Post date: Sep 06, 2015 4:26:39 PM
College Comp 1
Monday 9.7
No School. Labor Day.
Tuesday 9.8
Learning Target - When I leave Mr. Reynolds’ room, I will have experienced the new classroom worker’s workshop format (albeit in an abbreviated format), begun reading professional and student examples to note what makes effective descriptions, and then I will apply those to my own writing by drafting a descriptive essay on my favorite time of year.
Classroom Tasks -
Intro to writer’s workshop
* Have this outlined on the board
Intro syllabus
* Be brief. No need to cover the entire thing.
Distribute classroom journals and self select first SSR book
* Perform a book talk for students on Ultra Marathon Man
* Every day for the first two weeks of school, I will display a different picture on
the SMARTboard of the reading load that my former students who are now in
college sent me last week. That should motivate them.
* Model the first journal prompt in their writer’s notebook (begin listing 111 things about
you). I’ll model the first 25.
* Connect reading and writing every single class period to warm ups and skill
sessions in athletics. You need to practice them every day to stay sharp.
* Model what Donald Murray talked about as the workman's approach to writing.
Discuss elements of “good” writing.
* The evils of the standard, five paragraph essay
* The need for voice and style and originality.
* Have students bring in other syllabi from their other classes to search for voice.
* Have them look at our syllabus for examples of voice. Also, later in the week,
have them bring in examples of voice.
* Remind them of what Hemingway said: "The first draft of anything is shit." And also remind them of one of my favorite quotes about the writing process, though I have no clue who said it: "No draft is ever finishing. It is just abandoned."
Sample descriptive examples
* Dave Sedaris “Big Boy” and worst summer example ever.
Homework -
Work on 111 Things About You (due Friday)
Have SSR book for tomorrow
Descriptive topic #1 for tomorrow (favorite time of year). This will be due Wednesday.
Evidence -
I know I have met the learning target in Mr. Reynolds’ room because I will be introduced to the new writer’s workshop format of the class, read the class examples of descriptive writing to analyze what makes for effective descriptive writing, and began applying those descriptive skills to a very rough draft, which will be due on Wednesday.
Wednesday 9.9
Learning Target - When I leave Mr. Reynolds’ room, I will have experienced the writing workshop format class format in full form, read and analyzed more examples of descriptive writing, and began applying those descriptive skills to a second brought draft, which will be due on Thursday.
Writer’s Workshop format (Classroom Tasks)
* Daily Agenda (2 minutes) - Quickly draw their attention to the learning targets and quickly go over what is due (a rough draft of favorite time of year).
SSR (13 minutes) - I will do a second quick book talk (‘Salem’s Lot)
Be sure to display a new picture of the reading load from a senior last year now in college.
Ask a few students randomly to share what books they have chosen to read.
Don’t forget to have them log their pages read.
* Quick writes/notebook work (15 minutes) - Have students add to their list of 111 things.
* Minilessons (15 minutes) -
* Model how I’m adding more things to my list of 111 things. Here is a good time to talk about how I naturally inject voice into all of my writing.
* Then examine and discuss the writing process.
* Model brainstorming around a descriptive topic and use “Muskie Joe” (from a former student years ago) as an example of how to focus on one key moment or scene when it jumps out at you and do as Tom Romano suggests: "explode the moment."
* Voice!!!! Ask them what parts of my syllabus contain voice. See if any other syllabi from other classes have any voice (I’m betting no). Then ask them to share their examples of voice in other forms of writing. Share with them my Pinterest Page - Voice! Baby, Voice! Discuss what makes for voice and why it’s so vital to writing.
* Discuss the full writing process that they have studied in Foundations and other English classes here (pre-writing, drafting, and peer editing), but now I will begin to illustrate how revision is recursive in this process and how the writing process looks in College Comp is more like pre-writing (at least early on as writings - honestly, I don't pre-write and haven't in decades), drafting, revision, more revision, drafting, more revision, drafting, more revision, drafting, even more revision, drafting, and finally copy editing (preferably by someone else) before publishing (in whatever form that may take).
Writing Workshop (30-35 minutes) - Students begin either revising descriptive 1.1 (favorite time of year) or 1.2 (favorite place).
* Here is where I will circulate and evaluate individually how well students have met their learning target for applying effective skills of descriptive essays to their individual pieces. I will look for key details to be fleshed out, dialogue to be added, senses to be hit, and a focus on one moment so they can show rather than tell (it has been my experience that when students choose too broad of a topic, they want to tell rather than just zero in on senses and imagery).
* I will help them either revise 1.1 or develop 1.2. How can I help them see examples of their voices in their own writing? How can I help them begin to inject some voice into their drafts?
* Closing (3 minutes) - have three students share either a descriptive skill they wrote in their draft today or that they revised in their draft from yesterday. Connect this to the final part of the today’s learning target (the are now applying these descriptive skills to their own writing).
Homework -
Work on 111 Things About You (due Friday).
Descriptive 1.2 (favorite place). Due in class on Thursday.
Evidence -
I know I have met the learning target in Mr. Reynolds’ room because I will read the class examples of descriptive writing to analyze what makes for effective descriptive writing, and began applying those descriptive skills to a second very rough draft, which will be due on Thursday.
Thursday 9.10 - Substitute
Learning Target - When I leave Mr. Reynolds’ room, I will have applied various elements of effective descriptive writing (hitting the senses, key details, dialogue, and imagery) to my own writing (1.3 a prized possession), read “Time Keeps on Slipping” and analyzed it for effective description, and practiced revising each of my previous two drafts (1.1 - favorite time of year and 1.2 - favorite place).
Writer’s Workshop format (Classroom Tasks)
* Daily Agenda (2 minutes) - Quickly draw their attention to the learning targets and quickly go over what is due (revisions of 1.1 and 1.2 as well as work on 1.3)
SSR (13 minutes) -
Sub will pass around the clipboard for students to log their pages.
If students are reading well, this can extend to 20-25 minutes.
Quick writes/notebook work (15 minutes) - Have students add to their list of 111 things.
Again, I’ll put in the sub notes that if this goes well, the sub can expand this part to 20-25 minutes too.
* Minilessons (15 minutes) -
* Students will work on a couple assignments from Voice Lessons.
Writing Workshop (30-35 minutes) -
* Students will have time to revise 1.1 and 1.2 as well as begin crafting 1.3.
* Closing (3 minutes) - Sub can simply remind students of what is due tomorrow (a rough draft of 1.3).
Homework -
Finish on 111 Things About You (due Friday)
Descriptive 1.3 (prized possession). Due Friday
Evidence -
I know I have met the learning target in Mr. Reynolds’ room because I appllied the skills and techniques of effective descriptive writing (imagery, show vs. tell, dialogue, hitting the senses, key details) to both of my descriptive drafts.
Friday 9.11 Substitute
Learning Target - When I leave Mr. Reynolds’ room, I will applied the traits of effective descriptive writing (show don’t tell; hitting the senses; effective dialogue; key details; and imagery) to my own descriptive drafts (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3); and I will also practice the full writing process (pre-writing, revising, drafting, revising, more revising, drafting, more revising, and finally copy editing - and maybe still more revising - and finally publishing) on one of my descriptive drafts, which I will submit on Monday. I will also go through the peer edit process for one of my drafts.
Writer’s Workshop format (Classroom Tasks)
* Daily Agenda (2 minutes) - Quickly draw their attention to the learning targets and remind them that they need to choose one of their three rough drafts to bring to fruition through the full writing process.
SSR (13 minutes) -
Sub will pass around the clipboard for students to log their pages.
If students are reading well, this can extend to 20-25 minutes.
Quick writes/notebook work (15 minutes) - The Sub with have students look ahead to the next writing topic we will examine: narrative. Have students examine their rough descriptive drafts for a hint of a larger narrative that could be connected. Instead of leaping right into developing a narrative around one descriptive scene, students will try and develop at least three descriptive “snap shot” moments from an emerging narrative. Then over the course of the next week or so, we will explore how to narratively (is that even an adverb? I don’t think so) connective three (or so) snap shot moments together to produce a coherent narrative.
* Minilessons
* None today
Writing Workshop (45 minutes) - Students will have time to get into small peer groups and revise (using the peer edit sheet). I want to see them really mark up their drafts AND NOT JUST FOR BASIC ERRORS. I WANT TO SEE SOME COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE EACH PIECE (in other words, they can model all of the work that I have done with them individually during writing workshop the past two days in class).
* Closing (3 minutes) - Sub can simply have the students text or email me which draft they are going to select to complete and turn in on Monday.
Homework -
Complete their descriptive essay #1 (select from their three rough drafts) and submit on Monday.
Evidence -
I know I have met the learning target in Mr. Reynolds’ room because I will be able to illustrate various techniques of effective descriptive writing in my final draft of descriptive essay #1 as well as applied the full writing process (including peer revision) to my final draft of descriptive essay #1. I will also have met the learning target by applying what I know of effective descriptive writing to the drafts of other students during the peer revision process.