Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 5 (September 22)

Greetings!

Great day in class again!

We began the class time with an ACT Prompt.  The new ACT requires that students read a short passage that has 3 perspectives.  Students are to summarize the main point of the passage and give responses to the perspectives.  We brainstormed how to organize these essays.  

Some students may not take the ACT nor the SAT, but these are still helpful exercises in thinking.  These should also help them think about how to develop their own perspectives on topics and how to organize their thoughts.

Students handed in their writing proposals, on which I gave some comments and ideas.  One key part of this project for them to consider is developing a personal timeline/ calendar that can be used to stay on top of deadlines.  We also talked about how to conduct the research.  Some of the topics will require some creativity in the types of questions used in search engines.

I had the students canvas their classmates, sharing their topics and asking one another what questions they might have about the topics.  This took some time, but I hope it was helpful.  I  enjoyed  listening to their conversations and hearing their shared ideas.

I also covered briefly some suggestions and ideas for note-taking.  This week the informal outline was due.  The Detailed Outline is due next week.

Finally, a couple students mentioned that they had not been able to log on to My GradeBook, so here are the code and instructions:

Go to My GradeBook

Initial log in: Classword: JN2HJ45E8

Initial password:  student's first name and last initial

After you have logged in the first time, you can change the log in information.

Assignments for Next Week

-- Keep doing research

-- Detailed Outline

Links for this Week

-- Class Notes

-- Taking Notes Video

-- Taking Notes on Note Cards Video

-- How to Take Cornell Notes Video

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 3 (September 15)

Greetings!

We had a productive class this week.  This is a good, engaging group of students.

We began the class with a discussion about the elements that a homeschool student would include in a college application.  From time to time during class we will do some brainstorming and developing strategies for the SAT and ACT essay portions of the tests.  However, these entrance tests, though important, are only one piece of who a student is.  This week we worked on a sample ACT essay prompt.

They handed in their Writing Proposals, and we talked about their expected challenges and anticipated audiences.

Our next topic in our quest to write wonderful research papers is finding and evaluating resources.  We talked especially about online resources.  Using a worksheet for a guideline and a student-suggested topic of "Dogfighting," we did an initial Google search and evaluated the first websites that came up for relevancy, accuracy, authority, and trustworthiness.  We also discussed how we would determine bias in written works.

I had mentioned to my students that the middle school students at my other school had been discussing the CRAAP Test for evaluating web sources.  Here's the link.

The next step in our writing is an informal outline.  This is a preliminary outline that tells where you think your paper is headed.  It doesn't need to have all of the details, but it should sufficient sub-points.

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read through Step 17 in the 30 Steps Handbook

-- Write an Informal Outline that includes your subtopics

-- Continue researching

Links for this Week:

Class Notes

CRAAP Website Evaluation

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 3 (September 8)

Greetings!

We had a good, productive class time this week.  The students are engaged and thoughtful.

We began the class with a tiny trip down memory lane.  Two students in the class had done a video about adjectives for a project in Writing 2, which I had shown the Writing 1 class.  Since it was queued up, I showed it to them.

This week, the short writing assignment, "Why I'm interested" was due.  We took some time to hear from everyone what their chosen topics were why they wanted to spend time researching and writing about these topics.  

The next step of the Research Paper process is another short writing assignment.  The Research Proposal is to cover the following items:

-- a brief background of information

-- a working thesis

-- an awareness of your audience

-- a plan for locating the right sources

-- a timeline for writing the paper, including specific dates and assignments

-- acknowledgement of any difficulties

We had some good grammar discussion this week.  I focused on basic sentence structures so that I can use that information to work them on their own personal writing styles.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Write the Research Proposal

-- Read up to Step 17 to prepare for our conversation next week

-- Begin researching and taking notes on your topic

-- Sentences Worksheet (Identifying Sentences)

-- Sample Search Worksheet

Links for this week:

Class Notes

Identifying Sentences

Research Proposal

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Writing the Research Proposal

            The proposal is a brief written statement in which you explain to your teacher and yourself what your goals are for the research assignment.  The proposal helps both you and the teacher to evaluate if you’re heading in the right direction.  Like a contract or agreement, the proposal demonstrates what you are thinking about the topic and what preparations have been made for research.  Writing out your proposed plans also helps prevent procrastination.

            The proposal functions as a map for the process of writing the research paper.  It presents a brief introduction to the subject, explains the thesis and shows the direction in which the writer plans to go to answer the research question(s) and support the thesis.  The writer must do some preliminary reading and research to provide the information a good proposal offers.

           

The research proposal must include:

– brief background information for the subject and chosen topic

– a working thesis

– awareness of the level of the audience

– a plan for locating the appropriate sources

– a timeline for completing the assignment

– acknowledgement of any difficulties or challenges for the project.

After reviewing the ingredients for a good proposal, write a proposal for your own research topic.  Before you begin, review all of your work in the previous steps.  This paper should be a clear, effective single-page, business-like document. 

Research Proposal Guidelines

– Due dates:  Week 4 (9/15)

– Essay length:  1 – 3 pages

– Paper format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay

Identifying the Kinds of Sentences.

WORKSHEET 172

                                                A Review of Sentences

    A simple sentence contains one subject and one predicate. It expresses one main idea. Parts of the sentence, however, may be compound.

            The line is busy now.

    A compound sentence is made up of two simple sentences that express related ideas. These sentences are connected by a semicolon or by a comma and a coordinating conjunction. A semicolon that connects two simple sentences may be followed by a conjunctive adverb.

            The line is busy now, but I will try again later.

    A complex sentence contains one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. The subordinate clauses may be used as adverbs, adjectives, or nouns. A complex sentence expresses one main idea and one or more dependent ideas.

            Although the line is busy now, I will try again later.

    A compound-complex sentence contains two main clauses and one or more subordinate clauses. The subordinate clauses may be adverb, adjective, or noun clauses. A compound-complex sentence expresses two main ideas, as well as one dependent idea.

            The line is busy, but I will try again when I finish this.

    Identifying the Kinds of Sentences. For each sentence, write Simple, Compound, Complex, or Compound-Complex to show what kind it is.

            1. These jogging shoes are canvas and suede. ________

            2. Can you fix the bell, or should I call the electrician? ________

            3. We picked the apples ourselves and baked a pie. ________

            4. The reporter asked if she could arrange an interview. ________

            5. People spend one third of their lives asleep. ________

            6. The mysterious burglary, which baffled the police for years, has finally been solved, and justice will now be served.________

            7. The union met with its members, and they accepted the contract.________

            8. The recue worker explained what the situation was. ________

            9. After the audience gave him an ovation. Lionel Ritchie sang two encores and then he    left the stage. ________

            10. As she presented the awards, the principal congratulated us.________

                          

Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 2 (September 1)

Greetings!

We are off to a good start here in Writing 3.  One aspect I noticed last week is that it is hard to enter into class discussions when you don't know your classmates very well, so we did the Quick Write this week in a collaborative manner.  After putting the students into small groups, I asked them to make lists about their favorite parts of the State Fair or about their favorite "fair food."  They were then to share their lists with one another; when we came together as a whole class, they were to share what someone in their group had said.  They did really well with this activity.

We took a long time this week to discuss the process of writing a long research paper.  I've attached the worksheet that we used, but here is the process in outline form:

Brainstorm the topic and thesis

General Reading

Choose the specific topic

Decide the thesis

     Develop leading questions

Make a plan

     Research Proposal

     Writing Plan

     Preliminary Outline

Research

     Taking Notes

      Evaluating Sources

     Citing Sources

     Informal Outline

Putting it together

     Detailed Outline

     Rough Draft #1

Edit & Revise

     Rough Draft #2

     Proofreading

     Grammar & Mechanics

Polish

     Final Draft

Present

     Evaluate

     Reflect

After we went through this timeline, I asked students to come up to the board and make a marks on the line where they thought they would have the hardest time and to mark the part that would be easiest.  For many, the middle section, somewhere between the Research portion and Putting it together, seemed be the  part that they felt would be the hardest.  We talked a lot about giving yourself time.  Every year that I teach this class, the students say that the number 1 thing that they would do differently would be to start early and not procrastinate.  Very good advice!

Following our discussion about the process, we talked about the topics.  Students paired to get feedback from one another about the ideas that they were considering.  I overheard them asking one another good questions and giving good, positive feedback.

Assignments for Next Week

--Write a 1 page response for the assignment, "Why I'm Interested."

-- Read steps 7 - 10 of the 30 Steps

-- Finalize your topic and think about leading questions

-- Start collecting resources

Links for this Week

Class Notes

"Why I'm Interested"

Research Paper Process Timeline

Enjoy this beautiful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

“Why I’m interested in …..”

            The best papers are those that are written by people who are really interested in their topics.  They don’t mind spending hours researching and reading about their chosen subject; the more they learn, the more they want to learn.  Since you will be spending the whole semester on this topic, it is vital that it interests, fascinates, and holds your attention!

            One way to establish and reinforce your interest in a topic is to take time to think about why this particular area appeals to you.  And one of the best ways to dig deeper into your thoughts about a matter is to write about it.  In this short essay, you can answer some of these questions:

–   How did you initially learn about this topic?

–   How much do you already know about this topic?

–   On a scale of 1 to 10, how passionate are you about this area?

–   Who else do you think would be interested in this information?

–   How is this information important?

–   What are your opinions related to this subject?

–   Do you have personal experience connected to this material?

–   And so on …..

Interest Paper Guidelines

– Due dates:  Week 3 (9/10)

– Essay length:  1 page

– Paper format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay

Research Paper Process Timeline