Night Homework #3

1. Please read section 4- pages 47-65
2. Generate discussion questions:

       1 summarizing
       2 clarifying
       2 questions of fact
       2 questions of interpretation
       2 questions that are open ended
       1 predicting question


This is your homework to be completed by the end of break. DO NOT read past section 4. Please catch up on your work if you are behind. This is a perfect opportunity. Remember, I will be collecting your discussion sheets when we complete Night. If you miss an assignment due to absence or carelessness, you are still responsible for completing the sheets since each one counts toward your homework grade and you will also be receiving a quiz grade (on steroids) for your work as a whole when we finish the novel.

Take care of yourselves on break!

-Mr. B.

Night Homework #2

1. Please read section 2 & 3- pages 23-46
2. Generate discussion questions:

       1 summarizing
       2 clarifying
       2 questions of fact
       2 questions of interpretation
       2 questions that are open ended
       1 predicting question 

NIGHT homework

Please read pages 3-23.
Generate 2 questions in EACH of the following categories:

1. Summarizing
2. Clarifying
3. Questions of Fact
4. Questions of Interpretation
5. Open-ended questions
6. Predicting Questions

Preface of Night

After reading the preface of Night, let's practice the comprehension strategies discussed in yesterday's class.

In groups of 3-4 please write 2 of the following:

(I will ask the summary question)
1 clarifying question

1 question of fact

1 question of interpretation

1 open-ended question

1 predicting question

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

In class:

Post-film reflection:

Please take the next 5 minutes to 1. freewrite on your initial reactions to the film.

2.The film focuses on a family whose father is a Nazi commandant. Does the idea of Nazi soldier as family man tell you anything about the people who committed these horrific actions?
Why do you think the writer of this story wanted Bruno's father to be a Nazi?













HW: Throughout the next 4-5 weeks we will be exploring human behavior and responsibility during the Holocaust. How could a world of humans silently look on as these horrific events took place? Who's responsible? Your task is to type a one page, double-spaced (Times New Roman 12 pt font)  reflection on The Boy In The Striped Pajamas that analyzes the role of two of the following concepts in the film:  1. obedience, 2.one's sense of duty, 3.discrimination / prejudice, and 4.innocence / ignorance. Can these concepts offer us any reasons for how something so monstrous could take place among fellow human beings. Explain. Be sure to give examples from the film to support your responses.

DUE Thursday.

Media Review Peer Review

Here's the deal for the peer reviews:

1. Read through another review
2. Edit grammatical errors along the way: punctuation, spelling,
3. Note the length. Don't count, but does it seem like at least 500 words or does it seem a bit thin. Indicate your response.
4. On the back or wherever there is blank space, write summary comment that includes one positive and one negative. Things to consider: appropriate headline (the "what" with a clear opinion/tone), details, are opinions reasoned / logical or too emotional? is there enough detail? is the writing engaging--is this something you would continue reading if you weren't forced to? does the lead contain a clear angle? does the work seem more like a journal entry with no clear purpose (author avoids rambling)? is the review fair, or does it take a tone of arrogance, the author sounds like a "know-it-all"

5. Switch papers with anyone else


HW: Read your work in a one-foot voice. That means that you read it out loud so that a person a foot away could hear you. This will help you catch mistakes and determine if your work "flows." Please type the word count at the bottom of the page.

ENJOY!

Homework for MONDAY 3/11

HW: Please TYPE your media reviews of the poetry slam. Check the rubric for any requirements. I am aware you have a field trip, but I will be collecting them at the end of the day.

WORD REQUIREMENT: AT LEAST 500 words

ADVICE: DO NOT WRITE THE WORDS, "HIGHLIGHT" or "LOWLIGHTS" in your reviews. The writing will become predictable, boring, and most likely very choppy:

One of the highlights is that blah blah blah.

Another highlight is BLAH BLAH.

A lowlight of the poetry slam was blah blah blah.

-----Versus-----


While the poetry slam exhibited many thoughtful, contemplative poems from the 8th grade, the 7th grade poems seemed to rely more on flashy props and presentation. While there isn't necessarily anything horrible about this . . .

HOMEWORK: OUTLINE for REVIEW

Here are the directions for your HW (typed or handwritten):

OUTLINE:

1. Please draft a headline for your article
2. Draft a lead (at least 4 sentences)

YOU NEED A TOTAL OF AT LEAST 3 HIGHLIGHTS OR LOWLIGHTS (2 highlights/1 lowlight, 3 highlights/ 0 lowlights, 3 lowlights/0 highlights, 2 lowlights / 1 highlight)
3. Highlights:
      a. Identify the highlight
      b. Write two sentences of reaction to this particular aspect
4. Lowlights
      a. Identify the lowlight
      b. write two sentences of reaction to this particular aspect
5. Write down the titles of at least  three poems that are going to get special mention in your review. (either positive or negative)

Free Style Friday (ay-ay-ay)

For 4 minutes, please write out your initial reactions to the poetry slam. What's your angle?

WHAT'S YOUR ANGLE

(much of this review was adapted from Pitchfork.com)


Going for the gut on "Cooking up Something Good"  (headline with an opinion)

Mac Demarco's "Cooking Up Something Good" has an unusually personal feeling to it because he writes honestly and naturally about life-- both the heavy moments and the mundane ones.  (angle)

His sleepy voice delivers subtly heartbreaking observations: "Mommy's in the kitchen, cooking up something good/ And daddy's on the sofa, pride of the neighborhood". When the chorus comes in ("Oh, when life moves this slowly/ Oh, just try and let it go"), it's blindsiding, and his sense of defeat is painfully obvious. (standout moments)

The song, which initially feels like an ode to the frustrating teenage days, is actually about a father figure manufacturing drugs in the basement. In this sense, "Cooking Up Something Good"  captures the intense frustration of not being able to escape one's family ties, painful secrets and all. ( summarizing my opinion)


Time to play the game that's been sweeping across the nation: WHAT'S YOUR ANGLE!?

For Presto, what overall sense do you get from the short film? If you found it entertaining, what makes it so? If you found it dull, what makes it so? WHAT'S... YOUR... ANGLE!!!--please write it in two complete, descriptive sentences. Don't forget to include the title of the film!

Then, go back and write a headline that captures your opinion. If you're the kind of person that thinks better if the headline is there, try writing the headline first. In any event, the subject matter (the "what") should be there, as well the general opinion (angle)

Standouts: What 2 aspects capture your opinion of the short film? This can be anything from format of the film, to specific moments in the film, to the film's use of music / color / editing. ANYTHING!

Contestants?

School reviews: The issues

Now, now. Don't get all worked up. The majority of you are heading in the right direction. I'd say one of the greatest challenges of writing this review was separating yourself from the routine of your day--picking and choosing only that which applied to your opinion. Here were some minor issues I came across:

-Headlines that didn't suggest an opinion
-Leads that set the scene beautifully, but didn't set the tone of the review with a general opinion of the day
-detail paragraphs that rambled on and on with opinion after opinion, fact after fact, without a clear topic or point for that paragraph.
-diary syndrome (no, not diarrhea): you write ALLLLLLLL the events of your day and comment on each one---no overall sense of direction with the piece.

Hey, chin up. These might not apply to you, but check your work to see if it does. I won't force anyone to admit their errors to the rest of the class, but if you'd like to volunteer that information on your own, be my guest! It might help us (and me!) to hear what you were thinking or what your intentions were when you made that error.

Okay, okay. It's never fun to hear the bad, when there clearly WAS some good!

-many vivid, engaging reviews--another strong display of enthusiastic, inspired use of language!
-there was some really thoughtful commentary on school life and effective teacher instruction. I can't say I was as observant as some of you when I was in 8th grade. Kudos!
-personalities could be detected---cool!
- generally fair criticism, without being demeaning, over-emotional, and clumsily informal.
-many embraced the "make-believe" aspect of the assignment. It often worked highly in your favor, sounding confident and thoughtful.

So, what, if anything needs to be worked on by all? Knowing your angle. Being passionate about your angle. Finally, communicating your angle. What do I mean? Know exactly what opinion you want your audience to take away from your review, and making sure you only include details and facts that enhance, not distract, from that goal.

Poetry Slam Media Review: What You Should Look For

Tomorrow is the Poetry Slam, which means we need to start talking about what to look for while you're there.

Take a moment to brainstorm in your notebook several things you might comment on and take notes on while at the event.

We'll discuss afterward.


Then! On to your school reviews!

Writing a media review on a day at school

Playing "make believe" is sometimes the best way to access our most creative and imaginative selves. For this assignment, I want you to play "make believe" by imagining that you are working for a very prominent newspaper and your job is to visit the school, go to classes like a regular student and write a review on a typical day at Siena Catholic Academy.

Have some fun here! Give yourself a different name. Write as if you're new to the environment. This is to help you use reason and strong detail to back up your opinions, instead of unimaginatively spewing out the typical emotions you associate with school--depression, boredom, trapped, blah blah blah. Playing "make believe" will hopefully allow you to see beyond those often unwarranted emotions (really! you don't have it that bad!) and enable you to write a thoughtful, honest, and FAIR review of a typical day at Siena.

Pass The Plate: How do Media Reviews Differ From News Reports?

Today, we're going to begin class with a "pass the plate" activity that will allow you to become an active part of the note-taking process on media reviews.

Directions:

1. Read the lead in the video game article and then read the lead in the HSM2 review.
2. Functionally speaking, what do the two leads have in common? (Don't focus on what they are saying, but the similarities on how the leads function)

3. Functionally speaking, how are the two leads different?

4. Look at the paragraph 2 or 3 of the HSM2 review. Please identify 1 opinion of the writer.

Writing a review on a film, album, or television show is slightly different than writing a review on an event. To prepare you for that process, your assignment, DUE: Wednesday, will be to write a review on Tuesday's school experience.

Please read my model review on all of my ELA classes on last Friday. While reading, please notice how it is not just a random collection of ideas on how I think each class went. I used my summarizing skills to detect a pattern, and then used only those details that supported my overall opinion of the day--captured in the headline of my piece.

Please take out two different colored highlighters / pens. Underline or highlight the facts in one color. Underline or highlight the opinions in the other color.

When you are done, please write a sentence that summarizes the reviewer's opinion of my ELA classes.


HW: You technically have no homework, but you do have "schoolwork" for tomorrow (perhaps the most obvious statement of the century). What I mean is that you must collect facts and observations from your school day tomorrow, with the intention of composing a review on your day at school.

Elements of a Media Review

HEADLINE: Summarizes the "What" of the article. It may hint toward your opinion.

Byline: Author's name, specialty

NO PLACELINE

Lead- This first paragraph should give as many of the 5Ws as necessary and introduce your opinion on the subject being reviewed

Paragraph 2 (Details): Focus on the most important facts and only those details that help you support your opinion of what you're reviewing.

Paragraph 3 (Details): Focus on the second most important set of facts or information that will support your opinion.

Paragraph 4 (Summary): Provide an engaging and brief final paragraph, usually a sentence or two, that sums up your opinion. Remember to be true to the opinions in your review, without being repetitive. Be entertaining!