Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Writing 1 Class Notes -- February 21

Greetings!

Thankfully, we all made it to class safely despite our biggest snow of the season.  With President's Day in mind, our Quick Write for today was "Write a promo for a new national holiday."  For our Vocabulary Challenge, they shared words they had found in their reading of A Connecticut Yankee.


We segued from our vocabulary discussion to our book, ACY.  We specifically read aloud a  portion that describes "Sandy," Hank's companion on his quest.  We also looked at a portion in which Morgan le Fay thinks she can take a photograph with an axe.  Twain's use of words both in describing and in humor are key aspects of this book.  The class broke into small groups to discuss their assignments for this week which was to find examples of humor.  The students were then to present what they thought was the best example.  Some students are not enjoying the book as much as others.  The vocabulary is challenging, but if the students read carefully, they'll enjoy the story and the ironic wit of the book.  Encourage them to give themselves plenty of time to read (instead of quickly cramming just before the class).

I handed back the their final copies of their news stories.  I enjoyed reading them. Their writing is definitely improving.  We discussed how to write numbers in essays.  On the blog, I explain the guidelines generally used.  The students are to be working on the rough drafts of their editorials.  These are to be short, persuasive essays.


Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read ACY to Chapter 26 (p. 150)
-- Continue to work on the Themes, Character & Vocabulary worksheets.
-- Work on Editorial Rough Draft
-- Extra Credit:  Find the origin and meaning of your names (first, middle, and last)

Have a great week!
Mrs. Prichard

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