Friday, September 19

Update your Goodreads at www.goodreads.com

Practice your commas at http://www.quia.com/rr/82028.html

More practice with commas at http://www.savethecomma.com/game/

Overview of punctuation at http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/punctuation/index_pre.html

Punctuation Mistakes #1: Unnecessary Commas

DailyWritingTips Posted: 16 Sep 2014 09:52 PM PDT A common error with commas is to sprinkle them where they don’t belong. Here are five examples of this type of comma error. 1. Incorrect: The laptop on the table, is mine. Correct: The laptop on the table is mine. Do not separate a subject from its verb. The subject is “The laptop on the table.” 2. Incorrect: Motel rooms, that are dirty, ought to be illegal. Correct: Motel rooms that are dirty ought to be illegal. Do not set off a restrictive clause. The clause “that are dirty” is essential to the meaning of “motel rooms.” No commas are needed. 3. Incorrect: The dog understood at once, what his handler wanted. Correct: The dog understood at once what his handler wanted. Do not separate a verb from its direct object or complement. The clause “what his handler wanted” is the object of the verb understood. 4. Incorrect: Jethro wanted to be either a brain surgeon, or a fry cook. Correct: Jethro wanted to be either a brain surgeon or a fry cook. Do not use a comma to separate paired elements joined by coordinate conjunctions. The paired elements are “a brain surgeon” and “a fry cook.” No comma is needed. 5. Incorrect: The famous author lives in a small town, because she doesn’t like the noise of a big city. Correct: The famous author lives in a small town because she doesn’t like the noise of a big city. Do not set off an introductory independent (main) clause from a following dependent clause. “The famous author lives in a small town” is the main clause. Note: if the dependent clause comes first, a comma is needed: “Because she doesn’t like the noise of a big city, the famous author lives in a small town.”

English 11 week of September 15

Monday – News article Code Talkers – setting and people. Semicolon work.

Homework:  define vocabulary.

1. Reading Strategy                        

2. Text structure                            

3. Task                                                                               

4. Tone
5. Comprehension
6. Aesthetic
7. Purpose
8. Edit
9. Figurative language
10. Writing style
11. Audience                                                                                    

Tuesday – Create foldable of vocabulary. Homework: Theme song to your life and why (100 word minimum)

Wednesday – finish foldable. Share theme song.

Thursday –  Glass Castle excerpt – notes on Voice and Vision

Friday –  Code Talker excerpt _ notes on Voice and Vision

Technical Writing week of September 15

Monday - Community Powerpoint. Homework: Write paragraph to persuade someone to do something.

Tuesday - Pair and share and revise persuasion paragraph.

Wednesday - Techniques in Technical Writing: Design. Rewrite item to correct design.

Thursday - Understanding email and memo format.

Friday - Working with a partner; create an email.

English 11 week of September 8

Monday – www.goodreads.com and book selections. Students should bring personal reading books to class beginning today.

Tuesday – Memoir defined. What is Truth? Class writing and discussion. SMITH magazine 6 word memoirs at http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/ . Homework: your own 6 word memoir (plan to share tomorrow!)

            For sale: Baby shoes never worn (Hemingway)

Wednesday – Share out 6 word memoir. Memoir excerpt: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (http://laurahillenbrandbooks.com/) chapter: Sharks and Bullets. What does a memoirist do? Class writing and discussion.

Thursday – News article from www.newsla.com . Students create a T chart of Images and Actions and Words from news article. Homework: Describe 1 bad habit you have. Why is it bad? Why do you do it? (50 word minimum)

Friday – Pair and share bad habit. Return to news article, class writing and discussion on the setting and people.

Technical Writing week of September 8

Monday – Introduction to Technical Writing PowerPoint

Tuesday – Introduction to Purpose PowerPoint

Wednesday – Purpose activity

Thursday – Creating in a Community PowerPoint

Friday – Community activity

Welcome!

I teach English 11 and Technical Writing. This is my 17th year at Berrien Springs, and I am pleased to be a part of Shamrock Pride.

I expect students to have for class:
A writing instrument
A binder or folder to hold their class items
A single subject notebook that I will provide
English 11: a pleasure reading book.


Speed reading:http://www.readingsoft.com/index.html#results
Semi colon review: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/44/
Semi colon quiz: http://mrnussbaum.com/semicolonwars-play
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com
Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/581/02/