Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 12 (November 17)

Greetings!

We had a good class this week and some good discussion.  We are in the phase of the class where students need to focus on their own writing, and there is not as much for me to teach. 

We began class with a discussion about the Presentations.  I had the students tell their classmates what they would like to hear about the different topics. We had a good discussion that I hope will peek everyone's interest in one another's topics.

Rough Drafts #2 have been coming in, and I handed some of them back this week.  We discussed some issues that were in these rough drafts, including parenthetical citations, Works Cited entries, forecasting your topics or ideas ("I'm going to tell you ..."), active vs. passive voice, noun/pronouns agreement, use of colons, etc.

The Presentations for December 1 are: 

Luke

Nicole

Harrison

Nicholas

As I've told the students, the Final Drafts of their papers are due December 15, the last day of class.  They may find themselves presenting before they've completely finished writing.

We ended the class by playing two games that we use at my other school for community building.  One was "A Cold Wind Blows," a game that is a mix of musical chairs and "Never Have I Ever."  The other is a common theater warm-up game:  "What are You Doing?

I will be returning the remaining Rough Drafts this weekend.  

Assignments for Next Week

-- Keep working on those papers.

-- Keep working on your presentation.

Links for this week:

Class Notes

A Cold Wind Blows

What are You Doing?

Stay warm, drive safely, and have a great Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 11 (November 11)

Greetings!

We began class with some discussion about the elections.  I wanted to give the students some time to process their thoughts in writing.  I've found that many times thoughts and emotions rumble around inside, and the process of writing about them not only helps to bring clarity but to gives room for the Lord to speak to us as we write.  

Before we began writing, I spoke a bit about the need to hear from the Lord about our individual roles in this wonderful country of ours.  Where should we serve?  Who are the needy and broken for whom we can be the hands and feet of Jesus?  In the book of Luke, the work and gospel of Jesus is often expressed of in term of peace.  Peace, not anger that responds to hatred that is responding to more hatred, is our calling from the Lord.  OK, now I shall get off my soapbox.  I am so grateful to have the class of thoughtful homeschool students whom I can encourage in the Lord!

For the Quick Write, students could write about the election, Veteran's Day (November 11), the anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps (November 10, 1775), or marshmallows vs. popcorn.

We worked on Works Cited pages and correct format for entries.  Easy Bib is a great resource, but students will need to check to make sure that the entry that Easy Bib gives them is actually correct.  I've had a number of incorrect ones for websites.  This site also had some good resources for MLA guidelines:  Citation Guides, Website Evaluator, and Commonly Cited Sources/ Research Guide.  We also looked at formatting using Microsoft Word.  In the links listed below, I've included a couple specifically for formatting.

Finally, I showed three videos about giving presentations.  Some students love giving speeches or presentations; others hate it.  This is a good, small group of gracious students, so I'm hoping that will help with any jitters about speaking and sharing the information about their topics.

Most of the students handed in their second rough drafts.  To clarify, I went over the first rough drafts looking for any problems with content or organization.  I gave a number of ideas and suggestions for expanding the papers or for re-organization.  For this rough draft, I'm especially looking for issues with grammar and mechanics.  For those who have had classes with me before, they know that I will be thorough and will read very carefully.  Students new to my style should be prepared to find lots of little marks and comments.  If the second rough draft was not handed in during class, it should be mailed to me by the end of the weekend. 

We will start presentations on December 1 (go to this blog post for the schedule of speakers.)  The Final Drafts are due the last week of class.  Students have the option to hand in a third rough draft if they think it is necessary.  

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Work on the Presentation

-- Send in Rough Draft #2, if nec.

Links for This Week

Class Notes

MLA Style Citations -- Video Links

MLA Style Guide

Easy Bib Citation Generator

     Citation Guides

     Website Evaluator

     Commonly Cited Sources/Research Guide

MLA Basic Format -- Works Cited  (note:  I do not require that URLs be included on the Works Cited pages)

How to Give an Awesome Presentation

How to Give a Great Presentation

How to Sound Smart (TEDtalk)

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 10 (November 3)

Greetings!

Great class this week -- especially since they talked me into taking the discussion outside.  How can you say know when the weather is so beautiful?

We are at the point in our class where I have given them most of the information that they need to write a good paper.  Now that students are in the midst of their own writing, what was theory is now becoming practice.  From this point forward, we will review topics and areas that are unclear; students might think they know how to write signal phrases or how to smoothly transition between paragraphs but once they start writing they find that they need some help.

During our discussion outside, we particularly talked about the challenges and the areas in which students were having the hardest times.  Being motivated to work on the paper topped our list.  This is not surprising.  Students often get bored with their topics or get stuck in one aspect.  A related struggle is busy-ness.  Other assignments or activities have more pressing or immediate deadlines, causing students to put their papers aside.  We brainstormed some strategies for dealing with this disinterest or "writer's fatigue."  Setting particular times and places to work were suggested.  Being aware of external distractions (*cough* -- friends, Facebook, playlists, etc.) was also mentioned.

Another place of difficulty for these researching writers was in the area of content and resources.  Some students had too much information; some were still looking for good quality resources and information to expand their papers.  The length of the paper seemed to be a primary concern.  

As I told the students, this project will teach them a lot about themselves.  Most homeschool students are fairly self-motivated and are equipped to manage a more open schedule.  Writing a lengthy research paper tests students in those very areas.  And that's a good thing.  When they get to college, managing their time and having strategies for their own personal work habits and learning styles will be essential to their success.

They signed up for Presentation slots.  The papers do not need to be handed in until December 15; they can present about their material before they hand in their papers.  Next week we will talk about what makes a good presentation.

Below is the schedule:

December 1

Nicholas

Harrison

Luke

Nicole

December 8

Abby

Eden

Christopher

December 15

Preston

Katie

Anna

We're nearing the home stretch.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Rough Draft #2 

Links for this Week

Class Notes

Have a beautiful weekend!

Mrs. Prichard