Monday 31 August 2015

Native American Stories



We are going to continue working on your Native American stories.  We will be presenting these tomorrow.  If you are finished, let me know and I'll let you start practicing your performance of the story.

1st - Words of the Day! 

Thursday 27 August 2015

Native American Stories

Make sure your creation story is posted.  I will be grading these today and this weekend.

Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of nineteenth century foundation works of American Literature by choosing one of the four subsections of this Unit (Native American Experience, Early Explorers and Settlers, The Puritan Experience, and Writers of the Revolution) researching and reading an additional story, essay or speech of their choice and creating a video discussing the theme and how the work fits its particular period. 

Okay, so you are going to read a Native American myth of your own.  Take notes, and retell it to class on Tuesday.

1st - words of the day and then I'll give you 10 minutes to finish yesterday's work.

You can use any of the following websites:

http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/native-american-myths/

http://www.native-languages.org/legends.htm

Coyote and the Buffalo


Learning Goal: Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story.

Today, we will read "Coyote and the Buffalo" then on your blog answer the following: "What makes Coyote appealing, despite his character flaws?"  How does the author achieve this?

First - words of the day.

You should mark the text as you read.  Refer your highlighted sections in answering.

HW: Finish writing "Creation Myths"

Wednesday 26 August 2015

American Lit website

Go HERE

Native American Myths

Learning Goals: RL1 and RL2 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.  Determine two of more themes or central ideas of the text.

Today as a class we will do the words of the day, finish question 7 from your textbook and then write your own creation myth explaining a) how the universe, the earth, and life began b) explains the workings of the natural world, c) supports and validates your social customs and values. 
If you're having problems answer question 7 go here.




HOMEWORK:


I'd like to review how to highlight or mark a text: please go here

 

Monday 24 August 2015

Tuesday

Today, I'm going to put you into small groups and have you read and discuss "The World on the Turtle's Back".  After you get through reading, I want you to answer questions 4-7 on page 45.


New Vocabulary List:


Colloquial
Dotard
Furrow
Misnomer
Vilification
Atrophy
Misogynist
Vindicate
Attenuate
Drivel
Virulent

Look these words up for homework!

Sunday 23 August 2015

Unit I

Standards/Objectives: RL1 and RL2 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.  Determine two of more themes or central ideas of the text.

Today and tomorrow - we will outline the introductory material on early American Literature (1600-1800).  Discuss creation myths and then read "The World on the Turtle's Back" as a class.

First, what did you learn so far outlining early American Literature?

You have 15 minutes to finish outlining.

What are creation myths?  Do you know any?

Creation myths is a story that a) describes how the universe, the earth, and life began b) explains the workings of the natural world, c) supports and validates social customs and values.




After we finish reading, in groups, answer (on your blog) questions 4-7.

Friday 21 August 2015

Early American Writing 1491-1800

(Native American Literature, Literature of Explorations and Early Settlement, Literature of the Puritan Experience, Literature of the American Revolution).

Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of nineteenth century foundation works of American Literature by choosing one of the four subsections of this Unit (Native American Experience, Early Explorers and Settlers, The Puritan Experience, and Writers of the Revolution) researching and reading an additional story, essay or speech of their choice and creating a video discussing the theme and how the work fits its particular period. 



Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:
4 – The student can create a video that explores two or more of the subsections of this unit and relate it to a theme and time period.
3 – The student can create a video that explores one of the subsections of this unit and relate it to a theme and time period.
2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student can create a video that explores one of the subsections of this unit and relate it to a theme and time period.

1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to can create a video that explores one of the subsections of this unit and relate it to a theme and time period.






Objectives (smaller chunks of overall goal) and suggested time periods

At the end of this Unit the Students will be able to

1)  Determine the themes of Native American Myths and cite textual support to back up their ideas
2)  Compare and Contrast a Native American Myth with the story of “Adam and Eve”
3)  Discuss how the author makes a character appealing despite their character flaws (“Coyote and the Buffalo”).
4)  Determine an author’s point of view and purpose by citing specific textual support (“The General History of Virginia”, “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”, “Speech in the Virginia Convention”)
5)  Write a short essay about the power of experience
6)  Outline the similarities in the experiences/viewpoints of the early explores and settlers.  Connect these experiences to Unit themes.
7)  Discuss how you persuade someone to do something (Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”).
8)  Be able to define Ethos, Pathos, Logos
9)  Discuss the claims of arguments in an author’s work.
10)          Discuss the author’s tone and it’s effect on a piece (“Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”, “Speech in the House of the Virginia Convention”)
11)          List fives things that make a good persuasive argument
12)          Outline issues that make up the Puritan Experience
13)          Outline the Declaration of Independence.  Make a list of favorite grievances.
14)          Outline the type of appeals and claims found in “The Crisis”.
15)          Pick out examples of parallelism in works and use parallelism in writing.
16)          Use adverb, adjective, and noun clauses
17)          Write a personal narrative. 


Major Themes addressed:

Who owns the Land? What makes a good explorer?  Are people basically Good?  Who has the write to rule? 

The Native American Experience
“The World on the Turtle’s Back” (Iroquois Creation Myth)
Adam and Eve – (from the Bible)
“Coyote and the Buffalo”

Exploration and the Early Settlers
From “The Devastation of the West Indies”
From “The General History of Virginia”
From “Of Plymouth Plantation”

The Puritan Experience
“Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”
The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Writers of the Revolution
“Speech in the Virginia Convention”
“The Declaration of Independence”
“The Crisis”
from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Big Idea Questions/Stems:
How do you determine an unreliable narrator?
What makes up the American Character?  How did the Puritans influence the American Character?
How does Experience shape us?
What writers influence the American Revolution?
What was the Revolution really about? 
Why was Benjamin Franklin the most famous American of his time?
What can we learn about the American Experience from the early explorers?