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:
Literature Circles #1 Prep (prepare your role for discussion)
Read pp. 70-94; My Antonia
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