Class Minutes for Wednesday October 20th and Monday October 25th.

Due to the grade 11 mass on October 21st, we've had a bit of mixed up scheduling in English 11.  Blocks 1-3 and 1-5 did the same tasks/classes, but in opposite order.  Here are the two classes for Wednesday and Monday.

Class A
1. Prayer

2. Publish PC
Students used the library computers to polish their draft PC's. Taking into account the comments from their peers and their goal setting during the writing log process, the students typed and edited their PC's to hand in for marks.

Class B
1. Prayer

2. Review of Literary Device Terms
Ms. Meakes reviewed some of the more difficult terms on the quiz.

3. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
Smartboard presentation on modifiers, how to identify dangling and misplaced modifiers, and how to fix the grammatical errors.

4. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Task
Students corrected and illustrated dangling and misplaced modifiers in order to demonstrate their understanding of this grammar error.

5. Anticipation Guide for "The Painted Door".
Students completed anticipation guide before reading the short story.

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Homework: (to complete for Wednesday October 17th)
1. Finish the dangling/misplaced modifier activity if you missed this class.
 2. Read "The Painted Door" and complete the anticipation guide.

Class Minutes for Monday October 18th - PC Draft

1. Prayer

2. Personal Composition
50 minutes to write a first draft. Prompt based on the silent conversations had before reading "The Rocking Horse Winner".

3. Peer-Editing
10-15 minutes to read a peer's work and highlight a rubric based on their draft. Students will have an opportunity to edit based on the feedback and publish on Wednesday (1-5) or Monday (1-3).

Class Minutes for Thursday October 14th - Personal Composition.

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz

** note: We did the following in different orders depending on the block. However, all the content is the same.**

3. Sources for A PC

The students ranked a list of possible sources of information for a PC from most important to least important. We then had a class discussion about which sources were more persuasive than others. Some key ideas are that anything specific is going to be better than a generalized account. In addition, classic literature, unique personal experiences, and current events are good examples while tv shows and other references to pop-culture are not.  The pop-culture references do not have any clout (good reputation) behind them, so they do not add any intelligence or authority to the writer's persona.

4. PC Thesis statements

Ms Meakes demonstrated the process of moving from a prompt to creating a thesis statement. Key ideas were to focus in on an arguable claim, to put the claim in your own words, and to add developmental points (supporting information).

5. PC Outline

While reading through the provided outline, we added a few notes. They were as follows: the introductory paragraph needs a general statement in addition to the thesis.  The concluding paragraph should have two sentences, one summarizing each body paragraph, followed by the concluding statement.  Each student should choose two or more rhetorical devices to incorporate into their writing. These can include any from the list that Ms Meakes gave out and/or repetition for effect and the power of three.

6. Trouble Stories - Independent Corrections, Spelling Demons, and Writing Log

Based on feedback from Ms Meakes, students filled out their independent corrections and spelling demons for their trouble stories assignment.  After completing corrections, the students received their feedback (based on the style section of the rubric) and filled out their writing log.

7. Homework: fill out the PC outline so that you are ready to write your PC next class.  You may choose any of the prompts from the silent conversations list. (Posted on Moodle) If you need help, email Ms Meakes or see her Friday after school.

Class Minutes for Thursday October 7th - "The Rocking Horse Winner" Class 2

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz - attempt #3

3. 1 Question, 1 Comment Discussion
In groups, the students shared their questions and comments about "The Rocking Horse Winner". They responded to the questions/comments and then did a self-evaluation of their speaking and listening skills. 

4. "The Rocking Horse Winner" and the Oedipus Complex

Ms Meakes gave a short explanation of the Oedipus myth and Freud's concept of the the Oedipus Complex. Students did a think-pair-share answering "does the Oedipus myth relate to "The Rocking Horse Winner"? How?"

5. Personal Composition
Students were given a package explaining personal writing and personal compositions. The first page and the "focus" section were explained.

No homework from today's class.

Class Minutes for Wednesday September 22nd - Rubrics and :) Style Tricks

1. Prayer

2. Rubric
We discussed the grade 11/12 prose response rubric. Highlights of the discussion were the names for the categories (exemplary, accomplished, developing, beginning, and incomplete/incorrect); the "descriptors" included in each section of the rubric; and how the six writing traits fit into the rubric. 

3. Smiley Face Style Tricks
We spoke about three different ways to "add spice" to our writing.
A. Starting our sentences with a verb/adverb
B. The Power of Three
C. Repetition for Effect

4. Trouble Stories
Using the smiley face style tricks and a "power triplet" we wrote personal compositions about a time that we were in some sort of trouble.