Week 8: Writing a meaningful story
Today we talked about the homework for the weekend - writing a MEANINGFUL story about a pet. The key word here is MEANINGFUL. Remember the examples I used in class. Have a look below:
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Look at the differences in the two plots. The one on the left is basic and doesn't give any background or reasons why the things happened. But the plot on the right has deeper reasons why the things happened. Good stories have meaningful problems!
I want you to also remember the types of conflicts that are in stories:
I want you to also remember the types of conflicts that are in stories:
- Person vs. Person (Emma vs. her parents, in A Pet)
- Person vs. Self (The Lad, when he was determined to stare down the sun).
- Person vs. Nature (Jaws, when the fishermen are hunting the shark)
- Person vs. Supernatural (Jurassic Park - something that isn't real)
- Person vs. Technology (The Terminator!)
- Person vs. Society (Blacks in America during slavery)
Homework this week is to complete p.14-15 in your Guiding Notes book. If you write more than the lines on p.15, then please staple the extra pages in your book. I also gave you a revision WS - you do not need to hand it in, but it will help you a lot to do it. You can find the answers below:
| grade_6_revision_answer_key.pdf |
Week 7: Symbolism
Today we talked about the symbolism of the story A Pet. Please click on the PDF file below for a deeper explanation. I also gave it to you in the handout last week. A Pet is an allegory for the story of Jesus. Emma got her pet goldfish Joshua (Jesus) around Chirstmas, which was a symbol of the birth of Jesus. He died at Easter, which was a symbol of the death of Jesus. Have a look at all of the different symbols in the story! Please also refer to all of the worksheets and handouts I have given you - these will help you understand allegories and symbolism much better!
| a_pet_symbolism.pdf |
Symbols are everywhere! For your generation, memes and emojis are great examples of symbolism!
🎃 = halloween
🔥 = really great
😭 = sad
Allegories are stories with deeper or hidden meanings. Allegories use symbolism to tell the story!
🎃 = halloween
🔥 = really great
😭 = sad
Allegories are stories with deeper or hidden meanings. Allegories use symbolism to tell the story!
Week 6: Symbolism (no lesson, please refer to the handout)
Unfortunately this week, we don't have a lesson due to Sports Day. Instead, I have given you a handout to make our lesson a flip-flop, where you read first and then I teachit when we have our next lesson.
The focus on the handout is about SYMBOLISM. Simply put, symbolism is the idea that things represent other things.
Please have a look at the packet that I handed out on Thursday. You will find two different things. One is a PowerPoint printout and the other is the A Pet with notes about the symbols.
The symbolism in A Pet is about Christianity. As a disclaimer, I want it to be clear that I am not Christian, nor am I trying to preach Christianity to you in these lessons, but it is very important to understand what the symbolism in A Pet is about.
So please have a look over the handouts that I gave you, and keep in mind what the symbolism is in A Pet.
The focus on the handout is about SYMBOLISM. Simply put, symbolism is the idea that things represent other things.
Please have a look at the packet that I handed out on Thursday. You will find two different things. One is a PowerPoint printout and the other is the A Pet with notes about the symbols.
The symbolism in A Pet is about Christianity. As a disclaimer, I want it to be clear that I am not Christian, nor am I trying to preach Christianity to you in these lessons, but it is very important to understand what the symbolism in A Pet is about.
So please have a look over the handouts that I gave you, and keep in mind what the symbolism is in A Pet.
| a_pet_-_symbolism.pptx |
Week 5: A Pet (Talking about PLOT)
Today we introduced the next story that we will be talking about: A Pet. This story is also an allegory, and it has a lot of symbolism - something that we will learn in more detail over the next couple of lessons.
We also learned what plot is. A plot in math is when you add points to a graph. Plot in literature are the main events of a story. With this in mind, you can think of the plot of a story as being all of the events that happen.
The first event is the introduction, or beginning. Obviously, in the beginning of the story, the excitement hasn't begun, so as the story begins to unfold, the excitement increases (this is called rising action).
The climax of the story is the most exciting part, and this is where all of the problems begin to get solved.
Next, is the falling action, which leads to the end, or the resolution, or when the problem gets solved.
Have a look at the boardwork below to help you visualize the plot.
Homework is to complete p.13 of your Guiding Notes. Please hand it in on Monday, 10/10.
We also learned what plot is. A plot in math is when you add points to a graph. Plot in literature are the main events of a story. With this in mind, you can think of the plot of a story as being all of the events that happen.
The first event is the introduction, or beginning. Obviously, in the beginning of the story, the excitement hasn't begun, so as the story begins to unfold, the excitement increases (this is called rising action).
The climax of the story is the most exciting part, and this is where all of the problems begin to get solved.
Next, is the falling action, which leads to the end, or the resolution, or when the problem gets solved.
Have a look at the boardwork below to help you visualize the plot.
Homework is to complete p.13 of your Guiding Notes. Please hand it in on Monday, 10/10.
| a_pet_main.pptx |
Week 4: Allegories (The Lad, continued)
This week we STILL continued learning about The Lad, but this week we focused on a new term: allegory.
An allegory is a story that has a deeper or hidden meaning, just like The Lad.
Please review the PowerPoint below for a full exaplanation and to review today's discussion in class.
An allegory is a story that has a deeper or hidden meaning, just like The Lad.
Please review the PowerPoint below for a full exaplanation and to review today's discussion in class.
I also want you to remember that many stories are allegories. For example, The Lorax and many other Dr. Seuss stories.
Remember the allegory for The Lorax? Greed creates destruction.
You can watch The Lorax here:
Remember the allegory for The Lorax? Greed creates destruction.
You can watch The Lorax here:
We're finally moving to the next unit, however, we will skip Unit 3 and go straight to Unit 4 - A Pet. This story is also an allegory. We will discuss it more in deptth in the coming lessons.
Homework this week is to complete p.11-12 in your Guiding Notes. Remember to read the sentences on p.12 and make sure that you understand the words in context. Some words have more than one meaning. Make sure you write the correct definition! You should also read A Pet in your Daybook on p.39-42.
Homework this week is to complete p.11-12 in your Guiding Notes. Remember to read the sentences on p.12 and make sure that you understand the words in context. Some words have more than one meaning. Make sure you write the correct definition! You should also read A Pet in your Daybook on p.39-42.
Week 3: The Lad (part III)
This week we practiced our active reading skills as a class with The Lad one last time.
We talked about strategies for marking up the text - such as circling words that we don't know, and underlining or highlighting sentences and phrases that we write questions or predictions about. You can have a look at the text below that I marked up - yours should be very similar.
Homework for the weekend is to complete p.6 in your Guiding Notes. You should write about the character of the old man. Why do you think he acted the way he did? Did he believe the lad? Was he really skeptical? I'm looking forward to your responses! Please hand it in on Monday, 26th September.
We talked about strategies for marking up the text - such as circling words that we don't know, and underlining or highlighting sentences and phrases that we write questions or predictions about. You can have a look at the text below that I marked up - yours should be very similar.
Homework for the weekend is to complete p.6 in your Guiding Notes. You should write about the character of the old man. Why do you think he acted the way he did? Did he believe the lad? Was he really skeptical? I'm looking forward to your responses! Please hand it in on Monday, 26th September.
Week 2: The Lad (part II)
This week we read the story The Lad and had a very thought-provoking discussion about the story.
Before reading the story, we discussed what it means to stare, and what it means when animals stare at each other. Animals stare to assert dominance and have power over other animals. It is very important in the animal kingdom to be the animal with the most power - and the same can be said for humans, too.
In the story, the lad stared down the chickens, the cows, his parents, the watchman, the guards, the king, and in the end, the sun. But was the lad really as powerful as he believed? Do some of the most powerful people in the world have power because they believe that they are better then they actually are?
You shoud read the story again and look at these questions from the PowerPoint:
Homerwork is to complete GN p.3(B)-5 and hand it in on Monday, 19th September.
Before reading the story, we discussed what it means to stare, and what it means when animals stare at each other. Animals stare to assert dominance and have power over other animals. It is very important in the animal kingdom to be the animal with the most power - and the same can be said for humans, too.
In the story, the lad stared down the chickens, the cows, his parents, the watchman, the guards, the king, and in the end, the sun. But was the lad really as powerful as he believed? Do some of the most powerful people in the world have power because they believe that they are better then they actually are?
You shoud read the story again and look at these questions from the PowerPoint:
- Remember what staring means among animals…
- Why does the lad keep trying to stare people down? What is it the lad really wants?
- Is the lad really a powerful person? Why or why not?
- The lad often repeats his past staring accomplishments out loud or just in his own mind. Does he describe them accurately (truthfully)? Why or why not?
- What kind of person in the lad? How would you describe him?
- What about the crowd? Does their response to the lad surprise you?
- Do crowds of people in real life always act rationally?
Homerwork is to complete GN p.3(B)-5 and hand it in on Monday, 19th September.
| g6_gte_u1_part_2_the_lad__andre_.pptx |
Week 1: Being an active reader (The Lad, Part I)
Today we started witha Kahoot to review what we had previously learned in G5. You can play the Kahoot by clicking here.
Next, we talked about ACTIVE READING. Being an active reader is super important in order to understand the things that we read. Active readers do these things:
I told the class that this year they can write in pen for my class. That means in-class work, homework, etc. Take ownership of your work and make it nice!
Below you can find a link to the PowerPoint for today's lesson.
Homework fot this week is to complete Guiding Notes p.2 and 4(A) and hand it in when we come back to school next Wednesday (14/9).
Next, we talked about ACTIVE READING. Being an active reader is super important in order to understand the things that we read. Active readers do these things:
- Visualize - This means that they imagine and create pictures in their minds about what they are reading.
- Question - They ask questions about what they are reading. Remember the question words (who, what, when, where, why, and how.
- Guess - They use previous knowledge of what they have read to guess what will happen next in the story.
- Mark up the page - They circle words they don't understand, and underline or highlight important parts of the reading.
I told the class that this year they can write in pen for my class. That means in-class work, homework, etc. Take ownership of your work and make it nice!
Below you can find a link to the PowerPoint for today's lesson.
Homework fot this week is to complete Guiding Notes p.2 and 4(A) and hand it in when we come back to school next Wednesday (14/9).
| g6_gte_u1_2_the_lad__andre_.pptx |