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 Basic Format -- Works Cited (note: I do not require that URLs be included on the Works Cited pages)
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Prichard
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