Greetings!
We began the class with SAT writing prompts. The students worked for a while on their own before we joined forces to brainstorm about the important points that might be included. We discussed how to compare and contrast the pros and cons of the questions. Our Vocabulary Builders were words from the test prep book. We did a modified version of a "spell down."
We had a productive class this week. I collected the second set of outlines from the students. This outline was to have full sentences for the points of the outline instead of bullet points or one-word entries. They were to treat each sentence entry as if it was the topic sentence for a paragraph. This will go a long way in helping the students compose their rough drafts.
I had forgotten to check their notecards or research notes this week. I'll check them next week. My aim in doing this is to make sure they're keeping up with this part of their work. We discussed some of the difficulties that the students are encountering as they do their research and write their papers. A common problem is procrastination. When the project is big, that's understandable. Some suggestions from the students included working on it first thing in the day, blocking out a longer uninterrupted time, or putting in 15 minutes at a time two or three times a day.
Since these papers are to be "position papers" and not simply "reports," the task of developing a thesis that needs to be supporting with information continues to challenge the students.
Next Week's Assignment:
-- Continue researching the topic for the paper.
-- The first rough draft is due in 2 weeks; an appropriate goal would be to have half of it done by next week.
-- Bring all research notes and materials to class.
Enjoy the beautiful weather,
Mrs. Prichard
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