Revised themes

What do you think of the essay idea?

U2 Assessment Prompt

I think some students composed bad paragraphs on our last assessment because the prompt misled them a bit. What if we revise it (for the future) to "What is George's principal motivation for maintaining his friendship with Lennie?" Or it could say "main motivation" or "biggest motivation." Some students attempted two "chunks" about two motivations instead of two CDs with commentary. Focusing the prompt on ONE main motivation, with two CDs to support it, would help focus the response.

9th Grade Calendar

Good News! I checked out the calendar for the rest of the semester, and we have more time than we thought! We currently have our House on Mango Street unit ending around the middle of November and nothing else until semester 2 begins. This gives us a good 4 weeks of extra time! I propose we add 1 week to Of Mice and Men (we already decided this), 1 week to ERWC and persuasive essay writing, and 1 week to Mango Street. This will also give us time to review for finals at the end of the semester!

Yay :)

The assessment prompt says,  "Include textual evidence as your concrete details."

I take that to mean students may use their books. Is that everyone's plan?

I would really like to give the OMAM assessment on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Will that cause a big problem for anyone? I can make Wednesday work, but Thursday would be better.

Hello! Some of us are getting tired of inbox flooding and crazy email chains. A blog for our collaboration will streamline communication (we hope) and keep the records in one place, easy to review. Join the rarefied discourse.