Another great week in class! Parents, you should feel proud of your diligent, bright, and thoughtful young adults. Most of these students were in my first Writing 1 Class, and I've grown quite attached to them. It's a real joy to watch them grow as writers and as thinkers.
For our Quick Write today, I had them reflect on their own personal process of writing the research paper. The specific writing prompt was "What would I do differently." Besides the obvious (not putting it off/ procrastinating), they had some great insights. All along, I've been telling them that this paper is as much about the process as it is about the result. My hope is that they would learn more about themselves as writers, researchers, and learners.
They also had some great ideas for ways in which I could make changes to improve the class for the next batch of students. Some of the items mentioned were a part of the instruction but need to be emphasized and explained more clearly. They also mentioned more intermediate writing opportunities. I love it when a student asks for more to do!
We are moving into the home stretch. We have two weeks left of classes for this term. I've gone over the two rough drafts, but if a student wants to e-mail me any portions of their paper to read before the final draft is due on December 12, I would be glad to read and comment on anything they send. As of this Wednesday, none of the students felt they would be ready for giving his/her presentation next week. If that changes, they can let me know.
Our last week is December 12; all of the papers and presentations are due that week. I haven't talked with the students about having parents there for the presentations. I don't mind if parents want to attend, but this should be a conversation that you have at home. Sometimes my kids want me at their school events, and sometimes they don't.
We closed the class with another group response to an ACT/SAT writing prompt. With 4 girls and 4 boys in the class, we divide pretty evenly. They also like to pick the question that the other group has to answer. This week we discussed teacher tenure and fast food restaurants in schools. These cooperative discussions help everyone think more broadly about a topic.
Assignment for Next Week:
-- FINISH!!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Prichard
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