Rubrics

A rubric (expectations for a written piece) accompanies every published piece you will create in ELA. The small moment narrative rubric was distributed today. Please take time to familiarize yourself with what a "4" (exceeds standards/expectations) looks like. We will continue to listen to examples of 4-type writing.

Standards for the small moment narrative:
W2.1A: Write original literary texts to develop a narrative using an organizational tool such as chronology.
W2.1G: Use language that is creative.

What you will need each day in class:

1. Your sourcebook (please do not take it out of the classroom unless you are absent and are catching up)
2. Your timeline - the guide for your writing - revise as necessary
3. Your drafts
4. Two colored pens
5. Post-it-notes (for peer review)
6. Highlighter
7. Rubric - the model for success

Word Swap

During revision, writers make their writing clearer and better by swapping boring words with more interesting ones. In class, 701 started this process. All classes will do the same:
Highlight all verbs (action words) in your narratives.
Replace boring or overused words with more interesting ones (use a thesaurus - but make sure the definitions of the new words fit with what you are trying to say!).
Add adverbs (they modify or change the "feeling" of a verb) - for example "the car swiftly changed lanes."

Revision

The purpose of revision is to make your writing clearer and better. We do this by:

• Deleting/adding info
• Adding details
• Rearranging sentences/paragraphs/scenes
• Swapping low-level or overused words with higher-level vocabulary

To revise:

1. Use a different color pen from the one that you used to draft.
2. Use the lines you skipped on the draft for insertion/comments/changes.
3. DO NOT MAKE A NEW DRAFT - revise on the current draft.
4. Only create a new draft when revisions made it difficult to read the text.

You will revise small moment narratives to:

1. Zoom in on the moment
2. Describe
3. Paint a picture for the reader
4. Allow the reader to experience the moment as you did
5. Make your writing clear
6. Make your writing enjoyable

Portfolio Selections/Reflections

Each student must select 3 pieces of work from each class that:

• shows learning.
• shows what you know.
• shows what you can do.

Every selection must be accompanied by a reflection that includes:

• state standards that were nearly met, met or exceeded
• description of selection
• why you chose it (what does it prove?)
• planning (next steps. how you will use the skills/work in other classes or life in general).

Reflections should be written in advisory. Ask your advisor for guidance.

Wednesday Workshops

We have such limited time together (only 4 periods of ELA each week) - so Wed. workshop in room 235 will be dedicated reading and writing work. This is a great time to catch up, move ahead, and conference.
Today we focused on revising timelines and writing scenes.
Scenes deadlines:
702/703: Friday at the end of the double ELA period.
701: Monday at the end of the double ELA period.
Each scene should follow this format (using the labels):
Scene #:
Main Idea:
Setting:
Narrate:

Tomorrow and Friday we will continue to learn drafting strategies, as well as begin to discuss revision.

Scenes

You are now building scenes. Remember, as an author you must put the reader into your shoes and make them experience the moment as you did.
*Adjectives
*Emotions
*The 5 senses

We will examine a passage tomorrow and each table will work as a group to to rewrite lines to make them more descriptive.

The 7 Habits of a Proficient Reader

Classes 702 and 703 have gotten through the first three. 701 will be there soon. You should be using these strategies in ALL classes, not just reading fiction books, but while reading textbooks, magazine articles, Internet postings, etc.
1. Activating Schema
2. Questioning
3. Visualizing (or Envisioning)
4. Inferring
5. Determining Importance
6. Synthesizing
7. Monitoring for Meaning

Books - Don't Come to Class Without Them

Please have an independent reading book with you EVERY ELA class. Why?
1. You use them during reading workshop to try the stratgegies you learned in the mini-lesson
2. Reading is a great thing to do during "downtime" - when you are done with classwork, in between lessons, during breaks, etc.
3. During conferences, I will frequently test reading levels and discuss the books with you.

Timelines...

...are due Friday (702/703) and Monday (701). Please make sure you include:
Main idea - one sentence main idea includes who + what
3-5 points (in order that they happened)
Brief description - under each point
Detailed description - includes adjectives/adverbs, descriptive language, emotions

NOTE: the timeline is due at the end of the work period. It will be used as your periodic assessment and graded according to how well you demonstrate that you have mastered the small moment narrative skills so far.

Small Moment Timeline

All classes are engaged in creating and revising small moment narrative timelines - a great way to narrow down a topic and organize thoughts before drafting.
Keys to this timeline:
1. Keep it short (it's a small moment) - 3 to 5 points
2. Start at an interesting point in the story (don't waste time with introductory or concluding info)
3. Add details such as adjectives/adverbs, senses, and emotions
4. It is a work-in-progress that will be added to, deleted from, and possibly even moved around.
5. NEVER throw away drafts of the timeline - your work is a progression and we (and you) want to see each step of the process.

AAAAAHHHH>>>> SPA

Please remember to bring in supplies for Mrs. Marks' Advisory Spa Day....Here is a link to making natural spa recipes at home. http://www.spaindex.com/HomeSpa/HomeSpa.htm
We can use these for our next spa day. Tomorrow, we will enjoy nail polish, hand massage (instruction led by Kayliegh), good-for-you snacks, and other fun stuff.

Changing and Rearranging

The workshop model is designed to let students try out strategies they learned in the mini-lesson. Today, during Workshop, classes 702 and 703 got a chance to finish/revise their envisioning classwork. While some of you totally "got it" the first time, others asked for helped and worked hard to make the work better. Still others were done really quickly and did not care to revise. Our class is ALL ABOUT REVISION - working hard to make sure you "get it" (asking for help from your classmates and/or the teacher) and changing, rearranging, and polishing your work to show that you understood and could use what you learned.

Keep revising - nothing is ever perfect the first time around. It's a process!

Post Your Small Moment Narrative Ideas Here...

...so that your classmates who are struggling with finding ideas may be inspired by yours
...so that you may receive feedback

Today classes 702 and 703 created event timelines. 701 will begin theirs on Thursday. We will use (and revise) these timelines as we begin to draft our stories. Please remember that the workshop model is made for experimenting with ideas, and nothing has to be "perfect" at the end of a period of work. Also, please limit talking to accountable talk.

Seeing While Reading

Class 701 learned how to envision today (classes 702 and 703 will do the same tomorrow). Check out their sketches on our Readers' Workshop bulletin board.

We will kick the small moment narratives into high gear as we prepare to draft. On Tuesday, classes 702 and 703 will "zoom in" and stretch the moments with details as they create adjective-filled event timelines.

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Supplies

All students need the following personal supplies:
* 2 composition sourcebooks - one for writing and one for reading. The sourcebooks will be collected and stored in room 235 (plus side: lighter bookbags!).
please bring these with you each day:
* working pens (no pencils, please) in at least 2 different color inks (for revising/editing).
* post-it-notes (for reading response and peer review).
* an independent reading book (borrowed from our classroom library, or a book of your choice from home).

classroom supplies (to share):
* Purell or other hand sanitizers
* tissues
* paper towels
* magic markers
* construction paper
* a healthy supply of lined, white loose-leaf paper. (we do a LOT of drafting).