Unusual AOW

Today's article of the week was not an article at all, but a TED talk called "The Danger Of A Single Story".

If you were absent please watch it and write the usual two paragraph response in your writer's notebook.  I suggest you pause the video a few times to add to your summary paragraph as you go. Then add a second paragraph about your thoughts on the ideas presented.

Have a wonderful break and I will see you in 2014.

Happy Thursday

We read,

You have a short assessment to work on today.  This will help me prepare for our next unit after break. Do the best you can.

Read the text first and then I will give you the code to take the assessment.

Getting on Create Space

Happy Monday

Let's Read

Today we get to unbox our new Chromebook. A big thank you to the pointer association for funding that for our classroom!

Today you will be finishing final formatting for your novel.
1. Use this document to get the text you need for your copyright page.
2. Follow these direction to get your novel on to create space.

Remember your NaNoWriMo Summary doc will be closed for editing at 3:00 today. 

It's Friday? It must be time for Article of the Week

You have a book in your hands right?  (We read in here.)

Photo Credit: Jen Roberts

Today's article of the week deals with a controversial topic in education policy, how to teach students who are still learning English. As students in San Diego you all have had first or second hand experience with this and I am interested in what you think.

Please READ the article of the week and use the embedded questions as discussion starters for you and your partner. You may also discuss the questions with your whole table group.

Please WRITE a two paragraph response in your writer's notebook. Summarize the article in your first paragraph and write your opinions in the second paragraph.

Help for your Summary Document

The items below are links that may help you with your NaNoWriMo summary document.

1) Direct characterization

2) Indirect characterization

3) Setting that reinforces a character

4) Setting that creates a mood

5) Sensory details

Sensory Words

6) Strong verbs

7) Dialogue (properly punctuated and formatted)

8) Climax

9) Subplot

10) Time shift (flashback, flashforward, foreshadowing, or time manipulation)

Reading and Article of the Week on Reading

We read therefore we learn.

Today we resume our article of the week process.
I think you're going to like this one.
I am linking it here as view only.
Make your own copy to read and annotate. You do not need to share it back to me.
Write a two paragraph response in your writer's notebook. (Directions are on the article.)

LINK TO AOW
PS: You can follow the author on Twitter @mattdelapena

NaNoWriMo GRADING

And... yeah, we read.

I sent you a document. (Look in "shared with me" in your Google Docs.)
It is to collect the best parts of your novel.
It is due 12/16 and you won't have edit access after 3:00 pm that day.
We will be working on it in class a bit, but we have other things to do as well in the next week so make sure you are keeping up.

You have TWO more book reviews due January 22!.

More things to check on...

We Read!

More things to check for in your novel today.

• ð        I have capitalized proper nouns such as places and people’s names.
• ð        I have made sure that every sentence ends with some type of punctuation mark (period, question mark, exclamation mark) and there are spaces between words and sentences.
• ð        I have spell checked my novel and have corrected any spelling errors and/or typos.
• ð        I have read my novel and moved around certain parts to make it better.
• ð        I have removed (deleted) any parts that are unnecessary or that don’t work.
• ð        I have added writing that will make the story better or less confusing.
• ð        I use a variety of sentence types and lengths. I have combined sentences where appropriate. 

If you got over 100% in NaNoWriMo, but did not earn the "winner" badge I have submitted your name to them for manual validation. (Periods 4&7)

Welcome Back Novelists

Do you need a new book to read? 

This week we work on editing those novels to get ready for publication.

• ð        My story has an ending that includes a resolution.
• ð        I have divided my novel into sections or chapters in order to give it a structure that makes more sense for the reader.
• ð        I have divided my writing into paragraphs and have made sure that I have indented properly.
• ð        I have indented dialogue properly (each time there is a new speaker, there is also a new paragraph).
• ð        I have made sure that all dialogue is punctuated correctly. (Use of quotations, commas, question marks, etc.)
• ð        I have capitalized all words at the beginnings of sentences.
• ð        I have capitalized the word “I” every time I have used it.