Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 1 (August 25)

Greetings!

We had a great first class for our 2016 school year!  This is a great group with both returning and new students; I'm looking forward to this year.

This first week of classes is about taking care of the business regarding how the class is run.  I handed out a lot of papers, which you will find attached to this e-mail, inserted into the blog and on Dropbox.  As I told the students, they have multiple ways to find assignments and handouts should they be missing any.

We began the class with a Quick Write, which we will do every week.  The purpose of the Quick Write is to get the students in a writing mood.  Most of these are light-hearted; often they are connected to a current even or something that happened on that day in history.  Students had two options for today's Quick Write:  it is National Banana Split Day and it was the day that Ethelda Bleibtrey became the first female Olympics swimming champion.  Students could write something about ice cream or the Olympics or overcoming adversity.  

After these beginning exercises, we got down to business with all of the handouts.  We went over, at length, my Classroom Policies for this class that included conduct, communication, and grading.  I especially talked about electronics and cell phone use in class.  More and more students have smart phones, and some find it difficult to keep them stowed away during class.  This year, if I suspect a student is using his/her phone, I will ask and then confiscate the phone if needed.  Parents will get an e-mail if this happens.  The students were in agreement with me, and I don't anticipate this being a problem with this class.

I have 3 goals for this class:

1)  to learn research writing skills

2)  to write a lengthy, well-researched paper

3)  to learn about themselves as writers, researchers, and students

In addition to laying a foundation  for the semester's class, we talked for a while about choosing topics for their papers.  Another topic of discussion was the significance of coming up with a strong thesis statement.  We didn't get to grammar this week.  No worries; we'll do double next week.

In addition to the Classroom Policies, students received the Writing 3 Syllabus, 30 Steps to a Research Paper, "Why I'm Interested" handout, and a double-sided worksheet about choosing a topic.

For next week, they are to have 4 possible topics along with some subtopic ideas.  The following week they will write a short response to why they are interested in their chosen topics.

Assignments for Next Week
-- Review Steps 1 - 6 in 30 Steps
-- Narrow Your Topic Worksheet 
     -- Top half and # 2 - 3
-- Chose 4 possible topics; include potential sub-ideas

Links for this Week:

Class Notes
Writing 3 Syllabus

30 Steps to a Research Paper
Grammar Plan for Writing 3

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 3 -- Technology Updates

Greetings!

CHAT classes start tomorrow, and I'm excited to start my writing classes on Thursday.  I have a great mix of returning students, new students, and younger siblings of students I've previously taught.  We're going to have a great year!

As I mentioned in my first "Welcome" e-mail (which you can see here), I will be using a new online grade book this year.  Below are explanations of my online sources that I provide as a resource for families.  

Class Updates:  Weekly, following our class, I will send out an e-mail that explains what we covered in class and what the assignments are. Occasionally I will include links to interesting or pertinent sites that pertain to our class discussion.  Any handouts from the class will be attached to these e-mails.  Double check to make sure these e-mails are making it to your Inbox and not the Junk/Spam folder.

Writing 3 Blog:  The weekly updates and other messages are also posted on this site.  If you need to see a number of the updates at once, this is an efficient way to do it. Copies of the handouts (with the exception of those that are pdfs) will be posted on this blog.  Also, photos, images, videos, and links to other websites will appear on this site.  If you're curious, you can peruse the blog for past posts in order to get a feeling for what to expect this year.

Dropbox:  This is an online storage site, and I have folders with all of the documents that I use in a folder for this class.  If a student is missing a worksheet or a handout, he/she can find it there.  You will be getting an invitation to join this folder.

My GradeBook:  This is the online grade book that I will be using this year.  It is new to me, but since it is similar to the one I had previously used, I don't anticipate any problems.  My paper grade book is up to date with every assignment, but it may take a week or so to get the grades onto this site.  That said, it should be a pretty accurate picture of what homework is missing and ongoing scores for the work.  You will be getting an invitation to join this  site, also.

Long story short:

-- If a student isn't sure of an assignment, he/she can check

     -- the syllabus that was handed out

     -- the Class Update

     -- the blog

-- If a student is missing something that I handed out, he/she can find it 

     -- as an attachment to a Class Update

     -- on the blog

     -- in the Dropbox folder.

-- If you have questions about grades or missing homework, you can

     -- check My GradeBook

     -- send me a personal e-mail.

If you have any questions, let me know.  Look for e-mail invitations from Dropbox and My GradeBook.  

I'm looking forward to meeting my new Writing 3 class!

Tammy

Classroom Policies

Classroom Conduct

·         As we explore the various aspects of writing, we’ll engage in whole-class and small group discussions.  Be polite and respectful of each other’s time and comments.

·         We only meet once a week and need to make the most of our time.  Come to class prepared and with the appropriate materials (books, notebook, pens, etc.).  Avoid unrelated and unnecessary conversations and activities that will distract us from learning.  Turn off ALL electronic devices.  (They may be confiscated until the end of the CHAT school day.)

Communication

·         Weekly updates that include the material covered and upcoming assignments will be sent to the e-mail addresses that parents submitted when registering for the class.  I will also collect e-mail addresses from students.  I prefer to communicate via e-mail, but can be reached on my cell phone if the concern is urgent.  (507/581-0270)

·         I’m using two more on-line resources in addition to the e-mails: a blog and a document storage site, Dropbox.  Here’s how they will work:

–  Writing 3 – www.chatwriting3.blogspot.com.  The blog entries will contain the same information from the e-mail updates.  I’m hoping these entries will serve as a consolidation and reference for our weekly lessons for the semester.  Hopefully we can avoid forgotten assignments or missing e-mails.

–  Dropbox – www.dropbox.com.  Most of the handouts will be available on the Dropbox website.  Parents and students will receive an e-mail and be invited to view the “Writing 3” folder.  These documents can be downloaded and printed from home computers.

–  Engrade – www.engrade.com. This is an online grade book on which I will enter the grades and scores for completed assignments.  Parents and students can log in to check progress.  Note:  Scores may not be immediately added to the website; feel free to contact me for any questions.

–  Note:  I prefer to receive assignments as attachments to e-mails.

Grading

·         This class is concerned with both the process of writing a research paper and the resulting final product.  The assignments are incremental steps of the process and should be handed in on-time.  These assignments can be handed in at class time (Thursday afternoon) or by midnight on the following Sunday and not be considered late.  Late assignments will not only receive a reduced score, but could hinder the student’s progress.

·         We will do some in-class grammar and vocabulary work and some outside homework will be given.

·         Accumulating points is the NOT an important aspect of this class.  My goal is that students grow as learners and writers; this is not always reflected in classroom points.  However, points are a helpful indicator of diligence, improvement, and, to some extent, quality.

·         Points will be given for the following activities:

– Participation – 5 pt. /day.  This includes good attitudes, helpful comments in the discussions, respect of others, Quick Writes, an College Essays.

– Assigned steps of the process – 5 to 10 pt., depending on the assignment with a reduction in points for late work.

– Final paper & presentation – 200 points divided into the following categories:  Format, Mechanics, Organization, Content, Thesis/Position, and Presentation.

– The students have been given a Rubric (scoring guide) for the research paper.

·         The students have packets of weekly handouts explaining the various steps in writing a research paper.  Occasionally they will need to do more reading in their handbooks or online.

·         Writing a research paper is an involved process to which each student will respond according to his/her personality and learning style.  I’m aware that analytical thinkers will love the step by step process and global thinkers will find it more challenging.  An important goal of this class is that students would become more aware of themselves as learners, researchers and writers.  This self-awareness will help them immensely in further areas of study.

Classroom Policies -- Writing 3 Fall, 2014

Writing 3 Fall, 2014                                                                                                    Student’s signature

                                                                                                                                    Parent’s initials

Classroom Policies

Classroom Conduct

·         As we explore the various aspects of writing, we’ll engage in whole-class and small group discussions.  Be polite and respectful of each other’s time and comments.

·         We only meet once a week and need to make the most of our time.  Come to class prepared and with the appropriate materials (books, notebook, pens, etc.).  Avoid unrelated and unnecessary conversations and activities that will distract us from learning.  Turn off ALL electronic devices.  (They may be confiscated until the end of the CHAT school day.)

Communication

·         Weekly updates that include the material covered and upcoming assignments will be sent to the e-mail addresses that parents submitted when registering for the class.  I will also collect e-mail addresses from students.  I prefer to communicate via e-mail, but can be reached on my cell phone if the concern is urgent.  (507/581-0270)

·         I’m using two more on-line resources in addition to the e-mails: a blog and a document storage site, Dropbox.  Here’s how they will work:

–  Writing 3 – www.chatwriting3.blogspot.com.  The blog entries will contain the same information from the e-mail updates.  I’m hoping these entries will serve as a consolidation and reference for our weekly lessons for the semester.  Hopefully we can avoid forgotten assignments or missing e-mails.

–  Dropbox – www.dropbox.com.  Most of the handouts will be available on the Dropbox website.  Parents and students will receive an e-mail and be invited to view the “Writing 3” folder.  These documents can be downloaded and printed from home computers.

–  Note:  I prefer to receive assignments as attachments to e-mails.

Grading

·         This class is concerned with both the process of writing a research paper and the resulting final product.  The assignments are incremental steps of the process and should be handed in on-time.  These assignments can be handed in at class time (Thursday afternoon) or by midnight on the following Sunday and not be considered late.  Late assignments will not only receive a reduced score, but could hinder the student’s progress.

·         We will do some in-class grammar and vocabulary work and some outside homework will be given.

·         Accumulating points is the NOT an important aspect of this class.  My goal is that students grow as learners and writers; this is not always reflected in classroom points.  However, points are a helpful indicator of diligence, improvement, and, to some extent, quality.

·         Points will be given for the following activities:

– Attendance – 1 pt. /day (However, if a student is sick or excused, adjustments will be made.)

– Participation – 5 pt. /day.  This includes good attitudes, helpful comments in the discussions, respect of others, Quick Writes, an College Essays.

– Assigned steps of the process – 5 to 10 pt., depending on the assignment with a reduction in points for late work.

– Final paper & presentation – 200 points divided into the following categories:  Format, Mechanics, Organization, Content, Thesis/Position, and Presentation.

– The students have been given a Rubric (scoring guide) for the research paper.

·         The students have packets of weekly handouts explaining the various steps in writing a research paper.  Occasionally they will need to do more reading in their handbooks or online.

·         Writing a research paper is an involved process to which each student will respond according to his/her personality and learning style.  I’m aware that analytical thinkers will love the step by step process and global thinkers will find it more challenging.  An important goal of this class is that students would become more aware of themselves as learners, researchers and writers.  This self-awareness will help them immensely in further areas of study.