1. Students were given a writing assignment yesterday. Today, they settled down into some actual writing and were able to write their rough drafts of the four-paragraph assignment.
2. They were told to write this in parts:
   1.  Brainstorm for setting, plot, climax, and challenging situation
   2. write a rough draft and edit it
   3. complete a final copy
3. The one part most students were failing to do was include in their narrative their personal reflection on their challenging situation. A narrative is to share with the reader a particular event that occured that has great meaning to the author. They need to include in their writing how being in this situation would affect them personally.

   Some made comments after that it was the first class they were actually silent and all working. I loved it!!

1. Students read “On the Eve of Uncertain Tomorrows” yesterday. Today they were given a handout with questions that they had to answer individually. (Some assignments students are able to work together on, but this assignment I wanted done independently so I could evaluate and measure how well each student did in comprehending and monitoring what they were reading. Some were caught sharing answers… tsk tsk. )
2. Students had to hand in what they had completed at the end of the hour-long class.
3. For tomorrow’s class, they are to have read the attached essay, “Finding A Nationality That Fits” and have the six questions at the end of the essay completed.

[youtube]tC_tYCPFoXc[/youtube]

This is a video that discusses the realities of Japanese Internment Camps in Canada. This related to the two poems by Joy Kogowa that we’ve discussed lately about her recollections of being ‘evacuated’.

Questions for “On The Eve of Uncertain Tomorrows”

1. Still on the topic of Marginalized Voices in Canada, students were asked to read, silently, the story in their handout package titled “On The Eve of Uncertain Tomorrows”. Some students asked to read together aloud in the hallway and others chose to stay to read alone. They are to have this story read for tomorrow’s class.
   The copier was busy this class but the questions for this story are attached in the link above. They will answer them tomorrow in class and hand them in for a homework check.
2. A second reading assignment was attached if they finished reading the first, titled “Searching For An Identity That Fits”. There are six questions attached that they will be answering.

“The Michelle I Know” questions

Ms. Waldner’s ‘Beggar’ Narrative writing

Narrative writing outline

1. Students took turns reading aloud the short story, “The Michelle I Know.” As they began reading, they stopped occasionally to pick out words and phrases that would demonstrate the author’s tone in the piece.
2. Once finished reading, there were questions to respond to that we discussed.
3. I shared a story of a friend who is in a similar situation to the character in the story. I showed them her wedding photo that shows her continued positive spirit and hope despite her physical condition.
4. Students were given a new writing assignment, a narrative writing assignment. They need to chose a situation or predicament to place themselves in and write from that person’s perspective, how they would respond and feel in that challenging situation. I shared with them my own personal example of a narrative writing piece. Click on the links above the see the questions for the story, the handout describing narrative writing, and my own example.

1. Students were to have read “Why My Mother Can’t Speak English”. We discussed the short story with students paraphrasing the story for those who hadn’t read it.
2. We discussed the questions and came up with answers together, focusing on the voice of this marginalized woman in the story.
3. We read two Joy Kogawa poems, paraphrased the poems to understand their meaning better, and noted the changes in tone throughout the poems. We finished the questions for both poems.