Hunger in America Essay

We used the day on Friday for brainstorming about an essay on hunger in America (due Tuesday).

Today we relaxed a bit and watched a documentary on hunger in America, called A Place at the Table. Students completed a viewing guide as we watched it (see me for a paper copy tomorrow if you weren’t here). I want you to especially consider the film as it related to The Glass Castle and Jeannette Walls’ family’s poverty.

No homework for tonight!

I had a request for a review of some literary devices before the STAAR, so here’s a good Wikipedia page. In my opinion, some of the major ones you might want to review are:

• flashback
• foreshadowing
• in media res
• first-person, second-person, third-person narration
• hyperbole
• imagery
• sensory detail
• tone
• irony
• symbolism
• theme

Would you share this on whatever social media platforms you use, for the classes with whom I didn’t get to discuss this? (According to fourth period, Edmodo is where you guys all hang out on the Internet.)

It was our last day before the STAAR test! I think you all are very ready to do well.

In class today, we discussed some last-minute reminders about how to go about taking the test. Here was the sheet we looked at:

Reminders for Taking the ELA 1 STAAR Exam

(Remember, go directly to your testing room on Monday morning.)

We spent the rest of class conferencing about your cooperation essays and working on redemption assignments (two essays – they can replace any daily or homework grade for this cycle, and they are due to me by 7:30 on Monday morning – turn them into the box or slip them under the door). If you lost your paper copy, here are electronic copies:

5th Cycle – Redemption Assignment 2.doc

5th Cycle – Redemption Assignment 1

To receive credit for these, you must have a full page of pre-writing and a full page for your essay.

Good luck, students! Let me know how you think you do!

Today, I showed you guys an example of my prewriting and writing, using a prompt about how technology has shaped our world. I don’t have an electronic copy of those materials, so please come get a paper one from me.

For the remainder of class, students worked on prewriting for the essay. Homework was to actually write the essay:

Invention Essay Prompt

Today, we looked at some notes on your accomplishment and recognition essays:

Notes – Accomplishment and Recognition Essay

With the remaining time, students began working on a new essay on cooperation:

Cooperation Essay Prompt

Today, students who were not yet finished with their tests from yesterday completed them.

After that, we practiced STAAR-style reading using a short story from Ray Bradbury and an essay from Albert Einstein. Here are those materials, along with the answer document:

Reading Packet

The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind

The Golden Kite

Students will turn those in tomorrow.

Homework for tonight was a grammar practice packet – I don’t have an electronic copy of that, so if you were absent, please come get a paper copy from me.

Today in class, we took our Glass Castle test, reviewed some important considerations for expository essay writing, and began working on another essay (due tomorrow). Here are the materials:

Recipe for a Level-4 STAAR Essay

Expository Essay Prompt – Recognition

We have one week until the STAAR exam! I know things are going to be busy until then, but I promise we’ll slow down a little bit next week.

Today was a revision day!

In class, we revised our “This I Believe” essays. Here was the revision guide that we used:

ThisIBelieveRevisionHandout

For homework, students were to revise their mock STAAR risk essay. Here are the notes that I shared on how to do that:

Risk Essay Notes

I also have hard copies of two essays that received perfect scores – please come pick one up if you missed class today and would like one.

Other announcements:

1. No grammar quiz tomorrow – that will be sometime during the week after spring break.

2. There will be a test over The Glass Castle the Monday that you return (the 25th). Since it will be mostly STAAR-style close reading questions over particular passages, there isn’t really much to study. Make sure that you have read the book in its entirety. There will also be two vocabulary questions and six grammar/writing questions.

One more day!!!

Today students wrote their rough drafts of the “This I Believe” essay. Please have this ready to go tomorrow so that you can work on revision.

Homework was a subject-verb agreement review – I don’t have an electronic copy, so if you were absent, please come pick one up.

Also – all classes will be meeting tomorrow in the library. Please bring any books that you need to return or renew!