Grammar Plan

WRITING 2 GRAMMAR PLANS

Week #	Topic
1	THE SENTENCE
	The Sentence
	Fragment & Run-on
2	PARTS OF SPEECH
	Verb
	Noun
	Pronoun
	Adjective
	Adverb
	Preposition
	Conjunction
	Interjection
3	PHRASES
	Prepositional phrases
	Participial phrases
	Gerund phrases
4	Appositive phrases
	Restrictive phrases
	Infinitive phrases
5	CLAUSES
	Dependent clauses
	Noun clauses
	Adjective clauses
	Adverb clauses
6	VERBS
	Tense
	4 Principle parts
7	Voice
	Mood
	State of Being & Linking Verbs
	Conjugation
	Sequence of Tenses
8	TYPES OF SENTENCES
	Simple
	Compound
	Complex
	Compound – Complex
9	COORDINATION & SUBORDINATION (CLAUSES)
	Coordinating conjunctions
	Correlative conjunctions
	Connectives
	Relationships in compound sentences
	Relationships in complex sentences
10	REFERENCE OF PRONOUNS
	Ambiguous reference
	General reference
	Weak reference
	Indefinite reference
11	AGREEMENT:  SUBJECT-VERB, PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT
	Subject-verb agreement
	Pronoun-antecedent agreement
12	PARALLEL STRUCTURE
	Using coordinating conjunctions in parallel structure
	Words in a series
	Phrases in a series
	Prepositional phrases
	Gerund (noun) phrases
	Participial phrases
	Infinitive phrases
	Clauses in a series
	Sentences in a series
13	Using Correlative conjunctions in a parallel structure
	Words with correlative conjunctions
	Phrases with correlative conjunctions
	Clauses with correlative conjunctions
Semester 2
Week #
1	MISPLACED AND DANGLING MODIFIERS
2	SENTENCE VARIETY
3	PUNCTUATION
	Period
4 -5	Comma
	Semi-colon
	Colon
5	Quotation marks
6	Question mark
	Exclamation mark
	Dash & Ellipses
7	Parentheses
	Apostrophe
8 - 9	CAPITALIZATION
10 - 11	COMMON USAGE ERRORS
13 – 14	REVIEW

Writing 2 Classroom Policies

Writing 2

Classroom Policies

Classroom Conduct

·        As we explore the topics in our literature selections and the various aspects of writing, we’ll engage in whole-class and small group discussions.  Be polite and respectful of each others time and comments.

·        We only meet once a week and need to make the most of our time.  Come to class prepared and with the appropriate materials (books, notebook, pens, etc.).  Avoid unrelated and unnecessary conversations and activities that will distract us from learning.  Turn off ALL electronic devices.  (They may be confiscated until the end of the CHAT school day.)

Communication

·        Weekly updates that include the material covered and upcoming assignments will be sent to the e-mail addresses that parents submitted when registering for the class.  I will also collect e-mail addresses from students.  I prefer to communicate via e-mail, but can be reached on my cell phone if the concern is urgent.  (507/581-0270)

·        I’m using two other on-line resources: a blog and a document storage site, Dropbox.  Here’s how they will work:

–       Writing 2 – www.chatwriting2.blogspot.com.  The blog entries will contain the same information from the e-mail updates.  I’m hoping these entries will serve as a consolidation and reference for our weekly lessons for the semester.  Hopefully we can avoid forgotten assignments or missing e-mails.

–       Dropbox – www.dropbox.com.  Most of the handouts will be available on the Dropbox website.  Parents and students will receive an e-mail and be invited to view the “Writing 2” folder.  These documents can be downloaded and printed from home computers.

Homework Guidelines

·        Short writing assignments should be hand in when due, or e-mailed by midnight on the date on which they were due.  They will also be accepted the next week but with a reduction in score.

·        Keep on schedule with the reading assignments.  Students who have read the assigned portions will engage more actively, learn more effectively and enjoy more fully the class discussions.

·        Rough drafts must be handed in on time, either in class or via e-mail so that they can be corrected and handed back on time.  If a rough draft does not get handed in, the student will miss out on the opportunity to learn from mistakes.  His/her composition will be graded as a final draft.

·        Final copies of assigned essays are due at class time or by midnight of that day.  With special permission, an essay will be given an extension until midnight on the Saturday following the due date.  Papers handed in later will receive a reduction in score.

·        Extra credit activities will be offered from time to time.  The thrust of these will be mostly “fun and interest.”  Even though the scores will be added to the cumulative scores for the class, they are not a substitute for regular assignments.

Grading Policy

·        Accumulating points is the NOT an important aspect of this class.  My goal is that students grow as learners and writers; this is not always reflected in classroom points.  However, points are a helpful indicator of diligence, improvement, and, to some extent, quality.

·        Points will be given in the following areas:

–  Attendance – 1 pt. /day (However, if a student is sick or excused, adjustments will be made.)

–  Participation – 5 pt. /day.  This includes good attitudes, helpful comments in the discussions, respect of others.

–  Quick Writes & Vocabulary Builders – 2 pt. /day.  These exercises at the beginning of each class will not be graded for content, but will receive points for participation.

–  Short writing assignments, including lists, grammar exercises, 1 paragraph answers, etc. – 5 – 10 pt. each, depending on the assignment.

–  Extra Credit – 2 – 10 pt. each, depending on the assignment.

–  Rough Drafts – 10 points for handing it in on time.

–  Final Essays – 15 – 45 pt., depending on the specific assignment.  Essays will be graded in three areas:  Content, Organization, and Mechanics /Grammar.

Writing 2 Syllabus Overview

Writing 2 Syllabus Overview

Fall Semester

Week	Date	Literature	Writing	Grammar
1	8/29	Introduction to My Antonia		The Sentence
2	9/5	Intro & Book I; Sections I – VI (p. 1 – 23)	Personal Essay Rough Draft	Parts of Speech
3	9/12	Book I, Sections VII – XIII (p. 24 – 47)		Phrases
4	9/19	Book I, Sections XIV – XIX (p. 47 – 69)	Personal Essay Final Copy	Phrases
5	9/26	Book II, Sections I – VII (p. 70 – 94)	Process Essay Rough Draft	Clauses
6	10/3	Book II, Sections VIII – XV (p. 94 – 118)		Verbs
7	10/10	Book III, Sections I – IV (p. 119 – 140)	Process Essay Final Copy	Verbs
8	10/17	Book IV, Sections I – IV (p. 141 – 153)	Extended Definition OR Classification Essay Pre-Write	Types of Sentences
9	10/24	Book V; Sections I – III (p. 154 – 175)	Extended Definition OR Classification Essay Rough Draft	Coordination & Subordination
10	10/31	Presentations		Reference of Pronouns
11	11/7	Final	Extended Definition OR Classification Essay Final Copy	Agreement:  subj/verb, pronoun/antecedent
12	11/14	American Poetry	Comp/Contrast Essay Pre-Write	Parallel Structure
13	11/28	American Poetry	Comp/Contrast Essay Rough Draft	Parallel Structure
14	12/5	Christmas Short Stories		No grammar
15	12/12	Christmas Poetry	Comp/Contrast Essay Final Copy	No grammar

Writing 2 Class Notes -- August 29

Greetings!

We had a great first day of Writing 2.  It was good to see some friendly, familiar faces and to meet new students!  Those of you who have children who have taken classes from me may remember theseweekly class notes on our work in class.  I try to send them out to parents and students as soon after the class as I can.  In the updates, I include our activities, points of discussion, and assignments.  Occasionally I will share links to websites that might be helpful or interesting to our study.

I begin each class with a Quick Write.  These short exercises are usually light-hearted and are intended to get the “writing juices” running.  This week’s Quick Write was to write their names on one sided of a note card and 2 truths and a lie on the back.  The purpose of this activity was for me to get to know the students a little better.

I like a lot of discussion in my classes, but this week I did most of the talking.  I had a large packet of papers for the students, which I’m also attaching to this e-mail.  This packet included:

Syllabus Overview

Classroom Policies

Grammar Plan

Week 1 Grammar—The Sentence

My Antonia Introduction

My Antonia Study Questions

Personal Essay

Pre-Writing Strategies

Please take some time to read through the Classroom Policies document.  This explains some of the components for the class; always feel free to contact me if you have questions.  As you see, I have a place at the top of the paper for your signature.  I found last year that requiring the students to get a signature caused them to be more aware themselves of the details, requirements, etc. of the class.

The students will write 4 essays this first semester.  Our first essay is a Personal Essay.  They are to write about something for which they have a strong personal interest.  This is a short essay (1 page) and doesn’t require any research.

As you’ll notice in the Classroom Policies, I have 2 other online resources:  a blog (www.chatwriting2.blogspot.com) and Dropbox (an online document storage site). For the most part, the blog contains the same information as the e-mails.  You will be receiving an invitation from Dropbox to join the folder connected to this class.  I will put copies of all the handouts on this site.

Assignments for Next Week (Sept. 5)

-- My Antonia:  read the handout and pages 1 – 23. 

Writing:  write the rough draft for the Personal Essay

Classroom Policies:  read and get a parent’s signature

Have a great holiday weekend!

Mrs. Prichard