Class,
Below are links to audio recordings of the short stories assigned for this week.
The Sphinx without a Secret (Wilde)
Monday, February 16, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 5 (February 12)
Greetings!
I had another great week with all of my CHAT classes. I'm so blessed by their hard work and vibrant personalities.
Because we were approaching Valentine's Day, the Quick Write assignment was to write a love letter to something writing or grammar related. Some of them are willing for me to put them on the blog. Until I get those entered, here are some from a previous year: Literary Love Letters.
Our Words of the Day, are the following Latin roots:
bene -- L. good, well -- English derivatives: benefit, benefactor, beneficial, benediction
brevi -- L. brief, shirt -- English derivatives: brevity, brief, abbreviate, abbreviation
Following our beginning of class activities, we discussed the homework that was handed back. I covered some of the common mistakes found in the comma worksheets. We reviewed compound sentences, complex sentences (including subordinating conjunctions & dependent clauses), and series commas. Our next unit is working with appositives and parenthetical phrases. As I told the students as began our adventures into commas, you must learn a lot of other grammar details in order to understand some of the comma rules.
Another piece of homework that was handed back were the Final Exams for the Sherlock Holmes unit. This take home exam focused on why or why not Holmes could be considered a hero. As part of our discussion, we talked about the differences between objective and subjective points of view. As I told the students, I read through their essays looking for specific, unique points that addressed the definition of a hero, Holmes's qualifications, and examples from the stories. I had a base score of 50 points for this. All of the students scored much higher than this minimum requirement.
Students handed in their final drafts of their Mystery Stories. As I've said in earlier e-mails, these were amazing stories, and I've started putting them on the blog. I'll send out links to these as I get more entered on the blog. I will also put them together as a booklet.
In my writing classes, I have a quick turnaround with essays. As soon as one round is done, the next essay is assigned. For the next essay, the students can choose between a Cause/Effect Essay or a Problem/Solution Essay. These guidelines for these essays are pretty straightforward. The Pre-Write should be done for next week.
We talked briefly about our three Short Stories from our new book These were all written by Russian authors. The next group of essays are written by British writers. Students were given a worksheet to use for one of the stories.
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read the following stories by these authors:
-- Dickens (p. 45)
-- Wilde (p. 189)
-- Kipling (p, 101)
-- Munro (p. 140)
-- Appositives/Parenthetical Phrases Worksheet
-- Cause/Effect or Problem/Solution Pre-Writes
This Week's Links:
Class Notes
Have a great week!
Mrs. Prichard
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 February 19; Rough Draft due March 5; Final Draft due March 19
–
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
Cause/Effect Essay
Definition
A cause and effect essay focuses on why things happen and
what their results or consequences are.
Causes are the reasons why something happened. Effects are the direct results or
consequences of an event. The study of causes
and effects are central to many disciplines:
science, history, sociology, psychology, etc.
Choosing a Subject
Consider recent experiences, conversations, and headlines
for possible ideas. It can focus on
current events, political or social events, or developments in medicine or
technology. It can also focus on every
day events. For example, what happens
when you procrastinate? Or, what are the
effects of eating too much junk food?
Thesis Development
A thesis statement in a cause and effect essay usually
focuses on causes or effects but not on both.
The thesis statement should offer your opinion or stand about a cause or
an effect. Remember, a good thesis
statement should be short and to the point, contain one clear main idea, and
take a stand or express your opinion.
Organization
Cause/effect essays generally focus on the causes of the
effects of an event, problem, or phenomenon.
Some essays examine both causes and effects. The thesis announces whether the cause or the
effects will be examined, and the supporting sentences or paragraphs develop
those causes or effects.
Tips on Writing
–
Before you start
writing, determine whether you will be covering the cause, effects, or both.
–
List all of the
causes and effects you can think of for the situation.
–
Examine each
cause or effect to determine whether it is a direct cause or effect of your
event. Keep in mind the difference
between direct and indirect causes and effects.
–
When examining
causes and effects, decide the value and importance of each item.
–
Clearly establish
the relationships between the cause and the effect.
–
Avoid mistaking
coincidence for cause and effect.
–
Avoid
oversimplification.
–
Don’t confuse affect
for effect
–
Affect is a
verb meaning “to influence.”
–
Effect is
usually used as a noun meaning “result.”
–
When used as a
verb, effect means “to make or to
cause to happen.”
Essay Guidelines
–
Due dates: Pre-Write
due February 19; Rough Draft due March 5; Final Draft due March 19
–
Essay
length: 700 – 900 words (between 3 and 6
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
Comma Worksheet -- Appositives & Parenthetical Comments
1.6 – Appositives
An
appositive renames the noun or pronoun it follows. If omitting the appositive would change the
meaning of the sentence, then do not set it apart with commas. If the “renaming” does not change the
meaning, then use commas.
1.7 – Parenthetical Comments
Parenthetical
comments are those which can be left out but are included to add color or
personality to the sentence.
Exercises:
Insert the commas for the appositives.
1. Pride and
Prejudice a book by Jane Austen is
one of my favorite novels.
2. Houston the largest city in Texas was named after Sam
Houston.
3. The speaker who had risen from his chair to begin his
talk fell off the platform.
4. The athletes for whom the party was given broke into
singing the school song.
5. The dog that ran under the chair was the one who had
eaten her shoe.
6. The truck that changed around the corner finally broke
down across the street.
Insert commas for the parenthetical phrases.
1. Believe it or not I haven’t been home a single night
this week.
2. I know Susan was at the party I spoke with her myself
bu she may have left early.
3. Then I thought oh dear I’ve lost my wallet.
4. I have an idea let’s call Robert and Jill and take
them out for dinner.
5. Your mother called an oh yes she said you left your
history book at home.
Misc. Sentences
1. The clock which had been ticking very loudly burst a
spring and flew off the wall.
2. Down in the valley where the grass is greener than it
is anywhere else you can see the men on tractors and other equipment.
3. My friends Hannah and Rebecca whom I haven’t seen for
six years are coming to visit me this week.
4. The old car that sat in the driveway all winter was
finally hauled away.
5. The man who broke into our house while we were away
was arrested.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Short Stories Worksheet (5 Questions)
Short Stories Worksheet
Story Title:
_______________________________
Author:
___________________________________
As you read, jot down 5 questions that come
to mind.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 4 (February 5)
Greetings!
We had a good class this week. The students continue to work hard on their writing, literature, and grammar topics.
Our Quick Write this week was in recognition of Charles Lindbergh's birthday, whose birthday was February 4, and his solo, trans-Atlantic flight. This flight took 33 1/2 hours. I asked the students to write what and whom they would take with them to survive such a long road trip. They responded with a variety of snack ideas, activities, and companions.
Our Latin Roots for the day:
dicta/dictum -- L. to say; speak -- English derivatives: dictionary, diction, dictator, Dictaphone
dorm/dormio -- L. to sleep -- English derivatives: dorm room, dormitory, dormant, dormancy
duco/duct -- L. to lead -- English derivatives: duct, abduct, conductor, introduce (No, "duck" is not from this root!)
Our first order of business, following our beginning of class activities, was to go over the rough drafts of the Mystery Stories. I have to say that reading/correcting these has been the most enjoyable "homework" that I've ever had. This is an amazing group of writers. Rather than going through a long list of grammar topics related to the rough drafts, I covered grammar topics more related to fiction writing. Punctuation with dialogue, indenting dialogue and paragraphs, and consistent verb tenses in storytelling was discussed.
As we continue learning about Comma Usage, our topic for the day was restrictive (essential) and non-restrictive (non-essential). The biggest guideline to remember:
Restrictive/Essential Clauses -- NO COMMA
Non-restrictive/Non-essential -- USE A COMMA
Since we've finished the Sherlock Holmes book, we're ready to start the next book, Great, Great Short Stories. We will be using this book until we switch to our final poetry book. The first set of stories were written by Russian authors. For some of the stories, I've found online audio versions that might be helpful for the students. If a student wants to use these, I encourage that he/she reads along with the book in hand.
They have a work sheet to go with this first set of stories. They are assigned 3 stories; the worksheet is to go with 2 of the 3 stories.
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read the following stories:
The Three Hermits (Tolstoy, p. 169)
A Malefactor (Pushkin, p. 162)
The Coffin-Maker (Chekhov, p. 26)
-- Final Draft of the Narrative Essay
Links for this Week
Class Notes
The Three Hermits (audio)
A Malefactor (audio)
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Prichard
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