Day 74: December 5, 2016
Every quarter my school district expects the content areas to give a common assessment. This quarter in English our focus has been argument writing and so we decided to hone in on the skills needed to write a thesis statement and focus our assessment on that.
Today we gave a pre-assessment. This is a lesson that is rather famous in the circle of high school English teachers. I first heard about it from Kelly Gallagher in one of his books I did a study on last fall. The lesson is called Slip or Trip?
Students are given a crime scene and minimal information. Based on the evidence they gather they write a claim or thesis statement which defines their beliefs about the crime. It’s a really fun way to introduce the purpose and structure of writing a thesis statement. It’s one of my favorite things to do every year.
Today I wore my brand new Lula Roe Carly dress. I paired it with black OS leggings from Lula Roe, a black sweater, and boots.
Day 75: December 6, 2016
In history this week I’m trying to drive home the point of using primary sources in research. Students are currently working on an independent project about the Industrial Revolution. They are using time outside of class to work on these projects as we move forward in the curriculum during class time. Today we took a look at four primary sources about child labor and machines replacing manual labor during the Industrial Revolution. The students took the sources home and for homework answered several Document Based Questions.
Today I wore a printed top from Stitch Fix 4, red jeggings, and because it was very wet and rainy outside I wore my Sperry rainboots.
Day 76: December 7, 2016
In English today we made progress in the novel, Not a Drop to Drink. We focused on the inciting conflict of the novel where people from a nearby town decide to attack the main character and her mother on their homestead. In this scene the students analyzed characterization and plot structure. They also read a non-fiction text about water shortage in our world today. Many of the students were completely unaware of the fact that water shortage isn’t confined to a third world country problem. They were shocked to learn that California and many other western states are faced with this crisis as well.
Today I wore a white sweater than my sister bought me last Christmas, coral jeggings and booties.
Day 77: December 8, 2016
The nasty bug that seems to be popping up everywhere made itself a guest in my household today. It could be the fact that I’ve been going a mile a minute preparing for the end of the semester or maybe my new diet of paleo/gluten free made me susceptible, but I had to turn my classroom over to a substitute today. Sorry there are no cute pictures to share of myself lazing around binge watching Gilmore Girls.
Day 78: December 9, 2016
Well-rested and recharged I hopped out of bed ready to conquer the world today.
I threw on my brand new spirit wear that I bought from the basketball team, pulled on my boots, and got myself to school extra early.
In history today we shared some of the Industrial Revolution projects which students worked on independently throughout the course of the week. I was impressed by narratives, presentations, and posters that the students shared as ways of displaying the research they conducted.
This was a fast pace, highly effective week despite my mid-week sick day.
Which outfit was your favorite?
The Ameri Brit Mom
The Ameri Brit Mom 