Phrases -- Prepositional, Participial, Gerunds

As we grow as writers, we're sometimes confounded as we try to take our brilliant, complex thoughts and try to make them behave on paper.  We know what we want to say, but when we put it on paper, something's not quite right.What often trips us up are phrases and clauses. In the English language, we use five phrases:  prepositional, participials, gerunds, infinitives, and appositives.  These phrases can be restrictive (essential) or non-restrictive (non-essential).

The wonderful internet has some great resources for expanding our understanding.  Below are some helpful links:

Slideshare -- This site has A LOT of helpful Powerpoint presentations about so many topics.  Search their website for whatever grammar help you need.  (Prepositions and Participials and Gerunds)

eHow -- This website has a number of helpful tutorials.  This page has one that shows where to put commas.

Slideboom -- This site has Powerpoint slides along with a narrator.  (Prepositions )

Authorstream -- Another instructional website, this one has a presentation on Gerunds,

Youtube -- Of course, this is an obvious place to go for so many kinds of instructional tutorials.

Purdue OWL -- One of my favorite writing websites, this online writing lab gives full explanations of LOTS of writing topics. (Gerunds,Participials, & Infinitives)

I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman

from the Poem of the Week website:

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

                       I Hear America Singing.

    I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
    Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
              and strong,
    The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
    The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
              work,
    The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deck-
              hand singing on the steamboat deck,
    The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing
              as he stands,
    The woodcutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morn-
              ing, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
    The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work,
              or of the girl sewing or washing,
    Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
    The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
              fellows, robust, friendly,
    Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

Writing 2 Class Notes -- November 28

Greetings!

Again, another productive class.  Have I mentioned how much I enjoy teaching this group of students?

With our Thanksgiving Dinners fresh in our minds, the Quick Write was titled "Eat Your Words."  I had the students list 10 verbs, 10 adverbs, and 10 adjectives that were related to their eating experience.  From all of the gobbling, slurping, munching, and "scarfing" involved, you all must have had a pretty good dinner.

They handed in their Rough Drafts of their Extended Definition or Classification Essays.  I look forward to reading them.  Any papers that were not handed in at class time should be sent before Sunday.

As maturing writers, our Grammar discussion has to move beyond simple sentence structures.  Most students are reading, talking, and thinking in complex sentences.  The challenge is getting our writing skills to catch up with what's in our heads.  Just because a brilliant, complicated idea pops into our heads does not necessarily mean that it's grammatically correct.  We discussed phrases this week and will continue next week.  I had the students take notes and copy the chart I had on the board.  Hopefully, by engaging in the 4 primary learning modalities (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic) as well as have a lot of participation, this information will "stick" a little better.   This week we looked specifically at prepositional phrases (especially how they function as adjectives and adverbs), participial phrases and gerund phrases (both verbals).  Verbal phrases often trip up writers, so I want to make sure they have a good understanding.  They have a worksheet on Participial Phrases as homework.

We're now reading some American Poetry.  Since we'd taken a lot of time for our grammar, we didn't have as much time for the poetry.  We read aloud and discussed Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing."  I've posted this poem on the blog so you can read it, too.  This is a great "American" poem about hard work and individuality.  It's also wonderfully metaphorical in the way it makes us combine images of occupations with the idea of songs.  

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Stave 4

-- Write out answers to at least 2 study questions.  Extra questions may be done for extra credit

-- Write definitions and word roots for at least 5 vocabulary words.  Extras may be done.

-- Finish Participial worksheet.

-- Read the following poems

     Emily Dickinson

          Because I could not stop for Death'

          Death sets a thing significant'

          Hope is the thing with feathers'

          I died for beauty'

          If I can stop one heart from breaking'

          I'm nobody! Who are you?'

          My life closed twice before its close'

          Success is counted sweetest'

          There is no frigate like a book'

          This is my letter to the world'

-- For five of the poems:
          Write the meaning for each poem in one or two sentences.
          Note any symbols or images that contribute to the meaning of the poem.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Prichard

Poet Biographies -- Holmes, Whitman, Harper, Lazarus

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858). He is also recognized as an important medical reformer.
     Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Holmes was educated at Phillips Academy and Harvard College. After graduating from Harvard in 1829, he briefly studied law before turning to the medical profession. He began writing poetry at an early age; one of his most famous works, "Old Ironsides", was published in 1830 and was influential in the eventual preservation of the USS Constitution. Following training at the prestigious medical schools of Paris, Holmes was granted his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1836. He taught at Dartmouth Medical School before returning to teach at Harvard and, for a time, served as dean there. During his long professorship, he became an advocate for various medical reforms and notably posited the controversial idea that doctors were capable of carrying puerperal fever from patient to patient. Holmes retired from Harvard in 1882 and continued writing poetry, novels and essays until his death in 1894.



Walter "Walt" Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.
Born on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and – in addition to publishing his poetry – was a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War. Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842). Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. He died at age 72 and his funeral became a public spectacle.



Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (September 24, 1825 – February 22, 1911) was an African-American abolitionist, poet and author. Born free in Baltimore, Maryland, she had a long and prolific career, publishing her first book of poetry at age 20 and her first novel, the widely praised Iola Leroy, at age 67.

     Frances Ellen Watkins was born to free parents in Baltimore, Maryland. After her mother died when she was three years old in 1828, Watkins was orphaned. She was raised by her maternal aunt and uncle, Rev. William Watkins, who was a civil rights activist. She was educated at his Academy for Negro Youth. Watkins was a major influence on her life and work. At fourteen, Frances found work as a seamstress.
     Frances Watkins had her first volume of verse, Forest Leaves, published in 1845 (it has been lost) when she was 20. Her second book, Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects (1854), was extremely popular. Over the next few years, it was reprinted numerous times. In 1859, her story "The Two Offers" was published in Anglo-African Magazine. She continued to publish poetry and short stories.
She had three novels serialized in a Christian magazine from 1868 to 1888, but was better known for what was long considered her first novel, Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted (1892), published as a book when she was 67. Long considered the first novel by an African American, it is one of the earliest. (Discoveries of earlier works by Harriet Jacobson and William Wells Brown have displaced her.) While using the conventions of the time, she dealt with serious social issues, including education for women, passing, miscegenation, abolition, reconstruction, temperance, and social responsibility.


Emma Lazarus (July 22, 1849 – November 19, 1887) was an American poet born in New York City.
She is best known for "The New Colossus", a sonnet written in 1883; its lines appear on a bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty placed in 1903. 
     Lazarus was the fourth of seven children of Moses Lazarus and Esther Nathan, Sephardic Jews whose families, originally from Portugal, had been settled in New York since the colonial period. She was related through her mother to Benjamin N. Cardozo, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court.
From an early age, she studied American and British literature, as well as several languages, including German, French, and Italian. Her writings attracted the attention of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He corresponded with her until his death.
     Lazarus wrote her own important poems and edited many adaptations of German poems, notably those of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Heinrich Heine. She also wrote a novel and two plays.
Lazarus began to be more interested in her Jewish ancestry after reading the George Eliot novel Daniel Deronda, and as she heard of the Russian pogroms that followed the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881. As a result of this anti-Semitic violence, thousands of destitute Ashkenazi Jews emigrated from the Russian Pale of Settlement to New York, leading Lazarus to write articles on the subject as well as the poem for which she was most famous in her lifetime, "Song of a Semite" (1882). Lazarus began at this point to advocate on behalf of indigent Jewish refugees and helped establish the Hebrew Technical Institute in New York to provide vocational training to help destitute Jewish immigrants become self-supporting.
     She is best known for "The New Colossus", a sonnet written in 1883; its lines appear on a bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty placed in 1903. The sonnet was written for and donated to an auction, conducted by the "Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty" to raise funds to build the pedestal. Lazarus' close friend Rose Hawthorne Lathrop was inspired by "The New Colossus" to found the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne.
She traveled twice to Europe, first in 1883 and again from 1885 to 1887. She returned to New York City seriously ill after her second trip and died two months later on November 19, 1887, most likely from Hodgkin's lymphoma.
     She is an important forerunner of the Zionist movement. She argued for the creation of a Jewish homeland thirteen years before Theodor Herzl began to use the term Zionism. Lazarus is buried in Beth-Olom Cemetery in Brooklyn.
     Emma Lazarus was honored by the Office of the Manhattan Borough President in March 2008 and her home on West 10th Street was included in a map of Women's Rights Historic Sites.

Writing 2 Class Notes -- November 14

Greetings!

As always, we had a productive class.  I really enjoy this group of students.  For our Quick Write today, we played a word game, Give Me Five, that I had gotten while in England.  The game consists of a deck of cards with categories (Fruits and Vegetables, Items found in a Bedroom, Pets, Types of Meals, etc.) and letter of the alphabet.  Either I or a student drew a card, and the students had to write 5 things that fit that card. The students got points for any answers they had written that were unique; in other words, they were the only ones who had written that answer.  We played a few rounds.  I like activities like this because it 1) plays with words; 2) causes everyone to be involved; 3) forces the students to think creatively; and 4) is interactive and helps us to continue to develop good class dynamics.

We corrected the Final Exam for My Antonia, which was a fairly easy multiple choice test.  As an end to our study of this book, we had two more presentations.  One student spoke about the theme of recreating memories of the past and another presented his thoughts about the character Otto Fuchs.  I am so pleased with how they've studied this book and come up with their own insights.  I'll be correcting the essay responses over break.

We'll be reading some American Poetry for the rest of the semester.  We read aloud a poem by Abraham Lincoln, "My Childhood's Home I See Again."  Coincidentally, it also had a theme of remembrance.  Below, in the assignments section, is a complete explanation of what they students are to read and how they are to respond to the poems.

I handed back their final drafts of their Comparison/Contrast Essays. As the students work on revising their rough drafts into final drafts, I'd like to remind them to carefully pay attention to the  corrections and comments that I made on the rough drafts.  The rough drafts are to be learning opportunities.  The final drafts are opportunities to show that they've been learning.  I was pleased to see that some students not only made grammar and punctuation corrections, but rewrote sections or added more material.  They are all becoming more skilled as writers of essays.  The students are to be working on their next writing assignment, either an Extended Definition Essay or a Classification Essay, over their break.

 

No class next week.  Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Assignments for Next Week:
-- Write Extended Definition Essay or a Classification Essay rough draft
-- Read the following poems:
          Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
                      "Old Ironsides"
           Walt Whitman
                      "I Hear America Singing"
                      "I Sit and Look Out"
                      "A Noiseless Patient Spider"
                      "O Captain! My Captain"
                      "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronaut"
          Frances E. W. Harper                 
                      "Bury Me in a Free Land"
                      "Songs for the People"
          Emma Lazarus               
                      "The New Colossus"
-- For each poem:
          Write the meaning for each poem in one or two sentences.
          Note any symbols or images that contribute to the meaning of the poem.

Have a great week!
Mrs. Prichard

Classification Essay

Classification Essay

Definition

            Classification has to do with sorting things into groups.  When you classify, you generally break a subject down into the most meaningful parts.  Think categories or varieties.  You may also classify a subject by explaining how it fits into a larger category or grouping.  When writing an essay of classification, your goal is to help readers better understand the whole (your topic) by presenting the parts.  Your goal may also be to show how your subject fits into the larger scheme of things. 

Thesis Development

            The thesis statement should name the subject (what is being classified), the mode of classification (classify, group, kinds), and the categories.  The thesis often includes the differentiating characteristics.

            Examples:

–   Electricians are classified as foremen, journeymen, and apprentices based on their education experience, and salary.

–   Nurses can be classified as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, or nurse assistants.  These nurses can be differentiated based on their education, salary, and duties.

–   Tennis enthusiasts are aware of the three types of racquets:  wood, graphite, and steel.  These racquets differ in price, flexibility, size, and durability.

Organization

            Classification is a rather easy pattern to use because it is so structured. Once you’ve decided on your topic, its categories, and their differentiating characteristics, it is a matter of plugging in the differentiating characteristics in the same order for each category.  You must be careful to keep everything in the same order that you listed in your thesis.  When you do this, the essay almost writes itself.

            Classification essays are structured first by category (classes or types you have divided your subject into), and then by differentiating characteristics (the ways your categories can be distinguished from one another).

            Examples:

I. Introduction with Topic Sentence or Thesis

II.  Category #1

            A.  Characteristic #1

            B.  Characteristic #2

            C.  Characteristic ##

            D.  Characteristic #4

III.  Category #2

            A.  Characteristic #1

            B.  Characteristic #2

            C.  Characteristic ##

            D.  Characteristic #4

IV.  Category #3

            A.  Characteristic #1

            B.  Characteristic #2

            C.  Characteristic ##

            D.  Characteristic #4

V.  Conclusion

Tips on Writing

–   Determine the purpose of your classification.  Are you intending to inform your reader about the differences or to persuade him that on category is superior to the rest?

–   Determine the categories of your classification, making sure that there is no overlap in the categories.

–   Determine the differentiating characteristics.

–   Outline your essay and make sure you present the characteristics in the same order.

Pitfalls to Avoid

–   Avoid oversimplification, stereotypes, or misrepresentation.

–   Avoid overlapping categories.  Make sure the categories are clearly different from each other and that your types fit into only one category.

–   Avoid missing categories.  Make sure your categories account for all the types in your subject.

Essay Guidelines

–   Due dates:  Pre-Write:  November 14; Rough Draft due November 28; Final Draft due December 12

–   Essay length:  800 – 1,000 words (about 2 -3 pages)

–   Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

–   Final draft format:

–   Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

–   1 inch margins

–   Name and date on the upper right hand corner

–   Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

–   Title centered above the text of the essay

Extended Definition Essay

Extended Definition Essay

Definition

            In an essay of definition, you clarify a complex concept, an abstract idea, or a complicated ideal. (Ex.:  inflation, hope, democracy) As a writer, you will put boundaries around a term, concept, or idea.  To develop and extend a definition, you can give a dictionary definition, make a comparison, provide a fitting quotation, offer a negative definition (tell what it is not), and so on.  The effectiveness of your essay depends upon your ability to understand your subject, to know what really sets it apart from all other members (related ideas) in its class.  In an extended definition, your explanation will limit, distinguish, or clarify a topic.

Thesis Development

            The thesis statement names the subject of the definition and makes it apparent that the term will be defined.  Sometimes a thesis names the class to which the subject belongs and gives the particular features or categories that sets it apart.  In addition, a thesis may reflect the writer’s purpose or attitude forward the term, concept, idea, or ideal.

Organization

            In your introduction, you will set up the order for your paper.  In your brainstorming and pre-writing, you should come up with distinguishing characteristics for your topic.  Do these fall neatly into categories?  Consider giving examples or opinions (quotes) by experts.  The extended definition essay does not require a specific organizational structure.  You may find yourself incorporating a variety of organizational patterns.

Tips on Writing

–   Consider giving examples, including those of what your subject is not.  Is it similar but different to something else?

–   Can your find concrete ways to explain abstract ideas?  Analogies or object lessons work well.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Avoid giving only the dictionary definition.  Consider including the denotations (objective perceptions) and the connotations (emotional associations) with your subject.  These can be both positive and negative.

Avoid circular definitions.  Don’t use the term to define it.  For example, you wouldn’t define a mystery novel as something mysterious.

Avoid oversimplification.  Dig deep into your topic.

Essay Guidelines

–   Due dates:  Pre-Write:  November 14; Rough Draft due November 28; Final Draft due December 12.

–   Essay length:  800 – 1,000 words (about 2 – 3 pages)

–   Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

–   Final draft format:

–   Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

–   1 inch margins

–   Name and date on the upper right hand corner

–   Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

–   Title centered above the text of the essay

Writing 1 Class Notes -- November 7

Greetings!

This was an interesting day of classes.  Most students were processing the election results.  I talked at length about our responsibility to pray for and bless all those who were elected into office last night.  1 Tim. 2: 1-4 commands us to do this.  It's always good to align ourselves with God's plan.

I gave the students options for the Quick Write.  If they were still in a political mood, they could write a letter to President Obama OR write the diary of a politician.  If not, they could write a diary for a happy cow (a topic suggested by a student). The only requirement was that they couldn't be disrespectful.

We had a full class today.  We had two more presentation from students about My Antonia.  As we discussed the character Wick Cutter and the take-away lessons from the novel, the students continued to have thoughtful insights.  Next week we'll finish the presentations.  We didn't have time to do the multiple choice test in class, so I'd like them to take the test at home with your oversight. 

For our next writing assignment, the students may choose to write either an Extended Definition Essay or a Classification Essay.  They have handouts that explain these essays.  The Pre-Write is due next week, the Rough Draft is due November 28, and the final draft is due on December 12 (the last day of this term's classes.)

A couple of students thought they might be interested in the NaNoWriMo project.  If anyone wants to try writing a novel this month, they can sign up here. Check the previous e-mail for more information.

Assignments for Next Week:
-- Write answers for the Essay Exam (handed out last week)  They must choose two questions from each section.
-- Take the multiple choice test for My Antonia.
-- Pre-Write for Extended Definition or Classification Essay
-- Do not do the Grammar Worksheet.

Have a great week!
Mrs. Prichard

Writing 2 Class Notes -- October 31

Greetings!

Before our Quick Write today, the students got a history lesson.  Yesterday was not only Halloween, but it was Reformation Day.  We discussed Martin Luther and the 95 theses.  We did a word study of "reformation," "rebellion," and "catholic."  To top of the lesson, we watched the "Reformation Polka," a youtube cartoon.

Our Quick Write featured a pair of XXXXXXXXL camouflaged pants that my husband had gotten as a gag gift and a Kermit the Frog hat that I was given.  The students were to write a story centered on these two objects.  

As we finish up our study of My Antonia, the students are giving presentations about either a theme or a character.  So far, students have led class in discussions about Antonia, the theme of hard work, and the theme of God and self-reliance. I’m so pleased with how thoughtfully they have read the book; they've shared some fresh and original insights.  We will continue our presentations next week.

We didn't have much time left to go over common mistakes found in the Comparison/Contrast Essay Rough Drafts.  While this is a helpful way for us to review grammar together, each student has clear comments and corrections on his paper.  If any questions arise about the rough drafts, they can feel free to send me an e-mail.  

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Be prepared to give your presentation

-- Finish the Final Draft of the Comparison/Contrast Essay

Have a great week!

Mrs. Prichard