Thursday, August 20, 2026

Odysseus good and bad

Big Idea: What does it mean to be human?

Nuance Academy: None

After today I should be able to: Identify what is important in a text.

Reading: Read The Odyssey, pgs. 43-46



Agenda:

  1. Read for 10 minutes.
  2. Vocabulary word of the day.
    1. Start with a loose sentence. 
      1. Mr. White carefully planned the stages of his essay, and then he rewrote it. 
    2. Rewrite it starting with a prepositional phrase. 
      1. Before writing the essay, Mr. White carefully planned it. 
    3. Here are some more examples. You can use these ideas, but change them to make your own sentence. 
      1. After breakfast, I headed out the door to catch my train.
    4. Inside the house, the children were playing a noisy game of tag. 
    5. Above the clouds, the sky was a beautiful blue. 
    6. Behind the shed, the dog buried its bone. 
    7. Before school started, I finished all my homework. 
    8. Across the field, the cows were grazing quietly. 
    9. Below the surface, fish swam around the coral reef. 
    10. Among the trees, birds were singing happily.
  3. Add a TQE to each of the Notice and Note posts from yesterday.
    1. Add your signposts to this Padlet wall.
  4. Make a T-chart about Odysseus.

The Odyssey reading schedule:

  • Week 1 (8/10-8/14) The Odyssey pgs. 3-30 
  • Week 2 (8/17-8/21) The Odyssey pgs. 31-58 
  • Week 3 (8/24-8/28) The Odyssey pgs. 59-86 
  • Week 4 (8/31-9/4) The Odyssey pgs. 87-114 
  • Week 5 (9/7-9/11) The Odyssey pgs. 115-142 
  • Week 6 (9/14-9/18) The Odyssey pgs. 143-END

Homework:

  1. Membean session
  2. Read the Odyssey
  3. Work on reading notes



Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Notice and Note and TQE

Big Idea: What does it mean to be human?

Nuance Academy: 10 Past Participles

After today I should be able to: Identify what is important in a text.

Reading: Read The Odyssey, pgs. 39-42



Agenda:

  1. Read for 10 minutes.
  2. Vocabulary word of the day.
  3. 10 Past Participles
    1. Write 10 sentences that begin with a past participle phrase that tells what was happening BEFORE something else occurred.
    2. Start with a loose sentence.
      1. Mr. White carefully planned the stages of his essay, and then he rewrote it.
    3. Rewrite it beginning with a participle phrase.
      1. Worried about the approaching deadline, Mr. White began to plan his essay.
      2. Chased by the angry moose, the hikers scrambled to safety up a tree.
      3. Baked to perfection, the chocolate chip cookies melted in your mouth.
      4. Left unfinished on the easel, the artist's masterpiece remained a work in progress.
    4. Another way to think about his pattern is to imagine an invisible "because" at the beginning:
      1. (Because he was) worried about the approaching deadline, Mr. White began to plan his essay.
      2. (Because they were) chased by the angry moose, the hikers scrambled to safety up a tree.
    5. The imaginary "because" tells WHY the second part of the sentence is true.
  4. Notice and Note group work
    1. With your group, find examples of the sign post you were assigned. Include the book and line number and sentence about what you noticed.
    2. Add your signposts to this Padlet wall.

The Odyssey reading schedule:

  • Week 1 (8/10-8/14) The Odyssey pgs. 3-30 
  • Week 2 (8/17-8/21) The Odyssey pgs. 31-58 
  • Week 3 (8/24-8/28) The Odyssey pgs. 59-86 
  • Week 4 (8/31-9/4) The Odyssey pgs. 87-114 
  • Week 5 (9/7-9/11) The Odyssey pgs. 115-142 
  • Week 6 (9/14-9/18) The Odyssey pgs. 143-END

Homework:

  1. Membean session
  2. Read the Odyssey
  3. Work on reading notes



Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Notice and Note Practice

Big Idea: What does it mean to be human?

Nuance Academy: None

After today I should be able to: Identify what is important in a text.

Reading: Read The Odyssey, pgs. 35-38



Agenda:

  1. Read for 10 minutes.
  2. Vocabulary word of the day.
  3. Write 10 sentences that begin with a present participle phrase that tells what was happening WHILE something else occurred.
    1. Start with a loose sentence.
      1. Mr. White carefully planned the stages of his essay, and then he rewrote it.
    2. Rewrite it beginning with a participle phrase.
      1. Carefully planning his essay, Mr. White reflected on the techniques he had developed during his career.
    3. Laughing hysterically at the comedian's joke, Amy spit out her soda through her nose.
    4. Bouncing excitedly in his seat, Ryan couldn't wait for the rollercoaster ride to start.
  4. Work on your reading notes for pages 31-58.
  5. Notice and Note group work
    1. With your group, find examples of the sign post you were assigned. Include the book and line number and sentence about what you noticed.
    2. Add your signposts to this Padlet wall.

The Odyssey reading schedule:

  • Week 1 (8/10-8/14) The Odyssey pgs. 3-30 
  • Week 2 (8/17-8/21) The Odyssey pgs. 31-58 
  • Week 3 (8/24-8/28) The Odyssey pgs. 59-86 
  • Week 4 (8/31-9/4) The Odyssey pgs. 87-114 
  • Week 5 (9/7-9/11) The Odyssey pgs. 115-142 
  • Week 6 (9/14-9/18) The Odyssey pgs. 143-END

Homework:

  1. Membean session
  2. Read the Odyssey
  3. Work on reading notes



Monday, August 17, 2026

First Class Discussion

Big Idea: What does it mean to be human?

Nuance Academy: None

After today I should be able to: Identify what is important in a text.

Reading: Read The Odyssey, pgs. 31-34



Agenda:

  1. Read for 10 minutes.
  2. Vocabulary word of the day.
  3. Write 10 infinitive clauses.
    1. Start with an infinitive clause. An infinitive clause tells why the action of the verb occurs. Start with the infinitive clause and follow it with an independent clause.
    2. Loose sentence:
      1. Mr. White carefully planned the stages of his essay, and then he wrote it.
    3. Infinitive clause
      1. To write a good essay, Mr. White needed to plan carefully.
    4. Think about a goal that the subject has and then write what they need to do to achieve that goal.
      1. Goal: to write a good essay
      2. Action: Mr. White needed to plan carefully
    5. Other examples:
      1. Loose sentence: Sarah saved a portion of her paycheck every month, and then she bought a reliable car.
        1. Goal: To buy a reliable car
        2. Action: Sarah needed to save a portion of her paycheck every month
        3. Infinitive sentence: To buy a reliable car, Sarah needed to save a portion of her paycheck every month.
      2. Loose sentence: The chef sourced fresh local ingredients, and then he crafted a memorable signature dish.
        1. Goal: To craft a memorable signature dish
        2. Action: The chef needed to source fresh local ingredients
        3. Infinitive sentence: To craft a memorable signature dish, the chef needed to source fresh local ingredients.
      3. Loose sentence: Marcus stretched his muscles thoroughly, and then he completed his first marathon injury-free.
        1. Goal: To complete his first marathon injury-free
        2. Action: Marcus needed to stretch his muscles thoroughly
        3. Infinitive sentence: To complete his first marathon injury-free, Marcus needed to stretch his muscles thoroughly.
    6. Class Discussion based on reading notes.

The Odyssey reading schedule:

  • Week 1 (8/10-8/14) The Odyssey pgs. 3-30 
  • Week 2 (8/17-8/21) The Odyssey pgs. 31-58 
  • Week 3 (8/24-8/28) The Odyssey pgs. 59-86 
  • Week 4 (8/31-9/4) The Odyssey pgs. 87-114 
  • Week 5 (9/7-9/11) The Odyssey pgs. 115-142 
  • Week 6 (9/14-9/18) The Odyssey pgs. 143-END

Homework:

  1. Membean session
  2. Read the Odyssey
  3. Work on reading notes



Friday, August 14, 2026

Finishing reading notes

Big Idea: What does it mean to be human?

Nuance Academy: None

After today I should be able to: Identify what is important in a text.

Reading: Read The Odyssey, pgs. 15-18



Agenda:

  1. Vocabulary word of the day.
  2. Read for 10 minutes.
  3. Work on reading notes together.
  4. Write 10 adverb sentences
    1. Mr. White carefully planned the stages of his essay, and the he wrote it.
      1. Carefully, Mr. White planned the stages of his essay.

The Odyssey reading schedule:

  • Week 1 (8/10-8/14) The Odyssey pgs. 3-30 
  • Week 2 (8/17-8/21) The Odyssey pgs. 31-58 
  • Week 3 (8/24-8/28) The Odyssey pgs. 59-86 
  • Week 4 (8/31-9/4) The Odyssey pgs. 87-114 
  • Week 5 (9/7-9/11) The Odyssey pgs. 115-142 
  • Week 6 (9/14-9/18) The Odyssey pgs. 143-END

Homework:

  1. Membean session
  2. Read the Odyssey
  3. Work on reading notes