Metacognition, Part 5: 5th strategy

This is an excellent example of a propaganda poster from the Russian Revolution. Remind you of Animal Farm in any way?

Below, post your response to chapter 8, using your 5th strategy.

For those keeping track, this post is Thursday night's homework. The previous post is for Wednesday night's work. The next post will be the weekend's work.

Watch out for swine...

Metacognition, Part 4: 4th strategy

Greetings, all:

Everyone's doing a great job of posting and commenting. The blog itself is performing less well, but don't worry, you can always turn in your work in class, or email it to me at mrmillersclass@gmail.com

This is the post for Wednesday night's assignment. You should be responding to chapter 7. Below, post your comment for your fourth reading strategy. Follow the list of strategies we developed in class. Check your notes.

Remember, your job is to write 7-10 sentences that explain how you used the strategy to help yourself understand the chapter.

*Include your name!
*Include your section number!
*Include the name of the strategy your are using!

Keep calm and keep up with the work. Orwell would appreciate it.

Metacognition, Part 3: 3rd strategy

Tonight's assignment is to respond to chapter 6 using the third strategy on the list for your section. If you're not sure what tonight's strategy was, ask a classmate who's in your section. (Hint: not all of your friends are your classmates, and not all of your classmates are your friends. Deal.)

Remember, the goal here is to develop a list of strategies that will keep you engaged in the book. Not every book will thrill you, but many will, if you employ the strategies we are developing.

Everyday in class this week, we'll discuss the strategies you used.

What's that word for "thinking about thinking," again?

Metacognition, Part 2: Your second strategy

To all of you who have commented below, good job! Time for another go, this time using the second strategy on the list we made in class.

Use the strategy to teach yourself (and us) something about Chapter 5.

Again, write seven to ten sentences.

At the top of your entry, provide your name, section number, and the strategy you are using this time.

An Interesting Assignment: Metacognition!

You should now be in chapter 4 of Animal Farm. After you read it, write a response of 7-10 sentences, using the first reading strategy on the list we made in class. Post your response in the comment section below.

Important: At the top of your comment, please include your name, give your section number and name the strategy that you are employing.

Each comment will be worth 10 points, based on
a) clarity of expression
b) use of evidence
c) thoughtfulness of response.

Remember to think about your own thinking. What mental processes are you using to help yourself understand the story?

Animal Farm: Respond!

Thanks to copyright law, (whew!) Animal Farm is now available online for free:

http://www.msxnet.org/orwell/animal_farm

Follow my reading assignments as I give them in class.

Mr. Miller

Grade 9 Online: Can Black and White French Movies Be Good?

Obviously, I think the answer to this question is yes. You?

I hope you enjoyed watching the first half of The 400 Blows, a very famous French movie about a city kid your age. Francios Trouffaut, the director, cared a lot about showing what life was like for young people. The director of a movie is like the author of a book. Some directors are so good at making movies, that people start calling them auteurs, which is French for "author."

The kid's name is Antione Doinel. The city is Paris. The year is 1959.

I think Antione shares a few qualities with Richard Wright, and a few qualities with some of you.

So here's your assignment: Summarize a scene from the movie, then describe a few details you remember. What do those details tell you about Antione's life? Compare and contrast his life to that of a teenager in Boston in 2011. You may include any comparisons to Black Boy that struck you while you were watching the film.

Feel free to surf the internet for information about the movie, Trouffaut, or auteurs. Just make sure to cite the source of any facts you mention. For details about how to cite according to MLA style, follow the link on this blog to the OWL at Purdue.

Your comment should be at least seven to ten sentences long, but don't stop there if you have more to say. Go on for as long as you like. At the end of your comment, ask a question. Feel free to include the answers to other students' questions in your comment. I'll read the comments as you post them. You must post by Sunday, April 24th, to receive full credit.

Enjoy your vacation. We'll watch the rest of the film when we get back.

Mr. Miller

P.S.
I know a few of you responded to original post with the Jim Crow poster. Today I revised that post and made it an extra credit assignment. I apologize for the confusion, but I do expect you to respond to this post.

You have a week to do it, so don't stress out. See you Monday.

Ikons, Totems and Composition...? Oh, my!

One of these two pictures is "iconic." The other uses "composition" brilliantly. Both images have a theme to express. Which one is which, and what at are the themes?




Follow these links...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_%28visual_arts%29

GRADE 9 ONLINE: Extra Credit

The assignment that was posted here is not the assignment I expect you to complete over April break. That assignment is above.

However, this an interesting poster, no? Can anyone find any more facts about it? How does this poster communicate it's message?

Post what you learn for extra credit. Cite your sources.

GOOGLE BRAINSTORM!

Welcome to Unit 2: MOVIE MONSTERS!

Our first film will be the science-fiction classic Alien, directed by Ridley Scott and released in 1979.

Start here, at Wikipedia, for lots and lots of information about the movie:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29

As you start to think about designing your next project, realize that this movie opens the door to lots and lots of different topics you might want to explore, like:

Movie-making: directing, acting, cinematography, editing...
Production design: Costumes, special effects, creature design...
Film Analysis: Film Theory, Existentialism, Christian symbolism, Feminism, Marxism, Futurism...

Hmmm, that's a lot of "isms..." Start by "googling around" to find some interesting links or information on any of the concepts I've mentioned above. Post what you find below.

Consider this a "GOOGLE BRAINSTORM" session for all of us...!

Greetings, Grade 9...Now: Black Boy

This is the cover of a '60s paperback of "Black Boy." Does this cover accurately represent Wright's tone for the book? Why or why not? Post a comment that uses tone words and evidence to justify your response. Be sure to write seven to ten sentences. Think about the MMM's as you write.

What's Next? Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Miller...!?

Welcome Juniors and Seniors in Ms. Bucelewicz'...now Mr. Miller's class: Monsters in Literature. We're going to hit the ground running this week. Our first book together:



Oh wait, it's not exactly that...but we're getting there.
More will be revealed this week. Stay tuned!