Additional materials: View Days 1-3 of my 9th grade English class, periods 2 and 4.

9th grade English (English I)
Day 1	Period 2: Opening grammar exercise	Period 4: Opening grammar exercise
Day 2	Period 2: Whole group instruction • Student work • Closing & reflections	Period 4: Whole group instruction • Student work
Day 3	Period 2: (Student continue work on essays)	Period 4: (Student continue work on essays)
Day 4	Period 2	Period 4

DAY 1: Opening grammar exercise
Period 2		Period 4
Opening grammar exercise (Click for larger view of the board)	Day 1, Opening grammar exercise (mm:ss) "Why do we study English every year? Who decides on the rules?" In this clip from the beginning of the year, I begin a conversation with my students about standard English. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin	Opening grammar exercise (Click for larger view of the board)	Day 1, Opening Grammar exercise (mm:ss) Period 4. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin
DAY 2
Whole group instruction
Opening grammar exercise (Click for larger view of the board)	Day 2, Opening grammar exercise (mm:ss) I review the grammar exercise, asking students to read the sentences aloud and discuss prepositions, capitalization rules, etc. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin	Opening grammar exercise (Click for larger view of the board)	Day 2, Opening grammar exercise (mm:ss) Period 4: I review the grammar exercise. [long clip; may take some time to download] play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin
Sharing student "vocab" stories (mm:ss) I read samples of stories the students wrote using vocabulary words from the previous day's grammar exercise. Before reading the stories, I ask students to move into small groups (of their choice) for a later activity. "We're working on narrative essays and a narrative is a what?" play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin	Preparing to share draft stories (mm:ss) I refer to Maya Angelou's piece the class read earlier, an excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in which Angelou describes her visit to Mrs. Flowers, the teacher who helped her regain her voice. Using the piece as their model, I review its components: the introduction with thesis statement, Angelou's description of a person who influenced her, a story of one particular event, and conclusion. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin Diagram of Angelou essay (Click for larger view)	Sharing student "vocab" stories (mm:ss) I read samples of stories the students wrote using some of the vocabulary words from the previous day's grammar exercise. Students can decide whether they want to be identified when their story is read. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin	Preparing to share draft stories (mm:ss) I refer to Maya Angelou's piece the class read earlier, an excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in which Angelou describes her visit to Mrs. Flowers, the teacher who helped her regain her voice. Using the piece as their model, I review its components: the introduction with thesis statement, Angelou's description of a person who influenced her, a story of one particular event, and conclusion. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin
Student work samples
Leuviska's draft essay (mm:ss) Leuviska reads her work. (Right: Jakita) play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Leuviska's draft essay	Salena's draft essay (mm:ss) Salena reads her work. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Salena's draft essay	Shontell's draft essay (mm:ss) Shontell reads his work. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Shontell's draft essay	Devia's draft essay (mm:ss) Devia reads her work. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Devia's draft essay
Camekia's draft essay (mm:ss) Camekia reads her work. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Camekia's draft essay	Alisha's draft essay (mm:ss) Alisha reads her work. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Alisha's draft essay	Robert's draft essay (mm:ss) Robert reads his draft essay (taped on Day 3.) play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Robert's draft essay, page 1 View Robert's draft essay, page 2
Adrian's draft essay (mm:ss) Adrian reads his work. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Adrian's draft essay	Christopher L.'s draft essay (mm:ss) Christopher L. reads his work. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin View Christopher L.'s draft essay	Contrell's essay ideas (mm:ss) Contrell shares his essay ideas. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin
Closing and Reflections
Close (mm:ss) Whole group announcement toward the end of class: I explain to students why and how it can be useful for writers to share their ideas. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin	Reflections (mm:ss) I briefly reflect on the writing activity, group work, etc. play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin