November 3–Week 10

 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 brief 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!  

• In order to help support students to have strong worksheets for the Parts of Speech Presentation, students will now be required to submit their worksheets to me for approval BEFORE their presentations.

• Once an essay (Rough Draft/Final)  has been submitted and graded, it is final.  

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 our Grammar Discussion today, we had a wonderful presentation, game and worksheet from the team of Jack and Teegan (make sure you fill out an Evaluation for their group.)They taught us about Adverbs.  Students have two worksheets due next week. One was handed out in class, the other one is posted on Google Classroom.  Make sure you correct them BEFORE you hand them in!

Some students had a hard time with the Adjective IVAN Quiz that was due last week. For that reason, we revisited this topic briefly and took “Guided Notes”--student’s received Extra Credit for these notes! If you are absent, fill the notes out using your Grammar Review Packet.  You can hand them in for Extra Credit.  They are to retake the Adjectives IVAN Review Quiz this week.

We will briefly touch on Conjunctions next week in the same manner.

Writing

If students handed in their Biography Rough Drafts, they were graded and handed back last week.  Students should fill out their First 5 Corrections (Mistakes) as they are editing and hand that in next week.  Biography Finals 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 discuss Stave 1 of A Christmas Carol this week, but we’ll circle back next week.  Students will answer three questions on Stave 2  on a Reader Response worksheet.

Have a blessed week!

Warmly,

Mrs. G

Homework

Adverbs HW #1 I gave out in class; #2 must be completed on GC

Adverbs Evaluation

Self-Evaluation (for Adverbs group)

Adjectives IVAN Review GC

Guided Notes for Adjectives (Extra Credit)

Grammar Review Packet (for Guided notes and self-study)

First 5 Corrections

Biography Essay Final Drafts

Writing Circle #2 & Grammar Inventory

Stave 2–3 Questions

Links for the Week

Quick Write 11/3

Late Homework Policy

Writing 1 Class Notes--Week 9 (October 27)

 It was good to see the students again after our Fall Break.  I hope they all had a chance to relax a bit.  They came back and were ready to learn!

Quick Write

Students responded to an excerpt about intelligent octopuses (yes, that is a legitimate pluralization of that word!)

Words of the Day

Today’s Words of the Day are seasonal in nature.  Students are continuing to compile these words with definitions, etymology and examples and sketches to “make them stick.”

macabre (adj)–ghastly; having weird, uncanny or exotic features; from Latin “chorea Machabaeorum” or “Dance of the Maccabees” a medieval stylized representation of the slaughter of the Maccabees; French “danse macabre” denoted a figure representing death who enticed people to dance with him until they dropped dead.

confection (n,v)--a sweet preparation of fruit, a preserve, a candy; the process of compounding, preparing, making something; something made up or confected.  Latin “confectionem”--a preparation, a medicament” the making by means of ingredients, act of compounding different substances into one preparation; in late 14C. Also “something prepared or made with sugar or syrup.”

masquerade (n,v)--A costume party at which masks are worn; a masked ball.  A disguise or outward show; a pretense.  From “mask”--1530’s “a cover for the face; a false face from French “masque”; medieval Latin masca “specter, nightmare.”

Homework Check

We did a brief check in on homework.  It can be challenging to have several assignments going at once–part of being a student in this style of classroom–and also as they move ahead academically. We talked about due dates. I hope to send out grade reports after I have graded the Rough Drafts this week which will be helpful.

Literature

I introduced our next novel A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  We watched a brief video about the author and discussed how our Christmas celebrations have evolved over the years. Interestingly, 

Dickens has named each of the five chapters of his book “staves”--like the lines on a music staff.  There are five lines/staves in musical notation, and there are five chapters.  It is a carol (song) afterall! 

 I have assigned some introductory material and a quiz over that material on Google Classroom (due next week.)  I also assigned a Vocabulary Sheet students should be using as they work their way through the book.

Last, we did a very brief review of the characters in Animal Farm, the novel we just finished. Students signed up for a character and next week, they’ll work together to write campaign speeches for each character if time permits.

Writing

The Biography Essay Rough Draft and Prewrite were due today.  The final is due November 11.

Grammar

This week we had a lot of Grammar work!  There were two presentations:  Interjections and Conjunctions.  They both presented a video, a short teaching, and the Conjunctions group had an activity.  Next week, the Adverbs group will present.  Be ready!

They were given homework from the groups AND from me.  Those are due next week.

They also have a review of the four parts of speech that have been covered so far:  IVAN.  The IVAN Review is posted on Google Classroom–also due next week..  

Students should complete evaluations of the groups’ presentations.  If you presented, fill out the Self-Evaluation.

Homework

Introduction to A Christmas Carol

Quiz on Introduction to 

ACC Vocabulary Sheet

Biography Essay

Biography Prewrite

Biography Rough Draft

Interjections HW

Interjections Evaluation

Conjunctions HW

Conjunctions Evaluation

IVAN Review: Interjections

IVAN Review:  Verbs

IVAN Review:  Adjectives

IVAN Review:  Nouns

Parts of Speech Self-Evaluation

Links for This Week

Quick Write (10/27)

Charles Dickens YouTube video

Interjections & Conjunctions videos

October 13–Week 8

Quick Write

Today we had a choice of options revolving around events that happened on October 13 in different years in history–ranging from ancient to modern. We really skipped around!

Words of the Day 

No words of the Day today

Writing

Students handed in their Final Drafts of their Personal Essays.  As soon as we complete one essay, we start ite next. Our next essay is a Biography Essay. In this essay, they are to make sure that they have an opinion about the person and write in a way to show the significance/importance of that person.  For our previous papers, we followed a 2-step process (rough draft to final draft).  For the rest of the papers we write this year, we’ll follow a 3-step process:  pre-write, a rough draft, to a final draft.  We discussed pre-writing techniques such as using a mind map or outline.  I demonstrated composing an online Mind Map using a free website.  The Pre-Write and Rough Draft is due Oct. 27.

Literature 

We've finished Animal Farm, and as a final activity, but unfortunately did not have time to do our last activity.  Perhaps next class period.  They are to take the Final Exam posted on Google classroom.

The next book that we'll read is Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.  I gave them their books.  Below I'm posting the background information and the Introduction Quiz. Please note:  The quiz is not due until Nov. 3.

Grammar

We're continuing with the Parts of Speech presentations, and today we had the Nouns group.  They gave a short teaching, showed a video and had a game for the students to play.  They have homework to practice identifying nouns.  (A reminder:  students should fill out the evaluation of ALL the presentations we’ve seen so far:  Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives and Nouns.  If you presented, fill out the Self-Evaluation).   

Fall Break

We don't have CHAT classes next week; October 20 & 21 are our Fall Break days.  I hope you can find some fun outside activities to do.

Homework

Biography Essay

Pre-Write

Rough Draft

Animal Farm Final Exam (GC)

A Christmas Carol Introduction 

Quiz on A Christmas Carol (GC)due Nov. 3

Nouns Homework

Nouns Video

Nouns Evaluation

Nouns SELF Evaluation (if you presented)

Adjective Evaluation (if you haven’t completed yet)

Verbs Evaluation (if you haven’t completed yet)

Links for This Week

Quick Write

Class Notes Week 7–October 6

Once again, it was a jam-packed class.  We are accomplishing a lot in our short time together!  Students are really getting into a good groove.

Words of the Day

We have been starting with this portion of our class, and I did warn students that there will be a quiz on these words by the end of the semester.  It would be a good idea to review these words periodically.  These two words are Fall-related.  Can you see how these words are related to the season?

quietus (noun)--death that is a relief/eterna rest; death of an argument.From Latin “quietus est”=he is quiet; his debt is paid.

Students were asked to write about their own personal quietus–the welcome end of something in their lives.

deciduous (adj)–falling off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle.  Latin→de=down; off +caedere→to fall.  Related to the words decay and decadence→to fall from a condition of health or perfection. 

Quick Write

Students viewed and responded to the painting Wanderer Above the Sea of Clouds by romantic German painter Caspar David Friedrich. 

Homework Check

I touched on the fact that I had sent out detailed grade reports during the past week.  Students should note that each assignment is very important.  If something is not turned in, it says “Missing” on Google classroom.  Those marked “Missing” will automatically be transposed into a“0” when when imported to the grade book.  After three weeks, I will no longer grade work.  

Another noteworthy item is that the gradebook is broken up into weighted categories.  You can now easily see your progress in each category and how that impacts your overall grade.  Since grades are weighted, figuring out your own grade wouldl be a very complicated math problem!  If you calculate your total points and it doesn’t reflect the grade you are receiving, it might be due to the weighting.  

Grammar

The adjectives group presented this week.  They put together a teaching video on adjectives (link below). Fill out the evaluation form for that group’s presentation on Google Classroom.

 The class was assigned homework on adjectives as well.  The worksheet and the worksheets must be self-corrected.  Make sure you note those corrections!.

Due to illness, the Interjections Group wasn’t able to present.  They (Lydia, Grace, Celia)  will present next week along with the Nouns Group (Vivi, Annie, Phoebe).  Be prepared!  I reminded the students they are responsible for:  a short teaching to explain the part of speech and a worksheet. They must coordinate with their group members to make it happen.  

Literature

We have finished Animal Farm and today we had a discussion about the characters and some themes and conflicts–specifically leadership, manipulation and propaganda (link to Google Slideshow below).  After that, students broke into groups to discuss their Character Sketches that were due today.  We will use this as a basis for our class activity next week.

Writing

Today was our first Writing Circles discussion.  We did not have time to discuss our writing goals, but students were to have filled out a short 4 question worksheet which was due today.  I wanted to devote time to peer reviewing the Personal Essay Rough Drafts.  

There is great  value in reading others’ writing–and value for both the writer (feedback!), and the reader who gets the chance to experience the essay from other angles.

We briefly discussed proofreading/editing marks and transition words/phrases.  I asked students to read the essay through a few times to evaluate mechanics and organization. The essays were made anonymous which helped ease any stress, and students were able to take their classmates’ feedback home with them to use during the revision process.  Personal Essay finals are due next week (Oct. 13).

Have a blessed week!

Mrs. G

Homework

• Adjectives Worksheets (2)

• Adjectives Evaluation (GC)

• Revise Personal Essays

• Personal Essay Final Draft 

Links for this Week

• Quick Write

• Adjectives video

• Characters/Themes Slides

• Character Sketch

• Proofreading/Editing Marks and Transitions

• Writing Circles #1: Goals

 

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

Today was the first day of our Parts of Speech Presentations.  The Verbs group of Maesen, Lily and Stella were the brave souls to go first as the other group was absent.  (The absent group will present NEXT week along with the Adjectives group.)  The girls did a good job as our guinea pigs showing verbs with the game Simon Says, a worksheet (thanks, Lily!) and a short lesson.  I also assigned two worksheets which are due next week.   As part of the presentations, students fill out an evaluation (linked below.)

Writing

I have graded and handed back (on Google Classroom) the Descriptive Final Essays.  Today the Personal Essay Rough Drafts were due.  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.

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.

To that end, we spent some time discussing Introductions/attention-getters.  I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with.  (Class notes linked below.)

Last, in our writing discussion is that we will be having our first Writing Circle next week.  Students were to fill out the questions concerning their writing goals in order to be prepared for discussion next week. Please  answer the  Discussion Question about the Personal Essay if they haven’t done so already.

Literature

We didn’t take time to discuss Animal Farm this week because of our Writing/Grammar heavy class period.  Next week, we will have our next Literature Circle. To prepare for this, I asked students to write out a Character “Sketch”--three points about the strength/weaknesses of a character of their choosing.  We will use these to explore the characters in our discussion.

Students will read Ch. 9-10 of Animal Farm, fill out the 3 Study Guide Questions, and do Take Home Quiz #2 on Chs. 5-8.

Homework

Verbs Worksheets (2)

Verbs Evaluation

Vebs Group–do  your OWN Presentation Evaluation HERE

Adjectives/Interjections Groups–Be ready to present

Class Notes on Introductions/Attention-getters (Personal Essays)

Discussion Question–Personal Essay (Google Classroom)

Character Sketch

Read Ch. 9-10

Take Home Quiz #2 (Ch 5-8)

Study Guide Questions, Ch. 9-10

Links for the Week

Quick Write (9/29)

Personal Essay Rough Draft

Class Notes Week 6 (Sept. 29)

Writing 1 Class Notes–(Sept. 22) Week 5

Greetings,

Class went well today.  The students worked well and we covered a lot of material.

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 Descriptive Essay final drafts were due today. This essay is relatively simple because it is narrative in nature and gives  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.  

On that note, I  introduced a new concept:   the Rough Draft Rubric.  On the last 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 topic ideas in pairs.  Hopefully this will give them further direction as they work on their Personal Essay Rough Drafts.

Literature Discussion

We had no Grammar discussion as I wanted to give ample time for students to work on their Parts of Speech Presentations.  

Students are assigned Ch. 7-8 in Animal Farm; they also have Study Questions assigned.

Grammar Discussion

We viewed the winner of our IVAN CAPP mascot competition.  Congratulations on Zach!  Students filled in a quick worksheet on the different parts of speech.  We watched an example video from past classes, and, after fielding a few questions, students got into their groups to begin planning their presentations.  They are responsible to teach the class their part of speech and for a worksheet of some kind.

Next week the Interjections and Verbs group will present. Students may find they need to connect with their classmates outside of class in order to complete this project. 

Homework:

1. Quick Write

2. Personal Essay Rough Draft

3. Rough Draft Rubric

4. Read Ch. 7-8

5. Study Questions for Ch. 7-8

6. Parts of Speech Unit

Links for this Week

7. Parts of Speech Planning

8. Parts of Speech Rubric