Monthly Archives: November 2018

The Weekly Text, November 9, 2018: A Literacy Lesson on the Polysemous Word Bond

This week’s Text (after missing last week) is something I whipped up pretty much on the fly about three years ago when I was assigned an eight-meeting class conducted over eight weeks on math and science literacy. This literacy lesson on the polysemous word bond is, as I look at it now, an odd melange of stuff. Depending on what it is you want kids to understand, there are materials here for one extended lesson–I wrote this for a sixty-one-minute long period–or a couple of different short exercises.

The first document, because I worked in economics and finance-themed high school, is this Cultural Literacy worksheet on bond as a financial instrument. These two context clues worksheets on the verb and noun bond in the sense of attaching or joining follow; logically, I guess, this short reading and comprehension exercise on chemical bonds rounds out this deck. I also, for some reason, made up this learning support with three definitions of bond from Merriam-Webster’s 11th Edition.

Now that I think about it, Bronx County summoned me to jury duty before I had a chance to use this material. The coverage teacher who used it did say students received it relatively well.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Term of Art: Experiential Learning

“Education that emphasizes learning from firsthand, personal experiences rather than from lectures, books, and other secondhand sources. Experiential learning my take the form of internships, service learning, school-to-work programs, field studies, cross-cultural education, or training for leadership development.”

Excerpted from: Ravitch, Diane. EdSpeak: A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2007.

Word Root Exercise: Geo

Day four of a new job today. Here is a worksheet on the Greek root geo. It means, as your students probably won’t take long to figure out, earth. This is another of those very productive roots in English, and it shows up in words used across the common domain in the high school curriculum, particularly in the physical sciences.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Churrigueresque

Churrigueresque (adj): A 17th-century Spanish architectural style named after the Churriguera family of architects and designers. The influence of sculpture most characterizes the style, as structural elements become mere props for ornament. While the style predominates in Castile, the term often refers to the florid, late Baroque architecture of Spain and Latin America.”

Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.

Buffoon (n)

I’m hard pressed to find a better day than today–election day–to post this context clues worksheet on the noun buffoon. This is a relatively commonly used noun in English, and certainly should be part of the inventory of anyone interested in talking about politicians and their ilk.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West

“A dark novel (1939) by the US writer Nathanael West (1903-1940). The work explores the seamy underside of Hollywood (where West himself had worked as a scriptwriter), and shows how it eats away at people’s better selves. At the end Homer, a harmless but unexciting accountant, knocks down a boy who attacks him, and is in turn overwhelmed by a group of people (like a swarm of locusts) who are waiting for the arrival of stars at a a premiere.

‘I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.’

Joel 2:25

John Schlesinger’s 1975 film of West’s book, with Donald Sutherland and Karen Black, was highly regarded.”

Excerpted from: Crofton, Ian, ed. Brewer’s Curious Titles. London: Cassell, 2002.

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

On Election Day, 2018 it is a rainy day in Springfield, Massachusetts. Don’t let that prevent you from getting to your polling place! This is one of the most consequential elections cycles in my life time. I’m an old guy now, so you know that’s really saying something.

Today seems like as good a time as any (I’d actually been saving these for a Black History Month post) to post this reading on the 13th, 14th and 15th. Amendments and its accompanying comprehension worksheet. Also, this Everyday Edit on the Voting Rights Act is an timely document to post this morning, especially in light of the attempts around the country to suppress universal suffrage. Incidentally, if you like that Everyday Edit exercise, I’ll remind you once again that the good people at Education World give away a year’s supply of them at no cost to you.

Please vote!

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.