UNITS OF STUDY

Literary Devices:  The following is a list of literary devices that you will use throughout your high school career.     STRATEGIES:  The following are some of the strategies we will utilize in the classroom this year:   Guided Reading In class, we often read pieces aloud, pausing for clarification, interpretation and analysis, and comprehension assessment.  Note-taking, class participation, and activity participation is expected during guided reading.   Independent Reading Frequently, students will be asked to read independently.   These assignments will consist of reading completed outside of school, and will include student chosen text as well as teacher assigned reading for homework.   Literature Circles Literature circles are small groups of students assembled to discuss a piece of literature.  Each member of the literature circle is assigned a role, therefore making him/her responsible for some of the group discussion and progression.  Collaboration is a key component of literature circles.  At the end of each discussion, students will complete a  Self Assessment.  Click on any of the following underlined roles to obtain the class worksheets:   - The Connector finds a connection between the reading and the outside world (life experiences, world     happenings, other readings, etc).  - The Illustrator   draws a picture (sketch, diagram, cartoon, etc) that is related to the reading. -The Discussion Director  develops a list of questions that the group can discuss. - The Travel Tracer  tracks the setting using description, diagrams and/or maps.    -The Summarizer prepares a summary of the reading. -The Vocabulary Enricher provides a list of new and interesting words and their definitions.       Journaling                       Using journals in the classroom is an important and effective assessment tool.                  Journaling is usually used in conjunction with silent reading and read alouds, and prompts students to respond creatively to a piece of literature, to reflect on a passage or complete story, to make predictions, to ask questions, to make connections to the students own life, and to evaluate and articulate the effectiveness of good reading strategies.  Some examples of journal entries that will be assigned throughout the course of this school year are:   - Describe your worst nightmare.  (making connections/creative response) - Describe your most frightening experience with something non-human.  (making connections/creative response) - Which of the Seven Habits of Good Reading to you find most effective or useful?  Why?                                        (methodology reflection) - What is courage?  Describe a time when you or someone you know acted courageously. (making connections) - Write a journal entry as if you are one of the major characters from the novel/play/short story.  Express your thoughts and feelings about the story's happenings. (connect to text/synthesize/make inferences) -  What do you think the year 2070 will bring?  (creative response/prediction) -  Reflect on the following quote: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton                   - View other journal topics                                                  This site was last updated   Disclaimer: Some of the content on this site is the  product of collaboration, research, and compilation.