We know the phrases, "he said," or "she said." What other words can you use to show that two people are talking to each other? Some words just have to do with questions and answers. The class came up with some:
said
asked
responded
replied
answered
Some words have to do with ways of expressing emotions. He or she:
giggled
sighed
exclaimed
smiled
laughed
cried
growled
groaned
Vary your writing by specific words that suit the dialogue. You are the artist: express yourself!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Writing Assignment, Part 1, Due Friday, November 6th
Begin your story. Introduce the setting and the characters. Base your story on your Research and Character sheets. Remember to use the technique, "Show, don't tell," to bring the characters and the setting to life.
This initial Cycle 2 writing assignment is to be 3-5 hand written pages long. It must describe the meeting of the characters, the starting place of your journey and what the characters did there. I expect every student to PROOF READ and correct their writing for grammar, spelling and punctuation. This first writing assignment to be completed by Friday, November 6th.
PLEASE NOTE: This assignment must be hand written, and it is to be done in class, not at home. If you finish the assignment early, you will be able to move on to the next assignment.
This initial Cycle 2 writing assignment is to be 3-5 hand written pages long. It must describe the meeting of the characters, the starting place of your journey and what the characters did there. I expect every student to PROOF READ and correct their writing for grammar, spelling and punctuation. This first writing assignment to be completed by Friday, November 6th.
PLEASE NOTE: This assignment must be hand written, and it is to be done in class, not at home. If you finish the assignment early, you will be able to move on to the next assignment.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Research Skills Heads-Up: What Technology Can and Cannot Do for You
Microsoft Word cannot correct your mistakes for you because it cannot think. It can only match. Thus, if you write the word "ten" instead of the word "teen" it does not know what you meant to say. If you say "There are three Tanishas in my class," Microsoft Word will underline "Tanishas" as incorrect, even though it is correct! If you INCORRECTLY put an apostrophe before the s, the red line will disappear, because Word will think that you're using a posessive, even though you are not. Word cannot think and ONLY YOU CAN CORRECT YOUR OWN MISTAKES. Word can be useful in drawing your attention to potential mistakes, but should never be relied upon to detect all mistakes, nor to correct all of them.
Google is a search engine. It cannot think, it can only match. Thus, if you misspell a word, it does not know what you MEANT to say. Similarly, it cannot understand a question in the traditional sense. It merely tries to match the words that you type into the search box. If you type in: "Why is the sky blue?" it will find matches for "why" and "is" and "the" and "sky" and "blue." Or it may "recognize" that you are asking a question, because you've put in a question mark, and take you to a site that answers questions, but if you want to find information on why the sky is blue, you should consider what types of words would take you to such a site, for instance:
search for:
blue sky reasons
blue sky reflection
color sky ocean
blue color atmosphere ocean
atmosphere color
etc.
In other words, think of all the words or terms that mean "sky," and use those. Remember, some web sites will have information under "sky," and others will use the word "atmosphere." Because a SEARCH ENGINE CANNOT THINK, it does not know that by "sky" and "atmosphere," you mean the same thing. That is why you should try both searches.
The other thing you can do to look for good internet results is go to a web site that specializes in that kind of information. For instance, if you are looking for "Rates of HIV transmission in teenagers in New York City," you may want to go to the National Institute of Health, which is nih.gov, and look for HIV transmission statistics for New York City teenagers there.
When using a search engine, as in the previous example, remember to search for a variety of synonyms - words that mean the same thing. So, for instance, you could look for:
HIV transmission New York City teenagers
HIV transmission NYC teens
HIV transmission NY teens
HIV infection New York teens
HIV infection New York City adolescents
AIDS NYC teens
AIDS teens statistics NYC
AIDS adolescents statistics New York City
etc.
Google is a search engine. It cannot think, it can only match. Thus, if you misspell a word, it does not know what you MEANT to say. Similarly, it cannot understand a question in the traditional sense. It merely tries to match the words that you type into the search box. If you type in: "Why is the sky blue?" it will find matches for "why" and "is" and "the" and "sky" and "blue." Or it may "recognize" that you are asking a question, because you've put in a question mark, and take you to a site that answers questions, but if you want to find information on why the sky is blue, you should consider what types of words would take you to such a site, for instance:
search for:
blue sky reasons
blue sky reflection
color sky ocean
blue color atmosphere ocean
atmosphere color
etc.
In other words, think of all the words or terms that mean "sky," and use those. Remember, some web sites will have information under "sky," and others will use the word "atmosphere." Because a SEARCH ENGINE CANNOT THINK, it does not know that by "sky" and "atmosphere," you mean the same thing. That is why you should try both searches.
The other thing you can do to look for good internet results is go to a web site that specializes in that kind of information. For instance, if you are looking for "Rates of HIV transmission in teenagers in New York City," you may want to go to the National Institute of Health, which is nih.gov, and look for HIV transmission statistics for New York City teenagers there.
When using a search engine, as in the previous example, remember to search for a variety of synonyms - words that mean the same thing. So, for instance, you could look for:
HIV transmission New York City teenagers
HIV transmission NYC teens
HIV transmission NY teens
HIV infection New York teens
HIV infection New York City adolescents
AIDS NYC teens
AIDS teens statistics NYC
AIDS adolescents statistics New York City
etc.
In-Class Notes: Technical Skills for Writing
How to Use Quotation Marks:
Do not use quotation marks for emphasis.
If you are putting dialogue into your story, are three ways you can put quotes in a sentence.
Examples:
1) Shaya said, "Veronica, you look great in that dress!"
2) "Veronica, you look great in that dress!" Shaya said.
3) "Veronica," Shaya said, "You look great in that dress!"
When you are describing what someone said, you do not use quotes. For example, no quotes should be used in this sentence describing the conversation.
Example:
Shaya said that Veronica looked great in that dress.
Do not use quotation marks for emphasis.
If you are putting dialogue into your story, are three ways you can put quotes in a sentence.
Examples:
1) Shaya said, "Veronica, you look great in that dress!"
2) "Veronica, you look great in that dress!" Shaya said.
3) "Veronica," Shaya said, "You look great in that dress!"
When you are describing what someone said, you do not use quotes. For example, no quotes should be used in this sentence describing the conversation.
Example:
Shaya said that Veronica looked great in that dress.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Welcome to Cycle 2, 2009
Please view the Course Syllabus here.
We begin our class this cycle with a focus on grammar, punctuation and spelling. What tools do you need in order to begin your writing? Armed with the correct knowledge, and tools to back you up, you can begin to correct your own work, before a teacher even sees your first draft. As we work, our mini-lessons in grammar and the accompanying handouts (that can be found in the "Handouts" sidebar of this blog) will form the basis for your efforts to correct your own work. From now on, I will simply write the nature of the problem I see on your page (for instance: "commas,") and you will need to find the errors and correct them yourself before you show the work to me. The class has been given the following handouts to utilize for this purpose:
We begin our class this cycle with a focus on grammar, punctuation and spelling. What tools do you need in order to begin your writing? Armed with the correct knowledge, and tools to back you up, you can begin to correct your own work, before a teacher even sees your first draft. As we work, our mini-lessons in grammar and the accompanying handouts (that can be found in the "Handouts" sidebar of this blog) will form the basis for your efforts to correct your own work. From now on, I will simply write the nature of the problem I see on your page (for instance: "commas,") and you will need to find the errors and correct them yourself before you show the work to me. The class has been given the following handouts to utilize for this purpose:
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Final Requirements for Cycle 1
Your summative assessment for Cycle one consists of:
1) A one-on-one review of your work with me
2) The map of your journey
3) Four completed "Cities and Towns" research documentation sheets
4) A completed "Characters" sheet
5) Your initial base assessment essay inspired by "The Road Not Taken"
6) Your homework book assignments:
1) A one-on-one review of your work with me
2) The map of your journey
3) Four completed "Cities and Towns" research documentation sheets
4) A completed "Characters" sheet
5) Your initial base assessment essay inspired by "The Road Not Taken"
6) Your homework book assignments:
- The comparison of the setting in the book you're reading to your own neighborhood.
- The essay: "Daydreaming on the Train."
- The story or poem using five vocabulary words from "World's End" and five vocabulary words from the book you're reading.
- A short overview of the plan for your story (no longer than a page and a half).
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Finishing Up
Your Cycle 1 grade depends upon the work in your folder. Please make sure you've done your research correctly, and have all required assignments in your folder. You must also have your HOMEWORK NOTEBOOK with all of your completed Homework assignments as well.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Required Assignments and Conferences for Cycle 1
The cycle ends on Wednesday, October 21st. Individual conferences are a requirement for each cycle. To prepare, be aware and prepare for the following, regarding Cycle 1:
- Student folders must include all "Cities and Towns" worksheets
- Students must have at least four "Cities and Towns" worksheets in their folder.
- Student folders must include the map of your journey.
- Students must have the "Characters Sheet" in their folder
- Student folders must contain all other assigned written work.
- Homework journals must include all homework assignments.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Researching Your Cities and Towns
For each city or town you visit, you will complete a "Cities and Towns" sheet. You may get those from me or download them to your desktop here. Your "Cities and Towns" sheet is your record of work for the day. Each sheet represents one town. What town are you in? What are the three historic, cultural or commercial places that you visit? What web sites have you gone to to research them? What have you learned about each place? You need to take good, detailed notes for each place you visit in the town or city. Note at the top whether this is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th (etc.) stop on your journey.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Research for your Project
Take your notes on the sheets you got on Friday. These sheets are simply to help you organize the data you are gathering. You will be writing up your research in your project, so you will need print-outs of websites that you are using. Please always use the "print preview" command to make sure you only print the pages you really need. Don't waste my ink!!! Please print only to the "Room 327 T640" printer.
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