Category: B1 Blog

 For the final you must know:

1. The definition of theory
2. The definition of thesis
3. The definition of system
4. The definition of system thinking
5. The Five Fs
6. The definition of focus
7. The definition of topic
8. The definition of theme
9. The definition of form
10. The definition of MLA
11. The definition of filler
12. The definition of flow
13. The definition of roadmap
14. The definition of signpost
15. The definition of transitions
16. The definition of feeling
17. The Six Stages
18. The definition of the wondering stage
19. The definition of the preparing stage
20. The definition of the planning stage
21. The definition of an outline
22. The definition of reading at the high school level
23. The definition of reading at the pre-university level
24. The definition of the drafting stage
25. The definition of the revising stage
26. The reason why revising is the most important part of the writing process
27. What is meant by the expression that “writing is thinking made visible,” and connecting this to the process of revision
28. The definition of editing
29. The definition of publishing
30. The definition of scholar
31. The definition of scholarship
32. The definition of knowledge
33. The meaning of the expression “production of knowledge”
34. The elements of a system
35. The definition of boundary
36. The definition of inputs
37. The definition of outputs
38. The definition of components
39. The definition of function
40. The levels of analysis
41. The definition of analytical description
42. The definition of analytical explanation
43. The definition of analytical connection
44. The definition of analytical reflection
45. The definition of metacognition
46. The definition of synthesis
47. The definition of the reading process
48. The definition of the writing process
49. The connection of reading, writing, and thinking
50. The definition of topic
51. The definition of theme
52. The definition of focussing question
53. The definition of thesis statement
54. The definition of subpoint
55. The definition of indentation
56. The definition of paragraph
57. The definition of section
58. The definition of expository essay
59. The definition of textual analysis essay
60. The definition of persuasive essay
61. The definition of argumentative essay
62. The definition of compare and contrast essay
63. The definition of “zone of proximal development”
64. The definition of “approximation with intensification”
65. The definition of “learning theory”
66. The definition of “human development”
67. The definition of proximal
68. The definition of model
69. The definition of research
70. The definition of power
71. The definition of respect
72. The definition of dignity
73. The definition of MLA
74. The definition of “in text citation”
75. The definition of text

For the final you must do:

1. Use MLA format to write essays, reflections, and learning stories 
2. Describe and explain, with specific plan language details based on documentation and other evidence, your own learning (and apply this to the learning models and the process for reading and writing at the high school and/or pre-university level)
3. Write two in-class essays (apply the process, evidence of all stages, metacognition of how/why you made thinking visible); these are: expository essay and textual analysis essay)
4. Using Essay 3 as your evidence, describe and explain how and why you wrote a textual analysis essay (this will include a summary of your theory of the text)
5. High school and/or pre-university reading (show evidence of the process, demonstrate that you understand and can explain the text, show that you connected and reflected, demonstrate note taking, demonstrate in-text citation)
6. Develop and support your own theory of narrative
7. Develop and support your own theory of learning

For the final you must explain:

1. How writing is thinking made visible 
2. Why learning to write well makes you more powerful 
3. Why learning to write well makes you smarter 
4. Why learning to write well makes you more attractive 
5. How writing an essay teaches high school and/or pre-university reading 
6. How to develop and support a high school and/or pre-university thesis 
7. Why theory matters 
8. How to use theory 
9. Why metacognition improves performance and your level of understanding 
10. How to use synthesis 
11. How themes help you connect a text to what matters to you

The Key Concepts Are:

1. Theory explains how or why. Your explanation is the point of the paper. This is called the thesis.
2. “Reading” (at the high school and pre-university levels) requires being able to understand something well enough to explain it correctly (knowing it).
3. The writing process starts with having a theory. Then you develop it by working through the thinking process. This is step by step. The key is revision.
4. The point of writing essays is because this the best and proven way to teach reading (at the high school and pre-university levels). Writing makes you think about, connect with, and reflect on what you are reading. Doing all this helps you be good at reading (at the high school and pre-university levels).
5. Use the process. Start with a theory. Develop it. Take notes. Write multiple drafts. Think. Connect. Reflect. Explain. Organize. Break things into parts. Writing makes thinking visible.

Other Notes:

• Theory explains why or how using rigorous and systematic thinking.
• The thesis is the point of the paper, there is one and only one thesis, the whole paper must support the thesis.
• Writing is a system.
  • Writing is a system for making thinking visible. Its power is in systems, theory, and revision.
  • The parts are Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, and Systems-Thinking.
    • Five Fs:
      • Focus
      • Form
      • Filler
      • Flow
      • Feeling
    • Levels of Analysis
      • Synthesis
      • Metacognition
      • Reflect
      • Connect
      • Explain
      • Describe
    • Systems-Thinking
      • Bring things into parts
      • Use models
      • Explain how the parts work together
• Writing is a process.
  • The Six Stages are a process for producing knowledge and sharing knowing.
    • Six Stages:
      • Wondering
      • Preparing
      • Planning
      • Drafting
      • Revising
      • Editing/Publishing
• Systems-thinking is the key to writing well.
  • Use systems-thinking to understand, describe and explain.
  • Since writing is a system, know how to understand and use writing.
• The point of writing an essay is to learn how to read to understand, explain, connect, reflect, and apply. Reading at the high school and pre-university level is necessary for your survival.
• Learning theory helps you learn quickly and deeply, and puts you in control of your own thinking.
  • Learning does more than help you know things. It builds your capacity; learning makes you smarter.
  • You learn the most by being thrown off the cognitive cliff. You need to be “let go” and “pushed off” so you can enter ZPD and go from some help to independence.
  • Approximation with intensification speeds it all up. Go to the next challenge before you have mastery. At first, approximation is enough, especially if there is untapped potential to develop first.
• This course helps you become smarter, more powerful, and more attractive.
  • Smarter through the ZPD, approximation with intensification, and cognitive cliff.
  • More powerful through theory, thesis, and systems-thinking. (LOAs and Five Fs, too.)
  • More attractive by knowing how to understand and explain things, how to achieve your goals, how to bring the resources and people (and narratives) that you need to survive and thrive.
• This course is built on theory and storytelling by First Nations scholars and authors. You too are a scholar and author.
• To write well, do the following:
  • Focus on theory.
  • Focus on thesis.
  • Use systems-thinking.
  • Plan (topic, subtopic, theme, focusing question, theory, thesis, supporting points).
  • Outline.
  • Use the models.
  • Read.
  • Take notes.
  • Draft and revise. Revise, revise, revise.
  • Focus on understanding and explaining. Writing is thinking made visible. Think. Write. Think. Write. Repeat.

Thursday March 6

• Progress reports emailed home to parent/guardian

Friday March 7

• Key Concepts Test (try 1)
• Summation Test 1

Monday March 10

• Last work day on Essay 1
• Essay 1 Due

Tuesday March 11 or Thursday March 13

• If Essay 1 is not done, finish it (in-class or morning homework help) before you can start the midterm tests
• If Essay 1 is done, then March 11/13 and March 12 are In-Class Essay 2 (midterm essay)

Wednesday March 12

• If Essay 1 is not done, finish it (in-class or morning homework help) before you can start the midterm tests
• In-Class Essay 2 (see above)

Friday March 14

• Midterm Exam
• Progress report emailed home (all students). This is your midterm grade. You may revise it by completing missing work on the make up day or during homework help.

Quiz 1 will be at the start of class on Monday February 10.

The questions are:

1. What is the purpose of the class?
   • Any of the following answers would be correct…
     • The purpose of the class is to learn to read, write and think.
     • The purpose of the class is to get smarter, more powerful, and more attractive.
     • The purpose of the class is to learn how to write at the high school level.
     • The purpose of the class is to learn how to write at the pre-university level.
     • The purpose of the class is to learn how to be a scholar, or to how to produce knowledge using theoretical thinking.
     • The propose of the class is to learn how to pass and graduate high school, so you can attain a high school diploma and learn what a high school education has to offer.
2. How will you get yourself smarter, more powerful, and more attractive?
   • I will get myself smarter, more powerful, and more attractive by writing.
3. How do you make your thinking visible?
   • I make my thinking visible by writing.
4. What are the three levels of learning for this course?
   • The three levels of learning for this course are passing, high school, and pre-university.
5. Define theory.
   • Theory explains how or why using rigorous and systematic thinking.

Welcome to English 9.

I will post notes, assignments, study guides, and homework information on this website throughout the course. We will go over this by the end of the 2nd week of the term.

This blog is not up yet.