Writing 2 Class Notes–Week 4 (Sept. 15)

 Greetings!

I cannot believe how the time flies with these students!  What a great group!  We covered a lot, but I find myself wishing we had more time.

Visual Vocabulary

Our words today were dastardly and sophomoric.  After studying the words, we took a minute to write sentences using them correctly.

Writing

Last week we filled out a Story Sequence Chart about the fable “Stone Soup.”  I asked the students to memorize the blank chart and we had a quiz at the beginning of class.  After that, I checked on their finished Stone Soup SSC’s.  Most students were successful at taking the key ideas from the fable and answering the questions about characters/setting, plot/conflict & resolution of the story. I emphasized that this is a bit different from a Key Word Outline in that students are to take the basic ideas and embellish them from their imagination.  They are a starting point for their stories, and students are free to riff off using their SSC’s.I assigned the next step today which is to take their SSC and write three paragraphs to retell the fable.  (You may write more if you’d like.)  

I took a minute to teach some Style.  We discussed strong vs. weak verbs and how to use a thesarus.  I banned the verbs see, go & said.  I also handed out a sheet with a long list of suggestions of -ly adverbs. They are to make sure to include the Dress-Ups:  -ly adverbs, who/which clause and to use strong verbs (not the “Banned Verbs” see, said & go.)  This assignment is due next week.  I have an example posted on GC if students need it!

Literature Discussion

We're reading Peace Like A River, and this week we had a good discussion about our reading.  After we brainstormed the book’s major events on the board together, we broke into groups and used the 4 Square Discussion model to discuss the content. I heard some very intelligent insights!  Students were assigned Chapters 6-8 and 3 Responses.  They will also need to complete a Week 4 Take Home Quiz.

Grammar 

Today’s topic covered a review of interjections and conjunctions.  After a mini-lesson, students got a start on their worksheets.

Assignments for Next Week

Stone Soup Retelling

Read Chapters 6-8

Week 4 Take Home Quiz–Ch. 6-8 (GC)

Grammar

Interjections

Conjunctions–check your work!

Links for This Week

Visual Vocab. #2

Stone Soup Retelling example + Resources

Interjections & Conjunctions Mini-Lesson

Writing 2 Class Notes–Week 3 (9/12)

 We had a good class today.  The students were ready to learn and we got a lot accomplished.

How does one think?  I propose that thinking is really made up of asking and answering questions.  And since writing=thinking, it makes sense to spend some time cultivating the skill of asking good questions. When you get good at asking questions, you will never lack for anything to write about!  Our Quick Writes This year will be focused on the skill of asking good questions.  This time, students were given the topic of Pencils.  In three minutes, students each generated as many as possible:

things about

topics pertaining to

aspects of 

PENCILS

as they could think of.  They had some GREAT ideas!  Each week we do it, the better they will become.

                                                    Grammar 

Students were given the KEY to all the grammar worksheets for this semester.  I explained that as we work through our grammar–parts of speech and phrases–they will need to correct their own work.  There is alot of learning that happens in that process! The KEY is also posted on Google Classroom–I won’t be handing out another one.  For the most part, I will teach grammar mini-lesson and they will have some in class time to complete their worksheets.  This works well so I can answer any questions they might have while we are all together.  Today, we reviewed nouns, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs.  They have four worksheets.

We didn’t take time to discuss Peace Like A River in Literature today.  Instead, we will have a more in-depth discussion next week for a Literature Discussion. For homework, they will read chapters 4 & 5 and complete 3 Reader Response questions.

Writing

In the writing portion of our class, we shifted from writing a Key Word outline for factual articles into a different type of outline used for narratives (stories).  It is called a Story Sequence Chart.  Instead of choosing 3 key words from each sentence as in a KWO, I modeled how to answer questions for each part of a story:  setting/characters, plot/conflict & resolution.

I wrote a blank Story Sequence Chart on the board and students copied it in their notes.  I asked students to memorize it for next week.  (There will be a quiz on it!)

Then we filled in the template together after reading Aesop’s fable “The Wind and the Sun.” Students are to finish it as homework and bring it next week.  (I attached a copy of my SSC you can look at if you need extra help.) In the future, we will rewrite the fable using that chart.

Homework

Read Peace Like A River Ch. 4 & 5 

3 Responses

Story Sequence Chart, Template & Source Text–Complete the template & bring it next week

Grammar–complete; correct your work!

Nouns & Pronouns Review

Adjectives or Adverb Review

Action Verbs Review

Verb Tenses Review

Links for This Week

Updated Assignment Checklist

Grammar Worksheets KEY

Writing 2 Class Notes--Week 2 (Sept. 5)

 This is such a fun group of students–I think we are really going to enjoy learning together this year!

We started out class with some housekeeping and some announcements:

1. Please clean up after yourselves after class.  No wrappers on floor; push in chairs 🙂

2. Turning in HW:  EITHER turn it on digitally OR turn it in manually.  NOT BOTH 🙂  (I have posted a tutorial on how to scan handwritten homework.)

3. AI:  Grammarly has added a generative AI aspect to their free program.  For this reason, I am asking students to avoid (uninstall) Grammarly if they have it on their browser.  We discussed the difference between the basic AI tools on Google Docs/Word vs. “generative” AI like ChatGPT.  The goal is to use authentic word choices and develop a writer’s voice.  When we rely too much on the suggestions that AI generates, the paper we meant to write can end up VERY differently.  AI can be a wonderful tool to use–later.  And not in CHAT writing. 🙂

We had our first edition of Visual Vocabulary (VV).  Today, we learned:  poignant and blight.  These words are taken from SAT/ACT vocabulary lists and each week we do VV, students are given the definition, the part of speech, the synonym and antonym.  Then they write a sentence using the word in context. We will be adding to the list throughout the semester–so don’t lose that worksheet–keep it behind the Vocabulary/QW tab! 

After that, we switched gears to Literature–Peace Like A River.  We talked about themes of the book and the fact that our protagonist has a debilitating illness–asthma. They are to read chapters 1-3 and do three study guide questions or 1 a la carte option. (In class I assigned all the questions.  Only choose three!)

In the Writing portion of the class, we continued on the topic of asthma.  We read a source text on George L. Maison and make a key word outline for paragraphs one and two.  Students are to finish it at home.  We discussed two Dress-Ups (-ly adverb and who/which clause.)  I also went over the title rule:  grab readers’ attention and repeat 1-3 words from the last sentence of the last paragraph.  They are to write three paragraphs using 1 dress-up per paragraph.  Students should:

1.  Write a KWO 

2. Write a Rough Draft.  Print it (see me if this is a problem).  

3. Have an Editor read and mark on Rough Draft.

4. Write a Final Draft.  

5. Hand in all four pieces.  EITHER on GC OR in class.  (Keep it all together!)

No Grammar Discussion today.  Next week, we’ll start as promised!  

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Blessings,

Mrs. G

Homework

Read Chapter 1-3 Peace Like A River

3 Responses

About Writing 3 Paragraphs from Notes–Maison (with Dress-Ups)

Maison KWO

Maison–3 paragraphs

LInks for This Week:

Scanning Homework Tutorials

Visual Vocabulary #1