Before the bell Welcome back and happy New

Before the bell! §Welcome back and happy New Year! §Put your phone in the pocket folder, sit in your assigned seat and get out your writer’s notebook.

Comma Review- click link if video doesn’t play

Writer’s Notebook Entry • Write about something that happened over break that you would like to remember and use each type of comma at least once. • Circle the commas and write the type above! • The Series: Ms. Rolfe is smart, hilarious and really humble. • The Opener: Even though she might not seem like it, Ms. Rolfe is very intelligent. • The Interrupter: Ms. Rolfe, who is clearly insane, thinks she’s smart. • The Compound: Ms. Rolfe keeps trying to tell us she’s smart, but we all know the truth.

KONY 2012: What do you know? • What do you remember about the Kony 2012 campaign? • (Discuss in your groups)

Writer’s Notebook Reflection • Do you think the Kony 2012 campaign was an effective method of creating change? Why or why not? • Explain your answer and be specific.

Anticipation Guide & Discussion • Go to Kahoot. it and get ready for some opinion questions and discussion.

The Danger of a Single Story- Click here if the video doesn’t play

Writer’s Notebook Reflection • Do you agree with Chimamanda Adichie that having “one story” is dangerous? Why or why not? Give reasons and examples to support your claim (answer).

Before the bell • See Ms. Rolfe for your NOOK # and then get your assigned NOOK.

Then and Than Practice the Conversation! T: Read the sentence for me. Then Proof: S: We left right then. Then = when (now, later) S: T-h-e-n. T: How do you spell then? T: Can you prove you have the right then? Ex. (when) S: We left right when. That sounds a little weird. T: You can add a phrase to clarify the sentence. We left right then. S: We left right when… the movie ended. That makes sense.

Then and Than Practice the Conversation! T: Read the sentence for me. Than Proof: S: She is taller than I am. Than = more than T: How do you spell than? S: T-h-a-n. T: Can you prove you have the right than? Ex. (more than) She is taller than I am. S: She is taller more than I am. That sounds a little weird. T: That’s why you use it only to listen and make sure you have the right than. You wouldn’t speak that way.

Writer’s Notebook Challenge! Write a paragraph with a total of at least six ORIGINAL sentences. In those six sentences, you must use then and than correctly at least three times each! Write the proof (when, now, or later or more than) above each time you use one of those words in your sentences.

Memoir vs. Mass Media • The documentary Invisible Children and the Kony 2012 campaign are examples of a story being through mass media. The book we’re going to read this six weeks tells a similar story of a child soldier and the horrors of war, but through a memoir, which is a first person account.

A LONG WAY GONE: SIERRA LEONE BACKGROUND

Sierra Leone Profile s Full Name: Republic of Sierra Leone s Population: 5. 7 million (2009) s Capital: Freetown s Major Languages: English, Krio, and various African languages. s Major Religions: Islam and Christianity s Monetary Unit: Leone s Major Exports: Diamonds, Rutile, Cocoa, Coffee, and Fish

History of Sierra Leone: Name means “Lion Mountains” s 1462: Portuguese explorers arrive in Sierra Leone, which was also already occupied by several African tribes that had migrated to the area. s 1500 s-1700 s: Traders stopped in Sierra Leone to exchange cloth and metal goods for ivory, timber, and slaves. *Abolitionists later help slaves return to Africa in what is now the “Province of Freedom” or Freetown in Sierra Leone. They came to be called Krio.

Civil War in Sierra Leone s March 1991: The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) began attacking villages in eastern Sierra Leone. *Goal: To rid the country of the APC government * Rebel leader: Foday Sankoh s April 1992: The National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) was established, but it proved to be as ineffective as the APC at repelling the RUF. s 1995: The RUF held much of the countryside in their control.

Civil War in Sierra Leone s 1996 -2000: Sierra Leone tries various campaigns to stop the RUF, including signing a peace deal in 1996 that unraveled in 1997. s 1999: The United Nations finally became involved in the effort to disarm the rebels s 2001: A second peace agreement was signed that allowed disarmament to begin as the government regained authority in rebel-held areas. s January 2002: President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (elected in 1996) declared the civil war officially over.

Ishmael Beah Author of A Long Way Gone Interview with the author:

Chapter 1: What to Look For • Imagery • Irony/ Foreshadowing • Memories • Symbolism

Chapter 1: Discussion Questions In your groups, each of you should choose one of the following questions to answer. You should each pick a different question. Write your answer in your notebooks. Be prepared to share. • What can you infer about Beah’s relationship with his father based on the following quote from his grandmother? “’How is that father of yours treating you these days? ’ she asked in a sweet voice that was laden with worry. ” • In chapter 1, Beah switches abruptly back and forth between current events and memories of his family. Why do you think he does this? What effect does it have on the reader? • Find an example of imagery in the chapter. Why do you think Beah uses the imagery? What effect does it have on the reader? • Find an example of irony in the chapter. Discuss why it’s ironic. • Why does the author use the word “touched” (page 6) when referring to the war, as opposed to using such words as “affected” or “involved”? What are some other words in the chapter that you think show Beah was changed after the war?

Writer’s Notebook: Reading Reflection with Heavy D & the Boys Chapter One: • What does the moon symbolize to Beah? Use textual evidence to support your inference.