Making Inferences about Character

I collected personal responses and handed back those that were given to me last class.

We talked about how to make quality inferences about characters.  We need to look for patterns, or trends, in behaviour, speech and/or thought in order to make inferences that are truly accurate and plausible.  The more support we can provide for an inference, the stronger an inference it is.

Students met in Literature Circles to discuss the next chunk of their book.  They chose the next chunk, to be completed for the first week back to school.

Then, students began a Character Analysis Assignment.  The assignment is as follows:
 - list 4 to 6 traits to describe your character's personality (any main character is acceptable)
 - provide evidence in support of each trait

Your mark for this assignment will be based upon the accuracy and insight of your inferences, and the quality and depth of your evidence.

Best.Stories.Ever

We began class by reviewing the run-on sentences/comma splices handout.  We will do some follow up work with run-on sentences next week and have our quiz after the break.

We talked about the best stories we've ever read (or heard or watched...) and about what makes them great stories.  We listed ten stories and discussed the conflicts at the heart of each story.  We talked about how the conflicts in these stories are present in many other stories as well... just with different characters and details. 

Then, students chose a conflict to focus on and wrote a beginning that would capture a reader's attention and make him/her want to keep reading.  We had a contest, where students voted for their favourite beginning, and that student won a prize.  Chocoate.  Awesome.

Remember to read your next chunk and create a Page of Thinking for next Tuesday.

Making inferences when we read

We talked today about how to make insightful, supported inferences when we read literature.  We read the first chapter of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and I modeled the inferences I was making while reading.  We discussed that insightful inferences come from thinking carefully about what we already know (our background knowledge) and the clues we are being given in the story (textual evidence).

Students then met with their Literature Circle groups and discussed the third chunk.  After discussions, groups chose their fourth chunk, and students were asked to write a personal response to what they've read so far.  I will collect, and mark, these responses.  Responses are due at the beginning of Friday's class.

I also collected the run-on sentences/comma splices practice worksheet, which will inform me about whether we are ready for a quiz yet.

Writing Powerful Personal Responses

After returning the personal responses students wrote last class, I asked the class to consider some sample personal responses and to think about what made them powerful, or not.  We used the Ministry Quick Scale for Reading Literature to evaluate each sample.  After we discussed a strength and an area for improvement for each sample, I had students revisit their own response, and to consider my highlighted comments on their rubric.  We will write a second personal response after our Literature Circle meeting on Wednesday.

Then, students worked through a review of run-on sentences and comma splices, which is due at the beginning of Wednesday's class.  There will be a quiz checking students' ability to correct run-on sentences and comma splices next week.

Making connections while you read

Class started with a mini-lesson on how to make rich, meaningful connections when you read.  We discussed that connections can usually be categorized three ways: text to self, text to world and text to text (visual or written).  We worked through the first two pages of The Five People You Meet in Heaven as our model text, and I discussed the connections I made as I read.

Then, Literature Circles met to discuss chunk two of the book.  After discussions, groups filled out a "Discussion Review" and completed a peer/self assessment of each group member's contribution to today's discussion.  Groups chose their third chunk of reading, and read until the end of class.