Historical Fiction Unit Kick-Off in Mrs. Teal's Writ Lit I

Jade opens her copy of Nobody's Slave

Last week was the kick-off for our historical fiction unit in Writ Lit I, which began with the delivery of students' novel baggies! Each bag contained one of the 6 novels we are reading (all centered around globalization in the 16th and 17th centuries), 2 packs of sticky notes, the reading schedule along with reminders for how to sticky note during reading time, and a letter from me. Students met their new novel groups and were excited about everything from finding out which novel they would be reading to the smell of brand new books and the color of their sticky notes!

We are now well under way in our novels. Each day, students have 30 minutes of class time to enjoy reading their books. As they go, students sticky-note their thoughts, observations about the characters, and questions about historical references.  On any given day, students can be found reading in various spots around the room. Students have also been categorizing their sticky notes as literal, inferential, or critical, helping them to better understand the different levels of thinking involved when we interpret texts.

The second part of each class period is giving students time to build a warehouse of resources that help them understand the historical context of their novels, events they are/will be studying in World History. So far, students have looked at websites, YouTube videos, and scholarly articles. They'll be looking at artwork from this time period after Thanksgiving!

The last two weeks have been so exciting. There is great energy in a room full of readers, even when no one is speaking!

Using detailed documents to spark interesting research questions:

One area of focus in Freshman World History is giving students opportunities to formulate their own research questions.  Many students at the freshman level have little experience with this task and are surprised at how difficult it is to come up with a good question.  Good questions are generally relevant to the document, focused, and feasible to answer.

For this activity, we used a very detailed map of Germanic migrations and conquests (150 - 1066).  The students were placed in groups of 5-6 and spent a length of time "close reading" the document.  They were asked to try and notice everything on the map.  They needed to gain an understanding of how the provided key was organized and used and then familiarize themselves with the movements of the various groups.

Each group was then asked to discuss the map together and brainstorm a variety of questions that this map could generate.  Upon choosing a question that they believed met the criteria provided, they then wrote a hypothesis concerning their question, listed all clues they could find on the map, and began searching for quality sources that could help them discover the answer to the question that they asked.

When they returned the next class period, students were expected to have their question fully researched and answered (if possible) along with properly cited sources (MLA format).  We took time sharing out some of the questions and the answers that they found.   Here are some of the questions the students came up with;

Why did some Germanic Tribes migrate and some did not? ~ Justin Y.
Can I make a better / easier to read map than the one shared with us? ~ Truman G.
Why did the Vandals split into so many areas from Carthage in 429 C.E.? ~ Evan O.
Which of these tribes most influenced modern times? ~ Sherine S.
How was religion affected by the movement of Germanic tribes throughout Europe? ~ Samhita S.  

After sharing out, the students were given time to write a reflection on the process of creating a quality research question and finding credible sources.  This activity will hopefully aid the students in deciding on what adjustments they may need to make in their research process as they begin reading their historical fiction novel in Mrs. Teal's class.  As they read their novel, they will be asked to create a variety of questions and find credible sources related to these questions creating as a final product an Annotated Bibliography.

Geometric Constructions and Algebra Linear Functions Lead our Mathematics early this year...

Math Advertisement with Geometric Constructions

Geometry students in LC9A have been working hard on geometric constructions.  Part of the assessment for this unit include a project.  An example here shows an advertisement for the joy and power of mathematics.  Students have to use all constructions that we have been studying in their advertisements for math.  In the written exam part of the assessment, geometry students are challenged with integrating the algebra with our geometric concepts.  But they do see how it all comes together.

Algebra students dive deeper into their study of linear functions.  This includes multiple ways of graphing, domain, range, ,intercepts, slope, and applications.  The Algebra assessment also included a project where students had to justify their choice of method for graphing, while describing key features, then presenting it to to others.  The written exam part of the Algebra assessment is also challenging and encompasses all the concepts and applications.

This school year has already been enriching in all aspects of the mathematics and applications that we have studied.