April 21, 2016

Students will show yesterday’s research over William Shakespeare  we completed in groups in the library; if absent today, be sure to still submit it.  If absent yesterday also, remember to view the April 20 link to complete the online research.

Today, we will watch the A and E Biography’s video for William Shakespeare and answer questions along the way that will be rewritten according to the directions and due tomorrow.  Unfortunately, the video is not available anywhere online, so the best way to gather the required information if absent is to borrow from a friend in class.

Students also received the study questions and character trait handouts to complete and submit the day of the test, possibly April 29, but if we are not finished with the play by then, it will likely occur May 2 for 1st and 3rd hours or May 4 for 2nd and 6th hours.

April 20, 2016

Students will research biographical data for William Shakespeare leading into the study of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

Students will be placed in a group of three to split the the three sections of the “Shakespeare Biographical Research” project.  Once each person completes his or her portion of the research, the group will collaborate to share the research gained individually.

Anyone absent can complete it on his or her own.

April 19, 2016

Tuesday’s Plan – READ IT ALL PLEASE

If absent today or Monday, plan to arrive in the library Wednesday with the essay printed and ready to go.  If this is a hardship, let’s discuss it ahead of time.

Check your printer options at the start of class to know if you have an option other than “One Note” on your computer.  The computer may default to “One Note”, but an option for the library printer is available for selection.

District Timed Writing #3 – Step-by-Step Directions

Writing the four to five paragraph paperSee the Rubric Here!  Focus on the “Exemplary” column of the rubric and strive to reach at least the “Accomplished” rating.
Formatting the Paper Before Writing
  1. Double space the entire document before typing
  2. Save OFTEN
  3. MLA heading – use # in place of first and last name
  4. Supplemental resources are available-scroll down
  • Today, finish typing the paper, reviewing it, editing it, and revising it; follow the guidelines in the “Post Writing”.  Then, label it according to the directions below and print it; BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS TO AVOID PRINTING ON BOTH SIDES.
Post Writing
  1. Save often
  2. Edit and revise.  Double-check for errors!  READ the paper sentence by sentence to avoid awkward sounding writing.
    1. Attention Grabber – review the guidelines in the handout – link below
    2. topic sentences and closing sentences – Does each include the correct information?
    3. thesis statement – Does it include the correct information?
    4. word choice – Do action verbs out number auxiliary?  Review each sentence for overall word choice.  Were dead wall words avoided?  “CTRL + F” can be used to search for them – be sure to search for all forms of the word.
    5. run-ons and fragments – Remove them!
    6. concrete details – Does each one support the main idea, either by further explaining, supporting, or proving the topic sentence true?
    7. varied sentence beginnings – Adjust where possible to add variation to avoid repetitive use of only a few beginnings and the simple subject/verb beginning.
    8. varied sentence types – Adjust where possible to employ as many of the four types as possible – adding compound occasionally will help tremendously.
    9. transitions and transitional expressions – Include transitions throughout every paragraph.
    10. punctuation – If not positive the punctuation applied is correct, change it.
    11. POV should always remains 3rd person
    12. MLA heading and good title – no DTW #3 on this one
    13. Conclusion – review the guidelines in the handout – link below
Labeling
  • topic sentences and closing sentences – underline each one
  • thesis statement – underline it in the intro
  • word choice – [brackets] around any verb, adjective, adverb or noun strengthening the overall imagery (not parenthesis)
  • concrete details – Highlight in turquoise just enough of each sentence to quickly identify the concrete detail within it.  The # of concrete details highlighted should match the # on the outline.
  • Underline with Highlighter DTW #3
    • Orange – Compound or compound-complex sentences
    • Blue – any of the sentence beginnings below
      • Prep – Part – Inf – App – Ger – DC
    • Yellow – transitions or transitional expressions
    • Green – main idea in thesis and topic sentences
    • Pink – opinion in thesis and topic sentences
Printing and Submitting
  • To Print – Once “File” and “Print” or the printer icon shortcut has been clicked, select “Dell 3465B” and change the option for “Printing on Both Sides” to the one that will allow for “Printing One Side Only”.
  • Staple the essay with the outline behind and turn in today.