Writing 2 Class Notes -- January 24

Greetings!

We had an enjoyable and productive class today.  We began with a Quick Write in which the students were to tell what food and what beverage they would take with them for 2 weeks on a remote island.  They were very creative.  Our Vocabulary Words were from the Sherlock Holmes stories.  I put the words on the white board and the students took turns looking them up.

We talked at length about our Conan Doyle short detective stories.  Most students are aware of Sherlock Holmes, but have never read any of the stories.  We talked about the plots, the crimes and the way in which the clues were given.  I handed out 2 worksheets.  On one I gave the students information about detective stories in general.  On the the back of that sheet was some information and background about the characterization of Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson.  The other handout was a list of study questions for the two stores assignment for next week.

Our first writing assignment this semester is a 2-part paper that I introduced last week.  The students can choose to write a Cause/Effect or Problem/Solution essay.  The pre-writing was to be done this week.  As with other essays, the process of preparing a paper can be simplified into three steps:  1) Choosing a subject; 2) Gathering details; and 3) Bringing focus to the details. 

We looked at some visual graphic helps for organizing the papers.  A "t" chart works well with the Cause/ Effect paper.  With this type of paper, it's important to be clear and establish sound, logical relationships between the main points.  We looked at a different kind of chart for the Problem/Solution essay.  It's important to look at a problem from a variety of perspectives.  Firstly, the problem should be defined and explained.  Then explore the causes of the problem and future implications of the problem.  Following a discussion of the problem, possible solutions are presented.

Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" and "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb."
-- Answer questions from the worksheet.
-- Rough Draft.

This Week's blog entry.

Have a great week!
Mrs. Prichard