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