Writing 1 Class Notes–Week 6–(September 29)

This class was full today.  I sure am enjoying this group of students!

Quick Write

Today’s prompt was responding to a comic that “seemed like a good idea at the time.”  We enjoyed hearing about some of the childhood experiences the students shared.  It’s amazing we all survived!

Words of the Day

Wry–bent, twisted, or turned usually abnormally to one side; made by a deliberate distortion of the facial muscles often to express irony or mockery; cleverly and often ironically or grimly humorous.  From the Old English wrigian=to turn, tend in a particular direction.  Related to wr-words:  wrist, writhe, wriggle, awry

jocular–Wryly amusing, slightly odd and humorous; positive attribute; fun to be around.

Students drew wry emojis and jocular circumstances on the backs of their index cards.

Not only do I encourage students to use these words in conversation and writing, but I warned them I would be giving a quiz over them by the end of the semester.  

Grammar

The first grammar unit was a short review of parts of speech.  There is a Parts of Speech Quiz for students to take this week. This week's grammar worksheets deal with misplaced modifiers, which are adjective or adverb phrases placed in the wrong places.  There is a document describing misplaced modifiers on Google Classroom (link below)

Writing

I have graded and handed back (on Google Classroom) the Process Essay Rough Drafts.   We discussed the fact that the comments/suggestions I make on the Rough Drafts will be aggressive! :0  My goal is to help students turn in the very best Final draft they possibly can.  For that reason, they may be surprised to see so many edits and corrections from me.

 I will be using a rubric to grade this Rough Draft–this is a change from the first essay and it might be an adjustment for students.  I told them not to be discouraged if there are alot of corrections on their Rough Drafts.  It is better to have lots of revisions needed to the Rough Draft than the Final paper–by that point it does NO good.  I want them to benefit from the comments when there’s still time to make revisions.

Process Essay Final Drafts will be due Next week (Oct. 6)

Students were told that my suggestions/edits are a GOOD PLACE TO START.  Please take the edits and expand in order to make the best writing possible.  We also met in our Writing Circles where we discussed our goals for writing.

Literature

We had our Literature Circle Discussion this week.  Students prepared their roles and came to class ready to discuss events in My Antonia thus far.  I heard some good academic discussions  as I circulated.  As part of the assignment, students will need to complete an Evaluation for their contribution to the discussion.

Keep reading your books (p. 94-118) and the 3 Study Guide responses.

I introduced our end of book project.  When we are finished reading My Antonia, the students will complete a project that illustrates some aspect of the book.  It can be an art project, something baked, a paper, etc.  

Homework

About Misplaced Modifiers

Misplaced Modifiers #1

Misplaced Modifiers #2

Parts of Speech Quiz

Process Essay Final Drafts

Read p. 94-118

Study Guide Questions

My Antonia Project Proposal

Links for the Week

Quick Write (9/29)

Class Notes Week 6 (Sept. 29)

Writing 2 Class Notes–(Sept. 22) Week

Greetings,

Class went well today.  The students worked well and were attentive and respectful.  

Quick Write:  

Today in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  We read a portion of that document today and students had an opportunity to respond.  They could choose to write about the meaning of freedom, the Emancipation Proclamation itself or that era in US history.  They could also write about the photograph of Lincoln and share their thoughts on it.  Of course the last option is that they can choose their own topic, but they MUST write!  Students did a good job keeping those pencils/cursors moving!

Words of the Day: Just one today–

querulous– Given to complaining;Habitually making peevish complaints

Etymology:  Old Fr=querelos “quarrelsome, argumentative”; Latin=querulous “full of complaints, complaining;Root:  quarrel

Students drew a picture or listed a dinner/food that might tempt them to become querulous.

Writing Discussion

The Personal Essay Final drafts were handed back today.  I had some challenges using the rubric on Google Classroom, so instead I used a paper rubric and handed that back today with their grades.  Personal Essays are relatively simple because they are narrative in nature and are a good way to start out the year.  They give me a good idea of where students are in their writing.  However, as the year goes on, the writing will progressively become more challenging.  The goal is to bring students to their next level–I am confident they will do just that.  They turned in their Process Essay Rough Drafts today.

On that note, I  introduced a new concept:   the Rough Draft Rubric.  On the last essay (Personal Essay) students received a base grade if they turned it in.  I made corrections and comments on that.  Those comments are a great way to START—my expectation is that they will  incorporate what I give them and move beyond that.  I should see vast improvements from their Rough Draft to their Final Draft.  To that end, I will be “ruthless” on their Rough Drafts and their scores will reflect that.  We will continue this process throughout the semester.

We discussed thesis statements and introductions.  I also made them aware of “Areas of Concern” that have come up from their last essay.  

I handed out questions for students to answer in preparation for our first Writing Circles Discussion next week.

Literature Discussion

We are prepared for our first Literature Discussion which will also take place next week (a week behind according to the syllabus.)  Students were assigned groups, they chose a discussion role and three events they will discuss next week from our reading so far.  Students will be evaluated using a rubric.

Students are assigned the next chunk of reading:  p. 70-94; they also have Study Questions assigned.

Grammar Discussion

I did a quick review on prepositions and prepositional phrases.  For some students this is new, for some it’s a review.  They have two worksheets they’ll need to finish, correct and hand in for next week.

Homework:

1. Quick Write

2. Process Essay Rough Draft

3. Writing Circles #1 Prep

4. Notes on Introductions/Thesis Statements

5. Literature  Circles #1  Prep (prepare your role for discussion)

6. Read pp. 70-94; My Antonia

7. Study Guide Questions for pp. 70-94

8. Prepositional Phrases

9. Prepositions

10. Links:

11. Literature Circles Rubric

12. Process Essay Rough Draft

13. Rough Draft Rubric

Writing 2 Class Notes Week 4 (9/15)

 Greetings!

I cannot believe how time flies with these students!   It continues to astonish how quick our class times go.  

Quick Write

They had four eclectic  topics to choose from today: 

– Last week–and still today, there are many flags flying at half staff.  The original reason is in observance of Patriot’s Day.  On that day, we remember the victims and the heroes of the September 11, 2001 terror attack that toppled the World Trade Center in NYC and crashed into the Pentagon building in VA.  What thoughts do you have about that tragic event?

–The second reason is that it was announced that Queen Elizabeth had passed away on 9/8.  What thoughts do you have on her passing?  On British royalty? 

OR: 

–Eclectic=(adj) deriving ideas, styles or tastes from a broad, diverse range of sources.  How does the word “eclectic” connect to an experience you’ve had?

–Of course, choice number four is to write on a topic of their choosing.

Words of the Day

awkward (adj) Lack of dexterity or skill; not easy to handle or deal with.  From middle English awk=wrong way around.  The meaning shifted from “perverse→ill-adapted→clumsy

Adroit (adj) having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations; from Old French ‘a =to + droit=”right”;  latin=directum = “right, justice, law”; expresses predominately “a trained right hand”

spurious (adj) fake; counterfeit.  From latin=false; applied specifically to false marriages

On the reverse side of their cards, students were asked to sketch a situation that is awkward and one that is adroit.  They also enjoyed drawing up a spurious ID.  

HW Check:

We spent some time reviewing how to use some aspects of Google Classroom.  Some students have been having trouble turning in assignments–we looked at how to “Make A Copy” of the Rough Draft/Final Essay Templates and how to “Turn In”.  Students can choose to submit their assignments on  paper if they wish, however, I do require all Essays/Rough Drafts to be submitted through Google Classroom.  It is much more expedient for grading and returning leaving students time to revise as needed.  The same process of “Make a Copy” works for other assignments as well–we talked especially about the 3 Reader Responses.  As you type in the box, it will expand to fit your answer.  Please answer the questions with specific examples from the book!  We also discussed changes to the Assignment Checklist–The Personal Essays are due WK 4, Process Essay Rd are due WK 5 (not Wk 6) and the Process Final is due WK 7 (not WK 8).  It has been updated on GC.

Writing Discussion

The Personal Essays were due today.  We keep things moving in Writing 2–when one essay is handed in, we begin our next one.  The next assignment is a Process Analysis Essay.  We discussed topic ideas and thesis statements.  Rough Draft is due next week.

Literature Discussion

We're reading My Antonia, and this week we had a discussion about our reading.  We talked about the timeline of the plot so far.  Next week we will discuss our primary characters and prepare for our first Literature Circles.  

 

Grammar Discussion

Though we didn’t discuss grammar this week, our grammar for these first few weeks is a review of the parts of speech, which are the basic sentence elements.  Students have worksheets this week that review interjections, verbs, and conjunctions.  A reminder:  They must correct their worksheets and turn in the corrected versions.  

 

Assignments for Next Week

Read pages 47 - 69 of My Antonia

Week 4 Reader Responses (p.47-69)  

Interjections Review

Verbs Tenses Review

Action Verbs Review

Conjunctions Review

 

Links for This Week

My Antonia -- Audiobook on Librivox

Quick Write 9/15

Writing 2 Class Notes–Week 3 (Sept. 8)

We had a lively class today–this group is fun-loving and had some insightful comments during our discussions.  .

Quick Write

The students had a prompt today about “Fun theory”.  They watched a short video about a company’s attempt to encourage commuters to take the stairs instead of the escalator because it’s healthier.  Does making something “fun” encourage people to make better choices?  

• How would you describe “Fun theory”?

• Describe a time you devised a way to make an odious task more “fun”.

• Pretend you are one of those stairway goers–describe your experience

• How could you incorporate “fun theory” into your life?

• Or whatever!

Words of the Day

I started something new this week for Words of the Day.  I handed out punched index cards with an O ring.  Students are to write the definition and etymology of the word.  On the reverse side, they’ll do a short activity to make the definition “stick”--like make a list or a quick drawing.  Research shows interacting with a word helps us remember it.  I hope to hear students using these words in conversation or to incorporate them in their writing.

(Learning-process related words)

Dilettante–fr Latin delectare, to delight, charm, please; formerly positive connotation, but has shifted to negative connotation.  Means a person who takes up an art, subject or activity merely for amusement; a dabbler

Neophyte–fr Latin neophytus; neo=new; phytos=planted; means a beginner or novice

Literature Discussion

The class has read the first 20-some pages My Antonia and done their first set of reader responses.  We had small group discussions about grammar, and next week we'll have small group discussions about this book.  

 

Grammar Topics

Last week I had the students write 3 - 5 questions that they had about grammar.  They could be specific questions or general, over-arching ones.  This week we used the 4-Square model for asking and answering these questions.  This model requires everyone in the group to listen in order to respond.  One question that I suggested was "Why Grammar?"  I heard lively, grammar-centered conversations going on.  For our grammar topics this semester, we will start with a parts of speech review and then work through different types of phrases.  They will review nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs this week.

 

As I mentioned in the class policies, this year I am doing something different with the grammar homework.  This week students were given keys to all of the worksheets.  After they finish the grammar homework that was assigned for a week, they should correct it and then hand it in.  I want to see what they missed, so they should mark what was incorrect and then fix whatever was wrong.  Doing it this way will be more beneficial to the students.  They can see right away if they know the material.  Each worksheet is worth 10 points, regardless of how long it is.  If a student forgets to correct it, I will hand it back to be corrected.  

Assignments for this Week

–Read pgs. 24-47 in My Antonia

–3 Responses (WK 3)

–Nouns and Pronouns Review

–Adjective and Adverbs Review

Links for This Week

–Piano Stairs

–Grammar KEY

Writing 2 Class Notes–Week 2 (September 1)

 Today we had a full class.  What a delightful class of students I have!  I am looking forward to working with you this year!

Quick Write:

How would you “show up” in the world if no one knew you yet?  Today students responded to a piece of writing on Google slides about what you want to be known for–what kind of “kid” do you want to be?  The kind of kid who speaks with a British accent?  The one who wears shorts no matter the weather?  The kid who is known for being welcoming and kind?  

Students could respond with “I am the type of kid who…”, or list some unique facts about themselves or, of course they could write whatever piqued their interest.  They just need to write!:)

Words of the Day:

• Halcyon:  past period of happiness and success (figuratively)

Greek–”days of the kingfisher”; (literally) 14 days of calm weather attributed to the “magic” of the kingfisher. Too late to share with the class, I found the following:

The name is from Latin halcyon, alcyon, from Greek halkyon, variant (perhaps a misspelling) of alkyon "kingfisher," a word of unknown origin. The explanation that this is from hals "sea; salt"

• Author:  latin-auctor; creator, originator, power to create (authorize, authority).  Today we use it to refer mainly to the written word

Students can submit their notes for Extra Credit.  

Google Classroom

I took a few minutes to go over Google Classroom specifically around turning assignments in.  I had a volunteer come and help with a simple tutorial. Some students haven't used Google Classroom and are unfamiliar with this resource.  It might take a while to become completely comfortable with all of the necessary aspects of Google Classroom.  

Writing:

The Personal Essay Rough Drafts were due today.  Students could hand in a paper copy or hand it in on Google classroom.  I will go over them and hand them back next week.  I clarified that students will receive a basic score this time, but in the future, I will be using a rubric to grade them.  Also, in future, students will need to hand in their Rough Drafts on Google Classroom for quicker turnaround time.  The final essay is due Week 5 (9/22).  Last, students should respond to a Writing Question on Google Classroom this week.

Literature Discussion:

We're starting into our book for the semester, My Antonia by Willa Cather.  For a Pre-Reading exercise, they gathered some information about their family histories.  I gave students an introduction to the book and a study guide.  For each reading assignment, they're to complete 3 Reader Responses, and those could be study guide questions or something from the "Ala Carte" section at the end of the study guide.  They can do a mix of questions and ala carte options.  

Grammar:

We started some thinking about grammar.  I asked students to think of 5 questions about grammar.  We will use those questions for small group discussions next week.  We will also start with some specific grammar topics next week.

Assignments for next week:

–Read p. 1-23 for My Antonia

–Week 2–3 Reader Responses for My Antonia

–Writing Discussion Question (Google Classroom)

Links for This Week:

Syllabus (w/signature)

My Antonia Study Guide

Blessings,

Mrs. G.