Writing 2 Class Notes–Week 13 (12/5)

Writing 2 Class Notes–Week 13 (12/5)

Hello All!

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and I cannot believe this semester is coming to a close–that means we are starting to wrap things up.

The subject of our final Quick Write this week was:  hair.  As usual, they brainstormed some clever writing topic ideas!

For Grammar, we had our last part of speech presentation:  prepositions.  They did a great job with the teaching!  They organized a fun Kahoot game to practice the concept and rounded it out with a worksheet.  As usual, they have two worksheets from me as homework and they should complete the last evaluation for this group’s presentation.  We are now finished with IVAN CAPP–next week we will do a review before the Fall Grammar Test.

For Writing, the focus today was on sources for our last assignment. We went over some ideas on Victorian inventions last class and, over the break, they were to look for 3-4 suitable sources on the topic of their choosing.The homework was to bring the physical copies of them today. For this class, we will be using MLA style to compose a type of bibliography called “Works Cited” page.

After a slideshow on MLA style 9, students got into table groups and were given a folder with instructions and sources.  They worked together to format the more common sources like books, websites, podcasts, movies, and YouTube videos.  Though students don’t need to memorize the formatting rules, they do need to be familiar with them. It is super important to give credit to the original source–they don’t want to accidentally plagiarize–and the good folks at MLA have helped to standardize how that credit should appear on the page. On the slideshow we looked at a few online places to help them cite any source.

We looked at the checklist for our last composition of the semester.  It is the same process as we just did on Victorian Christmas, but this time, they have chosen the subject (a Victorian invention), the topics, and the sources.  This composition will be three paragraphs instead of two.  We quickly reviewed the process:

1.  Generate a list of possible topics that are common across all 3 of your sources 2.  Choose 3 of those topic ideas 3.  Take the first topic you chose (Topic A) and make one (shorter) source outline from each source--there will be 3 source outlines on that topic--one for each source. 4.  Choose the best of the best from your source outlines and fuse them into one fused outline. Repeat that process two more times (for three paragraphs in total.)  If it helps, use a big piece of paper like we did in class.  I haven't posted the Checklist yet, but it's all 5 Dress-Ups and the #2 sentence opener and the topic-clincher rule.

The outlines are due next week and the compositions are officially due 12/19–the last week of class.  I told them it would be wise to turn it in early.  That way, they can get feedback from me to avoid getting it marked “In process” at the end of the semester.

Blessings on your weekend!

Mrs. G

Homework

Prepositions–1

Prepositions–2

Prepositions Evaluation

Source and fused outlines on a Victorian Invention

–Composition due 12/19

Summarizing Mult. Refs–Victorian Invention

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 15 (December 14)

Greetings!

We had a wonderful day today and combined both work and fun on this final day. 

Homework & Grades

Students handed in their final drafts of their Historical Person Composition. I will grade those projects and any other homework that was handed in; my goal is to have final grades out soon.  I mentioned to the class that I will take any homework submitted by December 22 at 11:59 p.m. If there are any questions, please contact me.  Because I have final drafts and projects from both my classes, I know that I won't have the work ready for final grades until after Christmas.  Look for them some time after the New Year.  

The Wrap-Up

As a culminating event, we combined work and fun with a quiz on the Fall Visual Vocabulary in the form of a KAHOOT! game.  I will record their scores and use it as their grade. 

After that, we had a “test” over A Christmas Carol in the form of a game called ZAP!  The class split into teams and had fun answering questions and things got a little competitive!  ZAP! Is not only a question/answer game, but it also allows teams to steal points from each other. The winners received a candy reward.

A Contest

Last, we had the Annual Writing 1 Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest–there were some other choices for coloring and word searches too (as per their request last week.)  Some enjoyed drawing and coloring—for the hotly contested 1st Prize:  a quality Spork!  They sipped hot chocolate, snacked and enjoyed Christmas music as they colored for the rest of the period.

Links for this Week

Ugly Christmas Sweater Template

Victorian Invention composition

Writing 2 Class Notes (on blog)

My prayer is that all of you have a great Christmas that includes lots of love and laughter!

Blessings,

Mrs. G

Class Notes–Week 14 (December 12)

ad 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.

Our last Visual Vocabulary words for today were: amalgamate and alienate.  These words will show up on our end of the semester quiz next week–so make sure to review those.  The slides are posted on Google Classroom.

Writing

The Victorian Inventions composition is due next week-although students could turn it in early in order to get more time for revisions.  I checked in on their source/fused outlines and answered a few questions.   

Grammar

I handed out the Parts of Speech Post-Test in class today.  It is identical to the Pretest they took at the beginning of the semester.  It is an “open-book” test and can be finished at home.  The KEY is posted and, just like a regular grammar worksheet, it needs to be corrected before it is handed in.  They will receive a base score when it is completed.

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

First, I reminded the class about the A Christmas Carol vocabulary worksheet that is due next week.  If they have been defining four vocabulary words from each Stave as they have been reading, it should be a simple matter of finishing. It is worth 40 pts, so it is a bigger project.  

Next, we listened to the first ten minutes of Stave 4 of A Christmas Carol. In this Stave, we meet the final ghost.  We had a discussion focused on how these three “spirits of Christmas” nudge Scrooge towards his transformation from miserly penny pincher to magnanimous, kind-hearted soul. In small groups, they compared and contrasted the three ghosts and then worked with a partner to invent a new ghost for Scrooge.  They had fun with this creative assignment and handed in their work at the end of the class.  As homework, they are to finish Stave 4 & 5.

Next Week

Our last week of the semester is next week, December 19.  All work should be handed in by that date.  That said, they will be given until Sunday, December 22 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 combine work & play:   During the first part of the class,we will have the A Christmas Carol Final Exam and Visual Vocabulary quiz. The rest of the class time we’ll spend enjoying Christmas games, music and holiday cheer. 

Assignments for Next Week:

Victorian Invention composition

Review Visual Vocabulary words–quiz next week

Grammar Post-Test–open book/notes

CAPP Reviews (GC)

Conjunctions

Adverbs

Pronouns

Prepositions

Read Stave 4 & 5 ACC

ACC Vocabulary

Class Links for this Week:

Class Blog

Writing 1 Class Notes--Week 14 (12/5)

Hello All! There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and I cannot believe this semester is coming to a close–that means we are starting to wrap things up. The subject of our final Quick Write this week was: hair. As usual, they brainstormed some clever writing topic ideas! For Grammar, we had our last part of speech presentation: prepositions. They did a great job with the teaching! They organized a fun Kahoot game to practice the concept and rounded it out with a worksheet. As usual, they have two worksheets from me as homework and they should complete the last evaluation for this group’s presentation. We are now finished with IVAN CAPP–next week we will do a review before the Fall Grammar Test. For Writing, the focus today was on sources for our last assignment. We went over some ideas on Victorian inventions last class and, over the break, they were to look for 3-4 suitable sources on the topic of their choosing.The homework was to bring the physical copies of them today. For this class, we will be using MLA style to compose a type of bibliography called “Works Cited” page. After a slideshow on MLA style 9, students got into table groups and were given a folder with instructions and sources. They worked together to format the more common sources like books, websites, podcasts, movies, and YouTube videos. Though students don’t need to memorize the formatting rules, they do need to be familiar with them. It is super important to give credit to the original source–they don’t want to accidentally plagiarize–and the good folks at MLA have helped to standardize how that credit should appear on the page. On the slideshow we looked at a few online places to help them cite any source. We looked at the checklist for our last composition of the semester. It is the same process as we just did on Victorian Christmas, but this time, they have chosen the subject (a Victorian invention), the topics, and the sources. This composition will be three paragraphs instead of two. We quickly reviewed the process: 1. Generate a list of possible topics that are common across all 3 of your sources 2. Choose 3 of those topic ideas 3. Take the first topic you chose (Topic A) and make one (shorter) source outline from each source--there will be 3 source outlines on that topic--one for each source. 4. Choose the best of the best from your source outlines and fuse them into one fused outline. Repeat that process two more times (for three paragraphs in total.) If it helps, use a big piece of paper like we did in class. I haven't posted the Checklist yet, but it's all 5 Dress-Ups and the #2 sentence opener and the topic-clincher rule. The outlines are due next week and the compositions are officially due 12/19–the last week of class. I told them it would be wise to turn it in early. That way, they can get feedback from me to avoid getting it marked “In process” at the end of the semester. Blessings on your weekend! Mrs. G Homework Prepositions–1 Prepositions–2 Prepositions Evaluation Source and fused outlines on a Victorian Invention –Composition due 12/19 Summarizing Mult. Refs–Victorian Invention Links for this Week About Prepositional Phrases About Summarizing Mult. Refs.--Victorian Invention Works Cited Practice

Writing 1 Week 12–11/21

 Dear Students,

The weather is turning and we are all ready for a break! But before the break:  one last class!  

Our visual vocabulary words this week are:  felonious and elated. Hopefully, you are not elated about something felonious!

Writing

Today, the composition on Victorian Christmas is due. I checked in on how the process of summarization went. Writing source and fused outlines is a new skill to most and is very important to the “bones” of writing. After fielding some questions, we moved on to the next writing topic.  

I emphasized that up to this point, we have used the source texts provided and we haven’t used outside sources.We will continue to practice summarizing multiple sources, but for this next assignment, students will get to choose their own references/source texts.The subject is Victorian inventions/events. After watching a short video on the Victorian era, we broke into small groups to brainstorm ideas on this topic.  Students shared their ideas, so they should now have  at least a few pretty good ones. 

Their homework over break is to find AND bring 3-4 references/source text to class. Two references may be internet articles and the other one(s) must be from a different source– a book, magazine/journal or documentary. Bring a hard copy of your references–that means bring the physical book/magazine or printed article to class with you next class.  

Grammar

After that, the pronouns group presented. They did a good job! They have two worksheets from me for homework as usual. Our last presentation on prepositions will be presented when we come back from break on December 5th (Liam, Wesley, Brecken and Peter).

Literature

We wrapped up the class with a discussion on Stave 1 of A Christmas Carol.  I handed out a vocabulary worksheet that they will fill out as they work their way through the book and hand it in on the last day of class.  Then, we listened to a dramatized reading of the beginning of Stave 2 from Audible for the last few minutes of class.  Over break, students should read the rest of Stave 2 and answer 3 Questions from the worksheet. I forgot to mention that they should answer the fun Christmas food Discussion question posted on Google Classroom as well.

Homework

Choose a subject–Victorian invention/event

Bring 3-4 (physical) references about a Victorian invention or event to class

Two references may be Internet articles–bring the printed article to class; bring physical copies of the other reference(s)

Pronouns–1

Pronouns–2

Pronouns Evaluation

Read Stave 2 ACC

3 Questions

A Christmas Carol Vocabulary

Christmas Food Discussion Question–Google Classroom

Writing 1 Class Notes–Week 11 (Nov. 14)

 Hi Everyone!

We had a great class today!  I am always encouraged to see such bright, inquisitive students each week who are engaged and ready to learn!

We kicked off with our Quick Write.  As our writing subjects get a little more “random,” it’s great to see students leaning in to ask themselves good questions in order to think of potential topics to write on.  Today’s subject:  silverware.

Next, we moved on to the Writing portion of our class.  Today, I introduced a new unit–really an expansion of the summarizing we’ve been working on.  From now on, we will be working with multiple references, so today we worked on the skills of making source outlines and then combining those source outlines into one fused outline. 

After viewing some short teaching videos which gave an overview of the process,  I handed out three source texts on the subject of Victorian Christmas traditions.  Together we read through the texts and picked out possible topics.  After assessing which topic had the most important, interesting and relevant information, we chose one.  

Then, from each source (labeled A, B & C), we filled out three abbreviated KWOs (also labeled A, B & C) and we ended up with three short source outlines.  After that, our work is easy:  simply scan the source outlines for the “best of the best” information and fill out one fused outline.  This fused outline helps organize information, and causes us to think critically on how the pieces should fit together.  It’s like a first draft and I explained that once that process is complete, the paragraph basically writes itself!  For a two paragraph composition, they will need to repeat this process twice.

As I wrote my outlines for the first topic on the board, students worked on theirs.  For this first paragraph, they are welcome to use my outlines or make their own.  Their homework is to write a second paragraph on a topic of their choosing using these source texts.  They should continue making source/fused outlines and use their checklist to write.

Whew!  They worked hard during that teaching!  Though I handed out our new novel,  we will leave discussing the Literature portion of the class until next class. After handing out A Christmas Carol, I explained that Charles 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!  Students will read Stave 1 as homework and answer questions.

No Grammar presentations this week–I asked the Pronouns and Prepositions groups to delay their presentations by one week.  We will pick up next week (11/21) with the pronouns group of Alexa, Samara and Evelyn.

Homework

Summarizing Multiple References–Victorian Christmas

Read Stave 1 A Christmas Carol

3 Questions on ACC

Links for this Week

Quick Write #5

About Summarizing Multiple References  (with teaching videos)

A Christmas Carol on Audible

Updated Assignment Checklist

CHAT Writing 1 Class Notes–Week 10 (11/7)

 CHAT Writing 1 Class Notes–Week 10 (11/7)

We are buzzing along in our semester and these students are learning a lot!

We started the class with our Visual Vocabulary words:  pensive and beleaguered.  Now that the election is over, hopefully none of us feel that way anymore!

Writing

After reviewing the www.asia.b clause, the new #2 preposition sentence opener, and some tips on how to handle numbers when writing a composition, students practiced identifying Dress-Ups on a student sample paragraph.  They compared notes with a neighbor and we went over the answers together as a class.

After reading the Checklist together, they are now ready to write their compositions.  The three paragraph summary is due next week.

Grammar

The adverbs group presented their part of speech today.  They also have two worksheets from me and should fill out an evaluation on today’s presentation.  Next week, the pronouns group (Samera, Evelyn & Alexa) will present.

Literature

To prepare for our next novella, I assigned students to read some introductory material about A Christmas Carol.  After they read that, they can take a quiz over it on Google Classroom.  There is also a video posted about Charles Dickens’ life and times to enjoy.

Have a blessed weekend!

Mrs. G

Homework

About Summarizing a Reference w/ Checklist

Summarizing “CIA Training” OR “Tony Mendez”

Adverbs–1

Adverbs–2

Adverbs Evaluation

A Christmas Carol Introductory Material

Quiz–Introduction to A Christmas Carol

Links for this week

Visual Vocabulary #5