Today’s Agenda:
Today you will read two different articles about violence in the media. (If you are absent today, you’ll have to get it from me when you get back since I can’t post it online.)
As you read you will highlight main idea and supporting details. Then you will compare the two articles and form an opinion based on what you read.
If you have extra time, you can read your book circle novel.
Today we did a writing in role exercise. Here it is:
Writing in Role
Your task is to write a journal/diary entry explaining your actions so far in the novel.
Choose either the narrator of your story or one of the other main characters in the story to explore. Write as though you are that character. Try to mimic the way the character talks/writes. Think about the things that are important to him or her. What might he or she think people misunderstand about him/her?
A level four writing in role journal entry will have the following characteristics:
20 marks
This was due at the end of class. Once I hand back the ones I have marked I will not be able to accept any others.
Tomorrow is book club day. Come prepared and you’ll be rewarded with marks, good conversation, and cookies.
Today we will focus on a reading strategy: setting a purpose for your reading.
First we’ll begin with a discussion to activate prior knowledge:
We will read an article on dating violence which you can also find here. We will talk about setting a purpose for reading based our knowledge about the form, content, and audience of the article, and then as we read we will look for main idea and supporting details.
If there is time left at the end of class, we will read our book club novels.
A stereotype is a general mental image that is held of a group or class of people that is usually oversimplified. An advertiser may feature a stereotypical user of his product in order to encourage the audience to identify with the user. For example, housewives are often used in advertisements for cleaning products.
I’ve collected a bunch of clips from TV shows and movies. We will look at them together and after each clip you will list all the stereotypes you saw in that clip. If you are absent today, you can participate by commenting on this blog.
What stereotypes are present in your novel?
Today we are working in the computer lab. I would like you to share what you discussed in your bookclub in a ning. http://barkersbookclubs.ning.com/ One post per group.
At some point, I’d like you each to post discussion notes.
We will go through the process of how to post to the ning and how to comment as a whole class. Then one person from each group will post the discussion notes while the rest of the group members share what they think the key ideas are.
After each group has posted, I would like each person to comment on at least one other group’s page.
Today we summed up what worked and what didn’t work in book club meetings yesterday. The consensus seemed to be that the conversation had to keep moving, perhaps by asking more probing questions or examining the other side of an argument even if you don’t agree with it. Also we determined that it was important not to let your group down by being unprepared. And finally, I volunteered to bring snacks for our next book club meeting.
Today we had our first book club meeting. Some groups had really great discussions. I assessed your conversations in your bookclubs and I will assess your summary notes and reflections in your portfolios prior to your next meeting.
One of the issues that will come up in many of your book club readings is the pressures that young men and women face to live up to unrealistic expectations. For each clip that you watch, you will fill out a response on the “Gender in the Media” handout. These will be due at the end of class.
The first commercial is by Axe. Axe has received a lot of criticism for it’s stereotypical portrayal of men and women.
The second video was created by the Dove campaign for real beauty. Its purpose (according to the makers of Dove) is to bring attention to the onslaught of negative images that young girls see every day and to promote healthy self-esteem.
The messages conveyed in these two videos are very different and seem to be at odds with each other. But guess what: Dove and Axe are both made by the same company! Here’s how one person responded to that:
Intro to Book Club Issues
Great discussion today everyone. Today we brainstormed issues that are important to young people. These mindmaps were put in our reading portfolios and will be assessed. If you were absent, extra mindmaps are available in the classroom, but I don’t have an online version. You will be responsible for doing this when you return.
Please remember that your first book club meeting will be on Wednesday October 14. In order to participate, you must have completed the first section of your book and answered the questions on your bookmark. You must also complete one additional discussion question. See Tuesday’s notes about developing good discussion questions.