Wednesday, November 26
See Tuesday.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 25
The First Thanksgiving
The class recalled grade-school enactments of the legendary 1621 feast and Mr. Potratz read from Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen about the actual historical background of that day, including the great plague and the personal history of Squanto, the English-speaking Indian.
Students then spent the remainder of the period writing an account of "The First Thanksgiving" as written by Squanto.
HW due Monday:
At least 500 words, typed, double-spaced on "The First Thanksgiving" as written by the turkey.
The First Thanksgiving
The class recalled grade-school enactments of the legendary 1621 feast and Mr. Potratz read from Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen about the actual historical background of that day, including the great plague and the personal history of Squanto, the English-speaking Indian.
Students then spent the remainder of the period writing an account of "The First Thanksgiving" as written by Squanto.
HW due Monday:
At least 500 words, typed, double-spaced on "The First Thanksgiving" as written by the turkey.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21
We reviewed the procedures of citation as per the MLA guidelines printed on pages 17-19 of the Mount Si student planner (periods 1 & 2).
Due Monday: Final draft of the persuasive speech on the abolition of slavery, along with all previous stages (see Thursday's entry). Students in periods 1 & 2 will need to come to Room 301 with thir papers at some point on Monday, even though there will be no first or second period classes.
We reviewed the procedures of citation as per the MLA guidelines printed on pages 17-19 of the Mount Si student planner (periods 1 & 2).
Due Monday: Final draft of the persuasive speech on the abolition of slavery, along with all previous stages (see Thursday's entry). Students in periods 1 & 2 will need to come to Room 301 with thir papers at some point on Monday, even though there will be no first or second period classes.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, November 20
Students worked in pairs to edit each other's speeches, first reading them aloud to each other, then marking up the papers and filling out peer editing checklists, then discussing their comments.
Final draft due Monday, along with:
(1) "Arguments in favor of slavery" worksheet
(2) Arguments and rebuttals notesheet
(3) outline & revised thesis statement
(4) first draft
(5) peer edit sheet
Unstamped submissions (pieces not originally completed on time) will be accepted for partial credit if turned in with the final draft.
Students worked in pairs to edit each other's speeches, first reading them aloud to each other, then marking up the papers and filling out peer editing checklists, then discussing their comments.
Final draft due Monday, along with:
(1) "Arguments in favor of slavery" worksheet
(2) Arguments and rebuttals notesheet
(3) outline & revised thesis statement
(4) first draft
(5) peer edit sheet
Unstamped submissions (pieces not originally completed on time) will be accepted for partial credit if turned in with the final draft.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, November 19
Using student outlines & the model outline distributed Monday, we examined certain aspects of students's persuasive speeches, focusing especially on striving for unity and continuity, and on the use of the concluding paragraphs to achieve that end.
HW due Thursday:
First draft of the speech, to be "peer edited" in class. You will read it aloud to your partner, and you should practice reading it aloud tonight.
Extra credit opportunity:
5 pts. for attending the school musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Up to an additional 5 pts. for a one-page review.
Using student outlines & the model outline distributed Monday, we examined certain aspects of students's persuasive speeches, focusing especially on striving for unity and continuity, and on the use of the concluding paragraphs to achieve that end.
HW due Thursday:
First draft of the speech, to be "peer edited" in class. You will read it aloud to your partner, and you should practice reading it aloud tonight.
Extra credit opportunity:
5 pts. for attending the school musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Up to an additional 5 pts. for a one-page review.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday, November 18
Quote Bombs
Eliminating quote bombs by smoothly integrating quotations into the text of an essay was the subject of today's lesson. There were two handouts: a sheet on Introducing Quotations, with instruction on and examples of three ways to do so, and a worksheet requiring students to produce examples of each kind, with at least one MLA-formatted citation of a source. These were due at the end of the period.
Students submitted their revised thesis statements and outlines, which were stamped and returned.
Mr. Potratz announced
Revised (again) deadlines:
First draft due Thursday (Nov. 20)
Final draft due Monday (Nov. 24)
Quote Bombs
Eliminating quote bombs by smoothly integrating quotations into the text of an essay was the subject of today's lesson. There were two handouts: a sheet on Introducing Quotations, with instruction on and examples of three ways to do so, and a worksheet requiring students to produce examples of each kind, with at least one MLA-formatted citation of a source. These were due at the end of the period.
Students submitted their revised thesis statements and outlines, which were stamped and returned.
Mr. Potratz announced
Revised (again) deadlines:
First draft due Thursday (Nov. 20)
Final draft due Monday (Nov. 24)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, November 17
The Great Debate
Students sat on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line and debated for and against the resolution to abolish slavery which is the prompt for the persuasive speech due Friday. Students from each side delivered opening and closing statements from the podium.
Two handouts:
(1) excerpts from Cannibals All by George Fitzhugh
(2) model thesis statement and outline
HW due tomorrow:
Formal topic outline and revised thesis statement
The Great Debate
Students sat on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line and debated for and against the resolution to abolish slavery which is the prompt for the persuasive speech due Friday. Students from each side delivered opening and closing statements from the podium.
Two handouts:
(1) excerpts from Cannibals All by George Fitzhugh
(2) model thesis statement and outline
HW due tomorrow:
Formal topic outline and revised thesis statement
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday, November 14
See yesterday's entry for the revised schedule of deadlines for the persuasive oration.
Mr. Potratz stamped students' notesheets of arguments for and against abolition. Notesheets completed by Monday will receive 90% credit.
Students signed up to lead each side in Monday's debate, with extra credit going to those delivering opening and closing statements.
We went over the structure of a formal outline, and reviewed the system of Roman numerals. Students' outlines, along with their revised thesis statements, are due on Tuesday.
HW due Monday: prepare arguments for the debate.
See yesterday's entry for the revised schedule of deadlines for the persuasive oration.
Mr. Potratz stamped students' notesheets of arguments for and against abolition. Notesheets completed by Monday will receive 90% credit.
Students signed up to lead each side in Monday's debate, with extra credit going to those delivering opening and closing statements.
We went over the structure of a formal outline, and reviewed the system of Roman numerals. Students' outlines, along with their revised thesis statements, are due on Tuesday.
HW due Monday: prepare arguments for the debate.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, November 13
Assuming we will be in school Friday, the notesheets with arguments for and against the abolition of slavery will be due then. The final submission date for the speech remains the same: next Friday, November 21. The in-class debate will be held on Monday (Nov. 17), the outline will be due on Tuesday (Nov. 18), and the first draft on Wednesday (Nov. 19) as originally scheduled.
Revised schedule of deadlines
Nov. 14: notesheet (see Documents if you need another copy)
Nov. 17: debate
Nov. 18: outline and revised thesis statement
Nov. 19: first draft
Nov. 21: final draft
Assuming we will be in school Friday, the notesheets with arguments for and against the abolition of slavery will be due then. The final submission date for the speech remains the same: next Friday, November 21. The in-class debate will be held on Monday (Nov. 17), the outline will be due on Tuesday (Nov. 18), and the first draft on Wednesday (Nov. 19) as originally scheduled.
Revised schedule of deadlines
Nov. 14: notesheet (see Documents if you need another copy)
Nov. 17: debate
Nov. 18: outline and revised thesis statement
Nov. 19: first draft
Nov. 21: final draft
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, November 10
Students turned in their thesis statements (first stab) and we put several under the document camera and critiqued them.
HW due Wednesday:
Mr. Potratz passed out notesheets to be filled up with arguments for your position and with the arguments of the opposing side, with columns for notes of references(sources and quotations). Fill it up by Wednesday.
Students turned in their thesis statements (first stab) and we put several under the document camera and critiqued them.
HW due Wednesday:
Mr. Potratz passed out notesheets to be filled up with arguments for your position and with the arguments of the opposing side, with columns for notes of references(sources and quotations). Fill it up by Wednesday.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Friday, November 7
We discussed the handout from yesterday, John C. Calhoun's Senate speech "Slavery a Positive Good."
HW due Monday:
TYPED (etc.) first stab at a thesis statement for the argumentative paper. One or at most two sentences summing up the position you will take. Do you support or oppose abolition and why?
We discussed the handout from yesterday, John C. Calhoun's Senate speech "Slavery a Positive Good."
HW due Monday:
TYPED (etc.) first stab at a thesis statement for the argumentative paper. One or at most two sentences summing up the position you will take. Do you support or oppose abolition and why?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thursday, November 6
Students were given the assignment sheet for the persuasive paper on slavery, due Friday, November 21, and now framed as a speech to be given in the year 1858. Students asked and Mr. Potratz answered questions about it, and then we began (in every period but the fifth) reading another handout, "Slavery a Positive Good," a speech delivered by John C. Calhoun before the U. S. Senate in 1837.
HW due Friday (periods 1, 2, &6): Finish reading the Calhoun handout and come to school prepared to answer questions about it.
Students were given the assignment sheet for the persuasive paper on slavery, due Friday, November 21, and now framed as a speech to be given in the year 1858. Students asked and Mr. Potratz answered questions about it, and then we began (in every period but the fifth) reading another handout, "Slavery a Positive Good," a speech delivered by John C. Calhoun before the U. S. Senate in 1837.
HW due Friday (periods 1, 2, &6): Finish reading the Calhoun handout and come to school prepared to answer questions about it.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Wednesday, November 5
Mr. Potratz returned students' first essays about Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano along with THE PURPLE SHEET with Mr. P's editing marks on one side and the No Excuses Conventions on the other. Students then spent several minutes correcting errors in their papers, after which we all looked at some representative passages and corrections together.
Mr. Potratz returned students' first essays about Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano along with THE PURPLE SHEET with Mr. P's editing marks on one side and the No Excuses Conventions on the other. Students then spent several minutes correcting errors in their papers, after which we all looked at some representative passages and corrections together.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tuesday, November 4
Election Day!
Mr. Potratz read aloud the "Guaranteed Effective All-Occasion Non-Slanderous Political Smear Speech" written by Bill Garvin and published in MAD Magazine #139, December, 1970. Students then used the dictionary to look up the meaning of words in the speech, and we shared information.
The four classes collectively chose the following twelve words to add to our vocab sheet:
hortatory
veracious
emulate
exacerbate
affinity
philately
perambulate
intercourse
homogeneity
piscatorial
unequivocal
scrupulous
Election Day!
Mr. Potratz read aloud the "Guaranteed Effective All-Occasion Non-Slanderous Political Smear Speech" written by Bill Garvin and published in MAD Magazine #139, December, 1970. Students then used the dictionary to look up the meaning of words in the speech, and we shared information.
The four classes collectively chose the following twelve words to add to our vocab sheet:
hortatory
veracious
emulate
exacerbate
affinity
philately
perambulate
intercourse
homogeneity
piscatorial
unequivocal
scrupulous
Monday, November 3, 2008
Monday, November 3
Students took the last of the three quizzes over Frederick Douglass's Narrative, and we graded it (33 pts.).
We examined some of what Douglass has to say about the slaveowners' religion, and we also discussed the religion of the slaves. We looked at "Steal Away" and "Go Down Moses" as slave spirituals which treat escaping from slavery either directly or indirectly.
Students took the last of the three quizzes over Frederick Douglass's Narrative, and we graded it (33 pts.).
We examined some of what Douglass has to say about the slaveowners' religion, and we also discussed the religion of the slaves. We looked at "Steal Away" and "Go Down Moses" as slave spirituals which treat escaping from slavery either directly or indirectly.
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