Going for the Outline Extra Credit? Make sure it is attached to the assignment!
SAMPLE ESSAY
Finding Yourself from Experience
A famous quote from Kelly Oram states, “Our experiences shape who we are.'' Every single person has different experiences in their life that build their character. A statement like this is true for a young girl named Ha, the main character in the novel Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, whose whole world is in jeopardy from a quickly approaching war. Especially as a young girl, this war plays a large role in shaping Ha’s traits, such as her personality, beliefs, and physical appearance.
Ha has many personality traits, like being mischievous, playful, and even optimistic, depending on her environment and mood. Maybe this is resulting from her family not being able to provide everything Ha needs, so her mood is constantly changing trying to deal with those emotions. On page 20, after she disobeys her mother's orders in order to treat herself, Ha shares that “No one knows/ and I feel smart.” This showcases how Ha can be sneaky in order to get what she wants, instead of thinking about her family. Ha describes how hard it is to have three older brothers on page 5, and tells us “But I can/ hide their sandals.” By saying this, we know that Ha is not very kind to her brothers and often plays vengeful tricks on them. “I’m glad we’ve become poor/ so we can stay,” says Ha on page 11 after her richer friend leaves town, fleeing from the war. Here she proves that even though she does not get everything that she wants, she still can be optimistic at times. Although Ha has ever-changing personality traits, Ha has a firm set of beliefs and values.
Although Ha is a young girl, she has strong opinions on several topics that occur in her life. I think that she has these because her father is no longer around, and her mother is often busy, so Ha has developed opinions on her own. On pages 6 through 7, Ha talks about how much she loves her mother, “She’s wrong/ but I still love/ being near her, even more than I love/ my papaya tree./ I will offer her/ its first fruit.” This shows that Ha really cares about her papaya tree if it even measures up to her love for her mother. Ha shares her ways of how she secretly treats herself using her mother's money on page 20. “I still buy less pork,/ allowing myself just the fried dough.” This shows that Ha isn’t very good at valuing her mother’s wishes, and values her own wants more than her family’s needs. “An old, angry knot/ expanded in my throat.” This is what Ha describes happening to her on page 2 after she found out about the traditions of Tet. This shows that Ha is a feminist because she as a girl not being able to bless her house angered her. As you can see, Ha has various sets of strong opinions set on subjects in her life, as well as her physical appearance.
Ha is often very quick to be hard on herself about her physical appearance. This is most likely because she has never had the extra money to treat herself to anything beauty-wise, and she feels self-conscious about this. On page 30, Ha shares how she wishes that she “Could lose my chubby cheeks.” This shows that Ha feels like because she has a younger face, she is marked as weak and vulnerable. As Ha wishes her friend Titi goodbye, she reveals her jealousy of Titi’s hair, on page 10. “Her tears mix with long strands of hair,/ long hair I wish I had.” This shows that Ha has short hair that she doesn’t like very much, as she compares it admiringly to her friend's long hair. On page 30 Ha states how “The tree has grown/ twice as tall/ as I stand/ on tippy toes.” This shows Ha isn’t very tall, and this might cause a disadvantage to her with her older brothers constantly picking on her. As you can see there are both things that Ha admires about others, and is critical about herself.
ASSESSMENT
1. Create vocabulary flashcards for List II. Due Thursday!
2. Turn in your essay in Google Classroom
TUESDAY 1-4-22 D-Day: Is Ha a Refugee?
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.
2. Did you turn in your Who is Ha? Essay?
3. Complete your vocabulary flashcards by Thursday!
How well do you know the words for Vocabulary List II?
LEARNING TARGETS
1. I can explain what a refugee is.
2. I can draw inferences from a text about the experiences of refugees.
3. I can record details of the refugee experience to use later in my final project.
MINI-LESSON
ref·u·gee
ËŒrefyo͝oˈjÄ“/
noun
a person or character who has been forced to leave their home in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
__________________________________
Listen again to the poem Saigon is Gone. (page 67) Ha is now a refugee. She has left her country to escape a war.
Think-Pair-Share What are some textual details you noticed about the conditions Ha must endure? Be prepared to share a response with the class!
What's it's Like to Be a Refugee?
DIRECTIONS: As you watch the videos below, record at least one detail from each video in the Notice and Wonder Chart in Assignment 33.0 in Google Classroom for your Inside Out and Back Againpoems!
SET 1: These videos are actual refugee accounts narrated by child refugees. Their stories have been animated for clarity and maximum impact on the audience.
Read your notice and wonder chart to your partner.
Listen while your partner reads their chart to you.
Compare charts.
Add at least one new detail to each set of videos from your partner's chart.
Share at least one new detail from each set of videos for your partner's chart.
ASSESSMENT
1. Complete the Refugee Notice and Wonder Chart for homework and turn in by tonight.
2. Don't forget about the Vocabulary Quiz on List 2 Friday!
WEDNESDAY 1-5-22 A-Day: Reading IO & BA
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please be seated, quiet, and working on your Do Now before the bell rings.
Open www.johndegrandis1.blogspot.com and start the Do Now!
1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.
2. Quiz on Vocabulary List II on Friday!
3. Complete your vocabulary flashcards for tomorrow!
DO NOW
One Word One Sentence
Select a word from Vocabulary List II and use it correctly in a complete sentence. Underline the word and use part of the definition in your example.
Example: Samuel Westing Jr. III had always been a sagacious businessman known for his shrewd negotiating style.
LEARNING TARGETS
1. I can read from pages 66-144 of the novel.
2. I can explain how Ha copes with the beginning of her journey to America.
MINI-LESSON
Focus Questions
1. Compare how Ha feels about leaving home with her brothers. Should We
2. How does each family member cope in the tent city?
3. What might mother's amethyst ring symbolize (stand for)?
WORK TIME
Read the novel popcorn style.
ASSESSMENT/Homework
1. Read up to and include the poem, Out the Too-High Window.
2. Study for the Vocabulary Quiz tomorrow.
THURSDAY 1-6-22 B-Day: Vocabulary Review Day
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.
2. Don't forget to study tonight for Vocabulary List II Quiz tomorrow!
DO NOW
Two Words One Sentence
Select TWO words from Vocabulary List II and use them correctly in a complete sentence. Underline the words and use part of their definitions in your example.
Example: Instead of pacifying the crying toddler, a "funny" face only engendered fear making the child feel even worse.
LEARNING TARGETS
I can review for a vocabulary test by playing Around the Room and Back!
MINI-LESSON
Review the stations and rules of the game.
WORK TIME
Play around the room and back.
ASSESSMENT
1. Quiz on Vocabulary List II tomorrow!
2. Don't forget to turn in your Vocabulary FLashcards for List II!
FRIDAY 1-7-22 C-Day: Active Reading (DIRT Day)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.
2. Vocabulary List II Quiz will be postponed until Tuesday of next week.
3. You must turn on your camera for attendance each day of remote learning at the beginning of class. This is mandatory.
DO NOW
In the chat, write three words that describe how you are feeling today as we pivot to remote learning again.
Here are mine: safe, ready, positive
WORK TIME
Complete the Active Reading assignment for Assignment 36.0 in Google Classroom.
NOTE: You only have to complete the first ten thoughts based on pages 115-170 in the electronic version of the novel.
1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.
2. Your Who is Ha? essay is due this Thursday!
DO NOW
Which in-line or parenthetical citation is correct?
1. For example, in the poem, Inside Out, on Tet (a Vietnamese holiday) mother visits the I Ching teller of fate and she warns, “...how we act today foretells the whole year” (Lai, page 20).
2. For example, in the poem, Inside Out, on Tet (a Vietnamese holiday) mother visits the I Ching teller of fate and she warns, “...how we act today foretells the whole year.” (Thanna Lai 20)
3. For example, in the poem, Inside Out, on Tet (a Vietnamese holiday) mother visits the I Ching teller of fate and she warns, “...how we act today foretells the whole year” (Lai 20).
WORK TIME
By now, you should have the following done...
1. Oultine - Extra Credit
2. Introduction Paragraph
3. First two Body Paragraphs
ASSESSMENT
None Today
TUESDAY 12-21-21 D Day: Writing Conclusions
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.
2. Your Who is Ha? essay is due this Thursday!
DO NOW
Copy the following into the Do Now section os your notebook...
LEARNING TARGETS
1. I can identify at least two ways to write a solid conclusion to a literary essay.
3. Use this resource as a guide to writing a good paragraph is you need a refresher.
What Is A Conclusion Paragraph?
In essay terms, a conclusion paragraph is one which is used to sum up and bring to a conclusion, all of the ideas that have been discussed during the body of the essay. The conclusion paragraph can be used to demonstrate to the audience that the goal you set out to achieve has been accomplished. It can also show the reader that you have proven your thesis statement.
Example of a Conclusion Paragraph
This example is one taken from an essay based on the subject of why Ross did not deserve Rachael on the TV series, Friends.
Even though viewers had always expected that Ross and Rachael would reunite at the end of the Friends series, the fact is that Ross did not deserve her as a girlfriend. As we seen at the beginning of the series, he was unfaithful to her after they had been together for more than a year, and he did not wish to admit his wrongdoings once they attempted to get back together after breaking up the first time. On top of this, Ross was extremely demanding and jealous as a partner, shouting at Rachael in the presence of their friends on many occasions. Finally, and most importantly, he had an awful reaction when she told him that she was pregnant after the wedding of Monica and Chandler, which made him undesirable as a partner for either her or any other character within the show. This conclusion is even more apparent when we view the show years after it ended, now that we have a better understanding of the rights of women and of domestic abuse in romantic relationships.
Notes
1. There are many ways to write a conclusion!
2. What do they all have in common?
a. You restate your thesis in some way.
b. You summarize the main points in the body.
c. Zoom out and make us think! (So what?)
WORK TIME
Write the conclusion of your Who is Ha? Essay.
Today, you should have completed the following:
1. Outline (extra credit)
2. Intro Paragaph your Body Paragraphs
3. Start your Conclusion
*** Didn't finish? Consider working on it at home! ***
WEDNESDAY 12-22-21 A Day: Peer Review and Submit Who is Ha? Essay
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.
2. Submit your essay.
3. Bring your Chromebook home over the break!!!
DO NOW
Write the first sentence of a conclusion paragraph for this incomplete essay...
I. Introduction
The U.S. Constitution states that the number of representatives that each state can send to the U.S. House of Representative must be based on the state’s population. That made it important to know how many people were living in each state. The Constitution in Article I calls for an “enumeration,” or counting, of the population every ten years. This enumeration is called a census.
II. Body
Each person is counted based on their usual residence, or where they live and sleep most of the time. All people living in a state are counted during the census, whether they are citizens, non-citizens, adults or children. The census is conducted in each year that ends in a 0. One day of the year is selected as the official census day. It is meant to be a snapshot of the country, and it will count all the people alive on that one day. This keeps babies that are born later in the year and people who die during the year from confusing the numbers.
The census day has varied since it began in 1790. Until 1830, a day in August was the census day. Then June 1st was selected as census day until 1910. Then it change to April, then January, and back to April. Since 1930 the enumeration day has been April 1st.
The early censuses were conducted by people, called enumerators, that went from house to house asking about the number of people living in the house. It took a long time to gather that information, sometimes over a year.
Beginning in 1960, the U.S. Bureau of the Census began mailing out forms to each home instead of having someone visit each home. This cut costs and made the process faster.
All personal information in the census is kept private for 72 years. Then it is released to the public. The last census that is available to the public is the 1940 census. The 1950 census will be released in 2022.
III. Conclusion
WORK TIME
Work on your Who is Ha? essay.
THURSDAY 12-23-21 B Day: Holiday Party
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Check your Gmail twice a day - before school and after school.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
DO NOW 
LEARNING TARGETS 
MINI-LESSON 
WORK TIME 
ASSESSMENT 
