Roughly every week we will read an article, write notes on it, discuss it in class, and then often write a response.
Why? In order to know things, you need to read things and in order to read things you need to know things. A big part of our world and culture is knowing about what's going on in the world around us. How will you vote or be a responsible citizen if you don't know the issues? How will you figure out your bills, loans, college and job applications, tax paperwork, driving test, contracts, and other texts? The more we read, the more we know.
Article of the week (AOW) Steps: 1. Read the article for understanding.
2. Read the article (perhaps a second time) and write notes in the margins on your thoughts -- questions, connections, confusions, observations, summary, and other content related thoughts you have while reading. [This prepares you for discussion and helps remind you of what you read later. It also helps keep you engaged while you read and the act of writing helps store your thoughts in your long term memory.]
3. Discuss in class: We'll use this as an extension of your thoughts on the article and a chance for you to play with your ideas with others who've read about it. 4. Respond: I will give you a choice of 2-4 prompts about the article for you to respond to. Pick ONE and write a paragraph to a page in response. See the handout for more information, but what I'm looking for is NOT a summary (I've read the article!); I'm looking for your thoughts, connections, understandings, and to see how you're making sense of the issue. I don't want anyone else's thoughts but yours and I want to see that you've spent a good amount of time thinking deeply about the ideas that are presented.
STANDARDS:
Reading:
R1. "Cite textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text."
R10. "By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently."
-Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Reading, Informational text, Grade 8
Writing:
W2. "Write informative / explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content."
W10. "Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames ( a single day or two ) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences."
-Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Writing, Grade 8