Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 15 (December 16)

 Greetings!

We had a marvelously full day today.  Most of the class was there early at 8:30 so that we could get all of the presentations in.

I always feel so proud of my students on our presentation days.  They have worked hard on their research papers, and listening to them talk about aspects of their topics allows the rest of the class to appreciate their hard work.  Another aspect of the presentations is that the students are able to give visual images for the information that they had been putting into words.  Whether it's maps, charts, videos, etc.  these items provide broader representations of their topics.  They also all did especially well with the question and answer section.  As their classmates asked questions, they skillfully contributed more information, showing just how well they knew their topics.  

For those who are interested, I've posted 3 Google Classroom materials posts with the slide shows for the presentations.  A couple of students have video presentations that will also be posted on Google Classroom when they are turned in.

Now, all that's left to do is get the final drafts in. As I told them last week, I will take any work (except rough drafts) until Sunday at 11:59 p.m.   

I would love to get everything graded and have grades out before Christmas, but that might not happen.  I have final drafts from all three classes, so the whole process might take a little longer.  When I am done, I will have paper copies with notes to give to them; these can be picked up at CHAT in January.  I can also scan and send the papers digitally.

This class has been a pleasure.  May all of the students have a well-deserved rest!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Links for this Week:

Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 15 (December 16)

Presentations for December 2

Presentations for December 9

Presentations for December 16

Writing 3 Class Notes -- Week 14 (December 9)

 Greetings!

We had a great class today.  We began with a Quick Write (Christmas traditions) and then proceeded to student presentations.

This morning we heard about Shintoism from Benjamin, AR-15s from Philip, and Psychopathy from Josie.  Not only did all three present good information, but they expertly fielded questions from the rest of the class.

We have one class period left.  I've been going over drafts as they come in; students who handed in papers in the past couple of days will get them over the weekend.  We're at the point that students should be polishing up their drafts ready for the final draft.  Some of the refinements needed included correcting grammatical errors, fixing in text citations, and correctly formatting the Works Cited page.  

We still have quite a number of presentations to get through, and to do that, I gave the students options.  First, we're going to start at 8:30 next week -- I promised food -- so that we have more time.  Also, a couple of students were interested in recording their presentations and posting them on Google Classroom so that the rest of class could see them.  

Students who want to record their presentations can do a video of themselves speaking.  If you want to do a presentation that includes slides (Google Slides or Powerpoint) you can use Zoom to do that.  Basically, you have a Zoom meeting with just yourself.  You can share your screen and record the meeting.  The Zoom app then converts the recording, and that recording can be uploaded to Google Classroom.  Here's a good video that explains the process:  Record a Virtual Presentation.  If a student wants to do this, please contact me!

Next week is the last week of classes for CHAT.  We'll start at 8:30, and even though we will be doing presentations, it will be our end of the semester Christmas party.  Students can bring goodies to share if they'd like.  Because we will have a full class period of presentations, I won't be taking time for the end of class reflection that I usually do.  Students should complete the reflection on this Google Form.  

The goal is to have all work done on the last day, December 16.  That said, I have told the students that I would take final drafts until Sunday, December 19.  If a student is not sure what work needs to be done, Google Classroom is the place to look.  I will send out a Grade Report over the weekend so that you can see current percentages.

Assignments for Next Week:

Finish all the things!

Have a great weekend! 

Mrs. Prichard