Now that we’re a third of the way through our 20Time work sessions, I’ve folded in Mastermind groups, informal accountability teams of four assigned students. The teams met for the first 15 minutes or so of our Friday work session and discussed the following for each person:
1. Remind the group about your project. (It’s been a month since the Guppy Tank and not everyone will remember your project.)
2. Explain and/or show how much you’ve done.
3. Describe one thing that’s going well and/or a cool thing you’ve learned.
4. Talk about something you’re struggling with and work with the group to brainstorm a solution.
Mastermind groups were definitely a successful addition to the process. First, the kids who are building great things were excited to have an audience, even if it was just three classmates. Second, the kids who have been slower at the start were able to see how much progress other folks have made, a reality-check that (*fingers crossed*) will get ‘em moving a little faster. We’ll have another Mastermind group check-in at Week 8.
And, oh yeah, we’re also still tumbling around the Mediterranean with Odysseus. Good times.
Here’s where we are this week:
Monday
Open with a five-minute M.U.G. Shot (Mechanics, Usage, Grammar) mini-lecture/bell-ringer.
Give a one-question quizzer on Book 6 of The Odyssey, which students were assigned to finish reading this weekend.
Discuss Homer’s use of feminine archetypes and answer questions from the reading with small group discussion.
Together, begin reading Book 9 of The Odyssey aloud with the class.
For HW, students will finish Book 9, if not done in class.
Tuesday
Open with three rounds of Brain Teasers. (It’s been a while since we’ve had some Quarter Trio points and I want to break up the literature with something a little lighter.)
One-question quizzer on Book 9 and discuss the reading, focusing on the shift in narration since Odysseus is now the main voice as he tells his tale to King Alkinoos.
View the cyclops video clip from the 1997 version of The Odyssey – you know, the one starring Armand Assante.
Begin reading Books 10 (all of it) and 11 (lines 1-267) on their own. I have students stop at the mid-point of Book 11 because the second-half pretty much becomes a roll call of famous dead Greeks. Other than a quick exchange with Agamemnon which I’ll summarize for my kids tomorrow, there’s not much else they need from that section and tonight’s reading load is already heavy enough.
For HW, students will finish the Book 10-11 readings, if not done in class.
Wednesday
Open with a ten-minute Words on Wednesday vocabulary mini-lecture/bell-ringer.
Short-answer quiz covering Books 10-11 and then we’ll discuss the reading, focusing on how Homer wants us to view Odysseus’ curious nature.
Toward the end of the hour, students will complete a 20Time exit ticket, explaining their plan for tomorrow’s work time.
For HW, students should read their S.S.R. books because their third-quarter S.S.R. book talks are due in about two weeks. Also, they need to remember to bring their 20Time materials for tomorrow’s work session.
Thursday
In-class work session for our 20Time projects.
For HW, students only need to remember to bring their S.S.R. books to class.
Friday
In-class reading time of S.S.R. books.
For HW, students need to read and be ready to discuss Book 12 of The Odyssey and, as always, keep chipping away at those S.S.R. books.
That’s it for this week. Teach on, everyone!
Every week you plan… Do you plan by the month as well?
Hi Swtspontaneous,
I’ve actually taught this freshman class for so many years that I have my full-year calendar already filled from last year. Then, each week I just add/subtract/adjust/slide things around to best fit this year’s particular group. The old full-year calendar isn’t really in a blog-friendly format, so I just decided this fall to piece it out for my blog readers week by week. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Hey Laura – Purchased everything I saw on The Odyssey but didn’t see a unit schedule like so many of your products have. Above you mentioned discussing Homer’s use of feminine archetypes. Do you a have a Prezi for that and other mini lectures you will cover during the unit? Lastly, I know I saw somewhere that this year with 20time you are only reading some books of The Odyssey. Could you point me in the right direction or just list book chosen?
Thanks!
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for checking in with me and for your support of my shop! The feminine archetypes and other mini-lesson/discussion points are all included in the discussion question slide package you probably already grabbed here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Odyssey-Homer-Discussion-Starters-Pop-Quizzes-Writing-Tasks-for-Full-Unit-479261. I don’t have a key for those because the kids really guide the discussion, but we always end up discussing the good girl/bad girl false dichotomy that Homer establishes with his feminine characters. And – oh! – do the girls in the class have a lot to say about that topic. Also, I don’t have a calendar available because I haven’t built out the whole unit in a full bundle; I have only those pieces and parts that you found in the shop. You can use these blog posts as a pacing guide, though, and I boiled down the epic to just Books 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 (we read only lines 1-267 of Book 11), 12, and 17-23. That way, we now have space in the spring calendar for the 20Time work sessions.
Hope this helps with your planning. TGIF! 🙂