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Lesson 6

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Students began the class with a capitalization quiz, followed by personal novel reading. They spent the remainder of the block completing (in groups) their final "Cougar/Cub" diagrams - these were handed in at the end of the block. Please read through the following information about the Handsworth Writing Lab: The Handsworth Writing Lab is Open! What? The Handsworth Writing Lab (HWL) is a service for all students at Handsworth. When? Open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at lunch. Where? Room 2002 Who is the service for? Any student in grades 8-12 who needs extra support with their writing or wants to take their writing to the next level. It is a place where students invest in themselves by building their skills or working on specific assignments. Trained Editors are here to help: • Can’t figure out how to get started? We help you brainstorm ideas for your assignment. • Struggling with a concept? We can help you figure it out. • Wan...
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Lesson 5

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  Students listened to "Pink and White" by Frank Ocean - while we didn't discuss the lyrics at length, they were (re) introduced to classical allusion, through a reference (with multiple possible levels) to the goddess of tragedy, Melpomene, and a discussion about her children (half bird / half woman) potentially connected to  the sirens of the sea. Students read their personal novels. Students got into the groups and worked on group plot diagrams for "Cougar/Cub."  Bonus question for next class : Find an example (or multiple examples) of irony in the piece. What kind of irony is it? Explain. HMWRK :  Study for your Capitalization Quiz! Come ready to continue Cougar Cub work - be sure you are able to defend your plot points!
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Lesson 4

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   *Most students came to class with their novels ready to go... We looked at a speech from Shakespeare's Hamlet - Act 2, Scene 2 - and then compared the lyrics to "What a Piece of Work is Man" from the Broadway musical Hair (briefly talked about the ways in which literature alludes to, and makes use of, previous works of literature/art to comment on its own era...) Students read their personal novels Students did a second capitalization worksheet Students worked on their "Cougar/Cub" diagrams (handed in at the end of the block) while reviewing the story terms associated with a standard plot diagram (we will continue this work in our next class). HMWRK:  Find a novel for class, if you haven't already Review story terms Review capitalization rules  
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Lesson 3

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  Students began class by listening to "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, and thinking a bout the lyrics - A number of students forgot to bring a novel today, and those students had a bit of extra time to think... Students did the first of three sheets on capitalization. Students began a review of a standard plot diagram, and used this Cougar Cub Video to plot it out (please watch it at home if you missed today) HOMEWORK: Have a plan for recording homework (other than your phone) make sure your plot diagram for Cougar/Cub is complete, and bring a novel to next class. 
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Lesson 2

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Students got to save the blog in their phones! (then put them away) We talked about the things students want to learn in the course, and the fact that many of those are best supported by reading, writing, and talking together. We looked at this AI controversy , and talked about the related issues.  In groups, students listened to two brief stories - they focused on details to solve mysteries and avoid red herrings.  HMWRK: Bring a novel to next class!  
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Lesson 1

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 Welcome! Students found their seats, asked all the questions, looked over a course outline,  answered some get-to-know-you questions, and played a name scavenger hunt to get to know their classmates.  Next class, we will do some more icebreaker work, and then get down to work :)     
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