College+Essay+Unit

**__Unit 1, Day 1 __**: College Application Essays Cycle 1 – Day 2

Objectives:


 * Students will get to know each other and teacher.
 * Students will understand course goals and expectations.

Warm-up: Listen – Learn – Respond – Reflect….Who Am I? Who are you? Your name/Learning Goals x 2 Writing Goal and 2011-12 / Personal Goal/ Class Expectation GoalLearning Activities:


 * 1) Course info—syllabus, expectations
 * 2) BINGO—
 * 3) Self-Symbol Creation Project—Students create a symbol for themselves out of random materials in a box.
 * 4) Write self-intro speech that incorporates the symbol (notes to explain)

**__Unit 1, Day 2 __**

Cycle 1 – Day 3

Objective: Students will be able to justify in writing and orally defend their symbolic representation of their story. They will be able to show what they know in terms of past learning last year.

Warm-Up: Complete Creative Representation (15 minutes)

Students share intro. Speeches and symbols with class

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Learning Activities:


 * 1) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">6 Traits Review: Each group reviews and makes a collage/presentation for assigned writing trait. (Supply students with art supplies, magazines for pictures, and 6 traits info.)
 * 2) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Present, if time allows

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 3 __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Cycle 1-Day 5

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">W-up : How are you feeling today? Reflect on the first week of school - **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Objectives: Students will be able to identify 6 traits of writing with an emphasis on voice in written text. Students will be able to learn more about their individual personality type.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">W-up Complete 6 traits collage – Share ideas in group


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Share posters with large class – explain why this trait is important and how it is used.


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Voice review – <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[|In Groups-]
 * 2) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Look at sample college essay – create a T-chart of what you see – and what feelings these images invoke.

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 4 __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Cycle 1 – Day 5

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">W-UP **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: Complete Group Share = Students take notes.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Objective: Students will be able to identify voice in a piece of writing. Students will be able to identify their personal identity type and use this information to investigate personal preferences.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Today’s Highlight = Voice

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Voice review – <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[|In Groups-]


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Look at sample college essay – create a T-chart of what you see – and what feelings these images invoke.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Assess the college essay for voice against 6 traits rubric and defend your answer.


 * 1) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Students complete personality test
 * 2) [|//Personality test//]<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">[| based on Jung and Briggs Myers typology]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp <span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> - <span style="color: #3366cc; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; text-decoration: none;">[|Cached]


 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 5 (8/17) __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Cycle 2-Day 2


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">W-up - Journal: Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now? What will you be doing? **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Objectives: Students will be able to explore personal likes and dislikes in terms of college type, location, etc. Students will be able to explore various college websites and find specific information.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Learning Activities:


 * 1) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">College search/wish list [[file:College criteria brainstorm.docx]]
 * 2) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Visit top three college websites (bookmarked)

===<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">HW – Compile a list of at least 3 interesting prompts from the applications of your top schools - Add these the discussion forum - Please also reference the school where you took the question from ===

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 6 (8/18) __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Cycle 2 –Day 3

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Objectives: Students will be able to identify key information in text. Students will be able to evaluate essays for strong and weak areas in terms of ideas, organization and conventions. **

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Warm-Up: What have you learned about yourself and your goals from the personality test and the college research? (Write and share) **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">Introduce college application essay summative assignment. Review expectations and rubric.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.5in; vertical-align: baseline;">Additional Resources:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Individually, students read and highlight important info. <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[|“Personal Essay Guidelines”] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[[file:Guidelines and Advice for personal essay.doc]]sheet in order to solidify knowledge. Class discussion on important info.
 * 2) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">As a whole group, read a college essay and evaluate for strengths and weaknesses []
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">In small groups, students will read 2 sample college essays and evaluate them, using <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[|instructions for evaluating college essays][[file:Group instructions_for_evaluating_college_essays.doc]]

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 7 (8/22) __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cycle 2 –Day 5

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Objectives: Students will be able to reflect on strengths and weaknesses of student essays and use ideas to reflect on individual strengths and weaknesses. Students will explore effective pre-writing strategies. Students will reflect introspectively and brainstorm significant or life changing moments.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; vertical-align: baseline;">W-Up Reflections: In small groups, students Summarize the content of the essay they read for homework – Identify the strengths and weaknesses. Share some of these large group

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif';">1) Students read 1 additional sample college essays and evaluate it, using Group <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[|instructions for evaluating college essays]

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Additional Resources:]

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif';">2) **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Who are you?: Students complete a free write, using ‘I’ statements – (A free flow of thoughts regarding who you are as an individual – anything and everything counts as you reflect on your lives) **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> (Teacher Model) Pair Share.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif';">3) Individually, students will complete college <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[|essay idea builder]

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; vertical-align: baseline;">4) Turn and Talk – students will share ideas in terms of life changing elements

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 8 (8/23) __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cycle 2 –Day 6

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Objectives: Students will be able to pinpoint some major turning points in their lives. Students will be able to explore organization features of a personal essay and draft ideas in paragraph form.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">W-up: Draw a quick life map and label those experiences which you feel are significant in your life. Turn and Talk **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; vertical-align: baseline;">Learning Activities.


 * 1) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Pre-Writing: Students will complete a 15 minutes independent brainstorm reflection charting ideas… - Think in terms of personality traits and experiences [[file:PreWriting college essay process sheet.docx]]
 * 2) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will explore their ideas a bit more in depth by utilizing the <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|personal essay outline][[file:personal_essay_outline_instructions.docx]]
 * 3) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Students will draft ideas using step-by-step process of <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[|beginning, middle, end][[file:Drafting college essay process sheets.docx]]

**<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">HW – Complete all Pre-Writing and Drafting Supports by Thursday August 25th **

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 9 (8/25) __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cycle 3 –Day 2

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Objective: Students will be able to put their ideas into written form in a personal narrative structure.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">W-up > Journal – What should a personal narrative look like – Draw and label a diagram in table groups – share final product**. Use Writer’s Inc. Personal Narrative pp. 147-154 as resource**

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Learning Activities: **

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Finish your first draft (minimum 3 paragraphs) of your college application essay.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Teacher/Student Conference on Progress.

**<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">HW – 1st Draft of College Essay due next class Monday, August 29th **

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 10 (8/29) __** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cycle 3 –Day 3 **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Journal: What does it mean to provide constructive criticism – Provide some examples of what you think this looks like – Turn and Talk. **
 * 1) **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Peer Edit Expectations[[file:Peer Edit instructions_for_evaluating_college_essays.docx]] **
 * 2) **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Peer Edit 1st Drafts **
 * 3) **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Students meet and 2nd draft commences **

**<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">HW. 2nd Draft – College Essay due Day 5, Wednesday August 31 **

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 11(8/31) __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cycle 3 –Day 5

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">W-UP: Revision Game – 2 lines – Face off and change something about your self – Guess what you changed – Keep going until you run out of ideas

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Activity:


 * 1) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Editing Focus: Student will use Student Handbook - concentrate on mechanical and conventions use (Pages455-490)…Create: “Remember 2” Statements – Each Pod come up with 2 Items for the class to remember – Share these!


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|Peer Edit] <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Draft 3

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bring Peer Edited Draft to class on 9/1….

**__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Unit 1, Day 12(9/1) __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cycle 3 –Day 6

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; vertical-align: baseline;">Journal: Voice Finder… Collect 2nd Draft Essays – Hand out randomly to students.


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Read College Essay –
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Create Personality T-Chart with minimum of 3 character traits and evidence.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">One side is Trait other side is TEXTUAL EVIDENCE used to support your claim.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">On bottom of sticky note add one idea how writer could add more voice.


 * 1) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Students complete 3rd Draft of Essay in Class. Teacher will conference.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; vertical-align: baseline;">Draft 3 in to Mrs. Gilbert by end of the day for comments (x5 max student) Students will receive written feedback by next class period (Monday Sept 5th) – Students will be responsible for turning in FINAL DRAFT AS SUMMATIVE to Turnitin.com and copy to Mrs. Gilbert’s e-mail by Friday Sept. 9th – Final Revision is OUTSIDE OF CLASS.

__ Unit 2, Lesson 1 (Sept. 5, 2011) __


 * Warm-Up: ** Closely analyze the following sentence. Make a list of as many significant or note-worthy details regarding the text as possible. Think about imagery, sound devices, mood, tone, figurative language, style, etc.


 * // For a long while, we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin. The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him. //**


 * Learning Activities: **


 * 1) In groups, students will read an excerpt from “A Rose for Emily.” They will use literature circle roles to analyze the text. Required roles:
 * 2) Discussion director
 * 3) Literary luminary
 * 4) Vocabulary Enricher
 * 5) Illustrator/travel tracker—include textual evidence to support your drawing
 * 6) Summarizer
 * 7) Use the remaining time to make any last-minute changes to your college app. essay.


 * HW: ** Be ready to share your lit. circle role analysis with your group next time.

__ Unit 2, Lesson 2 Sept 6 __


 * Warm-Up: ** Discuss the short story excerpt in your lit. circle group.

Learning Activities:


 * 1) Once you have analyzed the short story in your lit. circle, **compose a thesis statement** explaining the text’s major effect. Include **three** major literary elements the text uses to accomplish that effect. Explain the thought process you went through to create this thesis statement. You could represent this in graphic organizer form.
 * 2) With your group, create an acronym to guide people through the process of discovering a work’s central theme.

__ Example Acyonym (Remember this?): __

Title

Paraphrase

Connotation

Attitude

Style

Title

Theme


 * HW: ** Be ready to share your group’s acronym with the class next time.

__ Unit 2, Lesson 3 __
 * Warm-Up: ** Share your group’s acronym with the class.
 * Learning Activities: **
 * 1) Our acronym: SIFTSEI. (.)
 * 2) How to write a commentary using SIFTSEI- Try to apply to excerpt - Discussion.
 * HW: ** None.

__ Unit 2, Lesson 4 __ SIFTSE POWERPOINT – MAKE your own MEMORY MAKER…. Learning Activities: The TAB game ;) **Application:** With your group, label the important literary elements in the story using the labeled tabs. Label any other important elements neglected in the tabs. (Once you have completed this, you have “annotated” your short story. You’ll use these annotations to write an analysis of the literature.
 * Warm-Up:Sign into Turnit.com **
 * Learning Activities: **
 * 1) In paragraph form, explain what the story’s central theme is and how the author communicates that theme. Close your paragraph by explaining how this theme could influence readers’ lives. Use your annotations as details to support your arguments.
 * This is what commentary writing is: Explaining how a work uses elements of language to communicate something about human nature or the world we live in. We’ll go into more detail on commentary writing next time.
 * If time _ Read A Rose for Emily – How does it all fit??? What do you think?
 * HW: ** None! Happy Chuseok!