Agenda Check and reading minutes! 2012-2013 It’s Benchmark Time! Do Now: Read the rubric in the “Exceeds” area only and highlight important details. Writing! Agenda Check and reading minutes!

Final Clear and legible writing Use blue/black ink Complete on time Writing Benchmark Expectations Expectations Final Clear and legible writing Use blue/black ink Complete on time

Discuss and read the exceeds column. Rubric Discuss and read the exceeds column. Highlight main words and phrases.

Read and analyze the Topic, Prompt and Think About sections. Topic: Courage is the ability one has when confronting fear and pain. Physical courage is the ability to withstand pain. Moral courage is the courage to choose to do the right thing in the face of severe opposition. It is only human to be afraid of something, and it takes courage to overcome fear, pain, or pressure. For this benchmark, you will write a narrative about courage which will include appropriate dialogue and all the plot elements.

Prompt As a 6th grade student, write a personal narrative about a time, real or imagined, when you had to rely on physical and/or emotional courage to overcome a difficult situation. Underline, highlight main words in the prompt. Think about Role, audience, Format, topic In other words DTAPP. Explain with a partner what it means. What will you be looking for in the sources?

Think About What inspiration can you take form the video, poem, and text that you just read? Think of a time you had to take a stand for your beliefs or stood up in a peer pressure situation, learned a new skill, or overcame a fear/phobia. What sights, sounds, smells and feelings did you experience while performing this act of courage? What appropriate dialogue occurred and how can you include all the plot elements? What types of obstacles did you encounter along the way? How this act changed you and/or others around you.

Read the Strategies for success Silently to yourselves. Discuss with a partner

Exercise 2 Read the following texts/videos. In class discussion and your essay, you will be noticing specific details from these texts about the writer’s craft. Therefore, as you read, you may underline, take notes, and/or make comments in the column on the right. You will answer questions at the end of the article/video. Watch Video: Soul Surfer – Stand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgZYn14ASWY

Respond to the Questions with a partner or in a group/ write your answers What words can you use to describe the emotions you felt as you watched this video? Where and how do you think she found the courage to surf again after a shark bit off her arm? What obstacles of hurdles did she have to overcome in order to surf again? What inspirations or lessons from this video clip can you take and apply to your own life when faced with a difficult situation?

Read “Stand” with partners and Discuss List some words to describe the emotions you feel while reading the lyrics to this song. What does the song writer mean when he says “you feel like a candle in a hurricane?” The song writer repeats “and then you stand, then you stand.” How does this explain the topic “courage”? Respond to these questions with partners, and write responses in complete sentences:

Monday Agenda Check! Writing Benchmark

Read and Respond to “Teens Advice on Beating Peer Pressure” in complete sentences after discussing. The article gives Elizabeth’s definition of peer pressure. Using your own words, how would you define peer pressure? Elizabeth gives some advice on how to fight against peer pressure. After reading this article, what advice would you give? Do you have to be courageous to fight against peer pressure? Give an example to support your answer. Would this make a good personal narrative?

The article gives Elizabeth’s definition of peer pressure The article gives Elizabeth’s definition of peer pressure. Using your own words, how would you define peer pressure? Peer pressure to me is when the people who are working toward the same goal as you try to talk you into something. Peer pressure can be good or bad. 2. Elizabeth gives some advice on how to fight against peer pressure. After reading this article, what advice would you give? To fight against peer pressure, I would tell other people to stand up for what they believe in, not to give in to it, and this will build friendships with the people that you would want to be friends with.

3. Do you have to be courageous to fight against peer pressure 3. Do you have to be courageous to fight against peer pressure? Give an example to support your answer. Would this make a good personal narrative? Yes, it shows courage to fight against peer pressure. An example would be if you had a group friends that you had been friends with for a long time decided to do drugs, and were pushing you to do it too.

Read the Blog Document by Charlotte Elyse and Respond Define courage as related in this blog post. Look at the Writer’s craft. How did she involve other characters in her narrative? Re-read her beginning and ending. What do you notice about them that you might use as a writer? What other writing techniques do you see in this narrative?

Before Lunch (This is only the Exercise 3 sheet) Brainstorm a list of times you were courageous or could have been (imaginary) Exercise 3 Carefully re-read the prompt, and your notes. Now brainstorm some ideas, or draw your own pre-planning/thinking sheet. Complete the DTAPP. Teacher will check to make sure that characters, and events are acceptable and mark with a check mark if acceptable. Turn these into your teacher!!!

After Lunch: PLANNING AND WRITING: Exercise 4 Fill in the planning sheet Use complete sentences re-read your prompt

Dreams Becoming Reality After Lunch Dreams Becoming Reality Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. -Henry David Thoreau As I taught my 6th grade students about courage, my college experience kept creeping into my mind. I knew that there were many examples in my life where I had shown courage, but by taking the leap to attend college, I took a giant chance, and it took an abundance of courage. Courage to leave my family, courage to find a way to afford it, courage to meet new people, and courage to discover myself.

Example of 2nd Paragraph As a young girl, I was told that I was expected to attend college. I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. My poor little brother was always my “student”. No wonder he hated school so much. When my parents got divorced, things changed financially for us, and I was not longer sure how I could pay for college. During my senior year of college, I pretty much gave up on the idea of college because I knew that my mom could not afford it. Just when I had decided that I was not even going to try, my grandma talked me into applying to some colleges just to see what would happen. I sent in five applications, five messages of hope.

Exposition (introduction of characters, setting, and problem):         Rising Actions (build suspense):             Climax (turning point):         Falling Action (wrapping up the problem):         Resolution (how the problem was solved):

Math Benchmark Time! Good luck, Show what you know! Tuesday Agenda Check! Math Benchmark Time! Good luck, Show what you know!

Agenda Check! Writing Benchmark Exercise #4 and 5 today! Wednesday, October 3, 2012 Write Schedule below: Writing Benchmark Exercise #4 and 5 today! Agenda Check!

Begin Exercise 5 Re-read the prompt, and discuss how you will answer it with a partner. Begin writing your first draft. Pay close attention to the prompt, and remember to begin in a way that attract the reader’s attention.

Finish Exercise 5 today: Rough Drafts finished. Thursday Agenda Check! Write Schedule Below: Finish Exercise 5 today: Rough Drafts finished.

Revise and Edit Peer and Self 1. Finish Rough Draft 2. Complete Peer-Review Trade with someone and complete the peer revision pages. 3. Self-review, and complete the checklists. 4. Begin Final Draft after teacher approval.

Agenda Check with reading minutes! Friday Write Schedule Below: Today, you will finish the final draft of your writing Benchmark Assessment if needed. Agenda Check with reading minutes!

Final Draft Expectations Criteria: Must be clear and legible Use blue or black ink only Completed on time To turn your final in Take the cover off the front of this packet, and your final draft from the back of the packet. Staple the cover page to your final draft. Turn in the final to your teacher.