Lesson:
We first went around the room asking the children what countries they had chosen and if they had begun their research. I recommended that they consult several sources, not all online. We talked about how to group related into together, and how to add more sentence variety and interest to their writing.
Then I asked the students to pull out the papers with the 3-words-per-sentence notes from last week, and we tried to recreate the original paragraph from their notes, which they did quite nicely.
When I asked what they thought of the paragraph we recreated, they correctly said it was boring, and even accurately identified some problems with it. We talked about how to improve it, and spent some time revising it to be more interesting and effective. The three biggest problems with the paragraph are things I also want the class to improve in this paper.
Organization --- Group related information together.
Lively Language --- Add vivid action verbs and descriptive modifiers to add interest.
Sentence Variety --- Rather than beginning all sentences with subjects, mix it up with different kinds if opening expressions. Try some adverbs, phrases, and clauses followed by a comma, before getting to the subject.
(I distributed handouts for this earlier in the year, and will be reviewing those often.)
Assignment:
Students will complete their expository reports on their chosen foreign countries. They may not report on the United States, nor write about ancient cultures.
See last week's blog post for more information about what to include. Remember to include a map and a Works Cited page. For help with formatting the Works Cited page, check out http://citationmachine.net/.
This week, we are emphasizing sentence variety.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
7th - 8th Writing, February 20
Lesson:
We read aloud and critiqued student papers, looking especially for how well the students discuss the literary elements and incorporate snippets of text to support their observations and opinions.
In general, the students are progressing well. We will continue to practice this type of essay, since it is so common is high school and college.
Assignment:
The students will read, reread, and make notes on a well-written short story in preparation for writing their next literary analysis essay.
I prefer that the students' next story be a work of Poe, specifically The Cask of Amontillado, which can be downloaded here.
(I thank Janine Angrisano for emailing all the students the link and vocabulary list, since my printer is not working properly.)
We read aloud and critiqued student papers, looking especially for how well the students discuss the literary elements and incorporate snippets of text to support their observations and opinions.
In general, the students are progressing well. We will continue to practice this type of essay, since it is so common is high school and college.
Assignment:
The students will read, reread, and make notes on a well-written short story in preparation for writing their next literary analysis essay.
I prefer that the students' next story be a work of Poe, specifically The Cask of Amontillado, which can be downloaded here.
(I thank Janine Angrisano for emailing all the students the link and vocabulary list, since my printer is not working properly.)
Monday, February 23, 2009
9th - 12th Writing, February 20
Lesson:
At this level, most lessons involve discussion of the reading and writing the students have been doing. This is what we did this lesson, as well, discussing how to understand and write about characters, conflict, symbolism, irony, and ambiguities in literature.
Assignment:
Students are to read a short novel and make notes for analysis. I am suggesting The Giver by Lois Lowry. Written for junior high and up, this controversial book has won more acclaim (ten prestigious awards) and stirred more challenges (efforts to ban) than perhaps any other work in recent times. Its delicate treatment of important but disturbing themes has made it a "must-read" in almost every curriculum in the nation, including among many Christian homeschooling programs. It is easy to read, yet difficult to digest. All of that makes it ideal for literary analysis at this level.
I am providing copies for students to borrow and parents to review. Any parents who object to The Giver may offer alternate titles for analysis.
At this level, most lessons involve discussion of the reading and writing the students have been doing. This is what we did this lesson, as well, discussing how to understand and write about characters, conflict, symbolism, irony, and ambiguities in literature.
Assignment:
Students are to read a short novel and make notes for analysis. I am suggesting The Giver by Lois Lowry. Written for junior high and up, this controversial book has won more acclaim (ten prestigious awards) and stirred more challenges (efforts to ban) than perhaps any other work in recent times. Its delicate treatment of important but disturbing themes has made it a "must-read" in almost every curriculum in the nation, including among many Christian homeschooling programs. It is easy to read, yet difficult to digest. All of that makes it ideal for literary analysis at this level.
I am providing copies for students to borrow and parents to review. Any parents who object to The Giver may offer alternate titles for analysis.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
7th - 8th Writing, February 13
Lesson:
This week, we discussed the story the students had read for their first literary analysis essay. We talked through the various literary elements such as point of view, nature of conflict, symbolism, and so on, and discussed how to feature those in their essays.
Assignment:
Students are to write five-paragraph literary analysis essays of the story they have analyzed. The three body paragraphs should discuss the author's use of setting, character, and theme, in that order. Other elements may be discussed in the intro paragraph or in whatever body paragraph suits best. Quoted excerpts are to be woven into the essay.
This week, we discussed the story the students had read for their first literary analysis essay. We talked through the various literary elements such as point of view, nature of conflict, symbolism, and so on, and discussed how to feature those in their essays.
Assignment:
Students are to write five-paragraph literary analysis essays of the story they have analyzed. The three body paragraphs should discuss the author's use of setting, character, and theme, in that order. Other elements may be discussed in the intro paragraph or in whatever body paragraph suits best. Quoted excerpts are to be woven into the essay.
9th - 12th Writing, February 13
Lesson:
For this class period, the students each read aloud for critique a paragraph from their literary analysis essays on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We used the students' completed essays as a springboard for our discussion of how to integrate quoted excerpts of the literary work into their analyses.
Assignment:
I suggested several short stories for our next assignment, notably some by Poe. Students are to choose a short story, read it through at least several times to understand and make notes, and then write a finished five-paragraph literary analysis essay this week.
For this class period, the students each read aloud for critique a paragraph from their literary analysis essays on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We used the students' completed essays as a springboard for our discussion of how to integrate quoted excerpts of the literary work into their analyses.
Assignment:
I suggested several short stories for our next assignment, notably some by Poe. Students are to choose a short story, read it through at least several times to understand and make notes, and then write a finished five-paragraph literary analysis essay this week.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Co-op Newspaper Debuts
I would like to commend several students for their initiative in starting a co-op newspaper following our journalism unit. This promises to be a lively addition to the co-op, a good source of information and connection, and a marvelous way to showcase co-op efforts.
To Claire Barber, Erin Arbogast, Louisa Nickel, and Samantha Schaefer: Great work and congratulations on your first edition!
To Claire Barber, Erin Arbogast, Louisa Nickel, and Samantha Schaefer: Great work and congratulations on your first edition!
4th - 6th Writing, February 13
Lesson:
This lesson was divided into two parts. We spent most of the lesson going over our next project, which is a country report. After that, we devoted the last part of our class time to introducing an exercise from Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing. We will continue both of these sessions over the next class period.
Country Report:
Obviously, to write a comprehensive report about any country would require much more time, effort, and page length than we are devoting to this assignment. Therefore, students will need to be selective in choosing information that is most important in helping fellow classmates learn what is essential and distinctive about their chosen countries. Though not all items on the following list would apply in equal depth to all countries, some important information to consider might include:
- Name of country (and any previous names)
- Location (continent, region [north/south/east/west], near neighbors, etc.)
- Landforms (coastal, peninsular, mountainous, desert, plains, etc.)
- Climate (temperate, tropical, arid, etc.)
- Natural Resources (oil, gold, minerals, timber, fishing, etc.)
- Population/Demographics (number, ethnic mix, old/young/ rural/urban, etc.)
- Language(s)
- History (settling/founding, invasion/war, dramatic turning points)
- Government (form [democracy, monarchy, dictatorship, etc.], capital)
- Religions(s) (Which beliefs? actively practiced? freedom of religion? etc.)
- Culture (way of life --- food, clothing, social structure, customs, etc.)
- Economy (income sources, financial condition)
- Special Features (places to visit, distinctive attributes, interesting facts)
Students should include a map on a separate sheet. This may be printed from an up-to-date internet source. The map source must be cited.
Assignment:
Students are to choose any current country; this is not a report on ancient countries or cultures. I suggested that the students may want to report on countries where their ancestors lived, or where the students have visited, or perhaps where they may know friends or missionaries; however, that is not a requirment.
As with the recent animal reports, students are to do light research into their chosen topics, taking simple notes, and crediting their sources. From those notes, student will write one to three long paragraphs about their chosen topic. These paragraphs are to:
~ begin with an interesting "hook"
~ include well-chosen details
~ flow smoothly in logical order
~ use effective transitions and a variety of sentence openers
~ demonstrate lively word choice
~ conclude gracefully
Students are to add a Works Cited page following their report. It will follow the guidelines in last week's post, moving more toward correct and complete MLA format. The best tool I know for easily formatting resources is http://citationmachine.net/.
To use that, click on the link here to access the site; then click on the words MLA in the top left column of the page that opens; then click on the words in the left column describing the type of resource you are using (book, magazine, online article, etc.). Enter the prompted data, then click the word Submit; the website will format the citation correctly.
Students will have two weeks to complete this assignment.
This lesson was divided into two parts. We spent most of the lesson going over our next project, which is a country report. After that, we devoted the last part of our class time to introducing an exercise from Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing. We will continue both of these sessions over the next class period.
Country Report:
Obviously, to write a comprehensive report about any country would require much more time, effort, and page length than we are devoting to this assignment. Therefore, students will need to be selective in choosing information that is most important in helping fellow classmates learn what is essential and distinctive about their chosen countries. Though not all items on the following list would apply in equal depth to all countries, some important information to consider might include:
- Name of country (and any previous names)
- Location (continent, region [north/south/east/west], near neighbors, etc.)
- Landforms (coastal, peninsular, mountainous, desert, plains, etc.)
- Climate (temperate, tropical, arid, etc.)
- Natural Resources (oil, gold, minerals, timber, fishing, etc.)
- Population/Demographics (number, ethnic mix, old/young/ rural/urban, etc.)
- Language(s)
- History (settling/founding, invasion/war, dramatic turning points)
- Government (form [democracy, monarchy, dictatorship, etc.], capital)
- Religions(s) (Which beliefs? actively practiced? freedom of religion? etc.)
- Culture (way of life --- food, clothing, social structure, customs, etc.)
- Economy (income sources, financial condition)
- Special Features (places to visit, distinctive attributes, interesting facts)
Students should include a map on a separate sheet. This may be printed from an up-to-date internet source. The map source must be cited.
Assignment:
Students are to choose any current country; this is not a report on ancient countries or cultures. I suggested that the students may want to report on countries where their ancestors lived, or where the students have visited, or perhaps where they may know friends or missionaries; however, that is not a requirment.
As with the recent animal reports, students are to do light research into their chosen topics, taking simple notes, and crediting their sources. From those notes, student will write one to three long paragraphs about their chosen topic. These paragraphs are to:
~ begin with an interesting "hook"
~ include well-chosen details
~ flow smoothly in logical order
~ use effective transitions and a variety of sentence openers
~ demonstrate lively word choice
~ conclude gracefully
Students are to add a Works Cited page following their report. It will follow the guidelines in last week's post, moving more toward correct and complete MLA format. The best tool I know for easily formatting resources is http://citationmachine.net/.
To use that, click on the link here to access the site; then click on the words MLA in the top left column of the page that opens; then click on the words in the left column describing the type of resource you are using (book, magazine, online article, etc.). Enter the prompted data, then click the word Submit; the website will format the citation correctly.
Students will have two weeks to complete this assignment.
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