Friday, December 7, 2012

Bell-ringer and Instructions

Bell-ringer: Solve the following problem:
Upon your arrival on Monday morning, you observe a snail making its way up the wall of your cabin. Each day, it carefully works its way 30 inches up the wall. At night, though, it slips back down 12 inches. The cabin wall is 9 feet high. If the snail started on Monday, will it reach the top of the cabin wall before you leave on Friday afternoon? 

Block class--we will be following the same schedule as Tuesday. (Yes, that does mean you get to play that game again today.)
 
Instructions:

1. Today is our last day to work on your essays today in the lab. You need to attempt to finish the final draft.

2. Your essay should be double-spaced, 12 -point font, Calibri, Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier New. If you do not know how to double-space your essay, then please ask for assistance. Do not assume you know how to double-space. 


3. You will also need to create a title page for your essay. This should include the title of your essay, your name, and the date you will be turning it in (December 14, 2012).

4. If you do not finish today, you will need to use your own time to finish.

5. For help with your introduction and conclusion, 

Words to avoid:

amazing
awesome
awfully
bad
beautiful
big
fine
good
great
happy
interesting

look
nice
quite
really
said
so (used as an intensifier)
very
well

“In my essay, I’m going to tell you…”
“I think/believe that”
 
   

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Bell-ringer and instructions



December 4, 2012                                                                                     Mr. Spivy
Bell-ringer:
After reading the novel, The Outsiders, and then watching the movie, you should write a paragraph (five sentences) detailing some differences you noticed. Contrast the novel and the film, not compare them.

Agenda 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th
Bell-ringer
Type rough draft of essay

Agenda Block
Bell-ringer
Silent Sustained Reading 
Grammar: Adverb Battleship Game (it's so easy!)  click
Type rough draft of essay

Instructions:
1.) You must complete the instructions from yesterday before you can do today's. If you have not finished typing the introduction and body of your essay, do that first! 

2.) It is now time to write your conclusion. Your conclusion should rephrase the thesis statement from your introduction. However, change the wording so that the reader does not experience deja-vu. 
Once you have placed your thesis statement at the beginning of your conclusion paragraph you have a few options for how you can end your beautifully crafted essay. 
a.) Challenge the reader--you have just presented them with a great description of two completely different people. The chances are that the reader has at one point judged a person who is like one of your topics because of how they looked or acted. Challenge them to see the world (and the people who are far too often judged) differently.
b.) Looking to the future--speculate what life might be like for the two subject in ten years time. Is life positive or negative for them? Can that be changed through the actions of others?
c.)Posing a question-- think of question that the reader may have (or should have) in his head by the time he is finished reading this. This question should cause the reader to leave your essay thinking!

3.) When you are completely done with your essay, go to WV Writes and click on "Essay Check." Follow the instructions you will find there.

4.) Everyone must have a copy of his/her essay with them tomorrow in class. You will be graded on this. The printer in the computer lab does work. Make sure to select Lexmark T522. Do not select Lexmark T522 (Copy 1). If your computer is not hooked up to the printer, we will find you one that is.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Bell-ringer and Instructions



Bell-ringer: Directions—write the following sentences and then define the underlined words using context clues and prior knowledge.

1. The archaeologist was not able to decipher the strange symbols on the walls.

2. His decrepit great aunt is so weak and sickly that she is not able to leave home.

3. Greg and his gang defaced the rival school’s property with spray paint.

4. My defiant niece was too stubborn to take a nap.

5. We deforested the woods, so that it could be used as farm land.

Instructions for the day:
1.) Type the body of your essay. Do NOT type your introduction or conclusion unless you have already written them. Make sure to look at the requirements I gave you last week.

2.) When the body of your essay is done, start writing an introduction. Your introduction should start with a hook
Your hook could be an interesting quote from the book (it must tie into your topic), an interesting question (not how am I like Darrel Curtis?), or an anecdote (short story). This should be followed by your thesis.
The  thesis will hit on the points you will be making in your essay. It does not need to be huge, but it should be long enough to cover the important points. When the reader looks at your essay, he should be able to locate the thesis without any problems.
Since this is an introductory paragraph, it should go at the beginning.

3) If you want to try to tackle the conclusion, you may. Tomorrow, you will be given more information on how to write the conclusion.