HOMS Intro

At the beginning of class, we did a quick pre assessment on annotation. If you have no idea what annotation is or have trouble with it, don't worry. We will be discussing this tomorrow and working on this skill ALL YEAR. So that's something to look forward to.

As for our first book, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, we learned a lot about her and the theme of this book. (The powerpoint is up on Schoology if you would like to reference it again.) We talked a lot about the idea of a vignette. Remember, these are not your typical "chapters." Cisneros writes in a mosaic format in which all her "chapters" are called vignettes. These vignettes are small stand-alone sections that together create a larger picture.

Remember this as you read the first two vignettes tonight. (Open up Family and Identity Section One PDF in the folder Mango Street in Schoology to read "The House on Mango Street" and "Hair" tonight. Quiz tomorrow!)

After that, we discussed this theme of isolation and feeling like you don't belong. We wrote our very first paragraph of the semester! And trust me, there will be many more. We'll be writing a paragraph at least two or three times a WEEK. Here's the format in case you forgot already:

M--main idea (restate the question and answer it, title and author)
E--evidence (quote)
A--analysis (explanation and commentary)
L--link (summary and new idea)

If you're not a great writer, this structure will help you get there. It acts as a guideline to help build a foundation for stronger writing. Remember this as you continue writing this semester.

DEETS:
In-class:
--Pre Assessment Annotation
--HOMS Intro
--Paragraph Writing

HW:
--Read "The House on Mango Street" and "Hairs." QUIZ TOMORROW!
--Bring in a book for DEAR time
--Pass in your I Am Poem (it'll be late) on Schoology if you haven't done so already