Greetings!

We had a good day in class yesterday.  We started with a Quick Write.  The two prompts for today were inspired by two October 8 events.  In the year 876, Charles the Bald was defeated in the Battle of Andernach.  I was struck by the unusual nickname, so nicknames were the topic of one option.  Also on October 8, 1871, was the Great Chicago Fire.  I asked students to write about fires, especially if they had a fun fire-related story.

Following our Quick Write, we looked over the rough drafts of the Process Essays that I had handed back.  As is my custom, I use their own writing to explore grammar issues with which they are struggling.  For this round of essays, we discussed introductions and conclusions, comma splice sentences, run-on sentences, and compound sentences. I also explained to them two types of writing problems that we will work on to eradicate this year:  using the word "things" and writing "There is/are" sentences. Sentences that start or include "there is/are" types of structures are considered an expletive construction.  In other words, as an expletive (don't worry, we didn't use any!) is a placeholder, when students write this kind of sentence, they are not clearly designating a subject and verb.  Grammar Revolution has some more information and a short video. 

(By the way, here's an old blog post with explanations and pictures pertaining to the marks that I make.)  Their Final Draft of the Process Essay is due next week.

For the rest of the class, we divided into Writing Circles to discuss personal writing goals and the role that working with others in the context of writing might be helpful.  All of the groups agreed that having others read and give feedback on their writing would allow them fresh perspectives and could be really encouraging.  My hope is to incorporate time in class for them to do that.  

Next week, we will again have Literature Circles for our discussion of My Antonia.  We'll use the same circles as before, but the students can change roles.  Literature Circles are a way for students to have academic conversations for which they each have specific roles and responsibilities.   The students gathered in their groups and chose their roles:  discussion leader, illustrator, luminary, word nerd, connector, summarizer.

• Discussion leader -- be ready to lead the discussion by reading the assigned portion; be thinking about the major events and themes of that portion; 
• Illustrator -- draw a picture of one of the scenes or an interpretation of one of the themes
• Luminary -- find quotes that seem to sum up the main points of the section; choose quotes that seem particularly thoughtful, funny, or serious
• Word Nerd -- select words that are especially unusual and look up their roots
• Connector -- be ready to connect events, themes, character types, etc. with real world examples
• Summarizer -- at the end of the discussion, summarize and connect 

These are the students & circles:  

• Circle 1:  Ellie, Peter, Ethan, Benjamin, Anna, Maria
• Circle 2:  Michael M, Sam, Kara, Josie, Maddie, Ingrid
• Circle 3:  James, Tyler, Raya, Grace, Zach, Elliot
• Circle 4:  Bennett, Jesse, Carson, Philip, Jessie, Gabriella
• Circle 5:  Leighton, Levi, Nalani, Josh, Michael S, Ava

The Discussion Questions that will be a focus of the Literature Circles are these:

1. Jim says of the immigrant girls who work in Black Hawk, “If there were no girls like them in the world, then there would be no poetry.” Explain his statement.
   

2. Frances Harling says of Jim, “the problems with you, Jim, is that you’re romantic.”  Was this meant as a compliment or as an insult.  Is it an accurate comment?

3. Jim and Antonia have experienced a number of changes so far in the book.  List at least 6 changes for each.
   

And finally, for the Grammar portion of the class, the students were assigned a worksheet about Gerunds, which are a verbal phrase.  The class unanimously wanted more time for the Writing Circles over a Grammar lesson, so I said I would include a video lesson.  Students can go to the Google Classroom assignment with the worksheet to find 2 good videos that explain Gerunds.  I've also included the videos with the links below.

A note about Google Classroom:  I've reminded students that they should NOT turn in an assignment on Google Classroom if they have already turned in the paper copy.  Doing so causes some confusion for me when I'm grading assignments.  In the future, I will deduct points from their assignments if they unnecessarily turn in their assignments to Google Classroom. 

Have a wonderful weekend.  The weather should be perfect for enjoying the fall colors!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week

--  Final Draft of the Process Essay

-- Read pages 94 - 118 of My Antonia

-- NO Reader Responses

-- Prepare for Literature Circle  (see Discussion Questions above)

-- The Gerund Phrase

-- Identifying Gerund Phrases

Links for This Week

Class Notes 10/8

     A quick note about the blog post:  The blog post includes the same information that is in this email, but I do not include links to either assignments or documents specific to this class due to security concerns.  If you're looking at the blog for assignments and need a link, use the date of the blog post to find the email with the links.  

Student Notes 10/8

     Often I will have a student take notes of the information covered in class.  This week Ingrid took great notes.  Students can refer to them if their notes are a little spotty.

Fall Writing 2 folder

What is a Gerund?

Gerunds

Quick Write 10/8

Grammar Revolution -- There is/are

Sample Editing Marks

Charles the Bald

Great Chicago Fire

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature

PHRASES WORKSHEET, Part 2, page 1

PHRASES WORKSHEET, Part 2

Infinitive and Appositive Phrases

INFINITIVE PHRASES

Infinitive Phrases:  Infinitive phrases can be used as three parts of speech:  noun, adjective, or adverb.  An infinitive phrase will begin with an infinitive (to + simple for of the verb).  It may include direct objects and/or modifiers

            Examples:

·  To finish her shift without spilling was Michelle’s only goal.  (functions as a noun)

·  Connor hopes to win the approval of his coach by showing up early for practice. (functions as a noun)

·  The best way to survive Mrs. Prichard’s class is counting backwards from 100 until class is over. (functions as an adjective)

·  Calvin, an aspiring doctor, is taking British Literature to give himself a well-rounded education. (functions as an adverb – “why”)

Note:  The word “to” can also be used as a preposition.  If it is followed by a noun or pronoun, the phrase is a prepositional phrase, not an infinitive.

Instructions:  Underline the infinitive phrase.  Label it as a noun, adjective or adverb phrase.

1.     Roger needs to listen more clearly.

2.     Jack has an assignment he needs to complete.

3.     Carol likes to sing in the choir.

4.     The family’s dream was to build a cabin in the woods.

5.     I need a book to read this week.

6.     Let him show you the best way to paint the house.

7.     To write a novel is on my bucket list.

8.     Last year they moved to Texas to run a ranch.

9.     Candy has the patience to babysit her neighbors.

10.            Mr. Hornsby managed to finagle some money from the children.

Video for Gerund Phrases

Please watch this video to review gerunds.  Take notes if it will help!

PHRASES WORKSHEET

Name:  _______________________________

PHRASES WORKSHEET

Prepositional Phrases, Participle Phrases, Gerund Phrases

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES:  These phrases are either adjectives or adverbs depending upon how they are used.  A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun.

            Examples:

·  At the high school, Mr. Thompson taught history.  (adverbial modifying taught)

·  The gym at the high school is sold out for the big game.  (adjectival modifying gym)

·  In 1892, James Corbett became the heavy weight champion of boxing.  (first phrase is and adverb; second phrase is an adjective)

            Same phrase used two different ways:

·  Ann found in her drink a fly.  (adverb phrase modifying found)

·  The fly in her drink bothered Ann.  (adj. phrase modifying bee)

·  From the shore, Randy caught fifteen catfish.  (adverb modifying caught)

·  Greg visited his friend from the shore of Lake Superior.  (adj. modifying friend)

PRACTICE

For each sentence, put the prepositional phrase in parentheses.  Circle the preposition.  Finally, determine if this phrase is an adjective phrase or an adverb phrase.  Draw an arrow to the word it modifies.        

                       

1.     The table in the kitchen was my mother’s.

2.     We put the table in the kitchen

3.     The keys in my pocket belong to my boss.

4.     I found the keys in my pocket.

5.     The bridge over the river is longer than the one over the creek.

6.     Using the bridge, the cars went over the river.

7.     The stars beyond the solar system are still a mystery.

8.     Let’s build a rocket that goes beyond the solar system.

9.     Between you and me, this cake of my aunt’s is dry on the outside.

10.                        The house of the father of my best friend’s uncle from Kansas is for sale.

PARTICIPLE PHRASES:  These phrases function as adjectives and contain a present or past participle.  Participles all tend to end in “’ing” (present participle), “-ed,” “-d,” “-en,” “-n,” or “-t” with a few exceptions like “swum” and “hung.”  Participial phrases are made up of a participle along with an object or modifier or both.  These adjective phrases are usually placed as near as possible to the words they modify.  Participles are the third and fourth principle parts of verbs.

Examples:

·  Fortified against an attack, Macbeth’s army almost deserted their leader.

·  Singing “Aida” in the shower, Gary annoyed his roommates. 

·  Marching in the parade, Patrick showed his Irish pride.

·  Dedicated to the health of the poor, Mother Theresa helped others.

·  Thrashing the shore with great force, the storm pounded the rocky coast of Maine.

PRACTICE

For each sentence below, underline the participle phrase.  Include the present or past participle and other parts of the phrase.  Draw an arrow to the noun or noun phrase that the participle phrase modifies. 

1.     Sam, encouraging his brother, cheered him on at the finish line.

2.     The growing population forced the city to build a new school.

3.     Studying math, Calvin is planning a career as an accountant.

4.     The mother quieted the sleeping baby.

5.     April, expecting an important phone call, waited in the hallway outside.

6.     The defeated soldiers laid down their weapons.

7.     The coffee shop, located on the north side, hosted a sing-along.

8.     She found the exhausted doctor asleep on one of the hospital beds.

9.     Mr. Larsen found the opened letter on his desk.

10.                        The basketball players walked away with wounded pride.

GERUND PHRASES:  Like any noun, a gerund phrase can function as a subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, or predicate nominative.  The gerund phrase is made up of the present participle (“-ing”) and can contain an object and/or a modifier (and sometimes many modifiers).  The gerund is a verbal noun.

Examples:

            Gerund phrase as a subject:

·  Making the varsity team is a challenging endeavor.

Gerund phrase as a direct object:

·  The rookie catchers practiced protecting the plate.

Gerund phrase as an indirect object:

·  If students give learning grammar a fair chance, their writing will improve.

·  My brother once gave swinging a golf club his undivided attention.

Gerund phrase as an Object of the Preposition:

·  Carrie got first prize by memorizing the most poetry.

Gerund phrase as a Predicate Nominative:

·  Robyn’s greatest accomplishment is singing in the opera.

PRACTICE

For each sentence below, underline the gerund phrase.  Label the phrase Subject, Direct Object, Indirect Object, Object of the Preposition, or Predicate Nominative.

1.     I love eating burgers and fries.

2.     Listening to the orchestra inspired me to practice more.

3.     Mrs. Jones heard loud growling in his back yard.

4.     A trait of successful employees is working cheerfully.

5.     I can hear from my window the hammering on the building.

6.     Ben is not very good at staying awake after 10:00 pm.

7.     Jumping on the trampoline gives Mandy all the exercise she needs.

8.     I am not very good at locating cities on a map.

9.     The candidates reveal their personalities by arguing with one another.

10.                        Some women use group cooking to prepare food for their families.

Phrases -- Prepositional, Participial, Gerunds

As we grow as writers, we're sometimes confounded as we try to take our brilliant, complex thoughts and try to make them behave on paper.  We know what we want to say, but when we put it on paper, something's not quite right.What often trips us up are phrases and clauses. In the English language, we use five phrases:  prepositional, participials, gerunds, infinitives, and appositives.  These phrases can be restrictive (essential) or non-restrictive (non-essential).

The wonderful internet has some great resources for expanding our understanding.  Below are some helpful links:

Slideshare -- This site has A LOT of helpful Powerpoint presentations about so many topics.  Search their website for whatever grammar help you need.  (Prepositions and Participials and Gerunds)

eHow -- This website has a number of helpful tutorials.  This page has one that shows where to put commas.

Slideboom -- This site has Powerpoint slides along with a narrator.  (Prepositions )

Authorstream -- Another instructional website, this one has a presentation on Gerunds,

Youtube -- Of course, this is an obvious place to go for so many kinds of instructional tutorials.

Purdue OWL -- One of my favorite writing websites, this online writing lab gives full explanations of LOTS of writing topics. (Gerunds,Participials, & Infinitives)