Expository Writing 4/1 – 4/5

 

Monday

 

1. Journal: 15 minute open write

2. Turn in Enrichment #2; onliners should email me their sites and update logs.
3. Post Break Workshop
    a. Grammar of the Day Quiz, Lessons 23-31 tomorrow.  Brief review.

    b. Personal Experience SRD due tomorrow – ready to proofread; FC due Wednesday.

    c. Work on Personal Experience Essay as needed.

        1) Have “late” RDs and Peer Reads checked.

        2) Peer read, draft, and revise as needed.
   

Tuesday

 

1. Journal: none

2. Grammar of the Day Quiz 23-31
3. Writer Workshop: Proofreading

    a. Have your paper proofread for commas by our panel of experts.

    b. Somany, Chris, Marc, Erin, CJ

    c. Polish your work; prepare for final copy.

    d. Have “late” RDs, PRs, or SRDs checked.

4. Reminder: Personal Experience Essay FCs due tomorrow.

5. Be sure to bring all your grammar notes to class tomorrow!

 

Wednesday

 

No Class – NHS Assembly

 

Thursday

 

1. Journal: On a separate piece of paper, discuss your satisfaction with your Personal Experience Essay and mention the one most important thing you want me to comment on when I grade it.  Underline that area of focus. This will be turned in with your final copy.

2. Turn in Personal Experience Essay final copy with self-reflection (today’s journal) on top. Turn in SRD as well.
3. Grammar Workshop
    a. Review the first 31 Language of the Day lessons we have covered.

    b. Categorize the various lessons according similarities.  You can and should do this in your own way.

        1) Example: Commas, Spelling, Word Usage, etc . . .

        2) Example: Sentences, Transitions, Spelling, Phrasing, etc . . .

    c. Once you have your categories, reorganize your notes to match your way of seeing the grammar lessons.

        1) You can simply write the error name under each category and leave your notes separate but connected. (most efficient)

OR  2) You can rewrite all of your notes under each category. (time consuming but most effective)

OR  3) You can cut and paste your notes under each category. (the best of all worlds)

OR  4) You can combine all of these electronically in a document your print out and put into your portfolio. (cool but dangerous to learning if you simply copy and paste but don’t read and study)

    d. Work on categories and organization today.

        1) If you do option 1, 3, or 4 in c. above, this is due tomorrow.

        2) If you do option 2, yours is due Monday.

 

Friday

 

1. Journal: Explain the categories you chose for the Grammar of the Day lessons.  Why did you separate them the way you did?  Do you tend to understand the rules better if you have them organized and grouped in your own way?  Why or why not?  In what other ways did you think of organizing them?  Why did you choose the way you finally used over those other ways?  Conclude by explaining why I am having you do this to the grammar lessons.
2. Cognitive Workshop & Language of the Day # 32
    a. Discuss journal: Why classify?  How pattern recognition and creation is the typical measure of and perhaps most useful skill in your intellectual arsenal.

    b. One way we all are tested (yes, I face one of these tests in a year or so too!) is through the completion of analogies – great tools for honing your ability to recognize how ideas are related.  You’ll need a couple skills though, skills related to what we do in this class.

        1) The ability to classify, form patterns, and relationships.  In short, the ability to organize.

             a) We’ll do this one first because it’s more fun and because it will reveal to you why you need to improve vocabulary.

             b) Now, let’s go look at some analogies, how they work, and how we are tested on them: Analogy Practice.

        2) A sophisticated vocabulary

             a) Words determine how you see the world, the more sophisticated your vocabulary, the greater your understanding of the world, and your ability to tell others what you want and need and feel and organize, etc.  The classic example: the x number of words Eskimos have for snow.

             b) A look at the Visual Thesaurus to show you how words mix and meander in meaning.

             c) The SAT tends to favor certain words, so we’ll make our study of vocabulary for now more useful by studying it.

             d) A typical SAT study game.  And another, if time.

3. Be sure your reorganized grammar notes are in your portfolio.  Those who went for option 2, be sure it’s in there by Monday.

4. HW: Read Classification Essay chapter 9 by next Tuesday.