Thursday, December 4, 2014

Independent Reading (This is week #16)

Focus this week:	Good readers are able to analyze and synthesize what they've read.  Good readers use evidence from the text to back up their claims.
Good reading habits:	I choose books from a variety of genres.  I record my book choices in "My Reading List".
Work Time:	* Book Quiz #3 (This is an assessment.) * Read for 20 Minutes * Reading Conferences

Dialogue = characters speaking aloud to each other.

Unit 3: Authors as Mentors

Essential Questions:	How does dialogue reflects real life and sound like a conversation? How can I improve the dialogue in my short story to make my writing better? How does my writing receive a score of "3" in this skill? According to the rubric, your story… Uses narrative techniques, such as dialogue and description to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
Standard:	W.1.a Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. (CCSS:W.6.3) R.1.b.i Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. (CCSS:RL.6.4)
I will know I’m successful when...	I can use dialogue to develop a character's personality.  I can use dialogue to move the plot forward or build suspense.  I can use dialogue to give a particular scene “life”…humor or tension.
Mini-Lesson:  (What Mrs. Brownell is going to teach us)	Revising Dialogue for Purpose Ask yourself these questions to help you make your dialogue realistic: Keep it short (no one talks in long speeches). Use contractions (couldn't instead of could not). Read it aloud and ask yourself if it sounds like the voice of your character. Use appropriate vocabulary for the character’s age and/or background (Harvard professor might talk differently than a five-year-old toddler). Sometimes conversations are messy (we interrupt each other–, we…um…hesitate, we st-st-stumble on words when we’re nervous, we use short, simple lines when we’re mad: “Fine,” he mumbled, looking off into the distance). Three Anti-Social Skills to Improve Your Writing (Nadia Kalman)
Work Time:	Today, we will continue to improve our short stories by revising the dialogue.
Debrief:	Edit your dialogue for Punctuation and Capitalization Tag in front: She asked, “Can I see it?” Tag in back: “No, you’ll ruin it,” he whined. -or- “No, you’ll ruin it!” he yelled. **If the end mark in your dialogue sentence is a period, use a comma. **If the end mark in your dialogue sentence is an exclamation point or question mark, leave it as an exclamation point or question mark. Interrupting tag: “Fine,” she said, “you can do what you want.” New speaker = new paragraph (return + tab) **New paragraph every time there’s a new speaker!
Homework:	Reading at least 30 Minutes for your "40 Book Challenge" (Even on Saturday and Sunday!) Update your reading list (It's in Google Classroom)

***ALL LATE OR REVISED ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12TH. 
Click here for a Late Assignment Turn In Sheet for any late or resubmitted work.