First Day of School [Transparency]

I'm probably gonna make up my own classroom rules. But I'll ask students to explain the rationale.  Or, I will ask students "What ensures a safe, smoothly running classroom? (what should students do? what should the teacher do?)" Go over materials they need, other logistics, blah blah blah.

After we share out the rationale, we'll discuss them. The fun part will be the second half of the day - asking students Why Learn English? [Students brainstorm] - Scaffolds: Have you ever read fiction and learned more about something, like it was a how-to book? For example, reading Hunger Games teaches you a little bit about survival skills. Reading All Quiet on the Western Front teaches you about soldier life. Reading The Da Vinci Code teaches you some detective skills and French monuments. List those books. And, do you prefer to read fiction or non-fiction? Have you ever been emotionally invested in fiction? List those books and explain. What does the word empathy mean to you? What do you associate with Point of View? Write what you associate with it.

I'll also have a prepared answer:
1.) Reading to Gain World-Knowledge/Self-Knowledge
2.) Reading to Feel More --> Writing with Feeling

These lead to some ELA Truths:
1.) The meaning of books depends on YOU, the reader
2.) Make the books come to life by imagining the characters, the story, and the author are people you're meeting and interacting with. It's ok to ask yourself "how do I feel about this?" or "what does this say about my world?". Invest in book-worlds the way you invest in your real world.

Script:
So this sounds like the stereotypical English class touchy feely stuff. But this isn't fluff. What I'm telling you is that what you do in English - in any good class - will actually IMPACT your life [show picture of wind]. Like, it will make a difference in your lives. Ok, let me define what I mean and illustrate with examples.

1.) Reading to gain world-knowledge means that you literally just learn about what writers older and very observant decided to write books about: love, childhood, school, competition, war, justice, geography. Ok, World Knowledge is easier to recognize perhaps in other subject matters - Science, History, Math - which seem pretty factual. But... who thought of a time that what they read from a novel added to your knowledge of the world? Ok, so some of you might say, but novels aren't as reliable as a research paper - the Da Vinci Code perpetuated some lies. True, that's why people don't use novels as a major sources of truth. But more people are likely to read novels, especially children, than non-fiction. Why?? [Turn and Talk] It's because fiction is usually more imaginative, exciting, emotional. Which leads to self-knowledge.  Self-knowledge comes when you turn into yourself when you read and you start having feelings. Like who's been emotionally impacted by a book - not intellectually but emotions? For example, romances often have you rooting for a doomed couple or hero books have you HATING the evil guy. [so what do you learn about yourself when you have FEELINGS] You learn about yourself, your values, your fears, your maturity, your weaknesses even. Like in Divergent every time Tris made a fearless decision I knew I would not be that brave. [read a sample?]

The books we'll read also tell you about origins. These books are the "original" - love story = Romeo & Juliet; coming-of-age = To Kill a Mockingbird; American Dream = Of Mice and Men; Hero's Journey = Odyssey.

The books touch on the biggest philosophical questions that IMPACT your actual life - what is happiness? = Great Gatsby/Death of a Salesman; what is the right thing to do?/who am I? = Huck Finn/Crucible

2.) Ok reading to feel more. The key word here is Point of View. [Turn and share associations. Show Atticus quote. Give an example?] But... what I care about is not third person omniscient or first person limited but more what Atticus says:

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.

 Who can explain? Give an example? What about when you watch those reality shows and then they're in the "confession room" and they detail their feelings. You gain more insight into what it is like to be them. Other ways you can walk in someone's shoes is to learn more facts about their lives. In the Miracle Worker we know Helen Keller's teacher Anne Sullivan suffered blindness and went to a insane house. So knowing this about Ms. Sullivan helps us better understand why she understood Helen. Or even when you go on Facebook and you flip through someone's pictures and learn they changed schools 3x and have a big family. Here's another exercise to illustrate the point. Answer these questions, or answer the ones you feel comfortable answering:
1. Who lives in your house?
2. What do you eat for breakfast?
3. How do you get to school?
4. What time do you wake up on weekdays?
Now, write a paragraph about What did you do this morning? Include detail.

Ok, now imagine what this person's day may have been like:
Name: Lena
1. Who lives in your house? 6 brothers, 5 sisters, mom (passed away when 11), dad (away in war)
2. What do you eat for breakfast? rice and soy sauce
3. How do you get to school? bicycle
4. What time do you wake up on weekdays? 5 am
Now, write a paragraph about What did you do this morning? Include detail.

Wrap up:
1. Exit Ticket: What did you learn about rules?
What do you think about the reasons to learn English? Why didn't you get to say about Reading to learn more about world, self, and to be better able to see from different points of views.
2. What would you want to do in this class?
What do you do in your free time?
What do you do after school?
What is your favorite book?
Favorite movie?

Any other questions/concerns?

Also turn in your other answers. You'll just get participation points.