Writing 2 Class Notes–Week 3 (9/12)

 Hi All!

We got right to it today with our very first Quick Write. Every other week students are given a topic, five minutes and a few parameters. Then I play some music and our goal is to write continuously during that time. Before putting pen to paper, we talked about our first stylistic technique– the [2] prepositional phrase sentence opener. For some, this was a review and to some it was brand new. The purpose of using different sentence openers is to help students vary the sentence patterns they use in  their writing. We’ll add more gradually as the year progresses.

Then I gave them a choice of writing prompts: either school pictures OR the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I am giving extra credit for every [2] sentence opener they use and for any visual vocabulary words that are used. So far, we’ve learned poignant and blight.

Literature

The plot thickens for the Land family of Roofing, MN. In our novel, the turning point has happened that will be the central driver for the action from here on out. After reading aloud a bit of Swede’s epic poem, I asked students why they think the tone got darker and she had lost all her sympathy for the bandit king Valdez. They had some amazing, insightful answers! 

In lieu of a Reader Response worksheet, we had an in-class Quiz today over Peace Like A RIver chapters 4 & 5.  Because I gave them a few minutes to refresh each other because we will have a more in-depth discussion next week, we didn’t take time to discuss the novel today.  Instead, we will have a more in-depth discussion next week for a Literature Discussion. For homework, they will read chapters 6-8 and complete the take-home quiz (open book) on GC.

Writing

Today’s topic was two different styles of paragraphing. Writing a paragraph is a bit of an art and I want to equip students with some tools to master it. We contrasted the basic paragraph with the TRIAC paragraph. As we learned last year, to write a good basic paragraph, you write from a well-crafted, KWO and choose ONE topic as a focus and  5-7 facts from the KWO. We also learned the Topic-Clincher rule:  

The topic sentence and the clincher sentence

 MUST 

repeat or reflect 2-3 key words

(There will be a door quiz on that next week!) After that, I gave them the “Swiss knife” of all paragraphs: the TRIAC paragraph. The beauty of a TRIAC paragraph is that it practically writes itself! We talked through the 5 parts:

We practiced these models using an article about AI. As a class,we wrote a KWO on the first paragraph. Their homework is to write both a basic paragraph and a TRIAC paragraph using their KWOs–they can use the one we wrote together or they can write one on their own and use that. 

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 a lot 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.

Homework

Read Peace Like A River Ch. 6-8

Take-Home Quiz #1 (GC)

AI Basic & TRIAC Paragraphs

Nouns & Pronouns Review

Adjectives or Adverb Review

Action Verbs Review

Verb Tenses Review

Links for This Week

Quick Write #1--[2] prepositional sentence opener

About the Basic & TRIAC Paragraphs & AI Article

Grammar Worksheets KEY

CHAT Writing 2 Class Notes--WK 2 (9/5)

 Hello All!

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

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! 

We dove right into writing with two notetaking techniques: the Key Word Outline and the Stick and Branch method. Both of these useful techniques are skills I hope students will practice and make a lifelong skill. Both have their strengths and are useful in different ways. We discussed that a KWO is helpful when taking notes from a linear or narrative piece of writing. The Stick and Branch method is like a KWO “on steroids” and is much freer form. It is great for taking notes when the source text/talk jumps around or feels a bit disorganized. You can connect ideas easily in this geographic and intuitive form of notetaking. 

We practiced these two techniques on a familiar fable:  “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Using a clip from Andrew Pudewa’s University-Ready Writing, students listened to the fable being read two times through. The first time they created a KWO; the second time through they created the stick and branch style notes. 

After that, we took another run at the method and listened to a 10 minute clip from the Sean McDowell podcast. I told them that this length of time is about one quarter of a lecture. As we listened, I took notes live on the whiteboard. Students copied mine or wrote their own and used mine as a reference. Their homework is to do it again with another 10 minute talk of their own choosing:  a sermon, a podcast, a Tedtalk, etc.

All this talk about miracles led us beautifully into a discussion about our novel Peace Like A River. After that, we switched gears to Literature–Peace Like A River.  We discussed the timeline of the book so far. It was mentioned how the narrative tends to jump around with lots of flashbacks and things told “out of order.” I posted a few questions and gave them time to discuss the high points and help them get those in their minds. The next chapter is the BIG action, so I want them to be ready! Instead of a worksheet over the reading, I will be giving them an in-class quiz to check their understanding.

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

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Blessings,

Mrs. G

Homework

Notetaking–choose a 10 min. talk

Read Chapter 4 & 5 Peace Like A River

Quiz next week (in class!)

Links for This Week:

Visual Vocabulary #1

University Ready Writing

CHAT Writing 2- Class Notes--Week 1 (9/28)

 Hello Writing 2 Students and Parents!

We've started out our new school year well.  I'm looking forward to working with this group of students.  Below are the Class Notes for this week.  Every week I will send out notes similar to these.  I include the topics of the class and the direction of instruction.  At the bottom of each email I list the homework and links to the blog, to the Google Classroom assignments,  and to any other helpful information.

We got right into the nitty-gritty class details right away:  A timed in-class writing assignment. I gave them a prompt, handed out Blue Books and set the timer for 20 minutes. The rationale for this assignment is to simply get their writing juices flowing AND to give them a baseline of their skill level. My hope is that by the end of the year, they will see vast improvement in their ability to write clearly and effectively. I “suffered” along with them by participating myself.  I do hope the music and the snack may have softened the blow just a bit. (I hope everyone comes back next week. 🙂)

After that, we shook our hands out and did an ice breaker activity. At their tables, students enjoyed filling out a “name tent one-pager” with their names and some information about themselves. Having the names is not only a help for me, but for them as they get to know each other better and we build a supportive class community.

Then, we got right into the nitty-gritty class details: expectations, homework deadlines and the syllabus. I talked about the importance of “budgeting” for about one hour each weekday to Writing class. I suggested they map out their week by designating a chunk of homework to that day.  

For example:  

Fridays=literature 

Mondays=grammar worksheets

Tuesdays & Wednesday=essays & writing

By chunking it down, they will avoid having that work pile up. I will read    They have an assignment of having a parent sign the Guidelines–they can bring them in next week or submit on GC. 

Included in our class business was a slide show that presented a sort of “carrot and stick” approach to generative AI. I hoped that this would be a “pep talk” about the importance of learning how to think critically and write clearly. 

The carrot:  Writing is simply thinking–it’s thinking made manifest. To think is a God given gift. The author John Warner said that “To outsource writing and reading is to cease being human.” We took a minute to discuss the validity of that statement. 

The stick: We talked about acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI and I reviewed the consequences of using AI to do your homework or write essays instead. 

On to more delightful topics–our Literature selection for this semester is Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.  Before reading a bit out loud, we watched a video on a recent and local real-life miracle. As homework, they are to read the introductory material about Peace Like a River on Google Classroom and complete the Quiz and to read chapters 1-3.

No Grammar this week -- we'll jump in with both feet next week! 

Assignments for Next Week

(Note:  The links will take you to the Google Classroom post for the particular assignment.  If you plan to do the paper version, you can ignore the link.  If an assignment is labeled "GC," that means that is something that must be done on Google Classroom. These are usually quizzes or questions)

Before school started assignments–Students can still do these:

Welcome Back #1

Welcome Back #2

Signed Guidelines Assembled Binders

Peace Like A River Introductory document 

PLAR Introduction Quiz

Reader Response–New Book “Fortune Teller”

Links for this Week:

Writing 2 Assignments Checklist

Writing 2 Syllabus

Homework and Late Dates

Scanning handwritten homework tutorial

How to turn off notifications tutorial

Warner, John. More than Words. Basic Books, 4 Feb. 2025.

End of the Year Wrap Up!

 Dear CHAT Writing 1 & 2 Students & Parents,

I've just finished calculating the grades for the Spring semester, and you will be finding them in your inbox in just a few minutes.  As tutors, we give you suggested grades for you as homeschooling families to consider.

Grading Thoughts:

Allow me to share my thoughts on grades.  As I homeschool my own children, I don’t give them grades.  I feel that grades are far too subjective, especially coming from their mother.  Instead, I teach my own children for mastery, and we don’t proceed with a topic until they are ready, no matter how long that takes.  In a class setting, knowing where each student is with regards to his/her understanding of a topic is not always possible, so any grade given is not a complete representation of what the student learned or accomplished this year.

Letter grades are a funny thing.  For some students, it becomes the only motivation for doing well.  For some, it becomes a measure of their worth as people or as academic learners.  I personally don't like these "side effects" of the grading system.  On the other hand, grades can be a valid reflection and reward for working hard, being diligent, and understanding the materials.

When teaching students to be good writers, I give a lot of consideration for growth and improvement. Each student has a starting place; over time I look for him or her to learn the mechanics of grammar, good writing techniques, and analytical thinking skills.

Essay Grades:  “Trigger Warning!”😉

A unique aspect of this grading system is that each student can earn 100% on each essay if they simply complete the checklist.  I find if they have met all the requirements on the checklist, their writing is poised, polished and sounds pretty darn good!  

On the other hand when a student has missed a required element (or two), the checklist has not been completed.  Therefore, the assignment has not been completed.  Therefore the essay cannot be graded.  🫠

When (not if) this happens, the essay is returned “In Process”-- aka 0 points.  But hear me out!  This zero is due to the parameters of the Google Classroom grading system and is temporary!  Don’t get frustrated at this point!  Simply stick with the revision process.  I like to emphasize that the “0” in this case is like the oil light on the dashboard of your car.  It simply indicates that the essay needs your attention—perhaps only ten minutes to sit down, look at your work and your checklist.  Any missing element is pinpointed and very specific.  

The feedback I have gotten from students is that even though it might be super ANNOYING to see a “0” on an essay that you’ve sweated over, it has really helped to force the editing process. They have told me that once they are over the initial shock, the revision goes really fast and, in the end, they have earned 100%--and have an essay they can be really proud of. As a writing tutor, I have seen huge improvements in students’ writing and I have appreciated the objectivity the checklist presents—no guesswork for students or tutor.  You either do the checklist or you don’t do the checklist. By the end of the year, students become very familiar with the mantra:  

Do what you check; check what you do!

Grading Categories:

For this class, I gave points for Quick Writes & Visual Vocabulary, short assignments, literature assignments, grammar exercises, and longer essays. The final drafts of the essay assignments were graded using a checklist that included style elements, structure, organization, and formatting requirements that varied for each assignment. 

The scores for class work are divided into the following categories:  Quick Writes & Visual Vocabulary, Writing, Literature, and Grammar.  A student may have been strong in one area and not in another, and this will be reflected in these categories.  These scores are also weighted; in other words, not all of the categories have the same importance.  The Quick Write/Visual Vocabulary points are 15% of the total grade, the Writing assignments are 30%, the Literature homework is 28%, and the Grammar work is 27%. 

The grade breakdowns for Writing 1 & 2 are as follows:

98% - 100% (A+), 93% - 97% (A), 90% - 92% (A-),

87% - 89% (B+), 83% - 86% (B), 80 % - 82% (B-),

77% - 77% (C+), 73% - 76% (C), 70% - 72% (C-),

67% - 69% (D+), 63% - 66% (D), 60% - 62% (D-),

55% - 59% (Pass), 50% - 54% (Fail); 0% - 49% (Incomplete)

Each student (and parent) will receive an email with percentages and a suggested overall grade for this semester. Though I have had to part ways with the external grade book that I’ve used to send reports in the past, I trust the reports I do send will be just as easy to understand.  If you have any questions, first check Google Classroom.  If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.  

Blessings to all,

Mrs. G

Writing 2 Class Notes–Week 15 (May 8)

 Greetings everyone!

We had a marvelous final day of Writing 2 at CHAT for the 2024-25 school year.  We have covered so much over the course of the year, that our heads are full; but the weeks go by so quickly that it seems hard to think that we're at the end.  

As the culminating event, students have been working towards staging our class Poetry Event.  They all had a role to play on on a committee and they worked collaboratively to make this event a success.  I am proud of the way they communicated, split up the work and let their talents shine as they organized and then performed their poetic pieces.   I was especially touched by the quality and the authenticity of original poems that were shared.  What a talented bunch!

After the Committees met to put the finishing touches together and we had a short class business meeting, we were ready to begin.  I must say, the Ambiance Committee really outdid themselves:  the “club” theme really shone through with the music (Julia), and mixed drink “mocktails''!  Very impressive and festive! Using the club-themed program (designed by William and Nate VanOss) our Emcee duo of Vivi and Ben took charge and explained the judging criteria and the flow of the event.  The judges (Evangeline, Lydia & Sam) did a great job of evaluating the poem and the delivery style–and though it was difficult, they did come up with a winner!  

The top 3 won a beautiful 3-D printed trophy and some candy.  First place won all that and a sweatshirt. (Thanks to Nathan for making those amazing prizes!) 

Congratulations to first prize winner Abby Bochnicek!

Please watch Google Classroom for a link to the photo album from this event (thanks to Caleb R. for putting that together!)

Now that it is all over, I want to let you know that I am working on getting all the grading finished.  I have given students until Friday @ 11:59 PM  to hand any work in.  Final Grades will be out sometime next week.  If for some reason that won't work, please contact me. Look for 2 emails from me:  one that explains how I grade and then the grades themselves.  In the meantime, you can look at Google Classroom to get a pretty good idea of your grade.

This has been a great year with these students.  They're bright and engaging, and they've worked hard this year. I will truly miss them as they move on to their future academic endeavors.

Blessings,

Mrs. G

Writing 2 Class Notes--WK 14 (5/1)

 Greetings!

This week was our penultimate class for the year -- the one before the last one!

We had a lightning fast round Visual Vocabulary today in order to get our last two in before we took the Spring Visual Vocabulary Quiz.  Our words today were languid and florid.  We talked them through and students jotted down the definitions.  This was great, because the vocabulary quiz was “open worksheet.”  What a great reward for taking great notes all semester!

After that, I gave the students five minutes to review for the Grammar Test and to make sure all was in order for the Vocabulary Quiz.  Since their homework was a Mastering the Comma Review that they finished and corrected, they should have done really well on it!  I had them help me correct it when it was all over and then we were ready to switch gears.

The rest of the class time was dedicated to committee work for the big event next week.  As we discussed, it takes a lot of work to pull off a successful event.  When students have “skin in the game” with planning and organizing an event, I find there’s a high level of ownership and engagement.  After discussing how the committee work should flow,  they were split  into groups and got busy dividing and conquering their committee’s punch list.  I encouraged them to exchange contact information.  The theme was decided upon:  Game Show!  I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with–it should be fun!

Their final writing assignment, a Reflection Paper, is due next week.   For this paper, they are to write about what they learned this year, what they learned about themselves this year, and what did and didn't work well this year.  At the bottom of this email is a link to an article about the value of reflection as a part of learning.

Next week is the final week, and I will accept homework until Sunday, May 11 at 11:59 PM.  My experience is that once the CHAT classes are done, students really lose momentum for completing late homework.  My plan is to get final grades out within the week.  

Blessings on your weekend!

Mrs. G

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Any old homework

-- Reflection Paper

–Practice your poems!

–Committee work