Thursday, April 28, 2011

Day 22

English 70 Lesson Plan 22


1. Bonus Points

a. Last library workshops this week.

2. Hand in homework on Verbs

3. Homework for Monday: Practice 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 (20 pts due Monday).\

COMPLETE PEER EDITING.

COMPLETE PEER REVIEW, REVIEW.

4. Final Drafts now due Wednesday.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Day 20

English 70 Lesson Plan 20


1. Bonus Points

a. Last library workshops this week.

2. Hand in homework on Quotation Marks.

3. Test over Word Choice, Commonly Confused Words and Spelling.

4. Photos/Strangers:

a. Five w’s

b. Five senses

c. Describe the stranger

i. What they looked like

ii. What they said

iii. What they wore

iv. The kind of person who….

d. or Describe the picture

i. Left to right

ii. or Right to left

iii. Top to bottom

iv. or Bottom to top

v. Inside to outside

5. Commonly Confused Words and Spelling hand back and review

6. Rough Draft Due Tomorrow: Bring 4 copies. 2-3 pages. Double Spaced. 12pt font.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Day 19

English 70 Lesson Plan 18


1. Bonus Points

a. Last library workshops this week.

2. Hand in homework on spelling.

3. Test tomorrow over Word Choice, Commonly Confused Words and Spelling.

4. Sample Essay Family Strangers (830 only) Photo (all three classes).

5. Favorite word list—science, place names, people names, foreign words, specialized lingo/family words.

6. Practice 2 and in Chapter 30 on Dialogue (page 496-501).

a. Practice 3 as homework.

7. Rough Draft Due Wednesday.

Dialogue

Short

Vivid

Believable

Tips on Dialogue

In two's: I'm sorry but…

1. The first writer pulls out a piece of paper and begins their dialogue with the words "I'm sorry, but…". They complete the sentence and pass the journal to their partner.

2. The partner, after reading the sentence, writes a line (or paragraph) of dialogue which heightens the tension.

3. Keep passing the journal back and forth, trying to throw curve balls at one another without delving into the absurd.

4. Try not to rely on dialogue tags to reveal how the character is speaking.

5. In fact, don't use dialogue tags at all. Rely on your word choice and punctuation.

Movies with great dialogue: Tarantino, Juno, Linklater, Kevin Smith, Coen Brothers, David Mamet, Casablanca, China Town, Aaron Sorkin

Listen to how people talk to each other

• Most of it is the weather.

• He's like a bull in a china shop…

• Eating out. Bars. Waiting rooms. Cell phone jerks. At the checkout.

More notes on dialogue:

Dialogue is not real speech, but it should sound like it.

• Cut words and phrases that don't move things along

Keep it to three sentences or less

Break it up with action—remind us they have bodies and senses.

Vary signal phrases, but keep it simple. Don't use elaborate signal phrases (she expostulated, he interjected)

Avoid stereotypes in dialect, but…

• Huck Finn

• To Kill a Mockingbird

Don't over use slang/profanity. "Slang goes sour in a short time." --EH

Read a lot. Note good/bad

Punctuate correctly

• Use quotation marks.

Start a new paragraph when changing speakers.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Day 18

English 70 Lesson Plan 18


1. Hand in homework on commonly confused words.

2. Hand back wordiness exercise.

3. Handing back essays.

a. 830 Avg: 4.3

b. 930 Avg: 4.0

c. 1130 Avg: 4.2

4. Academic Early Warning (I sent out 16).

a. Missing/Late assignments (below 70%).

b. Low scores (below 3.5 on essay).

c. Excessive absences (more than 3).

d. Everyone else was marked with an S score.

5. Sample Essay Family Photo.

6. Sample Essay Stranger.

7. Bonus points this week:

a. Library

b. Poetry Reading: Allied Arts 7pm

c. Oak Hollow Gallery, Tonight, 7 pm.

8. For Monday: Bring a family photo to write about (maybe 2).

9. Homework: Spelling Chapter (447)

a. Practice 1-8 plus chapter review (20 points).

Handing back essays

Handing Back Essays


1. A Star is Made, and True Grit

a. Deliberate practice “involves setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome.” (Dubner and Levitt)

2. In order of importance:

a. Comments at end.

b. Comments in margins.

c. Rubric

d. Score

3. Yancey Yore/William Peckman

4. Questions on handwriting, quick see me’s.

5. My impressions from a distance are:

a. Thesis is often there, but not original or thoughtful. Take the idea one more step.

b. Support

i. Overall support often matched thesis.

ii. The biggest issue was in topic sentences and paragraph focus.

c. Organization

i. Transitions were ok.

ii. Intros and conclusions were ok.

iii. “Sequencing” was good.

iv. Pacing was good.

d. Misc

i. Paper format was good.

ii. Grammar—especially run-ons, spelling and caps.

6. The 24 hour rule.

7. SAVE EVERTHING

a. It’s not where you start it’s where you finish.

b. You will have a chance at the end of the quarter to improve your score for one of your essays by revising based on my comments and based on what you’ve learned.

8. Your options if you don’t like your grade:

• Work Harder.

• Change your habits/attitudes.

o Start sooner.

 Procrastination is not a learning disability.

o Believe in yourself more.

o Believe in yourself less.

• Read/Review Hacker.

• Read text more closely—take notes, mark it up as you read.

• A more detailed outline.

• More drafts.

• Writing Center.

• See Me.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Day 17

English 70 Lesson Plan 17


1. Hand in homework on wordiness and clichés.

2. Essays back tomorrow.

3. Bonus points this week:

a. Library

b. Poetry Reading: Allied Arts TONIGHT 7pm

c. Oak Hollow Gallery, Friday, 7 pm.

4. Strangers in ITMFWG:

a. Vote for favorites.

b. Read aloud.

• Look for word choice—lively verbs, specific modifiers/adverbs/adjectives

• Which writer would you like to meet?

• Which writer takes the biggest risk?

• Which writer has the most style?

5. Families in ITMFWG

a. Vote for favorites.

b. Read aloud.

• Look for word choice—lively verbs, specific modifiers/adverbs/adjectives

• Which writer would you like to meet?

• Which writer takes the biggest risk?

• Which writer has the most style?

6. Commonly confused words (433)

a. In pairs, fill in blanks from 434-443.

b. For homework: Do Editing Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.

7. For Friday: Bring a family photo to write about (maybe 2).

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Word Choice Errors


Examples of Poor Word Choice —powered by eHow.com

This is helpful.

But it makes me feel like a bad parent:

Day 16

English 70 Lesson Plan 16


1. Hand in homework on dictionary definitions.

2. Bonus points this week:

a. Library

b. Poetry Reading: Allied Arts Thursday 7pm

c. Oak Hollow Gallery, Friday, 7 pm.

3. Hand back quizzes with a note about reading load.

4. Hand back capital letters homework and review.

5. Vague Words: Practice 2 in class.

6. Slang: Practice 3 in class.

7. Wordy Language and clichés as homework: Practice 4 and 5.

8. Strangers in ITMFWG:

a. Vote for favorites.

b. Read aloud.

• Look for word choice—lively verbs, specific modifiers/adverbs/adjectives

• Which writer would you like to meet?

• Which writer takes the biggest risk?

• Which writer has the most style?

9. For Friday: Bring a family photo to write about (maybe 2).

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Day 15

English 70 Lesson Plan 15

1. Essays back in about a week.

2. Capital letters: Hand in homework.

3. Bonus points this week:

a. Library

b. Poetry Reading: Allied Arts Thursday 7pm

c. Oak Hollow Gallery, Friday, 7 pm.

4. Homework: Word Choice, practice 1.

5. Quiz Families and Strangers
6. Voice and Word Choice rubrics

7. Review types of prewriting

a. Freewrite

b. List

c. Research/read

d. Discussion

e. Cluster/map

f. Questions

8. Strangers list

a. Doctors/Nurses

b. customers

c. co-workers

d. camps

e. teams

f. on the street

g. hikes

h. trips

i. vacations

j. stores

k. bus/plane/train

l. coaches

m. church leaders

n. teachers

9. Strangers in ITMFWG

• Look for word choice—lively verbs, specific modifiers/adverbs/adjectives

• Which writer would you like to meet?

• Which writer takes the biggest risk?

• Which writer has the most style?

10. If there’s time: Word choice: Four common word-choice problems, Vague Words (423)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Day 14

English 70 Lesson Plan 14


1. Essays back in about a week.

2. Capital letters (518) Read. Do Practice 1 on 519.

3. Homework: Capital letters in paragraphs on college, work and daily life.

4. Introduction to Essay 2: Families or strangers.

a. Freewrite about the choices.

5. Voice and Word Choice

Friday, April 15, 2011

Day 13

English 70 Lesson Plan 13


1. Hand in both copies of final draft.

2. By the end of the class: Oral Reading of Final Draft

a. Y=+.25

b. N= -.25

3. You will get your essays back in about a week.

a. The general rule is the quicker the feedback, the more meaningful it is.

b. Sometimes instructors take longer.

c. Sometimes they are touchy about this.

4. Capital letters (518) Read. Do Practice 1 on 519.

5. Homework: Read “Families” and “Strangers” in I Thought My Father Was God.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Day 12

English 70 Lesson Plan 12


1. Bonus Points from last night? What do you remember off the top of your head?

2. By the end of the class: complete rubric with sample essay. Learn basics of MLA paper formatting. Capital letters if time.

3. Sample essay 1: Ideas and Content using the rubric on the doc cam.

4. “Organization” with Clickers

5. Using the rubric form for your own essays.

a. This should give you a rough idea of what to revise. How to make the essay better for the final draft.

6. MLA paper format.

7. Capital letters (518) Read. Do Practice 1 on 519.\

8. Homework: Final draft due tomorrow. Beginning of class. 2-3 pages. Double spaced. Properly formatted. BRING TWO COPIES.

Day 11

English 70 Lesson Plan 11

1. Bonus Points Wednesday Night

2. By the end of the class: Read the essay aloud. Grade sample essay.

• Look for missing/skipped words.

• Capital letters.

• Spelling errors.

• Awkward, clunky sentences.

• Other grammar issues.

2. Sample essay 1: Ideas and Content with Clickers

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Day 11

English 70 Lesson Plan 11


1. Bonus Points Wednesday Night

2. By the end of the class: Read the essay aloud. Grade sample essay.

• Look for missing/skipped words.

• Capital letters.

• Spelling errors.

• Awkward, clunky sentences.

• Other grammar issues.

2. Sample essay 1: Ideas and Content with Clickers

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Day 10

English 70 Lesson Plan 10


1. Bonus Points Wednesday Night

2. By the end of the class: Peer Review three essays.

3. Peer Review Process:

• Thick Skin.

• Kind Honesty.

• Students learn better from each other.

• Students remember the most when they teach others.

4. In groups of 4.

• Change papers with another person in your group. Read silently and make marks on the essay as you go.

• Complete the peer review worksheet.

• Return draft and worksheet to author and discuss.

• Author asks questions.

• Change papers with another person in your group and repeat.

5. We have two days to do this. Don’t rush through.

6. “You have my permission to tear my paper to shreds.”

7. Once you are done peer editing:

• Take turns reading each paper aloud.

1. Look for missing/skipped words.

2. Capital letters.

3. Spelling errors.

4. Awkward, clunky sentences.

5. Other grammar issues.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Day 9

English 70 Lesson Plan 9


1. Bonus Points Wednesday Night

2. By the end of the class: Peer Review two essays.

3. Peer Review Process:

• Thick Skin.

• Kind Honesty.

• Students learn better from each other.

• Students remember the most when they teach others.

4. In groups of 4.

• Change papers with another person in your group. Read silently and make marks on the essay as you go.

• Complete the peer review worksheet.

• Return draft and worksheet to author and discuss.

• Author asks questions.

• Change papers with another person in your group and repeat.

5. We have two days to do this. Don’t rush through.

6. “You have my permission to tear my paper to shreds.”

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Day 8

English 70 Lesson Plan 8

1. Library Bonus Points?

2. By the end of the class: Test over part 2 of Real Skills, and continued work on the support (five senses) for your essay, along with attempts at “Great Beginnings” and “Great Endings”

3. Test Part 2

4. Graphic Organizers for outline and intros/conclusions.

5. Homework: Rough Draft Due Monday. 2-3 pages double spaced. Bring 4 copies.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Day 7

English 70 Lesson Plan 7


1. Library Bonus Points?

2. By the end of the class, I want everyone to have an outline and an intro and conclusion.

3. Four Questions to ask of your topic

1. Does it interest me?

2. Can I say something about it?

3. Is it specific?

4. AND—

1. What is the main point?

4. Theme statement:

• Single Main Point, stated in a sentence.

• Not too broad or narrow.

• Not a simple fact.

• Not watered down with I think, I hope, In this paper I will.

5. Chapter 7 Review, Practice 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, Chapter Review.

• My example from yesterday.

6. Graphic Organizers for outline and intros/conclusions.

7. Homework: Chapter 9, Read 108-111; 115-117. Do Chapter Review 1-5.

8. Rough Draft Due Monday. 2-3 pages double spaced. Bring 4 copies.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Day 6

English 70 Lesson Plan 6

1. Library Bonus Points?

2. By the end of the class, I want to have one good paragraph from everyone.

3. Review Writing Process

• We are working specifically on NARROWED TOPIC + IDEA ABOUT IT

• and ORGANIZATION (intros, conclusions, transitions, logical order).

Four Questions to ask of your topic

1. Does it interest me?

2. Can I say something about it?

3. Is it specific?
AND—

1. What is the main point?

5. Write your theme statement on the board.

• Single Main Point, stated in a sentence.

• Not too broad or narrow.

• Not a simple fact.

• Not watered down with I think, I hope, In this paper I will.

6. Narration (page 78)

• Read aloud the example paragraph.

• Questions 1-5.

7. Guided Practice: Narration as a class.

8. Guided Outline 1 and 2.

9. For your own paragraph:

Topic sentence

• First Event

1. Details

• Second Event

1. Details

• Third Event

1. Details

• Conclusion

11. Checklist (81).

12. The next step is to take this paragraph and expand each event into a paragraph with topic sentences, primary support and secondary details, concluding sentence.

13. Homework: Chapter 7 (Do Practice 1-8 and Chapter Review)

Rough Draft Due Monday. 2-3 pages double spaced. Bring 4 copies.

Monday, April 04, 2011

Day 5

English 70 Lesson Plan 5


 
1. Bonus Points in Library Workshops start today.
Next wednesday: Me at 7pm in this building, room 119.

(930 class) Quiz over six traits—four digits of SID

 
2. Names Quiz

 
3. Questioning

 
1. Five W's + How

 
1. Animals

 
2. Objects

 
4. Discussion: in two's or three's.

 
4 Questions to ask of your topic

 
1. Does it interest me?


2. Can I say something about it?


3. Is it specific?


4. AND—What is the main point?

 

7. Understanding the Basics of Good Writing.

 
• Read 37-39.

 
• Read 39-40.

 
• Review Chapter Review.

 
8. Writing Your Paragraph

 
• Read 51-52

 
• Read 52-53

 
• Review Practice 2, 3 and 4.

 
• Practice 5 based on Animal or Object story.

 
1. On the boards?

 
• Read 55-56

 
• Review Practice 6

 
• Read 58

 
• Read 59

 
9. Practice Together 61, if time allows.

 
• Chapter Review

 
10. Homework: Read Chapter 8 in Real Skills and do “Guided Practice: Narration” on page 79 and “Guided Outline: Narration” on page 80.

 
11. Rough Draft Due Wednesday. 2-3 pages double spaced.