Monday,+October+5

= Essential Question = How do society's stereotypes and assumptions affect our sense of self worth?

Standards
CCSS RI 12-6 Determine an author's purpose and analyze the author's use of rhetoric to develop this purpose. CCSS RI 12-1 Students will draw inferences from the text and support with text evidence.

Course Layout
I'm looking forward to digging into some fun topic with you this year! Here are your top choices for units:
 * 1) **Gender Differences: How real are they? (Novel: //The Bluest Eye// by Toni Morrison)**
 * 2) **Technology: How are computers changing our view of the world? (Independent reading will be FREE CHOICE!)**
 * 3) **Food: Is the American diet killing us? (Novel: //Fast Food Nation// by Eric Schlosser)**
 * 4) **Nature: How should we care for the earth? (Independent reading will be BOOK CLUBS!)**

Other top vote-getters: (These may be pulled in too.)
 * Charity: Do we have a responsibility to help one another? (Novel possibilities: //Three Cups of Tea// or //Outcasts United//)
 * Pop Culture: To what extent does pop culture reflect our society's values?
 * Family: In what ways has society been redefining family?
 * Sports and Fitness: How do the values of sports affect the way we see ourselves? (Novel: //Outcasts United)//
 * Science and Technology: How are advances in science and technology changing the way we define humanity?

Bellwork
Do the [|Daily Edit]!

Modeling
Watch and discuss a sample video of a Socratic circle.
 * What are these kids doing to have a successful conversation?
 * What is not successful?

Anchor Text: Active Reading
Think about connections to all of the texts we have explored so far. This is a growing conversation!
 * [|Details]
 * [[file:englishalley/Just Walk on By.pdf|Download]]
 * 96 KB

Socratic Circle
Each group has 7 minutes Each person should be paired with one person to watch during the Socratic Circle. Evaluate this person.

Some question ideas:

 * Think about our essential question as it pertains to Brent Staples. How do society's stereotypes and assumptions affect him? How do they shape his sense of self?
 * Explain the last sentence. What does he mean?
 * The person with whom you find yourself identifying in a story sometimes depends on your own identity. With whom did you identify at the start of Staples’ essay, and how did it affect your reading of the full piece?

Share your evaluation with your partner. How would you grade your partner?

**Homework** Make sure you are finished with your prep notes! Make sure that your last essay is posted on your blog by Tuesday at 11:59 pm! We will work on effective commenting on Wednesday. If you are resubmitting your essay for grading, don't forget to get me your original with a note to regrade.