Friday, January 20, 2012

Draft #1 Long Observation Paper

Today you read and comment on each other's drafts to practice for revising your own draft.

Revision = to re-see.

Analyze:  Are the details clear?  Do I understand and "see" the scene?

Synthesize:  Does it all add up to make the point?

Evaluate:  What works well?  What needs to be improved?

Copy the above in your daybook.  Then you will fill out the blue "Writer's Sheet" (handout).  I'll pass around 2 "Reader's Sheets" that will be filled out about your draft.  When we're done, all these sheets will go home with you, and you will revise your draft into Draft #2.

Homework:


1.  Make changes/additions to your draft.  Draft #2 typed is due Tuesday. How will you save it? On Tuesday Draft 2 must be accessible electronically in the computer lab. BACK UP A FLASH DRIVE!


2.  Read Farley Mowat's "Observing Wolves" and answer the questions in your daybook.

3. TWFTD:  "tough" in the OED --see yesterday's post.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Why Is English So Hard to Spell?

Consider the words knight, night, through, though, bough, cough, rough, come, give, gone.

Take a short pretest about the history of English.  Look at this chart.


Old English spoken for us.


Anglo-Saxon art

Anglo-Saxons vs. Vikings  which leads us to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.


After Norman castles we come to Middle English.

Fold your handout and put it in your daybook.

Homework:

1.  Tomorrow the first draft of your observation paper is due.  It can be either hand-written or typed and PRINTED OUT BEFORE CLASS.  See the blue assignment sheet for length suggestions.

2. TWFTD:  punk . You must look it up in the OED (see link on this blog) and pick a definition and quote from there (start with #1). If you do this from home, you will need to enter passwords to get onto the OED.  The passwords are on the blog under the OED link. 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Short Essay on Audience Awareness

Once again, here is the prompt:

Write a short essay ( 5+ paragraphs) that explores the importance of analyzing or considering the audience for any written assignment. Use specific examples to support your points. Any kind (genre) of writing can be used as an example. But your first step is to come up with a thesis statement which makes clear your viewpoint on this topic.

Type this up using the MLA format, including double-spaced lines.  If it is two pages long, that's fine.  There is no length requirement other than 5 paragraphs. Examples are key!

Print and hand in by tomorrow, Friday.

Homework:

1.  Be observing and taking notes for your observation paper.

2.  TWFTD: disconcerting

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tues The Five Paragraph Essay

Editing practice: The kids were already to go.

A large amount of students ate a large amount of food. 

If you put your every day hat on everyday, you are a boring dresser.

Remember Section 23 in the Everyday Writer? Look up every day and everyday and write a sentence using each of them . Do the same with amount and number and all ready and already.


We look at the short (five paragraph) essay as a way to analyze/synthesize/evaluate information. See handout.




Then we look at Everyday Writer pages 58-59.


Now for a prompt:

Look over the quotes and writing you have put in your daybook since the first day of class.  Think about the examples of directions you looked at, and the directions you wrote.

Write a short essay ( 5+ paragraphs) that explores/explains/describes the importance of considering/analyzing the audience for any written assignment. Use specific examples to support your points. Any kind (genre) of writing can be used as an example to support your point.


Homework:
1. Fill at least one page in your daybook brainstorming about the prompt. You may write out an entire essay if you wish. In class tomorrow you will type and print your essay to hand in.

2. TWFTD:  fanatic