Li: To create a fashion script SC: I can use precise language including sophisticated adjectives and verbs.
Today you will be writing a short script, in the voice of a fashion show announcer. Ultimately (but not yet), you will team up with other students who have written scripts about other vocabulary "fashion models," and the teams will combine their scripts to create a complete fashion show that can be performed for the class. Your ten-sentence script must describe (in the voice of a fashion show narrator) what the model is wearing and how he/she is moving up and down the runway.
Let's read through some examples below before you begin planning & writing your scripts.
Now you need to complete a planning sheet before you begin writing (Some students have already started/completed this planning sheet). When you have completed your planning sheet, you may begin writing your fashion script. http://writingfix.com/PDFs/Pic_Book_Prompt_Worksheets/Miss_Alaineus_GO.pdf
LI: To analyse the language used in a fashion show SC: Identify nouns, verbs adjectives, adverbs and transition phrases
INTRODUCTION: Does anyone know anything about fashion shows? This is where models wear unique clothing and walk up and down a runway while a narrator/announcer talks about what the models are wearing. Let’s watch a show and note down the interesting vocab we hear. (won’t need to watch all)
You will now be working in groups. Each group is going to brainstorm a different category from this brainstorming worksheet: nouns, verbs, adjectives, -ly adverbs, and transition phrases. The words and phrases you brainstorm on your A3 paper must be words you might hear at a fashion show by the fashion show announcer; these would be words or phrases used to describe the models or their clothes and accessories.
LEARNING TASK: Watch: Miss Alaineus, A Vocabulary Disaster
Read the following to the students Debra Frasier’s book Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster offers the reader a delightful word choice adventure. Frasier introduces lively adjectives, strong verbs, precise nouns, risky words, alliteration, and word play as we experience a fifth grader’s week at home sick, while she tries to complete not only her vocabulary homework but also an extra credit assignment. Upon Sage’s return to school, she discovers that she has not completely understood the meaning of some of her vocabulary words. In the end, Frasier has her young character create a costume for the Vocabulary Parade that fully expresses her new understanding of one very difficult word. Debra Frasier uses every inch of space, including the endpapers and extra pages, to inspire the creative use of vocabulary words.
I want you to imagine that you will be creating a Vocabulary Fashion Show. Each of you will be taking a word from vocabulary words we’ve used this week or your own favourite word and ask, "If this word was a model at a fashion show, what kind of outfit would he/she be wearing, and how would he/she move up and down the runway?"
LI:To identify and select interesting vocabulary from a text and personify it. SC: I can describe personality, profession, and outfit
Syllables (Vowel Team Introduction- Slide 18)
Grammar
INTRODUCTION: Today we are going to have a discussion about favourite vocabulary words. My favourite word is…..
Most of us have favourite words. We like the sounds of certain words, we like the meanings of others, or we just have an interesting personal connection to a word.
There's a tiny, memorable scene in the movie version of Cormac McCarthy's rather gloomy novel, The Road, where the father and son find a safe place to stay and locate lots of supplies that have survived the post-nuclear world the boy was born into. As they clean themselves up, using the supplies they have discovered, the father mentions the word shampoo, which the boy has clearly never heard before. He repeats the word in such a way that you can tell it has become one of his favourite new words. "Sham-poo." When you discover new words you like, you should hang onto these words as "favourite words" to take into your adulthoods. A notebook is a great place to celebrate and store favorite words.
Some of my favourite words are……… I want you to start thinking of interesting vocabulary words that you've learned or words that you have spotted in books you are reading. You have a fun challenge today where you will think of or find two, fun vocabulary words in your Independent Reading book that you’re willing to play with, or call "two of my favourite vocabulary words!"
Students do INDEPENDENT READING here
LEARNING TASK: Independent Task: Now that you have finished Independent Reading I want you to commit to one or two favourite words and write them down in your English books and write a definition. I’d like you to now design a page that personifies the words. I would like you to put a Mr., Mrs., or Miss in front of your words, and to then creatively think about who that person would be.
The person you create must somehow represent the meaning of the word, so if you create Miss Onomatopoeia, somehow the character must have something to do with sound effects. Perhaps Miss Onomatopoeia was the class clown who annoyed the teacher by making sounds, or perhaps she works as the sound effects person on a radio show. What would she wear, how would she move and what would her personality be like?
Students create a page in their book.
If time permits Small Group Task: "What about the word plethora? This word means, a large or excessive amount of something. What kind of person would Mr. or Mrs. Plethora be? Would this person be young or old? How would the person behave or what would the person do for a job so that he/she represented the meaning of the word? What clothes might the person wear to further represent the meaning of plethora?" You will now work in small groups to decide on a personality, profession, and outfit for Mr. or Mrs. Plethora.
Groups: Jess, Jayda, James & Kya Em. B, Erika, Jack & Jarvis Connor, Owen, Matilda & Sarah Tahlia, Logan, Aiden & Jade Emz, Nakita, Daniel & Cam
REFLECTION: Groups share their Mr or Mrs Plethora characters.
Week Five
Last week we watched a series of documentaries and discussed themes, pivotal moments and surprising moments.
Today we are going to watch a short film called, ‘La Luna’. You will need to really concentrate as I will be asking you to use evidence from the film and to justify your answer.
ASSESSMENT TASK: Now you are going to answer some comprehension questions about the movie La Luna. You may re-watch the movie if you wish as this may assist you with the questions.
Week Four
Thursday 1st November: LI: We are learning how to write an analysis of a short film. SC: I can identify pivotal moments in a short film, and describe the themes.
INTRODUCTION: Today we are going to take notes once again while we watch a short documentary. This time I do not have a printed template - you can take notes however you like. (If it was me, I would rule up two columns and do it like we did yesterday - first write a detail from the film, then beside that write your comments, thoughts or questions. Watch the film, Long Live Benjamin https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/learning/film-club-long-live-benjamin.html
Now we will discuss what we just watched. What moments in this film stood out for you? Why? • Were there any surprises? Anything that challenged what you know — or thought you knew? • What messages, emotions or ideas will you take away from this film? Why? • What questions do you still have? An additional challenge: What connections can you make between this film and your own life or experience? Why? Does this film remind you of anything else you’ve read or seen? If so, how and why? Now we will read the director’s notes as to why they made this documentary.
I’ve always struggled to be human, to know how to act and to what purpose. As a young New York artist, living in a tiny commercial storefront downtown on Crosby Street, I documented this process through drawing and painting self-portraits, which faithfully recorded the shifting moods and musings that swirled through my mind. This practice brought few answers, but did conjure the questions, which gazed back out at me starkly from the canvas.
After marrying a woman from Caracas in the mid-1990s, I started traveling to Venezuela, where I became fascinated with the lives of people living on the jungle coast. The simplicity of sunlight, children’s laughter and the basic search for daily necessities was enough to quiet my New York rumblings. Then one day my wife brought home a cardboard box with a shriveled baby capuchin monkey, clinging to life. His mother had been killed by locals who liked monkey soup. It was a propitious moment and I immediately knew I was meant to care for him. Benjamin was a tiny, perfectly formed creature; every movement was an exquisite expression. His little body and prehensile tail was part human, leopard, snake — I never grew tired of watching him. Although endowed with a primate mind, he was a being far from the twisted detritus of humankind; he preserved the purity of his creator’s instincts. As I cared for him and admired him, he became a living vessel to pour in an unconditional love I didn’t realize I had. Soon, I would do anything for him, including smuggling him back to New York — even at risk of prosecution and imprisonment.
Independent Task Today you are going to use your notes to write a response of the film that we just watched. Remember: like yesterday, this is a personal response and each student's work will be quite different, as you all will have different feelings about what we saw.
Some tips to help improve today:
You might like to start by writing: Today we watched a short film called "Long Live Benjamin". It was about...
Then write about at least three big ideas - things you found interesting, what you learnt, how it made you feel etc.
Finish with some sort of conclusion. This might be about the purpose of the short film, or a summary statement about how you felt watching the film.
Reflection: Some volunteers to share their response?
Now we will discuss what we just watched. What moments in this film stood out for you? Why? • Were there any surprises? Anything that challenged what you know — or thought you knew? • What messages, emotions or ideas will you take away from this film? Why? • What questions do you still have? An additional challenge: What connections can you make between this film and your own life or experience? Why? Does this film remind you of anything else you’ve read or seen? If so, how and why? Now we will read the director’s notes as to why they made this documentary. As a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I devoured as much information as I could about World War II when I was young. By middle school I had checked out every available book from the surprisingly vast canon of young adult Holocaust and World War II literature at my local library. So when I read the obituary this year of Nadezhda Popova, known as Nadia, I was surprised that I had never encountered the story of the Night Witches before. The women were part of the Soviet Union’s all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment, and among the world’s first female combat flight pilots. In the dark, they’d cut their engines and fly close to the ground to hit their targets; the sound made the Germans think of a witch’s broom. In making a short film to honor Ms. Popova, who died in July, I sought to emphasize the fairy-tale quality of the Night Witches’ story. I teamed with the animator Dustin Grella (creator of a previous Op-Doc and a short film, “Prayers for Peace,” which memorialized his brother, who died in combat in Iraq). He draws each frame of his animations in pastels on slate, providing a stark quality that complements the historical narrative. LEARNING TASK: Today I want you to use your notes to write a response of the film that we just watched. I want you to react personally as to how it affected you. Did it make you sad, angry or frustrated?
If you're not sure how to begin, start by thinking about how this film made you feel (eg: sad, angry, frustrated?) and write about WHY you feel this way. Try to use evidence from the film - note a specific quote or detail from the film, and then describe what you noticed, what you thought about it, if you have any questions about it or any other comment. REFLECTION: What other unsung heroes do we know of? Does anyone know of other women who changed the world?
Now we will discuss what we just watched. What moments in this film stood out for you? Why? • Were there any surprises? Anything that challenged what you know — or thought you knew? • What messages, emotions or ideas will you take away from this film? Why? • What questions do you still have? An additional challenge: What connections can you make between this film and your own life or experience? Why? Does this film remind you of anything else you’ve read or seen? If so, how and why? Now we will read the director’s notes as to why they made this documentary. Polar bears sleep a lot. That sight can leave an observer feeling disappointed, even insulted — it’s like watching a superhero clean his nails while you’re wishing he’d fly or pick up a car. Keep watching, though, and you begin to notice interesting things about the sleeping bear’s world: the hard, cold snow blown across ice or the sun turning into a vertical streak through sheets of sleet; the odd, sticky sensation of frost slowly growing over your beard. As a cinematographer, I’ve spent a lot of time observing the behaviors of the polar bears and humans who inhabit Churchill, Manitoba, a small town on the remote coast of Hudson’s Bay. I first arrived in Churchill as a teenager on my first gig and returned 25 years later, in 2015, to shoot a TV series on the bears of Churchill. When filming any wildlife, my first instinct is to create pristine images devoid of humanity. This is the ideal for nature films — a wild, charismatic animal free of the tethers and trappings of modernity. But these days, that ideal rarely matches reality — and it was nearly impossible to find in Churchill. Scattered among the polar bears on the outskirts of town are the ruins of Cold War projects, shipwrecks, plane wrecks and the abandoned material dreams of residents. Though I was initially frustrated, I began to shoot two versions of each shot — one a realistic portrayal of the bears’ habitat incorporating humanity and the other a cropped, pristine image suitable for prime time. Increasingly, I was drawn to the former: the juxtaposition of the bears, majestic symbols of the north, and the human artifacts and environments they haunted. As we shot over several months, contradictory emotions and ideas would present themselves. I loved being so close to the bears but worried that this contact might damage them. I hoped that the old, starving bear would survive, until I realized he had begun hunting a mother’s cub. I worried about the future of the bears but was struck that they might instead become the sole occupants of this depressed town I’d come to love. I wondered how accurate natural history films could really be and whether they were even capable of conveying the conflicts I was experiencing. Months after we wrapped, a massive climate-change-linked flood devastated Churchill’s only land link to the south, dealing the town a crushing blow. With consequent job loss and soaring food costs, the prospects for Churchill’s human residents are bleak. Down the line, the fate of its polar bear residents may not look much better — and they have few second choices.
LEARNING TASK: Today I want you to use your notes to write a response of the film that we just watched. I want you to react personally as to how it affected you. Did it make you sad, angry or frustrated?
If you're not sure how to begin, start by thinking about how this film made you feel (eg: sad, angry, frustrated?) and write about WHY you feel this way. Try to use evidence from the film - note a specific quote or detail from the film, and then describe what you noticed, what you thought about it, if you have any questions about it or any other comment. REFLECTION: (can be spelling, grammar, reading or writing) Today in English my lightbulb moment was……….
Li: We are learning to draft an original narrative using a theme from the picture book, "Fox". SC: I can use write a narrative with the same theme, but different characters, setting and plot.
Remember the two most important focuses for this piece of work: 1. Creating an effective start to your story, to hook your reader! 2. Developing a strong theme. The most important part of your story is when the character learns the lesson that relates to the theme. When you finish your draft, consider these questions to help you revise your work:
Have you stretched this part out? (ie: it should not just happen in one sentence!!!)
Have you shown the reader how the character is feeling? Where could you do more of this?
Have you used show, not tell?
Have you used a variety of sentence lengths, especially when creating tension or suspense, or showing a strong emotion? Where could you do more of this?
Have you revised & edited your writing?
Week Two
Thursday 18th October: Li: We are learning to plan an original narrative using a theme from the picture book, "Fox". SC: I can use a graphic organiser to record the theme, characters and setting of my original narrative text. Independent Reading (20 mins) Syllables Lesson 2 (10 Mins) Vocabulary Lesson (15 mins)
Dialogue “Hurry or you’ll be late!” called my mother from the bottom of the stairs. “Today of all days you want to be on time!” If I had only known what that day would bring, I would have stayed in bed.
A Question Have you ever had a day when you wished you had stayed in bed? As I rushed to catch the bus on what seemed to be a perfectly normal day I had no idea what was ahead of me.
An Interesting Fact Shock has been known to kill ten year olds. It can cause their brains to explode and their heart to stop dead still. These facts raced through my mind as I stood dumbfounded in front of my fourth grade classmates. I wish I had stayed in bed!
Action I leapt out of bed, my heart racing in fright at the sudden drone of the alarm clock jolted me out of my peaceful slumber.
Onomatopoeia “Buzzzzzz!” The sound of my alarm clock droned in my ears as I struggled to come awake. With a start I sat straight up in my bed. This was my big day and I had to be on time.
A Vivid Description The sun was warm on my back as I raced toward the waiting yellow school bus. As I nestled into the worn, leather seat I was greeted by the friendly voices of other excited children. The look on my face was one of confidence and contentment. With a jerk the bus rumbled down the road and I was on my way into one of the worst days of my life.
Remember:
You need to develop your own original idea.
You cannot just change the characters names and copy the idea from the book Fox.
Be creative, select a strong theme that was present in the book and develop and craft your idea around that theme.
Themes we've discussed:
Disabilities can be overcome with the help of friends.
If you make a mistake, a true friend will always be there waiting for you.
Loyalty might be tested when interesting strangers enter your life.
Those who are jealous of your friendships might try to harm those friendships, so don't let them.
Don't give up when things get difficult.
No matter what happens, good friends will always be there for you.
You can't trust everyone.
Be loyal to the people that you care about.
Don't take anything for granted.
You may now continue planning your narrative.
Wednesday 17th October: Independent Reading (20 mins) Syllables Lesson 1 (10 Mins) Vocabulary from Fox (15 mins)
Li: We are learning to plan an original narrative using a theme from the picture book, "Fox". SC: I can use a graphic organiser to record the theme, characters and setting of my original narrative text.
Introduction: Today you will need to choose a theme from Fox that you want to base an original story on.
Remember that a theme is a sentence about a message a story is trying to teach us. Most great stories have a message that has been decided upon before the author writes the story. "Fox" by Margaret Wild is a great story because it has a lot of possible themes or messages it is trying to help its readers connect with. Some possible themes:
Disabilities can be overcome with the help of friends.
If you make a mistake, a true friend will always be there waiting for you.
Loyalty might be tested when interesting strangers enter your life.
Those who are jealous of your friendships might try to harm those friendships, so don't let them.
Can you think of any other themes that Fox is trying to teach us about life? Remember a theme has to be a complete sentence, and it has to speak to a general truth in life.
Let’s see if we can add to our list of themes from the story.
Learning Task: Time to start planning your story!
First, you will need to choose a favourite theme from "Fox". Then you can plan a different story, with different characters and a different setting, that teaches the exact same theme.
The theme is the most important part of this task, so you need to create a character that will work with the theme you have chosen.
This planning worksheet will help you make some important decisions before you begin writing
Reflection: After you have filled out the story planning worksheet, I want you to explain your stories to other students in small groups. You are to "simply listen" to each author's minute-long explanation of his/her story, then to write two or three questions you have on a sticky note. At the end of the sharing session, exchange your sticky notes. Glue these in your English book - we will be using them tomorrow! It would be great for you to address the questions as you begin drafting your stories.
LI: We are learning to identify themes in a story. SC: I can read the text, "Fox" and suggest possible themes.
INTRODUCTION Great stories speak the truth...generally. I am going to read you a story today that - even though it's fictional - speaks a lot of truth about life. This story has many possible themes, none of which are ever said in the book, because themes have to be discovered by readers.
When I am done reading, I want you to talk with a partner and see if you can discover a sentence of truth that this story might be trying to show us.
LEARNING TASK Remember: a theme is a sentence, not just a word. "Fox" is about loyalty or overcoming obstacles or friendship or jealousy or never giving up, but those are story subjects, not story themes. A theme is a sentence about one of those subjects that the story seems to be trying to say.
What's a generally true statement about any of those subjects that this story might be trying to say?
Overcoming Obstacles
Friendship
Jealousy
Loyalty
Never Giving Up
You are going to be allocated a partner. You need to have a chat and record some possible themes that can be identified in the story, "Fox". Try to come up with at least four. Be prepared to share your favourite themes with the class, and we will record them to refer back to.
Your writing task this week is going to involve you choosing one of the themes from Fox that you like. Over the next few days you are to plan and then write an original story (with original characters and original settings) that teaches the exact same theme.Same theme; different story.
Loyalty might be tested when interesting strangers enter your life.
Relying on others can help anyone overcome physical disabilities or other obstacles.
True friends will forgive you if you make a mistake, so always try to get back to them.
Those who are jealous of your friendships might try to harm those friendships, so don't let them.
Reflection: The strongest theme for me from the text, ‘Fox’ is…..
Vocab: Today we are going to read Fox again and identify the strong and interesting vocab. Use your whiteboards to record these words while I read.