Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

October 26

Writer's Notebooks--students evaluated their remaining five Glass Castle entries (how many points did you earn out of 50?).

Source Credibility activity

Attributive Tags

HOMEWORK

Read A&B Chapter 21 & 22.
Look at MLA Style guide on OWL Purdue website.

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Monday, October 18, 2010

New Teacher Conference Schedule

I have adjusted the schedule:

Teacher Conferences

18 Oct--Keslee, Tamela, Marie

20 Oct--no conferences

22 Oct--Robyn, Kim, Anna, Christie, Audrey, Colter

28 Oct--Adrienne, Jill, Britney, Jason, Skyler, Taylor, Ryan, and Jenny

1 &3 Nov--Carson, Ben, Nate, Corbin, Brandon, Courtney, Alexis, Tucker, and Cayden

5 Nov--Peer reviews (bring 3 copies of your paper to class; 10 points)
9 Nov--Revision at Writing Lab
11 Nov--Paper due (100 points)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

October 12

Comma Activity

A&B Text: researching, writing an Exploratory Essay

Writing Lab

Friday, October 8, 2010

Researching from Home

Pioneer Library Login ID--pioneer; password--search.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

October 8

Problematizing a Topic--PBS News, Wed, Oct 6, the Supreme Court privacy v. First Amendment rights case.

Research Demonstration

Writing Lab--continue researching your topic.

HOMEWORK

Read A&B Skills 22 & 23, pp. 578-91.

Post your GC review.

Glass Castle reviews--correction!

User name: pghsenglishblogs@gmail.com
Password: sharing writing

October 6

Wallowing in Complexity--Critical Thinking Skills

Close observation of an artifact--with your group, examine one of the New Yorker pictures and generate questions based on aspects of the picture that you find puzzling. Identify a puzzling feature and try to generate several possible explanations for the feature, none of which seems conclusive or totally satisfactory.

After listening to group responses, we listed possible questions on the board: 1) When it comes to learning about computers and technology, are older people at the mercy of the younger generation? 2) Does text messaging isolate people from those they're with? and 3) Do people miss living their lives by watching others live on screen?

Paper 2: Problematizing a Topic

Students turned in a binder paper with freewriting about the topic they chose, more freewriting about their topic after researching in the Writing Lab, and stapled this paper to an article or "artifact" they found while researching.

HOMEWORK:

Post your book review of Glass Castle. I will also give you credit for printing the review and bringing it to class (you can post it later).

Friday, October 1, 2010

October 4

Comma Activity

Wallowing in Complexity--learning how to problematize a topic
1. Critical thinking skills on p. 30.
2. The Believing and Doubting game: most modern Americans should be vegetarians.
3. Freewriting: What is puzzling, controversial, or unknown about the Rutgers invasion of privacy case?
4. Idea Mapping: the "mosque at ground zero."
5. Close observation of an artifact (New Yorker magazine covers): generate questions, identify the puzzling features, generate several possible explanations.

College essay revisions--turn in

HOMEWORK--due Friday, October 8

Assignment: Write a review of The Glass Castle on www.teenreviewsoftheglasscastle.blogspot.com. Go to www.blogger.com. User name--pghsenglishblogs@gmail.com and password "sharingwriting" . Once you get into the blog, click on the red B in the upper left corner (on the blue bar). Click on New Post. When you're done writing, click "Publish Post."

Organization: In organizing, I think a four-paragraph (like a five-paragraph essay but with only two reasons rather than three) essay would be the easiest format to follow. In other words, start with an introduction that ends with a thesis statement, write two body paragraph developing your reaons, and end with a conclusion.

I'd like you to decide whether you recommend the book, recommend the book but with hesitations, don't recommend the book, or recommend the book with a caveat.

Write a thesis statement using one of these formulas:

1. I recommend The Glass Castle because (2 reasons).
2. Although ____________ (list a hesitation), I recommend TGC because _____________ (list a reason).
3. I don't recommend the book because (2 reasons).
4. Although _____________ (list a caveat), I don't recommend TGC because ______________ (list a reason).