Wiki Page, ELA 10A - Heintschel - Tri 1: Mon 9.27: Fluency + Chart Feedback + Continuing the Small-Group Discussion

Wiki Page
2021-09-23T08:26:32-07:00

#13 – Fluency: Show, Don’t Tell (9.27)

Write as much as you can during the time given (7 minutes this time!). The focus is on getting ideas and details down on the paper (or screen), rather than on getting the grammar and punctuation perfect. Keep writing instead of editing what you have written.

Pay attention to organization, but not so much that it limits your writing. Stream of consciousness is better than a blank page.

If you are struggling to get started, try changing the prompt a little. Change “he” to “she”; “cat” to “dog”; “worst” to “best” and see if it helps.

Prompt:

He was in a bad mood.

or

She is a great athlete.

Feedback and Clarification on the Comprehension Chart and the Small-Group Discussion

Some people have not been using class time to do the work assigned, or they have not been finishing their work.

But our reading and writing cycle does nothing to develop your skills if you don't practice the skills.

People got credit for turning in their Comprehension charts even if not complete - I left you feedback and what you overlooked or left out.

You will NOT receive full credit for incomplete work in the next story cycle.

And the work left undone in this cycle may make the writing more difficult or less focused that it could be.

If you only work on an incomplete understanding of the story, how can you write about an interpretation of the whole thing?

Comprehension Charts

Make sure that you include EVENTS from ALL parts of the story, ESPECIALLY THE END WHERE YOU ARE LIKELY TO SEE A CHANGE IN A CHARACTER!

Make sure you include YOUR THINKING about the CHARACTERS for ALL parts of the story.

While the first reading gives you a basic understanding, working on the chart gives you a chance to look back in the story and talk with others to STRENGTHEN your understanding of the characters and events.

Stronger understanding leads to better interpretation!

Small Group Discussion

We do a small group discussion AFTER you get the interpretative question.

The purpose of the small group is to test-out ideas before a whole class discussion.

You should work to write as many answers to the interpretive question that you can come up with (at least two!)

This makes sure you give yourself OPTIONS for writing.

This also helps you make sure that you have your best possible answer.

If you have three options for an answer, you can decide which one is easier to explain and find evidence for.

You might also discover that two different answers can be combined into one strong answer!

You might also find that talking about evidence for one answer leads you to a completely NEW answer that is stronger than the first stuff you came up with.

After going over this information, everyone got time to add to their discussion chart.