The class is a college class offered through UTM. Students will write
and revise 6 papers and have individual conferences with the teacher to
evaluate their revisions and corrections. Reading will be from the text
provided and from supplemental material also provided.
Registration:
Students first have to enroll on line. They must print out the
verification SAF form, bring it signed, and Mrs. Parkins verifies their GPA
with a transcript sent to UTM. That form had to be submitted to Mrs. Parkins
by Aug. 11, 2009 so she could get the form to UTM by Aug. 17. Once students
received an email saying they were enrolled, they then had to go back on line
and register for the course with the appropriate CRN and send in their
payment, which was due Aug. 25.
The following is a summation of the first five weeks of school work
covered.
First Week:
Students were asked to bring a jump drive, notebook, pen, and file
folder. They were also told to bring a pleasure reading book to class
everyday. Class rules were discussed. Text books were handed out. Students
were assigned to read the background material (p1-17) to the Anglo-Saxon
period by Fri., Aug 7. An introductory Facebook style sheet was distributed,
introducing them to me. Then they were given a blank one to fill in on
themselves. (This activity was in preparation for the first paper’s
assignment.) Students were given a “proof reading” worksheet to fill out,
working in pairs. Assessment on the reading assignment was done in QUANTUM
LEARNING style with a “carousel” on the board. Students were given two poems
from last year’s class regarding their feelings at the end of the year. They
were told to write one regarding how they felt at the start of the year.
Second Week:
The first paper’s assignment about the mobile media’s role in their
lives was assigned. The class went to the computer lab for 2 days, where
students began writing their papers. I circulated making suggestions as they
wrote their introductions. Back in the classroom, I lectured about the Anglo-
Saxon period, giving them related details on the lifestyle. We emphasized
the transition of 500 year period from pagan to Christian. Vocabulary list
was begun. Students participated in a question/answer discussion format with
the teacher. Students were assigned to begin reading Beowulf, keeping a list
of pagan and Christian elements as they encountered them in the reading.
QUANTUM LEARNING techniques were used with pair/share partners stopping every
10 minutes to tell what they understood from the reading. Co-op groups were
given assignments to discuss various aspects of the Anglo-Saxon life such as
physical needs, social needs, how these needs would affect their stories,
etc. A video on Stonehenge was shown. An article from Wall Street Journal,
about Benson, the monster fish, was used for a fun connection. A writing
rubric from UTM was handed out for them to go by in their papers. First
essay was due one week after assigned.
Third Week.
Students were given a model essay, and then assigned to write in their
journals a “visualization” of themselves in Stonehenge, while Celtic music
played. They then shared their writing with their Pair/Share partner.
Quizzes were given over lecture and reading material. Graded essays were
returned and a handout featuring good examples from their papers was
distributed. Class discussion pointed out what was good about each of the
examples. Students continued to read Beowulf and in their pleasure reading
books. Discussion focused on the epic and the role of stories in people’s
lives. Papers were revised and each student had an individual conference with
the teacher. A revision grade was given. A second essay topic was announced
for which students were to write about one of the following topics: 1. Why
we love our monsters 2. Fairy tales I’ve known and loved 3. The value
of introspection (“The most important relationship you will ever have is with
yourself.”) Model essays were provided and students went to the computer lab
2 days to write the essay. A cumulative test was given.
Week Four:
Tests were handed back. Students worked in Co-op groups to write and
perform a dramatic monologue from Grendel’s point of view. This assignment
was to prepare them for the parody, “Grendel,” by John Gardner in
supplemental text. A worksheet on good writing for one of the model essays
by a former student (Adam Williams and Jessica James) was completed and gone
over. Selected papers were read aloud to demonstrate good writing
techniques. Students had to read silently from five A papers, and write a
paragraph on each one telling what good writing techniques they observed
being used. Individualized student/teacher conferences were conducted in
which the teacher went over grammatical errors that the students had
corrected. A syllabus for the class was distributed. Class discussion and
lecture covered the assigned reading selection on “Grendel.” Characteristics
of a parady were discussed. Two Christian Rock songs were played and lyrics
distributed. Students wrote in their journals a comparison of the songs to
the parody. A note-taking worksheet was given out with activities. Students
listened to an audio from National Public Radio on how the first flag got
adopted. It was used to generate a discussion on the importance of story in
our lives.
Week Five:
Connecting to Benson, the big fish, students were shown the movie “Big
Fish.” The third paper topic was assigned—“The importance of Story.”
Excerpts from reviews of the movie were provided to help in writing the
paper. Some class discussion was devoted to how to write an analytical paper
and how to analyze the specific movie. Students went to the computer lab 4
days to work on the paper. The teacher circulated, helping students with
their theses and opening paragraphs.
