Writing 2 Class Notes -- October 27 (Week 9)

Greetings!

We had a good and productive class this week.  My hope is that our Fall Break refreshed everyone.

I shared with the class my personal dislike for Halloween.  Even as a little kid I didn't like the masks, trick or treating, etc. that are associated with this day.  I also don't give much attention to the present cultural fascination for zombies, vampires, or werewolves.  (I've got better things to set my mind upon.)

That said, I took my Quick Write idea from the list of suggestions from the class:  What has been your scariest moment?  Their responses included carnival rides, fears of certain rooms when they were little, and situations outside in the dark.  

Our Words of the Day:

impasto -- fr. Italian, impastare, a paste,  -- laying paint thickly or using pigmented plaster to create a raised effect

impresario -- fr. Italian, imprendere, to undertake  -- a person who organizes and produces a theatrical performance

in absentia -- fr. Latin, in absentia, in [his] absence -- in the absence of a person indicated

incognito -- fr. Latin, incognitus, unknown -- having one's identity concealed, as under an assumed name

The class has settled into a good routine; while we may not spend the same amount of time on each area from week to week, we almost always have the same agenda.  Following our beginning of class activities, we go through any of the homework that I passed back while they were busily writing their Quick Writes.  If necessary, we go over any homework, especially grammar, that might have cause any problems.

Students handed in the rough drafts of their Extended Definition or Classification Essays.   They also handed in with these their Pre-Writes.  These were harder essays to write than the narratives or process essays.  Many times a student will have a topic in mind, but making that topic fit the essay model is challenging.  If for any reason a student can't hand these in at class, he/she can e-mail it to me. I will hand them back next week and the Final Drafts are due November 10.

The focus for most of our Grammar discussions this semester are related to common errors that I find in essays written by high school students.  This week we did some work with sentence fragments.  We had a handout the explained the most common mistakes students make that lead to writing incomplete sentences.  Of course, in order to understand this topic, students also are learning about compound sentences, subordinate/dependent clauses, and participial phrases.  We took about 15 minutes for the students to work in groups on two worksheets focusing on revising sentences.

This next week the students are to finish reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  This has been a long book for some of the students, mostly due to Twain's challenging writing style.  They have done a great job answering the study guide questions with thoughtful insights.  

One of Hank's contributions to Camelot was the game of baseball.  The chapter where the knights are trying to play this national past-time in their armor is pretty humorous.  (Imagine the Cubs trying to win the World Series dressed in tin cans and not breathable and movable cotton and spandex.)  As part of the "Final" for the class, we will play a baseball game, but instead of balls being thrown, students will be "pitching" questions to their classmates.  In two weeks, they are to bring questions for me to use in putting together these "pitches."  They are to vary in difficulty:  singles (very easy), double (somewhat easy), triples (hard), home runs (very hard).

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read ACY:  Chapter 42 - Final PS

-- Answer 4 Study Guide Questions

-- Define 8 Vocabulary Words

-- Baseball Questions (Due November 10)

-- 2 Sentence Fragment Worksheets (if not finished in class)

Links for this Week

Class Notes

Sentence Fragments

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Sentence Fragments

Definition: A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence.  Most fragments are missing the subject, the verb, or both.  Identifying some fragments can be confusing because   they may actually contain a subject and a verb.  However, these nouns and verbs do not form an independent clause when they follow subordinating conjunctions, adverbs, or relative pronouns. (See below for an explanation of these terms.) Example of a sentence fragment:  After the party starts.                                                  party=subject       starts=verb This phrase has a noun and a verb; however, the subordinating conjunction ‘after’ makes it a dependent clause.  Therefore, this dependent clause needs to be linked to an independent clause.  Correct sentence: After the party starts, I will be able to relax.   (complex sentence) ‘I will be able to relax’ is an independent clause that can stand alone.  It expresses a complete thought.  Remember to separate a dependent clause and an independent clause with a comma (when the dependent clause appears before the independent clause).

Avoiding Sentence Fragments

Types of Fragments

Each example below illustrates a different type of sentence fragment.  Any fragment can be corrected by linking the fragment to an independent clause—one which comes before or after it and which makes sense within the paragraph. 

1. Subordinating Conjunction and Relative Pronoun Fragments Example: While I was waiting for my car to be repaired. How to find this type of fragment: When proofreading a paper, pay attention to subordinating conjunctions and relative pronouns.  These words (see box below) turn subjects and verbs into dependent clauses.  Identifying proper usage of dependent clauses can help in recognizing fragments.

Examples of Subordinating Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns

after	how	unless	whichever
although	if	until	while
as	in order that/to	what	whether
as if	once	whatever	who
as soon as	rather than	when	whoever
as though	since	whenever	whom
because	so that	where	whomever
before	than	whereas	whose
even if	that	wherever	why
even though	though	which

2. “-ing” Fragments Example:           Her expertise being in chemistry and biology. How to find an “-ing” fragment: If the only verb in the sentence ends in ‘–ing’ and does not have a helping verb, you have a fragment.  While the word ‘being’ is a verb, in the above sentence, it is not properly formed.  In the below sentence, notice that the ‘-ing’ verb has a helping verb: I was walking down the street when it started raining.  (This sentence is correct.  ‘Was’ functions as the helping verb.) When added to a verb, ‘-ing’ sometimes makes a verb do the job of a noun: Walking outdoors is my favorite form of exercise. (In this sentence, ‘walking’ is a noun that functions as the subject.  ‘Is’ functions as the main verb.)

3. Missing Subject Fragments Example: Security set off the alarm and evacuated the building.  Next, closed all the entrances. How to find this type of fragment: The second phrase above (noted in bold) is a fragment because there is no subject.  ‘Entrances’ is a noun, but it is the object of the verb ‘closed.’  Who or what is closing the entrances is unknown.  That is, the subject of the sentence is missing.

4. “Extra Information” Fragments Example:           For instance, clean water and electricity. How to find and fix this type of fragment: In these kinds of fragments, usually the verb is missing.  Watch out for transitional phrases that signal an example, a list, added details, or information, such as those listed in the box below.

Transition Words Indicating a List or Examples

also	especially	except	for instance	including
in addition	furthermore	for example	such as	next

Practice: Avoiding Fragments

Correct these sentences using the strategies previously discussed. 

1.      The dog loved his new toys.  Especially the ones that squeaked.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.      Maggie remembered her childhood.  Her mother making pancakes for dinner in the       

      small apartment.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.      She decided to meet her new friend in a public place.  That they had arranged over e-mail.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.      Because she met him on MySpace.  She thought it was a good idea to be cautious.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.      I cannot wait until President’s Day.  Finally, a day off.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 8 (October 13)

Greetings!

Can you believe that we're halfway through the fall semester?  Where does the time go?  So far, I feel that we've had a productive class, and I'm enjoying this group of students.

I had overheard students talking about having lots of homework and looking forward to the fall break.  So, for the Quick Write, I asked them to either write about their favorite stress-relief strategy or to tell what they do to keep from getting stressed.  Music, food, exercise, naps, and prayer were key points of their coping strategies.

Our Words of the Day:

Rheumatism-- fr. Greek, rheu/rhei, flow, stream -- any disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffness

Placid-- fr. Latin placidus , calm, quiet -- pleasantly calm or peaceful

Avaricious-- fr. Latin, avaritia, greed -- characterized by an insatiable greed for riches; an inordinate, miserly desicre to gand and hoard wealth

Palliation-- fr. Latin palliatus, to cloaked, covered-- relieving or lessening without curing; alleviate, mitigate

I handed back the Final Drafts of the Process essays today.  They did a great job on these.  They are currently working on either an their Extended Definition or Classification essays.  A couple of students mentioned having trouble coming up with a good topic, so we discussed this.  Below are a couple of online resources that might be helpful.  The pre-writing part of this paper was to be done this week, but is not to be handed in until next week.   Because the essays are getting more complicated, this extra week gives students time for brainstorming, organizing, and researching.  The rough drafts are to be handed in on October 27, the week following our break.  Also, if a student wants to write both types of essays, I'll never say "no" to doing some extra writing!

We had a good discussion and some insightful comments about our assigned reading from A Connecticut Yankee.  We came up with quite an extensive list for those ways in which we see inequality in our culture.  We judge and de-value people on many levels:  race, gender, income, education, appearance, athletic & intellectual abilities, etc.  We also discussed Hank as a hypocrite:  he judged those who promoted slavery, and yet he himself didn't give value to the knights, the king, or the church leaders.

For Grammar this week we continued to do some work with Pronouns and Antecedents.  Making mistakes with number and case with pronouns is common in high school writing.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Ch. 37 - 41

-- 3 Study Questions and 5 Vocabulary Words

-- no grammar -- finished in class

-- Rough Draft of Extended Definition or Classification Essay 

Links for this Week

Class Notes

60 Writing Topics for an Extended Definition

Extended Definition Instructions

Have a great 2 weeks!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 7 (October 6)

Belated Greetings!

Best case scenario the Class Notes get sent out Thursday evening.  Worst case scenario they don't get sent out at all.  This week, we're somewhere in the middle.

This week for the Quick Write I asked the students to give me some ideas for future Quick Writes.  I often choose our weekly beginning of class writing with something that is current or somehow related to the date.  Or I may hear something fascinating on the radio on the drive to class.  I was sure that the students had some great ideas lurking in those wonderful brains of theirs.  I'll put together a list from their suggestions and pull from that list throughout the year.

Our Words of the Day:

Jowls-- fr. Middle English, chawl, jaw -- the lower part of the cheeks

Discrepancy  -- fr. Latin, discrepare, to sound discordant -- the state of being inconsistent or in disagreement

Eloquent -- fr. Latin, eloquent, speaking out -- having fluent, forceful, and appropriate speech

Students handed in the Final Drafts of their Process Essays, which means that it's time to start the next round of essays.  Their next essay is either an Extended Definition or Classification Essay.  We took some time to brainstorm what this essay might look like, especially how to develop a thesis statement.  As I've told the students many times, writing the thesis statement for an essay can often be the hardest part.  When a student has a good thesis statement, the organization and direction for the paper fall nicely into place.  

This paper also marks the shift from a two-step process in writing to a three-step process -- I'm adding an additional step, Pre-writing.  The essays are becoming more complicated, so students need to take more time to gather information and to organize.  The pre-write can look like an outline, mind map, brainstorming list, etc.  This is also a week to do any research for their topics.  NOTE:  The pre-write homework should be done this week but doesn't need to be handed in until the following week when they hand in the rough drafts.

I had a mid-term quiz for A Connecticut Yankee for the students to do, and I put them into groups to work on this.  They could use their books and discuss the questions with their classmates.  I heard a lot of good conversations going on as they decided what the best answer for the questions was.  

We ended the class with a brief discussion about Pronouns and Antecedents.  This is one of those areas of grammar where students often make mistakes, choosing the wrong pronoun for the word that it's taking the place of.  They are a quick bunch of students and had most of the work done before leaving class.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Chapters 32 - 36 in ACY

-- Answer 4 study guide questions

-- Write up 8 vocabulary words

-- ACY Quiz

-- Extended Definition/Classification Pre-Write

-- Grammar Worksheets A, B, C, D

Links for this Week:

Class Notes 

ACY Quiz

Extended Definition Essay

Classification Essay

Have a great week!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

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 due October 13; Rough Draft due October 27; Final due November 10

– Essay length:  700 – 900 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