Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 13 (April 21)

 Greetings!

We had a wonderful day in class.  We started the class period with a Quick Write, and here are the prompts:

• Today, April 21, is National Kindergarten Day.  What is something that you remember from your kindergarten days, when you were about 5 years old?  Can you remember toys you played with or activities you liked to do?  
• Today, April 21, is World Creativity and Innovation Day.  How do you like to express your creativity?  In what ways do you like to think outside the box?
• Saturday, April 23, is World Book Day.  What books would you recommend that others read?  Write convincing comments.
• Saturday, April 23, is also National Shakespeare Day and National Talk Like Shakespeare Day.  Write anything but put it in language that soundeth liketh the Bard of Avon hath verily penned it.

The Final Drafts of the News Stories were due today, and I introduced the next writing assignment, which is an Essay Re-Write.  For this essay, students can choose any essay they have written this year for Writing 1, or they can choose an essay that they've written for another class.  They should take a one of their final drafts and look for ways to improve it.  I often suggest that students choose the essay that they got the worst grade on or that they want to spend some more time on. This writing assignment is due next week, and students should hand in the original along with the re-write.  (Note:  This isn't our regular pre-write to rough draft to final draft process.)

For our Literature portion of the class, we spend some of our time talking about one of my favorite poems by William Carlos Williams, "A Red Wheelbarrow."  After our discussion, I explained our Poetry Jam, which we will have for the next 2 weeks.  The class has been divided into teams, and those teams will compete in a group by reciting poetry.  (It looks like we might have some guest "judges" for the day.)  Each student should bring in 2 poems next week for the first round of the Poetry Jam.  

Here are the teams, I think.  (I forgot to take a picture of the board, so these teams might not be correct)

Team 1: "The Purple Cows" -- Megan B, Sarah H, Jaedyn M, Charissa Q, Peytan K, Evan M

Team 2:  "Marmalade" -- Noah B, Phoebe H, Ava N, Liam S, Elian W, Landon M

Team 3:  "Not Fast, Not Furious" -- Johnny D, Ike J, Joren O, Katelyn S, Lauren M, Will W, Grace R

Team 4:  "Turtle" -- Molly H, Chase M, Carmella P, James V, Estelle K, Rhyann R

Finally, to conclude our Grammar for the year, I have a Final Sentence Patterns Test that they will take next week.  For this week, they have a review sheet that they should complete and then correct. (The Key is on the Google Classroom assignment.)  Correcting their own work will further help them review and will be much more beneficial than waiting a week to see if they got the answers right.  

We have a couple fun weeks planned to finish out our year, so let's make sure you get caught up on any late work.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Bring 2 poems for your contribution to the Poetry Jam (Here is the scoring information)

-- Complete the Essay Re-Write

-- Complete the Sentence Patterns Review sheet and correct it. (Bring the corrected version to class)

Links for This Week

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 12 (April 21)

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 13 (December 3)

 Greetings!

It's hard to believe that we're in December already and that there are only 2 weeks left.  I feel like I'm just getting to know the students, so I'm already looking forward to working with them again next semester!

For our Quick Write, I chose from the long list of ideas that the students put together.  Here are the prompts for this week:

• Option 1: What do you play as a sport? Why do you play it and how does it impact your life?
• Option 2: What instrument do you play? Why do you play it and how does it impact your life?
• Option 3: If you could go back and re-do something, what would it be?

After the Quick Writes we enjoyed some more obscure, Christmas-related words for our Words of the Day:

natal -- fr. Latin natus, "pertaining to one's birth" -- often this word is used to describe the star that appeared over Bethlehem, i.e. Jesus' natal star  [Note:  nativity also comes from the same root.]

epiphany -- fr. Greek epiphainein, "to reveal" -- a festival, manifestation, or commemoration; traditionally, Epiphany is on January 6 and is a celebration of the the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12).

poinsettia -- fr. John Poinsett, an ambassador to Mexico who brought this plant to the attention of botanists -- a plant of large green leaves and large red blossoms that is used to decorate at Christmas.

wassail -- fr. Old Norse, ves heill, "be well/healthy" -- a greeting of good cheer; also hot mulled cider, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, a Medieval Christmastide English  ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year.

swaddling -- fr. Middle English, swathlen, to bind with clothes -- longs strips of cloth used to wrap or bind.  Jesus was "laid in swaddling clothes."

Note:  For the Spring semester, I've encouraged students to bring in unusual or interesting words that they find.

Following our beginning of class activity, we had a thoughtful discussion about the role of grammar instruction.  I had read a study about teaching grammar in 3 different ways:  through direct instruction, in the context of student writing, and in the context of reading quality material.  In this study, students in the writing-only and reading-only groups scored higher on a post-test.  For that reason, I like to incorporate as much of my grammar instruction with the students' own papers and with the literature we read.  Since we have been focusing on the parts of speech, we combined that knowledge with our current reading, A Christmas Carol.  In small groups, students took the first 3 sentences of Stave Four and identified what part of speech each word in the sentence was.  Next week when I hand back their rough drafts, we'll have another chance to have a grammar discussion.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Quick Write (if absent on 12/3)

-- Read Stave 5 of A Christmas Carol

-- Stave 5 -- 3 Study Guide Questions

-- EXTRA CREDIT QUESTION -- Watch Christmas clips & respond (GC)

-- Parts of Speech Post Test  (students have this in their packet, but there's also a copy on Google Classroom)

-- Parts of Speech Presentation Self Evaluation 

-- Discussion Question (History Essay) GC

-- Discussion Question (Biography Essay) GC (if not done)

Links for This Week

Class Notes Blog Post 12/3

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature

Subject Complements & Predicate Adjectives

Subject Complements

Linking Verbs—such as be, appear, become, feel, grow, seem, smell, sound, and taste—always need a subject complement to complete their meaning in a sentence.

There are two kinds of complements: predicate nominatives (nouns that follow linking verbs) and predicate adjectives (adjectives that follow linking verbs).

            Predicate nominatives rename, identify, or refer to the subject of the sentence.

                        Those people are tourists. (predicate noun)

                        This magazine is mine. (predicate pronoun)

            Predicate adjectives modify the subject of a sentence.

                        The food is spicy. (predicate adjective)

           

            Predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives can be compound.

                        Those people are tourists and explorers.  (compound predicate nominative)

            The food is spicy and hot. (compound predicate adjective)

Exercise #3:  In the following sentences, underline the subject once and the verb twice.  Label S for Subject and V for Verb.  Circle the subject complements, labeling predicate nominatives PN and predicate adjectives PA.

Put all prepositional phrases between parentheses.

 1.      The author C. S. Lewis has been an amazing writer and teacher.

2.      The main characters in his books are two brothers and two sisters. 

3.      The central character is Aslan, a lion.

4.      Aslan is not at all tame.

5.      Lucy, the youngest sister, seems adventurous.

6.      The oldest brother seems at times bossy.

7.      Edmund is the younger brother.

8.      Mr. Tumnus, Lucy’s first friend in Narnia, is afraid of the White Witch.

9.      The Beavers are life savers for the Pevensy children.

10.  An empty wardrobe can be an amazing place.

Predicate Adjectives

Section A - Underline the predicate adjective in the following sentences. Hint: There are 20.

1. The trip was long, tiring and boring.

2. You are brilliant and strong.

3. The weather is frightening.

4. The boat was shiny, new and fast.

5. The bear is asleep in his cave.

Section B - Underline the linking verb in the following sentences:

1. His new car is Japanese.

2. That story was very funny.

3. Plane flights are often bumpy.

4. Our guest could be late.

5. Any donations will be appreciated.

Section C - Underline the predicate adjective and circle the subject it modifies in the following sentences:

1. We were afraid of the dark

2. The news was shocking and unbelievable.

3. Carol and Ginger were ecstatic.

4. As the storm approached, the clouds grew black.

5. Love can be unstoppable.

Section D - Write five sentences using these predicate adjectives and linking verbs. You do not have to use them all, but do not repeat one.

Predicate adjectives: distraught, concerned, remarkable, funny, sour, sweet, spoiled brilliant, squeaky, ageless

Linking verbs: sounds, appear, become, would be, can

Sentence Patterns -- N-LV-N

NAME:  ________________________________

The Equation for a Sentence:

     Subject (Noun)

     Verb

+   Complete Thought

     SENTENCE

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

Predicate Nouns Sentence Pattern:  N-LV-N

This sentence pattern uses a linking verb (LV) with the subject noun to a noun in the predicate.  The linking verb acts as an equal sign (=) between the subject and the noun in the predicate.

Exercise #1:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun and a predicate noun.  The two nouns should be different words/expressions for the same idea/item.  Put a single word in each box.

Subject Noun	Predicate Noun
EX:  book	dictionary
EX:  season	summer
1.
2.
3.

Using your subject nouns and a predicate nouns from the chart above, build a sentence by adding a linking verb.  You can add adjectives if you like.  Below your sentence, write an equation with the subject and the predicate noun.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

EX:  The big book was a dictionary.                                       My favorite season is summer.

         Book = dictionary                                                           season = summer

1.

2.

3.

Exercise #2:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun and a predicate noun.  The two nouns should be different words/expressions for the same idea/item.  Put a single word or phrase in each box.

Subject Noun	Predicate Noun
EX:  class	Basic Composition
1.
2.

Using your subject nouns and a predicate nouns from the chart above, build a sentence by adding a linking verb.  Add adjectives and prepositional phrases.  Below your sentence, write an equation with the subject and the predicate noun.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

EX.  My favorite class on Wednesday is Basic Composition.

            Class = Basic Composition

1.

2.

Exercise #3:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject nouns and a predicate nouns.  The two nouns should be different words/expressions for the same idea/item.  Put more than one word if the box is labelled “Compound” and put a single word if the box is labelled “Simple.” 

Compound Subject Nouns	Simple Predicate Nouns (plural)
EX:  squirrels, rabbits	animals
1.
Simple Subject Nouns (plural)	Compound Predicate Nouns
EX: cars	Honda, Toyota
2.

Using your subject nouns and a predicate nouns from the chart above, build a sentence by adding a linking verb.  Add adjectives and prepositional phrases.  Below your sentence, write an equation with the subject and the predicate noun.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

EX.  The happy little squirrels and rabbits are animals in my backyard.

The new cars on the lot were the Honda and the Toyota. 1.

2.

Sentence Patterns -- N-LV-Adj

NAME:  ________________________________

The Equation for a Sentence:

     Subject (Noun)

     Verb

+   Complete Thought

     SENTENCE

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

Predicate Nouns Sentence Pattern:  N-LV-ADJ

This sentence pattern uses a linking verb (LV) with the subject noun to an adjective in the predicate.  The linking verb acts as an equal sign (=) between the subject and the adjective in the predicate.

Exercise #1:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun and a predicate noun.  The two nouns should be different words/expressions for the same idea/item.  Put a single word in each box.

Subject Noun	Predicate Adjective
EX:  book	boring
EX:  movie	exciting
1.
2.
3.

Using your subject nouns and predicate adjectives from the chart above, build a sentence by adding a linking verb.  You can add adjectives if you like.  Below your sentence, write an equation with the subject and the predicate noun.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

EX:  The big book was boring.                                    The movie seems exciting.

         Book = boring                                                    movie = exciting

1.

2.

3.

Exercise #2:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun and a predicate adjective.  The adjectives should describe the noun in the box.  Put a single word or phrase in each box.

Subject Noun	Predicate Adjective
EX:  dinner	delicious
1.
2.

Using your subject nouns and predicate adjectives from the chart above, build a sentence by adding a linking verb.  Add adjectives and prepositional phrases.  Below your sentence, write an equation with the subject and the predicate noun.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

EX.  My dinner is delicious.

            Dinner = delicious

1.

2.

Exercise #3:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject nouns and a predicate nouns.  The two nouns should be different words/expressions for the same idea/item.  Put more than one word if the box is labelled “Compound” and put a single word if the box is labelled “Simple.” 

Compound Subject Nouns (plural)	Simple Predicate Adjective
EX:  squirrels, rabbits	frisky
1.
Simple Subject Noun	Compound Predicate Adjectives (plural)
EX: car	new, economical
2.

Using your subject nouns and a predicate nouns from the chart above, build a sentence by adding a linking verb.  Add adjectives and prepositional phrases.  Below your sentence, write an equation with the subject and the predicate noun.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

EX.  The happy little squirrels and rabbits seem frisky in the spring.

The cars on the lot were new and economical. 1.

2.

Sentences: Finding the Complete Subject and Complete Predicate

A sentence is a group of words that has a subject (a noun), a verb, and a complete thought.  This same combination of words is an independent or main clause.  (Note:  Not all groups of words with a noun and a verb are sentences.)  The subjects and verbs of sentences must agree; in other words, if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular.

The complete subject is the simple subject, which is the principal part of the subject, with all its modifiers.  The complete predicate is the simple predicate, which is the verb or verb phrase, with all of its modifiers.

EXERCISE #1

In the sentences below, do two things: 

1.      Draw a vertical line between the complete subject and the complete predicate;

2.      Draw one line under the simple subject and two lines under the simple predicate.

1.      The brave little robin in the tree sang merrily.

2.      Large tractors pulled heavy plows.

3.      Hardworking farmers were loading trailers with hay bales.

4.      The lad produces food for many hungry people.

5.      Good plowing requires the closes attentions of the tractor driver.

6.      Dark green fields of corn will wave here in the summer.

7.      Abundant yields are good news to the farmer.

8.      Farming is a basic industry in the Midwest.

9.      Those bright colored tulips were grown from bulbs imported from Holland.

10.  Many people plant bulbs in their gardens.

11.  Yesterday I filled my vases with yellow and red tulips.

12.  Tall graceful trees bordered Aunt Betty’s flower garden.

13.  She plants some very rare types of flowers with unusual blossoms.

14.  People often tour my aunt’s garden.

15.  I am planning a garden just like hers.

INVERTED SENTENCES

To achieve variety and to add interest to your writing, inverted sentences are frequently used.   In an inverted sentence, the subject may come at the end of the sentence, or it may follow a part of the predicate, dividing the predicate into two sections.

Example:  Both of the following sentences are correct.  The meaning is the same in each; one is inverted, the other is not.

Inverted Order:  In the sky shined the bright stars.

Natural Order:  The stars shined brightly in the sky.

EXERCISES

In some of the sentences below, the order of the subject and predicate is reversed, the predicate coming first.  Underline the simple subject once and the simple predicate twice.

1.      Silently rose the moon over the eastern hills.

2.      A happy man that night he seemed.

3.      Many are the lonely hearts in war time.

4.      Suddenly came a sound like rushing wind.

5.      Never before had I seen such a sight.

6.      Steadfastly loyal to his master was the dog.

7.      There stood the sentinel with bayonet fixed.

8.      In due time arrived the messenger with the general’s orders.

9.      Into the room dashed my frightened brother.

10.  The bright yellow sunlight streamed through the window.

11.  There down the street comes the glittering parade.

12.  Over in the corner leaned Grandfather Mallorey’s hand-carved walking stick.

13.  For once the teacher seemed angry.

14.  Above us hung the sun like a red-hot ball of fire.

15.  Around the corner madly dashed the frightened horse.