Writing 1B Class Notes -- Week 9 (Oct. 24)

Greetings!

As with every week, I have a full agenda for our class period.  We started with a Quick Write, which was inspired by the fact that Oct. 24 is the 158th anniversary of the 1st transcontinental telegraph from Justice Stephen Field in California to President Lincoln in Washington, D. C.  I asked the students to list as many ways of communicating that they could think of, and we filled the board with our responses. (I'll include a picture of the board on the blog.)

Our Words of the Day were again unusual words.  Some could be decoded because they had familiar word stems, but for the others the students came up with creative definitions:

biblioklept -- fr. Greek, biblio, book; kleptes, thief -- someone who steals books

acnestis -- fr. Greek, knestis, spine -- the part of an animal's skin between the shoulder blades that it usually cannot reach.

octothorpe -- the symbol (#).  Note:  The origin of the word is disputed.  Some say it was a practical joke, and others say that it was named by Bell Laboratories to be used in telephone computing language and was named for the 8 legs of the symbol and for James Thorpe whom the originator admired.  

augend & addend -- fr. Latin augendum. to augment; addendus, to be added -- these numbers refer to numbers in an addition equation.  The first is the augend, and the second is the addend.

Students received their final drafts of the Personal Essays and handed in their pre-writes and rough drafts of their Biography Essays.  I will go over these and hand them back next week for them to revise.

We are starting a new book:  Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.  This is a lovely little book and a good introduction to the writings of Charles Dickens.  While not everyone has read or is even familiar with the story, most had heard of Scrooge and his "bah humbug!"  In my opinion, this book has one of the best opening lines in all of literature:  "Marley was dead, to begin with."  The students already had their books, and this week I gave them a paper copy of the introduction, study guide questions, and vocabulary words.  Unlike our reading of the Animal Farm, I do not have ala carte reader responses, and I have chosen a list of words from the book from which they can choose their vocabulary words.  We also discussed Dickens's use of the words Stave instead of chapter.  Stave is a musical term, and since he uses "carol" in the title, it makes sense.  (See here for more information.)

We closed out the class with the Conjunctions presentation from Brooke S.  She had a School House Rock video and an online game for us to play.  Most students finished the homework in class.  Next week -- Adverbs from Brad.

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read Stave One of A Christmas Carol

-- Answer 3 Study Guide Questions

-- Define and give the word origins for 4 Vocabulary Words

-- Conjunctions Homework

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Week 9 Student Notes

A Christmas Carol Study Guide

A Christmas Carol Vocabulary Words

A Christmas Carol -- audio version on Librivox

A Christmas Carol -- audio book on YouTube

Staves in A Christmas Carol

Conjunctions Video

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy the outdoors before the snow flies!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 1A Class Notes -- Week 9 (Oct. 24)

Greetings!

As with every week, we fill every minute of our class period.  We started with a Quick Write, which was inspired by the fact that Oct. 24 is the 158th anniversary of the 1st transcontinental telegraph from Justice Stephen Field in California to President Lincoln in Washington, D. C.  I asked the students to list as many ways of communicating that they could think of, and we filled the board with our responses.

Our Words of the Day were again unusual words.  Some could be decoded because they had familiar word stems, but for the others the students came up with creative definitions:

biblioklept -- fr. Greek, biblio, book; kleptes, thief -- someone who steals books

acnestis -- fr. Greek, knestis, spine -- the part of an animal's skin between the shoulder blades that it usually cannot reach.

octothorpe -- the symbol (#).  Note:  The origin of the word is disputed.  Some say it was a practical joke, and others say that it was named by Bell Laboratories to be used in telephone computing language and was named for the 8 legs of the symbol and for James Thorpe whom the originator admired.  

augend & addend -- fr. Latin augendum. to augment; addendus, to be added -- these numbers refer to numbers in an addition equation.  The first is the augend, and the second is the addend.

Students received their final drafts of the Personal Essays and handed in their pre-writes and rough drafts of their Biography Essays.  I will go over these and hand them back next week for them to revise.

We are starting a new book:  Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.  This is a lovely little book and a good introduction to the writings of Charles Dickens.  While not everyone has read or is even familiar with the story, most had heard of Scrooge and his "bah humbug!"  In my opinion, this book has one of the best opening lines in all of literature:  "Marley was dead, to begin with."  The students already had their books, and this week I gave them a paper copy of the introduction, study guide questions, and vocabulary words.  Unlike our reading of the Animal Farm, I do not have ala carte reader responses, and I have chosen a list of words from the book from which they can choose their vocabulary words.  We also discussed Dickens's use of the words Stave instead of chapter.  Stave is a musical term, and since he uses "carol" in the title, it makes sense.  (See here for more information.)

We closed out the class with the Conjunctions presentation from Gabi, Alison, and Maria.  They had made a video with explanations that included a cartoon video.  They had a game for the students (that included candy!) and homework.  Next week -- Adverbs from Maddy, Ashley, and Faith.

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read Stave One of A Christmas Carol

-- Answer 3 Study Guide Questions

-- Define and give the word origins for 4 Vocabulary Words

-- Conjunctions Homework

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Week 9 Student Notes

A Christmas Carol Study Guide

A Christmas Carol Vocabulary Words

A Christmas Carol -- audio version on Librivox

A Christmas Carol -- audio book on YouTube

Staves in A Christmas Carol
Conjunctions Video

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy the outdoors before the snow flies!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

A Christmas Carol Vocabulary Words

Choose 4 words from each Stave to define (and find any Latin or Greek roots, naturally!) 

Note:  You may choose up to 5 extra words to do for extra credit.

Stave 1	Stave 2	Stave 3	Stave 4	Stave 5
Unhallowed Entreaty Impropriety Multitude Executor Trifle Resolute Tremulous Legatee Implore Lunatic Rapture Garret Covetous Replenish Credentials Congeal Misanthropic Solitary Intimation Ominous Caustic	Plaque Reclamation Expend Tumult Recumbent Jocund Transition Capacious Tunic Instantaneous Loath Deftly Brigands Lustrous Latent Condescension Corroborate Pillaged Conducive Laden Decanter Aspiration	Consolation Glee Subsequently Withered Seething Demurely Prematurely Goblets Demeanor Conspicuous Shabby Exulted Grog Compulsion Swarthy Ubiquitous Blithe Abyss Intricate Bilious Ensued Dismal	Repute Flaunting Beseech Inexorable Disgorge Repent Relents Replete Reek Scanty Faltered Foreshadow Repulse Slipshod Revered Essence Intercede Dwindle Beetling Avarice Tarry Strive	Gruel Recompense Jiffy Hearty Peals Portly Feign Sealingwax Jovial Pang Waistcoat Illustrious Extravagance Loitered Sidled Endeavor Amends Giddy Poulterer Array Borough Dispelled

A Christmas Carol Study Guide Questions

Stave One Questions ~

1. What is the simile in the second paragraph?

2. Why does the narrator make such a point of Marley’s being dead?

3. Why doesn’t the weather affect Scrooge?

4. How is Scrooge’s nephew different from Scrooge?

5. What do the “portly gentlemen” who come in after Scrooge’s nephew leave want?

6. How does the knocker change?

7. Why does Scrooge like the darkness?

8. What has Marley’s ghost been doing since his death?

9. What is the warning that Marley gives Scrooge?

10. Why are the phantoms upset?

Stave Two Questions ~

1. What was the strangest thing about the way the spirit looked?

2. What is Scrooge’s initial attitude toward the spirit?

3. What is different about Scrooge when he says “Remember it? I could walk it with a blindfold?”

4. Who is Scrooge talking about when he says “Poor boy!”

5. What does it tell us about Scrooge when Dickens observes“a rapidity of transition very foreign to his usual character.”?

6. When Fan comes to pick Scrooge up, we learn a reason why Scrooge may have turned out the way he did. What is this reason?

7. What kind of people are the Fezziwigs?

8. Who is Belle and why was she important to Scrooge?

10. How does Scrooge try to "extinguish the light"? Does he succeed? What is the light a symbol of?

Stave Three Questions

1. How is what Scrooge is thinking as he lies in bed waiting to see if the spirit appears different from the previous chapter?

2. What does the spirit look like?

3. What is this ghost’s personality like?

4. How has Scrooge’s attitude toward his being

6. What are three significant things we learn about the Cratchit’s?

7. How is Scrooge affected by seeing the family?

Stave Four Questions ~

1. What does the spirit of Christmas future look like?

2. What is this spirit’s personality like?

3. How does Scrooge feel about this spirit?

5. What are some of the words Dickens uses to create the mood of the paragraphs that follow?  What is this mood?

6. When Scrooge asks the phantom to let him "see some tenderness connected with a death,” What does the ghost show him?

7. What is the lesson Scrooge learns in this stave that he had not learned before? Why is this stave needed when Scrooge’s attitude had already changed so much.

Stave Five Questions ~

1.        Describe Scrooge when he first awoke on Christmas morning.

2.       Whom does Scrooge encounter?  How does he act?

3.       Compare Scrooge’s interactions from Stave 1 and his interactions in Stave 2.

4.       Explain the role of empathy in Scrooge’s conversion.

5.       How were the three spirits similar?  How are they different?

Writing 1B 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.

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.

This week we learned about Adjectives from Maggie and Nouns from Stephan.  Both of them had homework ready for the students to practice their knowledge of these parts of speech.  When we get back from break, we will hear about Conjunctions from Brooke S.  

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 Adjectives Video

Schoolhouse Rock Nouns Video

Gluggavedur, tidsoptimist, and dysania 

Introduction to Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol

Video Introduction to A Christmas Carol

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

Introduction to A Christmas Carol

             A Christmas Carol is a fairly straightforward allegory built on an episodic narrative structure in which each of the main passages has a fixed, obvious symbolic meaning. The book is divided into five sections (Dickens labels them Staves in reference to the musical notation staff--a Christmas carol, after all, is a song), with each of the middle three Staves revolving around a visitation by one of the three famous spirits. The three spirit-guides, along with each of their tales, carry out a thematic function--the Ghost of Christmas Past, with his glowing head, represents memory; the Ghost of Christmas Present represents charity, empathy, and the Christmas spirit; and the reaper-like Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represents the fear of death. Scrooge, with his Bah! Humbug! attitude, embodies all that dampens Christmas spirit--greed, selfishness, indifference, and a lack of consideration for one's fellow man.

from Victorian Age

http://www.guidanceassociates.com/victorianage.html

            The Victorian Age is a very elastic term used to denote an extremely dynamic period. Although the Victorian Age roughly spans most of the 19th century (from 1832 to 1900), it is not totally confined within these dates. The rumblings of change to come were felt for some time before 1832, and changes did not stop occurring as soon as Queen Victoria died in 1901. However, lifestyles did change more dramatically during this period than ever before in English history. England was suddenly pulled together by the railways, the penny post, and the rest of the newly constructed apparatus of fast, cheap communication. The country became unified in a way never before possible.

            Prior to the middle of the 19th century, education had been reserved for the nobility and those who could afford to send their children to exclusive private schools. Even if the poor had been able to enter their children in these schools, they would not have done so. A child of six was expected to start bringing home money to help support his entire family; he would be put to work as soon as possible. In those days work meant twelve to sixteen hours a day of grueling, hard labor in conditions that would today be considered totally unacceptable. There was no time spare for education. However, with the appearance of the modern public school system it became fashionable and necessary for the children of the lower classes to at least learn the rudiments of the 3 R’s. With these assets, they could go on to vocational apprenticeships in one of the trades.

            Great nationalistic spirit developed during the Victorian Age, and England struggled to place herself at the top of the international scene. At the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851, England was influential in many countries. By the end of the Victorian Age, the British Empire had reached the high point of its development.

            During this period the extreme poverty of the lower working classes was pointed up by the increasingly congested living conditions of city life. While the nobility still hung onto its money and its social barriers, and an individual’s birthright tended to be the deciding factor of his future, the rapidly expanding middle classes made steady inroads. The middle-class novelist, Charles Dickens, did more than any writer before or since to expose the sufferings of the working class. His books found their way into the drawing rooms of the titled and wealthy, and social consciousness began to rise. Emancipation of women and the rights of children became popular cases for the previously sheltered nobility. They brought their money and influence to bear in demanding better working conditions and broader education for the working class. A kind of feverish sentimentality of guilt gripped everyone.  The debt owed to Charles Dickens for the many reforms of the Victorian Age is certainly not a small one.

Biography Essay

Biography Essay 

Definition 

A biographical essay demonstrates that you have a good knowledge of a person’s life and a good grasp of that person’s importance and contributions to our world.  A typical essay will consist of an outline of a person’s life, accomplishments and events in life, impact and influence on society and peers, and any background information. 

  

Thesis Development 

The thesis for a biographical essay will be some statement about this person’s contributions.  Your thesis statement for this essay will assert your point of view, opinions, or evaluation of the value of this person’s life.   

Organization 

An obvious organizational plan for this kind of essay is chronological; you cover the main events of the subject’s life as they happened.  Another strategy focuses on a few important events, building up to the one you think is most important.  A third plan divides the person’s life into categories and discusses them one at a time.  In each strategy, you are supporting and explaining your thesis. 

  

Some Helpful Tips on Writing 

• Support your thesis with examples and details. 
• Give sufficient background information. 

• Including more information than is necessary.  It is easy to focus on story-telling and not tie your writing into the thesis. 

Essay Guidelines 

• Due dates:  Pre-Write due October 10; Rough Draft due October 24; Final Draft due November 11. 
• 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 

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