Last Day of School.  Have a great and relaxing summer!

Early Dismissal - No Class

Journal

"Hope. Sometimes that's all you have when you have nothing else. If you have hope, you have everything." Agree or disagree? And, do you believe in hope?

 

Assignment
Book of Qualities Narrative Assignment
After you read sample profiles in class, choose one quality from the list below. Check the dictionary and the thesaurus, exploring possible meanings and hunting down synonyms. Gendler writes of these qualities as if they were real people, with weird relatives, bad friends, unique clothing styles, and strange stories to tell. Make your chosen quality a real personality, too. Complete a sensory cluster for your quality -- sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. Then write and carefully polish a one-to-three-paragraph personification of your quality.

Journal

Oscar Wilde has been quoted as saying, "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." How do you “be yourself?” Is it difficult to “be yourself” in the society we currently find ourselves?

 

Book of Qualities Narrative Assignment
After you read sample profiles in class, choose one quality from the list below. Check the dictionary and the thesaurus, exploring possible meanings and hunting down synonyms. Gendler writes of these qualities as if they were real people, with weird relatives, bad friends, unique clothing styles, and strange stories to tell. Make your chosen quality a real personality, too. Complete a sensory cluster for your quality -- sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. Then write and carefully polish a one-to-three-paragraph personification of your quality.

Journal

"The more risks you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves." Agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning.

 

Book of Qualities Narrative Assignment
After you read sample profiles in class, choose one quality from the list below. Check the dictionary and the thesaurus, exploring possible meanings and hunting down synonyms. Gendler writes of these qualities as if they were real people, with weird relatives, bad friends, unique clothing styles, and strange stories to tell. Make your chosen quality a real personality, too. Complete a sensory cluster for your quality -- sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. Then write and carefully polish a one-to-three-paragraph personification of your quality.

Journal

Invent a monster and describe it. Tell where it lives, what it eats, and what it does.

 

Assignment

Book of Qualities Narrative Assignment
After you read sample profiles in class, choose one quality from the list below. Check the dictionary and the thesaurus, exploring possible meanings and hunting down synonyms. Gendler writes of these qualities as if they were real people, with weird relatives, bad friends, unique clothing styles, and strange stories to tell. Make your chosen quality a real personality, too. Complete a sensory cluster for your quality -- sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. Then write and carefully polish a one-to-three-paragraph personification of your quality.

Journal

Compile a list of inanimate or animate objects to which you might compare yourself metaphorically. (I am a windmill. I change direction or my thoughts whenever someone talks to me...)

 

Assignment

Visit the www.creativewritingprompts.com site and complete an assignment.  Email me the assignment.

Journal

Who is the person from history that you would most like to meet and talk to? Why? What would you like to ask?

 

Assignment

Visit the www.creativewritingprompts.com site and complete an assignment.  Email me the assignment.

Journal

What would you do if you were able to communicate with animals?

 

Assignment

Write the same scene taken from yesterday's assignment from the point of view of the nasty; write it in the first person.

Journal

Imagine yourself in a different century and describe an average day in your life.

 

Assignment

Write the same scene taken from yesterday's assignment from the point of view of the nasty; write it in the first person.

Journal

Describe someone who is a hero to you and explain why.

 

Assignment

Write the same scene taken from yesterday's assignment from the point of view of the nasty; write it in the first person.

Journal

Write about a day you'd like to forget.

 

Assignment

Write the same scene taken from yesterday's assignment from the point of view of the nasty; write it in the first person.

Journal

If and when I raise children, I'll never...

 

Assignment

Write a scene that brings to fictional life someone you hate. Make the reader hate her/him. It might be someone who annoys you – someone whose manner you can’t stand, whose voice grates on you. Or it might be someone who has offended you or done you some harm, or someone to whom you have done some harm – there are many reasons to hate people. If you have the courage, take on someone who is evil on the grand scale. It can be someone you know, someone you know about, or, best of all, invent a real nasty.

Journal

Write about your favorite childhood toy.

 

Assignment

Write a scene that brings to fictional life someone you hate. Make the reader hate her/him. It might be someone who annoys you – someone whose manner you can’t stand, whose voice grates on you. Or it might be someone who has offended you or done you some harm, or someone to whom you have done some harm – there are many reasons to hate people. If you have the courage, take on someone who is evil on the grand scale. It can be someone you know, someone you know about, or, best of all, invent a real nasty.

Journal

Confucius says, “It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Support your ideas with an example or two.

 

Assignment

Write a scene that brings to fictional life someone you hate. Make the reader hate her/him. It might be someone who annoys you – someone whose manner you can’t stand, whose voice grates on you. Or it might be someone who has offended you or done you some harm, or someone to whom you have done some harm – there are many reasons to hate people. If you have the courage, take on someone who is evil on the grand scale. It can be someone you know, someone you know about, or, best of all, invent a real nasty.

Journal

If you could ask any three people any three questions you wanted and be guaranteed an honest response, whom would you question and what would you ask them?

 

Assignment

Write a scene that brings to fictional life someone you hate. Make the reader hate her/him. It might be someone who annoys you – someone whose manner you can’t stand, whose voice grates on you. Or it might be someone who has offended you or done you some harm, or someone to whom you have done some harm – there are many reasons to hate people. If you have the courage, take on someone who is evil on the grand scale. It can be someone you know, someone you know about, or, best of all, invent a real nasty.

No School - Spring Break

Journal

What would you do to entertain your family without spending any money?

 

Assignment

Narrative Writing

Journal

Has your greatest fear ever come true?

 

Assignment

Narrative Writing

Journal

If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

 

Assignment

Finish Advertisement Analysis

CW Prompt

Journal

If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

 

Assignment

Advertisement Analysis

Journal

What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

 

Assignment

In class writing assignment.

Journal

What are you most grateful for?

 

Assignment

Persuasive Rhetoric elements

Journal

Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

 

Assignment

Persuasive Rhetoric

Journal

Begin a list of questions that you'd like to have answered. They may be about the future or the past.

 

Assignment

Persuasive Rhetoric

Journal

Write one characteristic or habit about yourself that you like and describe it. Or write about one thing you don't like about yourself.

 

Assignment

Persuasive Rhetoric

Journal

Is there a machine you feel you could not live without? Explain.

 

Assignment

 The purpose of this paper is to choose a topic and create a top five list. Your essay will be developed in the following manner: 
-Choose a topic (i.e. French fries, movies, sports, classes)
-Create a list of 5 using either the best or worst of that topic (i.e. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Burger King, and Arby’s)
-Construct a 7 paragraph essay in which you rank your topic on the basis of quality
-Use description and rational as to why you have ranked your topic in this way.
-Develop criteria for your selections

Journal

You are to tell a person from a distant planet or from another era what pollution is. Make that person understand what causes it and why it is bad.

 

Assignment

 The purpose of this paper is to choose a topic and create a top five list. Your essay will be developed in the following manner: 
-Choose a topic (i.e. French fries, movies, sports, classes)
-Create a list of 5 using either the best or worst of that topic (i.e. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Burger King, and Arby’s)
-Construct a 7 paragraph essay in which you rank your topic on the basis of quality
-Use description and rational as to why you have ranked your topic in this way.
-Develop criteria for your selections

Journal

Design some gadget, machine, building, or other creation that might enrich the future. What does it look like? What does it do? How does it function? In what ways might it benefit people?

 

Assignment

 The purpose of this paper is to choose a topic and create a top five list. Your essay will be developed in the following manner: 
-Choose a topic (i.e. French fries, movies, sports, classes)
-Create a list of 5 using either the best or worst of that topic (i.e. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Burger King, and Arby’s)
-Construct a 7 paragraph essay in which you rank your topic on the basis of quality
-Use description and rational as to why you have ranked your topic in this way.
-Develop criteria for your selections

Journal

What commercial on TV do you dislike beyond all others? What about it is particularly annoying to you?

 

Assignment

 The purpose of this paper is to choose a topic and create a top five list. Your essay will be developed in the following manner: 
-Choose a topic (i.e. French fries, movies, sports, classes)
-Create a list of 5 using either the best or worst of that topic (i.e. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Burger King, and Arby’s)
-Construct a 7 paragraph essay in which you rank your topic on the basis of quality
-Use description and rational as to why you have ranked your topic in this way.
-Develop criteria for your selections

Journal

Free Write

 

Assignment

 The purpose of this paper is to choose a topic and create a top five list. Your essay will be developed in the following manner: 
-Choose a topic (i.e. French fries, movies, sports, classes)
-Create a list of 5 using either the best or worst of that topic (i.e. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Burger King, and Arby’s)
-Construct a 7 paragraph essay in which you rank your topic on the basis of quality
-Use description and rational as to why you have ranked your topic in this way.
-Develop criteria for your selections

Journal

What is the best thing you have ever done in your life, your proudest moment? Explain.

 

Assignment

 The purpose of this paper is to choose a topic and create a top five list. Your essay will be developed in the following manner: 
-Choose a topic (i.e. French fries, movies, sports, classes)
-Create a list of 5 using either the best or worst of that topic (i.e. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Burger King, and Arby’s)
-Construct a 7 paragraph essay in which you rank your topic on the basis of quality
-Use description and rational as to why you have ranked your topic in this way.
-Develop criteria for your selections

Journal
If you were ruler of the world, what things would you banish absolutely for all time (rain on weekends, eggplant, and so forth)? Make a list. Use your imagination.

Assignment

In twenty years you will have forgotten most of the things that fill your life now. What are the things about who you are now, what you enjoy and value, what you do with your time, and so on that you want to remember twenty years from now? Imagine what will be important to your memory of yourself later on. Write these things down in a letter to yourself. Due by the end of the period.

Journal
What is your favorite kind of weather? Why?

Assignment

In twenty years you will have forgotten most of the things that fill your life now. What are the things about who you are now, what you enjoy and value, what you do with your time, and so on that you want to remember twenty years from now? Imagine what will be important to your memory of yourself later on. Write these things down in a letter to yourself.

Journal

Write a list of at least 20 things that make you feel good.

 

Assignment

Expository Comparison/Contrast Writing Due for peer editing - print out a copy

~ Organization

~ Transitions

~ Various Formats to Use

Journal

What would you do if the dinner served to you in a fancy restaurant came with a fly in the mashed potatoes?

 

Assignment

Introduction to Expository Comparison/Contrast Writing 

~ Organization

~ Transitions

~ Various Formats to Use

 

Respond to Prompt:

Directions: Select one of the three compare and contrast prompt options. Complete the prompt and submit it by Thursday for peer editing.

Comparison and Contrast: Prompt 1
You have probably heard your parents or grandparents speak nostalgically of “the good old days.” Was life one or two generations ago really better than it is today? Think about the information you have gathered from older relatives and friends, as well as what you have read and learned about in school.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast life for teenagers in “the good old days” and now. Remember to use specific examples and details to support your ideas.

Comparison and Contrast: Prompt 2
How does the way family life is shown on television reflect and differ from reality? Think of several television families and real families. Use a Venn diagram to chart the similarities and differences between the two groups.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast television families and real-life families. Refer to your Venn diagram to help you organize your essay. Remember to use specific examples and concrete details to support your ideas.

Compare and Contrast: Prompt 3
You and your friends have decided to put together a shopping guide for teenagers. It is filled with your own consumer reviews on clothing and accessories. Pick a type of clothing or accessory with which you are familiar, such as jeans, shirts, hats, or jewelry.
Write a consumer report in which you compare and contrast two styles or brands of this item. Remember to use specific examples and concrete details to support your ideas.

Journal

Should junk food be banned from schools? Explain your position with logic.

 

Assignment

Introduction to Expository Comparison/Contrast Writing 

~ Organization

~ Transitions

~ Various Formats to Use

 

Respond to Prompt:

Directions: Select one of the three compare and contrast prompt options. Complete the prompt and submit it by Thursday for peer editing.

Comparison and Contrast: Prompt 1
You have probably heard your parents or grandparents speak nostalgically of “the good old days.” Was life one or two generations ago really better than it is today? Think about the information you have gathered from older relatives and friends, as well as what you have read and learned about in school.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast life for teenagers in “the good old days” and now. Remember to use specific examples and details to support your ideas.

Comparison and Contrast: Prompt 2
How does the way family life is shown on television reflect and differ from reality? Think of several television families and real families. Use a Venn diagram to chart the similarities and differences between the two groups.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast television families and real-life families. Refer to your Venn diagram to help you organize your essay. Remember to use specific examples and concrete details to support your ideas.

Compare and Contrast: Prompt 3
You and your friends have decided to put together a shopping guide for teenagers. It is filled with your own consumer reviews on clothing and accessories. Pick a type of clothing or accessory with which you are familiar, such as jeans, shirts, hats, or jewelry.
Write a consumer report in which you compare and contrast two styles or brands of this item. Remember to use specific examples and concrete details to support your ideas.

Journal

Should schools be year-round?

 

Assignment

Introduction to Expository Comparison/Contrast Writing 

~ Organization

~ Transitions

~ Various Formats to Use

 

Respond to Prompt:

Directions: Select one of the three compare and contrast prompt options. Complete the prompt and submit it by Thursday for peer editing.

Comparison and Contrast: Prompt 1
You have probably heard your parents or grandparents speak nostalgically of “the good old days.” Was life one or two generations ago really better than it is today? Think about the information you have gathered from older relatives and friends, as well as what you have read and learned about in school.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast life for teenagers in “the good old days” and now. Remember to use specific examples and details to support your ideas.

Comparison and Contrast: Prompt 2
How does the way family life is shown on television reflect and differ from reality? Think of several television families and real families. Use a Venn diagram to chart the similarities and differences between the two groups.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast television families and real-life families. Refer to your Venn diagram to help you organize your essay. Remember to use specific examples and concrete details to support your ideas.

Compare and Contrast: Prompt 3
You and your friends have decided to put together a shopping guide for teenagers. It is filled with your own consumer reviews on clothing and accessories. Pick a type of clothing or accessory with which you are familiar, such as jeans, shirts, hats, or jewelry.
Write a consumer report in which you compare and contrast two styles or brands of this item. Remember to use specific examples and concrete details to support your ideas.

Journal

You have an extra $100,000 to give away; you cannot spend it on yourself.
What would you do with the money?

 

Assignment

Introduction to Expository Comparison/Contrast Writing 

~ Organization

~ Transitions

~ Various Formats to Use

 

Respond to Prompt:

Directions: Select one of the three compare and contrast prompt options. Complete the prompt and submit it by Thursday for peer editing.

Comparison and Contrast: Prompt 1
You have probably heard your parents or grandparents speak nostalgically of “the good old days.” Was life one or two generations ago really better than it is today? Think about the information you have gathered from older relatives and friends, as well as what you have read and learned about in school.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast life for teenagers in “the good old days” and now. Remember to use specific examples and details to support your ideas.

Comparison and Contrast: Prompt 2
How does the way family life is shown on television reflect and differ from reality? Think of several television families and real families. Use a Venn diagram to chart the similarities and differences between the two groups.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast television families and real-life families. Refer to your Venn diagram to help you organize your essay. Remember to use specific examples and concrete details to support your ideas.

Compare and Contrast: Prompt 3
You and your friends have decided to put together a shopping guide for teenagers. It is filled with your own consumer reviews on clothing and accessories. Pick a type of clothing or accessory with which you are familiar, such as jeans, shirts, hats, or jewelry.
Write a consumer report in which you compare and contrast two styles or brands of this item. Remember to use specific examples and concrete details to support your ideas.

Journal

Create your own holiday. What would we celebrate? What day would we celebrate it on? What customs, special events, and activities would be used to mark the day?

 

Assignment

Catch up day

Journal

If you were an insect, what kind would you be and why?

 

Assignment

Make up work day

Journal

Free Write 

 

Writing

CW Prompt # 4

Visit the following website http://creativewritingprompts.com/ and choose any one of the numbers to respond to in writing. Be sure to write no less than 200 words on any given prompt that does not have a designated writing amount and 30 points for a list.

Journal

Imagine that you could travel back through time. Where would you go and why?

 

Writing

Visit the following website http://creativewritingprompts.com/ and choose any one of the numbers to respond to in writing. Be sure to write no less than 200 words on any given prompt that does not have a designated writing amount and 30 points for a list.

Journal

Pretend you are a raindrop. Where would you land and what would happen along the way?

 

Writing

Sample Process Essay

Journal

Which color best describes you and why?

 

Writing - Due today via Classroom

Write a letter to a former teacher, coach, spiritual leader, parent, or another significant person that has positively influenced your life. In your letter, discuss his/her impact/significance on your life and how deeply thankful you are for his/her inspiration/ guidance/ expertise, etc. You should discuss specific events/ moments that he/she has been a part of and what his/her impact has been on your life as you are currently living it. How have you grown because of him/her?

Journal

I would use a magic wand to...

 

Writing

Write a letter to a former teacher, coach, spiritual leader, parent, or another significant person that has positively influenced your life. In your letter, discuss his/her impact/significance on your life and how deeply thankful you are for his/her inspiration/ guidance/ expertise, etc. You should discuss specific events/ moments that he/she has been a part of and what his/her impact has been on your life as you are currently living it. How have you grown because of him/her?

Journal Prompt:
If you had one special power, what would it be and what would you do with it?

 

Writing:
Write a letter to a former teacher, coach, spiritual leader, parent, or another significant person that has positively influenced your life. In your letter, discuss his/her impact/significance on your life and how deeply thankful you are for his/her inspiration/ guidance/ expertise, etc. You should discuss specific events/ moments that he/she has been a part of and what his/her impact has been on your life as you are currently living it. How have you grown because of him/her?

Journal

How do you know whether it's time to continue holding on or time to let go?

 

Expository Writing Assignment

Write a letter to a former teacher, coach, spiritual leader, parent, or another significant person that has positively influenced your life. In your letter, discuss his/her impact/significance on your life and how deeply thankful you are for his/her inspiration/ guidance/ expertise, etc. You should discuss specific events/ moments that he/she has been a part of and what his/her impact has been on your life as you are currently living it. How have you grown because of him/her?

Journal

Life is too short to tolerate.......

 

Writing:
Expository Prompt #2
Many parents give children a weekly or monthly allowance regardless of their behavior because they believe an allowance teaches children to be financially responsible. Other parents only give children an allowance as a reward for completing chores or when they have behaved properly. Explain what you think parents should do and why.

Journal Prompt:

Is it out of reach or have you just not stretched yourself far enough?

 

Writing:

Expository Prompt #2
Many parents give children a weekly or monthly allowance regardless of their behavior because they believe an allowance teaches children to be financially responsible. Other parents only give children an allowance as a reward for completing chores or when they have behaved properly. Explain what you think parents should do and why.

Journal Prompt:

What impact do you want to leave on the world?

 

Writing:
Expository Prompt #2

Many parents give children a weekly or monthly allowance regardless of their behavior because they believe an allowance teaches children to be financially responsible. Other parents only give children an allowance as a reward for completing chores or when they have behaved properly. Explain what you think parents should do and why.

Journal Prompt:

If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always afraid to make a mistake?

 

Writing:
Expository Prompt #2

Many parents give children a weekly or monthly allowance regardless of their behavior because they believe an allowance teaches children to be financially responsible. Other parents only give children an allowance as a reward for completing chores or when they have behaved properly. Explain what you think parents should do and why.

Journal Prompt:

What worries you most about the future?

 

Writing Assignment:

After completing a peer editing session, students will rewrite their papers and submit it to the teacher by the end of the period.

Journal Prompt:

What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?

 

Writing Assignment:

Visit www.creativewritingprompts.com and choose a prompt. you should write no less than 250 words on a story prompt, and, if choosing a list, you should list no less than 30 things.

Journal Prompt:

What makes you smile?

 

Writing Prompt:
Many parents give children a weekly or monthly allowance regardless of their behavior because they believe an allowance teaches children to be financially responsible. Other parents only give children an allowance as a reward for completing chores or when they have behaved properly. Explain what you think parents should do and why.  Do by the end of the period.

Journal Prompt:
If you had the opportunity to get your message out to a large group of people, what would your message be?

Assignment:

There is a strong parent-led campaign in your city to curb down on homework assignments given to students. As a student, however, you feel homework is essential to promoting learning. Write a paper arguing your stand by giving specific examples and statistics to show the benefits of homework. Due by the end of the period on Thursday in your binder.

Journal Prompt:

What does it mean to be a good neighbor?

 

Assignment:

There is a strong parent-led campaign in your city to curb down on homework assignments given to students. As a student, however, you feel homework is essential to promoting learning. Write a paper arguing your stand by giving specific examples and statistics to show the benefits of homework. Due by the end of the period in your binder.

Journal Prompt:

Describe the most beautiful scene in nature that you can imagine.

 

Assignment:

Make up day.

Journal Prompt:

Telling the truth and making somebody sad is better than telling a lie and making someone happy. Agree or disagree?

 

Writing Assignment:
Students will continue working on Expository Writing.  The focus will be on sequence or process patterns in expository writing in which the author lists items or events in numerical or chronological order.  Students will incorporate necessary cue words such as first, second, third; next; then; finally. This assignment is an exercise in exposition, which is writing to inform or explain. The task, simply, is to explain how to do something. Choose an activity that requires a sequence of steps, and walk your reader through the process.

Journal Prompt:

Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

 

Writing Assignment:

Recipe Assignment Due

Journal Prompt:

Stick up for yourself! Hang in there! Just say no! Hold firm! These are just a few of the ways we say, "Stand your ground." Often, we don't know our own strength until something really gets in our way. Write about a time when you "stood your ground."

 

Writing Assignment:

Write a recipe, using the language of cookbooks, for something you could never use a recipe to make. It works best if the topic chosen is abstract, rather than concrete: a recipe for love, for peace, for friendship. You choose the topic and whether you want it to be humorous or serious.

Journal

If you could change anything about your life what would it be? Would you be younger? Older? Would you live somewhere else? Tell what you would change about your life if you could and why.


Writing Assignment:
Students will continue working on Expository Writing. They will create an abstract recipe following a teacher generated rubric.

Journal Prompt:

If you book a trip with your local travel agents, they're likely to put you on a plane, a train, bus, or boat. But how about more adventurous kinds of travel? With a little more imagination, you can travel in outer space and even through time. Where would you like to travel if you could go anywhere in space or in time? Write about a trip you take there.

 

Writing Assignment:
Students will continue working on Expository Writing.  The focus will be on sequence or process patterns in expository writing in which the author lists items or events in numerical or chronological order.  Students will incorporate necessary cue words such as first, second, third; next; then; finally. This assignment is an exercise in exposition, which is writing to inform or explain. The task, simply, is to explain how to do something. Choose an activity that requires a sequence of steps, and walk your reader through the process.

Journal Prompt:

Thirty years ago we didn’t have cell phones or the Internet. Now we have cell phones that can access the Internet. Think of a device or gadget that we’ll have thirty years from now and describe it.

 

Assignment:

Students will continue working on Expository Writing.  The focus will be on sequence or process patterns in expository writing in which the author lists items or events in numerical or chronological order.  Students will incorporate necessary cue words such as first, second, third; next; then; finally.

Journal Entry - Being a member of a group involves appreciating others and identifying with them. Describe the "group" you most identify with and tell why you identify with the members of that "group."

 

Writing Prompt - Students will work on writing various introductions. They will focus on Hooks in their writing. They will apply these exercises to an expository piece of description providing details about how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, and sounds. They will study the cue words and use them in their writing.

Journal

In the haste of our daily lives, what are we not seeing?

 

Assignment

Expository Writing

Journal

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

Assignment

Expository Writing

Journal

Are you happy with yourself?  Why or why not?

 

Assignment
Expository Writing
~ Review the PowerPoint handout
~ Write an expository essay to inform an interested adult about your favorite hobby or sport. Be sure to include reasons and/or examples that explain how this hobby or sport is important to your life. Support your ideas with specific details.

 

CW Prompt Due by the end of the period.

DAY OFF due to freezing temperatures.

DAY OFF due to freezing temperatures.

Journal

If you looked into the heart of your enemy, what do you think you would find that is different from your own heart?

 

Assignment

Students will be able to define Expository Writing by the end of the period. They will analyze various types of patterns used when creating Expository pieces (description, sequence or process, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) and the cue words that denote when they are being used. Furthermore, they will explore the format of the expository essay with a focus on Introduction.

Journal

What is worse than death?

 

Assignment

Introduction to Expository Writing

Journal

What do you wish you didn't know?  Expand.

 

Assignment

Students will be able to define Expository Writing by the end of the period. They will analyze various types of patterns used when creating Expository pieces (description, sequence or process, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) and the cue words that denote when they are being used. Furthermore, they will explore the format of the expository essay with a focus on Introduction.

Journal

Do you feel protective over anybody?

 

Assignment:
Expository Writing
~ Review the PowerPoint handout

Pick a letter of the alphabet, and then write a paragraph introducing this letter to others. Describe the qualities you associate with the letter, and explain why it is you like this letter. You may also give this letter some gentle criticism if you think it has particular shortcomings.

 

Assignment
Biopoems due by the end of the period

Journal
Think of the last person you hugged. What would you do if they vanished completely?

Assignment
~ Biopoems

Pick a song that projects the same mood as your day or week and explain.

 

Biopoem - Students will follow a teacher given format to develop a poem about themselves as a means of helping students to clarify important elements of their identities through the written word.

The first line is “Who am I?”
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next five lines write down family relationships (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next four lines write down “job titles” that describe you (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next three lines write a word that physically describes you.
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next two lines write down a characteristic of yours (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
And finally the word “me.”

Journal
Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

 

Assignment 

Biopoem - Students will follow a teacher given format to develop a poem about themselves as a means of helping students to clarify important elements of their identities through the written word. This assignment will be collected by the end of the period on Thursday.

 

The first line is “Who am I?”
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next five lines write down family relationships (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next four lines write down “job titles” that describe you (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next three lines write a word that physically describes you.
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next two lines write down a characteristic of yours (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
And finally the word “me.”

Journal

Agree or disagree: Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. Also, do you like the person that you are creating?

 
Assignment
In Class Assignment

Journal

Agree or disagree: Forgive them even if they are not sorry.

 

Assignment
In Class Assignment

Journal

Have you ever had a moment when you had to walk away? If not, what would you do if you had such a moment?

 

Assignment
For your final assignment, you will rewrite a particular stave of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol by modernizing it. Your rewrite must have a word count of 350 – 400 for Freshman/Sophomores and 450 – 500 for Juniors/Seniors and adhere to all elements of Narrative/Descriptive Writing. Your writing should focus on communicating the details of a character, event, or place in great detail. You should visualize what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Consider the various elements of narration as you develop your version of the stave of the story. Furthermore, you will be assessed with the Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric for Narrative/Descriptive Writing.

Journal

Seven Steps to Happiness:
Think less, feel more
Frown less, smile more
Talk less, listen more
Judge less, accept more
Watch less, do more
Complain less, appreciate more
Fear less, love more

Do you agree with and/or follow these steps? Why or why not? If you do, how do you follow them?

 

Assignment
For your final assignment, you will rewrite a particular stave of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol by modernizing it. Your rewrite must have a word count of 350 – 400 for Freshman/Sophomores and 450 – 500 for Juniors/Seniors and adhere to all elements of Narrative/Descriptive Writing. Your writing should focus on communicating the details of a character, event, or place in great detail. You should visualize what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Consider the various elements of narration as you develop your version of the stave of the story. Furthermore, you will be assessed with the Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric for Narrative/Descriptive Writing.

Journal

"Hope. Sometimes that's all you have when you have nothing else. If you have hope, you have everything." Agree or disagree? And, do you believe in hope?

 

Journal

Oscar Wilde has been quoted as saying, "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." How do you “be yourself?” Is it difficult to “be yourself” in the society we currently find ourselves?

 

Assignment

For your final assignment, you will rewrite a particular stave of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol by modernizing it. Your rewrite must have a word count of 350 – 400 for Freshman/Sophomores and 450 – 500 for Juniors/Seniors and adhere to all elements of Narrative/Descriptive Writing. Your writing should focus on communicating the details of a character, event, or place in great detail. You should visualize what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Consider the various elements of narration as you develop your version of the stave of the story. Furthermore, you will be assessed with the Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric for Narrative/Descriptive Writing.

Journal

"The more risks you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves." Agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning.

 

For your final assignment, you will rewrite a particular stave of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol by modernizing it. Your rewrite must have a word count of 350 – 400 for Freshman/Sophomores and 450 – 500 for Juniors/Seniors and adhere to all elements of Narrative/Descriptive Writing. Your writing should focus on communicating the details of a character, event, or place in great detail. You should visualize what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Consider the various elements of narration as you develop your version of the stave of the story. Furthermore, you will be assessed with the Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric for Narrative/Descriptive Writing.

Journal

Invent a monster and describe it. Tell where it lives, what it eats, and what it does.

 

Assignment

For your final assignment, you will rewrite a particular stave of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol by modernizing it. Your rewrite must have a word count of 350 – 400 for Freshman/Sophomores and 450 – 500 for Juniors/Seniors and adhere to all elements of Narrative/Descriptive Writing. Your writing should focus on communicating the details of a character, event, or place in great detail. You should visualize what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Consider the various elements of narration as you develop your version of the stave of the story. Furthermore, you will be assessed with the Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric for Narrative/Descriptive Writing.

Journal
Tell about what triggers anger in you or someone else.
 
Assignment
For your final assignment, you will rewrite a particular stave of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol by modernizing it. Your rewrite must have a word count of 350 – 400 for Freshman/Sophomores and 450 – 500 for Juniors/Seniors and adhere to all elements of Narrative/Descriptive Writing. Your writing should focus on communicating the details of a character, event, or place in great detail. You should visualize what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Consider the various elements of narration as you develop your version of the stave of the story. Furthermore, you will be assessed with the Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric for Narrative/Descriptive Writing.
 

Journal

Compile a list of inanimate or animate objects to which you might compare yourself metaphorically. (I am a windmill. I change direction or my thoughts whenever someone talks to me...)

 

Assignment
For your final assignment, you will rewrite a particular stave of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol by modernizing it. Your rewrite must have a word count of 350 – 400 for Freshman/Sophomores and 450 – 500 for Juniors/Seniors and adhere to all elements of Narrative/Descriptive Writing. Your writing should focus on communicating the details of a character, event, or place in great detail. You should visualize what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Consider the various elements of narration as you develop your version of the stave of the story. Furthermore, you will be assessed with the Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric for Narrative/Descriptive Writing.

 

Winter Break - Enjoy!

 

Winter Celebration Activity Day

Journal
Who is the person from history that you would most like to meet and talk to? Why? What would you like to ask?
 
Assignment
~Finish reading Stave 4 of "A Christmas Carol"  with a focus on resolution
~ complete the reading guide questions

Journal - Journals 7 due today
What would you do if you were able to communicate with animals?
 
Assignment
~Finish reading Stave 3 of "A Christmas Carol" with a focus on conflict and begin Stave 4 with a focus on resolution
~ complete the reading guide questions

Journal
Imagine yourself in a different century and describe an average day in your life.
 
Assignment
~Begin reading Stave 3 of "A Christmas Carol" with a focus on conflict
~ complete the reading guide questions

Journal
Describe someone who is a hero to you and explain why.
 
Assignment
~Finish reading Stave 2 of "A Christmas Carol" with a focus on dialogue
~ complete the reading guide questions

Journal
Write about a day you'd like to forget.
 
Assignment
~Begin reading Stave 2 of "A Christmas Carol" with a focus on dialogue
~ complete the reading guide questions

Journal
If and when I raise children, I'll never...
 
Assignment
~Finish reading Stave 1 of "A Christmas Carol" with a focus on characterization
~ complete the reading guide questions

Journal

Write about your favorite childhood toy.

 

Assignment

~Begin reading Stave 1 of "A Christmas Carol" with a focus on characterization

~ complete the reading guide questions

Journal

Confucius says, “It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Support your ideas with an example or two.

 

Assignment
Introduction to Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"
~ finish background information through a WebQuest

Journal

If you could ask any three people any three questions you wanted and be guaranteed an honest response, whom would you question and what would you ask them?

 

Assignment

Introduction to Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"

~ complete background information through a WebQuest

Journal

According to Longfellow, “A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Do you get more wisdom from books or from conversations with people? Explain with an example, please.

 

Writing Assignment

Google www.creativewritingprompts.com and complete one of the assignments on this page. If you choose a list, you should have at least 35 points. If you complete a story, it should be no less than 200 words. You must print the work out and place it in your binder.

Journal

Describe a recent conversation that you have experienced. Be sure to focus on the emotion and the mood of the moment.

 

FCA

None Today

 

Writing Assignment
Students will create a narrative essay out of a personally selected prompt.  They will focus on sensory details, vivid verbs and dynamic openings, and sentence variation.  This assignment will be collected by the end of the period.

Journal

When it might hurt their feelings, how do you feel about telling your friends the truth?

 

FCA

Sentence Arrangement - A sentence gives all or some of the following information: who or what, did what, when, where, why, and how. This information can be arranged in several ways. Sentences that all begin the same way can be monotonous. As you revise your writing, vary the beginnings of your sentences.

 

Writing Assignment

Students will create a narrative essay out of a personally selected prompt.  They will focus on sensory details, vivid verbs and dynamic openings, and sentence variation.  This assignment will be collected by the end of the period tomorrow.

Journal

Which comic strip is your favorite and why?

 

FCA

Vivid Verbs - Students will revise teacher selected verbs by making them more vivid and definite.  Furthermore, they will rewrite sentences by replacing the verbs with livelier ones.

 

Writing Assignment

Students will revise one of their narrative pieces, specifically focusing on verb usage.

Journal

Who is your favorite superhero and why?

 

FCA
Vivid Verbs Assignment
 
Writing
Narrate an Incident from Childhood. First from your own point of view. Next from the point of view of a relative. Finally from the point of view of a stranger. WHICH point of view was easier to write? WHICH point of view tells the story best? 200 – 250 words per point of view. Also, consider the various elements of narrative writing as you write the stories.

Journal

 

FCA

Vivid Verbs Assignment

 

Writing

Narrate an Incident from Childhood. First from your own point of view. Next from the point of view of a relative. Finally from the point of view of a stranger. WHICH point of view was easier to write? WHICH point of view tells the story best? 200 – 250 words per point of view. Also, consider the various elements of narrative writing as you write the stories.

Inservice Day - No classes for students.

 

 

 

Two (2) hour early dismissal. Have a great break!

Journal

Has your greatest fear ever come true?

 

FCA
Subject-Verb Agreement

Assignment
Book of Qualities Narrative Assignment - Continued
After you read sample profiles in class, choose one quality from the list below. Check the dictionary and the thesaurus, exploring possible meanings and hunting down synonyms. Gendler writes of these qualities as if they were real people, with weird relatives, bad friends, unique clothing styles, and strange stories to tell. Make your chosen quality a real personality, too. Complete a sensory cluster for your quality -- sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. Then write and carefully polish a one-to-three-paragraph personification of your quality

Journal

If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

 

FCA

Sentence Variation

Assignment
Book of Qualities Narrative Assignment
After you read sample profiles in class, choose one quality from the list below. Check the dictionary and the thesaurus, exploring possible meanings and hunting down synonyms. Gendler writes of these qualities as if they were real people, with weird relatives, bad friends, unique clothing styles, and strange stories to tell. Make your chosen quality a real personality, too. Complete a sensory cluster for your quality -- sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. Then write and carefully polish a one-to-three-paragraph personification of your quality.

Journal

If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

 

FCA

Subject-Verb Agreement

 

Assignment

Narrative Elements CC.1.4.11–12.O

~ Engaging Openings: Students will analyze ten various openings and determine there validity as engaging or not. Furthermore, they will determine the type of opening of each passage and cite whether they believe it is engaging or not and why.

Journal
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

FCA
Sensory Details

Writing
Narrative Elements Continued
CC.1.4.11–12.O
Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, description, reflection, multiple plot lines, and pacing to develop experiences, events, and/or characters; use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, settings, and/or characters.

Students will analyze Maya Angelou's Narrative essay "Funeral" for sensory details. They will develop their own short narrative essay about death and funerals with a focus on sensory details and emotional overtones.

Journal
What are you most grateful for?

FCA
Sensory Details

Writing
Narrative Elements - Introduction to Narrative Writing
CC.1.4.11–12.O
Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, description, reflection, multiple plot lines, and pacing to develop experiences, events, and/or characters; use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, settings, and/or characters.

 

Students will analyze Maya Angelou's Narrative essay "Funeral" for sensory details.  They will develop their own short narrative essay about death and funerals with a focus on sensory details and emotional overtones. 

Journal

Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

 

Assignment
Students will create an invention.  They will create a PowerPoint Advertisement, in which they must use various persuasive techniques.  Follow the teacher given rubric. Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

Veteran's Day. No School.

Three (3) hour early dismissal.  Have a good weekend!

Journal

Begin a list of questions that you'd like to have answered. They may be about the future or the past.

 

Assignment
Students will create an invention.  They will create a PowerPoint Advertisement, in which they must use various persuasive techniques.  Follow the teacher given rubric. Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

Journal

Write one characteristic or habit about yourself that you like and describe it. Or write about one thing you don't like about yourself.

 

Assignment

Invention Presentations

Journal

What, if anything, would you be willing to fight or even die for? Explain your answer.

 

Assignment
Students will create an invention.  They will create a PowerPoint Advertisement, in which they must use various persuasive techniques.  Follow the teacher given rubric. Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

Journal

Is there a machine you feel you could not live without? Explain.

 

Assignment
Students will create an invention.  They will create a PowerPoint Advertisement, in which they must use various persuasive techniques.  Follow the teacher given rubric. Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

Journal

You are to tell a person from a distant planet or from another era what pollution is. Make that person understand what causes it and why it is bad.

 

Assignment
Students will create an invention.  They will create a PowerPoint Advertisement, in which they must use various persuasive techniques.  Follow the teacher given rubric. Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

Journal

Design some gadget, machine, building, or other creation that might enrich the future. What does it look like? What does it do? How does it function? In what ways might it benefit people?

 

Assignment
Students will create an invention.  They will create a PowerPoint Advertisement, in which they must use various persuasive techniques.  Follow the teacher given rubric. Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

~ Health and Fitness Day

~ End of the 1st Nine Weeks - 2 hour early dismissal

Journal

What commercial on TV do you dislike beyond all others? What about it is particularly annoying to you?

 

Assignment
Students will create an invention.  They will create a PowerPoint Advertisement, in which they must use various persuasive techniques.  Follow the teacher given rubric. Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

If you were ruler of the world, what things would you banish absolutely for all time (rain on weekends, eggplant, and so forth)? Make a list. Use your imagination.

 

Assignment
Students will create an invention.  They will create a PowerPoint Advertisement, in which they must use various persuasive techniques.  Follow the teacher given rubric. Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

Journal
What is your favorite kind of weather? Why?

Assignment
Invention Advertisements: You will be assessed on awareness of audience, name of your product, does the invention meet actual needs of customers, what are its positive features, what are the opposing viewpoints, did you use persuasive techniques (logical, ethical, emotional to convince your audience, what is the cost/logo of your product, delivery of your speech and the visual of your PowerPoint

Write a list of at least 20 things that make you feel good.  

 

Students will begin working on an invention.

What would you do if the dinner served to you in a fancy restaurant came with a fly in the mashed potatoes? 

 

Assignment
Write a five paragraph persuasive essay on whether or not schools should be year round.  Be sure to include logical, emotional and ethical appeals.  Due Wednesday by the end of the period.

Should junk food be banned from schools?  Explain your position with logical reasoning.

 

Assignment
Write a five paragraph persuasive essay on whether or not schools should be year round.  Be sure to include logical, emotional and ethical appeals.  Due Wednesday by the end of the period.

Should schools be year-round?   Explain with supporting details.

 

Write a five paragraph persuasive essay on whether or not schools should be year round.  Be sure to include logical, emotional and ethical appeals.  Due Wednesday by the end of the period.

Journal

You have an extra $100,000 to give away; you cannot spend it on yourself.
What would you do with the money?

 

Assignment

Finish the advertisement analysis from yesterday and submit to teacher.

Journal

Create your own holiday. What would we celebrate? What day would we celebrate it on? What customs, special events, and activities would be use to mark the day?

 

Assignment
Advertisement Analysis - Choose 3 separate ads and analyze them for logical, ethical and emotional appeals.  Due by the end of the period on Tuesday.

Journal

If you were an insect, what kind would you be and why?

 

Assignment
Students engage with texts that have persuasive power and examine how argument is created. The variety of texts allows students to evaluate the impact of occasion and audience upon the use of rhetorical appeals in a variety of media. Through this set, students will come to understand the immeasurable power of words and language and develop an understanding of the subtle yet important differences between argument, persuasion, and propaganda.

Journal:

Imagine that you could travel back through time. Where would you go and why?

 

Writing:

Students engage with texts that have persuasive power and examine how argument is created. The variety of texts allows students to evaluate the impact of occasion and audience upon the use of rhetorical appeals in a variety of media. Through this set, students will come to understand the immeasurable power of words and language and develop an understanding of the subtle yet important differences between argument, persuasion, and propaganda.

Journal:

Pretend you are a raindrop. Where would you land and what would happen along the way?

 

Writing:

Students engage with texts that have persuasive power and examine how argument is created. The variety of texts allows students to evaluate the impact of occasion and audience upon the use of rhetorical appeals in a variety of media. Through this set, students will come to understand the immeasurable power of words and language and develop an understanding of the subtle yet important differences between argument, persuasion, and propaganda.

Journal

Which color best describes you and why?

 

Assignment

Persuasive Rhetoric

Journal

I would use a magic wand to...

 

Assignment

Persuasive Rhetoric discussion

Journal Prompt:
If you had one special power, what would it be and what would you do with it?

 

Writing:
Students engage with texts that have persuasive power and examine how argument is created. The variety of texts allows students to evaluate the impact of occasion and audience upon the use of rhetorical appeals in a variety of media. Through this set, students will come to understand the immeasurable power of words and language and develop an understanding of the subtle yet important differences between argument, persuasion, and propaganda.

Journal

How do you know whether it’s time to continue holding on or time to let go?

 

Assignment

No Repeats writing assignment

Journal

Life is too short to tolerate.......

 

Assignment

Catch Up Day

Journal Prompt:

Is it out of reach or have you just not stretched yourself far enough?

 

Persuasive Writing:

 Magazine Analysis of Advertisements: Find three ads and analyze them for Rhetorical Devices such as logical, emotional and ethical appeals.

What impact do you want to leave on the world?

 

Introduction to Persuasive Writing - Students will learn specific terminology for persuasive writing.

CC.1.4.11–12.G
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics.

 

CC.1.4.11–12.I
Distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims; develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

 

CC.1.4.11–12.J
Create organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence; use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text to create cohesion and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims; provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Journal Prompt:

If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always afraid to make a mistake?

 

Writing:
Students engage with texts that have persuasive power and examine how argument is created. The variety of texts allows students to evaluate the impact of occasion and audience upon the use of rhetorical appeals in a variety of media. Through this set, students will come to understand the immeasurable power of words and language and develop an understanding of the subtle yet important differences between argument, persuasion, and propaganda.

Journal Prompt:

What worries you most about the future?

 

Writing Assignment:

After completing a peer editing session, students will rewrite their papers and submit it to the teacher by the end of the period.

Journal Prompt:

What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?

 

Writing Assignment:

~ Peer Editing of Homework Essay

Journal Prompt:

What makes you smile?

 

Writing Prompt:
Many parents give children a weekly or monthly allowance regardless of their behavior because they believe an allowance teaches children to be financially responsible. Other parents only give children an allowance as a reward for completing chores or when they have behaved properly. Explain what you think parents should do and why.  Do by the end of the period.

Journal Prompt:
If you had the opportunity to get your message out to a large group of people, what would your message be?

Assignment:

There is a strong parent-led campaign in your city to curb down on homework assignments given to students. As a student, however, you feel homework is essential to promoting learning. Write a paper arguing your stand by giving specific examples and statistics to show the benefits of homework. Due by the end of the period in your binder.

Journal Prompt:

What does it mean to be a good neighbor?

 

Assignment:

There is a strong parent-led campaign in your city to curb down on homework assignments given to students. As a student, however, you feel homework is essential to promoting learning. Write a paper arguing your stand by giving specific examples and statistics to show the benefits of homework. Due by the end of the period in your binder.

Journal Prompt:

Describe the most beautiful scene in nature that you can imagine.

 

Assignment:

Writing Assignment:
After studying the expository piece of comparison/contrast essays, students will create a unique comparison/contrast essay using transitions within and between paragraphs. A lot of medical research today focuses on developing medicinal cures to ageing. Presumably, with the right breakthrough, humankind would live forever. How do you feel about this? Write a paper describing the advantages and disadvantages of extremely long life.

Journal:

Telling the truth and making somebody sad is better than telling a lie and making someone happy. Agree or disagree?

 

Writing Assignment:
After studying the expository piece of comparison/contrast essays, students will create a unique comparison/contrast essay using transitions within and between paragraphs. A lot of medical research today focuses on developing medicinal cures to ageing. Presumably, with the right breakthrough, humankind would live forever. How do you feel about this? Write a paper describing the advantages and disadvantages of extremely long life.

Journal Prompt:

Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

 

Writing Assignment:

After studying the expository piece of comparison/contrast essays, students will create a unique comparison/contrast essay using transitions within and between paragraphs.

Journal Prompt:

Stick up for yourself! Hang in there! Just say no! Hold firm! These are just a few of the ways we say, "Stand your ground." Often, we don't know our own strength until something really gets in our way. Write about a time when you "stood your ground."

 

Writing Assignment:

Write a recipe, using the language of cookbooks, for something you could never use a recipe to make. It works best if the topic chosen is abstract, rather than concrete: a recipe for love, for peace, for friendship. You choose the topic and whether you want it to be humorous or serious.

If you could change anything about your life what would it be? Would you be younger? Older? Would you live somewhere else? Tell what you would change about your life if you could and why.


Writing Assignment:
Students will continue working on Expository Writing.  The focus will be on sequence or process patterns in expository writing in which the author lists items or events in numerical or chronological order.  Students will incorporate necessary cue words such as first, second, third; next; then; finally. This assignment is an exercise in exposition, which is writing to inform or explain. The task, simply, is to explain how to do something. Choose an activity that requires a sequence of steps, and walk your reader through the process.

Journal Prompt:

If you book a trip with your local travel agents, they're likely to put you on a plane, a train, bus, or boat. But how about more adventurous kinds of travel? With a little more imagination, you can travel in outer space and even through time. Where would you like to travel if you could go anywhere in space or in time? Write about a trip you take there.

 

Writing Assignment:
Students will continue working on Expository Writing.  The focus will be on sequence or process patterns in expository writing in which the author lists items or events in numerical or chronological order.  Students will incorporate necessary cue words such as first, second, third; next; then; finally. This assignment is an exercise in exposition, which is writing to inform or explain. The task, simply, is to explain how to do something. Choose an activity that requires a sequence of steps, and walk your reader through the process.

Journal

Thirty years ago we didn’t have cell phones or the Internet. Now we have cell phones that can access the Internet. Think of a device or gadget that we’ll have thirty years from now and describe it.

 

Assignment

Emotional Recipe Assignment

Journal
Being a member of a group involves appreciating others and identifying with them. Describe the "group" you most identify with and tell why you identify with the members of that "group."

 

Expository Writing
~ Write an expository essay to inform an interested adult about your favorite hobby or sport. Be sure to include reasons and/or examples that explain how this hobby or sport is important to your life. Support your ideas with specific details. Due tomorrow.

Journal

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

 

Expository Writing
~ Review the PowerPoint handout
~ Write an expository essay to inform an interested adult about your favorite hobby or sport. Be sure to include reasons and/or examples that explain how this hobby or sport is important to your life. Support your ideas with specific details.

Journal

Are you happy with yourself?  Why or why not?

 

Assignment

You use the internet on an everyday basis. While the internet has a huge list of benefits, it has some downsides too. Write an essay exploring the disadvantages of using the internet, specifically referring to internet addiction and information overload.

Journal

If you looked into the heart of your enemy, what do you think you would find that is different from your own heart?

 

Assignment

Students will be able to define Expository Writing by the end of the period. They will analyze various types of patterns used when creating Expository pieces (description, sequence or process, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) and the cue words that denote when they are being used. Furthermore, they will explore the format of the expository essay with a focus on Introduction.

Journal

Do you feel protective over anybody?

 

Assignment:
Expository Writing
~ focus on Introductions and Hooks
~ Write an expository essay to inform an interested adult about your favorite hobby or sport. Be sure to include reasons and/or examples that explain how this hobby or sport is important to your life. Support your ideas with specific details.

Pick a letter of the alphabet, and then write a paragraph introducing this letter to others. Describe the qualities you associate with the letter, and explain why it is you like this letter. You may also give this letter some gentle criticism if you think it has particular shortcomings.

 

Assignment
Expository Writing
~ Review the PowerPoint handout
~ Write an expository essay to inform an interested adult about your favorite hobby or sport. Be sure to include reasons and/or examples that explain how this hobby or sport is important to your life. Support your ideas with specific details.

Journal
Think of the last person you hugged. What would you do if they vanished completely?

Assignment
Expository Writing
~ Review the PowerPoint handout
~ Write an expository essay to inform an interested adult about your favorite hobby or sport. Be sure to include reasons and/or examples that explain how this hobby or sport is important to your life. Support your ideas with specific details.

 

Pick a song that projects the same mood as your day or week and explain.

 

Biopoem - Students will follow a teacher given format to develop a poem about themselves as a means of helping students to clarify important elements of their identities through the written word. This assignment will be collected by the end of the period on Thursday.

 

The first line is “Who am I?”
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next five lines write down family relationships (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next four lines write down “job titles” that describe you (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next three lines write a word that physically describes you.
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next two lines write down a characteristic of yours (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
And finally the word “me.”

Journal
Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

 

Assignment 

Biopoem - Students will follow a teacher given format to develop a poem about themselves as a means of helping students to clarify important elements of their identities through the written word. This assignment will be collected by the end of the period on Thursday.

 

The first line is “Who am I?”
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next five lines write down family relationships (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next four lines write down “job titles” that describe you (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next three lines write a word that physically describes you.
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
On the next two lines write down a characteristic of yours (see example).
Then skip a line and write “I am...”
And finally the word “me.”