UNIT ONE
Read the titles of chapters from books
below. On one of the notecards on your desk,
write each title and then a couple of sentences
that describe what that chapter might be about.
"I am born"
"In which I end my hay-days and begin a new
profession" (Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, a
children's
"Of the monstrous pictures of whales”
Take five minutes to write a chapter title that
describes your feelings or relationship to
reading.
Once you come up with a chapter title that
pleases you, write a few sentences that justify
to yourself why that title best expresses your
feelings.
PAIR
Take five minutes to talk with a partner next to
you about your title.
Be prepared to tell the class about your partner.
SHARE
Introduce your partner:
Full name and what he or she goes by
Chapter title
Explanation of why that’s the title
Pick up the handout entitled “Study Skills
Survey” from the bookcase. Read and reflect,
but do NOT begin completing work.
On the back of your Study Skills Survey
respond to one of the following prompts:
a) I do well at . . .
b) I need to improve at . . .
c) In order to change my habits, I must . . .
d) I need to acquire these different skills if . . .
e) I have difficulties in the area of _____ because . . .
f) I would like to improve in the area of ____ because . . .
1. One student should describe to the other his or
her learning experience.
2. The other should record what his or her
partner is saying.
3. The recorder should them ask questions
necessary in order to write the other's
information correctly and to encourage the
speaker to explain what he or she means.
4. Then the pairs should switch roles with the
person who spoke first becoming the recorder.
1. Class notes: Keep daily notes. Each day's notes should be titled and
dated. Notes should also be legible and numbered.
2. Writing: Keep handouts, rubrics that pertain specifically to writing and
writing completed for class in this secion of the lcass notebook.
3. Grammar: Keep all grammar handouts and work in this section.
4. Vocabulary: Keep all Vocabulary Handouts, lists of vocabulary words, and
returned quizzes here.
5. Highlighted and Annotated Texts: Keep all highlighted and annotated essays
or readings in this section. You will be able to see how your reading and
thinking changes over the year.
6. Graded Papers, Tests, and Quizzes: Keeping all graded papers, tests and nonvocabulary quizzes in this section will help you monitor your own
improvement in reading and writing. When a new essay is written, you will
be expected to review past papers to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Pick up the handout "Metaphors of Reading and
Writing" from the bookcase at the front of the
room.
Complete #1-6.
Fold your paper in half longways when your are
through and wait until everyone has finished.
Reading is a steep hill that is difficult
to climb.
Writing is an experiment with the
whole universe as its apparatus.
Reading is exploring a new world.
Writing is a game in which some rules
are strict and some rules are lax.
Look at the group pairings on the board.
Find the rest of your group and partner with
the other group you are paired with
Take turns presenting your poster to the other
group as practice for formal presentations to
follow.
Pick up the handout "The Journey" by Mary
Oliver from the bookcase at the front of the
room.
Most poems need to be read at least twice.
Do not worry about understanding the
poem. Instead, this first time, read it through
and enjoy it.
Turn annotations over "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
in to tray on bookcase.
Pick up the handout "Glossary of Literary Terms" and
read.
As you read through the terms, determine if
you know what each term means. Mark each term in
the following way:
check mark (
) - I definitely know what this term means.
Plus sign (₊) - I've heard of this term but I'm not sure what it
means.
minus sign (-) - I've never heard of this and/or I have no idea
what it means.
Re-read “Sleep Positions” silently.
Use the sticky notes to annotate the text.
PURPOSE: As you read, identify two reading strategies
that you use. You may choose from the list below or
choose another strategy that you think works for you.
Be prepared to discuss:
Skipping a word I don’t know
Accepting confusion about the text
Visualizing the subject
Breaking the text into chunks or smaller parts
LITERAL Questions – “right there”
Bloom’s Knowledge and Comprehension Categories
INTERPRETIVE Questions – Require you, the reader, to
use information from more than one source, such as
other parts of the text or things you already know (
(prior knowledge)
Bloom’s Application, Analysis, and Synthesis Categories
EVALUATIVE Questions – rely more on the reader’s
judgment and experience than on anything learned
from a text
Bloom’s Evaluation Category
(Raphael, 1986).
1. What background knowledge do you have that helps
you connect to what's happening in the poem?
2. What picture do you see in our head when you think
about the poem?
3. What do you think the poem is about?
4. Identify whether or not each question is literally,
interpretive, or evaluative.
(Tovani, 2000).
Pick up the handout "Maya Angelou on Writing" from the
bookcase.
This is a passage from a tenth-grade PLAN test. In addition to
reading aout reading and thinking about yourself as a reader, you
are reading about writing and thinking about yourselves as
writers.
Use the Annotation Handout from your notebook to read and
annotate the text.
Write one interpretive question about the passage at the bottom
of the page.
This assignment will be taken up and graded using the annotation
rubric, also in your notebook.
METACOGNITION
knowledge about own thinking: knowledge of your own thoughts and the
factors that influence your thinking (BING Dictionary)
IN OUR OWN WORDS: Thinking about my own thinking
METAPHOR
1. implicit comparison: the use to describe somebody or something of a word
or phrase that is not meant literally but by means of a vivid comparison
expresses something about him, her, or it, e.g. saying that somebody is a
snake
2. figurative language: all language that involves figures of speech or
symbolism and does not literally represent real things
3. symbol: one thing used or considered to represent another (BING
Dictionary)
IN OUR OWN WORDS:
LITERAL QUESTIONS:
Literal questions require concrete,
straightforward answers. Answers to
literal questions are always facts, and there is
always one correct answer.
In reading comprehension exercises, answers to
literal questions can always be found in
the text. Answers to literal questions might
shed light on the who, what, when or where.
INTERPRETIVE QUESTIONS:
An interpretive question does not have just one
correct answer. For interpretive questions,
“correct answers” are any answers that you can
support with evidence from the text. The best
interpretive questions, ones that generate the
most engaging discussions, are those with
several different “correct answers.”
EXAMPLES OF INTERPRETIVE QUESTIONS:
Which has more of an effect on Jack’s success: luck or intelligence?
Is Jack a good person?
Why does Jack go up to the beanstalk the third time (after he already
has endless riches)?
Why does the author use the word OGRE more than the word
GIANT?
What plays a greater role in shaping Jack’s fate: his own
actions/decisions or those made by other characters?
Why did the ogre’s wife want to keep Jack from being eaten on his
first trip? (Later she did otherwise.)
How is “success” defined in this story?
EVALUATIVE QUESTIONS:
Evaluative thinking questions are those which deal
with matters of judgement, value, and choice. They are
characterized by their judgemental quality.
Thought processes involved while asking and
answering these questions are valuing, judging,
defending, or justifying choices.
Evaluative thinking questions usually begin with these
words or phrases: Defend...Judge...Justify...What do
you think about...What is your opinion about...
EXAMPLES OF EVALUATIVE QUESTIONS:
What do you think are the advantages of solar power over coalfired electric plants?
Is it fair that Title IX requires colleges to fund sports for women
as well as for men?
How do you feel about raising the driving age to 18? Why?
Justify Pilate's decision to execute Jesus.
Why would you vote for____?
What do you think of capital punishment for drug dealers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a3hT8f6Kk
k
1. one sentence telling what the story is about
2. a paragraph (minimum) of response to the
story
Your thoughts about the story's value and worth, ways
the text details affect you, memories or associations it
brings to mind, speculations about the writer or the
writer's purpose for writing the story. Try to explain
why these are your impressions.
3. three questions you have about the story one literal, one interpretive, and one evaluative
http://podcast.lannan.org/2010/03/01/sandracisneros-reading/