Hello, hello!
We will meet again at my house next Monday, December 23, from 10-12 to watch another video that focuses on one of the units of creative writing that we will do next semester. Children are welcome.I hope to see you there. :D
Have a Merry Christmas!
Melissa
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
IEW- Videos
Hi Everyone!
I trust you had a blessed Thanksgiving and are headed into a wonderful Christmas season.
Next semester we dive head first into some wonderful creative writing.
I am offering the opportunity for you to view the IEW videos over the break that will pertain to the lessons will be doing. These videos are wonderful overviews into the heart of this very unique curriculum. If this is your first tour, I highly recommend coming.
We will watch the first one at my house on Monday, December 16th from 10 am- 12 pm.
As always, let me know if there is anything I can do to help you along in your journey!
Blessings,
Melissa
I trust you had a blessed Thanksgiving and are headed into a wonderful Christmas season.
Next semester we dive head first into some wonderful creative writing.
I am offering the opportunity for you to view the IEW videos over the break that will pertain to the lessons will be doing. These videos are wonderful overviews into the heart of this very unique curriculum. If this is your first tour, I highly recommend coming.
We will watch the first one at my house on Monday, December 16th from 10 am- 12 pm.
As always, let me know if there is anything I can do to help you along in your journey!
Blessings,
Melissa
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
IEW- Week 12
What a fast paced day! Whew! It felt like a sprint to try to get it all in.
It was great to get to hear all the reports from the students that won't get to be at the Medieval Dinner. You will be very missed. What an amazing bunch of reports we had! Quite a few Oscar winning performances too ;) These talented writers really shine! My sincere apologies to all who didn't get to read. I REALLY underestimated the length of each report. Fortunately, I had heard two during Foundations but there is still one more that I'm quite anxious to hear! You get to go first on Thursday!
Keep reading through your "Presentations Skills Toolbox" handout and think of ways to continue tweaking your papers. We'll go through it much more slowly and in a more relaxed fashion on Thursday so that we can soak it all up.
While you are practicing, take a moment to shorten your papers if you wish (Several of you have asked if this is okay already.). Each student completely deserves their time on stage but if they are uncomfortable with reading all of their paper and wish to read just one or two paragraphs that is fine.
See you Thursday at 2 at Westside Chapel. Remember to come in street clothes with your costumes and a snack in tow. We will walk across to Christ Community together and have a dress rehearsal before having some relax -time before the show begins. (Girls have got to fix their hair, right?)
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and get ready for creative writing. We'll set our imaginations free to roam on week 13! Thank you for all the lovely chocolates and gift cards and candles, I feel very spoiled. This has been a blessing of a semester and I have enjoyed getting to know all of you!
Melissa
It was great to get to hear all the reports from the students that won't get to be at the Medieval Dinner. You will be very missed. What an amazing bunch of reports we had! Quite a few Oscar winning performances too ;) These talented writers really shine! My sincere apologies to all who didn't get to read. I REALLY underestimated the length of each report. Fortunately, I had heard two during Foundations but there is still one more that I'm quite anxious to hear! You get to go first on Thursday!
Keep reading through your "Presentations Skills Toolbox" handout and think of ways to continue tweaking your papers. We'll go through it much more slowly and in a more relaxed fashion on Thursday so that we can soak it all up.
While you are practicing, take a moment to shorten your papers if you wish (Several of you have asked if this is okay already.). Each student completely deserves their time on stage but if they are uncomfortable with reading all of their paper and wish to read just one or two paragraphs that is fine.
See you Thursday at 2 at Westside Chapel. Remember to come in street clothes with your costumes and a snack in tow. We will walk across to Christ Community together and have a dress rehearsal before having some relax -time before the show begins. (Girls have got to fix their hair, right?)
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and get ready for creative writing. We'll set our imaginations free to roam on week 13! Thank you for all the lovely chocolates and gift cards and candles, I feel very spoiled. This has been a blessing of a semester and I have enjoyed getting to know all of you!
Melissa
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
IEW-Week 11
The time has come! We're tying up loose ends so we can finish the semester with a bang.
Today in class we reviewed introductory paragraphs as well as conclusion paragraphs. We went through some very specific types of "Hook" openers and talked thorugh some examples. We also talked about using the pronoun "I" to turn our report into a first person story and went over some medieval words that we can sprinkle in to make our report sound a bit more "of the time period."
Several of you asked if the paper was due in first person or third person form. Over the years it's been done many ways. Some people write the report itself in third person and then present it in first person but that is a tricky task unless you're a second or third tour student. What ever mom is comfortable with is perfect. You know your student and your level of comfort with the material.
First class got really into the lesson and we had a blast taking our rough drafts and thinking of great hook openers. It was great to see moms working with their students and to hear the different ideas that were coming from everyone's imagination. It was also a lot of fun to hear your ideas on how to mix in medieval words.
Second class said they were set to go so we jumped into the vocabulary word search. They did really well! I was very impressed. Nearly everyone finished it. First class, I handed yours to you on the way out the door so that you can do yours at home.
Final papers are due next week and we will have everyone read their papers and work on public speaking skills. Next semester we jump head first into creative writing. Let's beef up our oral presentation skills so that reading those super fun papers is really exciting!
We also want to get a jump start on practicing for the Medieval Dinner. If you are not participating in that, you are invited to come in costume next week and strut your stuff! Your hard work needs its chance on stage too. :)
We will meet Thursday November 21 at 2pm (attention: This time may change but I will let you know if it does.)at Westside for a dress rehearsal. Please come in street clothes and bring your costume and a snack or two. Matt and Brie will be on hand to run through rehearsals with us so that we can get really comfortable in our skin in front of the crowd. Character development, stage business (what to do with your hands on stage), speaking from your diaphragm, and a little bit of fun and relaxing in character will make for a fun filled but productive afternoon. I am also hoping to have some theatre students from Guilford come to help fix the girls' hair!
We will dress for the show and walk across to Christ Community as a group. I know some of you have some conflicts during the day and will need to leave but the intent of this time is to really let the students have some genuine rehearsal time with a bit of coaching tossed in. Don't worry, they will get some down time to eat and dress and relax before "curtain" too!
Moms, once you drop them off, please consider wandering across to Christ Community to help Shelley, Amy, Patrice, Cynthia, and Sherry set up and decorate. These ladies have gone above and beyond to make this evening unforgettable for the classes and I am so grateful to all of them! JonVarnell will already be smoking the meat for dinner as well so please take a moment to say thank you. This is an amazing team.
I would also like to say a big giant THANK YOU to Karen and her team for putting together a wonderful Marble Jar party! These students have worked so hard this semester to earn this treat.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me. I am here to help.
Your children are such blessings and I am humbled and grateful to have been a part of your first semester.
Melissa
Today in class we reviewed introductory paragraphs as well as conclusion paragraphs. We went through some very specific types of "Hook" openers and talked thorugh some examples. We also talked about using the pronoun "I" to turn our report into a first person story and went over some medieval words that we can sprinkle in to make our report sound a bit more "of the time period."
Several of you asked if the paper was due in first person or third person form. Over the years it's been done many ways. Some people write the report itself in third person and then present it in first person but that is a tricky task unless you're a second or third tour student. What ever mom is comfortable with is perfect. You know your student and your level of comfort with the material.
First class got really into the lesson and we had a blast taking our rough drafts and thinking of great hook openers. It was great to see moms working with their students and to hear the different ideas that were coming from everyone's imagination. It was also a lot of fun to hear your ideas on how to mix in medieval words.
Second class said they were set to go so we jumped into the vocabulary word search. They did really well! I was very impressed. Nearly everyone finished it. First class, I handed yours to you on the way out the door so that you can do yours at home.
Final papers are due next week and we will have everyone read their papers and work on public speaking skills. Next semester we jump head first into creative writing. Let's beef up our oral presentation skills so that reading those super fun papers is really exciting!
We also want to get a jump start on practicing for the Medieval Dinner. If you are not participating in that, you are invited to come in costume next week and strut your stuff! Your hard work needs its chance on stage too. :)
We will meet Thursday November 21 at 2pm (attention: This time may change but I will let you know if it does.)at Westside for a dress rehearsal. Please come in street clothes and bring your costume and a snack or two. Matt and Brie will be on hand to run through rehearsals with us so that we can get really comfortable in our skin in front of the crowd. Character development, stage business (what to do with your hands on stage), speaking from your diaphragm, and a little bit of fun and relaxing in character will make for a fun filled but productive afternoon. I am also hoping to have some theatre students from Guilford come to help fix the girls' hair!
We will dress for the show and walk across to Christ Community as a group. I know some of you have some conflicts during the day and will need to leave but the intent of this time is to really let the students have some genuine rehearsal time with a bit of coaching tossed in. Don't worry, they will get some down time to eat and dress and relax before "curtain" too!
Moms, once you drop them off, please consider wandering across to Christ Community to help Shelley, Amy, Patrice, Cynthia, and Sherry set up and decorate. These ladies have gone above and beyond to make this evening unforgettable for the classes and I am so grateful to all of them! JonVarnell will already be smoking the meat for dinner as well so please take a moment to say thank you. This is an amazing team.
I would also like to say a big giant THANK YOU to Karen and her team for putting together a wonderful Marble Jar party! These students have worked so hard this semester to earn this treat.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me. I am here to help.
Your children are such blessings and I am humbled and grateful to have been a part of your first semester.
Melissa
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
IEW-Week 10
Can you believe it? It's party time! A semester of hard work has paid off and our marble jar is full.
This week, continue to work on your FOH report. Many of you were able to bring in some rough draft paragraphs to dress up and first class got to play around with ideas a bit. Second class, we got a bit off track discussing colons and bibliographies but they were conversations well had.
Just to second the conclusion we came to in class, the colon is used when the second independent clause seems to confirm or explain what the first independent clause says. The semi-colon is used when the two independent clauses are closely related. I've Googled it again and every source seems to follow a variation of this. It does seem to be splitting hairs in some cases. THIS LINK from UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center has a wealth of information about all things grammar. It also addresses the topic of whether or not to capitalize the first letter after a colon (either way is correct) and mentions some common incorrect colon usage.
This same site also has MLA bibliography information. Here is a link to the EasyBib site we talked about in class. I highly recommend that you allow your student to work through the process with you as much as is appropriate for their age/skill level. Afterwards, you can plug it into EasyBib to double check. Please let me know if you need any help with this. remember, no crying in Essentials!
If your student is first year, please do not allow these details to take the joy out of this fun assignment. I am concerned that for some, the topics we covered in class this week may overwhelm them. They do not need to use colons or semi-colons in each paragraph unless they find it fun. These punctuation rules are to stretch the skill level of the second and third tour students who are moving into Challenge not to frighten the first year students. However, it is a fun way to change up the sentence structures when they are ready.
Next week, bring your 3 rough draft body paragraphs and some ideas for introductory and concluding paragraphs. We will discuss how to make our reports first person and include some words from the time period to make it sound authentic! If you don't get all 3 done, bring what you have.
I still have not heard from some of you about a head count for dinner. We are trying to get food ordered next Tuesday evening so :) please, let me know as soon as you can. Also, if you have anything medieval-ish in your home that you would be willing to let us borrow for the evening, let me know: flameless candles, tapestries, fleur-de-lis decorations that might be appropriate, catapults or other presentation visuals from weeks past, ya know, that family suit of armor you keep for use when the castle gets attacked... hehehe, yep. They do exist in the closets of some of us!
Have a blessed week!
Melissa
This week, continue to work on your FOH report. Many of you were able to bring in some rough draft paragraphs to dress up and first class got to play around with ideas a bit. Second class, we got a bit off track discussing colons and bibliographies but they were conversations well had.
Just to second the conclusion we came to in class, the colon is used when the second independent clause seems to confirm or explain what the first independent clause says. The semi-colon is used when the two independent clauses are closely related. I've Googled it again and every source seems to follow a variation of this. It does seem to be splitting hairs in some cases. THIS LINK from UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center has a wealth of information about all things grammar. It also addresses the topic of whether or not to capitalize the first letter after a colon (either way is correct) and mentions some common incorrect colon usage.
This same site also has MLA bibliography information. Here is a link to the EasyBib site we talked about in class. I highly recommend that you allow your student to work through the process with you as much as is appropriate for their age/skill level. Afterwards, you can plug it into EasyBib to double check. Please let me know if you need any help with this. remember, no crying in Essentials!
If your student is first year, please do not allow these details to take the joy out of this fun assignment. I am concerned that for some, the topics we covered in class this week may overwhelm them. They do not need to use colons or semi-colons in each paragraph unless they find it fun. These punctuation rules are to stretch the skill level of the second and third tour students who are moving into Challenge not to frighten the first year students. However, it is a fun way to change up the sentence structures when they are ready.
Next week, bring your 3 rough draft body paragraphs and some ideas for introductory and concluding paragraphs. We will discuss how to make our reports first person and include some words from the time period to make it sound authentic! If you don't get all 3 done, bring what you have.
I still have not heard from some of you about a head count for dinner. We are trying to get food ordered next Tuesday evening so :) please, let me know as soon as you can. Also, if you have anything medieval-ish in your home that you would be willing to let us borrow for the evening, let me know: flameless candles, tapestries, fleur-de-lis decorations that might be appropriate, catapults or other presentation visuals from weeks past, ya know, that family suit of armor you keep for use when the castle gets attacked... hehehe, yep. They do exist in the closets of some of us!
Have a blessed week!
Melissa
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
IEW- Week 9
It was so wonderful to hear such fabulous reports! I just love the days when we can hear their papers in their own voice and see their eyes sparkle when they read something that they just know they wrote extra special! For me, this is the icing on the IEW cake. It is my fervent hope to have time next week to let the rest of the classes read their papers.
Yea!- we kicked off our Faces of History report. Hopefully, the extra handout packet will help you walk through the process at home. Please feel free to shoot me an email about anything that puts a hitch in things. Time in class is so short and there are always more questions than we have time to get to.
This report is a culmination of everything that we have done in class so far with an added twist. When the paper itself is written, we will use it as the basis for a first person monologue. Ideally the graduating students will be so familiar with their own work that they only need keyword notes on note cards to present it. Of course this is way too high of an expectation for the younger and more shy students so don't let this scare you or them! It goes back to the one room school house idea of letting the younger children see what the bigger kiddos can do and be inspired to work towards those goals. As I said in class, we will work on this together on week 11 and 12. I know that for many adults the greatest fear is public speaking so please, please, please communicate with me about this if you have any hesitation or concern. My heart is to inspire each student to be all that they can be and not for one second allow anyone to become fearful or intimidated. I do not ever want my own enthusiasm to become something that brings stress to the tender-hearted students that I so dearly treasure!
So, what to do this week? Nail down your topic if you haven't already and then narrow that down to 3 specific aspects of that topic so that you can then build 3 body paragraphs around those aspects. Begin your research and work on those KWO/Fused outlines. If at all possible, I would love for everyone to bring in at least one rough draft paragraph next week so that we can spend some class time working on dress-ups and sentence openers. Also, if everyone has their bibliography information with them, we can work on that too. Because the bib. info. is not given to you in an easy to use format like it was for the Knights report it may be more difficult to sort and use so I would love to be able to work together on it.
Here is a thumbnail of my intended class time for the next 3 weeks:
Week 10- work on adding dress-ups and sentence openers on our rough draft body paragraphs and begin working on our bibliographies BRING: AT LEAST ONE ROUGH DRAFT PARAGRAPH AND AS MANY REFERENCES AS YOU HAVE
Week 11- work on turning our research paper into a first person oral report and talk about creative/dramatic introductions and conclusions BRING: YOUR ROUGH DRAFT PAPER WITH INTRO/CONCLUSION IDEAS
Week 12- work on public speaking skills and practice reading our papers with dramatic flair BRING: YOUR FINISHED REPORT (You are still free to make adjustments if you would like to.)
Thursday November 21: If at all possible, I would love to have a dress rehearsal with the students at 2:00 at Christ Community. Dinner will begin at 6:00 :) We need a head count ASAP so we can make arrangements for food. A family meal that serves 4-6 depending on your appetite will be $10. The menu includes rustic bread, roasted chicken, vegetables, and dessert.
Don't forget to think about costume ideas!
Here's the list of chosen topics:
Andrew: The Bard
Sydney: Robin Hood and Maid Marian
Jessica: Queen Elizabeth I
Zoe Zielny: Feudalism ?
Rachel: Catherine of Aragon
Abbey Stewart: Isabella of Spain or Eleanor of Aquitaine
Will: Charlemagne ?
Luke: Castles
Ginny: Genghis khan
Abigail: Elizabeth Woodvill
Jennings: Medieval fashion
Sarah mackenzie: Medieval Entertainment
Mary Blake: Architecture
Grace: Marco Polo
Abby Stegall: Shakespeare
Hannah: Napoleon Bonaparte
Jeremy: the Hundreds Year War
Jacob: Medieval Food
We ended up with many personal letters to go into our Indonesia care package and we raised $61! What isn't needed to mail this package will be set aside for the next one. It will be so exciting to get a response from around the world! Click here to read the latest update from their blog. Do be sensitive in leaving comments as we mentioned in class.
See you next week, can you believe we are nearing the end of our first semester together?
Melissa
Yea!- we kicked off our Faces of History report. Hopefully, the extra handout packet will help you walk through the process at home. Please feel free to shoot me an email about anything that puts a hitch in things. Time in class is so short and there are always more questions than we have time to get to.
This report is a culmination of everything that we have done in class so far with an added twist. When the paper itself is written, we will use it as the basis for a first person monologue. Ideally the graduating students will be so familiar with their own work that they only need keyword notes on note cards to present it. Of course this is way too high of an expectation for the younger and more shy students so don't let this scare you or them! It goes back to the one room school house idea of letting the younger children see what the bigger kiddos can do and be inspired to work towards those goals. As I said in class, we will work on this together on week 11 and 12. I know that for many adults the greatest fear is public speaking so please, please, please communicate with me about this if you have any hesitation or concern. My heart is to inspire each student to be all that they can be and not for one second allow anyone to become fearful or intimidated. I do not ever want my own enthusiasm to become something that brings stress to the tender-hearted students that I so dearly treasure!
So, what to do this week? Nail down your topic if you haven't already and then narrow that down to 3 specific aspects of that topic so that you can then build 3 body paragraphs around those aspects. Begin your research and work on those KWO/Fused outlines. If at all possible, I would love for everyone to bring in at least one rough draft paragraph next week so that we can spend some class time working on dress-ups and sentence openers. Also, if everyone has their bibliography information with them, we can work on that too. Because the bib. info. is not given to you in an easy to use format like it was for the Knights report it may be more difficult to sort and use so I would love to be able to work together on it.
Here is a thumbnail of my intended class time for the next 3 weeks:
Week 10- work on adding dress-ups and sentence openers on our rough draft body paragraphs and begin working on our bibliographies BRING: AT LEAST ONE ROUGH DRAFT PARAGRAPH AND AS MANY REFERENCES AS YOU HAVE
Week 11- work on turning our research paper into a first person oral report and talk about creative/dramatic introductions and conclusions BRING: YOUR ROUGH DRAFT PAPER WITH INTRO/CONCLUSION IDEAS
Week 12- work on public speaking skills and practice reading our papers with dramatic flair BRING: YOUR FINISHED REPORT (You are still free to make adjustments if you would like to.)
Thursday November 21: If at all possible, I would love to have a dress rehearsal with the students at 2:00 at Christ Community. Dinner will begin at 6:00 :) We need a head count ASAP so we can make arrangements for food. A family meal that serves 4-6 depending on your appetite will be $10. The menu includes rustic bread, roasted chicken, vegetables, and dessert.
Don't forget to think about costume ideas!
Here's the list of chosen topics:
Andrew: The Bard
Sydney: Robin Hood and Maid Marian
Jessica: Queen Elizabeth I
Zoe Zielny: Feudalism ?
Rachel: Catherine of Aragon
Abbey Stewart: Isabella of Spain or Eleanor of Aquitaine
Will: Charlemagne ?
Luke: Castles
Ginny: Genghis khan
Abigail: Elizabeth Woodvill
Jennings: Medieval fashion
Sarah mackenzie: Medieval Entertainment
Mary Blake: Architecture
Grace: Marco Polo
Abby Stegall: Shakespeare
Hannah: Napoleon Bonaparte
Jeremy: the Hundreds Year War
Jacob: Medieval Food
We ended up with many personal letters to go into our Indonesia care package and we raised $61! What isn't needed to mail this package will be set aside for the next one. It will be so exciting to get a response from around the world! Click here to read the latest update from their blog. Do be sensitive in leaving comments as we mentioned in class.
See you next week, can you believe we are nearing the end of our first semester together?
Melissa
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
IEW -Week 8
Sorry this post is a bit late. We had some family needs to tend to but I didn't forget about you!
We certainly got a lot done in class this week!
Let's start with the important things first:
*PAPER DUE NEXT WEEK: introductory paragraph, 3 body paragraphs on 3 topics (A is on Duties/Purposes of a Knight, B and C are student choice), conclusion paragraph and be sure to include a bibliography!
This paper encompasses everything we've learned in lessons #10-13. In class I only briefly mentioned lesson #13 (how to do a bibliography). If it's been awhile since you've done one, it's clearly shown in a labeled example on p. 89. Each of the source texts include fictional bibliographic information for them to use. Please email me with any questions and I will be happy to walk you through it!
A few extra tidbits of import:
Yea! We got our class letters to Indonesia written and I was absolutely thrilled by the wonderful thoughts that went into them! A multitude of thanks to the moms who took pictures. If you will please email them to me, I will put them with the appropriate letters. The moms in the first class talked it over and we think that printing the letters out so that the students can sign them next week will still allow us the time we need to get the package in the mail in time for Christmas.
So, you can still write personal letters and contribute money. We accumulated $12.45, not bad! That's almost half-way to the $30 VCR sized box and we have several people that wanted to donate. Remember, 4 marbles for any letters and 4 marbles for any donation! ;)
Speaking of marbles, we're nearly there and we want to get our party in soon so I'll be giving marbles away left and right..... hmmmmm, how about 2 marbles for every paper turned in with a picture on it? They still get 1 marble each for turning in a paper and for saying the admission ticket.
Lesson #13- p. 90 has a grammar practice exercise about semicolons. This is certainly not a requirement but if you feel the need for extra help it's there.
If you would, leave a comment on the blog with their FOH paper topic. I would like to formally announce it next week so that we can make sure that we have as little overlap as possible.
It's easy to leave a comment and it keeps it all in one place. Just click on the heading of the subscription email and it will take you to the actual blog post. Then, click on "leave a comment." You can leave it anonymously (with your name signed in the comment box) if you don't have a google account.
To review what we did in class:
Lesson #12 is all about taking the 3 paragraphs that you've already written and adding an introductory paragraph at the beginning and a conclusion paragraph at the end. We dissected what each one looks like and talked through the mirror imaging of it all. The book gives some really good instruction (pp. 82-83) on this if you are a bit lost but as always, I really am here to help so please don't shy away from asking.
Don't forget to put it in MLA format and to check off the Final Checklist and label in the margins!
I've really enjoyed reading everyone's papers. This is a talented group with lots of style. Their papers have made me laugh, look up words on the internet, and shake my head in amusement at their word choices (primarily the boys - blood and guts everywhere! Girls are very "frilly" even when writing about war!).
These children are a joy and a blessing. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of being a part of their Tuesday afternoons!
Have a great week,
Melissa
We certainly got a lot done in class this week!
Let's start with the important things first:
*PAPER DUE NEXT WEEK: introductory paragraph, 3 body paragraphs on 3 topics (A is on Duties/Purposes of a Knight, B and C are student choice), conclusion paragraph and be sure to include a bibliography!
This paper encompasses everything we've learned in lessons #10-13. In class I only briefly mentioned lesson #13 (how to do a bibliography). If it's been awhile since you've done one, it's clearly shown in a labeled example on p. 89. Each of the source texts include fictional bibliographic information for them to use. Please email me with any questions and I will be happy to walk you through it!
A few extra tidbits of import:
Yea! We got our class letters to Indonesia written and I was absolutely thrilled by the wonderful thoughts that went into them! A multitude of thanks to the moms who took pictures. If you will please email them to me, I will put them with the appropriate letters. The moms in the first class talked it over and we think that printing the letters out so that the students can sign them next week will still allow us the time we need to get the package in the mail in time for Christmas.
So, you can still write personal letters and contribute money. We accumulated $12.45, not bad! That's almost half-way to the $30 VCR sized box and we have several people that wanted to donate. Remember, 4 marbles for any letters and 4 marbles for any donation! ;)
Speaking of marbles, we're nearly there and we want to get our party in soon so I'll be giving marbles away left and right..... hmmmmm, how about 2 marbles for every paper turned in with a picture on it? They still get 1 marble each for turning in a paper and for saying the admission ticket.
Lesson #13- p. 90 has a grammar practice exercise about semicolons. This is certainly not a requirement but if you feel the need for extra help it's there.
If you would, leave a comment on the blog with their FOH paper topic. I would like to formally announce it next week so that we can make sure that we have as little overlap as possible.
It's easy to leave a comment and it keeps it all in one place. Just click on the heading of the subscription email and it will take you to the actual blog post. Then, click on "leave a comment." You can leave it anonymously (with your name signed in the comment box) if you don't have a google account.
To review what we did in class:
Lesson #12 is all about taking the 3 paragraphs that you've already written and adding an introductory paragraph at the beginning and a conclusion paragraph at the end. We dissected what each one looks like and talked through the mirror imaging of it all. The book gives some really good instruction (pp. 82-83) on this if you are a bit lost but as always, I really am here to help so please don't shy away from asking.
Don't forget to put it in MLA format and to check off the Final Checklist and label in the margins!
I've really enjoyed reading everyone's papers. This is a talented group with lots of style. Their papers have made me laugh, look up words on the internet, and shake my head in amusement at their word choices (primarily the boys - blood and guts everywhere! Girls are very "frilly" even when writing about war!).
These children are a joy and a blessing. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of being a part of their Tuesday afternoons!
Have a great week,
Melissa
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
IEW-Week 7
Shout out to Mrs. Gains, last year's IEW tutor, who keeps up with us through our blog! We love and miss you!
Despite the picture chaos we managed to get in almost all of the review of the grammar rules and vocabulary thus far. Second class even got to a little bit of letter writing! I'm wracked with guilt over not completing those letters and I apologize profusely. :( This week was a "breather week" and I tried to cram in too much. Don't forget that you have a grammar review quiz in your hands to use if you choose. ;)
Next week we will write some class letters to Indonesia and collect money for their Christmas package. If any student (or mom) wants to send a personal letter covered in stickers and drawings is highly encourage you to do so. We want to establish a relationship with this English Language Club so that they will have someone to connect with when they write letters back. We will send them another box with letters and goodies in February so putting names and faces together soon is an incredible blessing for us and them.
Along those lines, address the letter to "The English Language Club" and keep in mind that we cannot jeopardize their situation by referring to them as missionaries or mentioning the work they are doing for the Kingdom. You can tell them about your church life or similar things about yourself. Honestly, I'm not sure how close we can walk that boundary and I do not want to create a potential "situation" for them so I suggest in this first letter to keep to the weather as they say in the South. Please also think about including pictures of you and your life. It can be as simple as printing it off of your computer! Along those lines, moms with smartphones, can you help me get some pictures of the class next week?
Now, on to the assignment: Lesson #11 is for you to keep on keeping on with the mini-research report. There is NO NEW INFORMATION (thus the reason why we could double back over our grammar rules and vocabulary). Make sure that this week you complete all 3 paragraphs. Topic A was what we did last week (Duties/Purposes of a Knight), Topics B and C are of your choosing. Go back in your mind to the list we made on the board on the topic of each paragraph in both source texts. You can choose from any of them. If you choose a topic that only has one source text, find a source of your own so that you can practice fusing 2 sources together.
Next week we will tackle Lessons #12 and #13. I highly recommend that you read ahead a bit. We will cover introductory/ conclusion paragraphs or sentences and how to do a bibliography. Then, our reports will be complete and ready to turn in.
THINK AHEAD:
-The faces of History Dinner Theatre is coming! Choose your topic and costume.
-It is tentatively scheduled for Thursday November 21.
-Everyone is welcomed to come for a medieval style feast that will showcase not only our Essentials students but also some Challenge 1 and 3 students who are also working on Shakespeare projects!
-Anyone that has a bent or interest in this type of event is heartily welcomed to join forces to make this fabulous!
-Don't forget to chip in a few dollars for our Indonesian Care Package!
Here are some links:
To the Indonesian Travel and Tourism website
To the blog for the Knott family
The blog has some funny stories and beautiful pictures as well as enlightening information about the people they are working with.
Have an amazing week and please, please contact me with any questions. Yesterday seemed a bit unorthodox and I'm concerned I may not have been able to answer questions properly.
Melissa
Despite the picture chaos we managed to get in almost all of the review of the grammar rules and vocabulary thus far. Second class even got to a little bit of letter writing! I'm wracked with guilt over not completing those letters and I apologize profusely. :( This week was a "breather week" and I tried to cram in too much. Don't forget that you have a grammar review quiz in your hands to use if you choose. ;)
Next week we will write some class letters to Indonesia and collect money for their Christmas package. If any student (or mom) wants to send a personal letter covered in stickers and drawings is highly encourage you to do so. We want to establish a relationship with this English Language Club so that they will have someone to connect with when they write letters back. We will send them another box with letters and goodies in February so putting names and faces together soon is an incredible blessing for us and them.
Along those lines, address the letter to "The English Language Club" and keep in mind that we cannot jeopardize their situation by referring to them as missionaries or mentioning the work they are doing for the Kingdom. You can tell them about your church life or similar things about yourself. Honestly, I'm not sure how close we can walk that boundary and I do not want to create a potential "situation" for them so I suggest in this first letter to keep to the weather as they say in the South. Please also think about including pictures of you and your life. It can be as simple as printing it off of your computer! Along those lines, moms with smartphones, can you help me get some pictures of the class next week?
Now, on to the assignment: Lesson #11 is for you to keep on keeping on with the mini-research report. There is NO NEW INFORMATION (thus the reason why we could double back over our grammar rules and vocabulary). Make sure that this week you complete all 3 paragraphs. Topic A was what we did last week (Duties/Purposes of a Knight), Topics B and C are of your choosing. Go back in your mind to the list we made on the board on the topic of each paragraph in both source texts. You can choose from any of them. If you choose a topic that only has one source text, find a source of your own so that you can practice fusing 2 sources together.
Next week we will tackle Lessons #12 and #13. I highly recommend that you read ahead a bit. We will cover introductory/ conclusion paragraphs or sentences and how to do a bibliography. Then, our reports will be complete and ready to turn in.
THINK AHEAD:
-The faces of History Dinner Theatre is coming! Choose your topic and costume.
-It is tentatively scheduled for Thursday November 21.
-Everyone is welcomed to come for a medieval style feast that will showcase not only our Essentials students but also some Challenge 1 and 3 students who are also working on Shakespeare projects!
-Anyone that has a bent or interest in this type of event is heartily welcomed to join forces to make this fabulous!
-Don't forget to chip in a few dollars for our Indonesian Care Package!
Here are some links:
To the Indonesian Travel and Tourism website
To the blog for the Knott family
The blog has some funny stories and beautiful pictures as well as enlightening information about the people they are working with.
Have an amazing week and please, please contact me with any questions. Yesterday seemed a bit unorthodox and I'm concerned I may not have been able to answer questions properly.
Melissa
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
IEW-Week 6
Let the fun begin!This 3 week mini-research paper is a great warm up to our Faces of History report.
It will serve us all well if we moms read through lessons 10-13 right now before this project gets underway. It helps with the planning when you know where you're going!
Here's the Cliff Notes version:
THIS WEEK: Lesson #10: KWO/Fused Outline/Rough draft Topic A: Purposes/Duties of a Knight. The two source texts in the book give you all of the information that you need.
NEXT WEEK: Lesson #11: KWO/Fused Outline/Rough draft Topics B and C (student choice). Level B has the option to find an additional source text and choose a topic that isn't fully covered in the book.... remember the list we made on the board?
THE FOLLOWING WEEK: Lessons #12, 13: Introductory/ Conclusion paragraphs (Level B) or sentences (Level A) and bibliography.
Don't forget to go over the extra grammar rules about possessive pronouns and apostrophes and pronoun singular/plural agreement. Extra practice is in the back of the student book. You'll find it on the white pages that are NOT page protected.
Things to think about:
-things to ask our future pen pals in Indonesia and chipping in a few dollars towards a care package
-Thank you Susan Matthews and Rebekkah Stewart for stepping up to help out with our Pen Pal Project.
-what you want to write about for the Faces of History report that will be read at the Medieval Dinner Theatre on the Thursday evening after week 12 (The general public is invited so pass it along.)
-If anyone has any hidden talents that you would like to share, let me know. Shelley Brazinski and Patrice Reeves have stepped up to coordinate this event. We have already begun laying plans in place but we are open to any brainstorms you have and any skills we canexploit benefit from. ;O
-FYI- This is designed to showcase the students and their accomplishments. Please know that they can read a one paragraph report or they can take the full 3-minute allotment and give us a rehearsed in-character first person monologue taken from their FOH report. Whatever makes them comfortable is acceptable. More details will follow but keep this in the back of your mind as you shop the after-Halloween costume sales.
As always, email me with any questions and my lesson plans are available to anyone who wants them.
Have a blessed week!
Melissa
It will serve us all well if we moms read through lessons 10-13 right now before this project gets underway. It helps with the planning when you know where you're going!
Here's the Cliff Notes version:
THIS WEEK: Lesson #10: KWO/Fused Outline/Rough draft Topic A: Purposes/Duties of a Knight. The two source texts in the book give you all of the information that you need.
NEXT WEEK: Lesson #11: KWO/Fused Outline/Rough draft Topics B and C (student choice). Level B has the option to find an additional source text and choose a topic that isn't fully covered in the book.... remember the list we made on the board?
THE FOLLOWING WEEK: Lessons #12, 13: Introductory/ Conclusion paragraphs (Level B) or sentences (Level A) and bibliography.
Don't forget to go over the extra grammar rules about possessive pronouns and apostrophes and pronoun singular/plural agreement. Extra practice is in the back of the student book. You'll find it on the white pages that are NOT page protected.
Things to think about:
-things to ask our future pen pals in Indonesia and chipping in a few dollars towards a care package
-Thank you Susan Matthews and Rebekkah Stewart for stepping up to help out with our Pen Pal Project.
-what you want to write about for the Faces of History report that will be read at the Medieval Dinner Theatre on the Thursday evening after week 12 (The general public is invited so pass it along.)
-If anyone has any hidden talents that you would like to share, let me know. Shelley Brazinski and Patrice Reeves have stepped up to coordinate this event. We have already begun laying plans in place but we are open to any brainstorms you have and any skills we can
-FYI- This is designed to showcase the students and their accomplishments. Please know that they can read a one paragraph report or they can take the full 3-minute allotment and give us a rehearsed in-character first person monologue taken from their FOH report. Whatever makes them comfortable is acceptable. More details will follow but keep this in the back of your mind as you shop the after-Halloween costume sales.
As always, email me with any questions and my lesson plans are available to anyone who wants them.
Have a blessed week!
Melissa
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
IEW-Week 5
This week we start chewing on the big stuff!
The assignment for this week is lesson #9: Fused Outlines from Multiple Sources and who/which clauses.
Don't forget, when you do your KWO for each source, you only need 3-5 facts per source and then you will fuse them together into one paragraph from which you will write your rough draft paragraph. The Fused KWO from which you write your paragraph can have up to 7 facts because every paragraph has 4-7 sentences! Remember to tie it up with a Topic Sentence and Clincher Sentence that repeat and reflect and a really great Title! Illustrations are always great..... hmmmm, sounds like an opportunity for extra marbles doesn't it? :)
Page 66 contains some extra practice for who/which clauses that may be beneficial for first timers. Don't forget, the who/which clause is NOT an interrogative sentence, it is an added snippet of information tucked inside a sentence to make it more clear or more interesting.
This is a warm up/ practice paper while get we our research juices flowing as we move towards the big and bigger papers.
Keep thinking about who or what you want to tackle for our Faces of History Dinner Theatre! It can be a Medieval topic such as "Clothing" or "Weapons" or "Feudal Lifestyles" too.
I was very impressed with how both classes came in and started copying notes! They are getting the hang of it. I'm looking forward to reading the Charlemagne and Viking papers this week.
This is usually the point in the semester when moms start having concerns or ideas or issues that they need addressed so please please, keep in communication with me. I am here to support you and want to wholeheartedly. Please bring me both negative and positive comments and thoughts so that we can work together for the benefit of these precious children.
Have a great week,
Melissa
PS My personal daily lesson plan is available, just email me.
The assignment for this week is lesson #9: Fused Outlines from Multiple Sources and who/which clauses.
Don't forget, when you do your KWO for each source, you only need 3-5 facts per source and then you will fuse them together into one paragraph from which you will write your rough draft paragraph. The Fused KWO from which you write your paragraph can have up to 7 facts because every paragraph has 4-7 sentences! Remember to tie it up with a Topic Sentence and Clincher Sentence that repeat and reflect and a really great Title! Illustrations are always great..... hmmmm, sounds like an opportunity for extra marbles doesn't it? :)
Page 66 contains some extra practice for who/which clauses that may be beneficial for first timers. Don't forget, the who/which clause is NOT an interrogative sentence, it is an added snippet of information tucked inside a sentence to make it more clear or more interesting.
This is a warm up/ practice paper while get we our research juices flowing as we move towards the big and bigger papers.
Keep thinking about who or what you want to tackle for our Faces of History Dinner Theatre! It can be a Medieval topic such as "Clothing" or "Weapons" or "Feudal Lifestyles" too.
I was very impressed with how both classes came in and started copying notes! They are getting the hang of it. I'm looking forward to reading the Charlemagne and Viking papers this week.
This is usually the point in the semester when moms start having concerns or ideas or issues that they need addressed so please please, keep in communication with me. I am here to support you and want to wholeheartedly. Please bring me both negative and positive comments and thoughts so that we can work together for the benefit of these precious children.
Have a great week,
Melissa
PS My personal daily lesson plan is available, just email me.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
IEW-Week 4
What an exciting-in-a-circle kind of day! My sincere apologies to Ryan- hehehe- I'm just going to have to find an analogy that doesn't make him cringe! But we managed to keep our peanut butter and jelly separate from our tuna fish and still combine them into one cohesive paper!
If the concept is still a bit fuzzy, please check in with me. It is quite a doozy to grasp the first time around. Just to sum it up:
The Introductory sentence comes first and tells the reader a one or two word summary of every point that the report will discuss. The Topic sentence of the first paragraph comes second and introduces the focus point of the first paragraph. Then we get to the 4 -7 facts that the first paragraph is about. Last, the first paragraph Clincher sentence repeats or reflects 2 -3 key words from the Topic (not Introductory) sentence.
The second paragraph opens with its own Topic sentence. That is followed by 4 - 7 facts and details supporting its topic. It is finished off with a Clincher sentence that repeats or reflects 2-3 words from its Topic sentence. Then the whole report is summed up with a Final Clincher sentence that repeats or reflects 2-3 words from the Introductory sentence at the very beginning of the report.
Does that help? It is a lot of repeating and reflecting but it drills the structure into them until it becomes second nature and they begin to write really well done papers.
This week's assignment is to add in your Introductory/Final Clincher sentences and edit anything that doesn't sit quite right with you. THIS IS IMPORTANT: I totally forgot to say in class that on the Checklist for Charlemagne, #3 and #6 is not listed! Up to you moms, but I think it should be added in and required because it is teaching them to vary their sentence patterns and structure.
Also, we ran out of time to read the sample story on pg 50 in the book. It's a great idea to have them read that before they dive in. Even though they helped me edit "My Story" a second look at the intended end product may prove useful.
Thank you, thank you Mrs Bate for the doughnuts! Yum!
Don't forget that you have some excellent resources in your pocket to reinforce what we're learning in class: read the lessons in the book, study the charts, drill the flashcards, quiz the Memory Work just like you do for EEL. Focus on getting the structure and style and not necessarily the paper. The paper will come once the tools are learned. Always cut down the assignment (or add to) to fit the needs of your student. We are creating a toolbox of skills to use for life not a noose to hang ourselves with when life becomes... life. :) If... when you find that your week gets hairy, boil it down to the basics!
As always, email me, email me, email me when questions come up!
Have a great week and if you are interested in my personal weekly checklist, email me and I'll get it to you.
Melissa
If the concept is still a bit fuzzy, please check in with me. It is quite a doozy to grasp the first time around. Just to sum it up:
The Introductory sentence comes first and tells the reader a one or two word summary of every point that the report will discuss. The Topic sentence of the first paragraph comes second and introduces the focus point of the first paragraph. Then we get to the 4 -7 facts that the first paragraph is about. Last, the first paragraph Clincher sentence repeats or reflects 2 -3 key words from the Topic (not Introductory) sentence.
The second paragraph opens with its own Topic sentence. That is followed by 4 - 7 facts and details supporting its topic. It is finished off with a Clincher sentence that repeats or reflects 2-3 words from its Topic sentence. Then the whole report is summed up with a Final Clincher sentence that repeats or reflects 2-3 words from the Introductory sentence at the very beginning of the report.
Does that help? It is a lot of repeating and reflecting but it drills the structure into them until it becomes second nature and they begin to write really well done papers.
This week's assignment is to add in your Introductory/Final Clincher sentences and edit anything that doesn't sit quite right with you. THIS IS IMPORTANT: I totally forgot to say in class that on the Checklist for Charlemagne, #3 and #6 is not listed! Up to you moms, but I think it should be added in and required because it is teaching them to vary their sentence patterns and structure.
Also, we ran out of time to read the sample story on pg 50 in the book. It's a great idea to have them read that before they dive in. Even though they helped me edit "My Story" a second look at the intended end product may prove useful.
Thank you, thank you Mrs Bate for the doughnuts! Yum!
Don't forget that you have some excellent resources in your pocket to reinforce what we're learning in class: read the lessons in the book, study the charts, drill the flashcards, quiz the Memory Work just like you do for EEL. Focus on getting the structure and style and not necessarily the paper. The paper will come once the tools are learned. Always cut down the assignment (or add to) to fit the needs of your student. We are creating a toolbox of skills to use for life not a noose to hang ourselves with when life becomes... life. :) If... when you find that your week gets hairy, boil it down to the basics!
As always, email me, email me, email me when questions come up!
Have a great week and if you are interested in my personal weekly checklist, email me and I'll get it to you.
Melissa
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
IEW-Week 3
Now we're getting to the good stuff.
Today we began Unit 4. This is a short report with an introductory sentence and a conclusion sentence (which we will learn next week) building towards Unit 6, the 5 paragraph report format.
For those of you that were not present in class this week, here's the quick run down:
We covered lessons #6 and #8 in class: summarizing a reference, topic/ clincher sentences that repeat and reflect, -LY sentence openers #3, and VSS #6. Remember: one topic per paragraph, no peanut butter and jelly with tuna fish!
The assignment is to choose A) Do you want to do a report on Charlemagne (lesson #6) OR on the Vikings (lesson #8), B) How many paragraphs do you want to do? Level A is 2 paragraphs, Level B is 3 paragraphs with the option of pulling in your own source text if you have chosen to report on the Vikings.
Moms, if you feel that 2 paragraphs is too much for your student, please do one well written paragraph rather than a rushed or hurried through 2 paragraph report. We are blessed to have some very young and new learners in class. :) Grace abounds! We want everyone to fall in love with the written word NOT begrudge yet another grueling assignment that is beyond their means. On the other hand, for those of you with Level C writers, the sky's the limit! Allow them to chose a subject of interest, find their own source texts, and really dig in! Do try to steer them towards Medieval/ Renaissance history topics.
There is absolutely nothing to turn in next week.
Please work on your rough draft paragraphs this week with the understanding that next week we will cover lesson #7 which teaches them to write an introductory sentence and a conclusion sentence.
Almost everyone got to read in class. Yay! There will be time to read more next week. I enjoyed reading everyone's first papers very much. Talent abounds and it's going to be a wonderful year learning and growing together. Each paper included a "Glow and Grow" comment card. This was a suggestion that I was given at tutor training so I thought I'd give it a try.
Also, I passed out a quick overview of the papers that are due for the rest of the semester. Can you believe that we only have 4 papers left? My goodness the semester will just fly by. If you did not get this handout, let me know.
Take a moment with your student to talk about the library research paper that will become our Faces of History dinner theatre presentation at the end of the semester. Any topic is acceptable including a general class of people (such as "Monks of the Middle Ages"), a specific person ("Joan of Arc"), or a field of interest ( "Weapons"). The world is their oyster to explore and discover! This is a great opportunity to integrate subjects by having them begin their research and practice doing it in bits and pieces through Foundations presentations or having them choose a topic from a history sentence or science question. Work smarter not harder, right? If this paper is causing confusion or concern for you, please let me know. For more information read p. 93 in the IEW History student book. It says that we "may spend two weeks on this lesson" however, we will be spending four. This is a very important skill to learn and we will spend time working with it.
Have a blessed week!
Melissa
Today we began Unit 4. This is a short report with an introductory sentence and a conclusion sentence (which we will learn next week) building towards Unit 6, the 5 paragraph report format.
For those of you that were not present in class this week, here's the quick run down:
We covered lessons #6 and #8 in class: summarizing a reference, topic/ clincher sentences that repeat and reflect, -LY sentence openers #3, and VSS #6. Remember: one topic per paragraph, no peanut butter and jelly with tuna fish!
The assignment is to choose A) Do you want to do a report on Charlemagne (lesson #6) OR on the Vikings (lesson #8), B) How many paragraphs do you want to do? Level A is 2 paragraphs, Level B is 3 paragraphs with the option of pulling in your own source text if you have chosen to report on the Vikings.
Moms, if you feel that 2 paragraphs is too much for your student, please do one well written paragraph rather than a rushed or hurried through 2 paragraph report. We are blessed to have some very young and new learners in class. :) Grace abounds! We want everyone to fall in love with the written word NOT begrudge yet another grueling assignment that is beyond their means. On the other hand, for those of you with Level C writers, the sky's the limit! Allow them to chose a subject of interest, find their own source texts, and really dig in! Do try to steer them towards Medieval/ Renaissance history topics.
There is absolutely nothing to turn in next week.
Please work on your rough draft paragraphs this week with the understanding that next week we will cover lesson #7 which teaches them to write an introductory sentence and a conclusion sentence.
Almost everyone got to read in class. Yay! There will be time to read more next week. I enjoyed reading everyone's first papers very much. Talent abounds and it's going to be a wonderful year learning and growing together. Each paper included a "Glow and Grow" comment card. This was a suggestion that I was given at tutor training so I thought I'd give it a try.
Also, I passed out a quick overview of the papers that are due for the rest of the semester. Can you believe that we only have 4 papers left? My goodness the semester will just fly by. If you did not get this handout, let me know.
Take a moment with your student to talk about the library research paper that will become our Faces of History dinner theatre presentation at the end of the semester. Any topic is acceptable including a general class of people (such as "Monks of the Middle Ages"), a specific person ("Joan of Arc"), or a field of interest ( "Weapons"). The world is their oyster to explore and discover! This is a great opportunity to integrate subjects by having them begin their research and practice doing it in bits and pieces through Foundations presentations or having them choose a topic from a history sentence or science question. Work smarter not harder, right? If this paper is causing confusion or concern for you, please let me know. For more information read p. 93 in the IEW History student book. It says that we "may spend two weeks on this lesson" however, we will be spending four. This is a very important skill to learn and we will spend time working with it.
Have a blessed week!
Melissa
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
IEW- Week 2
Emotions, Senses, and Titles From Clinchers- Oh my!
Did you catch the commas in a series? :)
Here is the assignment for this week: Mohammed and Islam
Level A: one paragraph paper p. 32
Level B: two paragraph paper pp. 32, 33
Level C: three paragraph paper pp. 32, 33, 34
* Everyone can use the Final Checklist from p. 40, simply do not checkoff the boxes for the paragraphs you are not doing. Even though it doesn't say to include a picture, pictures always make a paper more exciting.
Mom should fill out the checklist. I DO NOT GRADE PAPERS. I do receive them and read them and return them with a "Glow and Grow" comment card. You, as the teacher, are in complete control of the grade your child receives. I am here to encourage you and your child and provide positive feedback.
I realize that today we focused more on dress-ups and details instead of talking through the assignment. This week's paper is similar in process to last week's paper so no further explanation was needed. It is still: KWO, re-tell orally, rough draft, dress-up, edit with mom, MLA, illustrate, print out. If you have any concerns or questions or need any clarity to help you through this week, please let me know.
Many of you kept in contact with me last week and it was great. Never, ever feel guilty for emailing me as much as it takes for you to grasp the concepts in this class. I am very much here to help you and want to see you get as much as possible out of this year.
Take advantage of every opportunity you have in conversation this week to point out how sense words and emotion verbs make conversation more clear. Hopefully our KitKat demonstration not only tortured them ;) but made the point about the value and the power of careful description. Don't forget to talk about how the atmosphere of various places/situations can be described using all the words we talked about.
We did not go over the vocabulary words specifically this week but the vocab quizzes for the whole year were passed out. See me if you did not get one. Also, please note that they are free to use any vocab word at any time. They do NOT have to use them in order of the lesson numbers. The more they use them, the more they will become familiar with the meanings.
If a clincher sentence is a vague concept for you (1st tour folks) don't worry about it. We will be getting into that next week. For your purposes right now, it is simply the last line of the paper. Remember that we talked about the clincher sentence and the title making a circle around the paper to wrap it up in one cohesive package! Let them have fun and run with this idea!
If you would like my personal lesson plan to use this week for your own children, email me. This lesson plan is designed to be simple enough for Level B and C students to use it on their own if mom so chooses. I'm eventually going to learn how to embed it in the blog post so that all you have to do is click on it but it's a work in progress.
Many thanks to Rhonda Thurmond and Sherry Dula for stepping up to be my "Admission Ticket Moms." Each week I will have the same station set up for students to say their ticket, hand in their paper, and to receive any handouts I have for the week.
Have a blessed week!
Melissa
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
IEW -Week 1
And they're off.....
In class we talked about the components of writing a "Short Report." This makes a great foundation for anything you are studying with your student and comes in handy when working on those presentations we all do for Foundations!
The basic steps are: KWO (key word outline) any source text at or below reading level, verbally re-tell the story or information, rewrite it in your own words, and add in dress-ups.
The dress-ups that we learned today were Vocabulary Words, Quality Adjectives, Strong Verbs, and -Ly words. These are all the pretty colored pages in the student binders. If you need any help, read back through your Medieval History Student Book lessons #1 and #2. Let me know if I can clarify or answer questions.
The assignment this week is from lesson #2 (we did #1 together in class). Level A students need only do the first paragraph. Level B and C students can tackle both paragraphs and even add on their own outside sources (just be sure to include a bibliography). If you didn't grab the Final Checklist handout, you can photocopy page 20 from the book. All MLA notation information is on p. 18 of your book and in the IEW chart section in the student binder. Please put the finished paper plus the checklist in a page protector to hand in.
FYI for this week:
-The Faces of History Dinner theatre is coming! Start thinking about a character and costume but remember, this can be as simple as reading your favorite paragraph from any assignment this semester while wearing an outfit of your choosing. This is designed to be a fun opportunity to show off for the students not a pressure creating situation for mom or student!
-Our Pen Pal Program will get cranking this month. We have a wonderful opportunity to "pass notes" with classes in Nicaragua and Indonesia. These students are working on their English and would love some practical application. We will also be able to send some care packages as well. Details coming, but get excited now!
-The checklist says to include a picture of Hagia Sofia. If something else tickles their fancy it's okay to draw that instead. It can also be a "copy and paste" picture from the internet.
-Sadly, we ran out of time to go over the comma worksheets in the student binders and exercises within the lessons. This will be of great help to you if you have time to squeeze it in at home. I will try again to squeeze it in next week.
Reminder from Andrew Pudewa:
In class we talked about the components of writing a "Short Report." This makes a great foundation for anything you are studying with your student and comes in handy when working on those presentations we all do for Foundations!
The basic steps are: KWO (key word outline) any source text at or below reading level, verbally re-tell the story or information, rewrite it in your own words, and add in dress-ups.
The dress-ups that we learned today were Vocabulary Words, Quality Adjectives, Strong Verbs, and -Ly words. These are all the pretty colored pages in the student binders. If you need any help, read back through your Medieval History Student Book lessons #1 and #2. Let me know if I can clarify or answer questions.
The assignment this week is from lesson #2 (we did #1 together in class). Level A students need only do the first paragraph. Level B and C students can tackle both paragraphs and even add on their own outside sources (just be sure to include a bibliography). If you didn't grab the Final Checklist handout, you can photocopy page 20 from the book. All MLA notation information is on p. 18 of your book and in the IEW chart section in the student binder. Please put the finished paper plus the checklist in a page protector to hand in.
FYI for this week:
-The Faces of History Dinner theatre is coming! Start thinking about a character and costume but remember, this can be as simple as reading your favorite paragraph from any assignment this semester while wearing an outfit of your choosing. This is designed to be a fun opportunity to show off for the students not a pressure creating situation for mom or student!
-Our Pen Pal Program will get cranking this month. We have a wonderful opportunity to "pass notes" with classes in Nicaragua and Indonesia. These students are working on their English and would love some practical application. We will also be able to send some care packages as well. Details coming, but get excited now!
-The checklist says to include a picture of Hagia Sofia. If something else tickles their fancy it's okay to draw that instead. It can also be a "copy and paste" picture from the internet.
-Sadly, we ran out of time to go over the comma worksheets in the student binders and exercises within the lessons. This will be of great help to you if you have time to squeeze it in at home. I will try again to squeeze it in next week.
Reminder from Andrew Pudewa:
The Four Deadly Errors:
1. over correcting (don't stifle their excitement by fixating on getting it perfect!)
2. withholding help (don't force them ahead if they are not ready! It will cause great but needless frustration.)
3. unclear assignments (let me know if I need to clarify ANYTHING. I certainly want you to get the most out of this class.)
4. over expectation (:D I try to preach to myself everyday: PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION AND QUALITY NOT QUANTITY.... and grace. Lots of grace!)
***********************************************************************
Special recognition to the amazing Level B and C students who really went above and beyond to show off what a fabulously written rough draft on the fly paper sounds like! I'm so extra proud of all of you. Outstanding job! There are no cobwebs in your brains that's for sure. :)
I'm going to try to give them an opportunity like that a few times this year. I really buy into the one-room schoolhouse idea. The older students gain confidence and the younger students see what they can achieve in the future! Everyone gets blessed and encouraged.
Have a wonderful week and let me know if I can help you in any way.
Melissa
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Week 23 "Dear Me,"
Hello Essentials families,
What a beautiful spring day we were blessed with yesterday! We covered a lot of information in two hours, but the students hung in their and are dashing to the finish line next week. It seems hard to believe, but the weeks have flown by. Some students were Memory Master testing or sick at home so I am going to be thorough in today's blog.
IEW Letter Writing Model: "Friendly Letters" Unit 7 Notes from the Brain
In today's world of email and texting many of us do not take the time to write a letter. Ending the year on a fun and friendly note, the students are writing a letter to themselves not to be opened until the year they graduate from high school. Next week they will literally "seal" the letters with a wax seal (to avoid the risk of burns I had adhesive seals made), to insure that they will keep their letters sealed.
When writing this week look at their take home packet for all that you need to have them compose their letter. This assignment will not be turned in to me and therefore will not be required to underlined, labeled, etc. On your checklist(mom's packet), you will see that I focused on the structure of a letter over the style elements they have learned. Encourage them to write with dress-ups and a variety of sentence openers, but allow them the freedom and enjoyment of breaking away from the checklist! As exhibited in class yesterday when the students created compound-complex sentences, they naturally enjoy putting in those vocabulary words, strong verbs, etc.
Structure: Each letter should follow the friendly letter format presented in class yesterday. There are 5 parts the students should include:
HEADING, GREETING, BODY, CLOSING with SIGNATURE, and POST SCRIPT.
This letter follows the Unit 7 "Notes from the brain": Introductory paragraph, body paragraphs (1,2, or 3) and conclusion. Your child may write a 3, 4, or 5 paragraph letter.
Introductory Paragraph: Background information (for ex. I am writing this letter for my IEW/Essentials class. I am in the fourth grade and I am ten years old.) Then, have them state their topic(s) for the body of the letter (A, B, C), "TELL THEM WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO TELL THEM."
Body: We brainstormed 3 themes in class that they may write about. Let them choose the details they would like to include in their letter and write 1, 2, or 3 body paragraphs. "TELL THEM"
Conclusion: In the conclusion, the students should restate their topic(s). Write the most significant idea and why? to conclude their letter. "TELL THEM WHAT YOU TOLD THEM"
******Topic sentence clincher rule should be followed on the body paragraphs!"Look at the example IEW leeters included in thier packet for an example.*****
This letter may be hand-written or typed. I want them to have fun writing this week. We did a lot of brainstorming in class, so today have them fill out their KWO and start writing. When your child gets to the final draft of their letter have them look for those punctuation and spelling errors. They have done an incredible job in class finding those "FOULS" and now they can apply these skills to their own writing.
Time Capsule:
This is where you can set them loose to create a capsule enclosing all of the things that your child loves and finds valuable to their lives today! We brainstormed ideas of what to include in their capsules: Newspaper, gas prices, pictures, CD's, favorite candy wrappers, menus, favorite movie and TV shows, church bulletin, their height and weight, a handmade piece of jewelry, etc.
Bring their completed time capsules, letters, and portfolios to class next week so they can "SHOWCASE" their work for the year. We will set up and display their time capsules and portfolios on tables(museum style) and allow them to show them off. We will spend the other portion of our time in Writer's Circle reading their poetry and papers aloud. It is time to celebrate all that the moms and children have accomplished this year! "Power of the Pen" writing awards will also be given to each student:)!
Celebrate with Sundaes:
We are going to celebrate with an ice cream sundae party next week to close out our year! In class, everyone signed up to bring a variety of toppings and ice cream. If you were not in class, just bring a topping of your choice to contribute.
Have a great week, remember to let the children have freedom and fun with this project. This is supposed to be stress free week for moms! Let them be creative and checklist free in their letters and let them have fun free time fashioning their capsules.
Happy Writing - it's time to celebrate,
Tina:)
What a beautiful spring day we were blessed with yesterday! We covered a lot of information in two hours, but the students hung in their and are dashing to the finish line next week. It seems hard to believe, but the weeks have flown by. Some students were Memory Master testing or sick at home so I am going to be thorough in today's blog.
IEW Letter Writing Model: "Friendly Letters" Unit 7 Notes from the Brain
In today's world of email and texting many of us do not take the time to write a letter. Ending the year on a fun and friendly note, the students are writing a letter to themselves not to be opened until the year they graduate from high school. Next week they will literally "seal" the letters with a wax seal (to avoid the risk of burns I had adhesive seals made), to insure that they will keep their letters sealed.
When writing this week look at their take home packet for all that you need to have them compose their letter. This assignment will not be turned in to me and therefore will not be required to underlined, labeled, etc. On your checklist(mom's packet), you will see that I focused on the structure of a letter over the style elements they have learned. Encourage them to write with dress-ups and a variety of sentence openers, but allow them the freedom and enjoyment of breaking away from the checklist! As exhibited in class yesterday when the students created compound-complex sentences, they naturally enjoy putting in those vocabulary words, strong verbs, etc.
Structure: Each letter should follow the friendly letter format presented in class yesterday. There are 5 parts the students should include:
HEADING, GREETING, BODY, CLOSING with SIGNATURE, and POST SCRIPT.
This letter follows the Unit 7 "Notes from the brain": Introductory paragraph, body paragraphs (1,2, or 3) and conclusion. Your child may write a 3, 4, or 5 paragraph letter.
Introductory Paragraph: Background information (for ex. I am writing this letter for my IEW/Essentials class. I am in the fourth grade and I am ten years old.) Then, have them state their topic(s) for the body of the letter (A, B, C), "TELL THEM WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO TELL THEM."
Body: We brainstormed 3 themes in class that they may write about. Let them choose the details they would like to include in their letter and write 1, 2, or 3 body paragraphs. "TELL THEM"
Conclusion: In the conclusion, the students should restate their topic(s). Write the most significant idea and why? to conclude their letter. "TELL THEM WHAT YOU TOLD THEM"
******Topic sentence clincher rule should be followed on the body paragraphs!"Look at the example IEW leeters included in thier packet for an example.*****
This letter may be hand-written or typed. I want them to have fun writing this week. We did a lot of brainstorming in class, so today have them fill out their KWO and start writing. When your child gets to the final draft of their letter have them look for those punctuation and spelling errors. They have done an incredible job in class finding those "FOULS" and now they can apply these skills to their own writing.
Time Capsule:
This is where you can set them loose to create a capsule enclosing all of the things that your child loves and finds valuable to their lives today! We brainstormed ideas of what to include in their capsules: Newspaper, gas prices, pictures, CD's, favorite candy wrappers, menus, favorite movie and TV shows, church bulletin, their height and weight, a handmade piece of jewelry, etc.
Bring their completed time capsules, letters, and portfolios to class next week so they can "SHOWCASE" their work for the year. We will set up and display their time capsules and portfolios on tables(museum style) and allow them to show them off. We will spend the other portion of our time in Writer's Circle reading their poetry and papers aloud. It is time to celebrate all that the moms and children have accomplished this year! "Power of the Pen" writing awards will also be given to each student:)!
Celebrate with Sundaes:
We are going to celebrate with an ice cream sundae party next week to close out our year! In class, everyone signed up to bring a variety of toppings and ice cream. If you were not in class, just bring a topping of your choice to contribute.
Have a great week, remember to let the children have freedom and fun with this project. This is supposed to be stress free week for moms! Let them be creative and checklist free in their letters and let them have fun free time fashioning their capsules.
Happy Writing - it's time to celebrate,
Tina:)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Weeek 22 - Poetry and Portfolios
Hello Essentials families,
I hope you all are enjoying your end-of-the-year weeks of memory work drilling and reflecting on what a profitable year of learning it has been with your children. I have enjoyed teaching IEW this year and I am amazed at each individual child's progress. What a blessing it is to have the privilege of home schooling our children.
Purposeful Poetry
This week was purposefully planned to be "light" in the writing load. Enjoy allowing your child the freedom to use alliteration and quality adjectives to their heart's content. The benefit of completing this poem at the end of the year instead of the beginning is Ancient World Poem is a wonderful opportunity to remember all of the ancient civilizations we have written about and to describe them accurately and with knowledge. If time allows let them use one day to enjoy illustrating and decorating their poem.
Two rules of poetry we mentioned in class:
1) Capitalize the first letter of each line of poetry.
2) Poetry does NOT have to rhyme.
Poetry Style - Personification, Assonance and Consonance p.48 and 49
Two poetry pages I had planned to introduce in class were replaced by going back to the #4 opener and (that) noun clause that had been missed by one class the week before. Please go over personification, assonance, and/or consonance poetic decorations with your children if time allows this week. There are some very short exercises to accompany them. CHALLENGE: Encourage them to incorporate at least one of the new decorations: personification, assonance and/or consonance into their poems. You can find these terms and their definitions on pages 48 and 49 GRAY pages of their notebooks. They will be surprised at how natural and easy it is to add these into their poems.
Personification gives human characteristics to things or ideas.
The fascinating book grabbed my attention.
Assonance: words that have the same internal vowel sound in sequence or in close proximity.
waves clapping and crashing
Consonance: words that end with the same consonant sound used in sequence or in close proximity.
black rocks speckled with snow
I also continue to encourage each student to gather their writings together into a notebook/portfolio of their writing for the 2012-2013 year. On week 24 they will be invited to bring their notebooks with them to "showcase" their writing and hard work!
Happy writing,
Tina
I hope you all are enjoying your end-of-the-year weeks of memory work drilling and reflecting on what a profitable year of learning it has been with your children. I have enjoyed teaching IEW this year and I am amazed at each individual child's progress. What a blessing it is to have the privilege of home schooling our children.
Purposeful Poetry
This week was purposefully planned to be "light" in the writing load. Enjoy allowing your child the freedom to use alliteration and quality adjectives to their heart's content. The benefit of completing this poem at the end of the year instead of the beginning is Ancient World Poem is a wonderful opportunity to remember all of the ancient civilizations we have written about and to describe them accurately and with knowledge. If time allows let them use one day to enjoy illustrating and decorating their poem.
Two rules of poetry we mentioned in class:
1) Capitalize the first letter of each line of poetry.
2) Poetry does NOT have to rhyme.
Poetry Style - Personification, Assonance and Consonance p.48 and 49
Two poetry pages I had planned to introduce in class were replaced by going back to the #4 opener and (that) noun clause that had been missed by one class the week before. Please go over personification, assonance, and/or consonance poetic decorations with your children if time allows this week. There are some very short exercises to accompany them. CHALLENGE: Encourage them to incorporate at least one of the new decorations: personification, assonance and/or consonance into their poems. You can find these terms and their definitions on pages 48 and 49 GRAY pages of their notebooks. They will be surprised at how natural and easy it is to add these into their poems.
Personification gives human characteristics to things or ideas.
The fascinating book grabbed my attention.
Assonance: words that have the same internal vowel sound in sequence or in close proximity.
waves clapping and crashing
Consonance: words that end with the same consonant sound used in sequence or in close proximity.
black rocks speckled with snow
I also continue to encourage each student to gather their writings together into a notebook/portfolio of their writing for the 2012-2013 year. On week 24 they will be invited to bring their notebooks with them to "showcase" their writing and hard work!
Happy writing,
Tina
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Week 21 - What do you think about Pandora's Box?
Hello Essentials families,
It was wonderful to see you all again yesterday and be back in the "land of the living." I need a healthy dose of my CC family to keep me going. You are all a blessing.
Editing Exercise - Foraging for Fouls
Yesterday, the students did an incredible job attacking the editing exercise and almost exhausted all of the errors. When they all work together competitively, an otherwise daunting task can become exciting and enjoyable. Please reinforce to your child that I am so proud of their enthusiasm and effort in class. What a joy!
Unit 9 - Critiques (5 paragraphs, 3 paragraphs, or oral)
This week is the second week on our critique of the Greek myth "Pandora's Box." Our goal in class was to discuss and brainstorm ideas for their conclusion paragraphs. If your student is just starting this assignment this week, I strongly encourage you to complete the 3 paragraph option. (The 3 paragraph checklist is in last week's packet.) Alternatively, if your week is full of memory master prep and/or you are still completing a past paper, a second option is to just have them read the story, KWO the critique, and orally present their critique to you. The advantage of this is that they have gone through the questioning process while completing the KWO and they have experienced the structure of a critique (Unit 9). The focus of this unit is on structure. Additionally, they love spouting their opinions about the story:). If you choose to have them orally present to you, they can turn in their KWO for writing rewards.
Critique Conclusion:
In class we created ideas for their conclusion paragraphs. Because each student's opinion of the story is unique to them, we did not complete the KWO in class. The students enjoyed the story and had strong opinions on whether they liked or disliked "Pandora's Box." We brainstormed their literary criticisms both positive and negative. Please reinforce to them that the key to a strong critique conclusion is backing up your opinion with examples from the story. Be sure to avoid the banned words. The students enjoyed incorporating vocabulary words in their descriptions and examples from the story. I love to see them using their vocabulary words in writing discussions, this illustrates mastery of the vocabulary. Also, while they are writing, use the critique vocabulary thesaurus distributed last week in class. This is a very helpful tool for critique writing.
Optional Checklist:
I included an expanded checklist in the take home papers this week that lists all of the STYLE elements we have covered this year. This was provided as an opportunity for your child to check off any additional elements of style that they include in their paper. ALL OF THE STYLE ELEMENTS ON THE BONUS CHECKLIST ARE NOT TO BE INCLUDED IN EACH OF THE FIVE PARAGRAPHS!!!! Just use the Critique Checklist for all of the required style and use the Optional Checklist for bonus/additional elements. Most of the students are naturally using many of the dress-ups and sentence openers and I wanted to give them a place to check it off:). (Can you tell I am a list maker that likes to check items off my list?)
Have a wonderful week writing! Remember there are no tears in Essentials so make the choice that best suits your family this week: 5 paragraph critique, 3 paragraph critique, or oral critique.
Happy Writing!
Tina
It was wonderful to see you all again yesterday and be back in the "land of the living." I need a healthy dose of my CC family to keep me going. You are all a blessing.
Editing Exercise - Foraging for Fouls
Yesterday, the students did an incredible job attacking the editing exercise and almost exhausted all of the errors. When they all work together competitively, an otherwise daunting task can become exciting and enjoyable. Please reinforce to your child that I am so proud of their enthusiasm and effort in class. What a joy!
Unit 9 - Critiques (5 paragraphs, 3 paragraphs, or oral)
This week is the second week on our critique of the Greek myth "Pandora's Box." Our goal in class was to discuss and brainstorm ideas for their conclusion paragraphs. If your student is just starting this assignment this week, I strongly encourage you to complete the 3 paragraph option. (The 3 paragraph checklist is in last week's packet.) Alternatively, if your week is full of memory master prep and/or you are still completing a past paper, a second option is to just have them read the story, KWO the critique, and orally present their critique to you. The advantage of this is that they have gone through the questioning process while completing the KWO and they have experienced the structure of a critique (Unit 9). The focus of this unit is on structure. Additionally, they love spouting their opinions about the story:). If you choose to have them orally present to you, they can turn in their KWO for writing rewards.
Critique Conclusion:
In class we created ideas for their conclusion paragraphs. Because each student's opinion of the story is unique to them, we did not complete the KWO in class. The students enjoyed the story and had strong opinions on whether they liked or disliked "Pandora's Box." We brainstormed their literary criticisms both positive and negative. Please reinforce to them that the key to a strong critique conclusion is backing up your opinion with examples from the story. Be sure to avoid the banned words. The students enjoyed incorporating vocabulary words in their descriptions and examples from the story. I love to see them using their vocabulary words in writing discussions, this illustrates mastery of the vocabulary. Also, while they are writing, use the critique vocabulary thesaurus distributed last week in class. This is a very helpful tool for critique writing.
Optional Checklist:
I included an expanded checklist in the take home papers this week that lists all of the STYLE elements we have covered this year. This was provided as an opportunity for your child to check off any additional elements of style that they include in their paper. ALL OF THE STYLE ELEMENTS ON THE BONUS CHECKLIST ARE NOT TO BE INCLUDED IN EACH OF THE FIVE PARAGRAPHS!!!! Just use the Critique Checklist for all of the required style and use the Optional Checklist for bonus/additional elements. Most of the students are naturally using many of the dress-ups and sentence openers and I wanted to give them a place to check it off:). (Can you tell I am a list maker that likes to check items off my list?)
Have a wonderful week writing! Remember there are no tears in Essentials so make the choice that best suits your family this week: 5 paragraph critique, 3 paragraph critique, or oral critique.
Happy Writing!
Tina
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Week 20 - Unit 9 Critiques: 2 Week Assignment
Hello Essentials families,
Mrs. Varnell, thank you for your unending dedication to Essentials/IEW. Again our family has been hit by a variety of illnesses just in time for Tuesday:(. I missed seeing everyone this week, but I am enjoying reading all of the amazing papers you have been producing. The students are making exponential progress as the end of the year approaches. Way to go students and moms!
Unit 9: Critiques
Unit 9 is the last unit from the IEW Teaching Writing Structure and Style Syllabus! Celebrate! This is a worthwhile unit and works perfectly to end all of the units as it combines the Unit 8: Five paragraph structure with the Unit 3: Story Sequence Chart. All the while meeting a fiction story line with non-fiction analysis. The beauty of the IEW curriculum is the way that it teaches our children how to think. Through the question/answer modeling our children gain the benefit of higher order thinking skills and the ability to communicate those thoughts through writing.
*NOTE: (Book Report Option) You have the option of completing this unit with a critique of a fiction book of your child's choice. If you choose to take the book report approach to this assignment just use the "Pandora's Box" as a model of the question/answer process. A blank outline with questions is located at the back of your child's packet for a book report. Follow the suggested writing schedule to complete this paper in the 2 weeks.
"Pandora's Box"- Lesson 13 IEW Ancients
Mrs. Varnell victoriously conquered 4 of the 5 sections of the "Pandora's Box" critique outline. This week everyone can just jump into writing. There is a 5 or 3 paragraph option on this assignment. Level A - The beauty of this Level A option is that if you choose the 3 paragraph model your child gets the opportunity to write an introduction and conclusion paragraph. If they have not attempted this before it allows them to practice this important structure. Just combine the information from sections 2, 3, and 4 (identify conflict, climax, and theme) in a less detailed manner for your one body paragraph.
Level B - Follow the suggested schedule on the weekly guide to write the rough drafts of paragraphs 1-3 or 1-4 if time allows this week.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to have your student use the "Classroom Thesaurus: Developing Critique Vocabulary" handout when writing their critique. This is a gold mine of terms and descriptive vocabulary. On the back of this thesaurus is a sample critique of Pandora's Box". Read this with your child. Remember, modeling is how we build great writers. It also shows them the labeling and gives them an idea of what a critique looks like from start to finish.
Style:
This assignment is from the middle of the IEW Ancients book. All of the stylistic elements we have covered are not included on the final checklist. Due to the 2 week time period alotted for this assignment, all of the dress-ups, decorations, and sentence openers we have learned this year are not required. You can strictly stick to the checklist, keeping the style EASY. You can use this assignment to focus on the STRUCTURE of a critique over a long checklist of style.
Bonus Style(optional):
However, if your child would like to include all or some additional style to their paper - let them go for it! They have worked hard to learn it; let them use it! I listed all of the writing style elements we have covered this year on the weekly guide with blanks to allow them to check them off as they include them. This option is up to you and your student.
Have a wonderful week writing!
Tina
Mrs. Varnell, thank you for your unending dedication to Essentials/IEW. Again our family has been hit by a variety of illnesses just in time for Tuesday:(. I missed seeing everyone this week, but I am enjoying reading all of the amazing papers you have been producing. The students are making exponential progress as the end of the year approaches. Way to go students and moms!
Unit 9: Critiques
Unit 9 is the last unit from the IEW Teaching Writing Structure and Style Syllabus! Celebrate! This is a worthwhile unit and works perfectly to end all of the units as it combines the Unit 8: Five paragraph structure with the Unit 3: Story Sequence Chart. All the while meeting a fiction story line with non-fiction analysis. The beauty of the IEW curriculum is the way that it teaches our children how to think. Through the question/answer modeling our children gain the benefit of higher order thinking skills and the ability to communicate those thoughts through writing.
*NOTE: (Book Report Option) You have the option of completing this unit with a critique of a fiction book of your child's choice. If you choose to take the book report approach to this assignment just use the "Pandora's Box" as a model of the question/answer process. A blank outline with questions is located at the back of your child's packet for a book report. Follow the suggested writing schedule to complete this paper in the 2 weeks.
"Pandora's Box"- Lesson 13 IEW Ancients
Mrs. Varnell victoriously conquered 4 of the 5 sections of the "Pandora's Box" critique outline. This week everyone can just jump into writing. There is a 5 or 3 paragraph option on this assignment. Level A - The beauty of this Level A option is that if you choose the 3 paragraph model your child gets the opportunity to write an introduction and conclusion paragraph. If they have not attempted this before it allows them to practice this important structure. Just combine the information from sections 2, 3, and 4 (identify conflict, climax, and theme) in a less detailed manner for your one body paragraph.
Level B - Follow the suggested schedule on the weekly guide to write the rough drafts of paragraphs 1-3 or 1-4 if time allows this week.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to have your student use the "Classroom Thesaurus: Developing Critique Vocabulary" handout when writing their critique. This is a gold mine of terms and descriptive vocabulary. On the back of this thesaurus is a sample critique of Pandora's Box". Read this with your child. Remember, modeling is how we build great writers. It also shows them the labeling and gives them an idea of what a critique looks like from start to finish.
Style:
This assignment is from the middle of the IEW Ancients book. All of the stylistic elements we have covered are not included on the final checklist. Due to the 2 week time period alotted for this assignment, all of the dress-ups, decorations, and sentence openers we have learned this year are not required. You can strictly stick to the checklist, keeping the style EASY. You can use this assignment to focus on the STRUCTURE of a critique over a long checklist of style.
Bonus Style(optional):
However, if your child would like to include all or some additional style to their paper - let them go for it! They have worked hard to learn it; let them use it! I listed all of the writing style elements we have covered this year on the weekly guide with blanks to allow them to check them off as they include them. This option is up to you and your student.
Have a wonderful week writing!
Tina
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Week 19 - Mom, "That was EASY!"
Hello Essentials families,
Yesterday we covered several topics in class. I am looking forward to the Unit 7 - "If I lived in ancient times I would miss..." essays. With this paper, there are a lot of choices for the final draft that is due next week. Many families are still completing their Ancient Rome papers. Remember that you can turn in a paper at any time and am thrilled to read them. Keep up the hard work!
Unit 7 - Creative Writing "Notes from the Brain"
The prompt for this paper is: "If I lived in ancient times I would miss..." This assignment allows the student to write about 1, 2, or 3 themes/topics they would miss. In class this week we discussed how to compose an introductory paragraph and a conclusion paragraph to make this a 5 paragraph essay.
However, there are many options for this paper:
*1 paragraph with a Topic Sentence and Clincher. Please follow the Level A guidelines described in the packet sent home yesterday p. 144. Use the final checklist on p. 145.
* 2 or 3 paragraphs - Please follow the Level A guidelines described in the packet sent home yesterday p. 144. Use the final checklist on p. 145.
* 5 paragraphs - Please follow the guidelines on p. 146 for planning and writing an introduction and conclusion for your 5 paragraph essay. Use the final checklist on p. 147.
ALL STUDENTS should complete the exercise on p. 143 "Polishing the Rough Draft." This is a great chance to have your student examine their own writing and strengthen it. This is also an opportunity to review using descriptions to appeal to your reader's five senses and emotions. Refer to the example paragraph "I would miss my unicycle..." on p. 138 in last week's packet to see examples of emotions and 5 sense words.
IEW EXPERTS: "That was easy!"
At this time of the year all of the students are well versed in the structure of strong paragraphs (repeat/reflect) and the style elements (dress-ups & decorations) that make their writing appealing to read. I emphasized in class the importance of including ALL of the elements of structure and style in their final drafts this week. Simply put, try to include, check off, and label EVERY item on the checklist for this paper (FINAL CHECKLISTS PAGES 145 or 147). Hopefully, the students are to the point of saying "that was easy, mom" when it comes to all of the dress-ups, decorations, and sentence openers on the checklist. Encourage your child to use their student resource pages (colored sheets) in their binder when editing and rewriting their rough draft. Also, there is an IEW app free of charge that features all of the Unit Structural Models, Sentence Openers, Dress-ups, Decorations, and Triple Extensions at the touch of your fingertips! It can make "looking up" information a little more fun for your child.
BONUS ADVANCED DRESS-UPS CHECKLIST:
On the back of the "Writing Structure and Style Weekly Guide", I created a checklist with all of the advanced dress-ups and decorations we have covered this semester. Encourage your child to include and check off all of the items on the Final Checklist p. 145 or 147 before attempting to include these bonus style elements. Your child should use these advanced style elements when all of the Final Checklist elements of style are "EASY" for them to use. After that, work on 1 new style element per paper. "EASY + ONE" Adding new advanced elements of style should be an enjoyable part of the writing process like putting icing on a cake, it isn't necessary, but it sure makes the cake better:)
Dramatic Openers/Hooks - Our new decoration for this week is dramatic openers or hooks. See p.46 gray page student notebook for instruction and ideas to include this in their final draft.
Have a great week writing the final drafts for Unit 7 "Notes from the Brain!" Emphasize structure and style using the Final Checklists provided for this paper. We are clearly developing young IEW experts:). Keep up the hard work! Way to go moms!
Have a blessed week,
Tina
Yesterday we covered several topics in class. I am looking forward to the Unit 7 - "If I lived in ancient times I would miss..." essays. With this paper, there are a lot of choices for the final draft that is due next week. Many families are still completing their Ancient Rome papers. Remember that you can turn in a paper at any time and am thrilled to read them. Keep up the hard work!
Unit 7 - Creative Writing "Notes from the Brain"
The prompt for this paper is: "If I lived in ancient times I would miss..." This assignment allows the student to write about 1, 2, or 3 themes/topics they would miss. In class this week we discussed how to compose an introductory paragraph and a conclusion paragraph to make this a 5 paragraph essay.
However, there are many options for this paper:
*1 paragraph with a Topic Sentence and Clincher. Please follow the Level A guidelines described in the packet sent home yesterday p. 144. Use the final checklist on p. 145.
* 2 or 3 paragraphs - Please follow the Level A guidelines described in the packet sent home yesterday p. 144. Use the final checklist on p. 145.
* 5 paragraphs - Please follow the guidelines on p. 146 for planning and writing an introduction and conclusion for your 5 paragraph essay. Use the final checklist on p. 147.
ALL STUDENTS should complete the exercise on p. 143 "Polishing the Rough Draft." This is a great chance to have your student examine their own writing and strengthen it. This is also an opportunity to review using descriptions to appeal to your reader's five senses and emotions. Refer to the example paragraph "I would miss my unicycle..." on p. 138 in last week's packet to see examples of emotions and 5 sense words.
IEW EXPERTS: "That was easy!"
At this time of the year all of the students are well versed in the structure of strong paragraphs (repeat/reflect) and the style elements (dress-ups & decorations) that make their writing appealing to read. I emphasized in class the importance of including ALL of the elements of structure and style in their final drafts this week. Simply put, try to include, check off, and label EVERY item on the checklist for this paper (FINAL CHECKLISTS PAGES 145 or 147). Hopefully, the students are to the point of saying "that was easy, mom" when it comes to all of the dress-ups, decorations, and sentence openers on the checklist. Encourage your child to use their student resource pages (colored sheets) in their binder when editing and rewriting their rough draft. Also, there is an IEW app free of charge that features all of the Unit Structural Models, Sentence Openers, Dress-ups, Decorations, and Triple Extensions at the touch of your fingertips! It can make "looking up" information a little more fun for your child.
BONUS ADVANCED DRESS-UPS CHECKLIST:
On the back of the "Writing Structure and Style Weekly Guide", I created a checklist with all of the advanced dress-ups and decorations we have covered this semester. Encourage your child to include and check off all of the items on the Final Checklist p. 145 or 147 before attempting to include these bonus style elements. Your child should use these advanced style elements when all of the Final Checklist elements of style are "EASY" for them to use. After that, work on 1 new style element per paper. "EASY + ONE" Adding new advanced elements of style should be an enjoyable part of the writing process like putting icing on a cake, it isn't necessary, but it sure makes the cake better:)
Dramatic Openers/Hooks - Our new decoration for this week is dramatic openers or hooks. See p.46 gray page student notebook for instruction and ideas to include this in their final draft.
Have a great week writing the final drafts for Unit 7 "Notes from the Brain!" Emphasize structure and style using the Final Checklists provided for this paper. We are clearly developing young IEW experts:). Keep up the hard work! Way to go moms!
Have a blessed week,
Tina
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Happy Valentine's Day!
Hi Essentials families,
I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you. God has blessed our CC family endlessly. Each one of you hold a special part in my heart and I am so honored to walk with you on our home school journey. Your little ones bring me such joy every week. I look forward to watching the paths that God has planned for each one.
We missed several of you in class and at the party on Tuesday afternoon and hope you are all feeling better and will be ready to return next week. I have reserved some treats for you on Tuesday!
Have a blessed Valentine's Day!<3
Tina
I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you. God has blessed our CC family endlessly. Each one of you hold a special part in my heart and I am so honored to walk with you on our home school journey. Your little ones bring me such joy every week. I look forward to watching the paths that God has planned for each one.
We missed several of you in class and at the party on Tuesday afternoon and hope you are all feeling better and will be ready to return next week. I have reserved some treats for you on Tuesday!
Have a blessed Valentine's Day!<3
Tina
Week 18 - Personal Essay - 2 Week assignment
Hello Essentials families,
Yesterday was an action packed day from 1-3pm. The afternoon began immersed in an EEL grammar review challenge (can you find those sentence patterns among the clauses, phrases and questions???) and ended with sweets and treats. Thank you to all of the moms who helped to make the celebration amazing for the children. Erin, your kettle popped popcorn was divine! Laurie, thank you for the trip to Doughnut World. I personally have been converted. The doughnuts were delightful (S-VL-PA). If any parents were unable to pay the $1.00 per student yesterday, please bring it next week to Laurie, Erin, or myself. We want to repay Laurie for her time and $$$:)
Ancient Rome:
WOW! The four week journey to the Ancient Rome three or five paragraph report/essay has been completed for some of you. I strongly believe this investment of time will have a long-lasting impact on their understanding of the basic report/essay. If you have not completed this assignment, continue working on it at home and turn it in when it is completed. I look forward to reading them!
*****Important note: The difference between an essay and a report is that a report turns into an essay when your opinion is added. For example, when the students who chose to include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph stated what they felt was the "most significant" thing about ancient Rome, their report turned into an ESSAY. If your child completed a 3 paragraph paper with an introductory statement and final clincher they wrote a REPORT. This week's assignment is a personal ESSAY because it is all about their opinion!*****
NEW ASSIGNMENT 2 WEEKS: Unit 7 - Creative Writing Personal Essay - Notes from the Brain "If I lived in ancient times I would miss..."
2) This is typically the time of year when the winter blahs begin. I wanted to incite enthusiasm for this assignment and alleviate any possibility of fear when faced with the idea of no source text (blank page syndrome).
2) We also discussed using triple extensions to add sophistication to your writing(p. 50 gray pages). The rule for effectively using repetition is THRICE NEVER TWICE. Repeating the same word (question,question,question), repeating a part of speech (verbs, adjectives, or -ly words) or repeating a type of phrase or clause are all ways to use this new decoration. Indicate by putting a 3X in the right margin.
All of the ADVANCED DRESS-UPS I AM PRESENTING IN CLASS are optional opportunities for any student that is ready for a new challenge. I firmly believe in consistently presenting new information from the Student Resource Notebook for students who have mastered the dress-ups and decorations on the checklist. If your child is new to IEW this year or has not mastered the checklist please feel no pressure to add these to their papers. Just have them listen in class to the information and leave it there.
***I included a brainstorming sheet in their take home packet if your child would like to attempt any of the ADVANCED DRESS-UPS we have learned in the last two weeks. Choose all, one, or none, but be sure to have fun!***
Happy writing,
Tina:)
Yesterday was an action packed day from 1-3pm. The afternoon began immersed in an EEL grammar review challenge (can you find those sentence patterns among the clauses, phrases and questions???) and ended with sweets and treats. Thank you to all of the moms who helped to make the celebration amazing for the children. Erin, your kettle popped popcorn was divine! Laurie, thank you for the trip to Doughnut World. I personally have been converted. The doughnuts were delightful (S-VL-PA). If any parents were unable to pay the $1.00 per student yesterday, please bring it next week to Laurie, Erin, or myself. We want to repay Laurie for her time and $$$:)
Ancient Rome:
WOW! The four week journey to the Ancient Rome three or five paragraph report/essay has been completed for some of you. I strongly believe this investment of time will have a long-lasting impact on their understanding of the basic report/essay. If you have not completed this assignment, continue working on it at home and turn it in when it is completed. I look forward to reading them!
*****Important note: The difference between an essay and a report is that a report turns into an essay when your opinion is added. For example, when the students who chose to include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph stated what they felt was the "most significant" thing about ancient Rome, their report turned into an ESSAY. If your child completed a 3 paragraph paper with an introductory statement and final clincher they wrote a REPORT. This week's assignment is a personal ESSAY because it is all about their opinion!*****
NEW ASSIGNMENT 2 WEEKS: Unit 7 - Creative Writing Personal Essay - Notes from the Brain "If I lived in ancient times I would miss..."
- I chose to dive into creative writing to lighten up the subject matter the students are writing about. This assignment is the first one of the year where the students have no source text. All of the details must be extracted from their brains! Many standardized writing tests use this approach to measure a student's writing proficiency. Students are given a prompt and they must write an essay (5 paragraphs - introduction/3 body paragraphs/conclusion). These essays include their opinion. Often, students can get "writer's block" from the fear of a blank piece of paper. The solution to writer's block is to brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm, choose 3 favorite themes (A,B,C), and then ask questions, ask questions, ask questions to create details for each theme.
- Students may choose to write 1, 2, or 3 rough draft paragraphs this week. Decide the length of this paper based on your demands at home. This is a 2 week assignment.
- We worked through two different ideas in class to model the question/answer process. "If I lived in ancient times, I would miss my unicycle." and "If I lived in ancient times, I would miss electricity." The unicycle example is included in their lesson packet. The electricity example was completed impromptu style so the students could see the process in action. We practiced the question/answer process using a microphone for fun and to promote enthusiasm for what can be a daunting task. Allow your child the opportunity to have fun with this essay, be very creative, and hopefully smile a lot about things they love the most.
- PLEASE DO NOT THINK I AM CRAZY OR NEED TO CUT DOWN ON MY LEVEL OF CAFFEINE:) I approached this assignment with a lot of energy and enthusiasm very purposefully.
2) This is typically the time of year when the winter blahs begin. I wanted to incite enthusiasm for this assignment and alleviate any possibility of fear when faced with the idea of no source text (blank page syndrome).
- Unlike the Ancient Rome report, students are encouraged to use "I" in this paper because it is a PERSONAL ESSAY.
- Two new ADVANCED DRESS-UPS: (OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS - LABEL AS INDICATED)
2) We also discussed using triple extensions to add sophistication to your writing(p. 50 gray pages). The rule for effectively using repetition is THRICE NEVER TWICE. Repeating the same word (question,question,question), repeating a part of speech (verbs, adjectives, or -ly words) or repeating a type of phrase or clause are all ways to use this new decoration. Indicate by putting a 3X in the right margin.
All of the ADVANCED DRESS-UPS I AM PRESENTING IN CLASS are optional opportunities for any student that is ready for a new challenge. I firmly believe in consistently presenting new information from the Student Resource Notebook for students who have mastered the dress-ups and decorations on the checklist. If your child is new to IEW this year or has not mastered the checklist please feel no pressure to add these to their papers. Just have them listen in class to the information and leave it there.
***I included a brainstorming sheet in their take home packet if your child would like to attempt any of the ADVANCED DRESS-UPS we have learned in the last two weeks. Choose all, one, or none, but be sure to have fun!***
Happy writing,
Tina:)
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
A look ahead - The Final Countdown!
Hello Essentials families,
As the weeks fly by, barreling toward that Memory Master time of year, I wanted to give all of you a look at the schedule of writing assignments through week twenty-four.
Weeks 18 and 19 - IEW Ancients Lessons 21 and 22 - Unit 7 CREATIVE WRITING
A Personal Essay "If I lived in ancient times I would miss..."
Level A students may choose to write either one, two, or three paragraphs.
Level B students should try a five paragraph essay, writing the three body paragraphs for lesson 21 and add an introduction and conclusion for lesson 22.
Weeks 20 and 21- IEW Ancients Lesson 13 Unit 9 CRITIQUING STORIES
(Fiction Book Report Option)
*Students may choose to critique the Greek myth "Pandora's Box" or use a fiction book for this unit on critiquing stories.*
Week 20: Sections I-IV (rough) Week 21: Section V plus final draft
Week 22 - IEW Ancients Lesson 1 POETRY: The Ancient World - The last of the ancient assignments:)
Week 23 - Letter Writing IEW Letter Writing Model
This lesson will focus on the structure of a friendly letter IEW style. It will be a label-free assignment and can be hand-written or typed. The focus is FUN with writing!
*****Students will write a letter to themselves about their experiences this year. Students may choose to write about one, two, or three topics. For example, what they did, what they remember, and what they are thinking about the future. This letter will be sealed until their senior year of high school in a "time capsule." I enjoyed an assignment/project similar to this when I was an eighth grader. It was exciting and hilarious to open my letters (we wrote letters to friends and to ourselves) during that senior year of high school. This will be a celebration assignment, learning the structure of a friendly letter, but emphasizing the joy of this year.*****
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Blessings,
Tina
As the weeks fly by, barreling toward that Memory Master time of year, I wanted to give all of you a look at the schedule of writing assignments through week twenty-four.
Weeks 18 and 19 - IEW Ancients Lessons 21 and 22 - Unit 7 CREATIVE WRITING
A Personal Essay "If I lived in ancient times I would miss..."
Level A students may choose to write either one, two, or three paragraphs.
Level B students should try a five paragraph essay, writing the three body paragraphs for lesson 21 and add an introduction and conclusion for lesson 22.
Weeks 20 and 21- IEW Ancients Lesson 13 Unit 9 CRITIQUING STORIES
(Fiction Book Report Option)
*Students may choose to critique the Greek myth "Pandora's Box" or use a fiction book for this unit on critiquing stories.*
Week 20: Sections I-IV (rough) Week 21: Section V plus final draft
Week 22 - IEW Ancients Lesson 1 POETRY: The Ancient World - The last of the ancient assignments:)
Week 23 - Letter Writing IEW Letter Writing Model
This lesson will focus on the structure of a friendly letter IEW style. It will be a label-free assignment and can be hand-written or typed. The focus is FUN with writing!
*****Students will write a letter to themselves about their experiences this year. Students may choose to write about one, two, or three topics. For example, what they did, what they remember, and what they are thinking about the future. This letter will be sealed until their senior year of high school in a "time capsule." I enjoyed an assignment/project similar to this when I was an eighth grader. It was exciting and hilarious to open my letters (we wrote letters to friends and to ourselves) during that senior year of high school. This will be a celebration assignment, learning the structure of a friendly letter, but emphasizing the joy of this year.*****
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Blessings,
Tina
Week 17: The Grand Finale - Final Draft Ancient Rome
Hello Essentials families,
Yesterday we took advantage of a "Final Draft" week and introduced some new proofreading/grammar information and some "Advanced Dress-up" techniques.
Here is a review of what we covered in class:
1) Grammar Rule 3: Colons can be found in the Grammar Rules Guide p. 63 in the back of your student's binder.
2) What's Wrong? Grammar Error Exercise - We corrected grammar mistakes frequently found in student writing. There is an additional copy of these sentences on the back of the "Teaching Writing Structure and Style Weekly Guide". Use this copy to review the grammar mistakes covered in class yesterday. Here is the answer key:
1) No comma is needed with the clausal dress-up
2) "which" should be "who" because the patricians were people
3) Do not say "you." Just say, "Citizens could vote." "You" and "I" are banned words in a research report/essay.
4) This is a fragment. When a sentence begins with one of the www.asia.because words, it must have a complete thought after it. Insert a comma after the clause.
5) Use a colon(:), not a semicolon
6) Never begin a sentence with a numeral. Numbers listed in the same sentence should be kept in the same form.
7) Capitalize nationalities and languages
OPTIONAL ADVANCED DRESS-UPS
3) Level A and B - Repetition: Dual Dress-ups This week I have challenged all of the students to attempt using a dual dress-up in their Ancient Rome paper. Refer to the handout included yesterday for examples of how to properly use two strong verbs, two quality adjectives, and two -ly words in the same sentence. Indicate any duals by writing the word "dual" in the right margin of their paper and underlining the corresponding dress-up.
4) Level B Challenge - New Sentence Opener Transitions I encouraged the students to use transitional words and phrases in their final draft. A complete list is located in your student's binder pages 52 and 53 (gold color). Indicate any transitional words or phrases with a "T" in the left margin.
****Add TWO BONUS POINTS to the FINAL CHECKLIST for any of these
"Advanced" Dress-ups.*****
5) Finally, on the back of the take home packet I included a humorous look at "OVER-DECORATING." I adapted it from an entry I found on the IEW family forum. This is not intended to discourage using dress-ups and decorations, but to emphasize that this paper is a FACTUAL RESEARCH REPORT and that the facts need to be presented clearly.
Avoid making the facts difficult to discern due to over-decorated and over-dressed-up details. (Try saying that 5 times fast!:)
NEXT WEEK WE WILL BE HAVING OUR WRITING REWARDS CELEBRATION FROM 2:30-3:00PM WITH COMBINED CLASSES!
We will celebrate with refreshments, a conversation hearts Valentine's Day math activity, a pinata, glow-in-the-dark fun, and of course, bouncy balls!
Laurie Stegall has graciously volunteered to pick up doughnuts for our main course. We will also have Caprisuns and something salty to accompany the doughnuts. We are asking all of the parents to help contribute to the celebration by donating $1.00 per student. Thank you for helping with the party. We love the opportunity to celebrate the adundant learning in Essentials!
I hope you have a great week final drafting the "Ancient Rome" report. Use the FINAL DRAFT CHECKLIST to insure all of the elements are included.
Happy Writing!
Tina
Tina
Yesterday we took advantage of a "Final Draft" week and introduced some new proofreading/grammar information and some "Advanced Dress-up" techniques.
Here is a review of what we covered in class:
1) Grammar Rule 3: Colons can be found in the Grammar Rules Guide p. 63 in the back of your student's binder.
2) What's Wrong? Grammar Error Exercise - We corrected grammar mistakes frequently found in student writing. There is an additional copy of these sentences on the back of the "Teaching Writing Structure and Style Weekly Guide". Use this copy to review the grammar mistakes covered in class yesterday. Here is the answer key:
1) No comma is needed with the clausal dress-up
2) "which" should be "who" because the patricians were people
3) Do not say "you." Just say, "Citizens could vote." "You" and "I" are banned words in a research report/essay.
4) This is a fragment. When a sentence begins with one of the www.asia.because words, it must have a complete thought after it. Insert a comma after the clause.
5) Use a colon(:), not a semicolon
6) Never begin a sentence with a numeral. Numbers listed in the same sentence should be kept in the same form.
7) Capitalize nationalities and languages
OPTIONAL ADVANCED DRESS-UPS
3) Level A and B - Repetition: Dual Dress-ups This week I have challenged all of the students to attempt using a dual dress-up in their Ancient Rome paper. Refer to the handout included yesterday for examples of how to properly use two strong verbs, two quality adjectives, and two -ly words in the same sentence. Indicate any duals by writing the word "dual" in the right margin of their paper and underlining the corresponding dress-up.
4) Level B Challenge - New Sentence Opener Transitions I encouraged the students to use transitional words and phrases in their final draft. A complete list is located in your student's binder pages 52 and 53 (gold color). Indicate any transitional words or phrases with a "T" in the left margin.
****Add TWO BONUS POINTS to the FINAL CHECKLIST for any of these
"Advanced" Dress-ups.*****
5) Finally, on the back of the take home packet I included a humorous look at "OVER-DECORATING." I adapted it from an entry I found on the IEW family forum. This is not intended to discourage using dress-ups and decorations, but to emphasize that this paper is a FACTUAL RESEARCH REPORT and that the facts need to be presented clearly.
Avoid making the facts difficult to discern due to over-decorated and over-dressed-up details. (Try saying that 5 times fast!:)
NEXT WEEK WE WILL BE HAVING OUR WRITING REWARDS CELEBRATION FROM 2:30-3:00PM WITH COMBINED CLASSES!
We will celebrate with refreshments, a conversation hearts Valentine's Day math activity, a pinata, glow-in-the-dark fun, and of course, bouncy balls!
Laurie Stegall has graciously volunteered to pick up doughnuts for our main course. We will also have Caprisuns and something salty to accompany the doughnuts. We are asking all of the parents to help contribute to the celebration by donating $1.00 per student. Thank you for helping with the party. We love the opportunity to celebrate the adundant learning in Essentials!
I hope you have a great week final drafting the "Ancient Rome" report. Use the FINAL DRAFT CHECKLIST to insure all of the elements are included.
Happy Writing!
Tina
Tina
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Week 16 - Triple T!!!
Hello Essentials families,
Thank you for your grace with my little ones yesterday. I apologize for the interruptions to class. The combination of construction noise and a 22 pound little bundle of energy should give everyone a small glimpse of homeschooling in my home every day:)
Week 16 - Introductions and Conclusions Unit 6: Essay from Multiple Sources
Level A - 3 paragraph report -
We reviewed the structure of a 3 paragraph paper with an introductory statement and final clincher. For Unit 6 this is a great opportunity to reinforce the structure learned in Unit 4 and grow to Unit 6 by using 2 sources and fusing information into one paper.
Level B - 5 paragraph report - Unit 8:The Basic Essay
TRIPLE T - TELL them what you're going to TELL them,
TELL them,
TELL them what you TOLD them.
WRITING REWARD CHALLENGE - Bonus writing rewards for any student that recites the www.asia.because word list when you come into class. If you recite the whole song/list double rewards!!!
Have a productive week writing your essays! Contact me if you have any need for further instruction or clarification.
Write On!
Tina
Thank you for your grace with my little ones yesterday. I apologize for the interruptions to class. The combination of construction noise and a 22 pound little bundle of energy should give everyone a small glimpse of homeschooling in my home every day:)
Week 16 - Introductions and Conclusions Unit 6: Essay from Multiple Sources
Level A - 3 paragraph report -
We reviewed the structure of a 3 paragraph paper with an introductory statement and final clincher. For Unit 6 this is a great opportunity to reinforce the structure learned in Unit 4 and grow to Unit 6 by using 2 sources and fusing information into one paper.
- This week finish the 3 body paragraphs Topics A, B, and C and write an introductory statement and final clincher about Ancient Rome. Remember to REPEAT/REFLECT 2 to 3 key words MINIMUM in the introductory statement and final clincher.
- Then, compose a title that REFLECTS the final clincher.
- Next week, you will be able to polish the final draft using your final draft checklist and illustrate their paper.
Level B - 5 paragraph report - Unit 8:The Basic Essay
- This week you should complete the three body paragraphs for your Ancient Rome essay. Use your Final Draft checklist to insure that all of the required elements are included.
- Yesterday we learned what elements to include in an introductory paragraph and a conclusion paragraph for a 5 paragraph essay. After you have completed your Topic A, B, and C paragraphs, you will have the BODY of your report. You will be prepared to plan and write your introduction and conclusion. Emphasize how important it is to write the BODY of your paper BEFORE you write the introduction and conclusion.
- Background information for your introduction can be found in the 2 sources "Ancient Rome" and "A Great Empire". You may use any information you did not include in the body of your paper (Topics A, B, C). For example, if you did not write a body paragraph about Rome's greatness, then use some of those facts for the background information of your introduction.
TRIPLE T - TELL them what you're going to TELL them,
TELL them,
TELL them what you TOLD them.
- Write the rough draft of your introduction and conclusion paragraphs using the checklist provided on page 122 of their packet.
- Compose a title that REFLECTS the Final Clincher.
WRITING REWARD CHALLENGE - Bonus writing rewards for any student that recites the www.asia.because word list when you come into class. If you recite the whole song/list double rewards!!!
Have a productive week writing your essays! Contact me if you have any need for further instruction or clarification.
Write On!
Tina
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Week 15 - www.asia.because - #5 and cl. Dress-up
Greetings Essentials Parents,
It was so wonderful to reunite with all of you after an extended break from CC. Being back in your company is just what the doctor ordered to make the whole Gaines Gang feel back to "normal" again.
STRUCTURE - Unit 6 Review:
Yesterday in class we reviewed the Unit 6 structure and the students were masters of the KWO and fused outline idea. We also were able to review the topic sentence and clincher relationship. A BIG THANK YOU to the moms and Mrs. Varnell for doing such an amazing job teaching this Unit 6 information.
STYLE - #5 Opener and www.asia.because clause Dress-up
In class we introduced the new style element www.asia.because adverb clauses. In EEL Week 13 this topic was taught from the grammar perspective and now the students are able to add this complex sentence structure to their writing. Moms, take advantage of any opportunity to reinforce the grammar as they add this new style element to their writing. If this is a difficult dress-up for your child, stick to simply adding a BECAUSE clause ONLY. This is usually easier for them to understand and apply to their writing. As we did in class yesterday, choose a simple sentence from their paragraph and put a BECAUSE and a blank line in front of their sentence for a #5 opener. For a dress-up, take a simple sentence from their paragraph and add a BECAUSE and a blank line to the end or middle of the sentence.
#5 Opener Because_____________________, the Romans gained control of Europe.
or as a dress-up The Romans gained control of Europe because___________________________.
***A fun warm-up to get them thinking in the "clause mindset" is to practice with these examples:
#5 Opener Because_____________________, I didn't go to bed on time.
or as a dress-up I didn't finish my math assignment because_______________________________.
Advance beyond the "because" clause when your child is ready. Many of them are already using www.asia.because clauses in their writing and can skip this step.
Each of the body paragraphs A, B, and C will require the www.asia.because clause for the Final Draft of the paper. It is required as a #5 Opener and as a dress-up.
www.asia.because Song - Please use this song as a tool to help your child master the complete list of subordinating conjunctions for Essentials. These are located on Chart H in your child's binder.
Week 15 Assignment:
This week work on completing the outlining process and rough drafts for paragraphs A, B, and C. Next week we will begin Unit 8 by learning how to write an organized introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph for their reports on Ancient Rome.
Have a wonderful week!
Happy Writing,
Mrs. Gaines
It was so wonderful to reunite with all of you after an extended break from CC. Being back in your company is just what the doctor ordered to make the whole Gaines Gang feel back to "normal" again.
STRUCTURE - Unit 6 Review:
Yesterday in class we reviewed the Unit 6 structure and the students were masters of the KWO and fused outline idea. We also were able to review the topic sentence and clincher relationship. A BIG THANK YOU to the moms and Mrs. Varnell for doing such an amazing job teaching this Unit 6 information.
STYLE - #5 Opener and www.asia.because clause Dress-up
In class we introduced the new style element www.asia.because adverb clauses. In EEL Week 13 this topic was taught from the grammar perspective and now the students are able to add this complex sentence structure to their writing. Moms, take advantage of any opportunity to reinforce the grammar as they add this new style element to their writing. If this is a difficult dress-up for your child, stick to simply adding a BECAUSE clause ONLY. This is usually easier for them to understand and apply to their writing. As we did in class yesterday, choose a simple sentence from their paragraph and put a BECAUSE and a blank line in front of their sentence for a #5 opener. For a dress-up, take a simple sentence from their paragraph and add a BECAUSE and a blank line to the end or middle of the sentence.
#5 Opener Because_____________________, the Romans gained control of Europe.
or as a dress-up The Romans gained control of Europe because___________________________.
***A fun warm-up to get them thinking in the "clause mindset" is to practice with these examples:
#5 Opener Because_____________________, I didn't go to bed on time.
or as a dress-up I didn't finish my math assignment because_______________________________.
Advance beyond the "because" clause when your child is ready. Many of them are already using www.asia.because clauses in their writing and can skip this step.
Each of the body paragraphs A, B, and C will require the www.asia.because clause for the Final Draft of the paper. It is required as a #5 Opener and as a dress-up.
www.asia.because Song - Please use this song as a tool to help your child master the complete list of subordinating conjunctions for Essentials. These are located on Chart H in your child's binder.
Week 15 Assignment:
This week work on completing the outlining process and rough drafts for paragraphs A, B, and C. Next week we will begin Unit 8 by learning how to write an organized introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph for their reports on Ancient Rome.
Have a wonderful week!
Happy Writing,
Mrs. Gaines
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Week 14: Unit 6 to Unit 8 - The Journey Begins
Hello Essentials families,
Please accept my apologies for missing another week with you. I can't wait to see your smiling faces again. Meredith misses everyone as well. Thank you again Erin for taking the reins of IEW. You are amazing.
TEACHING WRITING STRUCTURE AND STYLE WEEKLY GUIDE:
Structure: (Unit 6)
On the front page I outlined for you a glimpse of the next four weeks with this assignment. The skill of reading for information, selecting important facts, and then fusing ideas from multiple sources (2) is a valuable skill for your child to use throughout the rest of their education. Spending time on this important skill will reap great rewards. As you progress from Topics A-C, I recommend allowing your child more and more independence as they KWO and fuse (if you feel they are ready), this will help them master the skill.
During the first two weeks of this assignment, pace yourself to have your child write a three paragraph rough draft report on Ancient Rome. The third week they will write an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph. The fourth week will be spent putting it all together into a five paragraph paper. Level A Option: I did include a 3 paragraph report option if you choose to do so.
To allow each of you flexibility at home and a clear picture of the assignment, I provided the entire assignment in their take home packet this week. I will pace you each week through the assignment as listed. Please be sure that your child has their packet in their binder each week. We will be using these sheets in class as I introduce the new dress-up and sentence opener (www.asia.because clause) and when I introduce writing an introductory and conclusion paragraph. I will also be answering any questions and rewarding their progress.
THIS WEEK:
Structure:
Complete KWO and fused outline for Topic A (How Rome Began) and write a rough draft paragraph using the rough draft checklist. KWO and fuse Topic B (Ancient Roman Government).
Style:
Work on memorizing the www.asia.because Song in preparation for learning the new dress-up and opener THE WWW.ASIA.BECAUSE CLAUSE. The song details all of the Subordinating Conjunctions listed on your Essentials Conjunctions chart. So with it your child can gain the benefit of memorizing the dress-up list and their grammar chart at the same time:). BONUS!!!
IEW Vocabulary and Math Drills:
Continue to study the IEW Vocabulary and Math Drills.
Upcoming:
We will be able to spend time each week in Writer's Circle sharing students' papers and we will have time for games to review vocabulary and IEW trivia. If your child did not have an opportunity to read their Unit 5 Picture paper or any other paper they love from this year, place them in their notebooks and we will take turns each week sharing. Every student will have an opportunity to share.
We will look forward to seeing all of you on Week 15!
Many blessings,
Tina
Please accept my apologies for missing another week with you. I can't wait to see your smiling faces again. Meredith misses everyone as well. Thank you again Erin for taking the reins of IEW. You are amazing.
TEACHING WRITING STRUCTURE AND STYLE WEEKLY GUIDE:
Structure: (Unit 6)
On the front page I outlined for you a glimpse of the next four weeks with this assignment. The skill of reading for information, selecting important facts, and then fusing ideas from multiple sources (2) is a valuable skill for your child to use throughout the rest of their education. Spending time on this important skill will reap great rewards. As you progress from Topics A-C, I recommend allowing your child more and more independence as they KWO and fuse (if you feel they are ready), this will help them master the skill.
During the first two weeks of this assignment, pace yourself to have your child write a three paragraph rough draft report on Ancient Rome. The third week they will write an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph. The fourth week will be spent putting it all together into a five paragraph paper. Level A Option: I did include a 3 paragraph report option if you choose to do so.
To allow each of you flexibility at home and a clear picture of the assignment, I provided the entire assignment in their take home packet this week. I will pace you each week through the assignment as listed. Please be sure that your child has their packet in their binder each week. We will be using these sheets in class as I introduce the new dress-up and sentence opener (www.asia.because clause) and when I introduce writing an introductory and conclusion paragraph. I will also be answering any questions and rewarding their progress.
THIS WEEK:
Structure:
Complete KWO and fused outline for Topic A (How Rome Began) and write a rough draft paragraph using the rough draft checklist. KWO and fuse Topic B (Ancient Roman Government).
Style:
Work on memorizing the www.asia.because Song in preparation for learning the new dress-up and opener THE WWW.ASIA.BECAUSE CLAUSE. The song details all of the Subordinating Conjunctions listed on your Essentials Conjunctions chart. So with it your child can gain the benefit of memorizing the dress-up list and their grammar chart at the same time:). BONUS!!!
IEW Vocabulary and Math Drills:
Continue to study the IEW Vocabulary and Math Drills.
Upcoming:
We will be able to spend time each week in Writer's Circle sharing students' papers and we will have time for games to review vocabulary and IEW trivia. If your child did not have an opportunity to read their Unit 5 Picture paper or any other paper they love from this year, place them in their notebooks and we will take turns each week sharing. Every student will have an opportunity to share.
We will look forward to seeing all of you on Week 15!
Many blessings,
Tina
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Week 13 Unit 6 - Sick Kids in the Mix:(
Hello Essentials families,
I missed the long awaited return on Tuesday. Around our home the days and nights are a blur, but after 5 doctor visits with 3 out of 4 children, I hope we are on the road to recovery. Thank you for the prayers as my little ones regain strength.
Thank you again Mrs. Varnell for taking IEW over with enthusiasm and grace. We are all blessed by you.
UNIT 6 - RESEARCH REPORTS - LESSON 14
This week Unit 6 - Research Reports was introduced with a new skill of taking notes (5-6 Favorite Facts) from 2 sources and FUSING (melting) them together into one outline. The format should be familiar from Unit 4 with the Topic Sentence and the Clincher REPEATING and/or REFLECTING 2-3 key words. The Title should also reflect the Clincher.
READ ALOUD
I look forward to reading your one paragraph reports on the Ancient Greek Olympics. Practice reading your paragraph aloud this week at home. This is a necessary step in the proofreading process and it helps strengthen your presentation skills. I plan to have several volunteers share their paragraphs with the class next week:)
NEW DECORATION: 3sss - THREE SHORT STACCATO SENTENCES
"It's a new decoration! It's a new style element! It's three short staccato sentences"
Enjoy brainstorming your three short sentences and perfectly place them in your paragraph this week.
CHALLENGE PREP ALERT- As some of your children look forward to entering the Challenge program next year, please note that the skills presented in this unit are used every week in the fall semester of Challenge A. Each week the students will research and find at least 2 sources on a science topic, take notes in KEY WORD OUTLINE format, and then FUSE the 2 KWOs into one outline. Then they will write a one paragraph report, illustrate, and present in class. These skills will continue to follow then through the Challenge years.
I will see all of you next Tuesday! I have some new and exciting plans for the semester. Get ready to have a ball!
Love,
Mrs. Gaines
I missed the long awaited return on Tuesday. Around our home the days and nights are a blur, but after 5 doctor visits with 3 out of 4 children, I hope we are on the road to recovery. Thank you for the prayers as my little ones regain strength.
Thank you again Mrs. Varnell for taking IEW over with enthusiasm and grace. We are all blessed by you.
UNIT 6 - RESEARCH REPORTS - LESSON 14
This week Unit 6 - Research Reports was introduced with a new skill of taking notes (5-6 Favorite Facts) from 2 sources and FUSING (melting) them together into one outline. The format should be familiar from Unit 4 with the Topic Sentence and the Clincher REPEATING and/or REFLECTING 2-3 key words. The Title should also reflect the Clincher.
READ ALOUD
I look forward to reading your one paragraph reports on the Ancient Greek Olympics. Practice reading your paragraph aloud this week at home. This is a necessary step in the proofreading process and it helps strengthen your presentation skills. I plan to have several volunteers share their paragraphs with the class next week:)
NEW DECORATION: 3sss - THREE SHORT STACCATO SENTENCES
"It's a new decoration! It's a new style element! It's three short staccato sentences"
Enjoy brainstorming your three short sentences and perfectly place them in your paragraph this week.
CHALLENGE PREP ALERT- As some of your children look forward to entering the Challenge program next year, please note that the skills presented in this unit are used every week in the fall semester of Challenge A. Each week the students will research and find at least 2 sources on a science topic, take notes in KEY WORD OUTLINE format, and then FUSE the 2 KWOs into one outline. Then they will write a one paragraph report, illustrate, and present in class. These skills will continue to follow then through the Challenge years.
I will see all of you next Tuesday! I have some new and exciting plans for the semester. Get ready to have a ball!
Love,
Mrs. Gaines
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