We had another productive class yesterday. One of my favorite aspects of teaching writing is getting to know students through discussions and their writing. This week I learned from many about their favorite books. For theQuick Write, I brought up two dates: 1890, which is the birth date of one of my favorite authors, Agatha Christie; and 1984, which is the birth date of Prince Harry of Wales. I asked students to write about either a mystery, a favorite book, or the concept of being part of a royal family. For an extra credit assignment, I asked the students to bring in the name of their favorite book and an explanation for why I should read it.
We took our Words of the Day from my book of foreign words and phrases:
Prowess-- fr. Old French proesse, bravery -- exceptional bravery, courage, or ability
Feeble-- fr. Latin flebilis, lamentable -- physically weak; frail
Dirk-- fr. Scottish -- a dagger from the Scottish Highlands
We took some time to clarify some of the Homework that needed to be handed in. I had forgotten to tell them that I would like them to hand in rough drafts with final drafts. If students had them, they could hand them in. If they don't, I will still be able to grade their Final Drafts; I'll make sure that they are reminded for the next round of essays.
On the same day that students hand in one rough draft, we start with the next round of essays. Our next writing project is a Process Analysis Essay. We took time to talk about how this not just telling about the steps of a process or giving instructions, but it's doing so "with a purpose." This purpose could be the importance of the particular steps or ingredients; it could also be about the importance of the end result. In other words, in the essay the student should tell how or why this process is important. (Note: I suggest a length for the essay, but if that can be a flexible number. If a student is having difficulties with this number, feel free to contact me.)
We listened to the Librivox version of Chapter 12 of A Connecticut Yankee. Listening sometimes affects people differently than reading. I had them listen for examples of Twain's verbal humor and for his unexpected comparisons/metaphors. I must admit, some of his humor is so subtle that it is easy to miss.
Our last task of the day was to learn a thing or two about sentence construction. We worked on simple and compound sentences. I have an equation for a sentence that I will repeat multiple times over the course of the year. This equation can be for a simple sentence or an independent clause:
Subject
Verb
+ Complete Thought
SENTENCE
The formula for a compound sentence:
S - V, and S - V.
We finished one worksheet in class, and they have one to do as homework.
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read Ch. 20 - 23 in ACY
-- 3 Study Guide Questions
-- 5 Vocabulary Words
-- Process Essay Rough Draft
-- Grammar Worksheets: 10-1 and 8-5
Links for this Week:
Class Notes
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