Friday, February 21, 2014

Week 6 Grammar Lessons



Greetings Class!

Due to the shortness of this week's class, we didn't have time to discuss the material that you need to know for the worksheets.  Below are some links for video lessons that might prove helpful.

Appositives:
Grammar Lesson 20.2 -- Appositives
How to Use Appositives
Appositives -- SAT Boot Camp
School House Rock -- The Tale of Mr. Morton
Commas & Appositive

Subordinating Clauses
Subordinating Clauses -- SAT Boot Camp 
Subordinate Clauses
Subordinated Conjunctions Classroom song
Grammar Lesson 21.4 -- Subordinating Clause 










Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 6 (February 20)

Greetings!

We had shortened classes at CHAT this week due to the impending blizzard.  Since I had to travel south into the "blizzard zone" after classes, I was glad to get an early start for my ride home.  Even with the shortened class, we were able to accomplish quite a a bit.  These are hard-working, conscientious students.

For our Quick Write, I asked for a favorite activity, favorite type of book, and a favorite food.  So, today we wrote about snowmobiling, Jane Austen, and Italian food.  They could either write a story or a comparison/contrast quick write.

Our Words of the Day were
factoid -- fr. Latin, factum (deed or detail) -- an unsubstantiated detail; something presented as a fact but without support
fatuous -- fr. Latin, fatuus (foolish, insipid) -- adj. meaning foolish, silly, or stupid (We also discovered that the word "infatuated" comes from the same Latin root.)
fungible -- fr. Latin functio (performance, function) -- adj. meaning exchangeable or replaceable (multi functional)
I handed back the  final copies of their Problem/Solution Essays. They all did a wonderful job.  We discussed the scores and the rubric.  These rubrics can be tools for them to use as they write their next essays.
The students are now working on Cause/Effect Essays.  The Pre-writes were due this week, and rough drafts are due next week.  As I mentioned in class, if pre-writes are handwritten, they can be kept to be used to write the rough drafts and handed in next week with the rough draft.

The assigned Short Stories for this week were all by British authors.  Though we had a shortened class time, we had enough time to discuss each of the stories.  I always find it interesting how differently they respond to the stories.  While most of the students found the short story by Dickens a little depressing, I remember a class a couple years ago who really like that story.  Go figure.
We'll read 3 stories by early American authors.  I handed out 2 worksheets; students should fill out one sheet (front and back) for one story, and one (front and back) for a second story.  The third story will not have a worksheet.

We did not have time to go over the Grammar Worksheets, but the directions are fairly clear. This week the worksheets are on appositives and subordinating clauses.  You can always contact me if you have questions, but I've also found some short video lessons that might be helpful.  If anyone has questions, feel free to send me an e-mail.
Video lessons:
Appositives -- Grammar Lesson
Complex Sentences -- Grammar Lesson 24.1
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read the following short stories:
     -- Hawthorne (p. 73); Bierce (p. 10); Poe (p. 156)
     -- Fill out 2 short story charts,
-- Write Rough Draft of Cause/Effect Essay
-- Finish Grammar Worksheets
-- Watch Grammar videos (optional)
This week's blogs
Class Notes
Have a great weekend.  Stay safe and warm!
Mrs. Prichard

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Cause/Effect Essay

Cause/Effect Essay

Definition
            A cause and effect essay focuses on why things happen and what their results or consequences are.  Causes are the reasons why something happened.  Effects are the direct results or consequences of an event.  The study of causes and effects are central to many disciplines:  science, history, sociology, psychology, etc.     

Choosing a Subject
            Consider recent experiences, conversations, and headlines for possible ideas.  It can focus on current events, political or social events, or developments in medicine or technology.  It can also focus on every day events.  For example, what happens when you procrastinate?  Or, what are the effects of eating too much junk food?

Thesis Development
            A thesis statement in a cause and effect essay usually focuses on causes or effects but not on both.  The thesis statement should offer your opinion or stand about a cause or an effect.  Remember, a good thesis statement should be short and to the point, contain one clear main idea, and take a stand or express your opinion.          

Organization
            Cause/effect essays generally focus on the causes of the effects of an event, problem, or phenomenon.  Some essays examine both causes and effects.  The thesis announces whether the cause or the effects will be examined, and the supporting sentences or paragraphs develop those causes or effects.        

Tips on Writing
Before you start writing, determine whether you will be covering the cause, effects, or both.
List all of the causes and effects you can think of for the situation.
Examine each cause or effect to determine whether it is a direct cause or effect of your event.  Keep in mind the difference between direct and indirect causes and effects.
When examining causes and effects, decide the value and importance of each item.
Clearly establish the relationships between the cause and the effect.
Avoid mistaking coincidence for cause and effect.
Avoid oversimplification.  
Don’t confuse affect for effect
Affect is a verb meaning “to influence.”
Effect is usually used as a noun meaning “result.”
When used as a verb, effect means “to make or to cause to happen.”


Essay Guidelines
Due dates:  Pre-Write due February 20; Rough Draft due March 6;  Final Draft due March 20/
Essay length:  700 – 900 words (between 3 and 6 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 2 Class Notes -- Week 5 (February 13)

Greetings!

We had another full class time this week. I'm always amazed at how quickly our time goes.  Our Quick Write titled "Reel Time."  This past week, Shirley Temple died, and I was remembering how our family enjoyed her movies.  I had the class write about either the first movies they remembered watching OR a movie watched over and over again.  Many of them have the same memories of the same movies

Below are our Words of the Day:
acumen -- (from Latin, acuere to sharpen) noun; shrewd, sharp perception 
avoirdupois -- (French)  referring to a system of weights in which 16 ounces is a pound
vol au vent -- (French) a very light puff pastry filled with meats and a sauce
farrago -- (from Latin; meaning a mixed fodder) a confused mixture, jumble, hodgepodge

I handed back a lot of papers this week.  We looked at the Final Exam for the Sherlock Holmes stories.  They were to write whether or not they thought Holmes was a hero.  I scored these essays by counting specific comments and examples.  The more they wrote, the more points they acquired.  We discussed our answers; though many of them held opposing opinions, they each did a wonderful job supporting their ideas.

Our next book is a collection of short, short stories, and we read three stories by Russian authors:  Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Pushkin.  We took time and discussed all three.  For next week, we will read short stories by British authors.

As I corrected the grammar worksheets, I saw that we needed more practice and work with gerunds.  In class we partly completed another worksheet with gerund phrases.  They are to complete it and hand it in next week.  The worksheet is attached and is on Dropbox.

They handed in their Final Drafts of the Problem/Solution Essays and are to write their pre-writes of the next essay:  Cause/Effect Essay.  

Assignments for Next Week
-- Read the following short stories:  Dickens (p. 45); Wilde (p. 189); Kipling (p. 101); Munro (p. 140)
-- Fill out one side of a worksheet for each story.
-- Grammar worksheet -- Gerunds
-- Pre-Write for the Cause/Effect Essay


This Week's Blogs:


Have a great weekend.  Make the most of the winter!
Mrs. Prichard

Friday, February 7, 2014

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 4 (February 6)

Greetings!
We had a great day in class this week.  After a week of snow and another of sub-zero temperatures, it was nice to have a run-of-the-mill cold winter day. 
This year is the 10th anniversary of Facebook.  Thinking of how pervasive computer technology is in today's culture, I asked the students to write as their Quick Writes:  "Imagine a day without computer technology."  For some students, this would be a difficult challenge, while for others, they wouldn't know much of a difference.  I mentioned to them that our family occasionally takes media & technology fasts.  It's good to clear our heads from so many distractions.
Our Words of the Day were:
suave -- French; pleasant, sweet, sophisticated
subito -- Italian/Latin; suddenly. abruptly
subpoena -- Latin; literally, under penalty; a legal document requiring that a person appear in court
sub judice -- Latin; literally, under a judge; this phrase means that a case is before the court and currently under consideration
sub specie aeternitatis -- Latin; literally, under the aspect of eternity; this phrase means something in its essential form

I handed back the rough drafts for the Problem/Solution Essays.  Generally, as I read through the rough drafts, I keep track of common mistakes and error.  These become our Grammar lessons for the day.  The most common errors that need attention as they revise and edit their papers are problems related to contractions, compound sentences,  and "there are" sentences.  I gave the students half-sheets for taking notes.  When they hand in their final drafts, I would also like them to list the first five corrections and the last five corrections in their papers.
We've finished our Sherlock Holmes stories, and the students handed in the assigned final essay exam answering the question, "Is Holmes a Hero?"  Now that we're done with this book, we're on to our next book of short stories, Great Short, Short Stories.  We'll start with three stories by Russian authors:  Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Chekhov.

Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read the following short stories:  "The Coffin-Maker" (p. 162, Pushkin),  "The Three Hermits" (p. 169, Tolstoy), "A Malefactor" (p. 26, Chekhov)
-- Both sides of one short stories worksheet for one story; both sides of the second worksheet for another story.
-- Finish Final Draft of Narrative Essay
-- Include a list of first five and last five corrections on your essay.

This week's blog
Class Notes

Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Prichard