Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 9 (March 13)

Greetings!  

We're starting to feel a little Spring in the air.    Days are getting longer, and our Spring Break is here.  

Our Quick Write this week was about communication.  On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone to his assistant, Watson.  The students wrote about their favorite mode of communication and then we listed as many types of communication that we could think of:  smoke signals, Morse code, carrier pigeons, Pony Express, etc.  

The Words of the Day were:

pathetique -- Italian; a musical term that means with feeling; moving

che sera sera -- Italian; "Whatever will be, will be."  

Jai alai -- Basque; a game similar to handball but using a wicker basket to catch and throw the ball

Nihil ad Rem -- Latin; "nothing to the point/matter;" inconsequential, irrelevant

zabaglione -- Italian; a whipped custard made with egg yolks, sugar and Marsala

The final drafts of their Cause/Effect Essays were handed in this week.  They worked hard on their rough drafts, and I look forward to reading these essays.  Our next writing assignment is an Evaluation Essay.  This essay requires a little research.  They are to take a well-rounded look at some event, person, place, item, etc. and evaluate it in a number of categories.  For next week, the Pre-Write is due.

Though we had read three short stories for this week, we only discussed one, “The Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin.  We stayed on this one in part because I’ve always been fascinated by the varied responses to this story by the students.  I think this is one of the first classes that had a wise, balanced perspective.  Follow this link to the story.  I’d love to hear what any parents might interpret the actions of Mrs. Sommers.

I handed out slips of paper to some of the students with missing assignments.  I usually do this near the end of the term, but I thought that with the extra week between classes, this would be a better time.  Sometimes, an assignment has been handed in and graded, but in my enthusiasm to continue reading and grading, the score doesn’t get put in my grade book.  If a student has completed an assignment that I have down as “missing,” he/she can either send me an e-mail telling me of the score, or bring it to the next class.

If students have any questions about their assignments, they should e-mail me, especially if they missed a class. If any worksheets or handouts are needed, be sure to let me know.  (I've had more students gone, sick, or injured this semester than any other that I've taught.)  Missing classes and turning in work at different times has added a little to the confusion about homework.

Assignments for March 27 (No classes next week)

-- Read Pirandello (p. 149); de Maupassant (p. 134);

-- Fill out 1 short story worksheet per story

-- Evaluation Essay Pre-write  (Outlining & research)

This Week’s Links:

Class Notes

Evaluation Essay

Enjoy your break!

Mrs. Prichard