Friday 12/02/11

In class today, we learned the process for writing and formatting a business letter. There are 3 formatting worksheets and a business letter rubric available on the class wiki under the “Class Resources” section, which is linked at the top of this blog.

Students were asked in a bell ringer activity to “Think of a time that you visited a store, restaurant, or other business and had either an amazing experience or a dreadful experience. What make it so wonderful or awful? How did the employees actions affect your experience? How did this experience effect your opinion of the company? Write 3-4 sentences explaning the scenario.” You are to begin work on a business letter to the president of the company to tell them about your experience. The business letter should be typed in Microsoft Word, formatted correctly, and should use appropriate formal language.

Thursday 12/01/11

In class today we learned about the use of formal language in terms of writing letters and emails.  The graphic organizers used today in class are available on the class wiki under the “Class Resources” section.

For homework, you should follow the links below to investigate what “Netiquette” is, and how to use it for different modes of technology.  Then, you will create a Twitter account and use it to post 1 tweet with poor netiquette and 1 tweet with exceptional netiquette.  Instructions are as follows:

1. Go to http://www.twitter.com. Sign up with a new account (even if you already have a Twitter account, create a NEW account for the purpose of this course and assignment).
2. Make your username your first initial, last name, the number 10, and followed by “ela.” For example, if your name is John Smith, your username should be @jsmith10ela.
3. Search for @scivley10ela and follow. This is the official twitter account for this class.
4. Post your 2 tweets. Make sure that you mention @scivley10ela in BOTH tweets so that I will see them on my twitter feed, because I will follow your class Twitter account.  ONLY USE THIS TWITTER ACCOUNT FOR ASSIGNMENTS I GIVE TO YOU.Post the Tweets by no later than 8AM on 12/02/11. If you do not have access to a computer and/or internet, you may use the machines in the school library before and after school.

   NETIQUETTE LINKS:

   10 Netiquette Rules
   Net M@nners
   Twitter Etiquette
   

Wednesday 11/30/11

Today in class we identified the characteristics of formal writing.  Students will be responsible for getting the notes from today’s activity from a classmate.

Tuesday 11/29/11

Today in class we played a game to review SAT Vocabulary words. The game is located below and linked on the class wiki, which is linked at the top of this page.

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/context-and-definitions/high-school/sat-vocabulary-which-word/

 

Monday 11/28/11

Today in class we did an activity which taught us how to diagram sentences.  The examples are located below, and are available for download on the class wiki, which is linked at the top of this page.

SentencesDiagrammed

 

Friday 11/25/11

In class today, we began working on an essay. You will be writing in 1 of 3 modes: Persuasive, Narrative, or Expository.  Rubrics for all modes are available on the class wiki under “Class Resources,” which is linked above.

Thursday 11/24/11

In class today, we used an anticipation guide to help make inferences about a topic we read an article about.  It was an expository writing example. The article and anticipation guide are available on the class wiki under “Class Resources.”   We looked at how the expository essay could be broken down into its important facts using a Power Point presentation. It can be viewed here:

EXPOSITORY

For homework, you will select a topic from the list below and make a Power Point presentation with at least 10 slides with key information on the topic. Post the Power Point Presentation to your blog by no later than 8AM on 11/25/11. If you do not have access to a computer and/or internet and Power Point, you may use the machines in the school library before and after school.

TOPICS:

1. Teen Obesity
2. Social Networking
3. Teen Suicide
4. High School Droupout Rates
5. Cost of Higher Education
6. The War on Terror

Wednesday 11/23/11

In class today, students used a cooperative simulation activity to write 20 short stories with 20 authors each in 20 minutes total.

For homework,  you will be a participating author of a short story through a discussion board located on the class wiki, which is linked at the top of this page.  The introduction to a story is posted on the discussion board. You will post a reply to the most recent post and continue the story.  Each student must write 3-4 sentences.  Before starting to write, include your name in parenthesis.  You must post a reply before 8AM on Wednesday 11/24/11, which is when I will write the conclusion to the short story. 

If you do not have access to a computer and/or internet, you may use the machines in the school library before and after school.

Tuesday 11/22/11

In class today, we read 2 opposing articles on the new HB56 law in our state.  We had a discussion-based debate based on the information from these articles.  For homework tonight, you need to read BOTH articles, including the one that you were responsible for reading in class today.  They are available on the class Wiki under “Class Resources.” You can reach the wiki from the link at the top of this page.

For homework, in addition to reading the 2 articles, you will be responsible for answering questions on YOUR OWN wordpress.com blog. To create your blog and complete your assignment:

1. Go to www.wordpress.com
2. Click, “Get Started Here.”
3. Create a blog address, username, and password.  Make your blog address and username your first and last name with no space between them. For example, if your name is John Smith, use the name johnsmith. Click “Sign Up.”
4. Check your email and confirm your account.
5. Create your first blog Entry.  Title it “HB56.”  Answer the following questions;  for each question, respond with 3-5 sentences:
   1. Based on the information you gained from reading the articles, which side of the argument do you stand on? Are you in support of the law or against it? Why?
   2. If you were an immigrant living in the US illegally because you are under the age of 18 and your parents brought you here, how would you respond to the passing of HB56?
   3. If you were a business owner and were unsure if some of your employees were really in the US legally, how would you proceed after the passing of HB56? Would you fire suspect employees? Why or why not?
   4. Now that you’ve created a blog, logged on, and posted your first entry, make sure I know where and who you are.  Go to the class blog and click “Follow.” Then, make a comment on this blog entry telling me who you are so that I can follow you.

REMEMBER, YOU HAVE UNTIL 8AM ON 11/23/11 TO COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT! If you do not have access to a computer and/or internet, you may use the machines in the school library before and after school.

HAPPY BLOGGING!

Monday 11/21/11

MODES OF WRITING: DEFINING PERSUASIVE, NARRATIVE, AND EXPOSITORY MODES.

In class today we did a group activity to define the characteristics of three modes of writing.  Students were provided a graphic organizer to guide research on these modes.  A blank copy of the graphic organizer is available under the “class resources” section of the class wiki.  Students who were absent may print one out and get the answers from a classmate this week. There is no homework today.