Lisa Bijit

Handout Links

Think-Tac-Toe Activities: Download think_tac_toe_chart.doc

Business Letter Scenarios: Download business_letter_scenarios.doc

Business Letter Format: Download business_format.doc

TO KEEP IN YOUR BINDER ALL YEAR

Rules for Writing: Download rules_for_writing.doc 

      Rationcination: Download RATIOCINATION2.doc

Preposition Box:
Instructions on how to make the box and the list of 52 prepositions to put on the box:  Download BoxInstructions.doc
Template for the box: Download BoxTemplate.doc

Proofreading Marks: Download ProofreadingMarks1.jpe

Use of Video

September 12

When you ask your child what they did today in class and they say "watched a movie," they did. I'm a firm believer in using video clips to illustrate the concepts I'm trying to convey. Most children today are visual learners. I can talk the entire class period about what a person looks like when they get mad, but showing them with a video clip is more fun AND it gets the point across where they will remember it. I can also point out various things in the clip that will help them with their writing.

I use movies that are PG and PG-13 - some G. The policy on this is that I can show a clip as long as it is school appropriate. Most clips are no more than 10 minutes long. We watch the clip once for content, discuss, then watch it again (sometimes without sound) for a more detailed observation. Each clip was chosen for its illustrative value in our curriculum.

Example: We viewed a clip from the movie "Signs." I chose this clip because the sensory details are unique. It forces the students to compare the sounds to items they know in life since the sounds are intended to be "alien." I know some students are sensitive to 'scary' visuals. The clip shows the lower part of an alien's leg and only for a very brief moment. I included this part because, again, it's "alien" and forces the students to search for every day items for comparison. It's effective without being scary. We used this clip to do some "show not tell" exercises by analyzing the body language of Mel Gibson's character. We talked about how to write about him being afraid without saying he's afraid. For instance, he moves slow and deliberate and when he talks to "whoever" is in the corn field he only moves his eyes.

I find that this technique engages the students in a way that I (as entertaining as I am )   can not.

Test Wednesday

September 12th

The test has been moved to Friday. Some of the students weren't ready to be tested, and Mr. Hohla has a test tomorrow in Social Studies. I didn't want the students to have two tests in one day.

September 10th

There will be a test on Wednesday, September 12th, on nouns and prepositions.

We went over the difference between plural and possessive nouns today as well as finding prepositions and prepositional phrases in sentences.

Tomorrow, we will continue to go over noun categories and prepositions to help study for the test. I told the students that I will take the test questions directly from the pages we go over.

Personal Narrative

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE NARRATIVE

September 30th:

The Personal Narrative is due Wednesday, October 3rd. The main focus of the essay is sensory detail (using the five senses to describe the story), and "show not tell' sentences. I've told the students that I should be able to 'see' the story in my head while I'm reading it - like a movie. We've been working on the narrative for the last week. Most students have had me read their writing as they complete a paragraph. I've taken their writing folders home during the week to read the narratives and make additional comments such as where to add sensory detail or sections that need clarification. (Check the calendar for checkpoints given over the week.) I gave the students the option of taking their writing home over the weekend to work on. I asked them to make sure to save it, so they could edit before turning in.

September 10th:

We began our unit on Personal Narrative today. The narrative will focus on sensory details and "show not tell" sentences. The students have begun a show not tell list  - taking ordinary sentences and describing a person or place instead of telling about it. For instance:

Ben is mad. (a tell sentence)

Ben's face began to turn red, and his eyebrows netted together. His breath quickened as his hands clinched into fists. (a show not tell sentences)

HOW TO CHOOSE A TOPIC:

Think back through your life to a major conflict you had with:

Another person (competing with someone academically or in sports, someone you have problems getting along with)

Nature or natural disasters (have you been in an earthquake, a tornado, a hurricane? has someone close to you gotten sick or have you had a serious illness that you overcame?

Yourself (have you had to overcome a fear? had self-doubt about accomplishing a goal?)

Social group (have you had to stick up for your beliefs? have you had to stick up for someone being bullied?)

EMBELLISHING

Embellishing is not like lying. If you embellish your story, you're adding details that might not be true to make your story more interesting. For instance, if you're writing about a conflict with someone you couldn't get along with, you might still be trying to work out how to get along with them. For the purpose of this essay, since there has to be a resolution, you can embellish a resolution. How would you like the conflict to resolve itself?

STRUCTURE

Like we plotted out on the plot diagram, start your essay with "exposition." This is background information that the reader needs to know. What do I need to know about your setting and characters for me to understand the story? Questions to keep in mind:

Is it a sunny or rainy day?
What room are you in?
What details do you need to give the reader so he/she can picture the setting as he/she reads?
How are the characters related? (only give information about MAIN characters)

The exposition should be 1 to 2 paragraphs long.

The rising action should be at least one paragraph long, but more would be better. You can write a paragraph for each step of the rising action (which would be 3 paragraphs) or combine them. Make sure you add everything the reader needs to know about the events leading up to the climax (pivotal moment in the story). The climax needs to be included in the rising action paragraph(s).

Remember the climax is the moment in the story where "everything comes to a head." It's the moment where the conflict is faced. We used the movie/book Holes in class. The climax in Holes was when Stanley and Zero reach "God's Thumb" and the family curse is lifted. Everything before this climax are the bad events (Stanley getting arrested, sent to juvenile camp, Zero running away and Stanley trying to find him).

The falling action should be at least one paragraph long - more would be better. What happened after the climax, and how does it lead to the resolution?

The resolution should be two or three sentences long. How has this experience affected your life?

You MUST skip lines as you write your rough draft. This leaves room for me to make notes to you as you write. It also keeps you from having to rewrite the rough draft over and over.

Once I have made notes on your rough draft, you need to do Ratiocination. I handed this out in class. There is a link for you to download a copy if you lose it. You need to keep a copy of Ratiocination throughout the year.