Writing 2: September 2015

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 5 (September 24)

Greetings!

We had a good, productive day in class today. Even though this is the first class of the day, the students come in ready to work.

I used the Pope's visit to the country for the prompt for our Quick Write. This morning the Pope addressed the joint houses of Congress, our Representatives and Senators. I asked the students to think about what they might want to say if they were to stand before Congress. They could have 3 bullet points for their presentations. Three topics, issues, concerns, encouragements, or even jokes.

Our Words of the Day, compliments of class members:

prophylactic-- fr. Greek -- adj. describing something used to protect from disease

immutable-- fr. Latin, immutabile (unchanging) -- unchanging, unchangeable over time

unprofane-- fr. profanus (outside the temple) -- devoted to religious purposes

I handed back a number of items which we discussed in class. Firstly, we talked about the pre-test for the Parts of Speech unit that they had taken. While they weren't excited about the scores, I explained that this was a test to see how much they knew BEFORE the instruction. For this test, the students will all receive the same participation score.

Another piece of homework that they got back were their final drafts of the Personal Commentary Essays. I evaluate these in 4 areas: Focus, Content, Organization, and Mechanics. I'm not a very hard grader because I want to encourage them and to see them enjoy writing.

Some students also received a piece of paper that listed any missing assignments. My plan is to give these out 2 - 3 times a semester so that students can keep on top of their homework. I also told the students that they should keep all of their homework for this class until the end of the semester. Sometimes an assignment gets graded but missed when I enter them in my gradebook.

Today we had our first Parts of Presentation -- Shay, Ian, and Hannay gave us a good lesson on Nouns, complete with a video, activity, and worksheet. They did a great job! Next week: Pronouns (Christopher, Savannah, and Megan)

Following the nouns presentation, I discussed thesis statements. As I've mentioned to them, many of the papers that they probably wrote when they were younger were reports. Writing essays requires that they form a thesis -- that they take a stand or form an opinion about their topics. I gave them a template that can be helpful when writing essays:

________________ is/are _______________________

because 1) ___________________, 2) ___________________,

and 3) ___________________________.

A well-formed thesis statement gives an essay direction.

Quickly, before I dismissed for the day, we pulled out our books, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. I read aloud the section when Hank fixes the fountain in the Valley of Holiness, pretending that he's working magic. Even though Twain's language is at times difficult, and he uses a lot of figures of speech that make it hard to fully understand what Twain means, if students take their time in reading, a lot more will sink in. Listening to audiobooks will also help.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Chapters 24 - 27

-- Answer 4 Study Guide questions

-- Fill in 8 Vocabulary Words

-- Nouns homework: short writing assignment with nouns

Links for this week:

Class Notes

Nouns categories

Nouns video (from Writing 2)

Killer Thesis Statements

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Friday, September 18, 2015

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 4 (September 18)

Greetings!

I thought I might have to swim to school yesterday. Later in the afternoon we watched it rain so hard that the parking lot was flooded. Hopefully all are safe and dry.

Our Quick Write today was inspired by the trivia question on the board at Caribou Coffee this morning: Who said, "Question everything"? (Socrates) I gave the students a number of choices: Write something all in questions; write a "Bucket List" of questions; respond to the quote. As responses, students asked what the meaning of life was and something about a woodchuck! I also showed the students a presentation by a spoken word artist, Taylor Mali, titled "Conviction." He speaks about that trend to end sentences so that they sound like questions; he also encourages students to speak (and write) with conviction and authority.

The Words of the Day were:

frenzy -- fr. Middle English -- a state or period of uncontrollable excitement or behavior

hauberks -- fr. Middle English/Old French/Frankish -- a long defensive shirt extending to the knees

smote -- fr. Middle English/ Old English -- to strike or hit with hands or a weapon

Following our beginning of class activities, the students took the Pre-Test for our Parts of Speech unit. The bulk of this test asked them to identify the various parts of speech (interjections, verbs, adjectives, nouns, conjunctions, adverbs, prepositions, and pronouns) within sentences. This test will be our baseline that we will compare to the Post-Test that they will take after they've given their presentations.

Next week we start our Parts of Speech presentations. Below is the schedule for each week:

Week 5 (9/24) -- Nouns (Hannah, Shay, Ian)

Week 6 (10/1) -- Pronouns (Christopher, Savannah, Megan)

Week 7 (10/8) -- Adjectives (Nicole, Andrew, Lukel)

Week 8 (10/22) -- Adverbs (Chader, Ted, Darren)

Week 9 (10/29) -- Verbs (Corey, Abby, Faith)

Week 10 (11/5) -- Prepositions (Rachel, Anna)

Week 11 (11/12) -- Conjunctions (Katelyn, KC, Danielle)

Week 12 (11/19) -- Interjections (Simon, Nick, Jack)

Week 13 (12/3) -- Review

Week 14 (12/10) -- Parts of Speech Test

The final drafts of the Personal Commentary Essay were due today. I had forgotten to mention to the students that I also want them to hand in the corrected rough drafts along with the final drafts. Some of them brought them, and others did not. For this essay, it's OK either way. Going forward, I will remind them to hand in both drafts. I like to see how they made corrections and revised their own work.

Our next essay is a Process Essay. Students may choose practical, every day processes (i.e. baking a cake, getting ready for school, driving a car); they may also choose broader or more abstract topics (i.e. how to be diligent, how to make a good impression) A challenging aspect of any essay is coming up with an effective thesis statement that directs and gives structure to the essay. I've included on the blog some links to websites specifically discuss thesis statements with process essays; it also has a couple of videos about writing thesis statements.

We've reached the part in our book, A Connecticut Yankee, in which Hank Morgan is on his quest with Sandy. Mark Twain is a genius with his verbal wit, and I took some time to read aloud a couple of sections.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Write the Rough Draft of the Process Essay

-- Prepare your Parts of Speech presentation

-- Read Chapters 20 - 13 of ACY

-- Answer 3 Study Guide questions; fill in 5 Vocabulary words

Links for this Week:

Class Notes

Personal History Essay

Writing a Thesis video links

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Process Analysis Essay

Process Analysis Essay

Definition

In the process analysis essay, the writer describes how to do something or how something happens by describing the steps or stages in the process. The writer breaks down the process into steps and describes them in detail in order to inform or persuade the reader about the process. Process analysis by be used to describe a simple process such as how to bake a cake or change the oil in a car, or it may be used to describe a complex process such as scientific experiments or works of Congress.

Organization of a Process Essay

The process you are analyzing will dictate the structure of your essay. Break the process down into its component parts (or steps) and structure your writing around logical divisions in the process you are analyzing.

Thesis Statements

The thesis or topic statement names the process that will be described or analyzed. Often the thesis contains an attitude or opinion about the process.

Examples:

– Changing a tire is easy if you follow the right steps.

– Anyone can fail a class if he tries hard enough.

– It is important for citizens to know how ideas become laws.

Tips on Planning

1. First, divide the process into logical parts. Decide what actions you would take and in what order they would happen.

2. Next, list the individual steps or stages in the process, making sure not to leave out any steps, including any preparation that might be necessary.

3. Describe each step in detail. Try not to leave anything out. Remember that your readers may not be familiar with the process you are describing, so your directions will have to be explicit and complete.

4. Anticipate any problems that might arise at each step in the process, and tell the reader how to avoid or remedy the problem.

5. Avoid incomplete details.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates: Rough Draft due September 24; Final Draft due October 8

– Essay length: 500 – 700 words (between 2 and 4 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

Links & Videos for a Process Essay

Writing a thesis statement for a Process Essay can be challenging. It is often hard to come up with an opinion on a process or to figure out what kind of stand to take? Below are some helpful resources:

From Miami Dade College

From Synonym.com

LEO

From Literary Education Online

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 3 (September 10)

Greetings!

Another great class this week -- they are a smart bunch! Our Quick Write this week was in recognition of Northfield's Defeat of Jesse James Days. We collected a list of Western words, such as Howdy, pardner, saloon, Stetson, y'all, yeehaw, etc. The assignment was to write something and include at least 2 of the words from our list. They were great sports and endured my attempt at a western accent.

Our Words of the Day were chosen by classmates from our reading selection, A Connecticut Yankee.

Blatherskite -- fr. mid-17th century English -- a person who talks at great length without making much sense

Biddable -- fr. Old English; biddan, to beg or ask -- meekly ready to accept and follow instructions; docile and obedient

Lackaday-- fr.late 17th century expression, "a lack a day" -- an expression of regret, sorrow, dismay

I handed back their homework and discussed my grading. For many of the assignments, I put on a check mark with a circle around it. Students get full points for doing the assignments. Worksheets and final drafts of the essays will be evaluated according to right or wrong answers and quality of work.

After handing back the rough drafts of the Personal Commentary Essays, I went over common errors that I found in their rough drafts. They are to keep a sheet in their notebooks with a list of the top mistakes that I find when correcting their rough drafts. On the blog, I will include a picture that has examples of some of the marks that I make on their papers.

We spent time on our Parts of Speech projects. For this project, students are to give a lesson to explain their assigned part of speech, possibly have the students do an activity, and have some kind of homework assignment. In class we discussed where and how they might find information to help with this assignment. The students then broke into their groups to plan for their presentations. These lessons and activities are to take 10 to 20 minutes.

Next week the students will take a Pre-Test to test their knowledge before they've had the series of lessons.

Because I wanted to take extra time with this first round of rough drafts and to make sure that the students were clear on the grammar project, we did not have time for a discussion of our literature, A Connecticut Yankee. Next week!

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Chapters 15 - 19 of A Connecticut Yankee

-- Answer 4 Study Guide Questions

-- Select & define 8 Vocabulary words

-- Work on Parts of Speech project

This Week's Links:

Class Notes

A Connecticut Yankee Audiobook Suggestions

Librivox Audio Book

AudioBook Treasury

Have a great week!

Mrs. Prichard

Sample Editing Marks

Below is a picture of the editing symbols that I use most often when I'm editing the rough drafts of the students' essays. I put the squiggly line under problematic words. A word might be mispelled or the wrong word for that sentence. For example, contractions are not allowed in essays and will get the squiggly line.

The next symbol, the line with the loop, is used for words that should be deleted or replaced. The upside down "v" is put in a sentence where a word or phrase needs to be added.

The double-stemmed backwards "P" is the paragraph symbol. I put this where it would be good to start a new, indented paragraph. Finally, the three little lines are placed under a letter that needs to be capitalized.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Parts of Speech Update

Hey class!

I've gotten a couple of e-mails with questions about the Parts of Speech unit, so I thought I'd send out a group-wide e-mail.

Even though we talked about this in class last week, I feel that there may still be some confusion about the guidelines for the project and the specifics of the assignment. So, here's what I'd like to do --- let's push the presentations out a week so that we have extra time to plan and to work in groups. This week we will talk through any questions that students might have.

Adjusted schedule:

Week 3 -- Review Parts of Speech/Discuss assignment

Week 4 -- Parts of Speech Pre-Test
Week 5 -- Nouns (Chader, Darren, Ted)

Week 6 -- Pronouns (Rachel, Anna.)

Week 7 -- Adjectives (Nicole, Andrew, Luke)

Week 8 -- Adverbs (Hannah, Shay, Ian)

Week 9 -- Verbs (Corey, Abby, Faith)

Week 10 -- Prepositions (Christopher, Savannah, Megan

Week 11 -- Conjunctions (Katelyn, KC, Danielle)

Week 12 -- Interjections (Simon, Nick, Jack)

Week 13 -- Review

Week 14 -- Parts of Speech Post-Test

I've taught this lesson using this process at the other school where I teach, and I was excited about how students learned. We all know that if you have to teach something, you learn it a little better. Also, students enjoyed being taught by their classmates.

On the down side, we only see one another once a week, so we need to fit a lot in to our weekly class. Students may not realize that they have questions about an assignment until AFTER they've left class. Always feel free to send an e-mail to clarify anything.

See y'all on Thursday,

Mrs. Prichard

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 2 (September 3)

Greetings!

We had a good second week of classes. We're getting to know one another, and I'm enjoying this group of students.

Our Quick Write this week was inspired by the State Fair, also known as "The Great Minnesota Get Together." I asked the students to either write about the fair or about some other favorite "get together." I always tell students that if they ever draw a blank with the prompt, they can write whatever they would like.

I had three students select our Words of the Day from their vocabulary lists from A Connecticut Yankee (ACY) Our words were:

forsooth -- fr. Ole English, sooth, truth -- truly, verily (a comment or response)

morion -- fr. Old French & Spanish morro, round -- an open helmet from 16th/17th century

nettle -- fr.Old English, netele, stinging plant -- to irritate or provoke

The students are to keep a list of these words because there will be a quiz at the end of the semester to see what they can remember.

I collected homework, and we discussed any questions that they might have with any of the homework. The rough drafts for the Personal Essays were due this week. If a student is ever not able to hand in an assignment in class, they can e-mail it in.

I introduced our Parts of Speech Unit. Students received a handout explaining the unit and a planning worksheet. I spent this week and will do a quick review next week of the primary definitions of the 8 parts of speech (interjections, verbs, adverbs, nouns, conjunctions, adjectives, pronouns, prepositions). Next week the students will take a brief pre-test. The following weeks, the students will teach one another more specifics about their assigned parts of speech. For this unit, students will do some research in order to learn more and then come up with a lesson, an activity, and homework

The Parts of Speech assignments are:

Interjections -- Simon, Nick, Jack

Verbs -- Corey, Abby, Faith

Adverbs -- Hannah, Shay, Ian

Nouns -- Chader, Ted, Darren

Conjunctions -- Katelyn, KC, Danielle

Adjectives -- Nicole, Andrew, Luke

Prepositions -- Christopher, Savannah, Megan

Pronouns -- Rachel, Anna

We had a good discussion about our book, A Connecticut Yankee in Kin Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (ACY). For those of you parents who have not read this book, the main character, Hank, is hit on the head and wakes up in Camelot with King Arthur. A lot of the attraction of this book is the verbal humor that Twain uses. Another key aspect to pay attention to is the way in which Twain comments on issues of his time through the lens of the 6th century.

Another note about the book. Some students are stronger auditory learners, and hearing the book is really helpful. I've included on the class blog a post with links to some audio versions.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Chapters 7 - 14 of ACY

-- Answer 4 Study Questions

-- Fill in 8 Vocabulary Words in the worksheet

-- Review the Parts of Speech handout

Links for this week:

Class Notes

ACY Study Guide

Parts of Speech Unit

Parts of Speech Planning Worksheet

Parts of Speech Review (Weeks 1 & 2)

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Parts of Speech Planning Worksheet

Name: ____________________________________________

Parts of Speech Project Planning Worksheet

My assigned part of speech: _______________________________________

In your own words, define this part of speech:

What important aspects of this part of speech are important for your classmates to know?

What information do you need to find out about this part of speech?

Where can you find this information?

List the best resources that you’ve found:

Lesson Plan

Objective: to teach my classmates about _______________________________ by explaining these key points:

1. Main Point: ______________________________________________________________

a. Details: _____________________________________________________________________