English 4790 Final Project Lesson PlanAlex Stacy-Spring 2011

Unit IntroductionUnit TitleEnglish Language Arts Courtesy of Dr. SeussAuthor’s NameAlex StacyGrade Levels11th-12th GradeEstimated Timeline for Teaching2.5 Weeks of Class (Twelve 50-Minute Class Periods)Unit Overview This English Language Arts Unit has been designed around the writings of Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss). Students will connect language concepts and aspects to various writings of Seuss (ex. Symbolism through My Many Colored Days, Poetic Meters through Yertle the Turtle, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, etc…). Through this examination and analysis, students will familiarize themselves with the technical aspects of creative writing while learning and actively practicing textual analysis of non-traditional works (Children’s Literature).

The unit will culminate with students creating a portfolio consisting of a series of Seuss-excerpts or original works illustrating the topics discussed in the unit. Attached to each document (the excerpt or original piece) will be an analysis of the illustrated topic that examines its technical features and provides a comparison to a work discussed in class. Four documents will be required and both genres (original and found pieces) will have to be represented [I.E. Students will have freedom in choosing which of their documents are created or representative of another author’s work, but they must present at least one of each in their portfolio]. Theory to Practice The ‘method’ to the ‘madness’ that is my final portfolio-writing assignment lies in combining the practices of literature analysis, creative writing, and formal essay writing. Students will experience, refine, and polish works from each of the aforementioned areas of study during the two-week unit; therefore, as an instructor, individual assessment for every student will be possible so as to best determine where focused attention is required. The assessment will also introduce students to the concept of ‘Portfolio Assembly’, wherein written works from earlier class periods are re-visited and re-examined, and then combined together to form a larger assignment illustrating mastery over the techniques and topics discussed in the unit.

The use of books by Seuss, while far from traditional when dealing with a high school ELA classroom, will help students get footholds in each area of study without having to work with novels and other works that regularly extend beyond 100 pages. This utilization of smaller works will not only allow students to access a greater breadth of material, it will also serve as a break from the ‘norm’ that exists in most high school literature courses.

Student Objectives

In this unit, students will…-Practice Literature Analysis through the examination of no less than ten texts by Dr. Seuss and class/group discussions over aforementioned works. -Dabble in the art of creative writing and providing/receiving peer response and commentary in workshop sessions following the analysis and discussion of a particular facet of the English language and its literature. -Explore technical aspects of the English Language such as meter, lexicology/linguistics, and phonetics; as well as the literary concepts of symbolism and metaphor through the examination of texts by Seuss. -Gain practice in writing formal essay-style papers in a portfolio setting. Michigan English Language Arts High School Content ExpectationsStrand I: Writing, Speaking, and Visual Expression- Standard 1.1: Understand and practice writing as a recursive process. -CE 1.1.3: Select and use language that is appropriate for the purpose, audience, and context. -CE 1.1.4: Compose drafts that convey an impression, express an opinion, etc…while simultaneously considering the

constraints and possibilities of the selected form or genre. -CE 1.1.5: Revise drafts to more fully and/or precisely convey meaning through drawing on response from others, self-

reflection, and reading one’s own work with the eye of a reader. -CE 1.1.6: Reorganize sentence elements as needed and choose grammatical and stylistic options that provide sentence

variety, fluency, and flow. -CE 1.1.7: Edit for style, tone, and word choice, and for conventions of grammar.-Standard 1.2: Use writing, speaking, and visual expression for personal understanding and growth. -CE 1.2.2: Write, speak, and visually represent to develop self-awareness and insight. -CE 1.2.3: Write, speak, and create artistic representations to express personal experience and perspective. -Standard 1.3: Communicate in speech, writing, and multimedia using content, form, voice, and style appropriate to the audience

and purpose. -CE 1.3.1: Compose written, spoken, and/or multimedia compositions in a range of genres. -CE 1.3.2: Compose written and spoken essays or work-related text that demonstrate logical thinking and the development of

ideas for academic, creative, and personal purposes. -CE 1.3.3: Compose essays with well-crafted and varied sentences demonstrating a precise, flexible, and creative use of

language. -CE 1.3.4: Develop and extend a thesis, argument, or exploration of a topic by analyzing differing perspectives and employing

a structure that effectively conveys the ideas in writing. -CE 1.3.7: Participate collaboratively and productively in groups.-Standard 1.4: Develop and use the tools and practices of inquiry and research. -CE 1.4.1: Identify, explore, and refine topics and questions appropriate for research. -CE 1.4.4: Interpret, synthesize, and evaluate information/findings in various print sources and media to draw conclusions. -CE 1.4.6: Use appropriate convents of textual citation in different contexts. -Standard 1.5: Produce a variety of written, spoken, multi-genre, and multimedia works, making conscious choices about

language, form, style, and/or visual representation for each work. -CE 1.5.5: Respond to and use feedback to strengthen written and multimedia presentations.Strand 2: Reading, Listening, and Viewing-Standard 2.1: Develop critical reading, listening, and viewing strategies. -CE 2.2.1: Use a variety of pre-reading and previewing strategies to make conscious choices about how to approach the

reading. -CE 2.1.2: Make supported inferences and draw conclusions based on informational print and multimedia features. -CE 2.1.3: Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, specialized vocabulary, figurative language, idiomatic expressions, and

technical meanings of terms through context clues, word roots and affixes, and the use of appropriate resource material. -CE 2.1.4: Identify and evaluate the primary focus, logical argument, structure, and style of a text and the ways in which these

elements support or confound meaning or purpose. -CE 2.1.7: Demonstrate understanding of written, spoken, or visual information by restating, paraphrasing, summarizing,

critiquing, or composing a personal response.-Standard 2.2: Use a variety of reading, listening, and viewing strategies to construct meaning beyond the literal level. -CE 2.2.1: Recognize literary and persuasive strategies as ways by which authors convey ideas and readers make meaning. -CE 2.2.2: Examine the ways in which prior knowledge and personal experiences affect the understanding of written text.

-CE 2.2.3: Interpret the meaning of written, spoken, and visual texts by drawing on different cultural, theoretical, and critical perspectives.

-Standard 2.3: Develop as a reader, listener, and viewer for personal, social, and political purposes, through independent and collaborative reading.

-CE 2.3.1: Read, listen to, and view diverse texts for multiple purposes such as learning complex procedures, making work-place decisions, or pursuing in-depth studies.

Strand 3: Literature and Culture-Standard 3.1: Develop the skills of close and contextual literary reading. -CE 3.1.1: Interpret literary language while reading literary and expository works. -CE 3.1.4: Analyze characteristics of specific works and authors and identify basic beliefs, perspectives, and philosophical

assumptions underlying in an author’s work. -CE 3.1.5: Comparatively analyze two or more literary or expository texts, comparing how any why similar themes are treated

differently. -CE 3.1.8: Demonstrate an understanding of historical, political, cultural, and philosophical themes and questions raised by

literary and expository works.-Standard 3.2: Read and respond to classic and contemporary fiction from a variety of literary genres representing many time

periods and authors. -CE 3.2.2: Identify different types of poetry and explain how specific features influence meaning. -CE 3.2.4: Respond by participating actively and appropriately in small and large group discussions about literature.-Standard 3.3: Use knowledge of literary history, traditions, and theory to respond to and analyze the meaning of texts. -CE 3.3.3: Draw on a variety of critical perspectives to respond to and analyze works of literature.-Standard 3.4: Examine mass media, film series, fiction, and other texts from popular culture. -CE 3.4.2: Understand that media and popular texts are produced within a social context and have economic, political, social,

and aesthetic purposes.Strand 4: Language-Standard 4.1: Understand and use the English language effectively in a variety of contexts and settings. -CE 4.1.1: Use sentence structures and vocabulary effectively within different modes for various rhetorical purposes. -CE 4.1.2: Use resources to determine word meanings, pronunciations, and word etymologies. -CE 4.1.4: Control standard English structures in a variety of contexts. -CE 4.1.5: Demonstrate use of conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics in written texts, including parts of speech,

sentence structure and variety, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Unit ComponentsResources Texts: My Many Colored Days, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, If I Ran the Circus, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, On Beyond Zebra, Fox in Socks, Oh Say Can You Say, The Lorax, The Butter Battle Book, The Sneetches and Other Stories. (Customization of activities in this unit may require additional/alternate texts.)Access to Technology: Computer Lab access or Laptop-Cart access would be preferred, but not imperative.Physical Materials: Writing Utensils (Pencils, Pens, Highlighters), Notebook Paper, Peer Review Worksheets, Final Writing Assignment Teacher PreparationIn order to best teach this unit, teachers should familiarize themselves with the Seuss works listed in the Resources section, as well as his other texts (as many as possible) so as to familiarize themselves with his writing style and techniques. Teachers should also read or ensure students’ exposure to each text prior to extensive discussion. If possible, securing of a computer lab or a cart of portable laptops should also be done in advance.

Lesson Plans1: Lesson Plan for Day 1: IntroductionsObjective: Students will be introduced to Dr. Seuss and his texts as well as the ELA topics to be discussed during the thirteen-day unit. Students will also be introduced to Seuss’s use of symbolism through the examination of My Many Colored Days.

Materials Needed: -Student Journals-My Many Colored Days-7 sheets of “exotic” colors (Chartreuse, Emerald, Goldenrod, etc…)

Timeline:0:00-0:05~Introduce students to the unit, take any questions about Seuss or what ELA topics will be discussed and examined. Distribute any paperwork or journals if necessary. 0:05-0:12~Have students address the following prompt in their journals, “How have you seen color used as symbolism in your experiences with literature/media? How have you used it in your own writing? How could you use it in your own writing?” 0:12-0:20~Introduce and read to the class My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. 0:20-0:30~Discuss Seuss’s use of symbolism with the class, as well as his defiance of traditional color associations (I.E. Red=Exuberant as opposed to Angry, Blue=Expressive as opposed to dismal, etc…) Compare to other instances of color being used as symbolism in texts and color’s power to set or alter a mood or atmosphere.0:30-0:45~Assign groups (which will remain in this combination for the remainder of the unit) and have students assign their own feelings and emotions to an array of colors.-Provide students with their color swatches and have them write what emotion the color is tied to and why the two are related. -Have students share their writing with the group. -If groups have any overwhelming agreements on color/emotion combos, share them with the class. 0:45-0:50~Have students write in their journals a few of their color/emotion combos and a few ideas as to how they could use them in writing creative works.

HSCEs Met: CE 2.2.1, CE 2.1.2, CE 2.1.7, CE 2.3.1

Homework:None (This day serves as more of an introduction to the unit as opposed to a day intense study and discussion; easy transition into what can quickly become a complex unit.

2: Lesson Plan Day 3: Poetic MetersObjective: Students will learn about Seuss’s use of poetic meters to give his texts a certain ‘sing-song’ feel, much like how Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter gave his dialogue a free-flowing quality. Specifically, students will learn about Anapestic, Amphibrach, Trochaic, and Iambic tetrameters.

Materials Needed: -Student Journals-Excerpts from If I Ran the Circus, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories (Entire texts will also work).

Timeline:0:00-0:07~ Have students write in their journal in response to the following prompt, “How does a poem’s meter affect the reader’s consumption/interpretation? If you do not know what ‘meter’ means, what do you think it means?”0:07-0:12~Briefly discuss/review/introduce the concept of poetic meter and provide examples of common styles. 0:12-0:15~Have students get into groups and distribute one of Seuss’s texts to each group. 0:15-0:20~Have students analyze the book/excerpt and determine what type of poetic meter the example is written in. 0:20-0:35~Repeat the activity with each group analyzing each text/excerpt once. 0:35-0:45~Have students share their results with the class to assess correctness. Discuss as a class how each meter affects the reader and alters the text. Go over additional examples if necessary.0:45-0:50~Have students write in their journals their favorite meter and why they prefer it over the others.

HSCEs Met: CE 1.2.2, CE 1.4.4, CE 2.2.1, CE 2.3.1, CE 3.1.1, CE 3.2.2

Homework: Students will experiment with the meters discussed in class as a preparation for the following day’s writing activity.

3: Lesson Plan on Day 4: Writing WorkshopObjective: Students will experiments with poetic meters discussed during previous class period and will create collaborative examples of metered poetry.

Materials Needed: -Paper-Demonstrative Examples of Poetic Meters

Timeline:0:00-0:10~Break students into groups and discuss/review (as a class) the examples of meter covered during yesterday’s analyses.0:10-0:15~Assign each group a specific meter and introduce the following activity: Students will work together to create a group-poem, wherein every student writes a line, the poem is passed around, and another line is added…Explain any additional rules or constraints (I.E. appropriate language, no ‘destruction-of-poems’ via random interjections, etc…). Each poem should make a full rotation around the table (As a teacher, monitor time appropriately).By the end of the group’s time with a given meter, they should have the same number of poems as they have people in the group.0:15-0:21~Have students participate in the above activity. 0:22-0:25~Have students share poems with group and have each group share one poem with class.0:25-0:45~Have students repeat activity until each group has experienced each meter.0:45-0:50~Have students break from groups and hold a closing discussion over poetry and the use/necessity/needlessness/etc. of meters.

HSCEs Met: CE 1.1.3, CE 1.1.6, CE 1.3.1, CE 1.3.7, CE 3.2.2, CE 4.1.1, CE 4.1.4

Homework: Students will begin composing their own poems using a particular meter in preparation for the portfolio assignment. Students should also be encouraged to examine other poems, songs, etc. and to identify what type of meter, if any, is present.

4: Lesson Plan for Day 6: The Phonetics of Fox in SocksObjective:

Materials Needed:-Student Journals -Fox in Socks

Timeline: 0:00-0:05~ Have students write a journal entry in response to the following prompt, “What makes tongue-twisters so hard to say? What is the hardest tongue twister you know? How could you alter this sentence to make it easier to pronounce?”0:05-0:15~ Discuss as a class the concept of phonetics (something that will have already have been taught during a previous unit) and its connection to tongue twisters. Introduce/touch on the concepts of Assonance, Consonance, and Alliteration.0:15-0:30~ Read as a class Fox in Socks. Have students take turns reading lines/passages/paragraphs as fast as they can. While this may be embarrassing, it is the best way to illustrate phonetics ability to twist the mouth with similar phonemes. 0:30-0:40~ Have students partner up and give them individual passages from the text. Have them then write them out phonetically (using IPA [International Phonetic Alphabet]) and have them notate what characteristics are either repeated or alternate, thereby creating the tongue twister. 0:40-0:45~ Have students share their findings with the class, and discuss the nature of the findings.0:45-0:50~ Have students write their findings in their journal, as well as ideas on how to create their own tongue twisters.

HSCEs Met: CE 2.2.1, CE 2.1.2, CE 2.1.7, CE 2.3.1, CE 4.1.1, CE 4.1.5

Homework: Students will begin creating their own tongue twisters or analyzing

5: Lesson Plan for Day 9: Lexicology and On Beyond ZebraObjective: Students will be introduced to neologisms and the field of lexicology through the reading of Seuss’s On Beyond Zebra.

Materials Needed:-Student Journals -On Beyond Zebra

Timeline: 0:00-0:05~ Have students write a journal entry in response to the following prompt, “Neologism literally means New (Neo-) Word (-logos). With new words such as ‘LOL’ and ‘Doh’ entering the dictionary every year, what is it that makes a word real?”0:05-0:15~ Discuss as a class the concept of lexicology and neologisms. Touch on essential questions such as, “Do words have implicit meanings or do they only mean what we associate them with?” Also discuss our English alphabet.0:15-0:25~ Read to the class (while projecting via a document camera) On Beyond Zebra. Stop occasionally to ask students how a certain letter would be pronounced. [For those unfamiliar with the text, On Beyond Zebra analyzes the theoretical letters that exist after ‘Z’, as well as the words that utilize these symbols.0:25-0:30~ Have students get into pairs and assign each pair one of Seuss’s made up letters. Explain to them that they will have to create a word that uses the letter and will have to define the word via a definition, an assigned part of speech (noun, verb, etc…), and a pronunciation. 0:30-0:40~ Have students complete the assignment and share results with the class once everyone is done or nearly done. 0:40-0:50~ Have students write their creations down in their journal, along with a short entry describing the creation process as well as their thoughts on lexicology/neologisms.

HSCEs Met: CE 2.2.1, CE 2.1.2, CE 2.1.7, CE 2.3.1, CE 4.1.1, CE 4.1.5

Homework: None.

5: Lesson Plans for Days Not Covered In Above DocumentsDay 1: See Lesson Plan 1Day 2: On this day, students will be introduced to the group writing-workshop style of class. A discussion over appropriate reader response and proper group behavior can be had, and students can take this opportunity to explore some of Seuss’s other texts if time is left and needs to be filled. Day 3: See Lesson Plan 2Day 4: See Lesson Plan 3Day 5: On this day, students will read The Lorax and discuss the books addressing of larger cultural issues, as well as the idea of metaphor in literature. This discussion will likely move beyond the world of literature, which is okay, so long as discussion stays appropriate for a high school classroom.Day 6: See Lesson Plan 4Day 7: Students will break into workshop groups and will experiment with phonetic analysis and the creation of ‘tongue-twisters’. Alliteration, Consonance, and Assonance can also be discussed/experimented with. Day 8: Grammar Mini-Lesson. See ‘Varied Assignment [F]’ and documents 3A-3C. This activity can be carried out with students working alone or in groups, whichever best fits the classroom environment. Day 9: See Lesson Plan 5 Day 10: Students will spend the day working on their portfolio project and assembling documents. Day 11: Another writing workshop day (Day 10)Day 12: Students will share and submit their portfolios!

As you have likely noticed, students’ homework in this unit mostly serves as a preparation for the documents that will be contained in their portfolio. Ideally, students will take their findings and their homework writings and expand upon them during days 10 and 11, as well as the weekend that is between the two days, and will not have to generate the documents out of thin air. Teacher collection of homework writings can be applied if some sort of accountability is needed.

Varied AssignmentsA: Assignment Sheet See Document #1A for sheet regarding the final portfolio project. This sheet will be given to students on the second-to-last day of the unit [Day 9] and the project would most likely be due on either the following Tuesday or Wednesday so as to allow ample time for completion and revision. B: Pre-Reading/During-Reading/After-Reading WritingsPre-Reading Activity: Before every daily reading, students will discuss with their partners/groups any relevant memories or thoughts on the day’s book. Students will also make an entry in their class journal [A semester long daily-project] regarding the day’s topic of discussion.

During-Reading Activity: Students’ primary objective during readings will be to actively listen to/focus on the text while noting any instances of the day’s topic in Seuss’s writing.

After-Reading Activity: Students will break into groups (which will have been pre-determined before the unit by the teacher) and discuss the book and its treatment of the day’s topic. They will then begin a custom writing during the final minutes of class that illustrates understanding/mastery of the topic discussed in class. The custom writing will be finished for homework and examined/critiqued during a workshop session that will take place on the following day. C: Pre-Writing ActivityAs mentioned in the above box, students will break into small groups to discuss the Seuss text and the applicable topic prior to any writing. In regards to the final portfolio, students will spend a day in a writing-workshop setting revising and reworking their writing samples. Teacher presence in each group during some point in workshop classes would be beneficial to all parties involved. D: Discussion Activity/PromptDiscussions should be structured around the following topics…-Day 1: My Many Colored Days; Analysis of symbolism and Seuss’s use of color. -Day 2: Discuss the need for workshop sessions and peer reviews/revisions. -Day 3: Yertle the Turtle, If I Ran the Circus; Analysis of poetic meter and Seuss’s variety.-Day 5: The Lorax; Analysis of metaphor and contextual interpretation.-Day 6: On Beyond Zebra; Analysis of lexicology and linguistics.-Day 8: Fox in Socks; Analysis of phonetics and rhyme schemes.

In order to facilitate optimal discussion, students should be briefly introduced to the day’s topic prior to the reading of the day’s text. Following the reading session, students will discuss examples of the topic in Seuss’s text as well as any other relevant or applicable aspects of the literature. The discussion over The Lorax will most likely transfer into some sort of cultural commentary, so as a teacher, be sure to monitor appropriate classroom discourse. E: Peer Review See Document #2A. This sheet will be given to students on the first day of the portfolio-workshop [Day 10]. Completed copies from every member in the group will be attached to the rough draft of the portfolio for teacher assessment.

F: Grammar Mini-LessonSee Documents #3A-3C. This activity will take place on Day 5 of the unit, but it can easily be moved around to other days to accommodate unit customization or time constraints.-3A: The space between “Fish” and “And”, and “And” and “Chips” is uneven. -3B: That that is, is. That that is not, is not. Is that it? It is. -3C: Jim, while Sarah had had “had”, had had “had had”; “had had” had had a stronger effect on the teacher. G: Self-Reflection for StudentsSee Document #4A. Throughout the year, students will make daily entries into journals during the first few minutes of class in response to a prompt that is written on the board. These prompts will often serve as a sort of anticipatory set to access and engage students’ prior knowledge. During this unit however, students will make entries into their journal before and after the day’s discussions in order to reflect upon learning experiences. At the end of the unit, students will review their journal and write-up a one page summary of their changes in thought and their reflections. H: Assessment RubricSee Document #5A. This document has been designed to help both students and teachers assess the quality of students’ final portfolio project.

[Document 1A] Name:____________

Final Unit Portfolio Assignment

Now that we have reached the end of our unit covering the writings of Dr. Seuss, it is time to collect your findings and your own writings into a portfolio that will showcase what you have learned over the past two weeks. There will be time in class to work on this project, but a majority of the work will have to be accomplished on your own time, so plan ahead wisely.

Documents: Your portfolio will consist of eight (8) individual documents; four will be pieces providing an example of a particular theme or topic discussed in class (ex. Symbolism, Phonologic Wordplay, etc…) while the remaining four analyze your examples. Your documents will be compiled together and placed in the following order:-Document 1-Analysis of Document 1-Document 2-Analysis of Document 2…

Further Instructions: In your four documents, you will be required to provide examples of ‘found’ and ‘original’ work. In found work, you will provide an example of another author’s work that illustrates the given topic. In original works, you will take one or more of your writings from previous workshop classes that illustrate a given topic, revise them, and place then in the portfolio for analysis. All non-original works must be cited in MLA format.

Each analysis will be roughly a page in length. In it you will have to highlight key passages from the document being analyzed, explain how the document illustrates the given topic, and compare/contrast it to one of Seuss’s works discussed in class. This analysis will be written in a formal essay-style format, so paragraphs and complete sentences are required.

On the bottom of this sheet you will find slots for you to write-in what you will be using for each of the four documents. Remember, you must provide at least one example of a ‘found’ work and an ‘original’ work in your portfolio; it is your choice as to which document is which. If you have any questions or concerns, please see me and I will gladly assist you.

‘Symbolism’ Document: ______________________________________________

‘Poetic Meter’ Document: _____________________________________________

‘Neologism’ Document: ______________________________________________

‘Phonologic Wordplay’ Document: _____________________________________

THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE ON INSERT DATE HERE

[Document 2A] Name:_____________Reviewer:__________

Peer Review

Welcome to peer review/revision! In your pre-assigned groups, you will each read one-another’s portfolio documents and analysis’s and fill out this sheet with appropriate comments. Remember to use the techniques of helpful response that we discussed earlier in the year. Please try to make constructive comments as opposed to the useless and generic, “This is good,” or “I don’t like this.”

Completed copies of this sheet will be attached to the rough draft of your portfolio, which will turned into me along with your polished final draft on INSERT DUE DATE HERE.

Document #1

Document #2

Document #3

Document #4

[Document 3A] Name:_____________

Goofy Grammatical Punctuation Puzzles

Grammar! It is as essential to language as gasoline is to a car. Without proper punctuation and grammatical mindfulness, sentences can veer into obscurity and become senseless piles of unrelated words that confuse and stupefy. In your groups, use your knowledge about punctuation and parts-of-speech to turn these three nonsensical sentences into works of grammatical art.

The space between fish and and and and and chips is uneven.

The above sentence requires the following punctuation…Four (4) Sets of Quotation marks (“) and One (1) Comma (,)

[Document 3B] Name:_____________

Goofy Grammatical Punctuation Puzzles

Grammar! It is as essential to language as gasoline is to a car. Without proper punctuation and grammatical mindfulness, sentences can veer into obscurity and become senseless piles of unrelated words that confuse and stupefy. In your groups, use your knowledge about punctuation and parts-of-speech to turn these three nonsensical sentences into works of grammatical art.

That that is is that that is not is not is that it it is.

The above sentence requires the following punctuation…Two (2) Commas (,), Two (2) Periods (.), and One (1) Question Mark (?).

[Document 3C] Name:_____________

Goofy Grammatical Punctuation Puzzles

Grammar! It is as essential to language as gasoline is to a car. Without proper punctuation and grammatical mindfulness, sentences can veer into obscurity and become senseless piles of unrelated words that confuse and stupefy. In your groups, use your knowledge about punctuation and parts-of-speech to turn these three nonsensical sentences into works of grammatical art.

Jim while Sarah had had had had had had had had had had had a stronger effect on the teacher.

The above sentence requires the following punctuation…Three (3) Sets of Quotation Marks (“), Two (2) Commas (,), and One (1) Semicolon (;).

[Document 4A] Name:_____________

Self Reflection

Now that we have reached the end of our Dr. Seuss unit, it is time to look back and reflect on your learning experiences through the examination of your journal entries. You will be required to collect the eighteen journal entries (two from each of the nine days) you have written over the past two weeks and review them. Think about how your thoughts on Seuss and the English language changed or were reinforced by our class readings and activities. How did this information shape or form your portfolio writings? What are your thoughts about this lesson in general?

Attach a one page write-up of your reflection and your journal entries to this assignment sheet and turn it into me by the end of today’s class period. If you are missing any entries or are having difficulty with this assignment, please see me and we can see what we can work out.

Congratulations! You made it to the end!

[Document 4A]

Dr. Seuss Portfolio Project Rubric

Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Text Documents Documents show evidence of

exceptional research and/or creation and effectively illustrate the topics to which they are connected.

Documents show evidence of

research/creation and reflect/illustrate the topics to which they

are connected.

Documents show little evidence of

research or creation and fail to connect to their assigned topics

on any significant level.

Documents show no evidence of proper or appropriate planning and have little, if any,

connection to the topic of discussion

Analyses Analyses of documents show

thorough research and contextual

citation and thought and are coherent in

their presentation of documents' traits.

Analyses of documents show evidence of

research and contextual citation and

are coherent in their presentation of

documents' traits.

Analyses of documents show little

research or contextual citation and presentation of documents' traits is

difficult to understand.

Analyses make little/no reference to

the document-in-question and/or are incoherent in their

presentation.

First Draft and Revisions

First draft is present, as are peer review sheets. Evidence of

revisions is present.

First draft is present, as are some peer

review sheets. Some evidence of revisions is

present.

First draft is present, but no peer review

sheets. Little evidence of revision exists.

Peer review sheets present, no first draft.

Mechanics No grammatical, spelling or

punctuation errors.

Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors

A few grammatical spelling, or

punctuation errors.

Many grammatical, spelling, or

punctuation errors.

Organization Information is very organized with well-

constructed paragraphs and

subheadings.

Information is organized with well-

constructed paragraphs.

Information is organized, but

paragraphs are not well-constructed.

Organization of information is not

present.

Template and organization courtesy of http://rubistar.4teachers.org