1) Hand in writing reflections from yesterday.
2) Reminder about blog posts.
3) Look at punctuation power packs and discuss. Then we will practice by doing a punctuation story circle.
4) Reflect with the people at your table: which pieces of punctuation are you pretty confident in, which ones you are less confident about using.
5) You will be writing a mini essay in MLA format where you will need to include a summary, paraphrase, and quotation. So, you need to know this: When to Paraphrase
Please welcome our student teacher Ms Dejong!
Let’s talk about your blogs.
Then…
We’re going to try to salvage our grammar discussion from last Thursday so take a few minutes to cast your mind back to the article your read on grammar rules you can forget. Identify one rule (either from that article or from your brain) that you either think is important, or one that we should forget about. Be sure to have a reason why.
Become masters of punctuation with this Punctuation Power Pack
Writing Reflection: In a series of well-developed paragraphs, tell me about your strengths, weaknesses, and goals in terms of writing. What do you think are the most important writings skills that you will need in your chosen profession or career?
We’ll begin class today with a discussion about grammar rules that you think should be upheld or broken. Nope. We’ll save that for Monday.
Then we’ll read and analyze an article on our class blogs. Here is the article: The Mesmerizing Spectacle of North Korea’s “Army of Beauties” At the Winter Olympics.
Here’s what I want you to write about:
Your blog post response should be in well developed paragraphs and demonstrate your understanding of the features of a blog post. (In Blogger, tags are called “Labels”.)
Read and comment on at least two other posts.
This is should be completed (including comments) prior to the start of class Monday.
PS I’ll be blogging about this article too if you’re looking for an exemplar.
Our first task for today will be signing up for article dates. A calendar will be passed around today and then I’ll transfer names to a digital version that will be posted on this blog.
Next we’re going to talk about bias.
| Does Grammar Matter?
All right, so that comma error probably wouldn’t cost your grandmother her life, because people would know what you meant. That’s usually the case with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, depending on the audience and context of your writing. But what if you got a handout from your university professor that was full of spelling and grammar mistakes? How seriously would you take that person? What if you were in the position to hire someone and there were errors all through the person’s cover letter? Errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation can make your writing confusing, but more importantly, it shows a lack of care for your audience. While that may be acceptable between friends, it’s not when you’re writing for your teacher or employer. |
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In the following article: 10 grammar rules you can forget: how to stop worrying and write proper (Yes, the title contains an intentional grammatical error. Can you spot it?), the author contends that there are certain rules that you can ignore. He also begins by discussing the importance of context when using proper grammar. Before reading, think about the different contexts in which you think grammar may or may not matter. Also consider the reasons the author provides for breaking these rules. Do you agree with him? |
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While the above article does not imply that grammar does not matter, it certainly takes the position that some grammatical rules don’t matter. The next article provides a different perspective. What does it suggest about the importance of grammar?
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Read the following article: Does Grammar Really Matter? |
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There are some errors that appear frequently in student writing that you should be on the lookout for in your own writing. Review the following types of errors below, and as you do, think about your own strengths and weaknesses in terms of spelling, grammar, and punctuation?
Common Types of Errors
It’s very common to mix up words that sound the same, but when we do this in our writing we are changing the meaning of writing which can lead to confusion.
there = indicating a place. “The house is there.”
their = possessive pronoun. “That is their father”
they’re = contraction of “they” and “are”= “They’re going to the fair.”
woman=singular—one woman
women=plural—two women
it’s = contraction of “it” and “is”. “It’s not very far to Port Stanley.”
its = possessive pronoun. “The dog lost its collar.”
When you join two sentences with a comma and you don’t use a conjunction, it’s a comma splice (cs). Comma splices can make it difficult for your reader to see the beginning and end of a complete thought.
Example of comma splices: “It was dark outside, I was so scared, I couldn’t find my children anywhere.”
How to fix it: “It was dark outside. I was so scared. I couldn’t find my children anywhere.”
Or: “It was so dark outside, and I was so scared. I couldn’t find my children anywhere.”
Or: “I was so scared because it was dark outside, and I couldn’t find my children anywhere.”
Misusing apostrophes can also lead to confusion. While I don’t think you need me to explain that “I went for a walk to my friend Marys store” is incorrect, I think sometimes students are unsure when and how to use an apostrophe so they just avoid using them at all. Here are two reasons why you use an apostrophe:
1. To show possession. The store belongs to Mary. So you should write “Mary’s store.”
2. To show that you’ve left out letters. (ie/ a contraction) “I couldn’t eat another bite” actually means “I could not eat another bite.” You’ve left out the “o” so the apostrophe takes its place.
NEVER use an apostrophe if you just mean there’s more than one. eg/ I like reading book’s about sparkly vampire’s. (WRONG! … for so many reasons.)
Most of the time when we are writing, we want to ensure we are writing in the clearest, most direct way possible. Writing in active voice is one way to help make sure our writing is clear. Writing in passive voice can obscure meaning. See the example below:
Active voice: John hit the ball.
Passive voice: The ball was hit by John.
Now it’s possible that the idea you want to emphasize in that sentence is the ball. Maybe John is not important. But if John is the subject of the sentence—not the ball—then you should use active voice. You’ll notice that passive voice requires you to use more words tends to obscure meaning when we’re striving for clarity. Please note: This doesn’t mean that passive voice is always bad! If you’re going to use it though, you need to know why and you need to make sure your writing is still clear. Also note: In other subject areas you may be required to write in passive voice to maintain a sense of objectivity e.g./ lab reports.
Today will essentially be a continuation of yesterday. You will set up your blogs today (if you didn’t do that last night for homework).
Once your blog is set up I need you to give me your url (see yesterday’s post) and write me your first blog post.
In your blog post I’d like you to do the following:
Read and comment on at least 2 posts.
First, I’ll be checking to see who still needs to sign up for Google classroom and Remind.
Then we’ll continue our discussion about the learning goals and success criteria. You will, in your groups, summarize the success criteria you generated on some chart paper. Make it neat and visible from far away.
Next….
Your blog will be an important tool throughout this course, so in this lesson you will explore blogging as a form of communication.
| What is a Blog?The word “blog” evolved from “web log.” It is an online journal or diary, and while some people do blog about very personal things, what distinguishes it from a traditional diary or journal is that it is at least semi-public and usually allows others to comment. |
What should be the word choice, level of language, and tone considering your audience and purpose?
Since your blog is a work in progress and your audience includes your peers, your tone may be more informal. However, you’re also trying to explore literary works and their context so use correct literary terminology to show that you understand the material. Here are some other things to keep in mind:
Tag your posts with key words that help people figure out what your post is about. (Read more about tagging below)
Tags are key words that are used to sort and organize posts. They also help people find your post when doing an Internet search, as well as find related posts within a blog.
In the above example taken from a post on the music blog, Indie Music Filter, you can see that the blog post is has been tagged with key words that identify the name of the band and track. There are also tags that are used as larger categories (Chris, Bands, IMF). Not every blogging platform allows you to tag posts or add categories; however, when they do, they can be very useful for both readers and writers. If I were to click on the key word “moon king” I’d find other posts on this blog that also had that tag.
Think about how key words could be used effectively in your own blog to help the followers of your blog and to help bring other readers to your blog (through web searches).
Comments are one of the most essential parts of blogging. By enabling comments, writers can open up a dialogue between reader and writer. Ideas can continue to develop or perhaps even change course, but this only happens when comments are effective. What makes an effective comment?
Criteria for an Effective Comment
Most of the instructions on our site will give you instructions for setting up your blog using WordPress, so that is probably the best choice. However, if you’ve used another blogging platform before and you like it, you can probably use it. Just check with me first. Here is a list of the most common blogging platforms and instructions for how to get started with each of them. Here are instructions for the most common blogging platforms.
| Google Blogger | Getting Started with Google Blogger |
| Edublogs | Getting Started with Edublogs |
| WordPress | Getting Started with WordPress |
NOTE: When you set up your blogs, you will often have the option to “moderate” comments. If you choose this option, then make sure you check your blog regularly for comments, otherwise, your classmates won’t see when they’ve posted a comment.
Once your blog is set up, send me you blog’s url. If you’re not sure how to find the url, ask me. You can enter it here:
After you’ve set up your blog, I want you to think back to our discussion about the learning goals for this course. Write me a blog post where you tell me about what you think your strengths and areas for growth are with regard to the learning goals.
Welcome to ENG4U! I’m looking forward to an exciting semester with you.
2. When you’re done, go to Google Classroom and join our class using the code: tjmib0
3. Sign up for text message reminders by texting @8gdk73 to the number 450-900-0126
4. Class rules:
5. What are you going to learn in this class:
By the end of this course, you will need to have mastered the following learning goals:
Writing
Develop ideas in properly constructed paragraphs
Incorporate quotations smoothly into your text to support ideas
Provide context for quotations
Use MLA formatting accurately
Understand how and why to cite works
Reading
Construct effective analysis of literary texts (not plot summary)
Construct critical interpretations of contemporary non-fiction texts
Independently select and use reading comprehension strategies for challenging texts
Develop effective discussion questions
Media
Understand the features of a variety of media texts
Communicate ideas effectively in multimedia texts
Develop effective critical questions of media texts
Be able to identify examples of bias in media texts
Listening and Speaking Skills
Ask effective questions during small group and whole class discussions
Deliver engaging and well organized presentations
Support ideas with effective visuals
Use effective note taking skills during lectures, videos, presentations, etc.
How would you know if you achieved the goal?
Today I’m going to discuss the format for the exam and then I’m going to have you get into your literature circle groups to brainstorm ideas and support for the essay on the exam.
Tomorrow you will get your exam sight passage. Tomorrow is devoted to reading that passage and making annotations. I will collect the passages from you.
Then on Wednesday, you will get the passage back and have the opportunity to discuss it with your classmates. You will return it to me and get it back on exam day.
After some deliberation I think the easiest way for you to submit your Hamlet projects is on Google Classroom. So log in to Google Classroom and you’ll see an assignment posted for your project and one for your write-up. I know some of you are combining your write-up and project so if that’s the case, no need to submit twice.
If you’re submitting a website:
1) make sure your website is public and published.
2) copy the url (not the one at the top of your screen in editing mode but the url of your site) and the url as a link to the assignment (or if that doesn’t work, you can paste the url into a word doc and submit that)
If you’re submitting a video:
If you have questions message me on Remind or come see me tomorrow morning in the English office.
From today until the end of the week we are working on your Hamlet projects. Hamlet-Multigenre-Project-2017 Hamlet-Project-Rubric I will post the powerpoint for act 4 and 5 for you to download and look through but I will not take up class time with a lecture because you need this time to work.
Before we go into details about the Hamlet project I wanted to show you an additional option that didn’t make it onto the handout but one that I think would be really fun:
I want to remind you this is meant to be done entirely in class so here is a schedule I’m proposing:
Monday: Decide on topic, create thesis. Find evidence from the text. Record your evidence here: Hamlet Project Planning Sheet Name
We will be working in the library today because it’s hotter than Hades. So you will have access to computers. I recommend using this online version of Hamlet if you want an online text that has the scenes nicely divided, or this version if you want the full text on one page. The benefit of the second version is that you can hit Ctrl F and search the full text for any names or key words. (You’re welcome. I usually charge $5 for that pro tip).
Tuesday: Continue finding evidence if necessary but by the end of the period you should be working on creating your project.
Wednesday: Project making
Thursday: Project making/write-up
Friday: Edit write-up, submit write-up and project. (more details to follow about submissions).
If any of you want to do one of the “live” options you need to let me know by the end of class today.