Reboot

I am a teacher. A TEACHER! That's a pretty wonderful privilege.

I am a student, too. I learn, and then I teach. It's what I do. It's who I am. I love to teach -- to see kids light up (adults, too!) and to know I had some role in helping that happen. I am a midwife for knowledge and understanding.

Over the years, I have been a schoolgirl, a big sister, a mother of seven,
a homeschooling parent, a mentor, a co-op teacher and organizer, a classroom teacher in multiple subjects, a private school founder, a principal, a seminar writer and public speaker, a published writer, a newsletter editor, a yearbook adviser, a speech and debate coach, an online forum moderator, a tutor, and a grandmother. Yet, in all these, I've always been a teacher.

The dates of my blog posts show that I was busy on here for a couple of years and then dropped off. I blogged actively when I was teaching writing classes here in my home, mostly as a way to keep in touch with my students and their parents.

Then a small 'university-model' school started up in our church, led by a couple who are friends of mine. (In university-model schools, students are in class two or three days and home the other two or three.) Many of my students jumped over there, and I jumped with them. I loved the kids and was glad to be involved in my friends' new venture. As the school grew, my class load increased, as well, until I was teaching different subjects across multiple grade levels, five days a week, multiple complex preps. That is what has kept me busy (and not blogging, or doing much of anything else) for the last three years.

It was a good run, lots of good memories made, and I'm grateful for the experience. The administrators are dear, lovely friends who have been most kind and gracious to me. I expect I might feel a twinge of regret in the fall for not signing my contract renewal. But for now, well, now it is time for a reboot. I have decided to return to teaching classes at home. Turns out, I like that best. It's comfortable, cozy, homey. It's also flexible, focused, and efficient. I will be able to teach in my own way and adjust more easily to the individual needs of my students.

It might take a while to rebuild my client base again to its former level, but that's alright. I'll get there. Or not. In the meantime, I am excited about the thought of opening my front door to a new round of students in the fall!

4th - 6th Writing, May 1

The year is wrapping up quickly, and we are spending the next two weeks on our last assignment of this course.

Lesson:
First, I collected the students' finished five-paragraph essays or alternate assignments; as agreed, some students had written compare/contrast paragraphs, which was also fine.

Feeling that we needed more review of pronoun problems, I stressed again the need to be clear about pronoun antecedents, and the need to avoid "you" statements except in personal or informal communication such as letters, emails, or blogs.

After drawing our five-paragraph flowchart on the board, I talked the class through the important parts of the essay's structure. Then we read aloud several of the essays, looking for the key components, especially the thesis statement.

Though most had a bit of trouble getting the format exactly right, which is to be expected at first, the students overall did surprisingly well. In fact, the class did as well as I might have expected from a junior high class encountering this type of essay for the first time. I was quite pleased.

Assignment:
We will finish the year with another five-paragraph essay for those who are able. If that is too difficult, feel free to contact me for an alternate assignment, which is also perfectly acceptable.

Students may choose their own topics for this final essay.

Students are to prepare and bring a rough draft of their paper for this coming class.

We will go over them in class in small groups. Then students will have to final week to revise and edit before our last class day.

7th - 8th Writing, May 1

(Oops! I forgot to hit the publish button on this post! Sorry this is late.)

We are in the final stages of our final project.

Lesson:
Using handouts I provided, we discussed in detail how to write the rough draft, including the use of parenthetical citation in MLA format.

We also briefly covered how to prepare the title page and the works cited page. To aid with that, we played with citationmachine.net as a resource for formatting sources.

Assignment:
Students are to bring as much as they have of their research project drafts, including:
source cards
note cards
title page
outline
research paper
works cited page

We will spend the class period in preliminary read-arounds, checking for completeness and correctness, helping one another over any rough spots or snags.

Additionally, we will schedule an extra optional session for early next week, to give us enough time to dig in (over pizza) and polish all the research papers.

The final project due on May 15.

9th - 12th Writing, May 1

(Oops! I forgot to hit the publish button on this post! Sorry this is late.)

Lesson:
We are in the final stages of our final project.

Using handouts I provided, we reviewed writing the rough draft, including the use of parenthetical citation in MLA format. Next, we briefly covered how to prepare the title page and the works cited page. To aid with that, we played with citationmachine.net as a resource for formatting sources.

Assignment:
Students are to bring their complete research project drafts, including:
source cards
note cards
title page
outline
research paper
works cited page

We will spend the class period in read-arounds and helpful suggestions.

If that is sufficient, students will complete any needed revisions on their own the following week, with the final project due on May 15.

If desired or needed, we will schedule an extra optional session early that week, though this class is well on track without it so far.

4th - 6th Writing, April 24

(This is a quick post for now; I will edit with more detail later.)

Lesson:
We went over more detail about the structure and format for a standard five-paragraph essay. The students have several pages of notes for this.


Assignment:
Students are to write a five-paragraph expository essay. This can be an expansion of their earlier essays on friendship or on some other abstract concept. It can also be a more tangible topic of their choice. The format is the main thing in this lesson.

If this assignment is too great a stretch for some students, please contact me for an alternate assignment.

7th - 8th Writing, April 24

(This is a quick post for now; I will edit with more detail later.)

Lesson:

This week, we covered how to prepare an outline for a research paper. I provided handouts with examples.

Assignment:
Students are to prepare an outline with thesis statement.

9th-12th Writing, April 24

(This is a quick post for now; I will edit with more detail later.)

Lesson:
Class was small, with some students camping. In view of how few weeks were left, I went ahead with the lesson anyway. I have handouts available for those who missed.

I covered how to approach writing the rough draft, including how to cite sources within MLA format.

Assignment:
Students are to begin writing their rough drafts. We will have another week for this also.

4th -6th Writing Class, April 3

Lesson:
We read some of the students' definition essays about friendship. The class seemed to have a grasp of the assignment, and most successfully incorporated the sentence variety we have been practicing.

We spent the remainder of the class period teaching the concept and format for a simple block-style compare/contrast paragraph. Later we will learn to expand these to a five-paragraph essay.

To compare is to find how things are alike.
To contrast is to find how things are different.

For a simple contrast paper, students are to choose two things which seem similar, then explore the features that distinguish them as different. Examples might include:
cats and dogs (both small mammals commonly kept as household pets)
McDonald's and Wendy's (both fast food burger joints)
Target and WalMart (both large discount chain stores)
football and soccer (both team sports moving a ball down field to score)
FDR and Churchill (both allied leaders during WWII)
Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia (both beloved classic fantasy with Christian underpinnings)
and many, many more.

Whenever the subjects being compared or contrasted are mentioned together, they must remain in their original order. So, if cats are mentioned before dogs in the beginning, cats will always be mentioned first in any sentence where dogs are also mentioned. Therefore, choose the starting order strategically.

Begin by providing background and acknowledging similarities in at least the topic sentence; continue in a few following sentences if that helps explain things or add interest.
For example, one might say "Cats and dogs are perennially the most common and popular household pets. Fully half of all American families own at least one of these pets; 31% of households have cats, 39% have dogs, and some have both. While cats and dogs have many similarities, they are different in some important ways."

The next sentence should delineate whatever categories of differences the author chooses to highlight. (In a longer essay, this sentence would be at the end if the first paragraph, and would become the thesis statement.) For example, one might write, "Among other features, cats and dogs differ in ease of training, usefulness, and sociability."

The next section, the main body of the paragraph, will then contrast cats and dogs on those three points in that order. In our example, that would be:
(1) ease of training
(2) usefulness
(3) sociability
Usually, it works best to place whatever one considers to be the strongest point at the end.

Writers employ two different patterns for writing compare/contrast essays. One pattern involves a point-by-point, line-by-line examination, while the other considers all the points about one subject before switching to discuss all the points of other subject.

The line-by-line approach can be clear and effective, but it can also read like a ping-pong match of back-and-forth statements, if not done well.

Line-by-line example:

(1) Cats do not generally exhibit cooperation or obedience, but dogs can be trained to perform any number of elaborate, entertaining, and even valuable tasks. (2) Although some cats might deign to catch mice from time to time, many dogs serve valuable, even life-saving functions, such as: guarding homes and businesses; herding animals on farms and ranches; serving as eyes, ears, and able bodies for physically-challenged individuals; aiding law enforcement with search-and-rescue operations; and more. (3) Looking at the wild cousins of cats and dogs, one sees the biggest difference of all: cats are territorial while dogs are pack animals. Generally, cats are often aloof and independent, while dogs want to belong to a group. Thus, cats are carry themselves as rulers of their domain, while dogs are known as man's best friend.

Block style is the other major way of writing compare/contrast papers, and the one we will use for this assignment. Though we will still consider the same points about the same subjects in the same order, block style 'batches' these together in a few sentences devoted to each, so it has less of the ping-pong effect.

Block-style example:

(1)Even among cat fanciers, these regal felines are notorious for their lack of cooperation and obedience. Though cats may be beautiful and graceful, they simply do not do what they are told when they are told. (2)Certainly, these lovely creatures may occasionally catch mice if and when it suits them, but they seldom take pains to serve or please their human housemates otherwise. (3) Considering the natural behavior of big cats in the wild, this makes sense. Cats are territorial and independent. Placed in a household with humans, they coexist peacefully, even pleasantly, without yielding their innate sovereignty. On the other hand, (1)dogs have been trained quite easily for centuries to perform any number of elaborate, entertaining and even valuable tasks. (2) Working only for the occasional treat or pat on the head, perhaps even just for the sheer joy of doing what they were bred to do, dogs serve important, even life-saving, functions every day. Eagerly, canine companions guard homes and businesses, herd animals on farms and ranches, aid law enforcement with search-and-rescue operations, serve as eyes, ears, and able bodies for physically-challenged individuals,and more. (3) Because they are pack animals, dogs want to belong, to please, to know their place. Under the right leadership, dogs can do amazing things and display undying devotion and loyalty. Dogs are man's best friend.


Note that we use a clear transition expression (e.g., On the other hand,) to indicate when we switch from the first subject to the second.

Finally, we will wrap up the paragraph gracefully with at least a final concluding sentence, or clincher, that reflects the topic sentence in slightly different words, while bringing everything together again.
For example, if remaining impartial, we might say, "Cats and dogs are both popular pets whose differences make them beloved by different people."
If expressing a preference, we might rework the 'dog' block to end with "Though cats and dogs are both popular pets, only dogs are man's best friend."

So, putting it all together:

Cats and dogs are perennially the most common and popular household pets. Fully half of all American families own at least one of these pets; 31% of households have cats, 39% have dogs, and some have both. While cats and dogs have many similarities, they are different in some important ways. Even among cat fanciers, these regal felines are notorious for their lack of cooperation and obedience. Though cats may be beautiful and graceful, they simply do not do what they are told when they are told. Certainly, these lovely creatures may occasionally catch mice if and when it suits them, but they seldom take pains to serve or please their human housemates otherwise. Considering the natural behavior of big cats in the wild, this makes sense. Cats are territorial and independent. Placed in a household with humans, they coexist peacefully, even pleasantly, without yielding their innate sovereignty. On the other hand, dogs have been trained quite easily for centuries to perform any number of elaborate, entertaining and even valuable tasks. Working only for the occasional treat or pat on the head, perhaps even just for the sheer joy of doing what they were bred to do, dogs serve important, even life-saving, functions every day. Eagerly, canine companions guard homes and businesses, herd animals on farms and ranches, aid law enforcement with search-and-rescue operations, serve as eyes, ears, and able bodies for physically-challenged individuals,and more. Because they are pack animals, dogs want to belong, to please, to know their place. Under the right leadership, dogs can do amazing things and display undying devotion and loyalty. Though cats and dogs are both popular pets, only dogs are man's best friend.

Assignments:
Each student will write a block-style contrast paragraph on any suitable subjects of choice. Students may choose cats and dogs, as long as the thoughts and words are their own.

Students may treat the subjects in an impartial way, or may clearly state a preference.

Everything else we have learned applies. Besides vivid word choice and strong active verbs, this means students will need to work in ALL of the sentence variety we have been practicing.

This assignment is due April 17. Class will NOT meet this week, April 10.

With the extra week, any student who wishes to do so may submit an original poem or short story for extra credit.

7th - 8th Writing, April 3

We spent most of the class period discussing the poems the students had been assigned. We looked at the meaning of each poem, as well as some background information on the poets themselves, and then the various poetic devices employed.

Assignment:
Student are to write a poetry explication of any of the poems distributed so far. Explication means explanation; poetry explication is essentially literary analysis for poetry.

We will learn two formats for poetry explication. Both are correct, so choose whichever format better suits your chosen poem.

Standard five-paragraph essay format
Intro paragraph, ending in thesis statement (Intro is a good place to discuss form of poem, number of stanzas, narrative elements, poet info, etc.)
1st body paragraph: Sound Devices (meter, rhyme scheme, assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc.)
2nd body paragraph: Figures of Speech (simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, etc.)
3rd body paragraph: Imagery/Themes (tone, mood, meaning, etc.)
Concluding paragraph: (Restate thesis, summarize points, opinion/comment on poem)

Stanza-by-stanza, line-by-line poetry explication
Intro paragraph, ending in thesis statement (as above, plus include meter and rhyme scheme. This format does not require standard thesis of statement plus three-part comment; a statement alone is sufficient.)
1st body paragraph: 1st stanza, explained line by line
2nd body paragraph: 2nd stanza, explained line by line
3rd body paragraph: 3rd stanza, explained line by line
and so on, as many body paragraphs as stanzas
Concluding paragraph: as above

Stanzas in poetry are similar to paragraphs in prose. In many poems, stanza breaks are easy to see by the way the poems are laid out visually. In other poems, stanzas may be identified by ideas or rhyme scheme. Stanzas are named by how many lines they contain:
2 lines: couplet
3 lines: tercet
4 lines: quatrain
6 lines: sestet
8 lines: octave

Shakespearean (or English) sonnets, which always have four stanzas of three quatrains and a couplet, work well with the second type. In that case, the explication will have four body paragraphs plus an intro and conclusion.

With the extra week, any student who wishes to do so may submit an original poem or short story for extra credit.

9th - 12th Writing, April 3

Lesson:
We are embarking on our final MLA research project for the year. This paper serves as the final exam for this course.

I distributed the first batch of handouts for the project, and we discussed the overall style of the paper (which is to contain an "argumentative edge"), the scoring system, and the week-by-week deadlines.

This class will need to write papers of at least 5-7 pages (not counting the title page, outline, and works cited page) though 8 - 11 pages would be preferred. We will be following the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. All rough drafts, note cards, and source cards must be turned in with the final report.

First, we spoke about the nature of research and its role in higher education, particularly in obtaining advanced degrees and furthering the accepted body of knowledge in the world. We discussed the difference between primary (first-hand accounts written at the time or shortly after an event) and secondary sources (second-hand, after the fact), and how to select appropriate and credible sources.

We discussed how to choose a suitable topic of sufficient interest with enough material available and not too broad in scope to be treated within this length. Examples of topic categories include:
- an author, artist, musician, or filmmaker and his or her impact
- a historical figure or event and his/her/its significance
- a scientific discovery/invention and its importance
- a controversial topic about which the student has not yet written
Most of the students had a rough idea for their topic before class ended.

Having chosen a general topic, students will need to make sure they have focused in on a narrow enough slice of that topic. Then, they will need to develop a hypothesis, which is a rough draft of the thesis they expect their research will support. It may be something quite simple, such as "Emily Dickinson is an innovative and brilliant American poet" or "Emily Dickinson is an emotionally imbalanced and overrated American poet." The hypothesis is to be written on its own 3 x 5 card, and will guide the students in choosing reference materials, and help to keep them on track while taking notes. Students may change their hypotheses if subsequent research leads them to changes their minds. Eventually, their hypothesis, revised or not, will become the thesis of their final paper.

Next, I explained how students are to go about their research, beginning with a survey of any materials at hand, but certainly including several hours at the library SOON. The best advice I can give in that regard is to gather few friends, a pile of index cards, a few pens, and a fat pocketful of change for the library copy machine; get thee to the library as soon as possible; and ASK THE LIBRARIAN FOR HELP! Those good people have training and degrees in how to find just what students need, so take advantage of that. (Give them a break --- go at off hours, be clear and patient, and say please and thank you.)

Finally, we discussed how to gather and format source cards and note cards. Cards are to be written on 3 x 5 index cards for ease of use, and written in pen so that they are still legible after weeks of shuffling and handling.

Sources: Students need to gather information from at least 5 good sources (though a few more wouldn't hurt).
Sources may be books, magazines, no more than one encyclopedia, no more than one textbook, and reliable internet sites, though not all sources may be online.
Each source is to be recorded on its own source card according to the examples given in class handouts. For internet sites where students may be uncertain which example to follow, bookmark those into a common heading for this project for now, and we will look at those more closely. (TIP: email those site links to yourself if you are on a library computer.)

Notes: Each single bit of information that a student might use must be written on its own note card and properly cited. Each idea or statement gets its own card.

When taking notes, students should write the author and page number of the source on the top right corner of each note card, while they have that information in front of them. That will make it simple to incorporate and cite their sources into the body of their paper as per the MLA format, as well as to prepare their Works Cited page. (See the examples on the class handouts.)

Another helpful tactic will be to write the specific sub-topic on the top left corner of each note card, as illustrated in the class handouts. This will be valuable when sorting and arranging notes for the outlining and actual composition of the paper. For example, if writing about a person, possible sub-topics might include childhood, education and training, marriage and family, etc.

Students will write three different types of note cards: quote, summary, and paraphrase. Students should label each note card accordingly (as a quote, summary, or paraphrase) at the center of the bottom line.

Quote cards: Quotes must be copied EXACTLY, with identical wording, spelling, and punctuation.
Quote when:
~ a particular phrase or sentence is so emotionally powerful or well-worded that you cannot improve upon it, or
~ the statement comes from a famous person whose name adds the weight of authority to your work.
No more than 1/4 to 1/3 of your note cards should be quotes.

Summary cards: A summary is simply the main idea of a statement put into your own words and your own sentence structure. Summaries are shorter than the originals, which is much of the point of summarizing. Often, a paragraph or several paragraphs can be condensed into a few sentences or less.
Summarize when:
~ you need to cite the basic information without all the detail included in a source
~ the original is not especially well-worded
Probably 1/2 of your note cards will be summary cards.

Paraphrase cards: To paraphrase is to rewrite the original statement completely, phrase by phrase, into your own words and structure. A paraphrase is not substantially shorter than the original.
Paraphrase when:
~ you want to cite all the information, including the specific detail, included in the original, yet
~ the words and style are not skillful, memorable, or emotionally powerful
Probably at most 1/4 of your note cards will be paraphrase cards.

Assignment:
By the next class on April 17, students are to have done their research and taken their notes. They are to bring to class on note cards, properly completed:
~ a hypothesis
~ at least 5 good source cards
~ at least 20 note cards, though double or triple that would not be at all too many

It is possible that the next step, writing an outline, might reveal gaps that would require more research, but let's try to avoid that by making the most of this extra week before our next class.

I am available for an extra research session next week at the Frisco library if that would be helpful, though I hope no one waits that long to start.

With the extra week, any student who wishes to do so may submit an original poem or short story for extra credit.

4th - 6th Writing, March 27

Lesson:
We are continuing our study of expository writing with a type of essay similar to what older students write as a definition essay. Ours will be more flexible and simple, but the idea is to define an intangible quality or idea. This can include dictionary definitions, scriptures, discussions,quotations, examples from life, history, fiction, etc. This can also include discussion of what the defined idea is NOT.

Our assigned topic for the week is FRIENDSHIP. We spent most of the class brainstorming a list of ideas connected with friendship. What is friendship? What is the value of friendship? What makes people become friends? What qualities are desired in a friend?

Assignment:
Students are to write a good long paragraph about friendship. I do not want students to turn this into a description of a particular friend. This is meant to discuss friendship in a general way, developed with examples where appropriate.

After students compose their rough draft of this paragraph, I would like them to revise it for sentence variety, including at least one each of the six primary ways we have learned to start sentences.

Later, we will learn to expand a basic paragraph like this into a longer essay.

7th - 8th Writing, March 27

Lesson:
I collected their literary analysis essays, then discussed with the class the timeline for our remaining lessons. We will take a brief look at poetry in the next couple of weeks, then begin our final unit, an MLA -style research report.

To review information about poetry, read previous posts from the high school lessons. We will not study poetry as deeply as the upper classes, but the information and the assignment for this week is the same:
POETRY REVIEW from Winning Writing: 9th - 12th Writing, March 13

9th - 12th Writing, March 27

Lesson:
We discussed the students' choices of poems and styles of explication, as well as any difficulties.

Then we talked our way through some select poems, looking at background, meaning, and poetic devices.

Assignment:
Each student is to choose another poem and write another explication in either of the styles we have discussed. (See last week's blog post to review the two possible approaches.)

4th - 6th Writing, March 20

Lesson:
We continued to review and drill on sentence variety. I spent some time clearing up some confusion students have been having about how to use words that appear on both the preposition list and the clausal starter list.
For example:
Because of the weather, the game was canceled.
Here, because is a prepositional phrase starter, with the noun weather as object of the preposition.
Because it was raining, the game was canceled.
Here, because is a clausal starter. Clauses have a subject and a verb; in this case, it is the subject, and was raining is the verb.

I had the students write another quick Brainwarmer. From those, I asked various students to read an example of each kind of opener we have been learning.

Here is a review of sentence openers, borrowed from the Institute in Excellence guidelines from Andrew Pudewa.
1. Subject
2. Prepositional phrase
3. "-ly" (Adverb)
4. "-ing" (Participle)
5. Clause (Dependent clause)
6. VSS (Very short sentence)
7. "-ed" (Past participle --- optional, for more advanced students)

Examples:
1. Subject: A hare always boasted about how fast he could run.
2. Preposition phrase: In his opinion, he was the speediest animal around.
3. "ly"/Adverb: Surprisingly, the slow tortoise challenged the arrogant hare to a race.
4. "ing"/Participle: Running as fast as he could, the hare was soon far ahead of the plodding tortoise.
5. Clause: Since he was sure he would win, the confident hare lay down for a nap and slept while the tortoise passed him by and crossed the finish line.
6. VSS: The tortoise had won!
7. "ed" /Past Participle: Pleased, he declared, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Assignment:
I have made available four simple paragraphs for the students to use as a base for improving sentence variety. The students may also use any of their recent Brainwarmers as a basis for revision.

The homework assignment is to revise any two paragraphs, using in each paragraph all the sentence openers we have learned without using the same one twice in a row.

I would like the students to write the number of the opener they are using in the left margin of their papers.

7th - 8th Writing, March 20

Lesson:
This was an unusual class. Some students apparently took the week off for spring break; one got called away during class because her brother broke his wrist. It left our class too small to continue on to the scheduled lesson for the second week in a row.

Since the remaining students like to write fiction, we spent the class period discussing how to write interesting characters.

Characters may be flat or round, and may be static or dynamic. Good lead characters are complex, multi-dimensional, realistic beings who change and grow during the course of the story.

Here is a concise discussion of basic character types:
Fictional Characters

Students who write fiction will benefit from How to Create a Character Profile

Assignment:
Regrettably, I could not assign any new work. I will expect the pending assignment to be done to a high standard, since students have had so much time to work on it.

I hope that we can still complete the main coursework I had planned for the rest of the year, which was a poetry unit, then a major research project. To do this, I may omit any additional literary analysis and in-class timed writing.

9th - 12th Writing, March 20

Lesson:
We spent most of the class period discussing the poems the students had been assigned. We looked at the meaning of each poem, as well as some background information on the poets themselves, and then the various poetic devices employed.

This was unfamiliar to most of the class, so we went more slowly and less deeply than I might have liked. We will continue to develop these concepts next week. In the meantime, I distributed a sample poetry explication, along with a few more poems.

Assignment:
Student are to prepare at least a rough draft of a poetry explication of any of the poems distributed so far. I would prefer finished essays, if possible. Explication means explanation; poetry explication is essentially literary analysis for poetry.

We will learn two formats for poetry explication. Both are correct, so choose whichever format better suits your chosen poem.

Standard five-paragraph essay format
Intro paragraph, ending in thesis statement (Intro is a good place to discuss form of poem, number of stanzas, narrative elements, poet info, etc.)
1st body paragraph: Sound Devices (meter, rhyme scheme, assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc.)
2nd body paragraph: Figures of Speech (simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, etc.)
3rd body paragraph: Imagery/Themes (tone, mood, meaning, etc.)
Concluding paragraph: (Restate thesis, summarize points, opinion/comment on poem)

Stanza-by-stanza, line-by-line poetry explication
Intro paragraph, ending in thesis statement (as above, plus include meter and rhyme scheme. This format does not require standard thesis of statement plus three-part comment; a statement alone is sufficient.)
1st body paragraph: 1st stanza, explained line by line
2nd body paragraph: 2nd stanza, explained line by line
3rd body paragraph: 3rd stanza, explained line by line
and so on, as many body paragraphs as stanzas
Concluding paragraph: as above

Stanzas in poetry are similar to paragraphs in prose. In many poems, stanza breaks are easy to see by the way the poems are laid out visually. In other poems, stanzas may be identified by ideas or rhyme scheme. Stanzas are named by how many lines they contain:
2 lines: couplet
3 lines: tercet
4 lines: quatrain
6 lines: sestet
8 lines: octave

The example essay distributed in class follows the stanza by stanza format. Since it explicates a Shakespearean sonnet, which always have four stanzas of three quatrains and a couplet, the example has four body paragraphs plus an intro and conclusion.

4th - 6th Writing, March 13

Lesson:
We opened the class period with a five-minute Brainwarmer, since we had not done that in a while.

Then we reviewed the various sentence openers we have learned so far, discussing them with more examples.

After that, we read through student homework, identifying the type of sentence openers the students had used for each sentence.

I was quite pleased with the progress in sentence variety that the class showed.

Assignment:
I offered the students four more basic model paragraphs to rewrite for greater sentence variety; student are to complete at least two of them. Students also have the option of including their brainwarmer as one of their reworked samples.

As before, these can be reworded, rearranged, and restructured, but no major information is to be added or omitted. Students are to use each of the six primary sentence openers at least once (and the seventh, optional opener, if desired) and should not use the same type of opener twice in a row. NOTE: the openers do NOT need to be used in any particular order.

These are due this coming Friday, March 20.

7th - 8th Writing, March 13

Lesson:
Almost the entire class was absent due to conflicting events. The one student attending received a private lesson.

Assignment:
The previous assignment will carry over for another week, and is due this coming Friday, March 20.

9th - 12th Writing, March 13

Lesson: We began the class period with a brief discussion of the students' experiences writing literary analyses about The Giver. After collecting their essays, we launched into our next unit of study, poetry.

Poetry differs from prose in several ways, including:
rich use of literary devices --- figures of speech such as similes and metaphors
reliance on sound devices --- rhythm, rhyme, assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc.
economy of expression --- worlds of thought and emotion packed in few words of carefully structured language

Poetry uses language not just for its obvious literal meaning, but also for its sound and shape, for the visual and auditory imagery it evokes, and for the tone and mood it creates.

We discussed poetry terms from a list I distributed.

We also learned how to determine and mark rhyme scheme (if any --- not all poetry rhymes, though most will). Mark the end of the first line and all lines that rhyme with it as a. The next non-a line and all lines that rhyme with it will be b, then the next new end rhyme will be c, and so on.
English (or Shakespearean) sonnets, for example, have a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg.

Finally, we discussed the process of scansion used to identify the rhythm and meter of a poem. We first "pound out" the meter (clap 'strong' or 'weak' while reciting the poem) to find the rhythm of stressed and unstressed syllables which allows us to identify the metrical foot used.

Metrical feet include:

Iamb */ The most common metrical foot in English, iamb consists of two syllable sounds, unstressed followed by stressed, as in "reTURN"
Trochee /* Often used in children's verse as it creates a 'rocking horse' rhythm, trochee consists of two syllable sounds, stressed followed by unstressed, as in "TOPsy".
Anapest **/ Anapest consists of three syllable sounds with the accented stress on the third syllable, as in "interVENE".
Dactyl /** Dactl consists of three syllable sounds with the accented stress on the first syllable, as in "MERrily".

These are the primary feet in which entire lines or entire poems might be written. However, it is common for a poet to include an occasional exception, whether for deliberate effect or just because it turns out to be unavoidable.
Such occasional feet include:

Spondee //: two stressed syllables, as in "FOOT BALL"
Pyrrhic **: two unstressed syllables, as in "in the"
Other metric feet exist, but these are the primary patterns.

Having noted the type of metrical foot, we then count the number of feet per line to determine line length.

1 foot per line: monometer
2 feet per line: dimeter
3 feet per line: trimeter
4 feet per line: tetrameter
5 feet per line: pentameter
6 feet per line: hexameter
7 feet per line: heptameter

Type of foot + line length = meter.
Thus, iambic pentameter (the most common in English poetry) consist of five iambs (*/) per line of poetry: */ */ */ */ */

Nevertheless, poetry is art, not science. Even the best poets do not adhere perfectly to rhyme or meter, and some do not even try. The essence of poetry is richness of expression and emotion, not meter.

Assignment:
Each student was given a packet of poems to be read and marked with notes. Students are to read each poem through multiple times, including at least one or two readings aloud, since poetry is meant to be heard as well as seen. (In fact, someone has described poetry as a composed and compact wave of energy which moves from eye to ear to inner ear to inner eye.)

Read each poem at least once or twice for meaning. What is the poem saying? What is its mood and tone? Note observations, ideas and questions.

Then read though for rhyme scheme and mark that.

Then scan for meter. Pound out and/or mark to determine the type of metric foot (iamb, trochee, etc.) and number of feet per line. What meter is that?

Continue to reread and make notes for individual poetic elements such as simile, metaphor, alliteration, etc. Work through the list of terms; observe all you can.

Bring the notated poems back to class on March 20. We will discuss how to write poetry explication from there.

4th - 6th Writing, March 6

Lesson:
We spent most of the class period reading aloud and evaluating country reports. It was evident that the students worked diligently on these.

We spent the last part of the class period reminding students about various ways to begin sentences for more variety.

Borrowed from the Institute in Excellence guidelines from Andrew Pudewa, those basic sentence openers include:
1. Subject
2. Prepositional phrase
3. "-ly" (Adverb)
4. "-ing" (Participle)
5. Clause (Dependent clause)
6. VSS (Very short sentence)
7. "-ed" (Past participle --- optional, for more advanced students)

Examples:
1. Subject: A hare always boasted about how fast he could run.
2. Preposition phrase: In his opinion, he was the speediest animal around.
3. "ly"/Adverb: Surprisingly, the slow tortoise challenged the arrogant hare to a race.
4. "ing"/Participle: Running as fast as he could, the hare was soon far ahead of the plodding tortoise.
5. Clause: Since he was sure he would win, the confident hare lay down for a nap and slept while the tortoise passed him by and crossed the finish line.
6. VSS: The tortoise had won!
7. "ed" /Past Participle: Pleased, he declared, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Assignment: I provided each student with two starter stories and some accompanying handouts. The students are to rewrite the two sample paragraphs for more variety. Each rewritten paragraph should contain all six of the sentence openers listed here. However, the openers do not need to be in the numbered order given here. Any sentence can begin with any opener that will work for it, and the sentences can be reworked as needed, as long as the ideas stay the same.

Students are not to do any topic research; the rewritten paragraphs should include the same information, with nothing significant added or omitted.