1/30/08 8th

Day two in the computer lab. We finished our newspapers and turned them in. You turned in some creative stuff today. Nice job. We'll have a newspaper show-and-tell tomorrow.

1/30/08 9th

We are reading like crazy today. We'll discuss as we read. Expect a recap tomorrow.

1/29/08 8th

We worked in the computer lab for the entire class period today.

1/29/08 9th

Today I handed back your graded persuasive essays. To recap, here is a list of prevalent problems I saw:

• Your transitions were weak or non-existent (refer to the list of common transition words and phrases I gave you a couple of weeks ago)
• You had trouble with homophones such as: there/their/they're; you/you're; are/our (which is only a homophone in Utah **bonus** if you can explain this joke to me, you get 5 extra credit points)
• You had trouble with parallelism. If you are using a list, you need to list each part in parallel form. For example, if you include a verb in one of the phrases in the list, you must include a verb in all three phrases. Most problems with parallelism were found in the first paragraph of the essay where you stated your three arguments.
• You didn't support your arguments with examples.
• Your arguments were emotional rather than logical.
• Using fewer instead of less and/or amount instead of number. Use fewer and number when referring to a quantity of items or people that is numbered. Use less and amount when referring to the volume of matter. There were fewer computers but there was less popcorn. The number of books increased while the amount of water decreased.

The good news is the overwhelming majority of you scored 3 or higher on the rubric used to evaluate the Utah Direct Writing Assessment. You all have room for improvement, but overall, you're doing very well.

We didn't get as far in Act II in Romeo and Juliet as we hoped to yesterday. We are currently in the middle of the balcony scene. Pay close attention to the light symbolism Shakespeare uses. How many times does he mention light? What kinds of light does he mention?

We will continue reading Act II tomorrow.

**bonus #2** find my failure to use parallelism in this post! 15 extra credit points for the first to report. :)

1/28/08 8th

I hope you had a great day off on Friday. I'm sure you all spent the entire weekend reading a good novel. How pleasant.

We've finished part 1 of Touching Spirit Bear. We're taking a little break from reading for the next three days. We are going to write instead. What a surprise, huh?

This is the assignment:

“Front Page” assignment

Your group will collaborate (that means work together) to create a “front page” of a newspaper all about the first half of Touching Spirit Bear. We will work together in class on Monday to gather ideas and do some pre-writing. On Tuesday and Wednesday we will be in the writing/computer lab where you may write articles, research on the internet, create graphics, etc. On Wednesday I will give each group a large sheet of paper for you to display your front page.

You may include articles, advertisements, obituaries, weather forecasts, reports, pictures, graphs, or anything else you would be likely to find in a newspaper. You must include at least three articles with a word count of 300 or higher. Be sure to format your writing to look like newspaper articles.

Be creative. Create a name for your newspaper, and design an attractive layout of your content. You may want to split up the work between individuals, or you can work collectively as a group.

The assignment is due at the end of class on Wednesday, January 30. I will have some markers, colored pencils, scissors and glues sticks for you to use in class. If you need additional art supplies, you may bring them from home.

This project is a group assignment. You will be evaluating each other based on a rubric I provide. You may not all receive the same grade. You will receive a grade based on the final product, your group members’ evaluations and your self evaluation. Please have all names of the group members written clearly on the back along with your class period.

I will be grading on creativity, content (information that shows me you know all about the book), and the overall appearance of your front page.

Remember, this is a newspaper about the book. Everything you include should tie in to the book in some way.

Good luck and have fun!

1/28/08 9th

I hope you all had a great day off on Friday. Two three-day weekends in a row! What lucky children you are.

Your first learning activity is due today. I hope you had some fun and learned something new.

Your first vocabulary squares are due next Monday. Be sure to plug right along and add a couple of words every time we read. Remember, your literature books are checked out to you, so you can take them home any time you want. Just don't lose yours or you'll owe the school a chunk of change at the end of the tri.

Today we are continuing to read in class. On Thursday, we discovered that Tybalt is hot-headed and short-tempered. He discovered Romeo crashing the Capulet party and immediately asked the head Capulet if he could draw his sword on Romeo. Mr. Capulet said, "Nah, I've heard that Romeo isn't so bad--for a Montague. Let's leave him be and enjoy the party." Tybalt fumed and sputtered and boiled, but he left Romeo alone.

We also discovered that Romeo falls in "love" rather easily. He goes to the Capulet party to see Rosaline. As soon as he sees Juliet, he immediately forgets Rosaline (who he was pining for earlier that day) and focuses on getting Juliet's attention instead. We were a little disgusted that Romeo and Juliet say only 15 lines to each other before they kiss. Sheesh!

Romeo discovers that his new "love" is a Capulet. He is a bit upset. But not so upset that he abandons his wooing. What will happen today? One of the most famous scenes from all of Shakespeare's plays--the balcony scene. While all of this love and adoration may seem hasty to us, the language is quite poetic. Today we will exercise our temporary suspension of disbelief and embrace our lovers' poetry.

We are reading Act II, scenes 1 and 2.

1/24/08 8th

We read chapters 12-13 in Touching Spirit Bear today. You were to find examples of these literary devices in today's reading:

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

Yesterday Cole had an epiphany (see definitions 3 and 4). During this epiphany, he realized that life was all about choice. During the following chapters, we follow his changing understanding of who he is and what he wants to do with his life. This is a gradual change (as real change tends to be).

Today Cole touched the spirit bear. What does this symbolize? How has his interaction with the bear changed? Is this foreshadowing? What does it tell us about Cole's future?

Also in our reading today, Garvey and Edwin came to the island and rescued Cole. As they were leaving the island in the boat, Cole noticed that the blanket covering him is not the at.'oow. He wonders where it is. Keeping in mind what the at.'oow represents and that Garvey has come to the island and discovered what Cole has done, why is this meaningful?

1/24/08 9th

Yesterday's discussion centered on Romeo's obsession with Rosaline at the beginning of the play. Romeo is pining away for Rosaline when he meets Juliet. He immediately falls in love with Juliet instead. We wondered how many times Romeo may have repeated this pattern in the past. It seemed quite hasty to us.

This led to an excellent discussion about the difference between love and infatuation. Infatuation may happen in an instant (and may leave just as quickly, i.e. Romeo's infatuation with Rosaline). Real love takes time to develop. We are more than a little skeptical about the idea that this play is about true love . . .

I handed out the learning activities yesterday. In case you lost yours, here is the list:

Romeo and Juliet
Learning Activities

Choose one activity per week during our study of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. Each Monday, starting with January 28, you will turn in one completed activity. You may choose your activities from this list, or you may propose one of your own. You must have teacher approval if you use your own activities.

• Perform a scene from the play. This can be a soliloquy or it may include several characters. Each student involved must deliver a total of 30 lines to get full credit. You should memorize your parts. Do not rewrite the dialogue. You may use props, costumes, lighting, music, etc. This can be a lot of fun for you and for the class—so make it fun!
• Rewrite the ending of the play. Do with it what you will. You must write three pages double spaced Times New Roman 12 pt. font.
• Write an original song based on the play. Perform it for the class.
• Make a diorama of one of the scenes of the play. Use your creativity, but be sure to make the scene recognizable with your images.
• Make a model of one of the theatres Shakespeare would have used to present his plays. You can find information about each of these theatres at http://www.shakespeare-online.com/theatre/.
• Write a three page (Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced) character analysis about one of the following characters: Romeo, Juliet, Friar Lawrence or Juliet’s nurse. Delve into the character. Find meaning. Make connections. Think on paper.
• Write a three page (Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced) epilogue to the play. An epilogue usually revisits the main characters of the play, but after a significant amount of time has past. You may focus on the resolution of the family feud, Paris’ reaction to Juliet’s suicide, what happened to Juliet’s nurse, how Friar Lawrence’s life may have changed, or any other ideas about significant characters in the play.
• Watch West Side Story. Write a three page (Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced) compare and contrast paper about Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story.
• Write an original story based on Romeo and Juliet. It should have all the basic elements of the story, but you should create your own original characters, setting, time period, etc.
• Write a sonnet. It must be 14 lines—3 quatrains (4 lines each) and a couplet (2 rhyming lines.) The rhyme scheme should be a, b, a, b, c, d, c, d, e, f, e, f, g, g. Write in iambic pentameter (ten syllables per line, alternating between unstressed and stressed). Here is an example of one of Shakespeare's best known sonnets:
  
  
  Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
  Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
  Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
  And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
  
  Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
  And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
  And every fair from fair sometime declines,
  By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;
  
  But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
  Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
  Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
  When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
  
  So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
  So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Extra credit: The first person to tell me Shakespeare's birth place and the name of his wife gets 5 extra credit points.

1/23/08 8th

We read and discussed chapters 10-11 in Touching Spirit Bear. What would you do in the name of survival? What would you eat? Would you have the will to survive if you were severely injured and all alone?

1/23/08 9th

We are reading Act I of Romeo and Juliet. A huge part of understanding this play is through participating in class discussions. I will try to include some of the important things we discussed in my posts here.

Yesterday we talked about socially acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Many of the things Romeo and Juliet do in the name of "love" would be things we consider socially unacceptable. Yet, it is considered a timeless love story by many. We hope to make distinctions between romantic ideas and reality in our discussion. We will also talk about why we think the play is romantic.

As part of our study of Romeo and Juliet, you will be assigned to do one learning activity outside of class each week. I will hand out a list of possible activities for you to choose from today. You should use our daily discussions and reading in class to guide you in your work at home on the activities of your choice.

You will also choose your own vocabulary words. There are dozens (if not hundreds) of words that may be unfamiliar to you. You will choose the ones you want to learn. I will give you a blank form each week. You will need to fill the form with words you choose to learn from the play. We will discuss this in class. Please come to me if you have questions.

1/22/08 8th

We read chapters 7-9 in Touching Spirit Bear today. I also handed out your new vocabulary list.

1/22/08 9th

We are starting Romeo and Juliet. by William Shakespeare. Today we had a bit of an introduction. I handed out a study guide for Acts I and II. You should have your guides out on your desks whenever we read so you can fill them out as we go along. They will also give some hints and suggestions about what is meaningful in our play. We will read as a class, like we're performing a play. I will assign roles every day.

I also handed out a learning activities assignment. I've given you ten suggestions for learning activities for you to complete during the next few weeks. I expect you to complete one per week. Mondays will be your due dates, starting next Monday, January 28. These activities will help you to better understand the play. If you choose to perform a scene for the class, please schedule your performance with me.

I will list some good websites for additional learning resources tomorrow.

Let's have fun with this!

1/08/08 8th

The spoken word can be amazingly effective when a person is trying to persuade others to do or believe something. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave many highly effective persuasive speeches. His most famous speech is the "I Have a Dream" speech delivered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.

Listen to his speech here. Pay close attention to his use of repetition, articulation, word emphasis, and emotion. Also try to identify metaphors (he used dozens), allusions (to specific people and to literature), and parallelism. To point you in the right direction, I will identify some of the more obvious examples.

• In the second paragraph of the speech, MLK says, "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation." He never names the American, but we know it is Lincoln because the speech is delivered from the Lincoln Memorial. The allusion here is to a speech Lincoln gave a hundred years earlier--"The Gettysburg Address"--which began "Four score and seven years ago."
• In the second paragraph alone, MLK compares the Emancipation Proclamation to a beacon of light, injustice to fire, captivity to a long night and freedom to a joyous daybreak. There are dozens of metaphors throughout the speech.
• MLK repeats the phrase "One hundred years later" four times in the third paragraph. This is an example of parallelism. Take it a step further and find the parallel paragraph that give a solution to the problem presented in the "One hundred years later" paragraph.

Write one to two pages in response to the speech. Find your own examples and make as many connections as possible.

1/18/08 9th

Group SEOPs today.

Extra credit: The first person to tell me an interesting fact about Martin Luther King, Jr. when we come back to school on Tuesday will get 5 extra credit points.

1/17/08 8th

We started our day with an overhead journal entry. We talked about avoiding overused adjectives and adverbs--like really, very, nice, etc. Some words are used so much that they lose their meanings, or they become boring. Let's spice it up and use interesting adjectives. Find a decent online thesaurus here.

We discussed the worksheet from yesterday. We focused on the last question about Cole's name. What literary device is it an example of? Have you ever heard of a homophone? That's when two words sound the same but they are spelled differently. Cole's name is also a homophone. Cole, coal. What is coal? It's a mineral used as a fuel. Specifically, coal is burned for a heat source. When you burn coal, it doesn't flame up like wood. It glows and smolders and puts off a substantial amount of heat. Cole's anger is often referred to as a lit fuse, or as a smoldering fire. What color is coal? It's deep black. Black generally symbolizes something dark, unwelcoming, evil or repulsive. So it would seem that Cole's name is not random. It is a symbol. Let's take it a step further. What happens to coal when after it has undergone a large amount of heat and pressure deep in the earth? It turns to diamonds (it is more complex than that, but you get the general idea). So we can expect that Cole will also go through some sort of a transformation in our book. We can expect that the symbol of Cole's name is also a little bit of foreshadowing.

We read chapter 6 in the book today. If you missed, please catch up during reading time tomorrow.

11/17/08 9th

Today is a reading day!

11/16/08 8th

Today we had a vocabulary and spelling quiz. See me to make it up if you were absent. We also did this worksheet:

Identify each of the following quotes as an example of one of these literary devices: imagery, simile, metaphor, inference, irony, foreshadowing, symbolism

1. He was built like a bulldog with lazy eyes.
(p. 3) ____________________
2. “Hey Champ, try falling on your fists sometime.” (p. 24) ________________________________

3. Cole was to put his clothes on inside out. (p. 4)
_________________________________

4. Keep things dry, because wet kills. (p. 17)
_________________________________

5. He stared forward with steely patience, like a wolf waiting (p. 4)
_________________________________

6. “I’m not afraid of dying,” Cole boasted.
Edwin smiled slightly. “If death stares you straight in the face, believe me, son, you’ll get scared.” (p. 17)
_________________________________

7. “If I saw a Spirit Bear, I’d kill it,” Cole said. (p. 18)
__________________________________

8. Whatever happened, he could always count on having one more last chance. (p. 6)
_________________________________

9. “At.oow is something you inherit. This blanket has been handed down for many generations in my family. It once belonged to one of our chiefs and is a link to our ancestors. You can’t own at.oow. You are only its caretaker for a time. If you accept this at.oow from me, you must promise to care for it and someday pass it on to someone else you trust.” (p. 19)
_________________________________

10. His anger smoldered like a lit fuse. (p. 22)
_________________________________

11. Some days his dad got so mad, he turned beet red and twitched because he couldn’t lay a finger on Cole with the guards watching. (p. 9)
_________________________________

12. Now the game was over and he was in charge . . . Rage controlled his tight grip on the match. It controlled the defiant flare of his nostrils and the striking of the match against the box. Rage controlled Cole’s hand as he drew back, paused for a split second, and then flipped the lighted match inside the shelter. (p. 24-25)
_________________________________

13. “Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself. Remember that.” (p. 18)
_________________________________

Extra credit:

Cole’s name. Explain your answer.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

1/16/08 9th

Writing is not the only medium we have for persuasion. In fact, the spoken word is often far more persuasive than the written word. Today we watched a video of Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering part of his "I Have a Dream" speech. MLK was a fabulously effective orator, and we talked about the specifics of why his delivery was so good.

Next we took his entire speech, divided it into sections, and each of us took a section to practice for an oral presentation. After practicing specific methods of vocal delivery, we presented our parts in order for the class.

Find a copy of the speech as well as an audio file of his delivery here.

1/05/08 8th

We read chapters 3, 4 and 5 today. If you missed class, you can either check out a book or use your silent reading time to catch up. I expect you to read the whole book, even if you miss class. You will be accountable for knowing everything we cover while reading the book.

1/15/08 9th

In our continuing quest for acing the Direct Writing Assessment, we took a class period to practice. We wrote a persuasive paper in response to a prompt during class today.

11/14/08 8th

We had a quiz on chapters 1 and 2 of Touching Spirit Bear. We will have a vocabulary and spelling quiz on Wednesday. We also discussed the vocabulary words and their meanings.

1/14/08 9th

Today I handed out a detailed step-by-step set of instructions about how to succeed when completing the Utah Direct Writing Assessment. See below:

Utah Direct Writing Assessment

Organizing the Persuasive Essay

Step 1: Read the Prompt

• The essay prompt will present you with a situation that calls for your opinion.
• Make sure you actually respond to the prompt! Don’t get sidetracked by other issues.
• Consider your feelings and opinions before you write.
• Consider what evidence and examples you have.

Step 2: Determine Your Purpose

• Decide on your purpose: What will you convince the readers to believe or to do?
• Do not start writing until you have a clear purpose.
• Your purpose determines your thesis statement.

Step 3: Remember Your Audience

• The prompt will tell you who the intended audience is (usually some formal group of adults: school board, administration, etc.)
• Keep this audience in mind as you write. (You don’t have to address them by name.)
• Present your arguments in a way that will impress this audience.
• Name calling and angry tirades won’t work.

Step 4: Opening Paragraph—Capture Attention

• The first sentence(s) in your essay should capture attention.
• Your attention-getter must relate to the topic in some way.
• Ways to capture attention:
  Startling situation or statistic
  intriguing question
  Powerful description
  
• Some Way NOT to Begin:
  I am going to tell you about . . .
  Once upon a time . . .
  This is an essay about . . .
  The assignment says I have to write about . . .
  My first main idea is . . .

Step 5: Opening Paragraph—Clearly State Your Thesis

• Thesis = a complete sentence that gives your opinion regarding the issue and what you think should be done.
• A good thesis is short and clear.
• The thesis is what the rest of your paper will prove.
• Example: We should get rid of the candy machines in the schools.

Step 6: Opening Paragraph—Main Points

• After stating your thesis, briefly and clearly mention your three main arguments.
• There should be no question about what you will prove in your essay.
• Example: We should get rid of the vending machines in schools. They contribute to health problems, they cause messes, and they do not earn much money for the school.

Step 7: Opening Paragraph Conclusion/Transition Statement

• At the end of your first paragraph, make a statement the either moves the reader smoothly into the next paragraph or restates your thesis in different words.
• Example: Clearly, vending machines do more harm than good.

Step 8: Second Paragraph—Topic Sentence

• Begin the second paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly states your first main point.
• Example: To begin with, vending machines in schools contribute to health problems for students.

Step 9: Second Paragraph—Specific Supporting Examples

• Support your topic sentence with specific (not general) examples and details.
• Include explanations about how your examples support the topic sentence.
• Address the opposing argument: Explain why it is wrong or why your idea is better.
• Example: Some people argue that kids will get pop and candy anyway, so there is nothing wrong with having the machines in schools, but this goes against the spirit of education. Schools are supposed to help kids stay healthy, not provide them with products that may cause them harm.

Step 10: Transitions

• At the end of the second paragraph or the beginning of the third paragraph, include a transition sentence.
• Example: Not only do vending machines contribute to health problems, but they also create other problems in our school.
  
  Common Transition Words:
  First
  Furthermore
  Another
  Besides
  Although
  Consequently,
  Additionally,
  Next,
  In addition to
  Instead of
  Rather than
  Similarly,
  Therefore
  On the other hand,
  However,
  Finally,

Step 11: Third Paragraph Topic Sentence

• The topic sentence that clearly states your second main point should either be at the very beginning of the paragraph or immediately after your transition statement.
• Example: Vending machines create a lot of litter.

Step 12: Third Paragraph Specific Supporting Examples

• Support your topic sentence with specific (not general) examples and details.
• Include explanations about how your examples support the topic sentence.
• Address the opposing argument: Explain why it is wrong or why your idea is better.
• Example: Many people believe that litter in schools is not a problem. They say, “That’s why we have janitors!” Not only is this incredibly arrogant, but it doesn’t address the fact that the presence of vending machines makes our school look bad.

Step 13: Transition

• At the end of the third paragraph or the beginning of the fourth paragraph, include a transition sentence.
• Example: Some people might overlook the mess because they believe the vending machines bring lots of money to the school, but this is not the case.

Step 14: Fourth Paragraph—Topic Sentence

• The topic sentence that clearly states your third main point should either be at the very beginning of the paragraph or immediately after your transition statement.
• Example: Contrary to popular opinion, the vending machines do not bring in that much extra money.

Step 15: Fourth Paragraph—Specific Supporting Examples

• Support your topic sentence with specific (not general) examples and details.
• Include explanations about how your examples support the topic sentence.
• Address the opposing argument: Explain why it is wrong or why your idea is better.
• Example: The argument that the schools need the money brought in by vending machines is misleading. The amount the machines bring in is such a small part of the total school budget that the money would not be missed.

Step 16: Fourth Paragraph Conclusion Sentence

• End your fourth paragraph with a sentence that concludes your third main point.
• Example: There is no doubt that the school needs more money for programs and supplies, but there are better ways to get the money than by poisoning our students with junk food.

Step 17: Closing paragraph—Restate Your Thesis

• Begin your final paragraph with a concluding phrase and then restate your thesis.
• Don’t use the exact same wording you did in the opening paragraph.
• Example: As you can see, the disadvantages of vending machines far outweigh the advantages, and we should therefore remove them from our schools.
  
  Common Concluding Phrases:
  In conclusion
  As you can see
  To summarize
  It is clear that
  Obviously
  For these reasons
  As I said
  Clearly

Step 18: Closing Paragraph—Restate Your Main Points

• Restate the main points in different words than you used in the opening paragraph.
• Example: Because vending machines are hazardous to students’ health and make the schools look bad, they are not worth the small amount of extra money they bring in.

Step 19: Closing Paragraph Clincher: Powerful Closing

• Conclude your paper with a powerful and memorable final sentence (“clincher”).
• You may refer back to the opening of your paper if you used a good example to capture attention.
• You may end with an intriguing question or a provocative idea.
• Leave the reader thinking!

Step 20: Avoid These Phrases:

• I am going to tell you about . . .
• This is where I talk about . . .
• In this paragraph, I will . . . .

You now have everything you need to organize an excellent essay. You just have to come up with the ideas!

1/11/08 8th

We read chapter 2 of Touching Spirit Bear.

1/11/08 9th

We spent the day in the computer lab typing up a final draft of the persuasive essay.

1/10/08 8th

Today was group SEOP's.

1/10/08 9th

Today was a reading day.

1/9/08 8th

We are learning vocabulary words for Touching Spirit Bear. The worksheet we started in class today required you to find the page number of each of the vocabulary words (which you can find in the side bar to the right). You should read the sentence the word was used in, then guess what the word means based on the context on the sentence. You may have to read the sentence before and/or after as well. If you are completely stumped, you may use a dictionary to find the meaning of the word, but only as a last resort.

Good luck!

1/9/08 9th

Late start today--short classes.

We spent our 35 minutes doing peer evaluations on our first drafts of our persuasive papers. If you missed today, please have a parent or sibling help you to evaluate your draft so you can effectively revise and edit. Your helper should read your paper, then highlight the following:

• thesis statement (or your stance on the issue)
• three arguments in introduction
• main argument in each paragraph of the body
• supporting evidence for each argument
• restatement of thesis in conclusion
• restatement of three arguments in conclusion

Your helper should also indicate whether each argument is a logical argument or emotional argument. Remember, you are not allowed to use "It's a free country," or "Everybody knows" as an argument.

I sure do like you guys!

1/8/08 8th

We watched a video about circle sentencing today. We filled out a worksheet about the video. The purpose of the video is provide background information so we can fully understand our book.

1/8/08 9th

We discussed the writing process in class today. The writing process is a set of steps you can take to effectively write any assignment.

Prewrite -- gather your ideas

• brainstorm
• list
• free write
• web, map, or diagram
• outline
• etc.

Draft -- organize your ideas

• write your ideas in sentences and paragraphs
• write quickly when you draft
• don't worry about mistakes . . . yet

Revise and edit

• read aloud to find your mistakes
• ask others to read to help you find areas for improvement
• use a dictionary or thesaurus to improve word choice and conventions
• take out redundant material
• add detail

Publish

• make a neat final draft to share with your audience

For our persuasive writing assignment, we will be taking a stand on an issue and supporting our stand with logical arguments. Avoid using emotionally based arguments in your paper. Choose an issue that you understand and have a solid opinion about. Find arguments you can support with specific examples and facts.

The introduction of your paper should include your thesis statement (where you stand on the issue) and three arguments you will be presenting. You should also opening with a "hook" to grab your reader's attention.

The body of your paper should consist of three paragraphs in which you present each argument along with supporting evidence. You should create smooth transitions between each paragraph.

The conclusion should restate your stand on the issue along with the three arguments supporting your stand.

It's as easy as pie!

The first draft is due tomorrow.

1/7/08 8th

We read the first chapter in Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen. We discussed vocabulary words and literary elements of the book as we read. You will find all sorts of symbolism and metaphors in the books. initially, I will point out examples of these things as we read. As we get further into the book, you will practice finding examples of these and other literary elements on your own. See the side bar for links to related websites. Let me know if you find other interesting websites you would like to share with your classmates.

1/7/08 9th

Today we looked as some student samples of Direct Writing Assessment responses. You received a copy of the assessment rubric for each of the six traits of writing. We discussed why each writing sample received its score. We are doing this in preparation for the Direct Writing Assessment each of you will be required to complete in February. Check out the links in the side bar for more information about the Utah Direct Writing Assessment.

1/4/08 8th

We started our day with 15 minutes of silent reading. We went over the internet scavenger hunt we did in the computer lab this week. We discussed some Native American traditions. We started reading the book Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen.

1/4/08 9th

Today is a reading day. Be sure to get your pages read. You need 400 pages by mid-term. If you are having a hard time finding something to read, take a look here, here, or here for ideas.

1/3/08 8th

Today we finished the internet scavenger hunt worksheet. We also watched a video about Kermode (Spirit) bears. This is all in preparation to read the novel Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen.

1/3/08 9th

We are spending the next two weeks preparing for the Direct Writing Assessment, which you will do later on this trimester. You can find some good tips for writing a good essay for the assessment HERE. HERE is the scoring rubric. And HERE are some samples of 9th grade essays and the scores they received.

We will do our best to prepare for the Direct Writing Assessment by doing several five paragraph essays over the next month. This is for your benefit. Trust me. I can't tell you how many five paragraph essays I've written through my years of high school and college courses.

Here's to a class full of 4's and 5's on your Direct Writing Assessment!

1/2/08 8th

Welcome back to school. I've missed you so.

Now let's get back to work.

We will spend the next three weeks reading a novel, Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen. Today we spent some time in the computer lab doing an online scavenger hunt to help us learn some important things about Spirit Bears, Native American Circle Justice, and Ben Mikaelsen. We will spend today through Friday doing some pre-reading activities. We will start reading the novel on Monday.

I will give you a new spelling list on Monday. Our spelling words will come from the book for the next three weeks.

1/2/08 9th

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderfully relaxing break.

Now let's get back to work.

We are gearing up to start a persuasive writing project. The world is driven by opinion. I have mine, I hope you have yours as well. Our opinions often help us make important life choices. It is important to know what you think and to express those thoughts through writing.

Before we can effectively write a persuasive paper, we need to understand what persuasive writing is all about. Today we read some samples of persuasive writing, and we discussed the elements of opinion pieces such as editorials in the newspaper. We will do some prewriting tomorrow.