually made the students take the notes in outline form, so I provided the outline or had them use the SQR3 method for taking notes. Mondays and Tuesdays were more of my guided practice/modeling days and the rest of the week was working on using what we learned Monday and Tuesday. At the end of the period we would debrief and answer any lingering questions and then I would give the homework.

since the AP classes tend to usurp a lot of the WWI lit, I'm looking for ways to bridge the students from Transcendentalism to The Great Gatsby

This is a beginning answer, which I plan to expand on, but here is what I have considered so far. I use Huck Finn between the two you mention above, but it doesn't really adress this part of your question:


help me show students the progression and economical circumstances that led to the "New wealth" vs. "Old wealth" of "Gatsby"

From a histrorical perspective, the progression is seen when you look at the rural versus urban growth of the country during this time period. After the Civil War, there is an exodus from the farms to the cities that was unprecedented. As cities grew, so too did the employment and investment opportunities. We look at immigration effects on cities. We look at the rise of political machines. We look at politics and the reform movements of the era as well. From a literary standpoint here is what I have so far found (I will be adding as I get more materials from my classroom):

Poetry of Carl Sandburg, especially those about city life
Richard Cory

For nonfiction, I use the supplemental materials from my US textbook. I have a set: The American Spirit, which is a two volume set. The link is to the second volume. While pricey ($45-$65 each) I find them invaluable resources. It covers EVERYTHING you could possibly want a nonfiction source for. I would check with your history teachers, they may already have them OR they may have something similar, as they are pretty standard fare for AP US textbooks.
These volumes have excerpts from primary source material outlined in chronological order. For this unit I would use pieces from the chapter on city life and the ag revolution to depict the difference in the two. I would use a piece or two from the reform chapter and one or two on the political issues, especially regarding the economics of the period.

The New vs. Old in the GG have more to do with the end of WWI and the horrific atrocities many soldiers witnessed, coming home to the same artistocratic and old fashioned values and just not being satisfied with this. What made the New wealth appear--stock market becoming available to the common man, inventions creating more job opportunities (and leadership opps), and the materialistic culture of the times. I have a few sources on these factors, but they are locked at school. I will try to get them early next week and post. I use parts of All Quiet on the Western Front and some poetry from WWI to give the students an idea of what was witnessed during the war.

Redkudu: Question for Ms. Q

Question for you: since the AP classes tend to usurp a lot of the WWI lit, I'm looking for ways to bridge the students from Transcendentalism to The Great Gatsby.

WWI is not a historical period I have a great familiarity with, much to my chagrin. Can you suggest some resources for 1) a timeline, 2) a summary of events leading up to the war, and 3) some non-fiction (online) resources I might use in short, daily lessons (2-3)? I've googled for the usual, and found a few things, but nothing that really makes me excited. Anything that might help me show students the progression and economical circumstances that led to the "New wealth" vs. "Old wealth" of "Gatsby" would be greatly appreciated.

I did find this site, which appears to be dedicated to the 1914 Christmas Truce and various letters about it. I quite like the letters profiled, and feel I could use a few of them for close reading/grammar (language and syntax especially). What do you think of the site's authenticity? Can you help me bridge that horrible literary/history gap in my curriculum?

Redkudu

"Comfortable" no. What I attempt to do is spend more time up front on concepts which are known to be more difficult, like irony and theme, so that there's a firm foundation to work with, then spend reinforcement time on things that can be studied in every piece of literature, such as diction, imagery, language, syntax, tone, etc.

My daily lessons are structured so that we begin with a warm up, generally a journal type warm up, or some review questions from the last lesson, every now and then a "fun" logical thinking problem, about 5-10 minutes. I always try to pick something which somehow coincides with the day's lesson. Then I give whatever info they'll need for the lesson in the form of notes. I think it's important for students to learn to take notes, especially if they're college bound. We review the notes, underlining or highlighting key terms. About 5-10 minutes for that. Then I present the first activity and go through guided practice (modeling) with student input, showing how the info they received is relevant to the activity. Then there's a guided practice for students to complete as I monitor. Usually 10-20 minutes for the whole thing. Then we check for understanding. Then the students work on an independent activity, which may either be completely independent, or in groups. 30-40 minutes for that. We come back for a final check, discussion, or grading together (re-emphasizing key concepts and terms), they turn in the work or put it in their binders (depending on if I'm taking it for a grade, or if it's a preparatory activity for a future assignment), we go over homework (which I'm going to attempt again this year) and maybe begin a few problems on the homework if time.

This schedule changes slightly under two conditions: 1) if there's a test or exam, which are timed, and then there's a shorter lesson afterward, and 2) if it's a writing or revision/editing day and we do side-by-side consults at my desk.

I post the daily schedule on the board, so a normal schedule would look something like this to students:

1. Warm up: journal on overhead (Name some "tricksters" from books, movies, TV)
2. Notes: Nat. American tricksters
3. Practice: "Coyote and Wishpoosh" read and discuss
4. Independent: story analysis
5. Activity: tone descriptions
6. Homework: Vocab in Context handout, "Native American Folklore"

In this lesson students would identify tricksters and pranksters from popular culture and discuss their characteristics (warm up). They would then learn the characteristics and importance of tricksters in Native American foklore (notes). They then read the story of Coyote and Wishpoosh, and "discuss" by highlighting examples of characteristics which coincide with the notes (practice). They then complete a close reading activity which asks for them to identify and interpret certain details of the story (independent). Finally, they complete a chart in which they are asked to identify particular passages which have certain tone descriptions (they've already learned about tone previously), such as brutal ("If they refused to leave, Wishpoosh would kill the animal people by dragging them deep into the lake so that they drowned."), and then are given passages and asked to describe their tone (activity). The homework is a handout about interpreting vocabulary using context clues, which is preparatory for the short story they read the next class day, which has some vocab I anticipate may be new to them. This is my fourth day activity for the year.

How about you?

Ms. Q: Coverage versus Learning

teach a concept or skill to complete understanding the first time

Are you comfortable teaching a concept or skill to complete understanding,
even if it means not having enough time for some of the other skills? If so,
which concepts or skills do you find worth teaching for complete
understanding?

I will have an updated curriculum outline soon. I still can't spend as much time on Native American lit as you do, due to a need to cover more of the Puritan and colonial literature for the APUSH course.

How do you structure your daily lessons?

Redkudu

Also wanted to share this great piece of satire, "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" with you, in case you haven't seen it. Most people will probably get it right off, but just in case here's a hint: spell every unfamiliar word encountered backwards, and you'll know who and what is being analyzed.

Redkudu

Did you see this blog by Mrs. Chili? She talks about studying different speeches and how she went about it. Very interesting.

Redkudu

The lesson plan section for key vocabulary is a good idea. I may try adding it into mine. As it is, I know what the key vocab will be, and prepare lessons for it, but pointing it out for myself in the lesson plan would help me remember what I need to emphasize, especially after I haven't looked at the plans for a while (say, come November and I'm going through the daily process).

What does spiral curriculum mean to you and how do you plan for it?

My understanding of spiral curriculum is that key concepts and skills are "recycled" or revisited consistently in order to reinforce understanding. The problem with this, as I see it, is that if students did not completely grasp the concept the first time around, they are going to be further confused by it later. The challenge with a spiral curriculum then, I think, would be to teach a concept or skill to complete understanding the first time, then build upon it as you go along. What I find happens with myself and other teachers though, is that sometimes spiraling is seen as a fallback when students don't completely grasp the material - they can pick it up again later. I am no longer satisfied with this theory, as I've seen clear indication it does not work for my students, either because the repetition of it occurs too far apart for retention, or because they simply didn't understand it in the first place.

However, another problem with curriculum in general is, as we've discussed, the difficulty in "covering" everything we're expected to cover. Therefore, on the English III level, if I teach irony, for example, with the Native American unit, the very next unit is Puritan lit and transcendentalism. While some case could be made for irony in some pieces included in this unit, I don't find enough clear, concrete examples of irony to be able to reinforce the concept with students. Spiraling in this case isn't going to help. I'm a little concerned over this right now, as I'm continuing on with my lesson planning. On the other hand, tone can be easily reinforced, as well as simile and metaphor, and theme. So, I am looking at the possibility that one thing may have to be set aside in favor of others. Hmmm.

I'm looking forward to our collaborative assignment!

Ms. Q

One of my goals is always to have students realize that particular words and phrases are chosen for a reason in literature and rhetoric - people don't just jot down whatever comes into their mind and then have it published

This is something I work hard at getting the kids to understand as well. It doesn’t necessarily work all the time. There is so little time to spend with the students, it is something which usually gets glossed over and I haven’t found the best way to do this besides the basic writing process of brainstorming, writing, revising.

Do you use a particular lesson plan model for your plans

I don’t use a particular one per say. I follow Hunter’s model and/or the model used by my district. I am looking for a copy of said form, but can’t find it at the moment. The only differences between the two models I remember are: 1) a section for key vocabulary and how they will be emphasized, and 2) language objectives AND content objectives. The latter is due to our large population of ELL learners. It has been incorporated into all classrooms, however, some of us (including me occasionally) still struggle to work this into our daily lessons.

What do you think about collaborating on an assignment or two together and teaching them around the same time, then comparing results?

Absolutely! Let me work through my first few weeks of plan a bit more and see if I can swing the Native American part (I usually don’t spend much time on this). I would be very interested in doing this. Creating the lessons from the bottom up and then teaching them and sharing results could be enlightening!

a sort of spiral curriculum for reinforcement

I was reviewing the Understanding by Design book and some of Marzano’s work again last night and I came across the idea of a spiral curriculum. I have to say, I am confused by it. I understand curriculum is not linear—what is taught in the beginning isn’t necessarily taught because it is THE beginning of the subject and it should be referred back to through time. What does spiral curriculum mean to you and how do you plan for it?

there's a reason so many works remain in our canon as "classic" literature, and are continually referenced (especially in parody or satire), …make greater connections between themselves and the more global community

One of the ways I approach this is to bring in as much of the popular culture in which the curriculum is parodied or satirized. Once the kids begin to see these allusions themselves, they begin to notice things that might be allusions and seek out the knowledge needed to make sense of it. I use comics, cartoons, movies, TV programs, music, etc.

What, in your experience, are the most difficult concepts for students to learn?

Like you, IRONY is one of the hardest concepts to get my kids to understand. In fact, while I can understand it, it is usually hard to explain or figure out how I understand it! Besides irony, my students struggle with mood and tone most. Theme, it depends on the work being studied. They didn’t struggle with themes in Huck Finn, but they did when we studied The Grapes of Wrath. Another area my kids struggle in is REVISION. I work hard to teach revision and editing as TWO SEPARATE steps, which all authors go through.

Redkudu

Students will be able to identify key literary elements in any work and be
able to explain how/why the author choose this element.

This is a great objective, sort of the one thing I always keep in mind but don't always put down in my plans. I probably should. I also add something to the end of it in most lessons, such as and how does it affect mood, tone, theme, etc. One of my goals is always to have students realize that particular words and phrases are chosen for a reason in literature and rhetoric - people don't just jot down whatever comes into their mind and then have it published. Writing is a deliberate act, and revision and editing purposeful techniques for strengthening whatever the original idea was by cutting or expanding on previous ideas, changing words for strongest effect, etc. My goal is to have them transfer that to their own writing.

Do you use a particular lesson plan model for your plans?

The election project sounds very interesting. I'm going to have to check with our social studies department to see if they are doing something similar - we have a very good department, so I imagine they are probably planning something. I might be able to find a way to collaborate with them.

What do you think about collaborating on an assignment or two together and teaching them around the same time, then comparing results? It wouldn't be scientific, but it might be interesting. We could use something from my Native American unit, since it's complete, and something from a unit you develop later on when you have it ready. I'm thinking just a one day activity. Would you be interested in trying something like that?

I tend to want to cover everything and am slowly coming to the realization
I must be picky and choose one or two concepts per piece and just remember to
point them out in future works.

Me too. What's unfortunate is that there is so much we're expected to "cover." It makes teaching to mastery within a single unit difficult, and then ends up requiring a sort of spiral curriculum for reinforcement, which doesn't always work, especially when the next unit requires a new set of concepts.

In fact, I want to try to relate major works to current events every time we
reach a new time period.

Again, me too. I feel that if we can get students to understand there's a reason so many works remain in our canon as "classic" literature, and are continually referenced (especially in parody or satire), they can begin to make greater connections between themselves and the more global community they are about to become part of.

What, in your experience, are the most difficult concepts for students to learn? For myself, it's usually recognizing irony and satire, and being able to analyze tone, mood, and theme.

Ms. Q: Election '08

Essential Question:
How do character, choice, and change influence democracy?

Unit Questions:
1. Why is the electoral process important?
2. How do presidential candidates convince others to vote for them?
3. What defines a person’s character?

Content Questions:
1. How does a political candidate choose their issues?
2. How does a political candidate persuade the public to vote for them?
3. What is the author's purpose in this candidate's article?
4. Is this article based more on fact or opinion? Support answer.
5. What are four of the issues the public wants addressed?
6. What is the stance of your candidate on these four issues?

Outcomes:
1. Students will plan a presidential candidate’s campaign.
2. Students will research the issues surrounding the election of 2008 in order to write a one-stop fact sheet on the issue.
3. Students will investigate various articles on presidential candidates.
4. Students will analyze the candidate's position on essential issues.
5. Students will create a blog for their candidate and write daily/weekly entries on issues and events.
6. Students will demonstrate understanding of their political candidate by producing a blog, wiki, and commercial for a campaign.
7. Students will collaborate with other "advisors" to plan a debate of the issues.
8. Students will debate the issues as candidates.
9. Students will simulate a town hall meeting.
10. Students will create and assess a work plan.

Pre-Assessment:
The pre-assessment will likely consist of key terms and people and questions about the electoral process. This will give me an idea of how much electoral process content will needed to be covered before moving into the actual project.

I will also need to assess student familiarity and functionality with blogs/wikis/research/etc.

Notes:
Students will be in groups. These groups will become the advisors/campaign managers for the candidates. These groups will study their candidate, plan to emulate the candidate in debates and speeches, create blogs/wikis for candidates major issues, research the major issues, and more.

I want this to be a year long project. One students build on as the year goes by and one in which the final products will be of stellar quality. One of my ideas for the end of the year is to have an actual election occur on campus.

To introduce the project (without actually letting the kids know of the project yet) I plan to show them pics of the candidates and have them write what they know about candidate, who they would vote for at this moment in time, and why they would choose this person.

We will explore candidate’s blogs and analyze use of the blogs and the design of blogs to determine why they are designed to do what they do.

This is what I have so far.

Ms. Q: How I Plan

How do you go about organizing your units?

Honestly, I have never figured out how to plan a good year. This is one of the reasons for the collaboration. This isn’t to say I don’t plan, but it usually done piecemeal and a unit at a time. However, for this year, I have already begun planning, much like you do. I have read Understanding by Design and am currently working through the Intel: Teach program, which is basically planning a unit from start to finish, where start is actually the end. So, here is my plan for planning so far:

I have begun with a list of skills/strategies my students should be able to do by the time the year is done.

For example, one is Students will be able to identify key literary elements in any work and be able to explain how/why the author choose this element.

Technically, the above statement is an objective, however in my planning, I label these statements as academic/content goals. From these goals, I look at the major works I have chosen to study this year and plug the goal into a quarter (which is how we break up the grading).

This is one area where I struggle—matching works and concepts to cover. I tend to want to cover everything and am slowly coming to the realization I must be picky and choose one or two concepts per piece and just remember to point them out in future works.

Because I teach both the history and the English, I combine essential/unit questions and my work choices fit the themes suggested by these questions. At the moment, I have one essential question, which may end up being THE essential question—because as I think about it, I can use it in each history unit I am planning on teaching. My overriding EQ then, is

How do character, choice, and change influence democracy?

This question is actually from my election project, which I will post about in a bit. From this question, students can think about the historical significance of the work and determine the character-choice-change involved in the piece and how it had an influence on democracy in the United States. This is the first time using essential questions, so the process will be bumpy as I try to work out how it will be a central part of our learning.

Next, I consider the major works and what supplements I want to use with them.

Again, this is an area where I struggle. I tend to get sucked into a trap of not having enough time to work with the major works, let alone relating anything to it. This year, though, I am making a strong effort to use supplements to broaden the content and literary horizons of my students. In fact, I want to try to relate major works to current events every time we reach a new time period.

After having the essential questions, goals, major literary works, and supplements it is time to work on planning units. My units are based on time periods and fit with the units I will be covering in the APUSH class. After the units are determined and I have a list of concepts, skills, and strategies for each unit, I know I need to pre-assess knowledge. After all, why teach something they already know, or skim something I assume they know when they don’t know it? In order to pre-assess, I need to have a list of objectives.

I have always know we should pre-assess and assess continually to gauge their learning, however, with everything else going on, this is something which usually gets pushed aside during the year. You mention being able to specifically tell from your assessments where re-teaching is necessary and this is something I strive to learn to do this year. I have too often relied on other teachers’ assessments or those which came with the text. This often does not provide clear cut clues as to which objectives are being targeted. So, I aim to create the objectives first, build my assessments around those objectives and then plan my learning activities.

Redkudu

I would think your AP teachers would encourage use of the same novels in
the regular courses, unless a large number of students take both courses--normal
and AP?

It's more a concern for materials, I think, although the Macbeth issue has always puzzled me. If too many students are using the books, the AP kids won't get them when they need them. Although, most of our AP kids will buy their own. This is an odd little quirk of our department I have yet to understand - their rabid refusal to allow certain works to be taught on-level.

• Do you use a lesson plan book?

No. Like you, I type up my own lesson plans. I use the Madeline Hunter 7 step model and modify as needed. I keep them in a binder as well. For absent students, I have a form I fill out and keep in a file cabinet. It´s about half a page of pink paper, and has check boxes of everything we might possibly do in class. I check off what they missed, attach any worksheets, write in page numbers if necessary, and file it under their class period. The students know to go to the file cabinet before they ever come to me. This is also useful if, later, parents or students want to know what´s happened to a student´s grade...I can pull out any and all make-up work that was not collected and illustrate.

• Do you have students keep a notebook or journal? If so, how do you check it?

Some years I have, last year I didn´t. I´m still considering it for this year since I, like you, was inspired by Dana´s post. (Which is here, for anyone reading along at home.) I do like having students able to refer back to things they've written.

• What materials do you expect students to bring to class?

Paper (notebook), pen or pencil, binder, any novel we're reading. I have a class set of dictionaries (oh sure, I can get those, but not textbooks!), and during the year I offer a few extra credit points for kids to bring in highlighters so we have a class set. This year I will add notecards and the smallest size post-it notes to their required supplies.

Continuing on with how I plan:

After I've drawn up my broad, year-long plan, I begin gathering what I call my "supplementals." These are any articles or readings I've run across throughout the year that I might want to use with a unit. I usually find these things online, so I keep them in a bookmarked folder on my computer.

Then I begin identifying my goals for one of the units, after looking at everything I have. I type these into a document in brainstorm fashion. For instance, with the Native American foklore and rhetoric, I began to see a lot of opportunities to teach tone, imagery, simile and irony. I checked all my resources to make sure I had very strong representations of each, and found I did. Therefore, I listed these as my core concepts.

Then I skip to the end, and begin brainstorming just what it is I want students to know/be able to do with these core concepts. For example, with tone (which is a difficult concept for students), I want them to be able to do three things, in order of how I will teach them: 1) if given a tone description (like "playful"), match it to the passage it describes, 2) pick out specific words which help create that tone (adverbs, verbs and adjectives), and 3) describe the tone of a passage using their own words.

I brainstorm what assessments I will use to determine whether students have learned the concept. I have two types of assessments. One is a skills test (2 per 6 weeks), which is brief, and usually only tests knowledge, comprehension, and application (as per Bloom's taxonomy). These assessments allow me to monitor how students are doing in certain areas. For instance, if 50% or more students fail a certain section of this test (say, #2 of the tone objectives above), I know that skill or concept requires review/reteaching. These tests are usually multiple choice, matching, identifying, short answer, fill in the blank, 20-30 questions. My second assessment is the exam. There is 1 of these per 6 weeks. On the exam, students must complete lengthier tasks of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (from Bloom's). On these exams, students will encounter a piece they have not read yet, but which contains all the concepts we've studied. This allows me to see whether they are able to transfer the skills they've learned to anything they may encounter.

Once I have the assessments prepared (keeping in mind my general ideas for what I want to teach), I am able to go and fill in the lessons with the required tasks and activities which will, hopefully, bring the kids up to the level of mastery I'm looking for on the assessments. If necessary, I modify the skills test and exam as I go along.

The final end-product plan I make is for whatever major piece of writing I'll require: persuasive essay, research paper, etc. I solidify this so that I can begin planning useful warm-ups or short writing tasks that the students can then use later in formulating their drafts.

So, basically, I begin at the end with 3 things: skills tests, exams, and writing component. Then I work backward from the "goal" to the individual steps needed to achieve it. I always think of this as working from the macro to the micro.

How do you go about organizing your units?

Ms. Q: Can't Live Without Professional Resources

I thought it would be a good idea to share ideas on great professional/subject resources! Here are a few to get the list started!

The English Teacher's Companion Jim Burke
Norton Anthology of American Literature
Understanding by Design Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe

Ms. Q: Classroom Management

Even though we are both still in the early planning stages, I thought it might be interesting to share some basics of our classroom management routines. Some general questions:

• Do you use a lesson plan book?

I don't use a formal plan book. I type up my lesson plans onto a form I created and keep them in a three-ring binder. I include my objective (language and literary), materials needed, and the lesson. I have an abbreviated version of this form, which I hang up on my BB for students to use if they were absent.

• Do you have students keep a notebook or journal? If so, how do you check it?

I have done both. Checking has been a nightmare, but I am going to use Dana's suggestion for notebook checks this year. I may use journals, but again, it becomes a nightmare to check and if I don't check them, they don't do them.

• What materials do you expect students to bring to class?

Students are to have a notebook (3 or 5 subject), writing utensils, index cards, highlighters, and a good dictionary (kept at home).

Ms. Q: Gatsby and History

I had my doubts, when I started teaching, about each level having "their" set of readings. I often re-read material for pleasure or for further meaning making. I think school should be no different. It's funny how we encourage students to become "lifetime" readers, yet fail to offer this process in lifetime reading. However, I do see several reasons why each level might have their own set of readings:

1. Students who have read something before may rebel or check out when reading it again. I do think an effective teacher could find a way around this.
2. The use of a piece at an earlier grade may make it impossible for a later teacher to use it effectively. Case in point--I wanted to read Liam O'Flaherty's The Sniper as an introduction to the idea of brother versus brother in the Civil War. As we began reading, the students were quick to point out the "surprise ending," which was the whole point of reading the story--as an introduction to the study of the Civil War and the effect the war had on the front lines.
3. Broadens students literary background.

I am sure there are more, but these are just a few. However, I would think your AP teachers would encourage use of the same novels in the regular courses, unless a large number of students take both courses--normal and AP?

Anyway, on to the questions:

I will post an outline for my election project sometime tomorrow.

Being a history major has always put the historical aspect front and center when it comes to American Literature. The first thing I always do with a piece of literature is to look at the period it was written in--what would have been the audience's experiences, how would their experiences have played into the reading of the piece, what might be some allusions or allegories which relate directly to the historical time period. Being a teacher of history and literature allows me to empasize both sides of literature--the author's historical frame of reference and the literary aspects of the literature, which often times is directly related to the history surrounding a piece. Being able to incorporate literature into the study of literature also offers an opportunity for students to analyze the literary pieces as well as the historical period around the piece.

As for Gatsby, I went back and looked in my book o' plans and found we read Winter Dreams and discussed wealth and status, then went on to read Chapter 1 from Gatsby to analyze the symbols and themes present as related to wealth and status. Then we would view the video, stopping often to discuss themes, metaphors, and symbols. I am looking forward to trying to read the whole novel and am working hard to make the time to do so. The students, especially the girls, are always enamoured with Daisy at the beginning, but are pretty quick to look deeper into her character and her flaws, especially when she encourages her daughter to be just like her. I connect this study of status and wealth to the overriding importance of such at the beginning of the 20th century. I discuss the factors which lead to this "wealth" and connect it to present day. Many students are intrigued to learn this is when "credit" really took off and how it relates to the idea of the "American Dream."

As for the answers to my own questions:

1. I prefer outside reading as well, for two reasons: 1) when we read together as a class, it is easy for a student to "check out" and catch up during the discussion phase, and 2) outside reading encourages independence on the part of the student. I teach in an area where students have been given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to "pass" classes by merely "trying" to accomplish the tasks set before them. I realized quickly, by reading in class, I was giving them no ownership of their own reading processes. Other teachers couldn't figure out why they were having trouble getting kids to read on their own. When questioned about their process, many times teachers assigned too much outside reading AND re-read the SAME thing in class the next day. Uh, who's going to do the reading if the teacher is going to read it the next day?

2. Grammar is an area I severely lack in my plans. I plan to change this, because I see it as a vital piece of the reading/writing puzzle, especially for my students.

3. Like you I teach both reading and writing. I try to structure writing in a way in which it is a scaffolded process and one with intense revision/editing periods for FINAL draft papers.

4. My goal for English III: My students should leave my room able to read any form of text by understanding it all OR using strategies good readers use. My students should leave with an appreciation for the viewpoints of others and how to respond critically in an appropriate manner. My students should leave being able to write a well revised piece of persuasive writing. I think this is the form of writing which MOST adults in the "real world" are expected to write, yet few students leave high school knowing HOW to write in this manner. Students will also leave being able to question a text analytically based on the historical background surrounding the writing.

Redkudu

It looks like we have similar difficulties with book supply. After looking at your list of suggested readings, I realized I probably should explain why I do not use some of the more classic works on my reading list, like Huck Finn, etc. This is because they are on the reading lists for our AP courses. Our AP team is oddly protective of these books - they rarely allow them to be read in the on-level classes due to fear of lack of resources. I fight this battle every year I teach English II and Macbeth, even though it is in the textbook. Every department has their quirks, I suppose.

I was interested in your note about elections, and am embarrassed to say I almost completely overlooked this, and can only hope I might have remembered it sooner rather than later. But hey, that's one point in favor of collaboration! I'd like to know more about your plan for that. It's an ideal time for studying persuasive techniques, logical fallacies, and rhetoric, as well as bringing lots of good non-fiction (news sources, etc.) into the classroom.

As to your questions:

Reading Novels In Class or Out of Class

1. Do you prefer one over the other?
I prefer out of class reading. That way, class time can be spent examining specific passages and practicing whatever writing component corresponds to the reading. Reading in class is difficult with as many different ability groups as we tend to get. If they read silently, it's almost impossible to time a lesson. It could be left until the end, but then you end up with students who haven't finished, and who will rarely complete the work at home.

2. What are your expectations of students when you assign out of the class readings?
First, that they read the material. This is the most difficult obstacle. Then that they annotate sample portions to bring back into class examples which illustrate concepts we are studying. Unfortunately, I find this doesn't often happen. It's often difficult for students to catch the concepts as they go along (a great number of our students are poor readers, so simply translating what they've read into meaning can be challenging enough), and asking them to re-read on their own is an exercise in futility.

Grammar
1. How do you normally cover grammar in class?
We are discouraged from "formally" teaching grammar in any form. I've begun to ignore this, and can tell you a great number of our teachers are beginning to ignore this as well. I've yet to develop a truly effective method for grammar, but I typically begin at the bottom with the 8 parts of speech and build from there. I use examples from what students are reading to illustrate what they are learning, and have them identify examples in their own writing as well.

Writing
1. Are you a literature teacher or both literature and writing? I know some schools separate the curriculum out.
I am both.

2. How do you normally incorporate writing into your schedule?
I've tried numerous things. This year is going to be a whole new ball game for me, as I've gathered all my data and ideas from previous years and am putting into practice a lot of personal research I've done in the near past for a very new way of going about things. As you mentioned, I'm going to move away from narrative writing as a focus, and work harder on analytical writing. My 4th and 5th 6 weeks will probably involve a lot of personal exploration through writing, but my goal is to have developed a strong writing foundation through the first 3 weeks which may bring greater recognition to writing purposefully and connecting literature to a) other literature, b) current events, and c) students' lives.

Academic Vision
1. What is your overriding goal for your students in English III?
I would like my English III students to build a strong foundation in the works which created a nation, defined its government, and fueled controversy, as well as develop the ability to speak and write purposefully on how those works continue to shape America (both nationally and in the eyes of the world). I would love to see my students make great strides toward more complex and accurate writing. I would like to see them begin to take notice of the connections between literature and their lives, becoming especially aware of how current events may reflect the past, and how current events are going to affect them personally within a year or two as they leave high school.

Now I have a question for you, Ms. Q. In what ways do you feel your background in History ed. has informed or enhanced your perspective of American literature, and what portion of that do you bring (or hope to bring) to your students?

EDITED to add: What excerpts from "Gatsby" were in your text, and what was the context in which they were presented?

Ms. Q: To Redkudu, Some Questions

One way in which my thought process works is to ask questions, mull over answers, rethink and go from there. So, I have a few questions to direct to Redkudu and readers:

Reading Novels In Class or Out of Class
1. Do you prefer one over the other?
2. What are your expectations of students when you assign out of the class readings?

Grammar
1. How do you normally cover grammar in class?

Writing
1. Are you a literature teacher or both literature and writing? I know some schools separate the curriculum out.
2. How do you normally incorporate writing into your schedule?

Academic Vision
1. What is your overriding goal for your students in English III?

I will respond to these same questions shortly.

Ms. Q: The Beginning

For me, planning for next year will begin with previewing the new textbooks we are getting this year. For me, this is the second year in a row of receiving new textbooks (two different subjects). I feel privileged to be able to have enough texts for a class set AND one for kids to have at home! However, as our two new schools are built and opened, this perk will surely go away. My hope is, by the time this happens, more of our students will be connected to technology and we can offer CD-ROM or online textbooks.

Even though I have textbooks, it is not the end all and be all for my resources. In fact, I used the text only twice last year. However, since we are getting brand new ones, I do plan to use them (the stories in them) more, as I feel it has many poems/stories/etc. in it. The area we are lacking in resources is novel sets. For some reason, they ordered Huck Finn, which is not bad--in fact I teach it and will continue to teach it, but we already have over 130 copies of this novel. They really could have broadened the horizon a bit more. There were a couple other novels ordered, but we already have some of each. My guess is they were trying to get enough for class sets for multiple teachers, but I would rather have had more of a choice. Because of the lack of collaboration within the department (which I, technically am not part of, long post for another day), the department head went ahead and did what she deemed as best fitting the curriculum. These are the novels for this year:
Catcher in the Rye *Not sure if I will teach this one.
The Great Gatsby *I have taught what was excerpted in the text and shown the video, but look forward to teaching the whole thing.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn *I already teach this
The Red Badge of Courage *I have to teach this for Academic Decathlong

Whereas Redkudu has her entire year lain out and the first 6 weeks already planned, I am nowhere near this at the moment. So instead of showing my year plan-- I will show what I think must be covered this year in the form of goals. We are on a nine-week grading period. I am also teaching AP US History on alternate A/B days with the same kiddos, so I want the two curriculums to match up as closely as possible.

1st 9 Weeks
Will cover colonization, independence, and the new democracy.
Suggested works:
Some Native American Creation Myths
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
City Upon a Hill
Poetry of Anne Bradstreet
Common Sense
Federalist Papers

2nd 9 Weeks
Will cover sectionalism, the Civil War, and the rise of big business/immigration.
Suggested Works:
Huck Finn
Red Badge of Courage**
Trancendentalist works
Whitman

3rd 9 Weeks
Will cover nationalism, imperialism, WWI, 1920s, and Great Depression.
Suggested Works:
Great Gatsby

4th 9 Weeks
Will cover WWII through present (or Reagan at least!)
Suggested Works:
The Crucible

This is obviously nowhere complete and here is where I want to go next:
Flesh out the langauge and literature skills focused on each quarter. I need to cover both the literary rhetoric and writing essentials. I want to avoid narritive writing and focus more on literary analysis. Students must write a research paper, but I think I will tackle this through the year-long project on the election they will be working on as part of both courses (which means I also need to build this into the plan).

Redkudu: The Beginning

In order to begin planning for the year, I have to take into account what resources are available to me. This means textbooks and individual books (novels) the department has available. We do have a textbook but our teachers rarely use it. It's quite old, and there aren't enough for all English III teachers to have a classroom set. It's also an enormous book, so difficult to get kids to bring it to class. Our school is overcrowded - students in the higher grades rarely get lockers, as there aren't enough, so asking them to lug a huge textbook to and from class simply doesn't work. The only thing we usually use the text for is to read "The Crucible," so we try to stagger our reading of this among the team so we can borrow one another's books.

I know from experience that we have enough of the following novels to provide a take-home copy for all of my students: The Great Gatsby, Fahrenheit 451. Most everything else we might want to use we generally only have enough for classroom copies, and some of those are reserved for the AP classes. This makes reading a novel a verrrrrrrry slow process when it can only be done in class.

To begin with, I separate my calender into the six chunks that represent our six weeks grading periods. I prefer to teach to a timeline, so that connections can be made between literature that came before and how its ideas influenced literature that followed. To that end, I begin with Native American folklore and rhetoric, and generally end with Fahrenheit 451. This year, I'm going to attempt to squeeze in "The Things They Carried" near the end, if possible. For each chunk I try to come up with a theme of sorts, just to remind myself of the focus. After considering the literature available to me, I consider the literary concepts most strongly represented, and look for repetition of the concepts in supplemental works. Here then, is my broadest outline for the year (this is how I jot them down in my notes). You can see where I am in my planning by the specificity of my notes.

1st 6 weeks: Native Foundations and Rhetoric (this unit complete)

• Major literary concepts: tone, imagery, simile, irony
  
• 1st 3 weeks: Native American Folklore: creation tales and tricksters, close reading, tone, imagery
• 
  2nd 3 weeks: Native American Rhetoric: several speeches, persuasive techniques, irony, themes in Native American literature and film
  

2nd 6 weeks: Puritan Influence, Declarations, and Transcendentalism

• 1st 3 weeks: Puritan Influence, Declaration of Independence, tone, simile, imagery, beginning grammar
  
• 2nd 3 weeks: Transcendentalism: Dickinson, Thoreau, Whitman, Emerson
  

3rd 6 weeks: The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

• reading a novel, identifying themes, composing thematic statements, symbolism, using embedded quotes
  

4th 6 weeks: The American Essay

• non-fiction, personal essays, essays which discuss events, time periods
  

5th 6 weeks: Harlem Renaissance and the Red Scare

• The Crucible
  

6th 6 weeks: Fahrenheit 451 and our American Future

At this point I haven't even begun to consider grammar and writing, except for the completed 1st 6 weeks' plan, and the beginning of the 2nd six weeks. I know that my students will need to complete 1 research paper, and a minimum of 1 essay to prepare them for the state test. One of my goals is to develop writing assignments in which students carefully analyze literature in various different ways: how word choice affects tone, elements of characterization, etc.

Okay Ms. Q. You're up!

Redkudu: Similar Situation

If you've read the beginning posts, you know that Ms. Q and I decided to experiment with a virtual collaberation after finding ourselves asking similar questions and sharing similar concerns about academic vision (or the lack of) in our schools.

Now a little about me: I have an English degree, and have dabbled in the writing world outside of teaching as well. This will be my 9th year of teaching ELA (grades 8-12), my 4th teaching English III. Like Ms. Q, our school teaches English I and II: World lit, English III: American lit, English IV: British Lit. As with Ms. Q, our school has no set English curriculum, and little in the way of a curriculum guide. We do have something called a "scope and sequence" but it is so hotly contested it is rarely used as a guide. (The latest version had us teaching Colonial Literature for 8 weeks, which is a bit long for any unit.)

The idea for the blog title came from something I discussed with Ms. Q, regarding the novel "The Great Gatsby" which was not originally one of my favorites, but which has grown on me over time. I've often felt that Daisy Buchanan's epiphany that her social class left her with little option but to be a "beautiful little fool" (as she advises her daughter) it could in some ways be an apt metaphor for lowered academic expectations, especially in reading and writing. Therefore, the title refers to an effort to recover the underestimated potential of students and reinvigorate a literature curriculum which is at best, in my case, abstract and without any set expectations except, as Ms. Q said, the state test.

This experience is new to both of us, and as we've never met and are separated by a state, it'll be an interesting one. I'm going to start off with a follow-up post describing what preparations I've already made for the next year.

English III Curriculum Planning

The overriding purpose for this blog was to create a space where I could collaborate with another English III teacher in an effort to improve instruction. As an English III teacher for the last two years, I am about to embark on year three. I do not possess a degree in English (I know, some of you are wondering how in the world this is possible), but I am only short 3 courses and have no desire to make it official at this point. Why? I earned two Bachelor degrees (one in Elem Ed and one in History Ed and needed to get out of school and get a real job), a Master's (Middle Level Ed), and am currently working on my Ed.D. in teacher leadership. To become highly qualified, I did have to take two exams showing I was worthy of teaching this fine subject. My first teaching job was in Language Arts/Literature in middle school and I have since moved up to the high school level.

Had I graduated with a degree in English, I still feel I would have had the same issues when it came to planning what to teach anyway. Why? English--what is it exactly? Depends on who you ask. Is it language? Is it literature? Is it rhetoric? Is it strictly writing? Is it strictly reading? Can it be both? Should it be one over the other? Should there be a sequence?

One of the reasons for this blog revolves around those very questions. I work at a school where there is no "set" curriculum. Incoming teachers are told English I, English II: World Literature, English II: American Literature, and English IV: British Literature, then given a list of the books we have for each level. There is no curriculum guide. Oh wait, yes there is--it's called the state standards. Which leads to another question--Which standards can I possibly cover in a year? Should I focus on literature or writing more? What parts of literature? What parts of writing?

One of the evils of English, as a course, is the endless supply of things to cover. Writing standards. Literature standards. Viewing and Representing standards. Media standards. What do I cover? What can I reasonably cover in a year? What skills are most necessary for my students to know in order to do well (both on the tests required for graduation AND outside of school)?

So here I am--looking at planning a whole new year.

Beginnings...

It started with a post here (Redkudu's post on Lack of Academic Vision) and continued here (Ms. Q's post on Summer Planning).

Two high school English teachers who crave a collaborative environment in which to plan for their students learning.

Ms. Q and Redkudu have joined together and created this blog in order to collaborate in the virtual world on the English III: American Literature curriculum they are both required to teach.

Please share in the journey through reading and commenting on posts you see as interesting, engaging, or just plain fun.