Writing 1 Class Notes--Week 4 (February 2)

Hello!

We had a fun class today -- as usual, we covered a lot of material.  We started with our Quick Write.  Here are the prompts for the day:

• February 2 –  World Read Aloud Day.  Do you have a favorite story that was read aloud to you

when you were young?  Write about it.

• February 4, 2004 –  the day that Facebook was launched.  Do you use Facebook?  What are

your thoughts about social media?

• February 4, 1789 – the day that George Washington was elected our first president by a

unanimous vote of the first electoral college. 

• Do you have any opinions about the electoral college?  Do you have opinions about what makes

for a good elected leader?

No Words of the Day today

We had a “Think, Pair, Share” style discussion about Richard Hannay and The Thirty-Nine StepsWe talked about what we liked and didn't like about the book, and shared an Annotation that stood out to

them and why.

 The students had some profound statements about the plot and the writing style. 

We watched a clip from the 2008 adaption of the book and then discussed if the Hannay in the movie

was like the one we imagined.  In the chapters that they will read for next week, the spy aspect of the

story will evolve, so that by the end, there is a solution to the whole mysterious situation.  For next week,

they will read Chapters 7 & 8 and take a quiz.  

ATTENTION:  I did not mention the quiz in class.  It is posted in Google Classroom.

We are catching up on Grammar this week.  Our topic was a short teaching on Compound Subjects and Compound Predicates along with a prepositional phrases review.  We worked on it for a bit in class, and students should correct their work before handing it in.  There are 4 worksheets due next week.

I graded the rough drafts of the Narrative Essays last week..  These were very enjoyable essays to read.  Many students wrote more than they usually did, and they told interesting stories in the contexts of their essays. I graded them as is my usual practice.  Because I want students to have more agency during their revision process, we tried a new way of editing today: Editing Stations.  I handed each student a copy of their Rough Draft, along with a rubric.  I divided the room into 6 different stations and, in pairs, students rotated through to edit/revise a specific aspect of their essay at each station.  The stations were:  Grammar (comma splices/run-ons and fragments), Dialogue, Sensory Language, Conflict, Peer Review, Teacher Review.  Since we had limited time to work with, students decided to spend longer at two stations, rather than to rush through more.  They are to take what they learned today, combine it with my suggestions and their own thoughts to produce a polished Final Draft.  (Due 2/9.)

Assignments for next week

• Narrative Essay Final Draft

• Read Ch. 7 & 8 of The 39 Steps

• Quiz:  Ch. 5 – 8 (GC) & Annotations (not listed on Syllabus)

• Ch. 7 & 8 Study Guide Questions

• Grammar – Wk4:  Compound Subjects

• Grammar -- Wk4:  Compound Predicates

• Grammar–Wk4:  Simple Sentences Review

• Grammar–Wk4:  Prepositional Phrase Review

Links for This Week

• The 39 Steps Audiobook and Youtube video options

Blessings on your week!

Mrs. G

Writing 1 Class Notes Week 3 (January 26)

Greetings!

Today’s QuickWrite prompts are taken from the list that the students in Writing 1 and Writing 2 contributed to last fall.  Here are the prompts for today’s Quick Write

• Where do you see yourself in five years

• Write one story you can’t stop yourself from laughing about everytime you think of it.

• A time of awkwardness/embarrassment

• If you dropped out of school and started a business what would it be 

• If you could only have three Apps on your phone, what would they be?  Why?

• Whatever …..

Today we had 3 Words of the Day:

Tenacious:  Definition: Qualtiy that does not stop holding something or give up something easily; determined

Etymology:  early 17th cent.: from Latin tenax, tenac- (from tenere ‘to hold’) + -ious.

Example:  She's a tenacious student. She never gives up.

charisma

Definition: the powerful personal quality that some people have to attract and impress other people

adj=charismatic

Etymology:  from Greek kharisma, from kharis ‘favour, grace’.

Example:  She relaxed and her natural charisma started to shine through.

benevolent

Definition:  (especially of people in authority) kind, helpful and generous

Opposite:  malevolent

Etymology:   Latin bene volent- ‘well wishing’, from bene ‘well’ + velle ‘to wish’.

Example:  The colonel was benevolent, but not stupid.

Students have handed in the Pre-Writes and Rough Drafts of their Narrative Essays.  Most of them enjoyed writing these because they could write about personal experiences.  I look forward to reading them.  Because they may be including dialogue in these essays, we had another mini-lesson on dialogue.  This time, we focused on using alternate words to the more common “said,” and “asked.”   I asked students to partner up and write a dialogue between our main character Hannay and another character using the alternate words.

Speaking of our main character, we are now 4 chapters into our book, The Thirty-Nine Steps, and most of the students are enjoying the story line.  Some aspects are unfamiliar because it was written for another time and place.  Doing close reading with Annotations should help with this–asking questions and noting down unfamiliar vocabulary as they go.   I divided the class into small groups for a “Silent Discussion.”  Each group was given a prompt, a poster sized Post-It note and a Sharpie.  They were to discuss the prompt and to reply to other students’ comments.  We discussed these 4 prompts:  Was Hannay a good or bad spy?  The theme “Escape”; Connect the Characters to the Storyline; The themes conspiracy + Good vs. Evil.  We watched this 2 minute video about the real life cause of WWI and then broke into groups to silently discuss.  

For the Grammar portion of class, we worked again on simple and compound sentences.  The worksheets are a review of the basic elements of a sentence (subject + verb + complete thought).  Many times students write sentence fragments and run-on sentences and comma splice sentences because they don't have a strong sense for these sentence elements.  [Note:  Remember to correct your grammar worksheets and to clearly mark that they've been corrected.]

Assignments for Next Week:

• “Said” Dialogue Activity

• Read Ch. 5 & 6 of The 39 Steps

• Week 4 – 3 Study Guide Questions & 3 Annotations

• Grammar – Subject/Verb Agreement

• Grammar – Complete Subject/Predicate & Inverted Sentences

 

Links for This Week

The Thirty Nine Steps audiobooks

What Caused WW1?

Blessings on your week!

Mrs. G

 

Class Notes–Week 2 (January 19)

We made it to class despite the snowy weather, and it was good to see everyone’s smiling faces.

As usual, we started with our Quick Write using a combinations prompt options that both the class and I have written:

• I wouldn't be me without…

• Write about a scar that tells a cool story.

• What five adjectives describe your personality?

• How would you like to “show up” to others?  What five adjectives would you like other people to describe you with?  How do you desire others to experience your personality?

• Remember your prompt from last week?  Take the same character you invented and answer questions 1-3 from their point of view.

• Whatever???

Our Words of the Day were a combination of the ones I brought and one that Grace brought.  I asked students to submit their Words of the Day to me in advance, provide the definition, etymology and an example sentence and they can have some extra credit.  Though today’s submission was a bit obscure, the Word of the Day should be a word that is interesting, but not too strange.  In other words, it should be a word that could be used in conversation, or perhaps our writing.

Students recorded these Words in their Writing 2 Notebooks.

abscond (v)

Definition:  To depart quickly and in secret, especially to avoid criminal charges.

Etymology:  Latin–ab=off or away from; -condere=put together; store

Example:  The bank robbers immediately absconded to Mexico with the money.

Nefarious (adj)

Definition:  Evil, reprehensible

Etymology:  Latin-ne-not and fas=right; first used in 1609

Example:  Because of the nefarious nature of this crime, I am forced to pass a stern sentence.

Arachibutyrophobia (n)

Definition:  fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.

The usual Agenda for the class time is to do these beginning of class activities and then most of the time we cover these topics in this order:  Writing assignments/instruction, Literature discussion, and Grammar instruction/work.  

For our Writing discussion, I checked in with them about the progress of their Narrative Essays.  The Pre-Writes and Rough Drafts are due next week.  Students were reminded that a Narrative Essay is kind of like a "story with a purpose."  

To that end, there may be some characters using dialogue.  We had a mini-lesson on using quotation marks.  They worked in pairs on a worksheet.  There is a Dialogue Quiz posted on Google Classroom–watch the video, then answer the questions.

The class has read and annotated the first 2 chapters of our book, The Thirty-Nine Steps.  We didn’t talk about chapters 1 and 2 this week, but will circle back next week.  Instead, I divided the class into 4 groups, and they played the game "Enter the Mystery Mansion."  Students were given cards with pictures, and as a group, they were to compose a mystery and/or spy story.  When they were done, a story was shared to the whole group..  They were quite creative!

The last part of class was for Grammar instruction.  Today, I did a short lesson on simple and compound subjects and predicates.  Students got their worksheets at the end of class.  Remember, they should be corrected before they are turned in!

Homework

Narrative PreWrite

Narrative Rough Draft

Dialogue Mini Lesson

Dialogue Quiz

Read Chap. 3-4 39 Steps

3 Annotations (in NB)

3 Study Guide Questions

39 Steps Quiz Ch. 1-4

Grammar:  What is a Sentence?

Grammar: Sentence Patterns

Links for the Week

QuickWrite

About the Narrative Essay

Class Summary Video (if absent)

Blessings on you week!

Mrs. G

 

Class Notes–Week 1 (January 12)

It was good to be back in the classroom and to see everyone's smiling faces.  

Today is  National Stick to your Resolutions Day. For our Quick Write today, we talked about the word “resolve”--which means to reach a firm decision about something.  We watched a short section from a Studio C clip where the main character shared his New Year’s resolutions:  he is a thief–and therein lies the humor!   I challenged the class to make up a character and write a New Year’s Resolution list for them.  They could also opt for sharing their resolutions or sharing an opinion on Resolutions.

We did not have any Words of the Day, but students can bring them to class for us to enjoy.  (The only extra credit that will be offered this semester.)  For the rest of the semester, students can bring in interesting words for our weekly Words of the Day part of our discussion.  For these words, they also need to include the etymology and a definition.  

Our first order of business was organizational.  I have tweaked a few things since last semester and we talked about those: 

• We previewed this semester Syllabus and Homework Checklist.  Students saw what Literature we would be reading and also how many and the types of Essays that will be assigned.  This gives us a map for moving forward.

• In Semester 2, I will be much stricter on Deadlines.  We reviewed my Late Homework policy.

• Also, in Semester 2, I will be much stricter about phones in the classroom.  For most students this hasn’t been a problem, but I want to be upfront.  My desire is to keep this class as distraction-free as possible.  As per CHAT policy, if I see a phone out, it will be turned into me until the end of the class.  If it’s a problem after that, I will take it for the entire day.  It can be picked up at the end of the day.  In both cases, parents will be contacted.

•  Because of the nature of my Gradebook set up, I have chosen to forego most Extra Credit assignments from here on out.  As stated above, Words of the Day will be our only Extra Credit opportunity this semester.  

• I distributed blank notebooks for students to use for the class from now on.  We divided it into 3 parts:  Notes, Annotations and Words of the Day (no more index cards!)  Each section has its own tabs.

• When we take notes, they will go in there; when handouts are given, they can be attached there (use tape or glue.).  Annotations, which we will be using for close reading and class discussions will also “live” there.

Speaking of Annotations, after that, we had a mini-lesson on Annotating.  I explained that making annotations is “reading with a pencil.”  This practice promotes thoughtful reading, gives us fodder for class discussions and is something that I hope will become a lifelong habit.  When we annotate a text, we write directly in the book (if we own it!).  Annotations are simply notes in the margins with predictions, questions, opinions and thoughts.  These notations help students “interact” with the text and hopefully the days of reading a paragraph over and over without understanding it are over. 

 I gave the class laminated  Annotation Guides that they can use as a bookmark they can refer to while reading.  They will be required to annotate each time I assign a reading.  We practiced annotating “The Lion and the Mouse”--a short fable by Aesop. They will record 2 annotations per selection in the corresponding section of their Writing 1 Notebooks.  

The next topic we covered was our first Writing assignment -- a Narrative Essay.  I like to call a Narrative Essay a "story with a purpose."  In this type of essay, students re-tell a series of events, but they are not simply telling a story.  They must have a reason for telling these events to their readers.  This reason could include a turning point in life, a traumatic experience that changed a life, an achievement that made a significant difference, etc.  The Pre-Write and Rough Draft are due in 2 weeks on January 27.

Next on the agenda was our first book for the semester.  This semester we will be reading a British classic that was written in 1915 -- The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan.  This is one of the first espionage, man-on-the-run types of books.  I've taught this book to British Literature classes, and I think we'll all enjoy this book.  As part of our discussion, I asked the students to write something as a Pre-Reading assignment for The 39 Steps.  I had them think about what they would do if they were on the run -- either from some bad guys or some good guys (which meant they might be a bad guy.)  They were to think of possible options for hiding and staying safe.  This is a very creative bunch!  I heard some of their ideas and look forward to reading what they wrote.

We did not have time to get to the Grammar portion of the class.  We will begin next week.  Our focus will be reviewing sentence patterns.

Homework

Read the 39 Steps Ch. 1-2

Read 39 Steps Intro Material

Quiz on Intro Material (GC)

Record 3  Annotations in Writing 1 Notebook

Answer 3 Study Guide questions

39 Steps Pre-Reading Writing Activity

Start the Narrative Essay

-Pre-Write/RD due 1/26

-Final due 2/9

Links for this week

New Year’s Resolution Youtube clip

39 Steps Audiobook

Spring Syllabus

Homework Checklist

Homework Late Guidelines

About the Narrative Essay

Annotation Guide

Class Notes–Week 14 (December 8)

 We had a wonderful day in class today.  A lot of the hard work of the semester is over, so our "work" today was a little more fun.

Quick Write

We had the opportunity to write about a memorable gift you have given or received.

Writing

I handed back the rough drafts of their History Essays.  I really enjoyed reading these; they've chosen some fascinating topics, and they're becoming better writers.  The final drafts are due next week.   

Grammar

I assigned the Parts of Speech Post-Test.  With the exception of the fast page, it will be identical to the Pre-Test.  Although the best way of learning grammar is through lots of reading and writing, direct instruction of grammar is important and helpful, and combined with literature and writing it can be pretty potent.  Next semester we'll be working on sentence structures.

Literature

This is where we had some fun today.  We have finished our second book, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  The class was divided into 4 groups and were given types of presentations using A Christmas Carol characters and scenes.  They were to create a one minute story , a late night talk show, a news broadcast, a mime of a scene, or a new ghost for Scrooge.  They did a marvelous job, and I loved their creativity!

Next Week

Our last week of the semester is next week, December 15.  All work should be handed in by that date.  That said, I've given them until Sunday, December 18 to get any last work in.  They should not wait until then to do their work and hand it in.  Next week we will have our "Classy Classmas Party."  I will bring warm drinks, and students can bring goodies if they like.  We will have a contest, play a Jeopardy Review Game, along with other games.

Assignments for Next Week:

Quick Write (12/9)

History Essay Final Draft

Parts of Speech Post Test

Discussion Question–Top Ten Movies

Class Notes–Week 13 (Dec. 1)

We had no Words of the Day today.  Instead, students were given a few minutes to review the notecards they have accumulated in class–15 so far.  After that, they played a game of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in four teams.  They found some of the clues challenging as they were asked not only about the definitions, but the etymology and correct usage.  This was a great review for the Words of the Day Quiz they were assigned on Google Classroom.

We are really  wrapping up our Writing Classes for this semester, and I hope the denouement has been satisfying.  (Did you like that sentence featuring a Word of the Day??!?)

Quick Write

Today’s prompt had to do with courage.  We read a quote by Rosa Parks and had a short discussion about courage and standing up for what’s right–even when it may be unpopular.

Writing

The History Rough Draft and Pre-Writes were due today.  Make sure you get those in with time enough for me to review them.  You’ll want enough time to make your revisions before the end of the semester.  The Finals are due December 15–the last day of class.

Literature

Because this was a big review week for Grammar and Words of the Day, we did not discuss Stave 4 of A Christmas Carol.  Next week we will work with the text in class.  Stave 5 and Study Guide questions were assigned.

Grammar

We had a chaotic, fun and hopefully helpful Grammar review today.  Working with partners, they played a variation of “Speed Interviewing” or “Speed Dating”.  Using the Grammar Review Packets that were assigned at the beginning of the semester, they were given three minutes at each station to answer questions on each Part of Speech.  Though we weren’t able to hit all the stations because of time constraints, they should be prepared for the Grammar Post-Test that we’ll do in class next week.

For even more review fun, you can play the posted “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” Grammar Review game that is posted under the Grammar section in Classwork on Google Classroom.

Blessings on the rest of your week.

Mrs. G

Homework

Words of the Day Quiz (GC)

History Essay Prewrite

History Essay Rough Draft

Read Stave 5 of ACC

Stave 5 Study Guide Questions

Links for this Week

QuickWrite (12/1)

“Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” Words of the Day Review

Grammar Review Packet

“Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” Grammar Review Game

Writing 1 Class Blog