Welcome to Room 230 English I + English II with Mr. Bromberg

Goals/Objectives for Today To feel safe and begin to acclimate (get used to) the expectations and procedures of our class together. To establish an environment of respectfulness that will last and deepen throughout the year. To initiate active reading and writing energy and achievement. To share bravely and enjoyably!

Today’s Guidelines Listen respectfully. Raise hands respectfully with questions or comments. Participate in activities respectfully. Be open-minded. Cultivate patience! Fun = have it… respectfully =)

Let’s get the one class rule out of the way. It is? Be respectful Of yourself, others, the environment

Communication is Key As we grow as learners together, we will make mistakes! This is awesome! So much learning happens when we flub something up, as long as… we communicate about it! (It’s important to communicate about success too =) Any issue whether academic, behavioral, or ethical can be transformed into a positive. Thus, please don’t be ashamed, or if shame is felt no worries, let’s work on it anyway. DISCLAIMER: Despite news reports to the contrary, Mr. Bromberg is not a psychic!

General Guidelines Universal Try your best. Participate. Be on time. Help each other. Ask questions. Be positive. No bullying. In every situation, do what’s respectful. Specific Keep your behavior situation appropriate, so if we’re working as a class, in groups, or solo you are modeling productive participation. Pay attention to the requirements of each learning task, so you can complete them… Respectfully =)

Reading Interlude Group Work Listen for a model of how your group should function. Then… After reading the texts, complete the following challenges: 1.Explain what the text is about. 2.Agree on at least one lesson you can learn from the text. 3.Compare and contrast the text with something else you’ve seen, read, or experienced recently. Texts to Read Text 1: The world stands out on either side No wider than the heart is wide; Above the world is stretched the sky, -- No higher than the soul is high. The heart can push the sea and land Farther away on either hand; The soul can split the sky in two, And let the face of God shine through. But East and West will pinch the heart that can not keep them pushed apart; And he whose soul is flat -- the sky will cave in on him by and by. Text 2: London Bridge is falling down falling down falling down Poi s’ascose nel foco che gli affina Quando fiam ceu chelidon—O swallow swallow Le Prince d’Aquitaine à la tour abolie These fragments I have shored against my ruins Why then Ile fit you. Hieronymo’s mad againe. Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata. Shantih shantih shantih Bonus: Continue writing the text, predicting what would come next. Bonus 2: Turn the text into a song.

Classroom Discipline Internal vs. External People often consider discipline to mean punishment… It doesn’t! It does mean: training to produce a certain skill or pattern The most powerful discipline usually comes from within. Restorative Principles Instead of a punitive (punishment-based) system, we will work with Restorative Justice, which functions on looking at issues the following way: Harm (to individuals and community) Establishing Safety Accountability Inclusive Discussion Obligations and Goals Repair and Healing R. J. is respect in action! Bonus: Think about times you have successfully experienced internal and/or external discipline. How did those situations work? Repeatable?

Bonus Quiz What question would you like to ask? What is the best book in history to read backward? Give an example of respectfulness. Share a great thing about Akins. Who is the best person to turn to for learning help? What’s your favorite word starting with M? What is the most important thing that’s been covered so far? Why? Secret ultimate bonus question: What is the best way to improve your reading skills? (There are two main answers. Think well.)

Writing Practice 1 For the next few minutes, choose one or a combination of the following topics to write about… and write! 1.Why you chose the Arts and Humanities Academy. 2.A journal entry about the summer. 3.An essay on your philosophy of life. 4.A real or imaginary creative story. 5.A topic of your own invention.

Learning Beliefs/Ethics Beliefs Everyone can succeed! No two peoples’ success looks the same. We are all on the same team. Grades and scores are jumping off points for learning not defining views of “intelligence.” Ethics Since those who try learn the most, we will try our best! We will practice honesty; it’s freeing! We will help each other with positive critiques not shaming since safety is key to maximum learning. Bonus: Do you think students should get extra credit chances? Why? Bonus 2: Explain in whatever way how you can work with all other learners.

Reflection (to be turned in) Reading Are you a reader? Why or why not? What are your favorite things you’ve ever read? Explain. What are your best reading skills? What’s the most frustrating thing about reading? Explain. What are you most excited to learn about reading? Why? Writing Are you a writer? Why or why not? What’s your favorite thing you’ve written? Explain. What do you want the most help with writing skill-wise? What are your best writing skills? Bonus: What helps you feel the most safe to be creative? Bonus 2: Write a story or journal entry about what it’s like for you to try something new. Then do something creative to make yourself happy.

Getting to know you… Questions to ask in your group Who read the most books over the summer? Who traveled to an amazing place? Who had a funny experience? How can we help each other this year? Challenge If you have extra time, try the following: Take parts of each of your lives and combine them to make one story that captures a little bit of everyone’s personality. Bonus: What is the theme behind the background images of this slideshow? Bonus 2: Write respectful predictions about people you don’t know yet.

My Summer Images Do you know what any of these images are or what they say about Mr. B? If not, ask questions.