Friday, June 1

• FYI, Wednesday, June 6 we plan to walk to my house for lemonade and cookies!!!

• Information about Hero’s Journey

• Apply it to The Giver

• Preview of this last unit

• Watch movies, apply the Hero’s Journey frame to the movie

• Final will be a reflection on the wiki (and portfolio grade)

• Begin Wonder Woman movie

• Add a column to the handout

 

Dear 7th grade student,

 

Did you ever notice that many stories have similar plot elements?  It’s not a coincidence. What we’re talking about here is called the Hero’s Journey. It’s a common progression of events in a story — like a formula — that storytellers used over a thousand years ago and that storytellers are still using today. The Hero’s Journey formula continues to engage and entertain audiences, partly, because it is a reflection of our human experience.

 

Our journeys include helpful mentors, major obstacles, mysterious happenings, and lessons learned. Since we are the heroes of our lives, the Hero’s Journey formula continues to resonate with humans across cultures and times.

 

We will be using the Hero’s Journey to guide our reading of several stories and viewing of several movies. Your job will be to identify the elements of the Hero’s Journey in the movies we watch. This skill will heighten your observation skills when watching movies in the future also. In addition, it is our hope that you will be able to use these observation skills on your own life, too; understanding this story structure may help you be more self-aware, insightful, and hopeful in the coming years.

 

Then, we watched this excellent video on the topic of Hero's Journey:

Hero’s Myth video

 

Thursday, May 31

• Pass back grade slips from yesterday & finish presentations

• Anyone with a Literature book, go to the library and turn it in

• Quiz over the Group books or...

• Book give-away

• (optional) You can have one book from the shelves per person; let Mr. Kabodian see the book you are taking (no dictionaries or other school-related books)

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, May 30

• Take a few minutes to meet with your group to work out last minute issues

• Present your book to the class

• Involve your whole group (individual grade, 10 pts., group grade, 25 pts.)

• Reminder to the audience to listen so you can know basic facts about the books

 

Tuesday, May 29

• Last day to work on your presentation with your group

• Be sure to leave time today to practice your presentation

• Tomorrow, we start presenting

• Back in the classroom

• First call for Literature books

•  

 

 

 

Friday, May 25

• If your group has questions they want on the quiz, give them to Mr. Kabodian today (with answers)

• Students will have seen your presentation before the quiz

• Tuesday is the last day to work on your presentation; Wednesday, the presentations start (no school on Monday)

• 5-10 minutes in length

• Group grade and individual grade

• Some info to include: main characters, summary, message/theme, info about the author, what we liked & didn’t like about the book...

• Note: look for your Literature book; next week, turn we’ll turn them in

 

 

Thursday, May 24

• Return role sheets (grades on powerschool)

• Log in to a computer so it can load

• Vision screening in Room 228 (project space by Mr. Watson’s class)

• Time to read or work on a presentation with your group

 

Wednesday, May 23

• Pick up a role sheet for each member of your group (back counter)

• Time to read your book with your group; complete daily roles and sheets/entries; discuss the story using the role sheets; turn in the sheets

• Place your list of roles (with your name on it) in the basket if it’s completed (5 pts.)

• All groups: Give Mr. Kabodian at least 2 good questions (and answers) about your book. Possibly use Discussion Leader Q & A’s. (Due asap or by Friday) Mr. Kabodian may use these questions on the book quiz on June 1.

• Students will have seen your presentation before the quiz

• Reminder about using computers properly or losing them

• Stay with your own group!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Review how to set up a prezi account and share your prezi

•  

 

Tuesday, May 22

• Pass back role sheets

• Six of the seven books are online! Thanks to Mr. Woolsey!

• Laptops available if needed

• Pick up a role sheet for each member of your group (back counter)

• Time to read your book with your group; complete daily roles and sheets/entries; discuss the story using the role sheets; turn in the sheets

• Extra credit question: Who was Juliet McQueen and why is she remembered with a garden stone?

 

 

 

 

Monday, May 21

• People are still awesome

• Pass back role sheets

• Look at options for sharing your story

• Laptops available if needed

• Pick up a role sheet for each member of your group (back counter)

• Time to read your book with your group; complete daily roles and sheets/entries; discuss the story using the role sheets; turn in the sheets

• Extra credit answer: Cecil E. MacDonald was the superintendent of East Lansing Public Schools back in the 1960’s.

• Winners: Maisie from 1st hour, Emma from 2nd hour, and Charlie from 5th hour

• Some of the books are online on the Literature Group Resources page 

 

 

 

Extra Credit: Who was C.E. MacDonald (the person that our school is named after)?

Be the first person to tell Mr. K the answer (per class) and earn 5 points extra credit.

Friday, May 18

• Pass back role sheets

• Show East Lansing Education Foundation art and explain what they do

• Pick up a role sheet for each member of your group (back counter)

• Time to read your book with your group; complete daily roles and sheets/entries; discuss the story using the role sheets; turn in the sheets

•  

Tuesday, May 15

• Pass back role sheets

• Pop Quiz

• Time to read your book with your group; discuss the story

• FYI --- no role sheet due for today (assignment changed to a total of 9...for 36 points)

•  

Monday, May 14

• Pass back role sheets

• Show the Literature Group Resources page on the wiki

• People are Awesome: Noah Fleder

• Pick up a role sheet for each member of your group (back counter)

• Time to read your book with your group; complete daily roles and sheets/entries; discuss the story using the role sheets; turn in the sheets

 

Friday, May 11

• Passed out grade slips and passed back role sheets

• Students picked up a role sheet for each member of their groups (back counter)

• Time to read their book with the group; completed daily roles and sheets/entries; discussed the story using the role sheets; turned in the sheets.

• Use the Literature Group Resources link as needed. 

 

 

Wednesday, May 9

• Last MAZE of the year

• Pick up a role sheet for each member of your group (back counter)

• Time to read your book with your group; complete daily roles and sheets/entries; discuss the story using the role sheets; turn in the sheets 

 

 

.

 

 

 

Tuesday, May 8

• Sit with the students in your group

• Group behavior expectations

• Students get their books, the Literature Group assignment, and do the math (how many pages to read a day)

• Time to preview the book, assign reading roles, begin reading

 

Monday, May 7

• Introduce Literature Group unit

• Introduce the seven books

• Top 3 choices (you should get one of them)

• Show Literature Group Unit overview

• Roles, structure of the unit, end/goals (don’t forget...you need to write a couple questions (with answers) about their book for the quiz at the end); turn in your role sheet daily

• To library if time

• Remind them to turn in The Giver book and a reminder to finish final draft of the Giver paper on the wiki

• S. Tarpoff can’t be made up

 

 

 

Friday, May the 4th be with you

•  We had time to finish our Giver paper (on the wiki)
• We watched The Monsters are Due on Maple Street (Twilight Zone)
• Note: if you have not turned in your Giver book, please do so on Monday! 

 

 

 

Tuesday and Wednesday...and Thursday

M-STEP; bring a book to read

 

Monday, April 30

TURN IN YOUR GIVER BOOK!

If you were absent on Friday, turn in your Notebook

Revise your draft and upload it to your wiki (Final due today)

Reminder: print your Sarah Tarpoff entry --- it’s due tomorrow (but we won’t have any time to do it then)

We have M-STEP for the next two days

Bring a book to read when you’re finished

 

 

 

Friday, April 27

• Earth is Awesome video

• Anymore Giver books to turn in?

• Turn in Notebook entries in basket on back shelf

• Re-read your entries to make sure they are specific (don’t start with “It” or “Because” for example...name what you’re talking about)

• Library

• Revise rough draft; you need to make changes, add details, write at least two pages...if you want full credit on the final draft

• Put your final draft on the wiki (due Monday by the end of the hour)

• Reminder: print your Sarah Tarpoff entry before Tuesday

• We have M-STEP two days next week: check out a book while we’re at the library

 

 

Thursday, April 26

• Return Giver tests and review it

• Collect any Giver books that want to be turned in

• Peer review draft: read a peer’s draft with the assignment in mind

• Any more Lowry speech answers to turn in?

• Notebooks due tomorrow 😉

• Go to library

• Write and/or type draft of Giver paper

• Rough draft due today

• Turn in hand-written or printed draft

 

 

Wednesday, April 25

• Lowry interview and collect Lowry speech answers

• Show cover of older edition of the book

• Remind about S Tarpoff, due May 1 --- print a piece from your wiki, without your name on it, while we are at the library the next few days

• Notebook entries due Friday

• Time to write draft (due tomorrow at the end of the hour, hand-written or printed out)

•  

 

 

 

Tuesday, April 24

• Play vocab 1 song

• Test over The Giver

• extra credit (on back):

• Brainstorm of paper due

• Show Mr. K, then begin your rough draft

Finish Lowry speech answers (due tomorrow)

 

 

 

Monday, April 23

• Finish movie

• Pass back Vocab 2

• Assign paper

• Brainstorm due tomorrow

• Answer Lowry’s speech questions; due tomorrow if you don't finish today

• Reminder: Giver Test tomorrow (know characters, plot, conflict especially)

 

 

Friday, April 20

• Reminders:

• Book orders due

• Poems due for MMS contest

• Notebook entries so far (due next week sometime)

• More events (below)

• Review Ch. 20-23 (end of the book); read last couple pages aloud

• Paper assigned Monday; Test on Tuesday

• Watch more of movie or library to print poem?

• Read Lowry speech for homework

•  

 

 

Thursday, April 19

• Quiz returned
• Vocab 2 due
• Share some Lansing area history
• Notebook entry: In what ways does knowing about this history help us live our lives?
• Review Ch. 17-19
• Assign S. Tarpoff writing assignment, 10 points, due May 1
• Time to read or watch more of movie
• FINISH READING THE GIVER TONIGHT 

 

Wednesday, April 18

• Quiz grades on powerschool

• Reminder: vocab 2 due tomorrow

• Notebook entry:

• Choose either Ch. 14, 15, or 16. Summarize the chapter in a few sentences in your notebook.

• Pair-share, then each group shares out as a review of  Ch. 14-16

• Watch more of the movie

 

 

 

Tuesday, April 17

• Remind about extra credit poetry opportunities: MMS and library slam

• Pass out Book Orders (due Friday)

• Review Ch. 12 & 13

• Vocab set 2 (due Thursday)

• Quiz over Ch. 1-13

• Time to read Ch. 14-16 or begin vocab when you finish quiz

• Giver movie trailer

• Show the beginning of the movie 

 

 

Monday, April 16

• Notebook entry:

• “Memories and wisdom” — Jonas is receiving the memories of the whole world, which is similar to re-living history. The Giver says wisdom comes (and the future is shaped) by re-experiencing the memories, by remembering the past.

• Do you agree or not? Why? (opinion with support)

• Why does the Community give this task only to the Giver? (opinion with support)

• Pass back homework

• Review Ch. 10 & 11

• Time to read Ch. 12 & 13 (and/or listen in project space)

• Ch. 1-13 Quiz tomorrow

 

 

Friday, April 13

• Pass back group classwork & discuss answers

• Vocabulary 1 and Jonas’ Character Traits due; share vocabulary sentences aloud

• Review Ch. 8 & 9

• Time to read 10-11

 

 

 

Thursday, April 12

• Pass back job assignment

• I can write passes for Sway workshop during Trojan Time today

• Students work on Ch. 1-6 questions in groups of 2 or 3

• Use your books (share the writing on one sheet); due today

• Time to read Ch. 8-9

• Reminder: Vocab and Character Traits due tomorrow

 

Wednesday, April 11

• People are Awesome...and fail too

• Review Ch. 4-5

• Review notebook entry homework...time to finish if needed

• Assign students a Job

• Due at the end of the hour

• Time to read Ch. 6-7

 

 

Tuesday, April 10

• Remind about the poetry workshops (Th. at TT and 4/19 at TT) and tell about the MMS contest --- two 10 point extra credit opportunities

• Review Ch. 2-3 aloud together

• Character traits of Jonas reminder; examples of using vocab words in sentences

• Time to read Ch. 4-5

• Ch. 4 Notebook entry for homework

 

 

Monday, April 9

• 4th Marking Period begins

• Pass back notebooks

• Last day for 3rd mp late work is tomorrow

• Review the definition of Science Fiction in our notebooks

• Add to it

• Notebook entry quality vs. lack of quality

• The Giver

• Notebook entry: Perfect World (see below)

• Share your entry with a peer...and the class

• Pass out the reading schedule and books

• Talk about quiz, test, paper (on wiki)

• Put names in books; show Mr. K name and number

• Chapter 1

• Assign Vocabulary 1 (use correctly in a sentence) and Character Traits (due Friday)

• Read Chapter 1 aloud

• Read chapter 2-3 for tomorrow

Use the audio version if you want (note: for best results, follow along in the book as you listen)

 

3rd marking period homework