Day 1 Scenarios September 9, 2007

My first foray into blogging, foxes. I’ve got quite a ways to go to catch up to Afro Fox. Actually, this is kind of a response to Afro Fox’s last post, but I wanted to share the activity we’ll be doing in AS 1 tomorrow. Foxy Fox came up with the brilliant idea of giving the kids scenarios that follow the plot of the possible book choices, and having them essentially write the ending, like those fun “choose your own adventure” books. We came up with pretty good scenarios for the four books we’ll be doing this semester, so we’ll see how it goes.

Day One Activity for Author Study September 9, 2007

Foxy proposed something cool for day one… Sort of based on the strategies lesson plan from Opening Project.  We provide a series of scenarios drawn from the core texts, and give them two possible courses of action.  Students then consider which option they would choose (or come up with a resonable alternative).  I think this is guaranteed to stir up discussion. 

      

Dialectical Reading Journals September 9, 2007

 So I’ve been researching Dialectical Journals, and I’ve found some interesting stuff.  Here’s an overview:

Purpose

Journaling pushes students to consider the material they’re reading more deeply, and to construct their own meaning from the text.  It can also help students clarify plot details and the significance of specific events in a story. 

Reading student journals then gives teachers some insight into what students are getting from the literature and what they have trouble with.

Process

Students pick passages from the text that jump out at them respond in writing. 

Formatting

I like the double entry format, which looks like this:

 because it reminds students to include page numbers and allows them to view the passage drawn from the text right next to their response.

I came up with an Intro to Dialectical Journals that students can keep in their binders & use as a reference.  It includes details instructions on how to choose quotes, tips on what to write about, and sentence starters (thanks foxy).  I also found  a pretty good rubric we can refer to when grading the journals.

I’ll add a link to the intro & a blank graphic organizer to the Author Study I class page on the ESA homepage.