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 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 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

Descriptive Essay

Definition

In a Descriptive Essay, the writer paints a word picture of a person, place, object, or event that appeals to one or more of the five senses (smell, taste, hearing, touch, and sight).  In this kind of essay, the writer works to give a clear representation of the object of his close observation and makes it clear why the subject is important.

Organization of an Descriptive Essay

Descriptions can be organized spatially (left to right, top to bottom); chronologically (in time order); or in order of importance (the thing that strikes you firs or that is dominant about what you are describing).

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement generally presents the subject of the description and/or establishes the tone or mood of the description.  It controls what details you will include.  It states why the subject is important.

Tips on Writing

– Have a purpose in mind for the description of your observation.  Are you trying to be objective, or are you trying to convey an attitude, opinion, or mood?

– If you are describing a person, try to help the reader see the person and his or her character by describing appearance, dress, mannerisms, actions, and/or speech.  Descriptive details can be used to suggest personality or character.

– If you are describing a place, scene or activity, you will need to select a physical perspective or viewpoint on the subject and stick to it.  Your perspective might be from a particular position, time, season, etc.

– If you are describing an object, try to help the reader see the object and its meaning to you.  Rely on the five senses to evoke the physical appearance and emotional association of the object.

– Do you have an emotional perspective of attitude toward your subject?  Keep it in mind as you select the words to describe the details.

Pitfalls

– Avoid disorganized descriptions.  If your description is haphazard, you will confuse your reader.

– Avoid inconsistent descriptions.  Don’t mix positive and negative perspectives; also don’t mix descriptions for varying viewpoints.

– Avoid generalizations and abstractions.  You want to recreate a specific person, place or event for your readers.  Give specific information.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due August 29;  Final Draft due September 12.

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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

Descriptive Essay

Definition

In a Descriptive Essay, the writer paints a word picture of a person, place, object, or event that appeals to one or more of the five senses (smell, taste, hearing, touch, and sight).  In this kind of essay, the writer works to give a clear representation of the object of his close observation and makes it clear why the subject is important.

Organization of an Observation Essay

Descriptions can be organized spatially (left to right, top to bottom); chronologically (in time order); or in order of importance (the thing that strikes you firs or that is dominant about what you are describing).

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement generally presents the subject of the description and/or establishes the tone or mood of the description.  It controls what details you will include.  It states why the subject is important.

Tips on Writing

– Have a purpose in mind for the description of your observation.  Are you trying to be objective, or are you trying to convey an attitude, opinion, or mood?

– If you are describing a person, try to help the reader see the person and his or her character by describing appearance, dress, mannerisms, actions, and/or speech.  Descriptive details can be used to suggest personality or character.

– If you are describing a place, scene or activity, you will need to select a physical perspective or viewpoint on the subject and stick to it.  Your perspective might be from a particular position, time, season, etc.

– If you are describing an object, try to help the reader see the object and its meaning to you.  Rely on the five senses to evoke the physical appearance and emotional association of the object.

– Do you have an emotional perspective of attitude toward your subject?  Keep it in mind as you select the words to describe the details.

Pitfalls

– Avoid disorganized descriptions.  If your description is haphazard, you will confuse your reader.

– Avoid inconsistent descriptions.  Don’t mix positive and negative perspectives; also don’t mix descriptions for varying viewpoints.

– Avoid generalizations and abstractions.  You want to recreate a specific person, place or event for your readers.  Give specific information.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due August 31; Final Draft due September 14.

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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

Descriptive Essay

Definition

In a Descriptive Essay, the writer paints a word picture of a person, place, object, or event that appeals to one or more of the five senses (smell, taste, hearing, touch, and sight).  In this kind of essay, the writer works to give a clear representation of the object of his close observation and makes it clear why the subject is important.

Organization of an Observation Essay

Descriptions can be organized spatially (left to right, top to bottom); chronologically (in time order); or in order of importance (the thing that strikes you firs or that is dominant about what you are describing).

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement generally presents the subject of the description and/or establishes the tone or mood of the description.  It controls what details you will include.  It states why the subject is important.

Tips on Writing

– Have a purpose in mind for the description of your observation.  Are you trying to be objective, or are you trying to convey an attitude, opinion, or mood?

– If you are describing a person, try to help the reader see the person and his or her character by describing appearance, dress, mannerisms, actions, and/or speech.  Descriptive details can be used to suggest personality or character.

– If you are describing a place, scene or activity, you will need to select a physical perspective or viewpoint on the subject and stick to it.  Your perspective might be from a particular position, time, season, etc.

– If you are describing an object, try to help the reader see the object and its meaning to you.  Rely on the five senses to evoke the physical appearance and emotional association of the object.

– Do you have an emotional perspective of attitude toward your subject?  Keep it in mind as you select the words to describe the details.

Pitfalls

– Avoid disorganized descriptions.  If your description is haphazard, you will confuse your reader.

– Avoid inconsistent descriptions.  Don’t mix positive and negative perspectives; also don’t mix descriptions for varying viewpoints.

– Avoid generalizations and abstractions.  You want to recreate a specific person, place or event for your readers.  Give specific information.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due September 1; Final Draft due September 15

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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

Descriptive Essay

Definition

In a Descriptive Essay, the writer paints a word picture of a person, place, object, or event that appeals to one or more of the five senses (smell, taste, hearing, touch, and sight).  In this kind of essay, the writer works to give a clear representation of the object of his close observation and makes it clear why the subject is important.

Organization of an Observation Essay

Descriptions can be organized spatially (left to right, top to bottom); chronologically (in time order); or in order of importance (the thing that strikes you firs or that is dominant about what you are describing).

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement generally presents the subject of the description and/or establishes the tone or mood of the description.  It controls what details you will include.  It states why the subject is important.

Tips on Writing

– Have a purpose in mind for the description of your observation.  Are you trying to be objective, or are you trying to convey an attitude, opinion, or mood?

– If you are describing a person, try to help the reader see the person and his or her character by describing appearance, dress, mannerisms, actions, and/or speech.  Descriptive details can be used to suggest personality or character.

– If you are describing a place, scene or activity, you will need to select a physical perspective or viewpoint on the subject and stick to it.  Your perspective might be from a particular position, time, season, etc.

– If you are describing an object, try to help the reader see the object and its meaning to you.  Rely on the five senses to evoke the physical appearance and emotional association of the object.

– Do you have an emotional perspective of attitude toward your subject?  Keep it in mind as you select the words to describe the details.

Pitfalls

– Avoid disorganized descriptions.  If your description is haphazard, you will confuse your reader.

– Avoid inconsistent descriptions.  Don’t mix positive and negative perspectives; also don’t mix descriptions for varying viewpoints.

– Avoid generalizations and abstractions.  You want to recreate a specific person, place or event for your readers.  Give specific information.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due September 3; Final Draft due September 17

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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

Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay

Definition

In a Descriptive Essay, the writer paints a word picture of a person, place, object, or event that appeals to one or more of the five senses (smell, taste, hearing, touch, and sight).  In this kind of essay, the writer works to give a clear representation of the object of his close observation and makes it clear why the subject is important.

Organization of an Observation Essay

Descriptions can be organized spatially (left to right, top to bottom); chronologically (in time order); or in order of importance (the thing that strikes you firs or that is dominant about what you are describing).

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement generally presents the subject of the description and/or establishes the tone or mood of the description.  It controls what details you will include.  It states why the subject is important.

Tips on Writing

– Have a purpose in mind for the description of your observation.  Are you trying to be objective, or are you trying to convey an attitude, opinion, or mood?

– If you are describing a person, try to help the reader see the person and his or her character by describing appearance, dress, mannerisms, actions, and/or speech.  Descriptive details can be used to suggest personality or character.

– If you are describing a place, scene or activity, you will need to select a physical perspective or viewpoint on the subject and stick to it.  Your perspective might be from a particular position, time, season, etc.

– If you are describing an object, try to help the reader see the object and its meaning to you.  Rely on the five senses to evoke the physical appearance and emotional association of the object.

– Do you have an emotional perspective of attitude toward your subject?  Keep it in mind as you select the words to describe the details.

Pitfalls

– Avoid disorganized descriptions.  If your description is haphazard, you will confuse your reader.

– Avoid inconsistent descriptions.  Don’t mix positive and negative perspectives; also don’t mix descriptions for varying viewpoints.

– Avoid generalizations and abstractions.  You want to recreate a specific person, place or event for your readers.  Give specific information.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Rough Draft due September 5; Final Draft due September 19

– Essay length:  at least 300 words (about 1 page)

– 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