This week we are working on a "Seasonal Wish" essay.  We read a sample that is the model for this assignment and we have been brainstorming ideas.  We will go to the computer lab on Thursday, December 13 to finish this essay and it is due by the end of Friday, December 14.  I would like students to hand a copy in to me AND print one for themselves so that they could give their "Seasonal Wish" essay to the person that it is about.

Today, we peer edited the 2nd draft of the "I Love" Personal Essay.  Students should take the advice and feedback they got today and use them to revise their essay into the final draft.  The final draft, which should be DOUBLE-SPACED and typed, is due in class on Thursday, December 6 (in two days.)

Reminder that the 2nd, complete draft of the "I Love" Personal Essay is due on Tuesday, Dec. 4.  We will peer-edit in class on that day.

The final draft is due Thursday, Dec. 6.

Today in class, we worked on using colons in sentences.  The exercises posted here should be done in your "Sentence Structure" section of the notebook (section #3.)

Using Colons to Introduce a List (powerpoint):  Make sure to do the sentence exercises at the end of the powerpoint presentation.

Colon Worksheet

Upcoming Assignment:  We are writing the first draft of the "I Love" Personal Essay.  find links to assignment details and sample essays and due dates below.


The due date for the first draft is Tuesday, November 27.

The due date for the second draft is Tuesday, December 4.

The due date for the final draft is Thursday, December 6.

Click here for "I Love" Personal Essay assignment details.

Click here for sample "I Love" Personal Essays here  and here.

In Writing Workshop, we started a new writing project, the "I Love" Personal Essay.  In class on Tuesday, students brainstormed a list of things they love to do and then they listed as many nouns and verbs that go along with one of the things they love to do.  Next, they wrote a 10+ sentence paragraph about the thing they love to do, modeled on this sample: I Love Acting.

We will continue with this writing assignment tomorrow.

The due date for the first draft is Tuesday, November 27.

The due date for the second draft is Tuesday, December 4.

The due date for the final draft is Thursday, December 6.

Click here for "I Love" Personal Essay assignment details.

Click here for sample "I Love" Personal Essays here  and here.

NOTE: On next Monday, Nov. 5 the school will be on a FRIDAY schedule (because students do not have school on Friday, Nov.9).  

Homework for Writer's Workshop for Tuesday, Nov. 6:  Finish your self-revision exercise and then write your 3rd (FINAL) draft of your "I Miss" poem.  Your FINAL DRAFT OF THE "I MISS" POEM IS DUE IN CLASS ON TUESDAY, NOV. 6.

You will also hand in your 1st and 2nd drafts, along with the "Poetic Devices" Exercise that we did in class.

Homework for Monday, Oct. 29:  Complete this "Pre-writing" sheet for the Senior Profile.

Homework for Tuesday, Oct. 30:  Revise your first draft of the "I Miss" poem making sure to add alliteration, sensory imagery, similes/metaphors, and assonance.

Homework for Thursday, Nov. 1:  Final Draft of the Senior Profile is due in class.

The homework for Writer's Workshop for Thursday, October 25 is to write a draft of the "I Miss" poem.

The handout for this assignment is :

Description:  Write your own “I Miss” poem, modeled on the sample “I Miss” poem that we examined in class.  Your poem must include the following elements:

·         sensory details

·         metaphors and/or similes

·         it must explore your topic through clearly developed “snapshots” that fit together (it should not be a random assortment of images that don’t connect, in other words)

·         a title that suits the poem and provides a sense of the topic (DON’T TITLE IT “I MISS” or “I MISS POEM”!!!!)

·         alliterative phrases

·         line lengths and line breaks that enhance the meaning

·         correct language, grammar, and conventions

·         distinct voice

·         follows the correct format (*see below for instructions on correct formatting)

Refer to the scoring guide on the other side for details about scoring

*Your poem should be typed, SINGLE SPACED, 12 point font, and be in a simple, readable font.  The poem should be at least 25 lines long.

*The poem should include a title in bold at the top.

*Format your name and class information this way:

Your First and Last Names Writer’s Workshop Period ___ Warfield Due Date Title _________________________________ ____________________________ ________________________ _____________________________________ ____________________ _____ ________________________ Etc.

On Thursday Oct. 11, we worked on brainstorming some of our "favorite things" and writing about a few of them in detail.  This will be the foundation for a poem assignment later next week.  We also read a sample text from the novel Alligator Bayou and discussed the sensory images in this piece.

Homework is to write a short piece that is modeled on the Alligator Bayou piece.  Your piece should be about the same length as the sample text and it should also contain at least one image for each of the five senses.  This assignment is due Tuesday, Oct. 16.

Tuesday, October 2:  we have been working on revising the Middle School Narrative.  The Final Draft of this assignment is due on Thursday, October 4.