Today was a weird day. Two of my classes were chosen to participate in the PARCC field test, which meant that I had a substitute to teach the classes that weren't participating in that test. There were technical difficulties, however, and so first hour was taught by a substitute, but I taught the rest of the classes myself since we couldn't actually take the PARCC test. I kept to what I'd planned for the substitute because first hour had done it and I didn't have time to completely revamp the day's activities.
Today, students are working on analyzing elements of the plot--characters, setting, and plot events. They're answering questions, but each question takes students deeper to help them delve deeper into the text. Here are the HG 1-3 Questions that will be used in the other sections of this lesson.
For bellwork, I asked students to answer two questions. I asked students to answer questions 7 and 8 because they were the easiest questions and my inclusion students would have more success with those questions.
I divided students up into groups using their clock appointments and assigned each group one question. They were responsible for finding the answer to that question, including citing page numbers, and then sharing that answer with the rest of the class. It's like jigsaw groups.
I used the timer, the miraculous timer, to keep students on track.
While students worked, I went around to the groups to help. Students struggled with
Students had a relatively easy time
The rest of the time today was used for each group to report the answer to their question to the rest of the class. This activity also helps students develop their speaking and listening skills.