ESL / 4 + ESL / 5
This is an informative blog in which students and parents may access to get information on current and upcoming curricula and events in ESL/4, ESL/5, and in Art.
Already this semester in a both ESL / 4 and in ESL/5, students have worked in enhancing areas in English. See areas below:
Week One: Introduction to Expectations and Connections to work at a level of College and Career Readiness
Week Two: Introduction to the structure of a paragraph as having a focused topic and supporting details. + exploring grammatical areas of weakness; and self-assessing targeted areas through graphing and meta cognition.
Week Three: Exploring additional grammatical issues in the use of relative pronouns, use of passive vs. active voice. In addition, identifying the use of literary devices as a "writer's tool box," and identifying these elements in actual text. + Scaffolding a personal narrative through sharing ideas with a partner, a short-hand personal time-line, and exploring use of sensory words and phrases as a way of developing imagery in personal essays.
ESL / 4
Week Four: (9-22-14) Students are continuing their studies on how an author utilizes writer's tools to develop and "design" their stories. Narrative stories read so far include: "I Belong on the Beach," by Shelley Long; "Some Things Never Change," by Nelda Cruz in which students must comprehend the story via literary devices using graphic organizers.
Students have created a personal timeline, a visual timeline; have chosen a particular area to write about on their timeline (else, have been another choice based on prompts already written). This focused area has then been transformed onto another graphic organizer in which students practice using "sensory-and descriptive" language. Students will then have a "guiding tool" -- another graphic organizer in which they will outline their essay.
Holiday Homework -- Thursday and Friday, September 25th and 26th:
1) Read checklist and your draft one. Rewrite necessary parts to earn best possible points.
Draft one and draft two -- both typed -- must be handed in at the beginning of class on Monday, September 29th. Prepare to hand in all materials:
*graphic organizers and scaffold sheets
*draft one and draft two typed
*checklist
2) Independent Reading: Choose an independent reading book for class. In the end, you will create a project based on your reading.
*choose book
*write a reflective paragraph on what you have read so far + include title, author, setting, at least 2 literary devices and how the author develops the characters through these devices
OUTLINE:
End of October -- Summary of book
End of November -- Project of book
End of December -- Presentation of book
Monday, September 29th, 2014
Homework Tonight: Remember to "highlight" items on your 2nd draft -- use checklist. All drafts should be turned in at the beginning of class, as well as the checklist.
Week Five: Critically analyzing short stories and the reasoning and motivation from an author's point of view to be compared with a similar theme in non-fiction text.
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ESL / 5
Week Four: (9-22-14) Students are developing skills in citing evidence of how an author develops an essay based on a "writer's tool box". Students are reading a short story named, "My Dark Brown Lace-Ups," by an anonymous writer. Students are building background knowledge on the structure of a narrative essay utilizing an author's use of literary devices (literary elements and techniques).
Holiday Homework -- Thursday and Friday, September 25th and 26th:
1) Use the graphic organizer to "map-out" your essay. Add "sensory adjectives" to sentences.
Use simple, compound, complex, and compound complex sentences. On Monday, September 29th you need to walk in the door with a "sensory graphic organizer" + Draft One (Note: To those students who have changed classes--I have read your essays. For the most part, they are "sounding" essays. To move up in level they need a deeper understanding of the use of literary devices, so that as writers, this evidence is reflective in your work. Hence, for your first draft for this class you may use previous drafts, with an understanding of moving forward.
2) Independent Reading: Choose an independent reading book for class. In the end, you will create a project based on your reading.
*choose book
*write a reflective paragraph on what you have read so far + include title, author, setting, at least 2 literary devices and how the author develops the characters through these devices
OUTLINE:
End of October -- Summary of book
End of November -- Project of book
End of December -- Presentation of book
Monday, September 29th, 2014
If you wrote in the "sensory graphic organizer about a particular focused idea, this is okay and you have homework credit (everyday it is late it is less a point).
Tonight, you need to continue to add details and sensory details to your writing.
Week Five: Write a sensory, detailed narrative and applying literary devices to text.