Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 2 (Sept. 10)

 Greetings!

We had a great class yesterday.  These students are coming in with a readiness to learn and are encouraging a positive perspective for one another.

Our Quick Write today was from the National Days Calendar.  Yesterday was National Swap Ideas Day, in which people are encouraged to share their ideas and creativity with one another.  I asked them to write about any big, outside-the-box ideas they've done or had.  They could also write about whether or not they are creative.  I've just finished reading their Quick Writes, and this class has a wonderful variety of creative and practical students!

This week students handed in their first paper assignment of the year, their Personal Essay Rough Drafts.  I'm looking forward to reading them.  My procedure with student papers is to go through and correct them after they're handed in and then hand them back the next week.  Students are to take that following week to make revisions.  If they haven't already, they should answer the Discussion Question posted on Google Classroom, "From your perspective, what is the easiest part of writing an essay and what's the hardest?"

Last week for the Literature portion of the class, we started My Antonia by Willa Cather with an  introduction and a quiz on Google Classroom.  Before they started reading the book, they also wrote a little bit about their family history.  For next week, they are to complete 3 Reader Responses.  We talked in class about the study guide questions that are listed per chapter and also the ala carte options if students would like more creative opportunities to respond to their reading.  Students can do any combination of questions and ala carte options -- they just need to choose 3.  NOTE:  These reader responses can be done on paper and handed in during next week's class time OR they can be done on the Google Classroom assignment.  Students DO NOT need to do it both ways.

For the final third of the class time, we covered some Grammar.  Last year in Writing 1, the students did parts of speech projects during which they were the teachers.  I'm starting this year out with quick reviews of those parts of speech.  This week, the assigned worksheets are reviews of Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs.  All of the grammar worksheets for the semester will be on the Rocketbook template, so if students want, they can either hand in the assignment during class next week OR scan the worksheet using the Rocketbook app and upload it to the Google Classroom assignments.

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

This Week's Homework

Note:  Many of the assignments have hyperlinks to the Google Classroom assignment.  If you're doing the paper version of the assignment, you can disregard the Google Classroom assignment.  ONLY if it has GC after the assignment is it required that you do it on Google Classroom.

-- Read p. 1 - 23 of My Antonia

-- 3 Reader Responses. 

-- Writing Discussion Question (if not already done) (GC)

-- Grammar Worksheets:  Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs

This Week's Links

Class Notes -- Week 2 (Sept. 10)

Mrs. Prichard's  Zoom link 

National Days Calendar.  

National Swap Ideas Day

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 1 (Sept. 3)

 Greetings!

It was so good to be in class again.  The students all brought good, attentive attitudes to the room, and I think we're going to have a good year together.  All the students are new to me, so we'll hopefully be able to quickly get to know one another.  In my classes, I incorporate full class and small group discussions, which I think we can still do in a socially distanced manner.  

Our first order of business for our class periods, after praying, of course, is to complete a Quick Write.  The prompts for these are usually light-hearted, but occasionally the topics require a little more serious thinking.  For today, I asked students to write about what they would put in a "Back to School Survival Kit."  Each student shared aloud one or two items, and snacks, drinks, and music were the top choices of items that students wanted to help them get their homework done.(You'll notice the embedded link -- it is for the Google Classroom assignment.  I will include these homework links in these emails; they will be especially helpful for students who were absent, who forgot what an assignment was, or who lost an assignment.)

We had a small group of students joining the class via Zoom, and I'm hoping it worked well for those students.  This is an option for any students who might miss a week for one reason or another.  

Most of our first morning together was spent in getting acquainted with materials and some of the logistics of the class.  I'm trying something new this year:  I handed out a complete Materials Packet for the whole semester, which included essay explanations, writing-related material, literature study guides, grammar worksheets, extra Rocketbook pages, etc.  I recommend that students put all of this material in a 3-ring binder and insert dividers or a piece of colored paper between the Writing and Literature papers and between the Literature and Grammar papers.  If the binder has inside pockets, the front pocket could be for homework to hand in and the back one could be for homework that is returned.  In the past I've handed out materials one week at a time, but this year I thought having everything at the beginning would help avoid the issue of any missing papers should a student be unable for any reason to be in class.  

One piece of paper from the packet needs both the student's and the parent's attention:  the Class Policies handout.  Students are to read it and put their names (not initials) in the top margin, and then I would like parents to read it and initial it.  Thank you!  (You can do the paper version or the Google Classroom version.)

I also took time to check in on the chatclasses emails, Google Classroom, and the Rocketbook app.  I will include that information on another email.  

Our first Writing assignment is a rough draft of a Personal Essay, which is further explained in "About the Personal Essay."   For this essay, students should choose to write something that they are personally interested in.  This could be a current event, a hobby, a value or belief, etc.  This is meant to be a shorter essay, and a prewrite/outline is not required.  The rough draft should be submitted on Google Classroom.  Students can type their papers on the Word or Pages, but they will need to copy and paste them onto the Google doc template attached to the assignment.  (They can also hand in a paper copy in class if they would like.)

We will start reading My Antonia by Willa Cather after next week.  For this week, they are to read the Introduction and take the short quiz that is posted on Google Classroom.  They also have a short writing assignment, "Family History."

Finally, for the Grammar portion of the class, we will start next week on a review of the parts of speech and then into more advanced topics that include verbal phrases, passive voice, and subjunctive. More on this next week!  For now, I would like students to give some brief thought to the question, "Why Grammar?"  I've posted this as a question on Google Classroom, and I'd like them to answer it before class.

If you are new to my classes, this is what the weekly Class Notes will look like.  I'll tell you about Quick Writes, writing assignments, literature discussions, and grammar lessons.  I'll include links to the Google Classroom assignments and attach any pertinent materials.  At the bottom of the email I'll list the homework and any links.  (I've found that most students simply scroll to the bottom of the email to get homework info.)  These class notes will be the record of what we cover in class.

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy our beautiful weather.

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Homework for Next Week:

(Note:  Any assignments that are designated GC must be completed on Google Classroom)

-- Class Policies -- signed & initialed

-- Organize your materials packet  (binder? folders?)

-- Personal Essay rough draft  (GC)

-- My Antonia Introduction

-- My Antonia Quiz (GC)

-- Family History (GC)

-- Discussion Question:  Why Grammar?

Other Links for this week:

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 1 (Sept. 3)

Note:  The Class Notes blog post will not contain any of the hyperlinks to Google Classroom information or to Google Drive documents.  

Writing 2 Google Drive folder

About the Personal Essay.  

Writing 2 -- Information about Google Classroom, CHAT emails, and Rocketbook 

Personal Commentary Essay

Personal Commentary

Definition

            A commentary is essentially a thoughtful reaction to some aspect of life.  Similar to an editorial in which a writer attacks or applauds a specific newsworthy item, commentaries speak about some aspect of culture, society, beliefs, etc.  Unlike editorials, they are usually more even-handed and reflective.  Current affairs, trends, developments, business dealings, politics, etc. are all good source of subject matter for a personal commentary.

Thesis Statements

            Select the main point and the focus you want to convey.  Determine your opinion about this topic and craft a thesis statement that expresses it clearly.

Organization of the essay

            In an essay of this kind, you will need to give some background information, especially if it is a complicated topic.  This should be brief and give important information that will connect with the rest of your essay.  Include not only concrete details that support your thesis, but your personal opinions and the reasons behind those opinions.

Tips on Planning

– Focus your efforts.  A topic that is too broad will be hard to cover in a short essay.  Also, too many details confuse the reader.

– Present your experience or information in an engaging way so that your readers can appreciate its importance; present your ideas in an organized way.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due August 31; Final Draft due September 14

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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

Personal Commentary

Definition

            A commentary is essentially a thoughtful reaction to some aspect of life.  Similar to an editorial in which a writer attacks or applauds a specific newsworthy item, commentaries speak about some aspect of culture, society, beliefs, etc.  Unlike editorials, they are usually more even-handed and reflective.  Current affairs, trends, developments, business dealings, politics, etc. are all good source of subject matter for a personal commentary.

Thesis Statements

            Select the main point and the focus you want to convey.  Determine your opinion about this topic and craft a thesis statement that expresses it clearly.

Organization of the essay

            In an essay of this kind, you will need to give some background information, especially if it is a complicated topic.  This should be brief and give important information that will connect with the rest of your essay.  Include not only concrete details that support your thesis, but your personal opinions and the reasons behind those opinions.

Tips on Planning

– Focus your efforts.  A topic that is too broad will be hard to cover in a short essay.  Also, too many details confuse the reader.

– Present your experience or information in an engaging way so that your readers can appreciate its importance; present your ideas in an organized way.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due September 1; Final Draft due September 15

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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

Personal Commentary Essay

Personal Commentary

Definition

            A commentary is essentially a thoughtful reaction to some aspect of life.  Similar to an editorial in  which a writer attacks or applauds a specific newsworthy item, commentaries speak about some aspect of culture, society, beliefs, etc.  Unlike editorials, they are usually more even-handed and reflective.  Current affairs, trends, developments, business dealings, politics, etc. are all good source of subject matter for a personal commentary.

Thesis Statements

            Select the main point and the focus you want to convey.  Determine your opinion about this topic and craft a thesis statement that expresses it clearly.

Organization of the essay

            In an essay of this kind, you will need to give some background information, especially if it is a complicated topic.  This should be brief and give important information that will connect with the rest of your essay.  Include not only concrete details that support your thesis, but your personal opinions and the reasons behind those opinions.

Tips on Planning

– Focus your efforts.  A topic that is too broad will be hard to cover in a short essay.  Also, too many details confuse the reader.

– Present your experience or information in an engaging way so that your readers can appreciate its importance; present your ideas in an organized way.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due September 4; Final Draft due September 18

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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

Personal Commentary Essay

Personal Commentary

Definition

            A commentary is essentially a thoughtful reaction to some aspect of life.  Similar to an editorial in  which a writer attacks or applauds a specific newsworthy item, commentaries speak about some aspect of culture, society, beliefs, etc.  Unlike editorials, they are usually more even-handed and reflective.  Current affairs, trends, developments, business dealings, politics, etc. are all good source of subject matter for a personal commentary.

Thesis Statements

            Select the main point and the focus you want to convey.  Determine your opinion about this topic and craft a thesis statement that expresses it clearly.

Organization of the essay

            In an essay of this kind, you will need to give some background information, especially if it is a complicated topic.  This should be brief and give important information that will connect with the rest of your essay.  Include not only concrete details that support your thesis, but your personal opinions and the reasons behind those opinions.

Tips on Planning

– Focus your efforts.  A topic that is too broad will be hard to cover in a short essay.  Also, too many details confuse the reader.

– Present your experience or information in an engaging way so that your readers can appreciate its importance; present your ideas in an organized way.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due September 5; Final Draft due September 19

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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

Personal Essay

Personal Essay

Definition

            A personal essay is an exploration of a topic about which you have strong feelings or opinions; it can be an area about which you have become an expert or for which you have a unique set of skills or experiences.  The personal essay can be about some aspect of your life or about an individual or group you have known.  Your goal is to develop an essay that informs and/or entertains your readers and that makes them think about their own lives.

Thesis Statements

            The thesis statement of your essay presents the subject and the significance of this subject to you.  Your essay should reveal your attitude or opinion about the event.  It should also express the possible significance of the subject matter to your readers.  Your essay can also tell a message or lesson related to the event.

Organization of the essay

            If the essay is a narrative explaining events, you will want to present it in a chronological order.  If it is a current event, you may need to give background information.  In discussing life skills or activities, you can divide the topic into components.  A common rule of thumb regarding order is to 1) write about the area about which you have the least information first; and 2) save the most important aspects or points of discussion for last.

Tips on Planning

–  Focus your efforts.  A topic that is too broad will be hard to cover in a short essay.  Also, too many details confuse the reader.

–  Present your experience or information in an engaging way so that your readers can appreciate its importance.

–  Present your ideas in an organized way.

Essay Guidelines

–  Due dates:  Rough Draft due September 5; Final Draft due September 19

–  Essay length:  200 – 300 words (about 1 page)

–  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