Tuesday/Wednesday, March 1/2, 2016

Announcements and Reminders:       Pass off your clauses and phrase sentence if you haven't!                                                  Email me if you have revised an essay and are ready for me to check it again.                  (DC) If you were not here for the District Argument Writing Test,  (IC) you need to arrange with me a time after school this week to take it.       If you were here and received a zero on your District Writing Test, see me! Term 3 ends March 18. All late work, revisions, and extra credit should be turned in by March 11. There is no school on Monday, March 7, and Ms. Dorsey will have a sub on March 10, 11. You may still hand in work on those days, but I will not be here for Cavetime or after school.

Targets for Today: I can use sources to write an informational essay.   I can use commas correctly.   I can create a variety of complete sentences.

Today’s  Agenda: 1. Pick up your comma packet and complete page 3.  Have it checked by one of the assigned students. When you finish, pick up a copy of How They Croaked, and read another chapter or so. 2. Types of Sentences: Copy this chart into your composition book. Labeling for Types of Sentences and Types of Clauses  S Simple sentence CD Compound sentence CX Complex sentence CD-CX Compound-Complex sentence IC Independent Clause DC Dependent Clause Simple Sentence  Compound Sentence Complex Sentence Compound-Complex Sentence 1 IC (can be a simple sentence) 2 IC (can be a compound sentence) 1 IC and 1 or more DC (can be a complex sentence) 2 IC and 1 or more DC I love tomatoes.   I love tomatoes, and my family dislikes them. I love tomatoes because they are delicious. Because they are delicious, I love tomatoes. I love tomatoes, and my family dislikes them because they are tired of them.  3.  Writing an informational essay. 1. Create an organizer for your essay.  Instructions: Fold a sheet of plain paper into ninths  -- thirds longwise, then fold that into thirds. Copy these terms onto your paper.  Side 1  Hook  Background Information  Thesis Statement Central idea & two or three major supporting details. Transition:   First major supporting detail stated in a topic sentence  Evidence/Detail  Elaboration  [Use a citation from an outside source.]  Evidence/Detail  Elaboration Side 2   Transition:   Second major supporting detail stated in a topic sentence  Evidence/Detail  Elaboration  [Use a citation from an outside source.]  Evidence/Detail  Elaboration  Transition: Concluding Paragraph   Restate thesis with your two supporting details.  Wrap up the essay. Link to Whole-Class Practice:  Practicing Informational Writing 5. Play Grammar Punk Parts of Speech Chart

If You Were Absent: See above.  Complete through page 3 in the comma packet:  COMMA RULES.docx Create the  organizer for an informational  essay, read the passages, and create an outline on that organizer for an essay on the assigned topic.  If you are finishing or revising your essays: For the handouts, examples, etc., see the tab above for Writing/Grammar 2015-2015.

Friday/Monday, February 26, 29, 2016

Announcements and Reminders:                                                                    Ms. Dorsey will be working with the Mock Trial Team during Cavetime on Friday, February 26, but will be back to a regular Cavetime schedule on Tuesday, March 1. Pass off your clauses and phrase sentence if you haven't!  Email me if you have revised an essay  and are ready for me to check it again.

Targets for Today: I can extract evidence for a claim from materials provided. I can use commas correctly.   I can create a variety of complete sentences.

Today’s  Agenda: Pick up your composition book. Pick up your comma packet and your Quotes and Notes packet. 1. Pick up your comma packet and complete page 2.  Have it checked by one of the assigned students.  2. Complete your Quotes and Notes Assignment Pro President Bill Clinton, in a State of the Union Address, said, “If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms (Wilde).”   If even the President of the United States thought there should be school uniforms, we should seriously consider adopting them.  The green part is elaboration!  An example from your worksheet: Practice for picking out evidence from texts and elaborating on it.  Place the quotes you select in quotation marks. Example:   "It rots the sense in the head! It kills imagination dead!  It clogs and clutters up the mind!  It makes a child so dull and blind" (Dahl). Then add some elaboration:   Dahl sees things as they are.  Television is harmful!  3. Learn more stuff about sentences. Take notes in your composition book. 4. (In your composition book under "Editing Reminders for Me," write down some the things you struggle with in writing. Think about the comments and corrections on UtahCompose -- especially the grammar and spelling ones for now.  Think about the problems you know you have with writing.) 5. Play Grammar Punk Parts of Speech Chart

If You Were Absent:  See above.

Types of Sentences (Compared with Families)

The Compound Sentence

Sentence Types Remediation

Monday/Tuesday, February 23/24, 2015  complex -- examples from The Outsiders

History of the English Language

Wednesday/Thursday, February 24/25, 2016

Announcements and Reminders: District Writing Test Today                                                                   The class with the biggest improvement (between pretest and post-test)  on this test will have a party.   Do not forget to register for 8th grade by Thursday, February 25. Ms. Dorsey will be working with the Mock Trial Team during Cavetimes for the rest of the week, but will be back to a regular Cavetime schedule next week. Email me if you have revised an essay  and are ready for me to check it again.

Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough said, “Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.”   -- and that's why it's so important!  (Ms. Dorsey)

Targets for Today: I can write an effective argument essay.

Today’s  Agenda: Welcome, Mrs. Mace, to B5 and B6! 1. Create an organizer for your essay.  Instructions: Fold a sheet of plain paper into 12ths --  3rds longwise, then fold that into 4ths. Copy these terms onto your paper.  (Side 1) Hook Background Info. Thesis Statement Claim & two or three main reasons Transition:   First reason stated in a topic sentence Evidence Elaboration Evidence Elaboration Transition: Second reason stated in a topic sentence Evidence Elaboration (side 2) (more second reason) Evidence Elaboration  Transition: Counterargument and Rebuttal Counterclaim Rebuttal Transition: Concluding Paragraph   Restate Thesis with 3 supporting ideas. Invitation to Reader or other way to Wrap up the Essay  Citation Citation  or 2. Brief instructions on writing a timed essay.   Taking a timed essay: Plan your time wisely. Answer the right question.  Use the RAFTS formula to figure out what you are being asked to do. Read the provided articles, poems, . . . .  quickly, scanning for helpful information.  Go back to read more closely as needed and to cite the source.  Collect your thoughts.   Jot down an outline.   Leave time to revise and edit.  Adapted from Dennis G. Jerz   http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/academic1/timed-essays-top-5-tips-for-writing-academic-essays-under-pressure/ 3. Lab 224 Today on UtahCompose we will take the district/school writing prompt for argument writing. You should see it as a Recommended prompt when you log in.  You have 60 minutes and limited times to submit.  You have 2 drafts, but the second is for emergencies. You must be done by the end of class.  No working on this outside of class or at home. Points are based on improvement and score. The class with the greatest improvement gets a treat.  How about root beer floats? or. . . ?

If You Were Absent: See above. Arrange for a time to take the district test.  This must be done in class.

Argument Organizer

Essay Structure from Sidney G.