Writing 2 Class Notes -- January 30 (Week 3)

Greetings!

We had a good, productive class this week and covered a lot of ground.  For our Quick Write, the students were to choose 1 literary character, 1 real person, and 1 place besides Minnesota and write a brief story.  Following their short writing exercise, we had some Latin phrases:  acta sanctorum (acts of the saints), ad astra per aspera (to the stars through difficulties), ad augusta per angusta (to the majestic (the holy place) through grief (the narrow place)).

Continuing with our study of commas, our Grammar lesson concerned introductory elements.  After doing a couple practice sentences, the students were assigned to do the rest as homework.  

We're discussing forming good sentences as a part of the Writing portion of the class.  Given a worksheet, they are to write a bad sentence and then improve it.  On the second half of the worksheet, they're assigned to choose 5 sentences from the Sherlock Holmes stories and to rewrite them in a different style.  They handed in their rough drafts of their Problem/Solution Essays which I will go over this week and hand back next week.

We discussed two more stories from the Sherlock Holmes book.  Not only are these stories fun and interesting, the students are reading them carefully to see if they can solve the mysteries by the end of the story.  They are to read the last 2 stories in the book.  When they're done reading, they are to write a response in the form of a Final Essay.  In at least 3 paragraphs, they are to discuss whether Holmes is a "hero."

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Finish the Grammar worksheet

-- Exercises 1 & 2 of the Building Sentences worksheet

-- Read "The Final Problem" and "The Adventure of the Empty House"

-- Answer the question on the Final Exam

This week's blog entries:

Grammar Worksheet

Building Sentences

Class Notes

Have a great week!  Stay warm!

Mrs. Prichard

Building Sentences (Rewriting Sentences)

“Sentences are alive.  We experience them in time, and we react to their unfolding as they twist and turn, challenging us, teasing us, surprising us, and sometimes boring or confusing us as we read them… Style is what the writer uses and/or what the reader reads.”

Effective writing anticipates shapes, and satisfies a reader’s need for information.  Sentences that bring ideas and images into clear focus by adding more useful details and explanations are generally more effective than those that are less clearly focused and offer fewer details.

EXERCISE #1

·         Write a vague, unclear sentence about your family’s mealtime.  Don’t worry, this can be a very bad sentence, if you like. 

·         Re-write the sentence in a simple, uncomplicated form with the least amount of details.

·         Now, add some specific words and phrases to describe the situation.

·         Finally, write 2 more sentences to accompany your rewritten one that expand the reader’s understanding about your family’s mealtime.

EXERCISE #2

Pick 5 sentences from any of the Sherlock Holmes stories.  Rewrite it in a completely different style – try making it bare and sparse, or formal and ceremonious, or lushly flowery and descriptive, or emotional.  Write the original sentences with the rewritten version following it.  Include the page number of the original.

Week 3 Grammar Worksheet

WEEK 3

1.4 – Introductory Elements

·         If a sentence does not being with the subject, it may open with an introductory element that tells when, where, how, or why the main action of the sentence occurs.  Separate that introductory element from the main part of the sentence with a comma. 

·         Use a comma following phrases that begin with if, when, although, because, and similar words.

·         If the introductory element is short, and the sentence cannot be misread if the comma is omitted, you can omit the comma.  Introductory prepositional phrases are not set off by commas unless it is necessary for a clear understanding of the sentences meaning.

EXERCISES

Underline each introductory element and punctuate the sentence with the appropriate commas.  Be careful to look also for other places in the sentence that require commas. (Hint:  Not all sentences have introductory phrases, and some are compound sentences.)

1.      Discovering the book under the chair she went to the den and read until dinner time.

2.      When I couldn’t find the cookies I ate an apple but my brother ate some candy.

3.      Driving home from the party Paul and I got lost.

4.      Feeling sick Debbie complained about going to school and her mother let her stay home.

5.      Before my aunt came from Chicago we bought tickets to the community play because I was in it.

6.      Agnes gets out her skis whenever it snows.

7.      I think I will go out for dinner when Tom finishes his chores.

8.      After they finished their breakfast they took the dog for a walk and I did the dishes.

9.      Because the road was glazed with ice many cars slipped on the highway and ended up in the ditch.

10.  When I looked through the newspaper I couldn’t find the article she told me about, but I had already seen the information online.

Writing 2 Class Notes -- January 23 (Week 2)

Greetings!

We had a good class this week.  Even though they wanted to play "Funglish" again, we began the class with a Quick Write.  The writing prompt was "If I could have a role on a TV program, I would be on ______ because ______ ."  Also, as part of our beginning of class activities, I'm also introducing well-known Latin words and phrases.  I've done this in the past, but haven't done it yet this year.  This week's Latin words were deus ex machina (God out of the machine -- a literary technique that employs impossible solutions so that stories end well), Deus vobiscum (God be with you) and Deus Misereatur (May God have mercy -- the title for Psalm 67)

Regarding Grammar, since my aim is that we become masters of the comma this semester, we discussed Restrictive (Essential) and Nonrestrictive (Nonessential) clauses.  Commas are used for nonrestrictive clauses or phrases which are groups of words that can be omitted from a sentence and not change the basic meaning. The students were given a worksheet with practice sentences for their homework.  

Because we are reading about Sherlock Holmes, I wanted to test their observation skills. Before class began, I asked another student, Inga, to come in and give me an important note (which actually was a blank piece of paper).  We spoke a few words, and she left.  At the start of our literature discussion, I quizzed the students on how much they observed. Because is was an out-of-the-ordinary situation, they had been close attention.  Turning our attention to our two short stories for today, "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "The Red-Headed League," we discussed the characterization of Sherlock Holmes as given by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Part of the writing discussion this semester will center on "style."  The basic building blocks of good essays are well-constructed sentences.  We'll talk about word choices and various ways to form sentences for different effects.  To get us to think a little harder this week, we "unpacked" a quote from Gertrude Stein, "Why should a sequence of words be anything but a pleasure?"  We discussed various ways to re-write that sentence and how rewriting it slightly changed the nuances of its meaning.

The students are to be working on their rough drafts for the Problem/Solution Essays.  They should be prepared to hand in their prewrites along with the rough drafts next week.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" & "The Engineer's Thumb"

-- From the Study Guide, answer 3 questions for each story.  

-- From the 2 stories, choose a total of 8 vocabulary words.  Give the word origins and definitions.

-- Complete the worksheet on Restrictive/Nonrestrictive Clauses

-- Rough draft of the Problem/Solution Essay

Blogs for this week:

-- Study Guide for "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" & "The Engineer's Thumb"

-- Sherlock Holmes Resources

-- Class Notes

Have a great week!

Mrs. Prichard

Sherlock Holmes Resources

The Sherlock Holmes stories don't require a lot of background information in order to understand them.  Taken as a whole, a reader will find common themes and characteristics.  However, one by one they are puzzles that are solved as we read.

Below are some sites that might be interesting.

The Wikipedia site has helpful information.

Mystery Net has text for a number of the stories

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes as an audiobook.

Week 2 Sherlock Holmes Story Study Guide

THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND

Answer 4 of the following questions on a separate piece of paper.

1.    Why has Helen Stoner decided to visit to Sherlock Holmes at that particular time?

2.    Why is Helen Stoner afraid when she comes to see Holmes in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”?

3.    Why does Holmes quickly suspect that Dr. Roylott is the criminal?

4.    What, if any, significance does Dr. Roylott’s interest in Indian animals have as evidence in solving the mystery?

5.    What does the following statement in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” mean?

Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another. 

6.    Explain which relevant clues you were able to identify in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” and which false clues may have led you astray. Did you know how the crime was committed before Holmes explained it in the end? Why or why not?

7.    Which of the five senses (touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight) are used by Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery of the speckled band? Give details from “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” to support an analysis of the ways in which Holmes uses his sensory abilities to assist him.

THE ADVENTURE OF THE ENGINEER’S THUMB

Answer 3 of the following questions on a separate piece of paper.

1.    What details make the mood of the story spooky?  Find five details that contribute to the mood.  

2.    Do you think that the engineer in this story should have know something illegal was going on at Colonel Stark’s home?  What clues might have led him to this conclusion?

3.    If he did suspect an illegal operation before he agreed to take the job, would that make the engineer at least partly guilty of a crime himself for agreeing to repair the press?

4.    If you had been the engineer at the beginning of the story, needing a job desperately but offered such unusual conditions, what would you have done?

5.    Watson begins the tale by noting that this is not a typical case, for it gives Holmes few opportunities to use his deductive methods of reasoning.  Does the story still meet the requirements of a good detective story?  Why or why not?

VOCABULARY WORK

For each book:

Select 8 words from each short story that are unfamiliar to you.  List them (along with the page number), give any roots, and give a definition that fits with the meaning used in the story.

Problem/Solution Essay

Problem/Solution Essay

Definition

            In a problem-solution essay, you analyze a problem and propose a method for solving it. The problem you choose to analyze should be one that offers some challenges but is still possible to resolve. A

problem-solution essay should have the following characteristics:

• a problem that needs to be solved

• a thesis statement that identifies the problem and points toward the solution

• identification of several possible solutions

• specific facts, details, examples, and reasons indicating why one solution is best

• an analytical tone       

Thesis Development

            Your thesis may vary depending on what your topic is, who your audience is, and how much information you have.  Your thesis will state clearly what you perceive as the problem and your suggested solution to the problem.           

Organization

            The simplest way to organize a problem-solution essay is to begin by identifying the problem in the first paragraph, leading up to your thesis statement.  Present the solution that you think works best, explaining why it is the most promising one.

            The simplest way to organize a problem-solution essay is to begin by identifying the problem in the first paragraph, leading up to your thesis statement. Present the solution that you think works best, explaining why it is the most promising one.           

Tips on Writing

–   Make sure you clearly explain the problem.  The “hows” and “whys” of the issue should be accurately clarified.

–   Include information about the cause of the problem, especially as it relates to the solution you intend to put forth.

–   Alternate solutions can be mentioned; if they are failed ideas, it will further strengthen your argument.

–    

Essay Guidelines

–   Due dates:  Pre-Write due January 23; Rough Draft due January 30; Final Draft due February 13

–   Essay length:  500 – 700 words (between 2 and 4 pages)

–   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