Overview 5/5 and Assignment for 5/12

Students were given a packet with a final checklist for their journals and information on how to write a review. Today students worked on their checklists/review of their favorite book they read this Spring. The link to that is here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r1GnY_ESqyxq78fM8WDE-EPd7Pz2bwaG/view?usp=sharing

Journals are collected next week. Reviews are also due next week. They should be typed and printed or sent via email.

Email me with questions.

Overview from 4/28 and Assignment for 5/5

Make sure you copy the notes and complete the assignment for next week.

Overview from 4/21 and Assignment for 4/28

If you missed class, please take the notes on the following slide. Also, take note of your assignment on the last slide.

Click here for a sample of the book trailers I mentioned for the final project.

Overview from 4/14 and Assignment for 4/21

Today I did NOT collect the journals, but students were supposed to have ONE free entry and ONE signpost entry done for today that they completed over break. These will still be read and graded at a later date, but the journals do not need to be checked EACH week now that students are on the right track with what they should look like.

I reminded students that their last book needs to be finished by our last class on 5/12. I am thinking about a final project that will be presented in the near future.

Here are the notes from this weeks FINAL signpost for fiction. In the coming weeks we will be covering the nonfiction signposts before wrapping up the semester. If you were absent today, take these notes in your journal and make sure you complete the assignment that is on the slides. Students should currently be in their 3rd books.

Overview from 3/10 and Assignments for 4/14

Here are the notes from today's Signpost #5: Again and Again.

On the last slide you will see your assignments for 4/14 and your reading schedule for the rest of the Spring.

As always, please email me if you have questions or problems. Do NOT wait until 4/14 to come to me with a reason as to why you couldn't do your assignments.

fameacademy.literacy@famefund.org

Overview from 3/3 and Assignment for 3/10

Today we took a Signpost test. Students were given for excerpts to read, and they were to identify appropriate signposts, answer the anchor questions for those signposts, and make sure to address the literary elements of the signpost in their response. This was an "open note" test. We will have to find time next week for students who missed this week to take this before interim reports.

FOR NEXT WEEK:
You all should have finished your first book for this week. Since your first book is finished, your first cover page that you started should now be finished as well.

Before you write any entries for your second book, make sure that you start/leave a whole page for your second book's cover page. A cover pages needs to have the following things:
1. Title of book
2. Author
3. Genre
4. Picture for book
5. Short summary of book in your own words (have to finish book before you do this)
6. Rating for book with at least 2 reasons (have to finish book before you do this)

For next week's journal you MUST complete a signpost entry. Now that you know 4 signposts (Contrasts and Contradictions, Words of the Wiser, A-ha Moment, and Tough Questions) you should definitely be able to find at least one of those signposts early in your book. Your entry needs to be a developed journal entry. If you cannot write at least 3 paragraphs for your signpost entry, you can pick another topic to respond to for more content.

Please get in the habit of quoting pieces from your books in your journals. For example: when people are writing about the great imagery in the book, it is probably a good idea to provide examples of good imagery from the book. If you say your character is changing a lot, you need to provide examples of how they were at the start and how they are changing, etc.

If you are reading a biography/memoir, I realize that the only signpost we know that also works for nonfiction is Contrasts and Contradictions (you should be able to find those in your book early on). We will be learning more nonfiction signposts in the near future.

As always, let me know if you have any questions by emailing me at:
famacademy.literacy@famefund.org

I check my email daily around 9AM, and I try to get on a second time at some point in the evening. Do not wait until Friday night to ask me important questions that need answered before Saturday's class.

Overview from 2/24 and Assignment for 3/3

Below are the slides from the notes with your assignment for next week on the last slide. (If you were absent, you will need to write these notes in your journal BEFORE class next week. You will also need to get the additional assignment for the signpost from me when you return next Saturday.)

As always, email me with questions at;
fameacademy.literacy@famefund.org

Overview from 2/17 and assignment for 2/24

Today in class we had a group discussion about our books. Students drew numbers that corresponded with different questions that were to answer about their books.

For next week, students are to complete a free journal entry (signposts are encouraged if available). 

Remember: when you find a signpost, answer the anchor question AND ADDRESS the literary element the signpost corresponds with (theme, conflict, character, etc). The literary elements are with your notes that are in your journals and on this blog.

*If you do a signpost entry that can be answered in one paragraph, you should be doing a free entry also to make sure you have at LEAST 3 quality paragraphs each week.

You should be finished with your first book by Saturday, March 3, 2018.

Overview from 2/10 and Assignment for 2/17

Today we took notes on Signpost #3: A-ha Moment. Those notes can be found below for anyone who missed to add to their notebooks or for anyone who needs to see them again.

Students were also reminded that for signpost entries, they are also to make sure they are addressing the literary elements that go with the signposts (in addition/in conjunction with the anchor questions). Those are already in their notes, but they are also listed here:

1: Contrasts and Contradictions: plot/conflict
2. Words of the Wiser: Plot/Theme/Character/Conflict
3. A-ha Moment: Theme/Conflict

Overview from 2/3 and assignment for 2/10

If you missed class today, you need to copy the notes from today that are presented below. We learned about Signpost #2: Words of the Wiser. This is just a fiction signpost which is why it isn't a required entry this week (though it is encouraged if you can). You should be progressing through your books to finish by the end of February.

Here are the notes with your assignment for the week on the last image. As always, email me with questions:

fameacademy.literacy@famefund.org

Overview from 1/27 and assignment for 2/3

Below you will find pictures of the class notes from 1/27 that should go in section 2 of your journal (you must copy them into your journal for points). On the last slide you will see the assignment that is due next week. Please email me if you are at all confused:

fameacademy.literacy@famefund.org

Click here for the Contrasts and Contradictions practice text assignment that was graded.

Today we went over book choosing strategies and the course journal format.

 Journal format: Everyone was provided with the same journal. If you were absent from class, you can get your journal next week and write this week’s journal on any lined piece of paper. Everyone was told to have a started cover page for their current book and one free journal entry by next Saturday. Feel free to reach out to me at fameacademy.literacy@famefund.org with questions or book approval. Genre notes can be found in the previous entry of your blog. You should write down notes on each genre in your “class notes (2^nd section)” of your journals.

Here is a link to the “Free Entries”handout I gave you in class.

Here is a link to a video of me reviewingthe journal format (you will see what a cover page needs in this video).

 Book Choosing Strategies: Student wrote a list of how they choose a book. I told them to be honest. Some wrote that they look for the shortest book they can find while others said they ask a teacher to recommend one. Here is the list of other book choosing strategies:

1.       Recommendation from a trusted reader (parent/friend/teacher/etc.)

2.       Award Winners (Coretta Scott King Award/Newbery Award/etc.)

3.       Favorite Author

4.       A Cover that catches your eye

5.       You liked the movie version or the movie is coming soon

6.       Part of a Series

7.       Books you “should” read (lists from goodreads.com, commonsensemedia.org, classicbooks.com, public library book lists, etc.)

DUE NEXT WEEK (1/27) Start a cover page for your current book and write ONE free journal entry. All of this is in the video that is linked above.

Your journal is 70% of your grade and needs to be at the Academy EVERY week.

Assignment for 1/13

As explained before break, you will all be choosing your own books for this spring semester of Critical Literacy. The goal is for EACH student to read at LEAST 4 books, 1 of each genre, before the end of the semester. Think of it as one book per month. 

When I come back on 1/20, I will explain the course in further detail and give you journals for the course. We will outline them together, and I will give you your first assignments. 

PLEASE LOOK OVER THE FOUR SELECTED GENRES AND TRY TO HAVE YOUR FIRST BOOK BY OUR MEETING ON 1/20. You do not have to start reading the book before we meet on 1/20, but I would like to know you have a book to start on that day. Pick the genre you want to start with first…again, you do not all have to read the same book or genres at the same time. The only genre options are below.

The Lexile reading level of your book should be AT LEAST 900. Remember, you can google a book’s Lexile level or ask me.

I was going to recommend some books, but I figured I would let you all try to find your own first. I don’t want you to think you have to read what is recommended. If you are really stuck, send me an email and I can suggest some titles. If you pick your own book and want my approval, I will happily let you know if I think it will work.

AS always, email me for anything. I try to check my email at least once a day during the week (usually around 9am).