the-emperors-club-assignment-body-pars.doc

1. Students arrived at class to learn three topic sentences and the brainstorming for the related body paragraphs were already in the process of being written for them. How fortunate for them, then, that they would only have to focus on writing a truly sparkling introductory paragraph, using yesterday’s information to guide them, and attempt to leave their reader stunned and filled with reflection after reading their conclusion. It will happen, for some!  lol
2. Using the projector again, students brainstormed for the information to add to their two paragraphs as I typed out some extra background information I scrounged up that could be of use to them. I looked up the word “Anticipation” in Wikipedia and found a lot of useful information. It is things like this that can be used in intros. I printed out the first page and each student was given a copy that contained the three topic sentences and background. With this, they should have all the information they need to write their two paragraphs. 
3. Attached at the top is the file containing the three body paragraphs that match with the topic sentences given. Students are to choose their own order, according to significance in their opinion. They are to open the file, add in their own intro and conclusion, save the whole essay as their own file, and then submit the full essay on Monday.
4. We will continue tomorrow and the assignment will be due Monday.

writing-effective-intros-and-conclusions.doc 

1. Students began the class with an enthusiastic discussion of the movie they watched together yesterday. They were disappointed with the ending, after realizing the potential existed, when the boy committed the same mistake later in life. We had a fairly good discussion of the topic surrounding Mr. Hundert’s decision to give the third position for the Ceasar competition away from the boy who had actually earned it. They disagreed with his decision to tell the boy that he had actually earned that spot back in his youth but that it was given to someone else. The students wrestled with this because they didn’t see any purpose of potential good to come from telling the man something had been taken from him; it was too late, obviously, to correct it.
2. We looked at a poor copy of an essay that was simple, too repetitive, and simply uninteresting to read. We moved from there into a handout given to students that was also displayed by the projector onto the board that looked at things to consider incorporating in introductions and conclusions and the common elements of really engaging (enticing) paragraphs.
3. We followed through the lists, stopping to put into practice some of what we were reading. We created a thesis with the topics the students generated and then refered to it throughout the discussion. The class went by quickly and there was a lot of information that we looked through. In tomorrow’s class, though, we’ll get more into the application of this.
4. There is a new page on the right side of the homework blog, under Pages, that focuses on this topic. It can be of assistance to you in writing intros and conclusions for essays in other classes. It’s there; feel free to use it!

listening-skills.doc 

The following are videos the students will be listening to in order to decipher the purpose of the speaker and their strategy for listening to that type of speaking. Try listening to any of these videos without watching them. We discussed as a class why we can retain or input so much more information when we watch And listen, because we are using two senses to gather information, but it is not always possible to watch the source of what we are listening to so focusing on developing listening skills is an important task.

 The Office Halloween trailer

How to charge an Ipod using an onion and electrolytes

Kobe Bryant says don’t compare me to Jordan 

Backtracking Britney Spears

Al Purdy’s poem “Old Alec”

1. Students followed intently in a lesson addressing Listening and how, most often, it is required but seldom addressed as a skill that involves strategies, active focus and attention, and considering the purpose of the message to focus how we should listen. It was a very interactive and thought-provoking class. The students participated energetically through several simulations and improv role playing. They did a great job!

1. Students have two classes this afternoon, which works well as they’re watching a video that is approximately one and a half hours long titled The Emperor’s Club. This movie is about a teacher at an all-boy’s prep school who invests not only in his profession but also in the future of the boys he teaches. As we are discussing Anticipation in this unit, the students will soon do an assignment that will reflect on the movie they have watched where the main character may or may not be rewarded in the future by the investment he has in these boys.