12/21/07 8th and 9th

Merry Christmas! We're watching a Christmas video today. No need for a make-up.

12/20/07 8th

Research papers are due today.

I gave an extra credit opportunity to those who wanted to take it. The requirement was to give a one minute summary of the research paper. This was on a volunteer basis.

12/20/07 9th

A Christmas Carol final test is today. Your service paper is due today.

12/19/07 8th

Today is our last working day on the research paper. Please have your paper and all the parts that go with it compiled in this order:

• score sheet (blue)
• outline
• first draft
• self evaluation (green)
• 2 peer evaluations (gold)
• second draft
• parent evaluation (green)
• title sheet with title, name, class period, date
• final draft (1000 words, doubles spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font)
• Works Cited page (typed in correct format)

You will be graded on:

• Thesis statement (20 points)
• Subtopics (30 points)
• Content and documentation (30 points)
• Conclusion (10 points)
• Works Cited page (20 points)
• Format--length, structure, all parts are included (40 points)

This makes a grand total of 150 points! (That's a big chunk of change, folks!)

Do a good job. I know you can do it.

12/19/07 9th

Quiz on Stave Five. Review for test.

The test will be open book--but it is difficult. That means you have to know your book quite well in order to do well on the test. I know you can do it!

12/18/07 8th

We finished up the second draft today. You will have a parent read your second draft and fill our an evaluation on your paper. Your parent will help you to find the last minute changes you need to make. Remember you need a title sheet, your paper (Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, double-spaced), and a separate Works Cited page. Follow the correct format throughout. You will be turning in your outline, drafts, evaluation sheets and final draft on Thursday.

See me with any questions.

12/18/07 9th

We took the quiz on Stave Four today, then we finished reading the book. There will be a quiz on Stave Five tomorrow. We will also have a review tomorrow to get ready for the final test on Thursday. Remember your due dates.

12/17/07 8th

Today we worked on making changes to our first draft. Revising and editing are important steps in the writing process. Make sure you make changes the will improve your paper. Specifically, be sure to document your sources. Every time you have a fact you learned from your research, you need to tell me which source provided that information. Do your best!

12/17/07 9th

Today we finished reading Stave Four. We also worked on the study guide. Make sure you pay attention to your dues dates.

12/14/07 8th

Revise and edit! Revise and edit!

Today we worked on peer evaluations in class. You should have two (2) of your peers read and evaluate your first draft. See me for evaluation forms. You will be required to turn these completed forms in with your final research paper. You will use these evaluations as a guide for making changes when we go back to the computer lab on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

I passed out progress reports today. Please have your parents sign them and bring them back on Monday.

12/14/07 9th

We had a great discussion on Stave Three yesterday. Today we start reading Stave Four. Be sure to keep up on your journal entries and study guides.

Have you donated your act of service yet?

12/13/07 8th

Plagiarism! Don't do it! We had a discussion on the common cut-and-paste method of "writing" a paper today. You will get caught if you do this. You will also get a 0 on the paper and an office referral. Don't do it.

We practiced writing information in our own words today. See me for the worksheet.

We also started a self-evaluation on our first draft. See me for the worksheet.

Remember, you must document your sources whenever you use information you learned from your research in your paper. See the section about citing sources in the handout I gave at the beginning of the research paper assignment. It is easy to document your sources (which means to tell me where you got your information) using the MLA format. All you have to do is put the author's last name and page number in parenthesis after the facts you've included in your paper.

See http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm for a good website about MLA format.

Keep working hard!

12/13/07 9th

Quiz on Stave Three. Discussion on Stave Three.

Bonus: Tell me the real definition of ignorance (not the Utah definition!!!!) for 5 extra credit point.

12/12/07 8th

First drafts are due tomorrow. Don't forget. We will be revising and editing in class.

Remember, your first draft should:

• be double-spaced, typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman font
• be at least 1000 words
• include a works cited page
• document sources for facts in the body of your paper

Please refer to the handouts I have given to help you meet all the requirements of this assignment.

12/12/07 9th

We read the second part of Stave Three today. Tomorrow we'll have the quiz on Stave Three along with an in-depth discussion.

Visit http://dickensfordummies.homestead.com/carol.html for a good analysis of symbols and themes of A Christmas Carol.

12/11/07 8th

We are working on the first draft of your research paper. Please refer to the multiple handouts I have given you to ensure that you follow the correct format. These handouts also give ideas about writing a first draft.

Many of you don't know how to start. When you are stuck with an introduction, skip it and go to the body. That way you won't waste lots of time trying to think about what to write.

The preliminary works cited page is due tomorrow.

The outline and first draft are due on Thursday.

12/11/07 9th

We read the first part of Stave Three today. We learned all about the Spirit of Christmas Present. Again, we have some obvious symbols associated with this Spirit, including the throne of food he sits upon when Scrooge first meets him. The main focus of this Stave is joyous celebration of families. Even very poor families celebrate with good food. The food represents joy and celebration.

Be sure to keep up on your study guide and journal entries. These will be due before you know it. Also, have you given your act of service yet?

Keep on plugging away!

12/10/07 8th

After our spelling test today, we worked on an outline and started our first draft. I will post a detailed description of the process tomorrow. Watch this space!

12/10/07 9th

Today was a busy day. We had a spelling quiz, a quiz on Stave Two, we looked at our drawings of the Spirit of Christmas Past, we read "The Chimney Sweeper," by William Blake, and we read a couple of pages of Stave Three.

We also talked about our Quarters for Christmas drive. You can buy paper chains to decorate my tree--five for a dollar or one for a quarter. Let's collect some money for children who need shoes!

12/7/07 8th gathering facts, citing sources

Today we went over the citation worksheet. It is important to understand how to cite your sources. We will go over this process again on Monday. I hope you've kept your MLA guidelines handout. It will help you to cite your sources properly.

We also spent some time in the library researching out topics. We will write our outlines on Monday and then start on our first drafts.

We're moving along nicely. Remember it is MUCH easier to keep up than to catch up. Make sure you stay on top of your deadlines.

Have a happy weekend.

12/7/07 9th The Spirit of Christmas Past

We finished reading Stave Two today. Hope you all enjoyed it. We also had a little art project going on with group drawings of The Spirit of Christmas Past, based on his description in the book.

I gave some literary terms today (this is a rerun from last year for most of you). The assignment was to find examples of the following literary devices in Stave Two:

• imagery
• simile
• metaphor
• inference
• irony
• foreshadowing
• symbolism

This is an easy-as-pie assignment. Please do a good job and show me you know what these terms mean and how they are used.

I hope you are working on your study guide and your service project. My family is also doing the service project assignment. I'll let you know how it goes.

Look forward to a quiz on Stave Two as well as a spelling quiz on Monday.

12/6/07 8th Searching the World Wide Web

Today we searched the internet for sources of information for our research paper. You are allowed to use only ONE internet site. That site must end with a .org, .gov or .edu. No .com or .net sites for this assignment.

Remember, you must use at least one book, and no more than one internet site.

We talked about the MLA format of citing our sources today. A preliminary Works Cited page will be due on Tuesday. This is a list of the sources you are using in your research paper. I handed out a chart that shows how to format your citations. I also assigned a practice worksheet. The worksheet is due tomorrow.

Be sure to work on the pre-writing questions and big question (thesis) worksheet. This will be due on Monday.

We are spending today and tomorrow in the computer lab doing some research and taking some notes. Gather your facts now, for we will be writing our first draft on Monday.

Chop, chop!

And good job!

12/6/07 9th Ding, Dong!

Stave Two, The First of the Three Spirits

We read the first half of Stave Two today.

Be sure to work on your study guide, book report and service project. All are due two weeks from today.

Bonus: What part of the Ghost of Christmas Past was glowing? Tell me in class and I'll give you some extra credit.

12/5/07 8th The Research Paper (dun-dun-DUUUUN!!!)

We're starting our research papers. Today we were off to the library in search of good non-fiction books to use as sources for our research. Our goal was to choose a topic and get going! Remember, you must use at least ONE book and no more than ONE internet source. That might be kind of tricky, but I know you can do it.

I handed out a packet with some information about deadlines, writing guidelines, citation guidelines and a sample research paper. I am including part of that information here, but be sure to see me if you didn't get a packet.

Important deadlines/things to remember:

Find 3-5 reliable, usable sources. You are required to use at least one book. You may use only one internet source (it must be a .edu, .gov or .org site). Be careful to choose only the best sources including primary sources when available. Preliminary Works Cited page (sources you plan to use in your paper) is due Tuesday, December 11. Follow MLA format when listing your sources (see handout “MLA Guide for Listing Sources”).

Take notes on your research. You may take notes on note cards or in a notebook. I will be checking notes at the end of each research day. You will need a minimum of 5 notes for each day we spend in the computer lab or library. (Wednesday, December 5, Thursday, December 6, and Friday, December 7). I will also require you to turn your notes in with the finished research paper.

We will learn to write an outline in class on Monday, December 10. Your outline and your first draft of your paper will be due at the beginning of class Thursday, December 13.

We will work on revising and editing in class on Thursday, December 13 and Friday, December 14. A second draft will be due on Tuesday, December 18 (end of class).

We will do peer evaluations in class. You will do a parent evaluation at home which will be due Wednesday, December 19.

We will spend Wednesday, December 19 in class finalizing your paper. We will have the computer/writing lab available that day.

The final research paper with all notes, outlines, drafts and Works Cited will be due on Thursday, December 20.

There will also be several worksheets given throughout this process which are not included in this summary of due dates. Be sure to complete those as they are assigned in class.

Guidelines for Writing Your Research Paper

The purpose of this assignment is to:

• Learn researching skills.
• Learn to put your research findings into a research paper format.
• Learn how to give credit to your sources of information within your text.
• Learn how to write a “Works Cited” page.

To write a successful research paper, follow these guidelines:

• Be sure to follow the steps of the writing process in order (i.e. research, then take notes, then write outline, 1st draft, revise, 2nd draft, final).
• All drafts and final paper must be typed, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced.
• Your paper should be made up of an introduction (one paragraph)*, a body (at least six paragraphs) and a conclusion (one paragraph)**.
• You must have a thesis statement in which you introduce three sub-topics.
• Watch out for run-on sentences and transitions between paragraphs.
• Do not use I, me, we, us, you etc. in your paper.
• You should have at least 1000 words in your first draft (click Tools, then word count to find your number of words).
• Include information from at least three sources (one MUST be a book, only ONE may be an internet site--.org, .edu or .gov).
• You must have a works cited page.
• You must have in-text citations from all three sources (see attached sheets).
• Please highlight your citations in your 1st draft.
• Quotations can be no longer than 4 typed lines.
• Do not plagiarize (in other words, you cannot copy straight from books or articles unless you are quoting, you must use your own words).
• You will turn in all notes, outlines, drafts, revisions, works cited pages and anything else we work on in class along with your final draft. Do not throw any of these things away.

*Introduction: The first thing you want to do in an introduction is capture the readers’ attention. After you do that, you will introduce your topic and sub-topics in your thesis statement. Here are some ways you can hook the reader:

• Start with an interesting quote from your notes.
• Start with a startling fact that very few people know.
• Start with a mini-story, anecdote or scenario.
• Start with a rhetorical question (the reader doesn’t answer the question, rather the question gets the reader thinking.

**Conclusion: The purpose of the last paragraph is to let the readers know that this is the end of the paper. Don’t leave your readers hanging, give them closure. Here are some ways to end your paper:

• Summarize and list all sub-topics you covered in your paper.
• End with an interesting quotation or repeat the one you started with along with your own thoughts on the quote.
• End with a story that sums up your paper.
• Tie the introduction and conclusion together be referring to something you said in the introduction.

12/5/07 9th A Christmas Carol

Today we started with 5 minutes for a journal entry.

Next we took the quiz on Stave 1.

Then we spent the rest of class reading the book.

What a surprise!


Bonus question for those of you who check out this site:

Write a list of words Dickens uses to refer to ghosts and turn it in to me for extra credit points.

12/4/07 8th "The Dummer Boy of Shiloh"/research paper

The journal entry today was to write our spelling words five times each.

We finished up "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," by Ray Bradbury, along with the compare/contrast chart comparing the non-fictional account to the fictional story. We turned the chart in at the end of class.

We are now moving into our research paper. This project with take us through to Christmas break. I will post all deadlines here online. I will also give you a hard copy of all the deadlines associated with the research paper. There are lots of little parts that make up this assignment. Keep up with the small assignments and you will have an easy time of it. If you try to wait until the due date and then turn in a final paper, you will not get full credit for the assignment. The final draft is just a portion of the total assignment.

Today we started by exploring possible topics. Please choose topics that are interesting to you. Next, complete a chart like the one below to help you to choose an appropriate topic for your paper. Remember to choose something you'd like to learn more about. If you choose a dull topic, you will have a dull 12 days.

What I already know:

• topic #1:

• topic #2:

• topic #3:

What I’d like to find out:

• topic #1:

• topic #2

• topic #3:

What sources are available? (is there enough to work with?):

• topic #1:

• topic #2:

• topic #3:

Tomorrow I will post due dates and guidelines.

12/4/07 9th

We spent the class period reading A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.

12/3/07 8th Drummer boys of Civil War

Today we had our spelling test. See Mrs. Cheney to make it up before or after school. Our new spelling list is in the bar to the right.----->

Today we started reading "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," by Ray Bradbury. This story is historical fiction, meaning the characters in the story are fictional, but the event was an actual historical event. We learned some facts about The Battle at Shiloh last week through an encyclopedia article, a data bank, and a chapter from a non-fiction book. As we read "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," we are paying close attention to whether or not the fictional story follows the historical facts about The Battle of Shiloh.

You started a chart (page 202 in your lit. book) last week to compare and contrast the non-fictional sources and the fictional story. Please continue to fill in the blanks in your chart as we read the story.

Coming attraction:

We will be starting our research papers this week. Be thinking about a subject you'd like to learn more about. Make sure you choose something that is interesting to you. I hope you'll enjoy the time we spend researching and writing about our discoveries.

12/3/07 9th A Christmas Carol

Happy December!

We started our day with a spelling test. Your new list is in the bar to the right.------>

Today I passed out journal prompts, a book report form and a study guide. You are to work on these things as we read A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. They will all be due on December 20 (that's two weeks from Thursday).

We will have a quiz at the end of each stave (chapter). Remember, if you bought a book, you can highlight important bits of information. All quizzes and the final test will be open book. However, you will need to know your book well enough to find the answers quickly in order to have enough time to complete each quiz/test.

Also due on December 20 is a reflection about a service project of your choice:

Final Project
A Christmas Carol

To go along with learning the plot and details of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, we are going to do a project that will reinforce the theme of the book. Scrooge learned about the importance of helping the needy and the less fortunate through his experiences with the three Christmas Spirits. Your project will be to participate in a service project to help someone who is poor and/or needy during the Christmas season. You may combine your efforts by getting a group together for your service project, you may do your own individual service project, or you may enlist your family to perform your act of service.

You will choose your own service project (we’ll talk about some ideas in class), but be sure to focus on helping the needy in some way. This doesn’t always mean buying things or donating items. You could, for example, donate some time by working in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter with your family. You could shovel the snow from an elderly person’s sidewalk and driveway. There are many ways besides money to help those in need.

After you have completed your act of service, your assignment is to write a 1-2 page typed (double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font) reflection about your project—what was it, how did it make you feel, did you enjoy it, did it help you learn about helping others, etc.

Today we read page 1-9 of Stave 1. Highlights: Scrooge is always described as being cold--icy beard, icy clothes, icy demeanor. As a contrast, Scrooge's nephew comes in warm and red-cheeked from his brisk walk across town. The city is filthy with soot (thanks to the industrial revolution). Scrooge's employee gets only a very small fire (one coal) to warm his freezing hands. Scrooge is approached by a charitable foundation asking for donations to the poor. Scrooge says:

"Are there no prisons?"

"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

"And the Union workhouses," demanded Scrooge, "Are they still in operation?"

"Both very busy, sir."

"Oh. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course," said Scrooge. "I'm very glad to hear it."

This reveals Scrooge's heartless attitude toward the poor.