An easy day

I went over the criteria for the autobiographical narrative with the 9th graders today. Their rough drafts are due tomorrow and it will be interesting to see who completes it. The two students who turned in introductory paragraphs have an advantage because I was able to make comments and suggestions. I did try something that I did last fall, I handed out applications and told them that they were applying for a job at my restaurant.
"You're opening up a restaurant?"
"No, it's fake...but take this assignment seriously as if you were really applying for a job."
I gave them 20 minutes to fill it out and some were able to, and some were not. Some didn't understand some of the questions on the application. However, there were a few that went beyond the assignment and included high school, college, and military service. My intention was to show how important English will be to them outside the classroom. We then began reading where we left off on "Marigolds." One thing I like trying is assigning characters to students. It seems to generate a lot more interest from the others.
I received my first evaluation today and it went very well. I also got some really good ideas such as evaluating and assessing the students knowledge after the lesson(s). Also, another good idea is positive reinforcement after each student reads, which I wish I would have done today because there were some good readers today, even one guy who never wants to read.

The 8th graders continued with that HUMONGOUS grammar packet. I also worked with students who needed help with their rough drafts. Several students already finished their roughs and turned them in early, which I thought was great. We started reading "from Harriet Tubman." There was a little time left over so we continued to watch Charley. I finally handed out the 3 girls progress reports. My talker was concerned about her D citizenship grade. Did she honestly think that her "constant need to talk whenever possible" wouldn't hurt her grade?