Sunday, September 30, 2007

Word confusion!

To practice understanding the difference between confusing words such as its/it's, their/there/they're, whose/who's, etc., complete the exercise in class.

Required quizzes:

  1. There/Their/They're (http://www.chompchomp.com/hotpotatoes/wordchoice01.htm)
  2. Whose/Who's (http://www.chompchomp.com/hotpotatoes/wordchoice10.htm)
  3. It's/Its (http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/287.html)



Extra Credit:

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Sample Papers

Here are two sample research papers for you to look at:

"Should Smoking Be Banned in Public Restaurants"
http://thewritesource.com/studentmodels/wi-smoking.htm

"The Killer Bean"
http://thewritesource.com/studentmodels/wi-kllrbean.htm

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

And I quote...

When summarizing or paraphrasing, you must follow certain guidelines. Complete the following activity to practice this skill.

  1. Read the handout on how to paraphrase correctly (on the Dashboard--it is called "ParaphrasingNEW").
  2. Complete the activity "Using Quotations and In-Text Citations Practice"
  3. POST your answers to the 4 questions as comments to this post.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Thesis Statements

Go to the webpage on crafting a thesis statement:
leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html

Using the suggestions provided, write a thesis statement for your paper and post it (with your name) to this post as a comment.

Monday, September 3, 2007

To Do This Week 9/4-9/7

Tuesday, Sep. 4
Lit Review Requirements

Wednesday, Sep. 5
Thesis Statements

Thursday, Sep. 6
Revisit Action Plan

Friday, Sep. 7
Updated Action Plan (Timeline)

Monday, July 2, 2007

To Do This Week

Weekly Tasks
7/2-7/6
  • Complete late work.
  • Continue note-taking using online and print resources.
  • Finish outline.
  • Complete Pre-Writing Questionnaire.
  • Complete Timeline.

    Monday, July 2
    Begin Pre-Writing Questionnaire.

    Tuesday, July 3
    Pre-Writing Questionnaire Due

    Wednesday, July 4
    No School

    Happy Independence Day!

    Thursday, July 5
    Start Timeline

    Friday, July 6
    Work Day

Monday, June 25, 2007

Outline

Developing an Outline for a Literature Review
Outline is due on Friday, June 29th

TIPS FOR WRITING THE OUTLINE

1. Arrange your notes in a logical order by topic/foundation question. If you are having difficulty seeing an order, look for clues in the sequence of your ideas or try clustering by concept.
2. Identify the major themes - these can be used as major headings.
3. Sort your notes to fit under the headings.
4. Look for relationships among ideas and group them as subtopics.
5. If you can't decide where to put something, put it in two or more places in the outline. As you write, you can decide which place is the most appropriate.
6. Let your outline sit a few days. Then look at it again and see what ideas don't seem to fit, which points need to be expanded, and so on. No matter how carefully you construct your outline, it will inevitably change. Don't be discouraged by these changes; they are part of the writing process.

OUTLINE FORMAT

Page 1
  1. Title
  2. Your Name
  3. Essential Question
  4. Key Terms (& their definitions)

Page 2
Outline in the following format


I. 1st main idea
a. 1st supporting point
i. evidence, argument, or example (Source)
ii. evidence, argument, or example (Source)
iii. evidence, argument, or example (Source)
b. 2nd supporting point
i. evidence, argument, or example (Source)
ii. evidence, argument, or example (Source)
iii. evidence, argument, or example (Source)
II. 2nd main idea, etc....

  • Make sure all points are written in complete sentences.
  • Add the source in parentheses after main point. Source should be the first word from bibliographic entry.

To Do Week 10

6/25-6/29
  • Complete late work.
  • Continue note-taking using online and print resources.
  • Begin outlining.
  • Begin drafting paper.

    Monday, June 25
    Outlining.

    Tuesday, June 26
    Continue note-taking.

    Wednesday, June 27
    Continue note-taking.

    Thursday, June 28
    Continue note-taking.

    Friday, June 29
    Outline Due

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Wednesday's Class

I will be with 10th grade on Wednesday, but I will come up to check in between 11:30-12:30.

You will be evaluated on your classroom behavior and performance today based on the following rubric:

10/10 – A – On task, not disruptive, on time for class

8/10 – B – Not disruptive, either mostly on task or tardy for class (not both)

7/10 – C – Not disruptive, somewhat on task AND tardy


6/10 – D – Not on task and/or disruptive

5/10 – E – Refuses to do work; disruptive; sent from room

To Do Week 9

6/18-6/22

- Finish late work
- Finalize interview
- Continue working on notes

Monday 6/18
Notes

Tuesday 6/19
Notes

Wednesday 6/20
Fossum with 10th Grade

- Work on Notes
- Batcho will supervise and evaluate

Thursday 6/21
- Notes Checks
- Outlining

Friday 6/22
Notes

Monday, June 11, 2007

To Do Week 8

Weekly Tasks
6/11-6/15

  • Complete late work.
  • Continue note-taking using online and print resources.

    Monday, June 11
    Continue note-taking.

    Tuesday, June 12
    Continue note-taking.

    Wednesday, June 13
    Arts Festival for select students

    Thursday, June 14
    Notes Progress Grade

    Friday, June 15
    Notes Progress Grade

Friday, June 8, 2007

Citations, citations

Don't forget to write citations for your books and interview.

Interview--MLA

Last Name, First Name of interviewee. Personal interview. Date of interview.

Nakamura, Michael. Personal interview. 23 July 2004.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

To Do Week 7

Weekly Tasks
6/4-6/8

  • Complete late work.
  • Complete Interview Plan.
  • Begin note-taking using online and print resources.

Monday, June 4

Intro to Interviewing

Research possible experts in your topic (find at least 3)

Tuesday, June 5
Interview Plan Due

Wednesday, June 6
Note-taking

Thursday, June 7
Note-taking

Friday, June 8
Blog Mid-Term Grade

Friday, June 1, 2007

Key Terms

Graduation Project Key Terms

  1. Generate a list of 10-15 key terms that have to do with your graduation project.
  2. These terms could be important words necessary for a full understanding of your topic, unfamiliar terms that are part of a special vocabulary, and/or jargon/specialized terminology related to your topic.
  3. Write a complete definition for each of your terms.
  4. Post the list of words/definitions to your blog.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

At the library...

Klanica has the list of tasks for you to do today.

For EXTRA CREDIT:
GO to Carnegie Library Virtual Tour and answer the following questions:
1) When were the staircases in the main lobby constructed? What are they made of?
2) The design of the main room reflects the main focus of the library. What is it?
3) List at least three collections located in the New and Featured section of the main room.
4) What is the name of the café located in main room? What can be purchased there?
5) What extremely IMPORTANT adjective is used to describe the Reading Room on the first floor? Hint: it is 5 letters long!
6) The Teen Room will be where our group will gather. What are some features of the Teen Room?
7) There are 300 magazines in the Magazine Reading Area. What type of wood is used there?

Week 6 To Do List

5/29-6/1
  • Complete late work (essential/foundation questions).
  • Prepare for Library Visit.
  • Locate at least 2 resources at the Library.
  • Identify key terms.
  • Begin note-taking.

    Tuesday, May 29
    Prepare for Library Visit

    Wednesday, May 30

    Carnegie Library Visit (second half)

    Thursday, May 31
    Carnegie Library Visit (first half)

    Friday, June 1
    Identify key terms
    Begin note-taking

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Presentation Schedule

Wednesday, May 23
Megan
Joshalynn
Chelsea
Jasmine S.
Jahmar
Cierra
Toni U.
Liz
Nick L.
Dan
Kim
Toni T.
Nick N.

Thursday, May 24
Alaura
Alex
Ayrelle
Tiffany
Patrick W.
Noel
Eltie
Michelle
Aaron
Brittany
Ashley S.
Kory
Tim
Wiliam

Friday, May 25
Leander
Amber R.
Kendra
Karmel
PAtrick A.
Jasmine G.
Eboneice
Kayla
Amber I.
Carl
Eric E.
Andrew W.

Grad Project Show & Tell

On Wednesday-Friday, you will be sharing your graduation project progress with the class. You should include the following in your presentation:
  1. Your topic idea and why you chose it
  2. What your "tangible" end product will be
  3. Two-three websites that will be the most useful to your project
  4. Your blog & poster
  5. Any challenges you are facing, questions that need to be answered, etc.

Your presentation will be worth 10 points and your participation as an audience member is worth 10 points.

Monday, May 21, 2007

This Week 5/21-5/25

Here's what's up for the week

5/21-5/25

  • Complete late work (Webliography)
  • Post 10+ websites to blog
  • Create essential question
  • Create foundation questions
  • Participate in Show & Tell

    Monday, May 21
    Intro Essential & Foundation questions

    Tuesday, May 22
    “FAQ’s That Work”

    Wednesday, May 23
    Show & Tell

    Thursday, May 24
    Show & Tell

    Friday, May 25
    Essential/Foundation Questions Due

Monday, May 14, 2007

This week..

It's a busy week. The Webliography is due on Friday, May 18th. In the meantime, here is what is on tap.

Monday, May 14
  • Sample Annotations

Tuesday, May 15
  • First Half Work Day

Wednesday, May 16
  • Second Half Work Day

Thursday, May 17
  • Rough Draft Peer Workshop

Friday, May 18
Half Day
  • WEBLIOGRAPHY DUE

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Cite your sources!

By the end of class today, post at least 3 MLA citations to your blog. I will check these to make sure they are correct.

The format sheet is in your folders, and these may help as well:

Citation Machine
EasyBib

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Wednesday: Intro to the Webliography

The most important thing to know about the graduation project is that you should become an expert in the topic you have chosen. To show your expertise in the topic, you will be writing a Literature Review (your "research paper") that demonstrates your knowledge. The first step towards preparing for that paper is compiling enough sources to provide you with adequate information on your topic (this is the Locating/Selecting step that you may remember from the Research Process).

Detailed instructions for the Webliography are located on the Dashboard and in your folders.

The first step in completing the Webliography is to gather the 10+ websites that will be helpful to you. Look for websites that have rich, deep content, unbiased opinions, sources (if possible), a listed author, etc. Use the skills you have developed in website evaluation to select the best sources for your research.

The CARRDSS criteria can help you with evaluating sites.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Weekly To Do List: Week 3

Here's what's on for this week:

5/7-5/11

  • Complete late work.
  • Design collage.
  • Collect ten+ websites.
  • Write MLA citations.
  • Update Letter of Intent as needed.
  • Blog daily.

Monday, April 23
Collage

Tuesday, April 24
Photoshop Collage Due

Wednesday, April 25
Website collection

Thursday, April 26
MLA Citations

Friday, April 27
Sample annotated bibliography

Monday's Class--Graduation Project Meets Photoshop!

Now that you have a topic that you have been thinking about, you can start exploring that topic. An effective way of begin your research is by designing a collage that represents images that relate to your topic.

When you are done, upload your collage to your blog. (It must be saved as a .jpg or .gif)

Requirements
  • A collage of images
  • 800 x 600
  • In color
  • Text is allowed but it should not over-power or be larger than the images
  • “Bells and whistles” – put all of your skills to work, be as creative as you can
  • Typos/spelling errors = Failing Grade

Rubric
  • Readability: Be creative with your graphics, but make sure your fonts, word art, and positioning of the text do not make the text hard to read.
  • Use of color: Make sure that you can see/read the text clearly. Do your pictures make a visual statement?
  • Spelling and Grammar: You should have absolutely no errors on this sign! Grammar or spelling mistakes will make your sign unacceptable.
  • Relationship to research: Are your pictures appropriate for your topic?
  • Appropriate size: Your size must be 81/2 x 11.
  • Visual appeal: Your sign must be appealing and readable from a distance.
  • General neatness and skill level: Your sign should look like you spent some time on it. It should be visually appealing.
  • Use of space on the page: Your sign should fill up the page. Make use of the space available to you.
  • Overall creativity: Did you go out of your way to find interesting graphics? Have you created a sign that stands out from your peers, either through the artwork or through your master of computer skills?

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Friday's Class--Letter of Intent for Topic Selection

You have done a lot of work during the past two weeks learning about your interests, passions, and talents. You have heard from several members of the senior class who have talked about their experiences with the graduation project. I have talked with you one-on-one about your project ideas. Now it is time to pick a topic/subject area for your graduation project.

The Letter of Intent (this document is available on your Dashboard) is your first step towards starting on your project. Before you can begin working on your project, your topic must be approved by me, and you must acknowledge that you understand the academic honesty policy.

The Letter of Intent is due by the beginning of class on Monday, May 7th.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Wednesday's class

On Tuesday and Wednesday you will hear from some senior students who have already completed their projects. When you post today to your own blog, write about your reactions to their stories.

Wednesday's Assignment
  1. Make sure both Interest Inventory activities are complete. These are due today.
  2. Find at least 3 websites that relate to the topic(s) that you are thinking about and post links to them in your blog.
  3. To make the links, go to Customize-->Add a Page Element-->Link List (yes, you do already have one)--> Title it "Project Links"

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Interest Inventory (Part II)

On Monday, you will be completing another Interest Inventory to help you fine-tune topic ideas. Make sure that you are able to pick at least ten things from the list that you generate that could be possible topics. We will share these, so post your top 10 ideas as a comment to this post.

Weekly To-Do List

Here's what on tap for this week:

4/30-5/4
  • Make sure blog is up and running.
  • Complete “Narrowing your topic” section of Thursday’s assignment.
  • Complete “Interest Inventory” and list “Top Ten” project ideas
  • Complete Website collection activity.
  • Prepare for Friday’s “show and tell”.
  • Blog daily.

    Monday, April 23
    Interest Inventory

    Tuesday, April 24
    PSSA Science--short class
    Past projects

    Wednesday, April 25
    Website collection

    Thursday, April 26
    Pair activity—Feasibility study

    Friday, April 27
    Topic selection

Blogging do's and don'ts

Just a reminder about the following blogging guidelines as you begin updating your blogs:

1. Update your blog at least every day in class, but you are encouraged to update on the weekends as necessary.

2. Your blog should be a log or diary of anything having to do with your graduation project. You can post about:
  • your activities in class
  • any websites visited, articles read, etc. (give titles, urls, etc.)
  • contacts spoken with or emailed
  • problems faced
  • next steps
  • progress made towards your weekly To-Do List

3. Remember that although blogs are not as formal as a final paper or proposal, you should still write using your best grammar and spelling.

4. This is not a personal blog, but one meant to record your progress on the graduation project. Any inappropriate content, images or text placed on your blog will result in a failing grade.

5. Always read comments posted to your blog, as I will be keeping tabs on your progress and answering questions that you may have through this method.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Ready, set, blog!

On Friday, you will begin creating your own blog. Directions are on the Dashboard and in your folders.

1. Make sure your first post answers all of the following questions:

  • What have you heard about the graduation project at City High? Do you know any students in 12th grade or who have already graduated that completed their projects? What were their experiences?

  • What are some interests you have that you think you might like to structure a project around? List at least three options for your project.

  • What are some of the concerns that you have about the graduation project?

2. You should also make a link to this blog (http://gradproject2008.blogspot.com) from yours.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Interest Inventory

Start thinking of some of your interests as you begin to narrow your topic. Even if you think you have a topic idea, completing this activity can help you narrow or broaden your focus. The document is located on your Dashboard.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

To Blog or Not to Blog...

Welcome to the City High Class of 2008 Graduation Project Blog!

Before you enter into the blogosphere, you should learn something about this blogging business.



  1. Read the New York Times article about blogging, "For Some, the Blogging Never Stops".
  2. With the person next to you, answer the following 8 questions on a separate piece of paper. Make sure you each have a copy; as only one will be randomly selected for a grade. :

    • What is blogging, according to the article?
    • How many blogs has the blog-tracking company, Technorati, counted?
    • What percentage of online users read blogs, according to Jupiter Research? What reason does Richard Wiggins give for writing blogs?
    • How does Scott Lederer justify the time he spends blogging?
    • What does Jeff Jarvis mean by "the obligation to blog"?
    • According to Barabara Quint, what is it about blogging that makes it more attractive than cash?
    • What are some of the pitfalls to frequent blogging?

  3. Independently, answer the following questions and post them as comments to this post:

    • Do you think constant blogging indicates signs of an unhealthy obsession or a harmless, spirited pastime? Why?
    • What makes another person's blog worth reading?
    • By what "rules" do you think fellow bloggers should abide and why?