1. Complete Audio Set Up and review September Calendar (below) before we begin.

2. Writing Rubrics 6 ELA & 6 Advanced ELA 2014-2015 Mrs. Brown

3. What is a rubric?  A rubric is a list of requirements that teachers use to assess work. You will have rubrics for projects, compositions, and more throughout your educational career.

4. What does our writing rubric include? We will be using the SCPASS Writing Rubric for MOST compositions this year. Exceptions are: -Unit 1 Composition: Introduction to the Paragraph (OLS rubric) -Research Report (OLS Rubric) This will help you understand what is expected of your writing. Before submitting a composition assignment, go through the rubric to see how you score. The PASS rubric will be sent to you in file share and the OLS Rubrics are available in your OLS Lessons. (It’s like seeing the answers to the test!)

5. PASS Writing Rubric

6. Points Possible  Writing scored on the PASS Rubric will be out of 20 possible points.  15 points possible from the categories on the rubric.  Another 5 possible points for presentation:  Neat and professional handwriting and/or font  Name on your composition  Title  Etc.

7. THEME

8. What is Theme? A main idea, moral, or lesson conveyed in a provided text. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly.

9. THEME IS NOT PLOT! Plot describes what happens in a story; the sequence of events that takes the characters through a conflict to a resolution.  The plot of a story takes place from beginning to end, while the theme may not be discovered until the text has been completed.  Plot, characters, setting, and style all contribute to building the theme, but are not found in the theme itself.

10. Put simply, the plot is the actual storyline, whereas the theme is the main idea or thought the author is attempting to portray.

11. PLOT is A LOT THEME is THE MEssage

12. Let’s Practice with Theme… First with The Giving Tree, Then on your own with the story you’ve recently read in your OLS Literature Lessons. Save the document “Theme Worksheet” that is coming through the file share. You may also want to print this document, if you are able. Give me a green check when you have saved the document and are ready to move forward.

13. By Shel Silverstein THE GIVING TREE

14. The Giving Tree Watch the video narration of The Giving Tree via the link in the chat box/ webtour (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMlU7wVj_PY )https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMlU7wVj_PY As you listen/watch, work on the handout that was sent via file share. Take notes on notebook paper if you did not print the worksheet. When you have finished the story, please give me a green check. We will go through the theme worksheet together before moving on to the next activity.

17. Independent Practice The second page of your worksheet asks you to complete the same activity to identify themes in another book you’ve recently read. Stories from your literature unit you may choose to use could be:

18. Exit Slip Before you log out, please type your answer to the question below in the chat box. This is today’s “exit slip.” What story did you use for the worksheet and what was one possible theme you identified for that story? See you next class!