College composition

Ongoing

Assignments and materials for each week will be posted on Google Classroom by 8 a.m. Monday.

Please read all materials and let me know as soon as possible if you have questions or anticipate needing help.

Work is due every week by 1 p.m. Friday. That 1 p.m. deadline gives me 90 minutes to mark work as received prior to reporting "attendance" to administrators. Attendance is based on who has submitted work. If you do not submit work, you will be marked UNV.

March 16-20 | Monday-Friday

Teachers are working this week to develop lessons and learning activities. The first of these will be posted on Google Classroom by 8 a.m. Monday, March 23.

March 12 | Thursday

Students were given time, as promised, to continue (and maybe finish?) drafting paragraphs using techniques explored during earlier classes.

Actual rough drafts are not yet due, but students are well-advised to complete as much writing as possible during class time, when I am able to provide on-the-spot feedback, clarification and encouragement.

March 10 | Tuesday

Students annotated two texts to identify how different authors used denotation, etymology, connotation, enumeration, negation, examples and allusion to explore definitions of abstract ideas. We were lucky to have Prof. Allison Cummings from Southern New Hampshire University join us today!

On Thursday students will have time to continue (and maybe finish?) drafting paragraphs using all or most of the above techniques. Actual rough drafts are not yet due, but students are well-advised to complete as much writing as possible during class time, when I am able to provide on-the-spot feedback, clarification and encouragement.

March 9 | Monday

Today students experimented with negation and enumeration, writing notes for a couple more paragraphs in their drafts of concept essays.

March 5 | Thursday

I instructed students on the relationships between signal phrases, parenthetical citations and the Works Cited page. Students also completed a short signal phrase exercise using a handout that I distributed shortly after the start of class.

Main takeaways:

• Always precede a parenthetical citation with a signal phrase
• Always craft a signal phrase to meaningfully introduce the source (and her/his/its authority/credibility)
• Vary placement and wording of signal phrases
• If you create source citations first -- which I am requiring students to do -- the mystery of what goes into the parenthetical citation is already solved.

After that I met with each student individually to review how up to date they are on the following:

• Joining NoodleTools and sharing projects with me in the correct folder
• Creating correct citations for Merriam-Webster, Etymonline and other sources consulted so far
• Renaming concept essays and filling in the Research Question field on the project dashboard
• Completion of the denotation/etymology paragraph including citations

March 3 | Tuesday

We explored connotation today, talking about the "vibes" that can come off certain words. Here is a helpful online source for review: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-connotative-words.html.

Students wrote and submitted (via Google Classroom) complete paragraphs presenting yesterday's research on the denotation and etymology of their chosen concepts. I explained how these will be graded.

I told students that I assigned a new grammar unit test due by the start of class next Monday, March 9.

We looked at an exemplar concept essay by one of my students last semester.

March 2 | Monday

We started class with a syllabus check and determined that we're right on schedule. I also reviewed what's coming up in terms of activities and deadlines.

After that I explained that a portion of the concept essay each student will write should include a section stating the denotation ("dictionary definition") and exploring the etymology of the term or related terms. Students were encouraged to use Merriam-Webster and etymonline.com.

I also reminded students to create citations in NoodleTools for any sources they use.

Feb. 20 | Thursday

Students began class with an exercise on writing effective an title.

After that they created projects on NoodleTools and began locating (and creating citations for) articles and other resources on their chosen concept essay topics.

We will begin work in earnest on this project immediately following February vacation.

Feb. 17 | Monday

With a peer or two (or alone using headphones), please watch the TED Talk video: "Six Words Are the Way In" (12:52).

After that, please take time to explore the Six-Word Memoir website. When you're on the site, scroll down to navigate by subject or even to search.

When I see you next class, I'm going to challenge you to summarize the college/scholarship application essay you're currently revising in just six words.

It can be done! Students in recent years have produced some amazing six-word memoirs.

Feb. 13 | Thursday

Class was shortened again today, this time due to a late start because of inclement weather.

Students explored finding information using school databases related to several of the concept essay topics I e-mailed to them. I explained that students will begin work on this next big assignment immediately following vacation. (Until then they will mostly explore resources available.) I'll explain more next week.

Feb. 11 | Tuesday

Class was shortened somewhat today due to Advisory. We spent our time beginning grammar instruction. Today we focused on commas, semicolons and colons.

Feb. 10 | Monday

Students will sit in groups assigned for today's activity and follow these instructions:

Please open up your essay in Google Classroom. (It's okay for you to unsubmit it.)

Pass your essay to your left. Read the essay you've received from someone else. Every few minutes, continue passing essays left until every person in the group has read each essay.

Now take turns discussing each essay in turn. Budget 8 minutes or so per essay. When your essay is being discussed, just listen. Sit back and enjoy hearing other people discuss your work. Avoid the temptation to jump in, even if they seem to get lost or miss an important point about your essay. It's helpful to understand why and how that can happen given what's currently on the page.

1) What works especially well in this essay draft? List strengths you appreciate most. If you mention something like "use of language," identify specific examples. If you admire the way the essay is organized, identify spots where story shifts smoothly to reflection or vice versa.

2) Identify what you believe the author's essay is about on an intellectual and/or emotional level. Note: group members sometimes disagree. That's okay! The author needs to hear the different ways an essay may be interpreted.

3) Talk about the introduction and conclusion specifically. Are they both working well? Does one seem stronger than the other? (Maybe that's appropriate.) Discuss.

4) What might need a little further development in terms of content? Is there part of a story missing? Does some point call for further reflection?

5) Identify your favorite sentence or line in the essay.

Rough drafts won't be due until next week, the week before February vacation.

Feb. 6 | Thursday

Class was cancelled today due to stormy weather.

Feb. 4 | Tuesday

Students had class time to work on finishing drafts of college/scholarship essays.

These are due by way of Google Classroom by the end of today.

Feb. 3 | Monday

Today we talked about cohesion and coherence.

Students reminded me that I promised them they would have class time tomorrow to work on finishing drafts of college/scholarship essays.

These are due by way of Google Classroom by the end of the day tomorrow, Feb. 4: 11:59 p.m.

Jan. 30 | Thursday

I shared exemplars of annotations submitted Tuesday.

Students spent most of class beginning drafts of college/scholarship appropriate essays due next Tuesday, Feb. 4, by the end of the day (11:59 p.m.).

I explained that while students will revise these essays to 650 words or fewer, they should NOT worry about length while drafting.

Draft long, pare back. That's the habit I want students to develop this semester.

I also met with students just joining the class due to personal roster adjustments to make sure they had copies of the syllabus, SNHU sign-up instructions, etc.

Students do have until Feb. 18 to enroll with SNHU if they want to take advantage of the dual enrollment opportunity presented through this course. Earlier is better, however, so that I can arrange help if they encounter any problems.

Jan. 28 | Tuesday

Students annotated an "essay that worked" from collections viewed last Thursday. See Google Classroom for questions I posed to guide annotation. Work should be submitted directly to Google Classroom.

Jan. 23 | Thursday

We finished reviewing the course syllabus and also took a look at common features of academic dishonesty policies, starting with the one we have here at CHS. We then looked at one for SNHU: https://libguides.snhu.edu/c.php?g=92369&p=3680034 .

Students spent some time taking an online plagiarsm tutorial to explore concepts of academic dishonesty: https://cola.unh.edu/academics/plagiarism-tutorial .

I asked students to please explore scholarship opportunities, using this CHS page as a jumping off place: https://docs.google.com/document/d/179LI-xtOg2K0C2MtWrr2XrJ1ZedKA8qg73ZQ8dgjqEc/edit

Soon students will be drafting (and then revising) personal essays appropriate for applications for scholarships, internships and of course college admission if still needed.

I had students read a few essays posted by Johns Hopkins University: https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/ .

Hamilton College also posts a collection of impressive student essays: https://www.hamilton.edu/admission/apply/college-essays-that-worked

Jan. 21 | Tuesday - FIRST CLASS OF SPRING SEMESTER! WOOHOO!

We began going over the syllabus. Also students did a little spontaneous writing about a writing-related memory.

These memories are to form the basis of an essay of introduction due Thursday, Jan. 23.

Please see Google Classroom for the full prompt.

Jan. 16 | LAST CLASS OF THE SEMESTER!!

We spent time today looking at a wide variety of genuine college writing assignments along with an essay about the adjustments students make as they learn to meet new expectations in various subject areas:

• https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/12/college-writing-requires-skills-that-cannot-be-taught-in-one-semester.html
• https://guidetowriting.gsu.edu/sample-assignments/
• https://www.lsu.edu/hss/english/university_writing/english_1001_teachers/assignments.php
• http://www.u.arizona.edu/~sung/english101/

Jan. 13 | Monday

Students shared complete rough drafts of reflective essays with each other, then providing more formal feedback than last week. I matched students for this exercise.

Revisions (1,400+ words) are due by 7:50 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, when we meet for our "mid-year exam" block. On that date we'll do some final activities celebrating student work over the course of the semester.

Also today we talked about how to format block quotes. I recommend students use this reference on the Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_quotations.html

I asked students to review their grades in PowerSchool for this class and to let me know as soon as possible if they have questions or concerns. I explained that I have an obligation to file grades with SNHU (for those enrolled in the dual enrollment program) within two days of our last class this Thursday. For that reason I am going to grade work right away Thursday.

Jan. 9 | Thursday

Students continued work on their last essays of the semester. At one point they broke to provide early peer feedback on various approaches people were taking.

I also provided some guidance on possible ways to approach the introduction of this essay so that it's engaging and creative.

We also looked, as planned, at a helpful four-page list on commonly confused words.

Jan. 7 | Tuesday

Students began their last essay of the semester. (See instructions on Google Classroom.) Woohoo!

Jan. 6 | Monday

We spent today's short class looking in more depth at active vs. passive construction, using an assortment of handouts and exploring something called the "paramedic method."

Jan. 2 | Thursday

Welcome back!

We spent the first hour of class on a quick writing exercise. After that we considered some "deadly sins" of writing.

Time following lunch was spent getting reacquainted with argumentative essays. Revisions are due prior to the start of class Monday, Jan. 6.

I checked in with students individually to check that every single one of them felt confident about finishing in time. (The answer was yes.) I provided feedback, advice and encouragement as made sense.

Dec. 19 | Thursday

We began class talking about writing effective titles. We used a University of Minnesota handout and experimented with the exercise listed on the back.

Students continued working on revisions of argumentative essays. Revisions of these essays will be due by the start of class Monday, Jan. 6.

I reminded students once again that final grammar units are due by the end of the day.

I checked in with students individually to provide feedback and encouragement as needed.

Dec. 19 | Thursday

We began class talking about writing effective titles. We used a University of Minnesota handout and experimented with the exercise listed on the back.

Students continued working on revisions of argumentative essays. Revisions of these essays will be due by the start of class Monday, Jan. 6.

I reminded students once again that final grammar units are due by the end of the day.

I checked in with students individually to provide feedback and encouragement as needed.

Dec. 17 | Tuesday

Students began revisions of argumentative essays based on feedback I provided on rough drafts. I circulated to answer any questions students had on notes I attached to their work via Google Classroom. I also met with some students one-on-one to provide verbal feedback, particularly in cases where talking through strengths and weaknesses made more sense than notes.

Revisions of these essays will be due by the start of class Monday, Jan. 6.

I reminded students that their last grammar units will be due Thursday, Dec. 19.

Dec. 16 | Monday

I asked students to work with partners to interview each other about recent progress in College Composition. (Starter questions were posted on Google Classroom.) Students were encouraged to take notes and give these notes to classmates at the end of conversations. In January students will complete a reflection on their semester experiences, so I wanted to get them thinking about what they might want to say then.

One question I asked of students was what writing tasks they might have coming up still with respect to college and/or scholarship applications. To that end they explored scholarship information -- including potential essay requirements -- to make note of what they might need to produce in coming months.

Dec. 12 | Thursday

Students shared favorite sentences from "The Search for Marvin Gardens" by John McPhee. I gave them time to work on independent tasks (including grammar studies, deciding titles for their argumentative essays and researching campus writing resources at two or three colleges of individual interest) while I met with students, one-on-one, for a quick review of where people stand in the grade book with respect to missing assignments (if any) and upcoming last assignments in the quarter.

Dec. 10 | Tuesday

Shared reading today was "The Search for Marvin Gardens" by John McPhee. We also watched a short TED Talk on the power of language. And, students took part in a fun thesaurus activity. I asked students to continue reading the McPhee essay at home and to identify, for Thursday's class, one of their favorite sentences.

Dec. 9 | Monday

Today we welcomed Allison Cummings, a professor at Southern New Hampshire University, as students worked on reverse outlining their essay drafts. The exercise proved a fruitful one, as students were able to identify some problem areas, most frequently related to organization.

Dec. 5 | Thursday

Students shared work with each other and provided feedback in the following areas:

• Is the claim clear?
• Are points in support of that claim organized logically?
• Are points backed by a variety of quoted and paraphrased evidence?
• Are sources of evidence identified appropriately?

I also encouraged students to remember and celebrate to note strengths in the writing itself.

Complete rough drafts will be due prior to the start of class Monday, Dec. 9.

Rough drafts must be 1,200+ words in length (not including heading or Works Cited). Also, rough drafts must be properly formatted following MLA rules, which we've reviewed now in class a number of times. Students should be prepared to give their essays meaningful titles.

I reminded students that we may (or may not) have a visitor from SNHU Monday.

Dec. 3 | Tuesday

Students continued to work on rough drafts.

Rough drafts must be 1,200+ words in length (not including heading or Works Cited). Also, rough drafts must be properly formatted following MLA rules, which we've reviewed now in class a number of times.

Complete rough drafts will be due prior to the start of class Monday, Dec. 9.

Nov. 21 | Thursday

Work on the writing of argumentative essays began in earnest today.

I first asked students to type their rough working claims into NoodleTools, revising as they saw fit. I also encouraged them to take a fresh look at their citations and note cards to gauge whether they feel they have conducted "enough" research to support a claim and to address at least one counterclaim.

I also asked them to revise, if necessary, the very rough working outlines they jotted down a few days ago.

Students then worked individually to either conduct some additional research before beginning to draft, or to actually begin the writing of the rough draft.

Rough drafts must be 1,200+ words in length (not including heading or Works Cited). Also, rough drafts must be properly formatted following MLA rules, which we've reviewed now in class a number of times.

Complete rough drafts will be due prior to the start of class Monday, Dec. 9.

Nov. 19 | Tuesday

Today's class was abbreviated somewhat due to Advisory 12:45-1:05. We spent our time reading and discussing a strong student-generated argumentative essay from last year (used with the permission of the student). Specifically, we talked about the following features:

• Title
• Claim
• Organization of reasoning
• Counterclaim and refutation/rebuttal
• Abundance of evidence
• Reliance upon sources and use of citations

Nov. 18 | Monday

Students worked in small groups to play "devil's advocate" to each other, finding ways to challenge claims for upcoming argumentative essays. Students used a ReadWriteThink handout as a guide. The point of the exercise was for students to identify a variety of potential counterclaims.

Also today I assigned the next unit of grammar: conventions. Students must take the unit test by the end of the day Tuesday, Nov. 26. I also explained that of the six grammar units we are doing prior to the winter break, I will exempt each student's lowest score.

Nov. 14 | Thursday

Today's class began with a look at different types of argumentative claims. We did this together so I could be sure all students had an opportunity to ask questions and compare ideas.

The other day they wrote syllogisms to help them prepare to write argumentative claims. Today I asked them to go ahead and write out a rough working claim (if they hadn't done so already).

Students identified what types of claims they wrote -- testing their thinking with others -- and then they wrote their claims on the board so that we could see who intends to pursue what.

Next I had students write very rough working outlines on paper. (A formal outline will be assigned soon.) I just want students to have a rough idea of what chunks of their essay they plan to produce, at least at this moment in time.

Students were given the rest of class to work on various College Composition tasks, including:

• To outlines, add notes about where research from sources probably will be used
• Begin to write a paragraph or two
• Work on the current grammar assignment due prior to the start of class Monday, Nov. 18

Nov. 12 | Tuesday

I reminded students that revisions of concept essays are due this Thursday, Nov. 14. Also I gave them their next grammar assignment on syntax (sentences and clauses). Students should work their way through that by Monday, Nov. 18. As I explained in class, I don't believe this will be a particular challenge to students, so getting to the unit test should be feasible. If students are having trouble with this material, they should let me know Thursday so we can work as a group through problem areas.

I asked students to write syllogisms to guide crafting of claims. By the end of class I was able to check in with each of them to provide verbal feedback on where students seemed headed. (Results were excellent!)

After that students had a choice. Either they could work on revising their concept essays or they could continue research work for argumentative essays. I told students that on Thursday they will create VERY rough outlines in support of claims to guide research. (They'll complete a formal outline assignment in a couple of weeks.)

As students worked independently, I met with the last handful to provide feedback on concept essays.

Busy class!

Nov. 7 | Thursday

Students worked on narrowing down their argumentative essay project topics. I also made sure everyone shared their projects with me on NoodleTools, which is where I'll be tracking sources and note taking.

(There are couple of students who still need to share this with me.)

As students worked, I conferenced with individuals on their concept essays to provide revision advice. (Some students got revision feedback online.) Revisions will be due toward the end of next week.

Nov. 5 |Tuesday

Remember to complete the grammar assignment due by the start of class Thursday, Nov. 7.

This week students will learn about logical fallacies. Today they'll start with a simple quiz (an informal, non-graded "pretest" of sorts) and then we'll talk about syllogisms. Students will write and share some syllogisms before moving on to some materials posted on Purdue University's OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/logic_in_argumentative_writing/index.html

After lunch students will use Gale Opposing Viewpoints to explore some topics for argumentative essays. Students should prepare to commit to a topic this Thursday, Nov. 7.

While I have attached initial scores to students' excellent concept essay drafts, I am still in the process of providing individual feedback. (Each paper takes a significant amount of time.)

Oct. 31 |Thursday

At the start of class I had students write a reflection on Q1 challenges and triumphs. (See reflection assignment questions on Google Classroom.) Next I reminded students that this writing plus one more chunk of writing at the end will comprise the heart of a final essay they'll write for the course.

Afterward we talked about picking a topic for the research-based argumentative essay students will begin writing in few weeks. Students will begin doing some preliminary research work on that topic next week, in part to determine if a topic is solid or needs changing before huge amounts of time and effort are invested.

In order to be successful, students must:

• Choose topics they are really and seriously interested in. This project will span a good part of Q2!
• Read full articles and/or research studies, etc.
• Create detailed notecards and citations well before beginning the writing process.
• Create and adhere (within reason) to an outline that will receive its own separate grade.
• Meet deadlines in order to receive timely peer and teacher feedback.

After lunch we FINALLY began a reasonably organized approach to grammar work. We ran into some technological difficulties but with a little perseverance we resolved frustrating glitches. Hat tip to students in the room who found and shared workarounds!

Oct. 29 |Tuesday

Class began with a review of quality signal phrases to avoid dropped quotations. I provided a handout that we went over as a class. I also explained that students might need to do some research to learn about the qualifications and expertise of the various sources they are using in their essays.

Students worked on signal phrases in their concept essays prior to lunch. Following that break students turned their attention to grammar on Khan Academy. I worked with a small group of students who wanted some additional instruction and practice with semicolons and colons.

Oct. 28 | Monday

Today we reviewed the relationship between the Works Cited page, signal phrases and parenthetical citations. To prepare for some in-depth citation work tomorrow, students spent part of class highlighting information from research in different colors (matched to citations on their Works Cited pages).

Also I had students properly format their papers in terms of font, spacing, etc. I reminded students of the essential purpose of formatting -- ease on the reader's eyes -- and explained that I will no longer read or score work that does not comply. We all had a good-natured laugh at how draconian that sounds, but the fact is, formatting exists for a reason. Students MUST adhere to formatting rules because some college professors will refuse to accept and score work that is not formatted properly. I would like for my students to get in the habit of complying with this requirement so that not a single one of them has a stressful, upsetting experience at the college level with a hard-nosed instructor.

Oct. 24 | Thursday

Students worked in small groups today to read and provide feedback on peer manuscripts. (See Google Classroom for guiding questions.) After lunch students had time to make last minute changes and/or to add some suggested words/sentences/paragraphs to resolve various issues and/or to meet the 1200 word requirement. (Most students achieved that number of words prior to class, but a handful needed some suggestions in order to reach that goal.)

I also provided an MLA formatting checklist to guide students who continue to submit essays that are not properly formatted.

We postponed our planned grammar work until Monday. I have a feeling that it'll be easier to find a rhythm on grammar work during Q2.

Oct. 22 | Tuesday

Today students took a look at how much progress they've made so far toward drafting a concept essay that is at least 1200 words in length (not including heading, header or Works Cited page). Four paragraphs were due by the end of class last Thursday, Oct. 17.

The reality is that some students have not been respecting deadlines and using class time wisely. Others have. I explained how this is impacting instruction and forward movement for all and made clear that this approach cannot continue.

I provided instruction on how students can make rapid progress on their drafts.

• Write separate paragraphs dedicated to denotation, connotation, negation and/or enumeration.
• Make sure those paragraphs are fully developed. (I provided suggestions on ways to fill out skimpy work.)
• Return to research and incorporate ideas and quotes gleaned from reading. I reminded students of work they did (or were supposed to have done) weeks ago on NoodleTools. I also made sure that students who had not yet linked their concept essay projects on NoodleTools shared them with my NoodleTools inbox.

As students worked I gave them credit for their progress so far on citations, notecards and paragraphs written.

Also I made clear that final revisions of college application essays are due by the start of class Thursday, Oct. 24.

I will provide a MLA formatting checklist on Thursday to guide students who continue to submit essays that are not properly formatted. Also Thursday we'll attend to some outstanding grammar tasks.

Oct. 21 | Monday

Class began with a presentation by visiting GAPP students.

Tomorrow we will tackle the following list:

• Checking current word counts, as the concept essay must be 1200+ words in length, not including heading, title or Works Cited page
• Reviewing exemplars for examples of denotation, connotation, negation and enumeration
• MLA formatting
• Grammar challenge

Oct. 17 | Thursday

As promised, I further demonstrated strategies for paring unnecessary language from college essays. Two students volunteered portions of their essays for me to talk through identifying what works well and dealing with issues that need work.

Prior to lunch students considered some allusions that may apply to the concepts they're writing about.

After lunch I had students work further on their concept essays. I asked for students to submit what they had by the end of class so I could see where they are and what I need to provide for instruction to guide revision.

Oct. 15 | Tuesday

Students spent most of class drafting paragraphs including denotation, connotation, negation and enumeration. (We reviewed those concepts at the outset.)

I spent a few minutes at the end of class finally demonstrating strategies to pare unnecessary language from college essays. One student volunteered the use of a portion of her essay for today's class. Two other students volunteered their essays for use at the start of Thursday's class.

Oct. 10 | Thursday

Oh no! I got sick today and had to go home, meaning class was cancelled.

Oct. 8 | Tuesday

We started class with a video, activity and exit card prepared by administrators on the topic of reporting concerns about students safety.

After that we talked about denotation, connotation, enumeration and negation. I showed a couple examples of student-written concept essays from last year.

We postponed a planned look at dilemmas students are facing on college application essays because the safety activity ran longer than expected (but took top priority). We'll do that Thursday instead so we don't have to hurry through.

I also announced that I'm going to postpone some due dates. I'll announce those changes on Thursday.

Oct. 1 and 3 | Tuesday and Thursday

On Tuesday and Thursday I will conference with individual students on their college application essays. Second revisions will be due next Thursday, Oct. 10.

On Tuesday I am going to prioritize conferencing with students scheduled to be away Thursday due to a field trip for another course.

Students who are not busy conferencing with me will have several tasks to tackle:

• Grammar study
• Reading some examples of concept essays (see Google Classroom)
• Considering some topics for concept essays (see Google Classroom)
• Choosing three possible topics and conducting research using school databases and/or a major daily newspaper. Every credible and timely source used MUST have an identifiable author, publication and publication date.
• Creating NoodleTools citations for selected readings
• Final revision of college application essays

Sept. 30 | Monday

Class began with some guided peer feedback on college essay revisions. I will be conferencing with students individually tomorrow and Thursday to provide a next round of revision.

Students did a quick grammar exercise and demonstrated that this group apparently does not need instruction, practice and assessment in the area of subject/verb agreement. They aced the 23-question "pretest" to such a degree that I counted it as a quiz. Boom. Done.

After lunch we reviewed one punctuation challenge students struggled with on last week's grammar quiz and that involved setting off a list of complicated elements with a colon and then separating those complicated elements (some of which contained commas) with semicolons.

Last, I made sure students logged into NoodleTools and created a project that they linked to my College Composition folder. Students will be using NoodleTools on College Comp assignments pretty much through the end of the semester.

Sept. 26 | Thursday

Students will be given class time today, as promised, to complete revisions of their college application drafts. Be sure to turn in your work via Google Classroom by the end of class.

You may spend any remaining class time reading or working on an assignment for another class (particularly a writing assignment).

Sept. 24 | Tuesday

Again I collected signed parental permissions and reminded students that if they intend to enroll in the SNHU in the High School program they must do so this week. I would like to have students enroll and bring me their confirmation e-mails (and payment if they don't pay online with a credit card) by Monday, Sept. 30.

That leaves a little wiggle room if students run into a problem and need help. The enrollment portal at SNHU closes Oct. 2. The absolute last date that students can bring me enrollment confirmation forms (and payment if applicable) is Thursday, Oct. 3.

Class was shortened today by advisory, so I revised plans accordingly.

We watched "Six Words Are the Way In," a 2015 TED talk by Larry Smith, and then students wrote a series of six-word stories, one of which was a distillation of their existing college application essay. What is the essence of that essay? What do students want the essence of that essay to be?

After a gallery walk wherein students read each other's six-word stories, we regrouped for a discussion of grammar instruction. Students overwhelmingly indicated in recent e-mails to me that they want more explicit grammar instruction, so I presented some ideas for student feedback. We decided that we're going to kick it old school and work with some grammar books I'll pull from the book closet.

I reminded students that I'm providing class time Thursday for them to complete revisions of their college application drafts. I've already said that students who anticipate needing more than that 90 minutes should begin revision outside class (if they haven't done so already).

Sept. 23 | Monday

I collected signed parental permissions and reminded students that if they intend to enroll in the SNHU in the High School program they must do so this week.

I had students open up college essays to see how they were scored on the rubric and to be sure they saw individualized feedback to guide revision. First revisions of these essays are due by the end of class Thursday, Sept. 26.

I also had students visit PowerSchool to see what grades have been entered so far. I explained that typically, revision scores will replace rough draft scores.

Also I provided feedback on professional e-mails sent to me last Thursday. In short, they were overwhelmingly fine (and even strong) though students tended to write their responses in one big block of text. I explained why that is not a good strategy and offered anybody who didn't score a 100 an opportunity to revise.

After lunch students took their first short grammar quiz (on colons and semicolons).

Sept. 19 | Thursday

We started class talking about the concept of rhetorical awareness, of keeping in mind the needs of your audience when choosing how to communicate ideas. We briefly glanced at this document from the Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/effective_workplace_writing/index.html

Next we looked at some advice from Eastern Illinois University professor Michael Leddy on how to write to instructors: http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html

Students were asked to write me a professional e-mail answering the following questions:

• Why did you decide to take College Composition this semester?
• What do you most hope to get out of this course?
• What is typically (usually) your biggest struggle when drafting a new essay?
• When do you feel that you have done strong work (regardless of how an essay scores on a rubric)?

Also, I reminded students that I need their signed parental permissions by Monday, Sept. 23. Students who intend to enroll in the SNHU in the High School program should do so next week.

Sept. 19 | Thursday

We started class talking about the concept of rhetorical awareness, of keeping in mind the needs of your audience when choosing how to communicate ideas. We briefly glanced at this document from the Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/effective_workplace_writing/index.html

Next we looked at some advice from Eastern Illinois University professor Michael Leddy on how to write to instructors: http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html

Students were asked to write me a professional e-mail answering the following questions:

• Why did you decide to take College Composition this semester?
• What do you most hope to get out of this course?
• What is typically (usually) your biggest struggle when drafting a new essay?
• When do you feel that you have done strong work (regardless of how an essay scores on a rubric)?

Also, I reminded students that I need their signed parental permissions by Monday, Sept. 23. Students who intend to enroll in the SNHU in the High School program should do so next week.

Sept. 17 | Tuesday

Students spent the first portion of class attending the annual Club Fair.

We used the next block of time to review when to use quotation marks and when to italicize when typing titles in MLA 8-formatted essays. (We also talked about what to do when writing by hand.)

After lunch students worked in pairs to provide initial feedback on rough drafts submitted today. Students had two questions to answer about their partners' work:

• What did you really enjoy about this rough draft? Content? Writing style? Provide examples.
• When your partner revises, what is one thing you hope s/he adds to or somehow alters?

I took a quick survey to gauge interest in student enrollment with SNHU so that students can earn 3 college credits for taking this class. (We need at least six or eight students to sign up.)

It turns out that two-thirds of students -- at this point -- are either "definitely" or "probably" going to enroll. Remaining students said they are still thinking about it.

I also sent home a parental permission slip due Monday, Sept. 23.

Sept. 16 | Monday

I went over how to enroll in ENG 120 with Southern New Hamphire University so that students (who desire to) can earn three college credits for College Composition at Concord High School through the SNHU in the High School program.

Students were given the last few minutes of class to complete work on college application essays. Complete drafts are due prior to the start of class tomorrow, Sept. 17, via Google Classroom.

Those students who already finished and submitted their drafts were urged to review semicolon use at https://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/punctuation/semicolon.shtml.

Sept. 12 | Thursday

First we looked at some advice on college essays: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/education/edlife/college-application-essay-admissions.html

Students then had time to draft their essays. Complete drafts are due via Google Classroom by the start of class next Tuesday, Sept. 17.

I checked in with each student individually to make sure s/he had some idea to pursue in drafting.

Sept. 10 | Tuesday

I provided general feedback on introductory essays submitted last week. Students did a great job writing honest, well-focused narratives. We're going to set these pieces aside until the end of the semester, when students will revisit them as part of a last assignment.

One reason we're going to set these short narrative essays aside is that students have a similar essay at hand that is more important, and that's a college application essay. (Any student who has already completed his/her college application essay can treat this as a scholarship application essay.) Drafts will be due next week. (I'll explain more about that Thursday.)

Today I asked students to work together to compare notes on annotations of essays from the Johns Hopkins University "Essays That Worked" page. What narrative elements and approaches did they see that were particularly successful? What did they see that they didn't think worked so well?

After lunch students completed a plagiarism tutorial (https://cola.unh.edu/academics/plagiarism-tutorial ) and we talked more about academic dishonest policies. Every college or university (and every high school, including Concord High) has one.

• Students might want to spend additional time visiting this page, which includes links to other plagiarism tutorials and some reference sheets on avoiding plagiarism: https://cola.unh.edu/node/1992/done?sid=2220&token=6a4150ec925b43d206b302fdbf3dd849
• An updated link to the SNHU policy is as follows: https://www.snhu.edu/admission/academic-catalogs/uc-catalog#/policy/r1OYGnNcb?bc=true&bcCurrent=Academic%20Honesty%20Policy&bcGroup=Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct&bcItemType=policies

Sept. 9 | Monday

Skinny Mondays are perfect for grammar study, so that's exactly what we did today. We brushed up on commons and semicolons and then talked about using a colon for point of emphasis.

Sept. 5 | Thursday

Technical difficulties (for the teacher) impacted class somewhat, but students still managed to be very productive. After some discussion of the SNHU in the High School dual enrollment opportunity and the briefest of reviews of the academic dishonesty policy -- which we will definitely explore in greater detail as the semester unfolds -- students followed oral instructions to complete our other tasks.

Students first made notes on the board to share some challenges they faced (or elements they thought hard about) while completing rough drafts of introductory essays due via Google Classroom by the start of class today.

They also had a chance to read several "Essays that Worked" posted by John Hopkins University. Those college application essay examples are valuable to us with our current assignment AND with our upcoming one: a short personal essay appropriate for college or scholarship application purposes.

Students were directed to choose one of those essays and then, after copying the text (including title) to a Google document, begin attaching comments about what they saw the author doing in terms of:

• Introduction
• Conclusion
• Narrative techniques including imagery
• Use of language
• Sentence structure/variety
• And so on . . .

On Monday I'll provide general feedback on introductory essays. Students will have a chance to revise those. Students will also share annotation work with me and with each other.

Sept. 3 | Tuesday

Today's class began with an exercise on recognizing opportunities for adding text to rough draft material. Right now students have a fairly straightforward assignment (due by the start of class Thursday, Sept. 5) requiring submissions of 500+ words.

The last portion of class was dedicated to getting students connected to Google Classroom and introducing the first assignment, which is a 500+ word essay of introduction. Instructions are as follows:

"What do you wish your teachers knew about your experiences (so far) as a writer? Be sure to use appropriate narrative techniques (e.g., setting, detail/imagery, characterization, dialogue, etc.) "

Aug. 29 | Thursday

We spent the first half of class beginning to go over the syllabus. That's never anybody's idea of a fun time, but I wanted to make sure students had a glimpse at what we'll do this semester and how our work will roll out over Q1 and Q2. We'll continue reviewing it (and talking about grades, etc.) next week.

The last portion of class was dedicated to getting students connected to Google Classroom and introducing the first assignment, which is a 500+ word essay of introduction. Instructions are as follows:

"What do you wish your teachers knew about your experiences (so far) as a writer? Be sure to use appropriate narrative techniques (e.g., setting, detail/imagery, characterization, dialogue, etc.) "

..............took an in-depth look at CHS databases and how to get into them. I had students write down the key word to unlock database passwords just in case students get prompted for passwords. (Usually when students are working here at school they do not get challenged for passwords.) After that I demonstrated how and why databases can be very efficient sources of information, but we talked about the utter necessity of meaningful reading (and not just skimming a source to cherry-pick details or quotes).