All posts by Darin Thompson

November 8, 2017 – Read Everything Before Beginning

Practice independence! – Follow all directions below.  Good luck!

Deadline – TWA #2 must be printed, highlighted, and then placed in the sub’s hands within forty minutes of the tardy bell starting class.  Students will submit the highlighted paper within the allotted time and then complete the “Sentence Structure” assignment linked at the bottom of this page.  After both assignments are submitted, students should then be away from computers at the tables.  Staple today’s final copy of TWA #2 on top of draft three on top of draft two on top of draft one.

Technical Writing Assignment #2 – Step-by-Step Directions

Formatting the Paper Before Writing
  1. Double space the entire document before typing. Use the default font and margins.
  2. Save NOW and OFTEN to the computer in Documents and a flash drive if available.  It only takes one “oops” to lose everything.
  3. MLA heading – Use # in place of first and last name.
  4. Type TWA #2 – Due at the following times:
  • 1st Hour – 9:05
  • 2nd Hour – 10:07
  • 3rd Hour – 11:09
  • 4th Hour – 12:48
Post Writing
  1. Save often.
  2. Edit and revise if time allows.  Double-check for errors!  READ the paper sentence by sentence to avoid awkward sounding writing.
    1. 130 words maximum – excluding topic sentence and MLA – highlight the paragraph to see the word count in Word on the bottom left
    2. Topic Sentence – attention grabbing and states the main idea
    3. 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.  Action verbs should outnumber auxiliary verbs when used with a subject.  Include the six words used correctly from the word bank?
    4. run-ons and fragments – Remove them!  Any compound sentences?
    5. concrete details – Is each one a fact found in the story explaining how the main idea came to be?
    6. Transitions and transitional expressions – Not required but can strengthen the flow from one concrete detail to the next.
    7. POV should always remains 3rd person.
    8. MLA heading with a creative newspaper style headline
    9. Closing Sentence – Does the last sentence provide closure?  It’s not just another specific one of the five Ws or how.
Printing and Submitting
  • To Print – Once “File” and “Print” or the printer icon shortcut has been clicked, change the option for “Printing on Both Sides” to the one that will allow for “Printing One Side Only
  • Print  TWA #2 and then highlight accordingly.
    • Six words from the word bank – pink
    • Compound sentence in yellow – avoid highlighting over pink.
    • Underline details in blue highlighter which support who, what, when, where, why, and how.
  • Submit before 40 minutes of class pass.
After Submission

Follow these directions – link will activate after 30 minute window closes.

September 12, 2017 – READ EVERYTHING BEFORE BEGINNING

TWA #1 Final is due in 35 minutes.

Practice independence! – Follow all directions below and ask questions along the way for clarification.  Good luck!

Were you absent Monday when the mock prompt and paragraph were provided in class and have yet to review them, or do you simply need to look again?  If so, refer to Canvas in “Today in English” for September 11, 2017 before beginning today’s writing.  Hurry!

Deadline – TWA #1 must be in Mr. Thompson’s hands within 35 minutes of the tardy bell starting class.  Afterward, continue collaborating in our previous groups for the annotation work.

Technical Writing Assignment #1 – Step-by-Step Directions

Formatting the Paper Before Writing
  1. Double space the entire document before typing.
  2. Save NOW and OFTEN to the computer in Documents and a flash drive if available.  It only takes one “oops” to lose everything.
  3. MLA heading – Use # in place of first and last name.
Writing TWA #1 – See the Rubric Here and retype the final draft brought to class today after revising Friday’s work.
Post Writing
  1. Save often.
  2. Edit and revise if time allows.  Double-check for errors!  READ the paper sentence by sentence to avoid awkward sounding writing.
    1. Topic Sentence – TAG plus main idea/opinion (S)
    2. 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.
    3. run-ons and fragments – Remove them!
    4. concrete details – Is each one a factor motivating the character’s significant choice or action found in the text?
    5. Transitions and transitional expressions – Not required but can strengthen the flow from one concrete detail to the next.
    6. POV should always remain 3rd person. NO 1st PERSON POV.
    7. MLA heading and creative title – NOT TWA #1 or similar assignment title
    8. Commentary – Are there two for each concrete detail?
    9. Closing Sentence – Is it a commentary statement directed at all three concrete details?
Printing and Submitting
  • To Print – Once “File” and “Print” or the printer icon shortcut has been clicked, change the option for “Printing on Both Sides” to the one that will allow for “Printing One Side Only”.
  • Print  TWA #1 and then highlight accordingly.
    • Topic Sentence Main Idea only – yellow
    • Topic Sentence Opinion (the part about factors motivating the decision by George) – pink
    • Concrete details – green
    • Closing Sentence – blue
  • What’s not highlighted should be the commentary for each concrete detail.
  • Submit before 35 minutes of class pass.