Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 10 (March 26)

Greetings!

We started our adventure of online learning for Writing 1.  I was so blessed and impressed by this group of students.  I know it's going to get boring sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time, but they did a great job.  As the week's progress, I'll work out some of the kinks and find more ways to make the learning enjoyable and effective.  That said, it's important to remember that this is school even if you're curled up on a cozy couch or sitting in your bedroom.  The same rules about distracting technology use, respecting one another, and focusing on the what's going on in class apply.

After checking sound levels and admitting everyone to the room, we did our usual Quick Write.  For these Quick Writes, students can either write on a piece of paper and then take a picture of it and email it, OR they can type their responses directly into an email.  I gave them 3 prompts from which to choose:  1) What's the craziest thing you've done; 2) How are you staying connected with people during our "shelter in place;" and 3) If we're going to do our best to stay home, what last minute items do you need to purchase?

I had to adjust the presentation of our Words of the Day because the view of my whiteboard was not clear.  We used the Zoom chat feature for that.  These words came from Merriam-Websters March Words of the Day

fusty --  British : impaired by age or dampness : moldy;  rigidly old-fashioned or reactionary

crwth -- an ancient Celtic stringed instrument that is plucked or bowed

ambidextrous -- using both hands with equal ease or dexterity

retronym -- a term (such as analog watch, film camera, or snail mail) that is newly created and adopted to distinguish the original or older version, form, or example of something (such as a product) from other, more recent versions, forms, or examples

oleaginous -- 1 : resembling or having the properties of oil : oily; also : containing or producing oil; 2 : marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality

Writing

Most students had watched the video last week that gave an explanation of the next writing assignment -- a News Story.  In class we talked about possible topics, the differences between an objective point of view and a subjective one (That is, between just reporting the facts and giving editorial comments.   (I used the Breakout Room feature of Zoom to put them in small groups to discuss topic ideas.  In Zoom, I'm able to go from to room to room and listen to their conversations.  Having academic conversations can be difficult to get used to in this digital format, but I plan to use the Breakout Rooms every week.)  The Rough Draft and Pre-Write of the News Story are due next week.  Students can 1)share a Google Doc, 2) send a Word attachment, 3) send a pdf, or copy the text of the paper into an email if they are using Apple's Pages.

Literature

We have finished our short stories by O. Henry, and I'm a little disappointed that we couldn't have longer discussions about his stories.  They are fun and quirky and thought-provoking.  Now, we are onto Poetry.  For those students who picked up their packets from me on Tuesday or from Mrs. Johnson, you can read the poems from the book.  For the rest of you who have chose the digital option, the specific poems are listed below with links to websites.  The first task of the students is to read the handout, Interpreting Poetry.  Then students must read all of the assigned poems, and they are to choose 2 poems to respond to.  Here are their options for responding to the poems:

1.  Fill out a Poetry Worksheet for one or both (link to blog or use attached document below)

2.  Write a paragraph about the poem(s) that analyzes it using the ideas of Imagery, Sound, and Structure as explained in the Interpreting Poetry handout.

3.  Instead of writing a paragraph, record a video commentary about the poem.  Youtube LiveStream or some other app on a device is OK as long as it can be seen by me.

4.  Do a piece of art that connects with the content and meaning of the poem.  

5.  Find a recorded version of someone reciting the poem AND make a video of your recitation of the poem.

Grammar

I've put together some short videos to review what we've learned so far this year.  (The videos aren't professional quality, but they get the job done.)  Using Edpuzzle, students are to watch the videos and answer questions as they pop up throughout the videos.  This is their grammar homework for this week.  Here's what students need to do:

1.  Go to Edpuzzle and click on Student.  

2.  The next screen will ask for a class code.  The code for Writing 1 is kacittu.

3.  The next screen will have you sign in to the website, and then it will take you to class site with the assigned videos.

4.  Watch the videos and answer the questions -- there are 3 videos for this week.

5.  Note:  You will have to stay on the website; if you leave it, the video stops.  You can't fast forward, either.  I'm afraid you'll just have to do the whole assignment.

Assignments for Next Week

-- Write the Pre-Write and Rough Draft of the News Story

-- Read all of the poems listed below

-- Choose 2 poems and respond (see notes above)

-- Complete Edpuzzle assignment

Links for This Week

Class Notes

3/19 Quick Write -- National Let's Laugh Day

Interpreting Poetry

Poetry Worksheet

Edpuzzle

Writing 1 Google Drive

News Story

Poetry for Week 11 (April 2)  (Note:  I've added some poetry that wasn't on the syllabus)

Langston Hughes (p. 53) -- The Negro Speaks of Rivers

William Carlos Williams (p. 48) -- The Red Wheelbarrow

Robert Frost (44 - 45) -- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, and Fire and Ice, and  The Road Not Taken, and Acquainted with the Night

Paul Laurence Dunbar (p. 42 - 43) -- Life, and  We Wear the Mask

Carl Sandburg (p. 46 - 47) -- Fog, and Grass

News Story

Definition

            In a News Story, you learn as much as you can about a subject and present your findings in a way that makes sense and holds your reader attention.  Your story can be a report of an event, an interview, or a compiled report on an issue.

Gathering Information

You can consult a variety of sources about a timely, interesting topic.  Your sources may include books, articles, internet sources, interviews, etc.  Your goal is to bring together this information into a unified report that informs and/or entertains your readers.

Two steps:

• Collecting – Consult a number of sources, taking careful notes about your subject.  Be careful to be accurate with facts, figures, and quotations.
• Assessing – Come to some conclusion about the significance of the information you collected.  Let that conclusions be the thesis of your paper.  Then plan your report, selecting and arranging the facts to support this focus. 

Thesis Development

            Your thesis will be the ideas you’ve formed after collecting material.  The thesis may be about the value of the subject, the impact it has on society, the causes and effects related to it, the significance to others, etc. 

Organization

            A News Story can be organized in a number of ways.  If it is of an event, a chronological format can be used.  If this plan is used, the writer should continue to draw the reader’s attention not only to the progression of events, but also to the manner in which they support the thesis.  Sometimes a News Story is about various people, and separate paragraphs can be devoted to each person.  If an issue is discussed, the writer will need to break it into its primary components.   

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Pre-Write due March 26; Rough Draft due April 2;  Final Draft due April 23

– Essay length:  500 – 700 words (between 2 and 4 pages)

– Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

– Final draft format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay

– Note:  You may print the final draft in a more newspaper-like format.

Poetry Worksheet

Title of Poem:  ___________________________                    

Author:  ____________________________

1.      What is the dramatic situation of the poem? (What is taking place literally?)

  

2.      Who is the speaker in the poem? (Or, at least, what do we know about him/her?)

  

3.      Where is the setting of the poem? Where is the speaker? When does it take place?

  

4.      What is a possible theme of the poem?  In other words, what ideas or concepts does the author want you to think about?

  

5.      How does the poet use language? Is it elevated or fancier language? Is it more vernacular, colloquial, or casual?

INTERPRETING POETRY

WHAT IS POETRY?

Poetry is often considered mystical or spiritual.  It has been called “the most intimate and volatile form of literary discourse” that can deepen “our capacity for personhood, our achievement of humanity.”  Poetry also “conveys heightened forms of perception, experience, meaning, or consciousness in heightened language” (Brogan 938). As a “heightened mode of discourse,” poetry exhibits “intensified speech” by using conventions that are considered defining characteristics (Hirsch 27).

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

DICTION

Diction refers to the poet’s choice of words.  Poets often choose words that contribute to the poem’s meaning on both a denotational and a connotation level.

·         Denotation:  the object or idea that the word represents; the dictionary meaning

·         Connotation:  the subjective, emotional association that a word has for one person or a group of people.

·         Wordplay:  double meanings and puns.

SYNTAX

Syntax is sentence structure, the way words go together to make sentences. Poets often invert the normal word order so that they can make a sentence rhyme, to fit a metrical pattern, or to emphasize an idea.  Further difficulties arise because sentences are so long that we forget how they begin. 

CHARACTERIZATION, POINT OF VIEW, PLOT, SETTING AND THEME

Poems do not always offer a “story” in a conventional sense, but action may be implied, a place or time may be important, and characters may dramatize the key issues of the poem.

POINT OF VIEW

According to T.S. Eliot, in any poem there is always a speaker, “I” of the poem.  The first voice is the voice of the poet talking to himself (or to nobody).  The second voice is the voice of the poet addressing an audience, whether large or small.  The third is the voice of the poet when he is saying, not what he would say in his own person, but only what he can say within the limits of one imaginary character addressing another imaginary character.  (Eliot, 96)

IMAGERY

Descriptive Language:  The poet often uses descriptive imagery to underscore other elements in a poem, such as tone, meaning, and characterization.  All of the senses can be engaged (touch, visual, motion, sound, thermal/temperature)

Figurative Language:  A second consideration about imagery refers to a conscious departure from normal or conventional ways of saying things. 

·         Tropes (literally “turns”) extend the meaning of words beyond their literal meaning.

·         Similes:  Using comparative words (like or as), a simile makes an analogous connection between two items.

·         Metaphors:  Generally, a metaphor is any analogy which shows similarity between things that are basically different.  Specifically, a metaphor is a type of figurative language that assumes a connection or comparison without using like or as.

·         Personification:  A more indirect analogy, personification bestows human characteristics to any inanimate object, animal, or abstract quality.

·         Extended Metaphor:  When a poet carries out a singular analogy throughout an entire poem, he has written an extended metaphor.

·         Symbolism:  Symbolism appeals to poets because symbols are highly suggestive.  A symbol is an object that represents an abstract idea or ideas.  The most powerful symbols are those that do not exactly specify the ideas they represent and carry meaning on multiple levels.

THE SOUND OF POETRY:  MUSICAL ELEMENTS

Rhythm:  One of the most naturally pleasing elements of poetry, rhythm, is related to the pulse, the heartbeat, the way we breathe. 

Meter:  All human speech has rhythm, but poetry regularizes that rhythm into recognizable patterns.  These are called meters.  Metrical patterns vary depending on the sequence in which the poets arrange the accented (á) and unaccented (ă) syllables.  The unit that determines that arrangement is the foot; a foot is one unit of rhythm.

Word Sounds

·         Devices using word sounds:

·         Onomatopoeia:  the use of words that sound like what they mean (“buzz,” “boom,” “hiss,” “pop,” etc.)

·         Alliteration:  the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or at the beginning of accented syllables.

·         Assonance:  the repetition of vowel sounds followed by the different consonant sounds.

·         Consonance:  the repetition of final consonant sounds that are preceded by different vowel sounds.  Consonance is the opposite of alliteration which features initial consonance sounds.

·         Rhyme:  the repetition of accented vowels and the sounds that follow.  There are subcategories of rhyme:

STRUCTURE

Structure is the way the whole poem is organized and put together.  Poets give structure to their poems in two overlapping ways:  by organizing ideas according to a logical plan and by establishing a pattern of units. 

Lines:  Poetry is organized in lines while prose is divided into paragraphs. They use various criteria for choosing line lengths.  The best known criterion is meter – the number of feet per line.

Enjambment:  Enjambment is the continuance of a phrase from one line to the next so that there is no pause at the end of the line.  An end-stopped line has a definite pause at the end.  Enjambed and end-stopped lines create different effects. 

Blank Verse:  A line form that is always enjambed is blank verse.  The sentences run from line to line as if the lines don’t exist.

Stanza:  Stanzas in a poem typically resemble one another structurally.  The have the same number of lines, length of lines, metrical patterns, and rhyme schemes.  They are physically separated by a space.

Rhyme scheme:  Any pattern of end rhyme is a traditional method of organizing stanzas.  Rhyme scheme refers to that pattern. 

TYPES OF STRUCTURES

The Sonnet:  The most famous fixed form in English, sonnets consist of fourteen lines of iambic pentameter. A Shakespearean sonnet rhymes abab/cdcd/efef/gg and has a structural division of three quatrains and a couplet.  A Petrarchan sonnet rhymes abbaabba in the octave and cdecde in the sestet.  Each kind of sonnet has a turn, a point in the poem at which the poet shifts from one meaning or mood to another.  The turn in the Shakespearean sonnet occurs between lines 12 and 13.  In the Petrarchan sonnet the turn occurs between the octave and the sestet.

The Ballad:  Defined as “a song, transmitted orally, which tells a story,” (Abrams, 18), ballads feature intense conflicts, emotional and melodramatic narratives, and are condensed retelling of portions of the whole story.

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Abrams, M.H.  A Glossary of Literary Terms.  7^th ed.  Fort Worth, TX:  Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.

Brogan, T.V. F. “Poetry.” The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics.  Ed. Alex

Hirsch, Edward.  How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry.  San Diego:  Harcourt, 1999.

Preminger and T.V.F. Brogan.  Princeton, NJ:  Princeton UP, 1993.

Eliot, T. S. “The Three Voices of Poetry.”  On Poetry and Poets.  New York: Octagon Books, 1975, 96 – 112.

Quick Write -- National Let's Laugh Day

March 19 is National Let's Laugh Day, and in the midst of the challenges of COVID-19, I thought it would be helpful for students to think of something funny.  Here are some of their submissions:

“I swallowed a dictionary and it gave me thesaurus throat I had ever had.”

I like grammar.

Hahahaha, wasn't that a great joke?! I actually don't mind grammar, but I still thought it would be funny to do that.

OK here's an actual joke: It's hard to do through email but it will be fine. It's a knock knock joke, but you need to start it.

You: Knock knock

Me: Who's there?

Escalators don’t break down, they turn into stairs.

“I’m sorry” and “I apologize” mean the same thing… Unless you’re at a funeral.

I intend to live forever… Or die trying.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

A blind man walked into a bar… And a table, and a chair.

At what age is it appropriate to tell my dog he was adopted.

A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist.

I think my favorite joke is a bar joke. While not all bar jokes are appropriate this one is gold. It all starts when a man walks into a bar. He sits next to a man and orders a beer. After about thirty minutes the men start to talk. As they learn more about each other, they start to get curious. They both start to feel like they know one another. Then one of them says “there’s no chance that you went to saint peters class of 1987?” The other says “well it just happens that I did.” They both are dumbfounded and continue to inquire about one another. Then one says “what if we were neighbors? Did you grow up on applewood street?” The other says “well man, it seems so.” They continue to keep asking one another questions about their past getting more and more flabbergasted. Then finally the bartender says to a waiter “it’s gonna be a long night.” The waiter says “why? Seems fine to me.” The bartender says “The Murphy twins are drunk again.”

National Let’s Laugh Day

The Problem people find the most trying from a dog is the struggle to prevent them from eating your shoes. Dogs chew on shoes, on squeaky toys and tug-of-war ropes, but not our new puppy. She smells your shoes and sniffs the dog toys but she does not play with them. The objects that Nutmeg finds most enticing are not these average doggy play things but dirty socks, cardboard boxes and clean towels folded and left on the floor. She picks up the towel with her teeth and tosses it into the air. Nutmeg sneaks into the laundry room and takes the old socks, she then brings them into the living room and will tear them apart if you do not catch her in time. 

Dear Somebody…

(dear somebody, this joke is only simple logic so you might not get it, try to follow along.)

-How many elephants can you fit in a Mini Cooper?            

        Four. Two in the front two in the back. 

-How do you know if there is an elephant in your fridge?                              

        There are tracks in the butter.

-How do you know if there are two elephants in your fridge?     

        They giggle when the light goes out.

 -How do you know if there are 3 elephants in your fridge?          

        The door won’t close right.

-How do you know if there are 4 elephants in your fridge?           

        There is a Mini Cooper parked out front…

(dear somebody, at some point in the joke you may have been distracted wondering about how the elephants got into the fridge or what kind of food the elephants are squashing. Please try not to think about it or ask questions because I don’t know ether.)

-How many Giraffes can you fit in a Mini Cooper?                             

        None, the elephants are already in there.

 (dear somebody, on a little side note, if you are lost, then you might want to stop reading right now. Trust me. It’s just simple logic… actually on second thought keep reading… it will educate you.)

-Why don’t you see elephants hiding in trees?   

        Because they are so good at it!

 (dear somebody, please don’t go looking up into trees to find elephants to bring home as a pet. You won’t find them… trust me… you will probably also run into a lot of things and get hurt. Try not to do that.)

What time is it when the elephant sits on the fence?      

        Time to get a new fence…

(dear somebody, if this ever happens to you in the future. Use some stronger materials like stone… even better use concrete to remake your fence. Also, elephants are deterred by elephant repellent so spray an entire can of the stuff on the top of the fence. You can call this number to get a can of your own elephant repellent. 1800-REP-ELL-ENT. Better luck next time.)

Sincerely, With Love, Cordially, Tootles, See you Later, etc., etc., etc.

Me 

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 8 (March 12)

Greetings!

This will be a brief "Class Notes," but I will have more to share in a couple of days about what students should do during our week away from  Grace Church next week.

Quick Write prompts:  National T-Shirt Day; What dog breed would you like; Would you rather play inside or outside.

Words of the Day (Contronyms or Janus Words)

with -- to be alongside; to be against

bolt -- to fasten; to leave quickly

weather -- to withstand (as in a trial); to wear away

screen -- to hide from view; to sho

cleave -- to separate; to bind together

buckle -- to fasten; to fall apart

The bulk of our discussion this week was on how to incorporate quoted material into our papers; how to format an in text citation; and how to format a Works Cited page.

Look for a longer email from me that will lay out my plan for next Thursday!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read "Retrieved Reformation" and "Pimienta Pancakes"

-- Complete on Short Story worksheet (both sides)

-- Final Draft of Jekyll/Hyde Essay

-- No Grammar Worksheets

Links for this week:

Class Notes

Quote Sandwich Video

MLA In Text Citations

Hanging Indent in Microsoft Word

Hanging Indent in Google Docs

Hanging Indent in Pages

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 7 (March 5)

Greetings!

In class today, we started, as usual, with a Quick Write.  For this week, I pulled the prompts from the National Days Calendar.  March 4 was National Grammar Day; March 5 was National Cheese Doodle Day; and March 6 is National Day of Unplugging.  Students could write about their love or hate of grammar, about their favorite cheese snacks, or about their use of technology to entertain themselves or waste time.

Our Words of the Day dealt with fears.  I've been using a book by Richard Lederer, Crazy English, for some of our words. The Greek root phobia means "fear" 

acrophobia -- fr. Greek, akron, tip, heights -- a fear of high places  (by the way, the word "acrobat" has the same root, akron)

nyctophobia -- fr. Greek nux, "night" -- a fear of darkness or night

ombrophobia -- fr. Greek ombros, "storm or rain" -- fear of rain or storms (by the way, the word "umbrella" also has the same root.)

phengophobia -- origin unknown  -- fear of daylight

basophobia -- fr. Latin bas, base -- a fear of falling; a fear of standing

arachibutyrophobia -- a fear of getting peanut butter stuck on the room of your mouth

And one more

hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia -- the fear of long words

After our beginning of class activities and a check in on the homework that was passed back, the class took a quiz on our short stories for this week.  As we corrected the quiz in class, we discussed the stories. The quiz was not difficult, but it gave me an opportunity to see if they had read and understood the stories.  The Short Stories by O. Henry are quirky and often have unusual endings.  They are to read two more for next week.  They have a worksheet that asks them to write 3 discussion questions.  They should do it on the front side for one story and on the other side (which is blank) for the other story.

Students handed in their rough drafts for the Character/Theme essays.  I will go over those this week, but for next week they are to bring 2 paragraphs from their rough drafts.  One paragraph should be their introduction and the other can be any other paragraph in the paper.  Next week we will divide up into Writing Circles to share the paragraphs with one another.

For our Grammar discussion, we are again working through various sentence structures.  Last week we worked on N-LV-N and N-LV-Adj sentences, and this week we looked are working with N-V-N sentences with direct objects.  They have two worksheets and should do both fronts and backs.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Weather looks great, so enjoy!

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read "Makes the Whole World Kin" and "The Furnished Room"

-- Short Stories Worksheet -- 3Q (both sides)

-- Grammar Worksheets:  Sentence Patterns, Nouns as Direct Objects, Compound Direct Objects

-- Bring 2 paragraphs, including the introduction paragraph

Links for This Week

Class Notes

National Grammar Day  

National Cheese Doodle Day;  

National Day of Unplugging  

Writing 1 Spring Words of the Day

Short Stories Worksheet -- 3 Q

Sentence Patterns -- N-V-N

Nouns as Direct Objects

Compound Direct Objects

Compound Direct Objects

A direct object is one type of predicate complement.  It is a noun or a pronoun that receives the action of the verb.  A compound direct object refers to more than one noun or pronoun that is receiving the action of the verb.

Directions:  Underline once the simple subject in the sentence, underline twice the verb, and circle the direct objects.

1.       My friend plays football and baseball.

2.       We ate the donuts and muffins for breakfast.

3.       My sister studied geometry and history today.

4.       The tornado ruined both our garage and the treehouse.

5.       We explored the woods and the river.

6.       The new baker sells bread, cookies, cakes, and donuts.

7.       Mr. Jackson bought a new computer, a refurbished printer, and a desk.

8.       The student removed his papers and pens from the desk.

9.       The lions at the zoo scared the small children and their parents.

10.    The lifeguard watched people on the beach and people in the water.

11.    My neighbor built a garden bed and a retaining wall.

12.    The dog chased the cat and the squirrel across the yard.

Nouns as Direct Objects

    A direct object is one type of predicate complement.  It is a noun or a pronoun that receives the action of the verb.

Directions:  Underline once the simple subject in the sentence, underline twice the verb, and circle the direct object.

1.       My friend hit the ball.

2.       We ate the donuts.

3.       My sister studied geometry today.

4.       The tornado ruined our garage.

5.       The earthquake shook the foundations of the building.

6.       The new baker gave free samples of his bread.

7.       Mr. Jackson bought a new computer last week.

8.       The student left the room after the test.

9.       The lions at the zoo scared the small children.

10.    The family played a game after supper.

11.    The children quickly finished their chores.

12.    The dog chased the cat across the yard.

13.    The president gave a forceful speech last week.

14.    These students write amazing papers.

15.    My family needs a vacation.

Sentence Patterns (N-V-N)

NAME:  ________________________________

The Equation for a Sentence:

     Subject (Noun)

     Verb

+   Complete Thought

     SENTENCE

Every complete sentence (independent clause) must have these components.  Additionally, all sentences start with capital letters and have an end punctuation mark. (i.e. period, question mark, exclamation mark.)

Direct Objects Sentence Pattern:  N-V-N

In this sentence pattern the noun (N or S) performs the action of the verb (V), and the verb is an action verb, not a linking verb.  In the predicate, there is a direct object (DO) that is a noun or pronoun, and it receives the action of the verb.

                           S     V          DO                                 S            V         DO

EXAMPLE:  My dog ate the shoes.                  The students learned Chinese.

Exercise #1:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun, an action verb, and a direct object.  Put a single word in each box.

Subject Noun	Action Verb	Direct Object
EX:  child	ate	crayons
EX:  man	shovels	snow
1.
2.
3.

Build sentences using your subject nouns, verbs, and direct objects from the chart above.  Label the subject (S), and verb (V), and the direct object (DO).You can add adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases if you like.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

                S       V     DO                                                     S        V               DO

EX:  The baby ate crayons.                                            The man shovels the snow.

1.

2.

3.

Exercise #2:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun, an action verb, and a direct object. 

Subject Noun	Action Verb	Direct Object
1.
2.
3.

Build sentences using your subject nouns, verbs, and direct objects from the chart above.  Label the subject (S), and verb (V), and the direct object (DO).You can add adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases if you like.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

                             S       V      DO

EX.  My favorite class wrote sentences.

1.

2.

Exercise #3:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun, an action verb, and a direct object. 

Compound Subject Nouns	Action Verb	Singular Direct Object
EX:  squirrels, rabbits	ate	carrots
1.
Singular Subject Nouns	Action Verb	Plural Direct Objects
EX: Teacher	graded	essays, worksheets
2.

Build sentences using your subject nouns, verbs, and direct objects from the chart above.  Label the subject (S), and verb (V), and the direct object (DO).You can add adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases if you like.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

EX.  The happy little squirrels and rabbits ate all the carrots.

The teacher graded my essays and worksheets. 1.

2.