Here is the note from today's lesson.
Here is the exercise.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Update For this Week/ Independent Assignment
Monday and Tuesday we had what I felt were very productive days.
On Monday, we wrote a sarcastic letter to someone or something that irritated us.
On Tuesday, we wrote a letter to our future selves. Both assignments were collected and will be graded.
All week we have been moving forward with our independent novels. It is really rewarding to see students not only reading but also enjoying books that they themselves selected. There is an assignment that has been given out in class but I will post a copy here shortly for home use.
It is my expectation that each student will bring his or her reading material to class each and every day until the Independent Novel unit is complete.
As always, post your questions and comments here.
CP
On Monday, we wrote a sarcastic letter to someone or something that irritated us.
On Tuesday, we wrote a letter to our future selves. Both assignments were collected and will be graded.
All week we have been moving forward with our independent novels. It is really rewarding to see students not only reading but also enjoying books that they themselves selected. There is an assignment that has been given out in class but I will post a copy here shortly for home use.
It is my expectation that each student will bring his or her reading material to class each and every day until the Independent Novel unit is complete.
As always, post your questions and comments here.
CP
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Course Calendar
I have decided to post updates on homework and activities here rather than making a calendar. The problem with trying to maintain a calendar is that it is hard to find unless it is bookmarked. By the end of the month, finding the calendar requires searching through many blog posts. I think it will be simpler if I just keep updating this space.
So, in class today we wrote an Opinion Piece in simulated test conditions. Students who were absent will be required to write their Opinion Piece upon their return.
Also, we have Self Selected Reading underway. Students are expected to bring a book of their choice to class every single day. Most students have spent time in our library finding a book, but they are also welcome to bring books from home or the public library.
Some points to consider when choosing a book:
The book should be high interest-- I want students to want to read their book. It is my firm belief that the perfect book exists for each and every student.
The book should help the student grow. Either the content or the vocabulary should help students learn something... they don't need to be difficult.
I highly recommend Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It's the story of a boy and his father trying to survive after the collapse of modern civilization. It's also very readable. Unfortunately, we don't have a copy at school. I borrowed it from the St. Catharines Public Library over the summer.
Congratulations to all students who successfully completed their Opinion Pieces today. You are well on your way to successfully completing the literacy test next semester.
So, in class today we wrote an Opinion Piece in simulated test conditions. Students who were absent will be required to write their Opinion Piece upon their return.
Also, we have Self Selected Reading underway. Students are expected to bring a book of their choice to class every single day. Most students have spent time in our library finding a book, but they are also welcome to bring books from home or the public library.
Some points to consider when choosing a book:
The book should be high interest-- I want students to want to read their book. It is my firm belief that the perfect book exists for each and every student.
The book should help the student grow. Either the content or the vocabulary should help students learn something... they don't need to be difficult.
I highly recommend Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It's the story of a boy and his father trying to survive after the collapse of modern civilization. It's also very readable. Unfortunately, we don't have a copy at school. I borrowed it from the St. Catharines Public Library over the summer.
Congratulations to all students who successfully completed their Opinion Pieces today. You are well on your way to successfully completing the literacy test next semester.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Opinion Piece Test Wednesday
Just a reminder that Wednesday we will write an Opinion Piece in class. Some students have yet to complete the one(s) that have been assigned thus far.
I strongly urge any student who has not practiced yet to read through the example posted on this blog and to try the Opinion Piece I assigned on whether or not In The Heat Of The Night should be required reading in high school.
Final Reminder: Without exception, the students who planned their answers by making a 5 minute outline wrote stronger opinion pieces than those who didn't.
Good Luck To All!
CP
I strongly urge any student who has not practiced yet to read through the example posted on this blog and to try the Opinion Piece I assigned on whether or not In The Heat Of The Night should be required reading in high school.
Final Reminder: Without exception, the students who planned their answers by making a 5 minute outline wrote stronger opinion pieces than those who didn't.
Good Luck To All!
CP
Early Progress Reports
I just wanted to announce that early progress reports are being sent home today. I will be asking students to get them signed and to have them returned. More detailed reports will be available here (on this website) shortly.
In order to protect student confidentiality, each student will be assigned a nickname. Ask your student or email me at ewcwriter@live .ca in order to determine his or her nickname.
Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend parent teacher conferences tomorrow night. For students whose progress is a concern, I will contact parents directly. If you would like to discuss your son or daughter's progress, however, please email me and I will contact you directly.
Regards,
C. Pierce
In order to protect student confidentiality, each student will be assigned a nickname. Ask your student or email me at ewcwriter@live .ca in order to determine his or her nickname.
Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend parent teacher conferences tomorrow night. For students whose progress is a concern, I will contact parents directly. If you would like to discuss your son or daughter's progress, however, please email me and I will contact you directly.
Regards,
C. Pierce
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Write This Opinion Piece
Hello,
As promised, I've posted a sample Opinion Piece, along with notes to explain how it fits the Grade 10 test instructions.
Please take a look here and ask any questions you may have by adding your comments to this post.
Once you are comfortable with how an opinion piece is put together, try writing one on the topic below. Your work can either be handed in to me in class or posted on your blog.
Topic: Should In The Heat of the Night be required reading for all high school students?
SAMPLE OPINION PIECE
As promised, I've posted a sample Opinion Piece, along with notes to explain how it fits the Grade 10 test instructions.
Please take a look here and ask any questions you may have by adding your comments to this post.
Once you are comfortable with how an opinion piece is put together, try writing one on the topic below. Your work can either be handed in to me in class or posted on your blog.
Topic: Should In The Heat of the Night be required reading for all high school students?
SAMPLE OPINION PIECE
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Opinion Piece
Hi All,
Since the Opinion Piece is such a substantial part of the Grade 10 Literacy Test, I have decided to devote some significant time and resources to getting it done. It is very important to me that each and every student in the per. 2 and per. 4 class demonstrate that they can write an opinion piece without assistance.
To this end, we wrote a sample opinion piece in class which should be in every student's notes. I also asked them to write a practice opinion piece on the question: "Should In The Heat of The Night be required reading in high school?" Students should have written two paragraphs yesterday and two paragraphs today. At this point it is perfectly appropriate for them to be asking questions about how to write their opinion pieces. We will get into a computer lab next week so that students can post their opinion pieces to their blogs.
The final stage of opinion piece writing will be an in-class demonstration. Students will be asked to write an opinion piece in class, under circumstances similar to those of the literacy test (that is, without any help or guidance).
For students who have not yet completed their opinion pieces in class, a sample and instructions will be posted here.
As always, feel free to ask any comments you like by adding your comments below.
CP
Since the Opinion Piece is such a substantial part of the Grade 10 Literacy Test, I have decided to devote some significant time and resources to getting it done. It is very important to me that each and every student in the per. 2 and per. 4 class demonstrate that they can write an opinion piece without assistance.
To this end, we wrote a sample opinion piece in class which should be in every student's notes. I also asked them to write a practice opinion piece on the question: "Should In The Heat of The Night be required reading in high school?" Students should have written two paragraphs yesterday and two paragraphs today. At this point it is perfectly appropriate for them to be asking questions about how to write their opinion pieces. We will get into a computer lab next week so that students can post their opinion pieces to their blogs.
The final stage of opinion piece writing will be an in-class demonstration. Students will be asked to write an opinion piece in class, under circumstances similar to those of the literacy test (that is, without any help or guidance).
For students who have not yet completed their opinion pieces in class, a sample and instructions will be posted here.
As always, feel free to ask any comments you like by adding your comments below.
CP
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Email Etiquette
Hi All,
I'm going to post this email on all my course blogs because I've had a little something on my mind for a while.
I am getting a number of emails sent to the ewcwriter account that strike me as being "dashed off." When writing to your friends it is perfectly acceptable to write however you like and to take whatever shortcuts you wish. When emailing people in a more professional sense such as teachers, professors, business and government people, you should use the best possible standard of writing that you can manage.
In the same way that we make assumptions about people based on their clothes, their hair or their grooming habits, people who receive your emails will make assumptions based on what they can see. Not using capital letters, punctuation or spellchecking your email can suggest either a lack of skill or a lack of concern. Neither is the impression that you want to leave in the mind of the person who will be assigning you a final grade.
I'm not suggesting that our email communications have to be perfect, they just have to be the best of which we are capable of writing. I catch problems every time I compose an email by rereading it 2 or 3 times. Sometimes I'll read it even more than that if I am writing to my bosses
By all means, I invite you to comment on this.
Regards, CP
I'm going to post this email on all my course blogs because I've had a little something on my mind for a while.
I am getting a number of emails sent to the ewcwriter account that strike me as being "dashed off." When writing to your friends it is perfectly acceptable to write however you like and to take whatever shortcuts you wish. When emailing people in a more professional sense such as teachers, professors, business and government people, you should use the best possible standard of writing that you can manage.
In the same way that we make assumptions about people based on their clothes, their hair or their grooming habits, people who receive your emails will make assumptions based on what they can see. Not using capital letters, punctuation or spellchecking your email can suggest either a lack of skill or a lack of concern. Neither is the impression that you want to leave in the mind of the person who will be assigning you a final grade.
I'm not suggesting that our email communications have to be perfect, they just have to be the best of which we are capable of writing. I catch problems every time I compose an email by rereading it 2 or 3 times. Sometimes I'll read it even more than that if I am writing to my bosses
By all means, I invite you to comment on this.
Regards, CP
Monday, October 5, 2009
Vocabulary # 4
Hi All,
I'm still having trouble getting a "user friendly" calendar online... I didn't want to wait any longer to get some updated information out, so here is a link to this week's vocabulary words.
Vocabulary # 4
I hope to have the calendar up and running tomorrow morning. With Friday being a PD day we will have our vocabulary quiz on Thursday.
CP
I'm still having trouble getting a "user friendly" calendar online... I didn't want to wait any longer to get some updated information out, so here is a link to this week's vocabulary words.
Vocabulary # 4
I hope to have the calendar up and running tomorrow morning. With Friday being a PD day we will have our vocabulary quiz on Thursday.
CP
Friday, October 2, 2009
Blog Activity
Yesterday in per. 2 English students were asked to start their own blogs. Having an online blog means that students will be able to write much in the way they would in journals, but with all the convenience of being able to complete their work using a computer.
The Activity:
1) Create an igoogle account, if you don't have one already. You can do this by going to google.ca and selecting "sign in" and then create an account. You will need to activate your account by going to your email and clinking on the ik that google sends you.
2) Next, go to www.blogger.com and "Create a Blog." You will need to sign in with your igoogle password. Use your full name in the title of your blog--this way I will be able to tell you apart from the many other student blogs I visit. You can put anything in the address, as long as no one else is using it.
3) Once you are in your blog go to 'settings' and then 'permissions' and then 'add authors.' Invite ewcwriter@live.ca to be an author--this will allow me to leave comments on your blog.
4) Write your first post. Please use the title "Grade 10 Literacy Test"
5) Write two pargraphs on the Grade Ten Literacy Test. The first paragraph should answer the question: "What do you know about the literacy test?" The second paragraph should answer the question: "How well prepared do you feel for the literacy test?"
That's all! Most students were able to complete the activity in under an hour. Post a comment if you have any questions.
Mr. P
The Activity:
1) Create an igoogle account, if you don't have one already. You can do this by going to google.ca and selecting "sign in" and then create an account. You will need to activate your account by going to your email and clinking on the ik that google sends you.
2) Next, go to www.blogger.com and "Create a Blog." You will need to sign in with your igoogle password. Use your full name in the title of your blog--this way I will be able to tell you apart from the many other student blogs I visit. You can put anything in the address, as long as no one else is using it.
3) Once you are in your blog go to 'settings' and then 'permissions' and then 'add authors.' Invite ewcwriter@live.ca to be an author--this will allow me to leave comments on your blog.
4) Write your first post. Please use the title "Grade 10 Literacy Test"
5) Write two pargraphs on the Grade Ten Literacy Test. The first paragraph should answer the question: "What do you know about the literacy test?" The second paragraph should answer the question: "How well prepared do you feel for the literacy test?"
That's all! Most students were able to complete the activity in under an hour. Post a comment if you have any questions.
Mr. P
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