Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 14 (December 10)

 Greetings!

Every Thursday this semester it's been delightful to see the smiling faces of this class.  I love this place in the school year when we've gotten to know one another and have a productive learning community.

We started class with a Quick Write, using these prompts that came from their list of suggestions:

Option 1: What is your favorite restaurant? Why? What do you like to order there? Option 2: What is your least favorite kind of music? Why don’t you like it? Option 3: What is the most generous thing you’ve done? Would you do it again? Why?  

Our Words of the Day were winter-related words:

solstice -- from Latin solstitium, from sol, "sun" and sistere, "stopped, stationary" --  the time or date at which the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination, marked by the longest (June 21) and shortest (Dec. 22) days.

hibernate -- from Latin hibernare, from hiberna ‘winter quarters’, from hibernus ‘wintry’ -- when a plant or animal spends the winter in a dormant state.

apricity -- from Latin apricus, "having lots of sunshine" or "warmed by the sun" -- the warmth of the sun (We talked about how cats are especially good at finding that one sunny spot in the house.)

subnivean -- from Latin sub, "under" and nives, "snow" -- the area between the surface of the ground and the bottom of the snowpack.

The Rough Drafts of their History Essays were handed back, and I commented on how much I enjoy teaching writing because I get to learn about so many topics from their essays.  I covered some common writing issues/errors, including writing dates and numbers and correcting comma splice sentences.  The Final Drafts are due next week.

We've finished A Christmas Carol and had a very productive and insightful conversation comparing Animal Farm and A Christmas Carol.  The focus of the conversation was how satisfying or unsatisfying the endings of the books were; this led us to talk about the author's intent.  This is a smart bunch!  We ended our class with mini-book project activities.  The class divided into 4 groups for the following activities:  comic strip panel creation, found poetry writing, scene creating, and dialogue writing.  We'll continue that work in class next week as part of our Christmas "party" fun.

Speaking of next week, I like to spend that last week before Christmas doing fun stuff.  We can't have food in the classroom, but we can set up a table in the hallway for treats and eat out there.  Students are invited to bring goodies.  

Since we're almost at the end of the semester, students should finish up any work they have not done.  In the assignments list, I've included a couple past assignments in case students have forgotten to do them.  All assignments are on Google Classroom in case students no longer have the paper version.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week:

History Final Draft

Top 10 Movies Question  (Extra Credit)

Parts of Speech Post Test

Presentation Self-Evaluation

This Week's Links

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 14 (December 10) 

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 3 (Sept. 17)

 Greetings!

We had a great class yesterday.  This is a good, conscientious group of students.

We started with a Quick Write.  For today's prompt, I offered them 2 options.  September 15 was Agatha Christie's birthday, and she is known as the "queen of mysteries" with over 80 books to her name.  She also wrote the world's longest running play, The Mousetrap.  Students could write their opinions about mysteries, a mysterious event, or an original mystery.  The other option was related to National Apple Dumpling Day (Sept. 17).  Baked apple goods seem to be the quintessential fall food.  Students could write about apples or some other favorite fall food.  (And, as always, they can always choose the third, "Whatever" option and write on something completely different.)

Following our Quick Write, I went over some Google Classroom "Protocols," hopefully clarifying questions that students have had.

• 99.9% of your assignments are on Google Classroom (GC)
• You can hand in work on GC or in class but NOT BOTH
• If you do the assignment on Google Classroom, remember to "Turn In"  (button in the upper right corner of the window.)
• If you have handed in an assignment during class (the paper version), please the Google Classroom assignment alone.  I will assign a grade and return in.
• Some assignments can ONLY be done on Google Classroom. When that is the case, those homework assignments will be designated (GC)
• For the Final Drafts of your essays, follow these steps IN ORDER:
• Open your Rough Draft document, select/highlight all of the content (Ctrl-A) and copy it (Ctrl-C)
• Open the Google Classroom assignment for the Final Draft and then open the document/template.
• Paste the contents of the Rough Draft onto this document.
• Make corrections and revisions. (DO NOT MAKE CORRECTIONS WHILE IT IS STILL IN THE ROUGH DRAFT DOCUMENT!)
• Turn it in!

This week, students were to take notes of class, and these notes are due in class next week.  Sometimes when we are covering a significant amount of content, I will have students take notes and then turn in copies of those notes.  Students can hand in the paper copies of their notes next week OR upload copies to the Google Classroom assignment.  

I handed back their Rough Drafts of their Descriptive Essays.  I believe that students learn grammar best in the context of their own writing, so I like to take a generous amount of time to go over common mistakes and for them to ask questions from their own mistakes.  I had the students write on post it notes either the error most-corrected on their rough drafts or a grammar issue that they didn't understand.  After they brought these up to the white board, I covered those areas that seemed to need the most attention.  This week, those areas included contractions, the use of numbers, capital letters, and commas with compound sentences.

For the Final Drafts of these essays, students should submit them via Google Classroom (see the notes about the protocols.)  They should also bring to class on Sept. 24 their rough drafts with my corrections.

We talked very little about our book, Animal Farm.  For next week, students are to read Chapters 3 & 4 and take the Quiz. (GC)  I had forgotten to add links for audio book versions last week, so those are in the "Links" list at the bottom of the email.

We are preparing for the Parts of Speech projects, and next week we will take a large amount of time for students to connect with their partners.  Before next week, students should take the Parts of Speech Pre-Test.  This test has been posted on Google Classroom, and students can print it and bring the completed test to class, print it and then upload the completed test to the Google Classroom assignment, or complete the test using a tablet or other touch device.  

Below are the student "teachers" and the parts of speech:

Interjections -- Anthony, Annelise

Verbs -- Danica, Lilia 

Adjectives -- Rachael, Nina

Nouns -- Halle, Eden 

Conjunctions -- Julia, Rachel

Adverbs -- Kaylynn, Grace 

Pronouns -- Tate, Rebecca 

Prepositions -- Elijah, Cyprian

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week

-- Final Draft of Descriptive Essay (GC)

-- Remember to bring the rough draft to class on 9/24

-- Read Ch. 3 & 4 of Animal Farm

-- Take Home Quiz (GC)

-- Parts of Speech Pre-Test (GC)

Links for This Week

Fall Writing 1 Google Drive Folder

Class Notes 9/17

Animal Farm Audioversions

     Youtube version

     Youtube version (with a British accent.)

     Audible (paid subscription)

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 2 (Sept. 10)

 Greetings!

We had a great class yesterday.  These students are coming in with a readiness to learn and are encouraging a positive perspective for one another.

Our Quick Write today was from the National Days Calendar.  Yesterday was National Swap Ideas Day, in which people are encouraged to share their ideas and creativity with one another.  I asked them to write about any big, outside-the-box ideas they've done or had.  They could also write about whether or not they are creative.  I've just finished reading their Quick Writes, and this class has a wonderful variety of creative and practical students!

This week students handed in their first paper assignment of the year, their Descriptive Essay Rough Drafts.  I'm looking forward to reading them.  My procedure with student papers is to go through and correct them after they're handed in and then hand them back the next week.  Students are to take that following week to make revisions.  

Last week for the Literature portion of the class, we started Animal Farm with an  introduction and a quiz on Google Classroom.  Before they start reading the book, I would like them to write a short response to the question, "What makes a good leader?"  (This assignment is attached to this email  and on Google Classroom.)  For next week, they also need to give a short response to a discussion question and 3 Reader Responses.  We talked in class about the study guide questions that are listed per chapter and also the ala carte options if students would like more creative opportunities to respond to their reading.  NOTE:  These reader responses can be done on paper and handed in during next week's class time OR they can be done on the Google Classroom assignment.  Students DO NOT need to do it both ways.

For the final third of the class time, we talked about the Grammar projects that we will be doing this semester.  During the Fall semester, we study the 8 Parts of Speech, and the students themselves do the teaching on these topics.  As the teachers, students will need to do some research so that they have a firm grasp of their chosen part of speech; they will then prepare a teaching/presentation about this part of speech that also includes some kind of activity that helps the students further understand and remember what was taught.  In the past I've also required that students assign homework, but this year I put together homework because I didn't know if we would be face to face or online.  As they start their research, they should use the Checklist and the Planning sheet (we'll talk more about those resources next week.)

Below are the student "teachers" and the parts of speech:

Interjections -- Anthony, Annelise

Verbs -- Danica, Lilia 

Adjectives -- Rachael, Nina

Nouns -- Halle, Eden 

Conjunctions -- Julia, Rachel

Adverbs -- Kaylynn, Grace 

Pronouns -- Tate, Rebecca 

Prepositions -- Elijah, Cyprian

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

This Week's Homework

-- Read Chapters 1 & 2 of Animal Farm

-- Write a response to "What makes a good leader?"

-- Take the Intro to Animal Farm Quiz (if you haven't)

-- Give your top 3 leader characteristics on the Discussion Board

-- Week 3 Reader Responses

-- Start researching your part of speech 

This Week's Links

Class Notes -- Week 2 (Sept. 10)

National Days Calendar.  

National Swap Ideas Day

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 1 (Sept. 3)

 Greetings!

It was so good to be in class again.  The students all brought good, attentive attitudes to the room, and I think we're going to have a good year together.  All the students are new to me, so we'll hopefully be able to quickly get to know one another.  In my classes, I incorporate full class and small group discussions, which I think we can still do in a socially distanced manner.  

Our first order of business for our class periods, after praying, of course, is to complete a Quick Write.  The prompts for these are usually light-hearted, but occasionally the topics require a little more serious thinking.  For today, I asked students to write about what they would put in a "Back to School Survival Kit."  Each student shared aloud one or two items, and snacks, drinks, and music were the top choices of items that students wanted to help them get their homework done.(You'll notice the embedded link -- it is for the Google Classroom assignment.  I will include these homework links in these emails; they will be especially helpful for students who were absent, who forgot what an assignment was, or who lost an assignment.)

We had a small group of students joining the class via Zoom, and I'm hoping it worked well for those students.  This is an option for any students who might miss a week for one reason or another.  

Most of our first morning together was spent in getting acquainted with materials and some of the logistics of the class.  I'm trying something new this year:  I handed out a complete Materials Packet for the whole semester, which included essay explanations, writing-related material, literature study guides, grammar worksheets, extra Rocketbook pages, etc.  I recommend that students put all of this material in a 3-ring binder and insert dividers or a piece of colored paper between the Writing and Literature papers and between the Literature and Grammar papers.  If the binder has inside pockets, the front pocket could be for homework to hand in and the back one could be for homework that is returned.  In the past I've handed out materials one week at a time, but this year I thought having everything at the beginning would help avoid the issue of any missing papers should a student be unable for any reason to be in class.  

One piece of paper from the packet needs both the student's and the parent's attention:  the Class Policies handout.  Students are to read it and put their names (not initials) in the top margin, and then I would like parents to read it and initial it.  Thank you!  (You can do the paper version or the Google Classroom version.)

I also took time to check in on the chatclasses emails, Google Classroom, and the Rocketbook app.  I will include that information on another email.  

Our first Writing assignment is a rough draft of a Descriptive Essay.  For this essay, students should choose a place, event, or situation that they can describe using multiple senses.  (i.e. sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)  They can organize their essays chronologically, spatially, or by the senses.  This is meant to be a shorter essay, and a pre-write/outline is not required.  The rough draft should be submitted on Google Classroom.  Students can type their papers on the Word or Pages, but they will need to copy and paste them onto the Google doc template attached to the assignment.  (They can also hand in a paper copy in class if they would like.)

We will start reading Animal Farm by George Orwell after next week.  For this week, they are to read the Introduction and take the short quiz that is posted on Google Classroom.  The short writing assignment, "What makes a good leader?" is not due until Sept. 17.

Finally, for the Grammar portion of the class, I briefly mentioned to the class that this semester will focus on the parts of speech, and the students will become the teachers.  More on this next week!

If you are new to my classes, this is what the weekly Class Notes will look like.  I'll tell you about Quick Writes, writing assignments, literature discussions, and grammar lessons.  I'll include links to the Google Classroom assignments and attach any pertinent materials.  At the bottom of the email I'll list the homework and any links.  (I've found that most students simply scroll to the bottom of the email to get homework info.)  These class notes will be the record of what we cover in class.

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy our beautiful weather.

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Homework for Next Week:

(Note:  Any assignments that are designated GC must be completed on Google Classroom)

-- Class Policies -- signed & initialled

-- Organize your materials packet  (binder? folders?)

-- Descriptive Essay rough draft  (GC)

-- Animal Farm Introduction

-- Animal Farm Quiz (GC)

-- Extra Credit -- Draw a picture of IVAN CAPP

Other Links for this week:

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 1 (Sept. 3)

Writing 1 Google Drive folder

Writing 1 -- Information about Google Classroom, CHAT emails, and Rocketbook 

Writing 1A Class Notes -- Week 8 (Oct. 10)

Greetings!

Even though we were on the edge of Fall Break this week, students engage well with the material and our discussions.  For the Quick Write, I gave them these three National Days as options:  National Bring your Teddy Bear to Work Day (10/9), National Cake Decorating Day (10/10), and National Free Thought Day (10/11).  We had some great comments on favorite childhood toys, fancy birthday cakes, and conversations we have in our heads.

I used the Words of the Day part of the class for a different kind of activity.  I gave them three unusual words  (Gluggavedur, tidsoptimist, and dysania) and asked them to come  up with definitions for at least 2 of them.  We had a wide range of silly options and some that came pretty close to the real meanings.  (You can follow the links to find the definitions.)

Students are in the process of writing a Biography Essay.  I briefly covered a few topics:  how long should a paragraph be; where should the thesis statement go; how to divide the essay into paragraphs.  When we meet again, students should hand in both their pre-writes and their rough drafts.

Last week I had assigned a brief Character Sketch for one of the primary characters from Animal Farm.  I told them that I had a secret plan for how we would use these.  This week, I grouped the students according to the animals they chose, and they were to use what they knew about their characters to come up with a "campaign speech" for that character.  I didn't give them a lot of time, so they had to think quickly as groups.  They did a great job and were pretty creative.  We are now officially done with Animal Farm.  I gave them their next books, and their assignments include reading this online introduction about Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol and watching this short video.

The remainder of the class was spent learning from the Nouns group (Michael, Carson, James, and Ethan).  They presentation included a video, a slide presentation, a Bingo activity, donuts, and homework.  They did a great job, and we are looking forward the Conjunctions group on 10/24 (Maria, Gabi, Alison).

Assignments for Oct. 24

-- Read the Intro to A Christmas Carol

-- Watch the introductory video for A Christmas Carol

-- Write the Pre-Write and Rough Draft for the Biography Essay

-- Complete the Nouns Homework

This Week's Links

Class Notes

Schoolhouse Rock Nouns Video

Nouns Google Slides Presentation

Gluggavedur, tidsoptimist, and dysania 

Introduction to Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol

Video Introduction to A Christmas Carol

Writing 1B Class Notes -- Week 7 (Oct. 3)

Greetings!

Our Quick Write for today was this prompt:  If you could learn anything from anyone, what would it be and from whom would it be?  The purpose of this prompt was to cause students to look inward, forward, and outward. In life, it helps when we can identify what we want to learn for the sake of our futures; then we need to engage in the world around us to find mentors and teachers.  They shared both practical ideas and more abstract, personal growth ideas.  After they wrote what they would like to learn, I then asked them to write about what skills or qualities they had to teach the world.

We didn't do any Words of the Day from our book, Animal Farm.

This week the class handed in their final drafts of their Personal Essays, along with their rough drafts, so it was time to assign another essay.  This time, they are to write a Biographical Essay.  We took a bit of time to talk about the difference between a report and a thesis-driven essay.  In a report, a student would give details and information, but in a thesis-driven essay, a student needs to take a stand or form an opinion and then chose details to support that opinion.  As I explained, it might help to think about what parts of a person's background were especially formative or what kind of impact that person has had on the world.  

During our discussion of the essay, I also explained the new stage of the writing process that we will be using for this and the rest of our essays.  In addition to a rough draft and final draft, students are to do a Pre-Write for their essays.  This can look like a mind map or an outline, and the goal of a pre-write is to facilitate brainstorming and organizing. (Here is a link with a picture of a mind map.)  This will give them an extra week to plan, research, and organize their essays.   (In fact, for this essay, they have the extra week of fall break.)

Next week (10/10) we will have a Grammar  presentation about Adjectives from Maggie and about Nouns from Stephan.  Below is the list of the remaining students and their dates for presenting:

Adjectives -- Maggie (10/10)

Nouns -- Stephan (10/10)

Conjunctions -- Brooke S. (10/24)

Adverbs -- Brad (10/31)

Pronouns -- Raya (11/7)

Prepositions -- Brooke M.  (11/14)

Finally, for the Literature Discussion, we discussed the final two chapters of the book.  We talked about whether the animal's revolution was successful or not.  We also talked about some of the interactions between the characters.  We have now finished Animal Farm, and for next week students are to complete the final exam.  In addition to that, they are to prepare for a discussion about the characters in the book.  To do this, they are to choose one character and list 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses of this character. Then, they are to write a sentence that gives a full understanding of the character. 

A note about My GradeBook:  I worked with a couple of students and discovered that they were putting the class code where the password should go.  If you are having difficulties, remember that the temporary user name (until you change the primary log in) is the class code, and your student's first name and last initial (unless I've had to change it for you) is the password.  

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Take Final Exam for Animal Farm

-- Prepare Character Sketch (choose a character and list 3 strengths/3 weaknesses; write a sentence that encompasses that character's qualities)

-- Prepare for Parts of Speech presentations

-- Pre-Write for Biographical Essay

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Student Notes (Rocketbook)

Mind Map Image

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 1A Class Notes -- Week 7 (Oct. 3)

Greetings!

Our Quick Write for today was this prompt:  If you could learn anything from anyone, what would it be and from whom would it be?  The purpose of this prompt was to cause students to look inward, forward, and outward. In life, it helps when we can identify what we want to learn for the sake of our futures; then we need to engage in the world around us to find mentors and teachers.  They shared both practical ideas and more abstract, personal growth ideas.

The Words of the Day were taken from our book, Animal Farm:

taciturn -- adjective; fr. Latin taciturnus, wordless, noiseless -- to be reserved and uncommunicative in speech; saying little

morose -- adjective, fr. Latin morosus, peevish -- sullen, ill-tempered

infanticide -- noun, fr. Latin, infanticidium, infant -- the killing of children under a year old

spinney -- noun, fr. Latin, spinetum, thicket  -- a small area of trees or bushes

This week the class handed in their final drafts of their Personal Essays, along with their rough drafts, so it was time to assign another essay.  This time, they are to write a Biographical Essay.  We took a bit of time to talk about the difference between a report and a thesis-driven essay.  In a report, a student would give details and information, but in a thesis-driven essay, a student needs to take a stand or form an opinion and then chose details to support that opinion.  As I explained, it might help to think about what parts of a person's background were especially formative or what kind of impact that person has had on the world.  

During our discussion of the essay, I also explained the new stage of the writing process that we will be using for this and the rest of our essays.  In addition to a rough draft and final draft, students are to do a Pre-Write for their essays.  This can look like a mind map or an outline, and the goal of a pre-write is to facilitate brainstorming and organizing. (Here is a link with a picture of a mind map.)  This will give them an extra week to plan, research, and organize their essays.   (In fact, for this essay, they have the extra week of fall break.)

For our Grammar portion of the class, we had an excellent presentation about Adjectives from Josie,  Gabbie P, and Nalani.  They had a helpful video, a detailed slide presentation, an in class activity, and homework.  Next week we will have the Nouns presentation from Ethan, Carson, Michael, and James.  

Finally, for the Literature Discussion, the students broke into their literature circles and shared whatever they had prepared for their roles.  I circulated among the groups to listen to their discussions, and I heard many thoughtful and insightful comments.  One aspect of group discussions is that they often trigger fresh ideas.  We have now finished Animal Farm, and for next week students are to complete the final exam.  In addition to that, they are to prepare for a discussion about the characters in the book.  To do this, they are to choose one character and list 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses of this character. Then, they are to write a sentence that gives a full understanding of the character. 

A note about My GradeBook:  I worked with a couple of students and discovered that they were putting the class code where the password should go.  If you are having difficulties, remember that the temporary user name (until you change the primary log in) is the class code, and your student's first name and last initial (unless I've had to change it for you) is the password.  

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Take Final Exam for Animal Farm

-- Prepare Character Sketch (choose a character and list 3 strengths/3 weaknesses; write a sentence that encompasses that character's qualities)

-- Adjectives Homework

-- Pre-Write for Biographical Essay

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Student Notes (Rocketbook)

Adjectives Video

Adjectives Slide Presentation

Mind Map Image

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Animal Farm Quiz (Ch. 1 - 4)

Introduction and Preface

1.  Orwell wrote Animal Farm as a response to Communism in what country?

2.  Napoleon is a type for what real person in history? 

3.  Snowball is a type for what real person in history? 

Chapters I – IV 

1.      Before they change the name to Animal Farm, what’s the name of Mr. Jones’s farm? 

2.      Who is the old, prize boar who shares his wisdom with the animals? 

3.      What is the song that is taught to the animals? 

4.      Who is vain carriage-horse who doesn’t want to give up sugar and ribbons? 

5.      How many commandments do Napoleon and Snowball come up with and where do they paint them?

6.      What is Boxer’s personal motto? 

7.      Which animals become the best readers?

8.      What is Mr. Jones doing while the pigs are running the farm? 

9.      What happens at the Battle of the Cowshed? 

Writing 1A Class Notes -- Week 3 (Sept. 5)

Greetings!

We began class this week, as usual, with a Quick Write. This week's prompt was inspired by the fact that it was National Cheese Pizza.  I asked the students to write something pizza related.  As they shared their responses, they expressed their opinions about square pieces over triangular pieces, thin crusts vs. thick crusts, and the important question regarding the appropriateness of pineapple on pizza.  

Our Words of the Day were contributed by students and selected from this week's reading of My Antonia:

ensconced -- verb, fr.Old French enscunser, "to hide or obscure"  -- sheltered, concealed, settled

ecstasy -- noun, fr. Middle English, extasie, "elation"  -- overwhelming emotion; rapturous delight

gambolled -- verb, fr. French, gambade, "the leap of a horse" --  to skip around; frolic; play

Most of the time while the students are writing their Quick Writes I am passing out completed homework, and we follow the Word of the Day work with any questions pertaining to the homework.  This week we followed our beginning of class work with the Writing portion of the class.  Whenever I hand back rough drafts of essays, I take a good portion of the class to go over common errors in their writing.  In my classes I have students label a page "Watch Out For," and under this title they are to list the items that I noted on their corrected rough drafts.  We will use this list to develop writing goals as the year progresses.  This week we talked about contractions, conjunctions, sentence fragments, subject-verb agreement, and the word "things."  For next week, students are to make corrections on their rough drafts so that they can hand in finished final drafts.

Students have read the first two chapters of Animal Farm, so we started our discussion with the first chapter in which we meet the main characters and discover the main conflict/issue of the story.  Old Major, the distinguished older leader of the animals gave a rousing speech and taught the animals a song.  We did a little singing ourselves.  Apparently, the song is a cross between La Cucaracha and Clementine, and obviously, the animals would sound like animals.  After having half of the class work on the melody for La Cucaracha and the other half Clementine, we assigned animal roles, and the class "sang" the melody for the "Beasts of England."  (Note:  a teacher popped her head in during lunch and asked what we had been doing because it sounded like a barnyard.)

This week students signed up for their parts of speech.  They are to learn about their part of speech and then teach the class.  In addition to an explanation, they are to come up with an in-class activity and homework that will help their classmates practice.  Below is the list of student groups and their dates for presenting:

Interjections -- Bennett, Josh, Jesse (9/19)

Verbs -- Elliot, Izzy, Ellie (9/26)

Adjectives -- Nalani, Gabbie P, Josie (10/3)

Nouns -- Ethan, Carson, Mike, James (10/10)

Conjunctions -- Marie, Gabi, Alison (10/24)

Adverbs -- Maddy, Ashley, Faith (10/31)

Pronouns -- Tyler, Ingrid, Philip (11/7)

Prepositions -- Leighton, Levi, Logan (11/14)

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read Ch. 3 & 4

-- 3 Reader Responses (either study guide questions or ala carte)

-- 3 Vocabulary Words 

-- Start researching your part of speech

-- Final Draft of Descriptive Essay

Links for This Week

Class Notes

La Cucaracha and Clementine 

"Beasts of England" video 

Animal Farm on Audible

Animal Farm on Youtube
Sample Editing Marks

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 2 (August 29)

Greetings!

I started the class by having students make name cards to put in front of themselves.  With a full class, I need all of the help I can get to learn their names.  

Our Quick Write for today was in recognition National Bow Tie Day, which was on August 28.  I asked the students to describe their personal fashion styles.  One thing that we all are learning about one another is how different our personal preferences are.  We had a mix of likes and dislikes about jeans, shoes, shorts, shirts, etc.  

We began our Words of the Day, which this semester will be connected to our vocabulary from Animal Farm. The words listed below provide some background information related to the intent of George Orwell's book.  

totalitarianism -- a government system in an autocratic authority (a dictator) maintains control and the general population is subservient to the authority's rule

communism -- a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party owns control of production and distribution of goods and which eliminates private property.

socialism -- an economic and government system that advocates collective or government ownership and/or regulation of property and production

capitalism -- an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of property and production.

Before we proceeded the bulk of our the content of the day, I walked the students through the My GradeBook site.  Some of them had already signed in.  If you or your student have not done that yet, go to this document, Instructions for My GradeBook,  for instructions.  As I told the students, they might never need to go to this site if they are keeping track of their homework.  However, if they are absent for a number of weeks or have forgotten if they have handed something in or not, this is a good place to find that information.  As parents, you can check it to see if work is getting in or to check on current grade status.  It is by no means required of students or parents to regularly check this online grade book.  

Students were to hand in their rough drafts of their Descriptive Essays.  For those who want to hand in digital copies, they can choose any of the following options:  email a Word attachment, send a PDF of the paper, share a Google Doc, or share a OneDrive doc.  This week I will go over their essays and hand them back next week.  They will then make corrections and revise their rough drafts into final drafts.

On the title page of Animal Farm, the author adds the subtitle, "A Fairy Story."  We discussed common fairy tale elements (i.e. magic, talking animals, evil villains, heroes, etc.) and then tried to predict what we might encounter in Animal Farm, which also includes political and economic issues.  I took a picture of the predictions that I wrote on the board and we'll see how accurate we were when we get to the end of the book.  For this next week, students are to read chapters 1 and 2, to complete 3 reader responses (either study guide questions or ala carte options) and to choose and define 3 vocabulary words.  They are also to write a response for "What Makes a Good Leader?"  (Note:  Below are a couple links to audio versions of the book.)

Our last topic of the day was Grammar.  During the first semester of Writing 1, I do a Parts of Speech Unit. The 8 parts of speech are the categories for the words we use.  This information is fundamental for writing and revising.  For this unit, the students are divided into groups and will research and then present a lesson on one their assigned part of speech.  These lessons need to include explanations/direct instruction, examples, an activity, and homework for practice.  Students were given a handout explaining the unit, a planning worksheet, a review packet, and a pre-test.  They are to take the pre-test at home before reading through the review packet.  Next week they will sign up for a part of speech.

Assignments for Next Week (Sept. 5)

-- Read Chapters 1 & 2 of Animal Farm

-- Complete 3 Reader Responses

-- Complete 3 Vocabulary Words

-- Sign and get parent's initials for Class Policies handout

-- Complete the Parts of Speech Pre-Test

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Animal Farm #1 audiobook

Animal Farm #2 audiobook

Parts of Speech Unit

Parts of Speech Planning

Parts of Speech Review Packet

Parts of Speech Pre-Test

Have a beautiful Labor Day Weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

"What Makes a Good Leader?" (Animal Farm)

Animal Farm

Short Writing Exercises

Before Reading Animal Farm

Write a short response to the following question:

·        What makes a good leader?

o   Discuss character qualities and abilities that a good leader in any situation should have. Give specific examples.  How might you distinguish a good leader from a bad leader? (1-3 paragraphs; 75 – 300 words)

Choose one of the following:

·        When should a government be overthrown? (1 paragraph; 100 – 150 words)

·        Write definitions for satire, allegory, and irony.

Animal Farm Vocabulary Worksheet

INSTRUCTIONS:  For this book, you will compile your own vocabulary list.  As you read each chapter, choose at least one unfamiliar or interesting word and add it to your list.  You are responsible for finding the definitions and roots of the words.  Fill in the table below with your words. 

Week 3 (Ch. 1 – 2 )

Page	Word	Root	Definition

Week 4 (Ch. 3 – 4 )

Page	Word	Root	Definition

Week 5 (Ch. 5 – 6 )

Page	Word	Root	Definition

Week 6 (Ch. 7 – 8 )

Page	Word	Root	Definition

Week 7 (Ch. 9 – 10 )

Page	Word	Root	Definition

EXTRA CREDIT:  List the most unusual words that you’ve encountered in this book.

Page	Word	Root	Definition

Animal Farm Study Questions

Before Reading Animal Farm

·         Read the handout “Introduction to Animal Farm.”

·         Watch the Introduction Slide presentation

·         Discuss George Orwell, the Russian Revolution, communism and socialism

Short writing exercises:

·         What makes a good leader?

o   Discuss character qualities and abilities that a good leader in any situation should have. Give specific examples.  How might you distinguish a good leader from a bad leader?

·         When should a government be overthrown?

·         Write definitions for satire, allegory, and irony.

About the Study Guide Questions and Optional Responses: 

Each week, students are assigned study guide questions to answer relating to the assigned reading. These answers should be thoughtful and refer back to specific points in the book.  However, written answers to prescribed questions are not the only way to respond to a book.  Therefore, at the end of the Week 9 questions, students will find a list of “ala carte” options that can substitute for one of the questions.

Chapter I & II

Discussion:

·         Give the reasons for the animals’ rebellion.

·         What was the last straw for the animals?

·         Describe the “Beasts of England” song – imagery, message, emotions, dreams/hopes.

·         How is Moses, the raven, and his story of Sugar Candy Mountain significant?

·         Describe the reaction by the animals to the house.

·         List the commandments and the vices/faults they reveal.

·         Who will be the leaders of the animals?  Why?  Will they be good leaders?

Chapter III & IV

Before reading

·         What do you speculate the future of the animals and farm will be?

Discussion:

·         What is Squealer’s role and communication style?

·         Describe the difference between the pigs and the other animals.

·         Describe the Battle of the Cowshed and the roles that Snowball and Napoleon

Chapter V & VI

Discussion:

·         How would Snowball run the farm differently?

·         List the changes that have occurred at the farm.

·         What are Molly’s reasons for running away?

·         Describe the windmill controversy from Snowball’s point of view; from Napoleon’s point of view.

·         Explain the issue of trading with other farms.

·         Describe the animals’ work situation.

Chapter VII & VIII

Discussion:

·         How does the destruction and rebuilding of the windmill occur?

·         Describe the lies told about Snowball.

·         Explain the reasons for the animals not singing the hymn.

·         Describe the situation with the traitors.

·         Describe Napoleon as a leader.  Is he a dictator?

Chapter IX & X

Discussion:

·         Explain the return of Moses.

·         Describe the whiskey incident.  Why is it humorous?  Compare the animals to humans.

·         What is happening to Boxer?  Why?

·         Explain the social order for the animals.

·         How does Orwell make fun of bureaucracy?

·         List the changes to the farm.

·         Describe the changes to the commandments.

·         Describe the changes in the appearance of the pigs.

Ala Carte Responses

Any of the activities below can be substituted for one of the weekly study guide questions.  Some options could be repeated as long as it is a new response that relates to the assigned reading.

1.      Create a new book cover.

2.      Select 3 – 5 quotes that sum up the selection or especially highlight a specific quality of a character, the setting, or the plot.

3.      Write a paragraph that describes your relationship with a grandparent.

4.      Write a paragraph about someone from your past who is especially memorable.

5.      Write a text conversation that coincides with an actual conversation or “could have happened.” 

6.      Write a series of Facebook posts for the plot of the section.

7.      Write a paragraph that starts “I would change . . .” that relates to the assigned reading. 

8.      Write a poem that relates to the assigned reading.

9.      Illustrate a scene.

10.  Create a found poem.  To create a concrete found poem, students must only use words, phrases or even whole sentences “found” in their text. Then, they must shape these words into a visual representation on paper. They are not drawing; they must arrange the words, phrases, or sentences into an image on the page. 

11.  Make a character “To Do” list.

12.  Write a set of 5 – 6 postcards that one of the characters might send to someone.

13.  Create a soundtrack or playlist that relates to the assigned reading.

14.  Write diary entries that relate to the assigned reading.

15.  Put together a cast for a film version of the book

16.  Write a radio play excerpt that relates to the assigned reading.

17.  Write a letter to the author that relates to the assigned reading.

18.  Write a letter to one of the characters that relates to the assigned reading.

19.  Design/draw the clothing of one of the characters that relates to the assigned reading.

20.  Make a word game, such as a crossword or word search, that relates to the assigned reading.

21.  Write up a quiz that relates to the assigned reading.

22.  Draw a comic strip that relates to the assigned reading.

23.  Write a paragraph that starts “I wonder why . . .” that relates to the assigned reading.

24.  Rewrite a paragraph in a different style.  For example, write it in a “flowery” over-dramatic style or as a play or as slang, etc.

25.  Design a t-shirt that relates to the assigned reading.

26.  Make a collage that relates to the assigned reading.

27.  Design/draw a timeline that relates to the assigned reading

28.  Draw a map that relates to the assigned reading.

29.  Compare two characters that relates to the assigned reading.

30.  Find or create a recipe for one of the foods mentioned.