Incarceron- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here.
In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finns escape is born …
Welcome to our blog. Our class blogs are up and running. You can check out the reading blogs at https://kaymcgriff.edublogs.org. Each student has their own blog, accessed by a username and password given to them in class. You can find your child’s blog by clicking on the links listed on mine. Students may use these blogs to publish their writing, share what they think about the books they read, and respond to each other’s ideas. Students are free to personalize their blogs and respond the each other’s posts as long as content remains school appropriate. Any inappropriate content will be dealt with as a discipline issue.
Monday – Book Trailer
Using a planning sheet. Students will share from their notes yesterday. Students will begin thinking about what is important about their book to include in a book review. One way to plan a piece of writing is by using a planning sheet or thinking on paper. Students might consider character, setting, conflict, and themes in deciding what to include in their review.
Homework: Choose 5 words for word study. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log.
Tuesday – Book Trailer
Crafting a lead. Students will read several leads from different reviews. They will choose three to model possible leads for their review.
Homework: Read 30 minutes and record on reading Log.
Wednesday- Book Trailer
Students will begin drafting their reviews using their best lead and the notes from their planning sheet. Students may draft on paper or the computer.
Homework: Three to five pages of writing due. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log. Complete Word Study.
Thursday- Book Trailer
Students will continue drafting their reviews. Drafts should be completed by Monday.
Homework: Word Study due. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log. Get Reading Log signed.
Friday–Book Trailer
Reading Day.
Students should read book of their choice.
Reading Log due!
Homework: Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log.
Welcome to our blog. Our class blogs are up and running. Each student has their own blog, accessed by a username and password given to them in class. You can find your child’s blog by clicking on the links listed on mine. Students may use these blogs to publish their writing, share what they think about the books they read, and respond to each other’s ideas. Students are free to personalize their blogs and respond the each other’s posts as long as content remains school appropriate. Any inappropriate content will be dealt with as a discipline issue.
Monday – Book Trailer
Reviewing the review. We will begin our study of reviews by reviewing a piece of candy. Students should take notes of the sensory details they experience as they savor the piece of candy. What does it look like? taste like? sound like? feel like? smell like? After writing down their observations, students should write a 1-2 sentence review of the candy that combines their opinion with sensory details.
Homework: Choose 5 words for word study. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log.
Tuesday – Book Trailer
What makes a good book review? Students will read several student written book reviews from Voices from the Middle, a journal for middle school English teachers. As they read, students will write notes on what they notice as important features in a book review. Students may work alone or with a partner.
Homework: Read 30 minutes and record on reading Log.
Wednesday- Book Trailer
Using a planning sheet. Students will share from their notes yesterday. Students will begin thinking about what is important about their book to include in a book review. One way to plan a piece of writing is by using a planning sheet or thinking on paper. Students might consider character, setting, conflict, and themes in deciding what to include in their review.
Homework: Three to five pages of writing due. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log. Complete Word Study.
Thursday- Book Trailer
LIBRARY. Students may return or renew their books for their book review. They may check out another book. They should use the remaining time to read.
Homework: Word Study due. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log. Get Reading Log signed.
Friday–Book Trailer
Reading Day.
If students have not finished their book for the book review, they should finish, so they can begin drafting next week. If they have finished, they may begin drafting or choose another book to read.
Reading Log due!
Homework: Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log.
Here is my example of a zone writing. Many thanks to Rod Sterling, who created The Twilight Zone, and to Harry Noden, who shared this lesson in Image Grammar. I chose to write about the Moving Zone, since my family moved to a new house this past weekend.
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man.
It is a dimension as heavy as an upright piano and as fragile as my fine china.
It is the heavy lifting between the old house and the empty rooms,
Welcome to our blog. Our class blogs are up and running. Each student has their own blog, accessed by a username and password given to them in class. You can find your child’s blog by clicking on the links listed on mine. Students may use these blogs to publish their writing, share what they think about the books they read, and respond to each other’s ideas. Students are free to personalize their blogs and respond the each other’s posts as long as content remains school appropriate. Any inappropriate content will be dealt with as a discipline issue.
Monday – Poem: “”
Free blogging day. Students should blog about anything on their mind. Possible topics could be What did you do over the snow days? What did you do over Christmas break? What do you think about any issue or current event?
Homework: Choose 5 words for word study. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log.
Tuesday – Reading from Letters from a Nut by Ted L. Nancy
Enter the Twilight Zone. Students will study examples of parallel structure and how this technique can create rhythm in your writing. Students will use Rod Sterling’s introduction to The Twilight Zone to model their own writing using parallel structure. Students will choose topic to write about from school classes or activities or their own interests. Then they will brainstorm a list of words that relate to or describe that topic.
Homework: Read 30 minutes and record on reading Log.
Wednesday- Reading from Letters from a Nut by Ted L. Nancy
Students will use their list of words about their topic to fill in the blanks in Rod Sterling’s introduction to the Twilight Zone. You can find a copy of this introduction in the Writing Handbook. Once it has been approved by me, students will type up their Zone writing and post around school.
Homework: Three to five pages of writing due. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log. Complete Word Study.
Thursday- Reading from Letters from a Nut by Ted L. Nancy
Students will type up their Zone writing to include in their portfolio and post around the school. Once finished, students may finish Monday’s blogging assignment.
Homework: Word Study due. Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log. Get Reading Log signed.
Friday– Reading from Letters from a Nut by Ted L. Nancy
Favorite First Lines. The beginning of a piece of writing is sometimes the hardest to write. Even though we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover-or the first few lines-, it is interesting to notice how writers begin their pieces. Pay attention to the first lines of what you read. Which are your favorites?
Reading Log due!
Homework: Read 30 minutes and record on Reading Log.
I hope you are having a good day today even though I’m not there. For class today, you have a free blogging day. You may blog about anything that’s on your mind. Just remember that it needs to be school appropriate, and it is also public. Anyone (your principals and parents, for example), can and do read these blogs.
I haven’t seen much news this weekend because I’ve been busy packing, moving and unpacking, but there is no way I could avoid hearing about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. My heart aches for the people suffering there and for people here who have friends and family caught in the tragedy. Even though Haiti is one of the smallest, poorest countries, there are many people in Indiana who have connections there. If you watched the Colts this weekend, you heard that one of their players has family in Haiti. A coworker of a friend has adopted and is waiting to adopt another child from Haiti. Fortunately, the orphanage where there child is living, is 150 miles from Port au Prince (the epicenter of the earthquake). Still, they are worried about enough food getting to the orphange since most imports come through Port au Prince. Two mission teams from my home state of North Carolina were in Haiti when the earthquake hit, and both teams have been accounted for. They survived the earthquake and waiting to find a way home.
I can’t even begin to imagine the desperation the people in and near Port au Prince must be feeling. Everything collapsed around them. Those who survived hear the cries of victims trapped under the rubble. Dead bodies are lying everywhere. What would it be like to search for missing fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, children? How do parents comfort their hungry, thirsty children when there is no food or water to be found? How do you cope when you’ve lost everything? What images from Haiti have stood out in your minds and hearts?
From this tragedy, there has been some good. Many of us in the United States have realized again how lucky we are. Yes, this great recession has hurt a lot of people here–people who have lost jobs and homes. But even during the worst of our economic problems, we are wealthy compared to the losses being suffered in Haiti. People who have little, are giving much to the people of Haiti. The Red Cross, radio stations, churches, schools and civic groups have come together to offer help to the people of Haiti. During worship at my church on Sunday, the pastor spoke about the tragedy in Haiti and how we are called as a church to help. He set out a five-gallon bucket (with John Deere logo) to collect donations. My family gave as well as many others. We still have time to get involved. It will take a long time for the people of Haiti to pull their country back together. What can you do to help? What can our school come together to do to help?