Writing 2: Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 14 (May 6)

Greetings!

This week we had our penultimate class for the year -- the one before the last one! We had fun during class, which can be a very good thing, especially since, according to research, "humor activates the brain's dopamine reward system, stimulating goal-oriented motivation and long-term memory, which means that humor can improve retention in students of all ages.? (Edutopia, 2015)

For our Quick Write, I gave the students the following options:

-- Write about Star Wars (May the 4th is National Star Wars Day)

-- Write some fanfiction about another movie, book, or TV series

-- Write about anything else that's on your mind.

For our Words of the Day, we had the following words brought in my the students:

zealot -- a person who exhibits extreme zeal for a cause or ideas

sumptuous -- something that is luxurious and lavish

patootie -- an attractive girl; someone's "backside"

pogonotrophy -- the act of cultivating and growing a beard

The Essay Re-Write was due this week, and their final writing assignment, a Reflection Paper. For this paper, they are to write about what they learned this year, what they learned about themselves this year, and what did and didn't work well this year. At the bottom of this email is a link to an article about the value of reflection as a part of learning.

Last week, students took home, completed, and then corrected their Mastering the Comma Review. This week, they have the final test to take home, complete, and then correct. They should different colored pens/pencils for correcting their work and be sure to make their marks clearly. I will figure the final scores for their tests. The test and the answer key are posted on Google Classroom. If for some reason they are not able to access Google Classroom, they should still take the test and bring it to class. I will then correct it.

And, finally, it was time in class for the Poetry Jam, 2021! The class was divided into 6 teams and took turns coming up to the front to recited their chosen poems. Not only did the other teams help out with the judging, but we had an illustrious Writing 2 alumni, Nicholas Westerberg, join us as a guest judge. Nicholas had taken Writing 1, 2, and 3 and Latin 1 from me and is now in college. He wrote a number of original poems for our Poetry Jams!

I loved listening to all of their poems (and heard a number of my favorites.) I recorded the Poetry Jam and have posted the video on Google Classroom. All of the judges' scores have been tallied, and here is the list, in no particular order, of the top 3 teams and top 3 individuals who will complete in the finals next week:

Teams

Team 3 (Carson, Peter, Bennett, Ellie, and Ava)
Team 5 (Elliot, Benjamin, Levi, and Michael S.)
Team 6 (Philip, Tyler, Michael M. and Jesse T.)

Individuals

Kara
Nalani
Peter

For the Final Round of Poetry Jam 2021, the team members should each bring 1 poem. The individuals should also bring 1 poem. I will also have a poem that we will do as a whole class. We'll finish our year with a "Party," and I'll set up a table in the hallway with some snacks. (Students can bring some if they'd like.)

I hope to finish getting all of the scores for current and late homework in my the end of the weekend. As I've told the students, all work should be in by 11:59 PM on May 15. I will send an email for you to double check your scores on Track My Grades.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Any old homework

-- The Reflection Paper

-- Bring a poem if you are a finalist

Links for this Week:

Class Notes

The Value of Reflection Papers

Poetry Jam 2021 Video

Blessings!

Mrs. Prichard