Learning During School Closure

We can all be historians during this time away from school by journaling our observations and
keeping a record of what's happening through our eyes.

Daily Assignment: 

• Last week I sent you home with your journal. If you were absent on Friday, use lined paper or your phone notepad. 
• Your job is to chronicle the changes you observe as your community, the country, and the world respond to COVID-19. 
• Each day, take note of what you are seeing and hearing on the news, among your friends, within your family, and in your community. 
• Feel free to use video, written language, poetry, sketches, etc. as you document your experience during this global pandemic. 
• The questions below are to guide your thinking. You do not need to respond to all of them. And, you are encouraged to ask your own questions.
• When we return to school, you will be asked to turn in your journal of daily observations for extra credit. 

Guiding Questions:

• What did the government announce/declare/implement today?
• Does it make sense?
• Does it impact your life? Why or why not?
• How did your family respond?
• What is open in your neighborhood? What is closed?
• What does your neighborhood look like? Are people walking around?
• How is today different from yesterday for you, your family, our nation, the world?
• Do you see any examples of racism, privilege, and income inequality in any of the events that happened today? (Locally, at the state level, nationally, or the world?)
• Did you see anything today that gave you hope? Anxiety? Fear? (In person, in the news, or on social media?)
• What does your family need today that you might not have, have enough of, or have no access to acquire?
• What do you and your family have that others may need?

Your unique daily observations will serve as primary sources to the people in the future. 

We can create a book of our journals so that others can see the world through our eyes. 

Be authentic. Be honest. Be reflective.

As always, email me if you have any questions: cdaniel@sandi.net 

Source: 

Bryan Shaw, Mt. Diablo Unified School District 

COVID-19 School Closure Information

Welcome! I miss you all already. 

School will remain closed until April 6th and this post will remain here with information you can use to catch up on missing, incomplete, or late work from the quarter. 

Hungry while school is closed? 

There are 8 locations around San Diego that will have free lunch and a packaged breakfast for you to take for the next day beginning Monday, 3/16 from 11 AM - 1 PM. 

• Clark Middle - 4388 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92105
• Cherokee Point Elementary - 3735 38th St, San Diego, CA 92105
• Sherman Elementary School - 301 22nd St, San Diego, CA 92102
• Zamorano Fine Arts Academy - 2655 Casey St, San Diego, CA 92139
• Kearny High School - 1954 Komet Way, San Diego, CA 92111
• Walker Elementary School - 9245 Hillery Dr, San Diego, CA 92126
• Farb Middle - 4880 La Cuenta Dr, San Diego, CA 92124
• O' Farrell Charter School - 6130 Skyline Dr, San Diego, CA 92114

Completing Your Work From Home:

• I sent everyone home with a grade printout on Friday. 
• If you have a missing score, low score, or zero anywhere on that sheet it should be your goal to improve whatever you can over the next three weeks. 
• My biggest suggestion for you is to go through each text we've read and complete all of the activities for those texts at once so they are fresh in your mind. 
• I have also uploaded a DIGITAL copy of each text in Google Classroom in case you were absent or do not have a copy of that text in your binder. 
• You are not being held accountable for any extra work; just the work we have done up to Friday, 3/14.
• Anything you complete the next few weeks can be done on paper or in Google Classroom - just email me when it's done. 
• I'm happy to FaceTime or Google Hangout with anyone who needs 1:1 help finishing an assignment (Monday-Friday from 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM). 

cdaniel@sandi.net

Daily Journals: 

• A few of you asked for our daily journals to continue. I will upload a daily journal prompt each day at the top of the blog post. 
• You can find previous daily journals posted HERE (beginning Tuesday).
• I will be happy to give extra credit for anyone who continues their daily journal over the break, but this is not required. 

Reminders: 

Stay safe and wash your hands. Here are some resources for you:

• San Diego Unified COVID-19 Website
• Center for Disease Control Informational Website
• Tracking COVID Cases in San Diego
• San Diego Department of Health FAQ Sheets

Preparing for School Closure

Goal: Finish yesterday’s written response; survey and read our next text

Agenda: 
Journal
COVID-19 Update
Written Response in GC
Reminders

1. Journal 
What is identity?

2. COVID-19 Update 

• We're going to watch this news clip of COVID-19 coverage from CNN 10 
• You can find informational updates on the San Diego Unified plan HERE 
• Please click HERE to update your contact information in case remote learning happens 

3. Written Response in GC 

• There is a question posted in Google Classroom for you to answer based on the identity charts you created yesterday. 
• Please answer the questions in complete sentences and refer to your chart to use as evidence. 

Reminders: 
School will resume April 6th (unless the closure gets extended). Take care of yourself, wash your hands, and stay safe!

Self-Portrait of You as a Learner

Welcome, Mr. Conaty! 

Goal: Get ready to begin our new unit by creating a self-portrait of you as a learner

Agenda: 
Journal
Identity Chart
Written Response in GC
Catch Up
Reminders

1. Journal 
What is your favorite quality about yourself?

2. Identity Chart 

• Mr. Conaty will pass out a copy of the Identity Chart to each one of you. 
• This is a self-reflective activity, so that means volume should be kept to a minimum. 
• Your job is to complete each of the seven sections with three different sentences. 
• By the end of completing this chart, you should have 21 sentences complete all about you. 
• The next we are reading is about identity, so we will refer back to this several times. 

3. Written Response in GC 

• There is a question posted in Google Classroom for you to answer using the identity chart you just created. 
• Please answer the questions in complete sentences and refer to your chart to use as evidence. 

4. Catch Up 
The following assignments should be finished:

• Last Thursday's questions in Google Classroom called "Responding to Questions: Diana Garcia Interview" 
• Performance Task option in Google Classroom (set of two poems, self-reflection, OR a feature article) 
• Check Powerschool to see if you have any outstanding assignments that need to be made up. 

Reminders: 
I will be back tomorrow and we will begin reading a new text and starting our final topic of the last two weeks of class.

Thinking About the Future

Goal: Finish performance tasks and podcast reviews; review classmates' performance tasks

Agenda: 
Journal
Review Classmates' Work
Check Yourself

1. Journal 
What is one important quality you will bring to your future career?

2. Review Classmates' Work 

• We are going to review poetry from your classmates. 
• They did an amazing job on their performance tasks so we are going to read their poems anonymously and praise/critique them together. 

3. Check Yourself: 
The following assignments should be finished:

• Last Thursday's questions in Google Classroom called "Responding to Questions: Diana Garcia Interview" 
• Performance Task option in Google Classroom (set of two poems, self-reflection, OR a feature article) 
• Check Powerschool to see if you have any outstanding assignments that need to be made up. 

Reminders: 

• I will not be here tomorrow because I will be at an English department meeting.
• You can access the San Diego Unified updated info on COVID-19 HERE. They're keeping info updated and they will post if there are any school closures.

Last Day of "On Leaving, On Staying Behind"

Goal: Wrap up the unit "On Leaving, On Staying Behind"

Agenda: 
Journal
Finish Your Podcast Form
Check Yourself

1. Journal 
What is your ideal future career?

2. Finish Your Podcast Form 
Answer these questions about one of the following podcasts >> HERE on this Google Form

• San Diego DA Seeking Death Penalty In Poway Synagogue Shooting And More Local News
• Todd Gloria Leads in San Diego Mayor’s Race And More Local News
• San Diego Colleges Cancelling Study-Abroad Due To Virus And More Local News
• Change In Felony Murder Law Means Freedom For San Diego Man And Other Local News

3. Check Yourself: 
The following assignments should be finished:

• Last Thursday's questions in Google Classroom called "Responding to Questions: Diana Garcia Interview" 
• Performance Task option in Google Classroom (set of two poems, self-reflection, OR a feature article) 
• Check Powerschool to see if you have any outstanding assignments that need to be made up. 

Reminders 
Tomorrow is a short day and we will begin our next unit.

Performance Task + Prepare for Tomorrow

Please pass in your permission slips for tomorrow's trip. 

Goal: Work on your performance task from Friday and prepare for our visit to KPBS tomorrow

Agenda: 
Journal
KPBS Preparation
Finish Questions in GC
Work Time: Performance Task

1. Journal 
What question are you going to ask at the KPBS Station tomorrow?

2. KPBS Preparation 
To prepare for our trip tomorrow, the people at KPBS have asked us to review one of the following podcasts. You can choose one from the list, then answer the questions HERE on this Google Form.

• San Diego DA Seeking Death Penalty In Poway Synagogue Shooting And More Local News
• Todd Gloria Leads in San Diego Mayor’s Race And More Local News
• San Diego Colleges Cancelling Study-Abroad Due To Virus And More Local News
• Change In Felony Murder Law Means Freedom For San Diego Man And Other Local News

3. Finish Questions in GC

• Last Thursday you should have finished answering these questions in Google Classroom called "Responding to Questions: Diana Garcia Interview" 
• If you did not finish those questions on Friday, now is the time to do so.

4. Work Time: Performance Task 
On Friday you chose between these three options for your performance task. Shout out to Gio and Hailey for writing really great assignments. Everyone else has a bit of work to do on one of these three:

The rest of the period is yours to work on the performance task document in Google Classroom that you began on Friday.

Reminders 

• Please remember to be here on time tomorrow. We are leaving at 8:15 AM. 
• Anyone not here will not be able to attend. 
• It might be a little bit rainy, so wear a jacket and bring an umbrella if you have one. 

Performance Task: On Leaving/On Staying Behind

Welcome Ms. Natheos! 

Goal: Work on your performance task in the form of a set of paired poems, a reflective memoir, or a feature article

Agenda: 
Journal
Finish Questions in GC
Introducing a Performance Task
Independent Work Time

1. Journal 
Yesterday your journal was to write about the most important decision you’ve made. Tell me more about that choice.

2. Finish Questions in GC

• Yesterday you should have finished answering these questions in Google Classroom called "Responding to Questions: Diana Garcia Interview" 
• If you did not finish yesterday, now is the time to do so.

3. Introducing Your Performance Task
At the end of each unit, we have a performance task. Two weeks ago you wrote an opinion-editorial at the end of Fake News. Your task for this unit is to choose between these three options:

• You only need to choose one of the options above. 
• There is a document in Google Classroom to help you plan your work
• This plan is due by the end of class today. 

4. Independent Work Time
The rest of the period is yours to work on the performance task document in Google Classroom.  Please email me if you have any questions:

cdaniel@sandi.net

*Bring your permission slips for the field trip on Tuesday.

Reminders 
I will be back on Monday. I look forward to seeing you!

Interview with Diana Garcia

Welcome Mr. Obermeyer! 

Goal: Read the interview with Diana Garcia about her process writing “On Leaving/On Staying Behind”

Agenda: 
Journal
Poem Refresh
Reading the Interview
Answering Questions in GC
Grade Check

1. Journal 
Describe the most important decision you’ve ever made.

2. Poem Refresh 

• Earlier this week, we read poems by Diana Garcia called "On Leaving/On Staying Behind" 
• Take out your copy of that poem since you will need to refer to it today. 

3. Reading the Interview 

• There is an interview with Diana Garcia for you to read with Mr. Obermeyer. 
• He will pass out one copy of the interview to you. 
• You will be answering a series of 4 questions based on this interview. 

4. Answering Questions in GC

• There are questions posted in Google Classroom called "Responding to Questions: Diana Garcia Interview" 
• These are the following questions:
• What other issues and contexts does the interview introduce?
• What does Garcia identify as her purpose for writing the poems?
• What is the situation Garcia is responding to in this interview?
• What does this broader context contribute to your understanding of the poems’ themes?

5. Work Check 
Are you up to date? These are the assignments some of you should have completed this week:

• Compare/Contrast Writing in Google Classroom 
• Venn Diagram completed on paper earlier this week 
• 4 sentence precis from yesterday's article

Reminders 
Tomorrow you will be completing your performance task based on Garcia's work. Check to be sure your work from this week is finished.

Wrapping Up the KPBS Article

Follow the blog the next two days while I'm out.

I will post everything you need to complete your work.

*Please return permission slips for next Tuesday's field trip!! 

Goal: Finish charting the text and turn your text into a poem that shows the main idea

Agenda: 
Journal
Finish Charting
Rhetorical Precis
Grade Check

1. Journal 
How do you learn best - by reading, listening, or watching? Explain.

2. Finish Charting the Text 

• Yesterday you began this chart and most of you made good progress. However, today you must be able to finish it.
• Remember, the "doing" side always starts with a rhetorical verb from the chart in our room

3. Write a Rhetorical Precis 

• There is a question posted in Google Classroom  for you to write a 4 sentence precis in response to the article about the immigration law.
• Use the rhetorical precis template we always use. 
• You should be pretty quick and writing assignments like this now, so I bet you can do it before class is done today.

5. Grade Check 

• Please be sure your compare and contrast paragraph is done in Google Classroom. 
• When you are totally done and your assignments are submitted, please go to Powerschool and check your grades. 
• Everyone has at least one assignment they can improve. 

Reminders: 
I will not be here tomorrow or Friday. Refer to the blog for the assignments you need to complete. Tomorrow you will have Mr. Obermeyer, a good friend of mine. Please be kind and helpful to him.

= BRING PERMISSION SLIPS FOR TUESDAY'S FIELD TRIP! =

New Text on Immigration

Posted on SD KPBS

Goal: Read a new text on immigration that comes from San Diego NPR/KPBS

Agenda: 
Journal
Video Background
Read Article
Charting the Text
Grade Check

*Please return permission slips for next Tuesday's field trip!! 

1. Journal 
Today is an election day, also known as Super Tuesday. Do you plan to vote? Why or why not?

2. Video Background 
I'm going to show you a quick clip from the actual article source HERE. You can revisit it if necessary on your own time.

3. Read Article 

• We're going to read an article that tells a less personal story than the poem we've been reading by Diana Garcia. 
• Instead, we're taking a government approach to local immigration and what's happening along the US-Mexico border. 

4. Charting the Text 

• In your journal, create the "saying" and "doing" chart that we've used before for "charting the text"
• We are going to divide up the text and your job is to summarize and explain the author's point for each section of the text
• Start by drawing a line under the intro 
• Then look for the conclusion of the piece and draw a line above where it starts 
• Remember, the "doing" side always starts with a rhetorical verb from the chart in our room

5. Google Classroom Question
There is a brief question in Google Classroom with sentence frames for you to use and respond. You should be pretty quick and writing assignments like this now, so I bet you can do it before class is done today.

6. Grade Check 

• Please be sure your compare and contrast paragraph is done in Google Classroom. 
• When you are totally done and your assignments are submitted, please go to Powerschool and check your grades. 
• Everyone has at least one assignment they can improve. 
• Nick and I are happy to help you pull up those grades.

Reminders: 
We have a minimum day tomorrow. Have a great afternoon!

Compare/Contrast with a Venn Diagram

Goal: Analyze Diana Garcia's two poems further using a Venn Diagram and compose a written compare/contrast response

Agenda: 
Journal
SOAPSTone
Venn Diagram
Compare/Contrast Paragraph
Grade Check

*Permission slips for next Tuesday's field trip are being handed out today. Please return them by this Wednesday signed by your parent or guardian AND your teachers for periods 1-3. 

1. Journal 
We are now in March and the quarter ends this month. What is one goal you have for yourself by then?

2. SOAPSTone for Garcia's Poem(s)

• Complete this SOAPSTone form about Garcia's poems, "On Leaving, On Staying Behind" 
• You can work with people, but the work submitted should still be your own form. 

3. Venn Diagram 

• I'm giving you a copy of a Venn Diagram on paper to compare the experiences of the daughter and the mother in Garcia's poems, "On Leaving/On Staying Behind" 
• You will use this to write a compare and contrast paragraph on both experiences.

4. Compare/Contrast Paragraph

• There is an assignment uploaded in Google Classroom called "Compare and Contrast: Mother/Daughter Experience" 
• Use your knowledge of signal words and text structure to write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the daughter’s and mother’s perspectives. 
• What do they share in common? 
• How are their situations different? 
• Adapt the sentence starters that follow to fit your own ideas.
• Both the daughter and her mother…
• In the same way, the mother…
• Similarly, the daughter…
• The mother, on the other hand…
• In contrast, the daughter…
• Whereas the mother is…
• Unlike her mother, the daughter…

5. Grade Check 
When you are totally done with your compare and contrast and it is submitted, please go to Powerschool and check your grades. Everyone has at least one assignment they can improve. Nick and I are happy to help you pull up those grades.

Reminders: 
Have a fantastic week.