Mrs. Prichard's Guide to Technology for 2021 - 2022

Greetings CHAT families!

Last year because of the potential restrictions from COVID-19, I put all of my materials and assignments on Google Classroom.  For many students, Google Classroom helped them keep track of assignments, was a repository of any handouts from class that they had lost, and offered an online way to complete homework.  Considering those benefits, I will again be using Google Classroom for my classes at CHAT.  Below are explanations and descriptions of some helpful resources to help you get set up for the year.

Online Option using Zoom.

• If at any point we require distance learning this year, the classes will meet via Zoom

• Students who are sick or out of town can attend my classes via Zoom.

• Follow this link:   Tamera Prichard’s Zoom classroom.  (password:  chat)

• Note:  Google Classroom offers a Google Meet address for the classes, but at this time I will not be using Google Meet

The G-Suite for CHAT Classes

Kim Nelson has assigned an email account with chatclasses.com to all of my students.  (Last year’s students will continue with their emails.)  This is essential for using Google Classroom and the multiple tools that come with the G-Suite for education.  Mrs. Nelson has also made some videos and a teaching sheet for using your CHAT email account and getting into Google Classroom.  She uses an Algebra 1 class as an example, but the steps will be the same for my writing classes.  

• How to Sign in to Gmail and Google Classroom for CHAT students

• How to Forward Your Email and Create a Filter

• Intro to Google Classroom for Students (20 minutes)

• How to scan a multi-page document using Genius Scan (free) and get it into Google Classroom  (Note:  Genius Scan is phone app that scans documents and saves them as PDFs.)

• Student Quick Guide to Google Classroom

• Another Google Classroom Tutorial

Google Drive

• With the G-Suite, students have access to Google Drive, which is a multi-dimensional platform for documents, slides, spreadsheets, etc.  Think of it as a filing system for your digital content.

• To get started, students should create separate folders for each of their classes.  For some classes, they might want folders within a folder.  (e.g. A Writing 2 folder could have subfolders for Essays, Grammar, Literature.)

• A well-organized Google Drive will help students stay better organized with their school work.  

Google Classroom

• All assignments for the semester will be posted in Google Classroom even if we’re face to face.  

• Students will be added to the roster and will get an invitation to join the class.  Follow the links in the email.  Parents will also be added.  If you prefer to not be added, let me know.  

• The assignments will come in one or more of the following formats:

• An attached Google Doc on which students can type

• A quiz or form that students can complete

• A discussion question on which students can type a comment or respond to a classmate

• An assignment where a student can upload a document or some other type of electronic work

• Students will need to remember to “Turn in” their homework via a button on the assignment page.

• Google Classroom has an attached gradebook and should be used for checking for missing work.  This year I will be using it as my online gradebook.  

• Google Classroom also has a calendar that keeps track of due dates for assignments.

Communication

• Email:  My email is tammy.prichard@chatclasses.com.  (Some of you have my older gmail account, so please change it to this one.)

• Blog:  I send weekly notes in an email and post them on the class blog.  I will also use the blog for sharing other information, such as videos, websites, etc.

• Writing 1

• Writing 2

• Writing 3

Finally, the 2 most important questions

• “Where to find worksheets and materials?”

• Attached to Class Notes emails.

• Attached to Google Classroom assignments

• In the shared folder for your class

•  Writing 

• Writing 2

• Writing 3

• Note:  These documents can only be accessed by students with CHAT emails; they are also set to be “View Only.”

• On the gradebook after the assignment has been posted on Classroom.

• “How can students hand in homework?”

• When we’re face to face, all work can be handed in physically in class

• For face to face OR distance learning:  Via the Google Classroom assignment (using the attached document or uploading material)

• If and only if the Rocketbook app is not working or a student is still in the process of figuring out Google Classroom

• Send an electronic version (i.e. pdf, Google docs, or Word document – NO Pages or photos) via email.

• The specific name of the assignment must be in the subject line.

• Send only one assignment per email.  

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 7 (March 11)

 Greetings!

This group of kids did a great job at being flexible and engaged learners today with our distance learning day.  Before our Quick Write, we talked a little bit about the advantages and disadvantages of doing classes on Zoom.  We also talked here and there throughout the class about how to be good online students, including participating in breakout room discussions and avoiding being a passive observer.  

Below are our Quick Write prompts for the day.  Students could put their writing in the Google Classroom assignment or write it by hand and turn it in next week.  After they complete their writing, I divided them into breakout rooms, and they shared their thoughts with one another.  

• On March 11 In 1969, Levi-Strauss started selling bell-bottomed jeans. What are some fashions that you hope you never see again, and what are some of your favorite “classic” fashions that you don’t think should ever go away.
• On March 11 in 1903 Lawrence Welk was born. A band leader, he hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. (My parents LOVED this show.) Do you have any favorite old-time TV shows that you like? How would you compare older television programs to today’s?
• On March 12 in 1789 the US Post Office was established. How would you compare the way we communicate now to the communication methods of the past? What are pros and cons for each?

We usually do a quick Homework Check between our beginning of class activities and instruction.  Students can hand in their work for this week when they come to class next week.  With the exception of their rough drafts.  Those should be finished and put on the Google Classroom assignment for the Cause/Effect or Problem/Solution Rough Draft.

NOTE:  Any homework that was due during Week 4 and hasn't been handed in will get a zero.  Track My Grades has been updated to reflect any work handed in by last Saturday.

This week we read four stories by British authors.  I sent the students again to breakout rooms instructions to compare two of the stories.  They had to come up with at least 5 points of comparison and then report back to the class.  Oddly enough, all 5 groups chose the same stories!  While they had similar comparisons, they also had some unique insights.   For next week we'll read four stories by early American authors.  On Google Classroom, they have two options of homework for the the readings:  one is the discussion questions worksheet and the other is a set of charts.  They only need to do one.

In our Grammar lesson we covered the simplest comma rule:  series/serial/Oxford commas.  These are the commas used when listing more than two items.  Students have two worksheets on Google Classroom to practice putting in commas in the right places.  

Have a great weekend.  

Blessing,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week

• Short Stories: Read Hawthorne (73), Bierce (10), Poe (156), Harte (64)
  

• Week 7 - Short Stories Questions (Option 1)

• Week 7 -- Short Story Packet #2 (Option 2)

• Grammar:  Wk7 - Commas & Items in a Series

• Grammar:  Wk7 - Using Commas in a List

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Writing 2 Spring Google Drive

Quick Write (3/12)

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature

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 

Writing 2 - Shared Google Folder, Google Classroom, and Zoom students

Greetings Class!

In just a couple of days, we'll be starting a new school year at CHAT.  I'm excited to see everyone, both face to face and via Zoom!

By now, you all have your chatclasses email information from Kim Nelson. Students, make sure you've signed into it BEFORE the first day.  Also, you've been invited to the Writing 2 Google Classroom.  Make sure you've joined the class and have tried at least one of the sample assignments.

I'm doing something new this year -- I'm handing out all of the materials for the semester during the first and second weeks.  Usually, I hand them out as we need them, but you never know when someone might not be in class.  If you are taking the Zoom option, please send me your mailing address so that I can get the copies and the books to you.

All of our materials will be also be available on Google Drive, and here are the folders for Writing 1

• Fall Writing 2 Students (Primary folder)
• Grammar (Includes all worksheets)
• Literature (includes study guides & introductions)
• Writing (includes descriptions of essays)
• Syllabus & Class Resources (includes assignment lists & class policies)
• As always, most information sent via email will also appear on the blog -- Writing 2 - Shared Google Folder, Google Classroom, and Zoom students

If you are taking Writing 1 via Zoom, please confirm that by responding to this email and including your mailing address.  I've heard from a couple, but in the flurry of last minute emails and changes, I might have missed someone.

Finally, on Thursday we will talk about apps for Rocketbook and Google Classroom.  You don't need to do anything now UNLESS you're curious and want to download those apps and play around with them a bit.

All my papers and books and folders are packed and ready for Thursday.  Until then ...

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 12 (April 16)

Greetings!

What a great, flexible, mostly engaged group of students.  I say "mostly" because sometimes it's hard to be sitting in the same room all day, looking at a screen, and keep paying attention.  They're doing great!  

Our Quick Write prompt inspired by National Laundry Day:  a picture of a woman in laundromat dryer.   I didn't get to hear much about what the students wrote, but they had a chance to share with one another in a Breakout Room.  (By the way, today was National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day, which seems apropos for this quarantine season.)

For most of the semester, we've been doing Words of the Day to explore unusual words and etymologies.  Next week we will finish up this part of the class with a rollicking game of "Vocabulary Bingo."  To prepare for that, students should review the Words of the Day in order to be familiar with them. (No memorizing definitions is required.)

Following our beginning of class activities, we did a Homework Check.  On Wednesday I scanned and emailed homework that included the final drafts of their Cause/Effect or Problem/Solution essays, various worksheets, and rough drafts of their Evaluation Essays.  Students have done well in emailing their homework in.  When students hand in homework, the photos of worksheets and Quick Writes are clear enough for me to read, but not enough to be worth scanning and sending back.  When possible, I will scan work and send it back.  

The class has done a good job with the Evaluation Essay, and they are to do the final drafts for next week.  A number of students needed to expand their papers with more details about the criteria in their essays.  (See the notes that have organization options.)  The final drafts are due next week.

For the Poetry section of class, I sent students again to the Breakout Rooms to 1) choose 2 poems to discuss; 2) try to figure out why Mrs Prichard likes the poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" and 3) choose a poem to recite as a group.  While none of the groups figured out my quirky fascination for this poem, they were thoughtful and had good discussions.  Next week I will introduce our Poetry Slam -- a recitation competition.

Finally, for Grammar, I used my Aver document camera to work on two more comma-related worksheets.  (This lesson was a mix of technology and old school pen and paper.)  We've been reviewing comma usage with the Edpuzzle videos.  The worksheets I've made can be finished with Word or Google Docs.  (Note:  Some students have already done this and don't need to do it again.)

Blessings on all of you and your families.

See you next week!

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week

-- Final Draft of the Evaluation Essay

-- Read the handout with T.S. Eliot, William Carlos Williams, and Lewis Carroll poems 

-- Grammar Worksheets:  

     -- Appositives & Parenthetical Phrases -- last 5 only 

     -- Appositives -- top half only

     -- Date &Addresses (top half only)

     -- Complements Worksheet (both sides)

Links for this Week

Class Notes

My GradeBook Instructions

Writing 2 Spring Words of the Day

Writing 2 Spring Google Drive folder

National Laundry Day

Dates and Addresses (a pdf)

Appositives  (you will have to make a copy to complete it online)

Appositives & Parenthetical Phrases  (you will have to make a copy to complete it online)

T.S. Eliot Poems

Wordsworth, Williams, and Carroll Poems