Riley's Third Blog

Agenda

Take a minute

Blog: corrections

Reader's Workshop

I.O.&.B.A. Essays

HW: RJ 3.4 Read for 20-30 minutes and record 3-word or visual summary

It was a cold, chilly morning as everyone walked into English class and sat down to write down the agenda. It had rained the night before, so I was already feeling the chill in my bones, especially after being out all morning. After I wrote the agenda down, I took a minute to think about something, which was nothing, but nothing is always something. And then my mental peace was shattered as Ms. Nakada announced that it was time for Emily to read her blog. She read her blog, and as she finished, she scanned the room to choose her next victim. I tried to not make eye contact, but of course, I looked up, and straight into Emily's gaze, and she smiled and pointed at me. I sighed and packed up all of my stuff and headed up to the desk of dread. 

As I started to write, Ms. Nakada told us she would pass out our i-Ready scores. When she finished that, she told us all to get out our reading journals so that we could update our reading scores chart. Then it was time for Reader's Workshop, and I realize I'm having a hard time keeping up with the class, because my hands are so cold that my fingers are nearly frozen stiff and I can't type without having to move my hand for every letter. The class is silent as everyone somehow reads loudly, with the rustling of papers and shoes shuffling on the floor, and random thuds on the floor. 

When the reader's workshop is over, Ms. Nakada tells everyone to take out the A.C.E that we all worked on yesterday and share what they wrote. The room fills with random voices as everyone discusses what they wrote (Ronan, why do you talk so loud?).

At this point, I'm not sure what to do, since my partner is the table plant that is crawling with ants. For a second I consider explaining my work to The Plant, but then I remember that today I swore to myself I would stop talking to inanimate objects, so I turn away and type as fast as my frozen fingers would let me. Ms. Nakada says something that I couldn't hear because nobody really stopped talking, so now I'm just staring blankly at the screen, thinking randomly about the concept of life. Ms. Nakada hands out some papers and asks everyone to read and discuss it. 5 hours seemed to pass before Ms. Nakada addressed the class again and asked for everyone's opinion. I didn't get a paper, but I think I could tell that the paper was about immigrants, how they flee, and what they do when they get to another country. Ms. Nakada asks everyone to read the next paper to themselves. The room fills with silence as every one loudly reads silently again. I catch an ant on my pencil, who seems to be gnawing on my eraser. Ms. Nakada then asks everyone to compare the two articles, and then she pulls up an app with random facts on it. Next, she pulls up a map that shows red circles in different areas of the world, and when you clicked on them it would show you what happened there and where all of the refugees fled. Then, Ms. Nakada announces she would be assigning us another A.C.E., and she said we could use our Q.Q.S.L. notes or the articles as evidence or citations. The prompt is to explain one example for why they are fleeing. Somebody coughs a really loud cough. And again. Tali steps out of the classroom to cough a furious rage of coughs, and then comes back inside ever-so-innocently. More coughs from the back of the room. Ms. Nakada lectures us on coughing manners. 

The bell finally rings. Everyone packs up and heads to fourth period. 

:)