The Language of Migration

Now that we have finished up our first unit on analyzing literary texts and writing narratives, we are going to jump into our next unit on analyzing informational texts and writing to explain and inform.

This unit we will explore informational texts on the topics of immigration, migration, migrant work, and the current refugee crisis in Europe. We will also embed practice with our literary analysis skills through close reading of Francisco Jimenez's novel The Circuit. By the end of the unit, students will use what they have learned from the informational and literary texts to write a factual article on one of the topics of study.

This week, we are starting with the questions How do our words affect our thinking? and  How does our thinking affect our words? We will compare the definitions and connotations of words like immigrant, migrant, refugee, and deportee. Then we will read this article from a journalist's point of view on the issue: "The Language of Migration: Refugee vs.. Migrant" or this article from the United Nation's Refugee Agency stating their stance: "UNHCR Viewpoint: Which is Right?"

  

Final Drafts, Revision Notes, Rubric, and Survey!

Final drafts for our Personal Narratives are due by the end of the day on Friday! All drafts should be created in GoogleDocs and shared with me. There are some experts in each class, so if you are stuck, seek them out. If you get stuck with the writing, I am including links to notes about Revising with Narrative Techniques and the Personal Narrative Rubric. Also, if you finish your draft, please take the survey below. It's all about the first quarter (so far) since it is zooming right by. Can't wait to get your feedback!

Revising with Narrative Techniques

Personal Narrative Rubric

End of Unit Survey

A Peek into the Classroom

Here are the students working on their Narrative Timelines as part of their pre-writing for their personal narratives. Looking forward to reading about all the lessons they have learned. Can't wait to see how they apply the author's craft techniques they've learned from Sandra Cisneros and Gary Soto!

Confused about Theme?

This week, we dove deep into Sandra Cisneros's "Eleven" and identified themes, provided evidence, and detailed explanations. But sometimes, you still need a refresher. Here are a few creations to help you remember what theme is, what's not, and how you can find it. Don't forget to give your classmates kudos - they had only 25 minutes to plan and practice! And tell them thanks, too :)

* Unfortunately, I couldn't post them all since they were too long to upload properly :( *

Friday 10/2

Task #1:

Create something to teach/help others understand theme. You can create anything using any materials you can find in the classroom or any technology tools available. You will have only one class period to complete this project, so work efficiently. Finished, polished products will be posted around the classroom and/or on my blog, so do your best work. Your audience is waiting!


Task #2:

Complete the "What is Learning?" worksheet. Your work might be featured in my novel for my grad class!


Task #3

A. So many of you groaned when we finished "Eleven" because you wanted a more uplifting ending. Or at least wanted Rachel to stick up for herself. Create a copy of this document and create your own ending. Happy writing!

B. Create a comic strip page to represent "Eleven." Here are some pages. Choose one to print and put your comic-making skills to the test.