We had a full class today–but we do every week!
Quick Write
This week, we had a Quick Write on a colorful topic! After thinking of our favorite color, we watched a brief video on what different colors symbolize. Then students wrote about what they think of when the color yellow comes to mind.. Do certain colors carry certain meanings for them?
We had a homework check. Grade Reports were sent last week. Here are the points we talked about:
If students have missing homework, they can consult the Late Homework policy and hand it in as soon as possible. Those points really make a difference!
Once an essay (Rough Draft/Final) has been submitted and graded, it is final.
In order to receive credit for Grammar worksheets, students MUST use their KEY to correct their own work. You must SHOW your work in order to receive the points going forward. So much learning goes on when you correct your own work –it is a valuable part of your self-education in which each student must invest.
I scheduled student presentations for the My Antonia Project Presentation. Students have already chosen a topic and present their projects on Nov. 17, Dec. 1, 8. Students would be working on their projects and be ready to explain them (about 2-3 minutes) to the class. We discussed the rubric I will be using to grade their work.
Words of the Day
We had NO Words of the Day this week as it was a full class and I wanted to leave room for it all. We’ll get back on the train next week.
Grammar
For today’s grammar discussion, we segued away from the verbal phrases we’ve been learning about and are doing a little detour to discuss active and passive voice. We talked about the fact that our writing is almost always improved when we use active voice. It’s more clear, exciting and concise. However, there are times when we need to use passive voice: when the force of the actio/actor is unclear, and when you intentionally choose to be vague. A good example is when you want to avoid referring to yourself (using I, me, we pronouns) in academic writing.
We talked through a Google Slides presentation on Active/Passive voice, identified how to tell which voice is being used, and wrote sentences using the two voices based on model sentences and a video clip. Students interacted well with this material and were assigned two worksheets to solidify their understanding. As a bonus, I gave out Extra Credit points for taking notes on this presentation!
Writing
If students handed in their Extended Definition/Classification Essay Rough Drafts, they were graded and handed back last week. They should fill out their First 5 Corrections (Mistakes) as they are editing and hand that in next week. Extended Definition/Classification Final Drafts are due next week as well.
Today, the class took part in their second Writing Circle DIscussion. They read some sample introductions and broke into groups to discuss the merits and weaknesses of the introductions. I asked them to especially look at the hook, “road map” and if the writer’s opinion was clear.
They also discussed how confident they felt about different aspects of Grammar. They took a Grammar Inventory and discussed what areas are strengths and weaknesses.
Literature
We did not have a full discussion of the ending of My Antonia today. Some members of the class expressed disappointment in the ending and felt there were some loose ends that never got “tied up.” I’d hope we can delve a little deeper into that next week. In the meantime, students should take the My Antonia Final Exam (on Google Classroom). They should also be continuing to work on their Book Projects.
Homework
Writing Circle #2 and Grammar Inventory
Links for the Week
My Antonia Project Presentation Rubric
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