November 21 for Periods 5 & 6 and November 22 for Periods 1, 2, & 7
Students complete a matching test over writing terms.
After the test, students read in their selected autobiography/biography or work on homework for another class.
No homework over the break;however, it would be wise to get the autobiography/biography read. It will need to be completed by December 16th.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
More Sentence Combining and Writing Terms Review
Quiz: three forms of sentence combining--remaining separate, joined with a conjunctive adverb, joined with a coordinating conjunction
Students received a printed copy of the study guide for the test over writing terms which included terms 21-40:
21. generalization-a statement saying what is true about most of the items in a group
22. prewriting-the first stage of the writing process involving the selection of topic, the gathering, focusing, and organizing of information in consideration of the writer’s audience and purpose.
23. drafting-the second stage of the writing process when the writer first attempts to write the composition in its desired form
24. revising-the third stage of the writing process when a writer makes changes to a composition’s content, organization, sentence structures, or style
25. editing-the fourth stage of the writing process when a writer or a critic makes changes to a composition’s spelling, grammar, or format.
26. publishing-the fifth stage of the writing process when a writer shares his/her composition in its finished form
27. collect-the first stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer gathers more information than they need in his/her final product
28. order-the second stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer organizes his/her information
29. develop-the third stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer drafts their writing including concrete details and commentary
30. clarify-the fourth stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer examines and changes their composition to make clear its meaning for the reader
31. preview-a list of supporting topics or points provided as part of a thesis or in a separate sentence immediately following; a type of forecasting statement
32. funnel-shaped introduction-an opening paragraph that provides context for the reader, narrows the topic, and ends in a thesis, optionally a preview
33. transitional sentence-a type of sentence that makes a connection between one topic, subtopic, or purpose to another; often positioned as the first or final sentence of a paragraph
34. closing sentence-the final sentence of a paragraph that often states/restates the main idea of the paragraph
35. topic-the subject matter discussed in a piece of writing
36. narrowed/focused topic-a specific part or angle of a subject that can be adequately discussed in the writer’s chosen size of composition
37. viewpoint-the writer’s perspective or opinion on the topic
38. concrete detail-a specific piece of information used by the writer to support a paragraph’s topic sentence; a description of a sensation of sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, or motion
39. commentary-a writer’s words which explain or analyze a concrete detail and connect to the paragraph’s topic sentence
40. chunk-a term coined by Jane Schaffer to describe a unit of concrete detail(s) and commentary; the number wanted of each vary in light of the writer’s audience
Mr. Stone told the students they should expect the test over writing terms to contain matching, multiple-choice, and/or true-or-false questions.
Homework: Study for the test over writing terms.
Students received a printed copy of the study guide for the test over writing terms which included terms 21-40:
21. generalization-a statement saying what is true about most of the items in a group
22. prewriting-the first stage of the writing process involving the selection of topic, the gathering, focusing, and organizing of information in consideration of the writer’s audience and purpose.
23. drafting-the second stage of the writing process when the writer first attempts to write the composition in its desired form
24. revising-the third stage of the writing process when a writer makes changes to a composition’s content, organization, sentence structures, or style
25. editing-the fourth stage of the writing process when a writer or a critic makes changes to a composition’s spelling, grammar, or format.
26. publishing-the fifth stage of the writing process when a writer shares his/her composition in its finished form
27. collect-the first stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer gathers more information than they need in his/her final product
28. order-the second stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer organizes his/her information
29. develop-the third stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer drafts their writing including concrete details and commentary
30. clarify-the fourth stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer examines and changes their composition to make clear its meaning for the reader
31. preview-a list of supporting topics or points provided as part of a thesis or in a separate sentence immediately following; a type of forecasting statement
32. funnel-shaped introduction-an opening paragraph that provides context for the reader, narrows the topic, and ends in a thesis, optionally a preview
33. transitional sentence-a type of sentence that makes a connection between one topic, subtopic, or purpose to another; often positioned as the first or final sentence of a paragraph
34. closing sentence-the final sentence of a paragraph that often states/restates the main idea of the paragraph
35. topic-the subject matter discussed in a piece of writing
36. narrowed/focused topic-a specific part or angle of a subject that can be adequately discussed in the writer’s chosen size of composition
37. viewpoint-the writer’s perspective or opinion on the topic
38. concrete detail-a specific piece of information used by the writer to support a paragraph’s topic sentence; a description of a sensation of sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, or motion
39. commentary-a writer’s words which explain or analyze a concrete detail and connect to the paragraph’s topic sentence
40. chunk-a term coined by Jane Schaffer to describe a unit of concrete detail(s) and commentary; the number wanted of each vary in light of the writer’s audience
Mr. Stone told the students they should expect the test over writing terms to contain matching, multiple-choice, and/or true-or-false questions.
Homework: Study for the test over writing terms.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Sentence Combining and Basic Terms of Paragraphs and Compositions.
Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the previous periods homework. Selected students volunteered to write their answers on the board for the class's discussion.
Mr. Stone reviewed the first portion of Chapter 3 of the Prentice Hall Grammar and Writing text (Gold Edition). Time was spent on methods for creating smoother, more effective sentences by combining sentences using compound elements. Students completed Exercise 2 (p. 18).
Below is the first portion of the terms to be covered on the test during the last class period before Thanksgiving:
1. Sentence-a combination of words that expresses a complete thought and that contains a subject and a predicate
2. Subject-the part of a sentence which represents the person or thing of which something is said, primarily expressed as a noun or pronoun
3. Predicate-the part of a sentence which represents what is said of a person or a thing, primarily expresses an action or state of being through a verb
4. Paragraph-a group of sentences on one topic whose separation is indicated through an indention or line break
5. Composition-a multi-paragraph piece of writing organized for a single purpose or around a main idea
6. Topic sentence-a group of words that states the main idea of a paragraph, containing a subject and a predicate. The subject of this sentence typically states the matter being discussed in the paragraph. The predicate of this sentence typically states what is being said in the paragraph.
7. Implied main idea-the central topic of paragraph inferred through the paragraph’s sentences without being directly stated.
8. Facts-statements that can be verified
9. Example-one of a number, intended to show the quality, or style or nature of the topic under discussion; also called an illustration, or instance.
10. Details- specifics in writing
11. Unity-all of the parts relate to a single key idea
12. Thesis statement-a sentence expressing the main idea of an essay that contains the composition’s focused topic and viewpoint or opinion on that topic.
13. Coherence-the order and connections of writing that provide understanding to the reader
14. Transitional word or phrase-shows relationship, movement, or change; common types include comparison, contrast, development, time, location, and importance.
15. Introduction-the opening part of a piece of writing that presents the topic and shows the purpose of the writer and his/her viewpoint; this portion of the composition is typically one paragraph in smaller pieces of writing, but may cover multiple paragraphs in a larger piece; introductions often attempt to orient the reader and/or attract his/her attention.
16. Lead-an attention-getting introductory sentence.
17. Body-the middle or main part of piece of writing or speech that develop the main idea/opinion expressed in the introduction
18. Topical paragraph-a group of sentences centered around a single subject or idea
19. Functional paragraph-a group of sentences which serve a specific purpose; e.g., to create emphasis, to indicate dialogue, or to make a transition.
20. Paragraph blocks-a group of multi-sentence units in writing/paragraphs that share a common topic sentence and act as a unit while develop separate subtopics.
Mr. Stone reviewed the first portion of Chapter 3 of the Prentice Hall Grammar and Writing text (Gold Edition). Time was spent on methods for creating smoother, more effective sentences by combining sentences using compound elements. Students completed Exercise 2 (p. 18).
Below is the first portion of the terms to be covered on the test during the last class period before Thanksgiving:
1. Sentence-a combination of words that expresses a complete thought and that contains a subject and a predicate
2. Subject-the part of a sentence which represents the person or thing of which something is said, primarily expressed as a noun or pronoun
3. Predicate-the part of a sentence which represents what is said of a person or a thing, primarily expresses an action or state of being through a verb
4. Paragraph-a group of sentences on one topic whose separation is indicated through an indention or line break
5. Composition-a multi-paragraph piece of writing organized for a single purpose or around a main idea
6. Topic sentence-a group of words that states the main idea of a paragraph, containing a subject and a predicate. The subject of this sentence typically states the matter being discussed in the paragraph. The predicate of this sentence typically states what is being said in the paragraph.
7. Implied main idea-the central topic of paragraph inferred through the paragraph’s sentences without being directly stated.
8. Facts-statements that can be verified
9. Example-one of a number, intended to show the quality, or style or nature of the topic under discussion; also called an illustration, or instance.
10. Details- specifics in writing
11. Unity-all of the parts relate to a single key idea
12. Thesis statement-a sentence expressing the main idea of an essay that contains the composition’s focused topic and viewpoint or opinion on that topic.
13. Coherence-the order and connections of writing that provide understanding to the reader
14. Transitional word or phrase-shows relationship, movement, or change; common types include comparison, contrast, development, time, location, and importance.
15. Introduction-the opening part of a piece of writing that presents the topic and shows the purpose of the writer and his/her viewpoint; this portion of the composition is typically one paragraph in smaller pieces of writing, but may cover multiple paragraphs in a larger piece; introductions often attempt to orient the reader and/or attract his/her attention.
16. Lead-an attention-getting introductory sentence.
17. Body-the middle or main part of piece of writing or speech that develop the main idea/opinion expressed in the introduction
18. Topical paragraph-a group of sentences centered around a single subject or idea
19. Functional paragraph-a group of sentences which serve a specific purpose; e.g., to create emphasis, to indicate dialogue, or to make a transition.
20. Paragraph blocks-a group of multi-sentence units in writing/paragraphs that share a common topic sentence and act as a unit while develop separate subtopics.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Comma Test
Students had ten minutes to review before taking their comma test.
After finishing the comma test, they began reading Chapter 3 from the Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar book, gold level (classroom set).
Homework: Complete clause combining assignment distributed in class.
After finishing the comma test, they began reading Chapter 3 from the Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar book, gold level (classroom set).
Homework: Complete clause combining assignment distributed in class.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
More Comma Practice
Thursday 14 November 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 15 November 2013 for Periods 1, 2, & 7.
Mr. Stone went over the answers to the first comma practice test at the beginning of the period. Students then completed the second comma practice test and reviewed its answers before the end of the period.
Homework: Review the comma handout, and graded comma practice tests in preparation for the comma test to be taken at the beginning of next week.
Mr. Stone went over the answers to the first comma practice test at the beginning of the period. Students then completed the second comma practice test and reviewed its answers before the end of the period.
Homework: Review the comma handout, and graded comma practice tests in preparation for the comma test to be taken at the beginning of next week.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
More Comma Exercises and a Practice Test
13 November 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and 14 November 2013 for Periods 1, 2, & 7
Students received back the graded exercises that they completed yesterday.
Mr. Stone went over the directions for completing Exercise 11 (Interrupting Parenthetical Elements), Exercise 12 (Interrupting Nonessential Elements), and Exercise 13 (Conventional Commas), covering the principles/rules for conventional commas. (Commas separate the names of geographic locations, like elements of dates, parts of an address when written in prose, every third digit in large numbers, surnames from any following titles, speech tags from quoted dialogue. Commas are also used to conventionally used to indicate omitted words in elliptical sentence structures.)
Students received a the first of two practice tests.
Homework: Complete the first comma practice test.
Note: Students will correct the first practice test in class during the next class period, take and correct a second practice test, and take the actual comma test during the first English class of next week.
An extra credit point is being offered for students who bring a printout showing they have completed one of the comma practice quiz/exercise links found on the right-hand side of this blog.
Students received back the graded exercises that they completed yesterday.
Mr. Stone went over the directions for completing Exercise 11 (Interrupting Parenthetical Elements), Exercise 12 (Interrupting Nonessential Elements), and Exercise 13 (Conventional Commas), covering the principles/rules for conventional commas. (Commas separate the names of geographic locations, like elements of dates, parts of an address when written in prose, every third digit in large numbers, surnames from any following titles, speech tags from quoted dialogue. Commas are also used to conventionally used to indicate omitted words in elliptical sentence structures.)
Students received a the first of two practice tests.
Homework: Complete the first comma practice test.
Note: Students will correct the first practice test in class during the next class period, take and correct a second practice test, and take the actual comma test during the first English class of next week.
An extra credit point is being offered for students who bring a printout showing they have completed one of the comma practice quiz/exercise links found on the right-hand side of this blog.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Four Comma Exercises
Students completed four comma exercises from the classroom set of Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar (Gold Level):
Exercise 7, p. 479
Exercise 8, p. 481
Exercise 9, p. 482
Exercise 10, p. 484
Students showed Mr. Stone the autobiography/biography they selected for the second quarter book report. (Students who did not show Mr. Stone their selection should show it to him as soon as possible. They will lose one point per day that they are late.)
Homework: Spend twenty minutes practicing commas using the online comma quiz/exercise links located to the right on this blog.
Note: Write your name in a comment to this blog posting for an extra credit point.
Exercise 7, p. 479
Exercise 8, p. 481
Exercise 9, p. 482
Exercise 10, p. 484
Students showed Mr. Stone the autobiography/biography they selected for the second quarter book report. (Students who did not show Mr. Stone their selection should show it to him as soon as possible. They will lose one point per day that they are late.)
Homework: Spend twenty minutes practicing commas using the online comma quiz/exercise links located to the right on this blog.
Note: Write your name in a comment to this blog posting for an extra credit point.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Book Report Revised Draft Submitted; Comma Principles Introduced
Students were given the first ten minutes of class to print out their revised drafts and submit them.
Mr. Stone then distributed a handout defining the four underlining principles of commas: series, coordinate, introductory, and interrupting.
Some of the periods also discussed the other conventional uses of commas.
Mr. Stone emphasized the dangers of attempting to punctuate by feeling and urged students to punctuate by principle.
Homework: Select a biography/autobiography for the second quarter book report and read it for twenty minutes. (Student had the opportunity in a class period in the library to select a book.)
Mr. Stone then distributed a handout defining the four underlining principles of commas: series, coordinate, introductory, and interrupting.
Some of the periods also discussed the other conventional uses of commas.
Mr. Stone emphasized the dangers of attempting to punctuate by feeling and urged students to punctuate by principle.
Homework: Select a biography/autobiography for the second quarter book report and read it for twenty minutes. (Student had the opportunity in a class period in the library to select a book.)
Saturday, November 9, 2013
In-Text Citations
Consult Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) for help on the basics of in-text parenthetical citations.
Peer Critique of Book Report and Revised Draft
Wednesday 6 November 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 8 November 2013 for Periods 1, 2 & 7
Students completed a peer critique in class.
Mr. Stone informed students they would be studying commas next week and should expect a test on Monday, November 18th if in Periods 1, 2, 5, and 6 or Tuesday, 19th if in Period 7.
A test over writing concepts will be given the last class period before Thanksgiving break.
Homework for Monday (Tuesday for Period 7): Complete revised draft of book report.
Students completed a peer critique in class.
Mr. Stone informed students they would be studying commas next week and should expect a test on Monday, November 18th if in Periods 1, 2, 5, and 6 or Tuesday, 19th if in Period 7.
A test over writing concepts will be given the last class period before Thanksgiving break.
Homework for Monday (Tuesday for Period 7): Complete revised draft of book report.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Thursday in the Library
Mr. Stone's classes will meet in the new library to select a biography/autobiography to read for their second quarter book reports.
Thursday is an early dismissal day.
Thursday is an early dismissal day.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Drafting of First Quarter Book Report
Tuesday 5 November 2013 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 6 November 2013 for Periods 1 & 7
After a devotional text from the Psalms, Mr. Stone reviewed the expected seven paragraph structure for the book report:
Introduction
Summary paragraph 1
Summary paragraph 2
Analytical/expository body paragraph 1
Analytical/expository body paragraph 2
Analytical/expository body paragraph 3
Conclusion
Students had more than forty minutes of class time to work on drafting their book report using the prewriting materials they had completed earlier: two paragraphs summarizing the book read, four body paragraph prewriting tables, the introduction prewriting sheet, and the conclusion prewriting sheet.
Homework: Finish typing a rough draft of the book report.
After a devotional text from the Psalms, Mr. Stone reviewed the expected seven paragraph structure for the book report:
Introduction
Summary paragraph 1
Summary paragraph 2
Analytical/expository body paragraph 1
Analytical/expository body paragraph 2
Analytical/expository body paragraph 3
Conclusion
Students had more than forty minutes of class time to work on drafting their book report using the prewriting materials they had completed earlier: two paragraphs summarizing the book read, four body paragraph prewriting tables, the introduction prewriting sheet, and the conclusion prewriting sheet.
Homework: Finish typing a rough draft of the book report.
First Quarter Housekeeping & Book Report Intro & Conclusion
Monday 4 November 2013 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 5 November 2013 for Period 7
Students distributed recently corrected papers and received a print out of their first quarter grade and given the opportunity to identify any errors in data entry or question the grading of any recent assignments.
Mr. Stone reviewed the last test, focusing on the two short answer (in this case, paragraph length) questions. He described the most common short-comings in students' response to the questions as well as described how students might write stronger responses on future tests. He specifically discussed the importance of the opening sentence. He warned students about using a series of overly simplistic sentences and demonstrated how such ideas should be combined into a more effective/sophisticated sentence.
As Mr. Stone segued/transitioned into how to write the introduction for the book report, he drew a connection to the types of opening lines that would not be desirable starts to a book report, e.g. The book I chose . . ., The topic of my book report is . . ., I'm going to talk about the book . . ."
Mr. Stone described three opening strategy options for beginning the report: a question, a quotation, an if then statement. He noted these were only three of many different possible successful opening strategies for beginning a report or essay and encouraged students to search the Internet for other options if they did not wish to use one of the three demonstrated.
Mr. Stone went over both the introduction and conclusion prewriting sheets that were distributed.
Homework: Complete introduction and conclusion prewriting sheets for the book report.
Students distributed recently corrected papers and received a print out of their first quarter grade and given the opportunity to identify any errors in data entry or question the grading of any recent assignments.
Mr. Stone reviewed the last test, focusing on the two short answer (in this case, paragraph length) questions. He described the most common short-comings in students' response to the questions as well as described how students might write stronger responses on future tests. He specifically discussed the importance of the opening sentence. He warned students about using a series of overly simplistic sentences and demonstrated how such ideas should be combined into a more effective/sophisticated sentence.
As Mr. Stone segued/transitioned into how to write the introduction for the book report, he drew a connection to the types of opening lines that would not be desirable starts to a book report, e.g. The book I chose . . ., The topic of my book report is . . ., I'm going to talk about the book . . ."
Mr. Stone described three opening strategy options for beginning the report: a question, a quotation, an if then statement. He noted these were only three of many different possible successful opening strategies for beginning a report or essay and encouraged students to search the Internet for other options if they did not wish to use one of the three demonstrated.
Mr. Stone went over both the introduction and conclusion prewriting sheets that were distributed.
Homework: Complete introduction and conclusion prewriting sheets for the book report.
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