Greetings!
I can't believe that we're 2/3 of the way through this first semester. At the beginning of the year, I think many of us were uncertain about how school would go, but the students have been amazing. Working with Google Classroom, attending class via Zoom when necessary, and wearing masks has not daunted this great group of students. Pat yourselves on the back and thank God for his abundant grace!
I gave a plethora of options for the
Quick Write today. 1) Nov. 5, 1605 is Guy Fawkes Day in England, which commemorates the plot to blow up parliament, the king, and his family. 2) Nov. 5, 1872 is the day that Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting (it was not yet legal for women to vote); 3) Nov. 5, 1935 is the day Parker Bros. launched the Monopoly game; 4) Thursday was National Donut Day; and finally, 5) Thursday was National Men Make Dinner Day. Students could write about violence vs. civil discourse, women in politics, board games, donuts, or men who cook.
Our Words of the Day were common Latin abbreviations, some I often use in notes to students and others students might encounter in their reading:
i.e. -- Latin id est, "that is"-- this signals an expansion on a comment. (Make sure you do your homework, i.e. your rough draft and worksheets.)
e.g. -- Latin, exempli gratia, "for the sake of example" -- this signals possible examples. (You must create a project, e.g. an activity, artwork, or game.)
c.f. -- Latin, conferro, "to compare with" -- this is often used in reference materials as a shortcut to point out comparisons
n.b. -- Latin, nota bene, "note well" or "a good note" -- used to draw attention to a side, related comment.
Rough drafts of the Research Papers were handed back, so it was time for me to discuss common errors found in the essays. I especially took time to go over the introductions and thesis statements. Personally, I think one of the hardest and yet most important aspects of writing a thesis-driven paper is developing a strong thesis statement and giving a clear road map/plan of development. By the end of an introduction, the reader should know not only the topic, but should know the driving idea (the thesis tells why it's important) and where the essay is headed (the road map tells what subtopics will be covered to support the thesis.) Strong thesis statements elevate a paper from a report with some details to an essay with a strong purpose.
Our student-led discussions this week included writing sentences that are parallel (parallel structure) and avoiding writing sentences using the "There is/There are" structures. See the links below for more information.
We also talked briefly about the presentations that students will give at the end of the semester when they are done with the writing of their papers. These are to be short 10 - 20 presentations that can include visual aids and that either present the highlights of their information or just one specific aspect. The final drafts of the research papers do not need to be done before the presentation is given. We signed up today, and here are the dates and presenters:
December 3
Joseph
Lilly
Dellia
Brad
December 10
Sophia
Annika
Katie
Abby Kate
Martha
December 17
Will
Laura
Isaac
Jacob
A quick note about Google Classroom -- A reminder -- if you go into Google Classroom from another gmail account, you will not be able to answer discussion questions, fill out quizzes, or turn in homework. If you're not sure if you are in the right account, look in the upper right hand corner of the screen where the settings and Google apps icon are. Hover your cursor over the small circle to the right. This will tell you what account you're in.
Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy this great fall weather, Rumor has it that winter is coming!
Mrs. Prichard
Assignments for Next Week
-- Rough Draft #1 (if not finished)
-- Rough Draft #2
-- Worksheet -- Analytic Evaluation Rubric
Links for this Week
Class Notes (11/15)
Tamera M. PrichardWriting Instructor at CHAT
