August 27th, 2013

8/27/13

In Class:
Journal--  Reflect on your first day at Boulder Prep. What did you experience? How did people treat you? What brought you here?

GMX-- Nouns
Define noun: ________________________________________________ .
pronoun: a word that takes the place of the noun, e.g. he, her, him, these, that, they, etc.
Reviewed the use of nouns in "My Favorite Things."
Underline the nouns in the following excerpt; box the proper nouns.
Jonas did not want to go back. He didn’t want the memories, didn’t want the honor, didn’t want the wisdom, didn’t want the pain. He wanted his childhood again, his scraped knees and ball games. He sat in his dwelling alone, watching through the window, seeing children at play…. (121) 
-The Giver by Lois Lowry 

Using a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich making workshop, we discussed the significance of revision:
Is there a better way I can say this?
Practiced revising using Shane's sample current event report.

Independently, each student revised and polished his or her current event report.

Exit ticket: Why revise?

Homework:
Revise your current event report before next class; save the original draft.

August 22nd, 2013

8/22/13

In Class:
Journal--  Using the "To Do List" as a jumping-off point, tell a story using strong description.

GMX--  Nouns
Write ten examples of nouns.
noun: a person, place, thing, or idea.
proper noun: a noun that refers to a specific person, place, thing, or idea.
Listened to "My Favorite Things" by Rodgers & Hammerstein to practice identifying nouns.

Discussed "I Want to Write Something So Simply" by Mary Oliver.

Discussed the purpose and practice of summarizing. Summary: a condensed version of a larger piece of writing.
[See handout.]

Using one of the Colorado newspapers on Newspapers in Education, each student chose an article to use as a Current Event focus. Each student practiced summarizing by writing a half-page summary of the Current Event, being sure to answer all of the 'reporter's questions.'

Exit Ticket: Give two examples of proper nouns.

Homework:
Finish writing your Current Event summary.

August 20th, 2013

8/20/13

In Class:
Welcome!
Reviewed syllabus, goals, and class expectations. Set up notebooks for the class.

Journal--  Recount the story of a mistake you've made.

Lecture and discussion of the writing process: the reiterative strategies, techniques, and methods a writer uses to improve a piece.

As a class, read selections of "Reading is Fundamental" from The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron, discussing that reading is crucial in the writing process because it supplies ideas, informs language choices, helps you understand what good writing sounds like, feels like, looks like, etc.

First assignment: choose a book to read! I will ask you to use this book for assignments in class, so you must find one.

Exit ticket: If there is one thing I do to be successful this block, it will be...

Homework:
Finish syllabus goals and agreement.
Find a book to read.
Read "I Want to Write Something So Simply" by Mary Oliver and write a 3+ sentence reaction.

Syllabus -- Writing Fundamentals

Writing Fundamentals

August 19^th – October 17^th, 2013

TTh 1:00 - 2:30, Room __

http://boulderprepreadwrite.blogspot.com/

 Shane Abrams

shaneabrams@boulderprep.org

Course Texts

Fawcett, Susan. Grassroots with Readings: The Writer’s Workbook, 9^th edition. Independence, Kentucky: Cengage Learning, 2007. Print.

Most course texts will be provided in handouts by the instructor or provided by the students themselves; a folder, binder, or other organizational system is highly recommended.

The following blog will also serve as a resource for disseminating materials and texts: 

http://boulderprepreadwrite.blogspot.com/

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to foundational writing techniques, media, and means in order to prepare them for high school and college preparatory Language Arts courses. By frequent engagement in writing, reading, and speaking exercises, each student will hone his or her ability to communicate through writing using appropriate technical methods while developing his or her unique voice.

Learning Outcomes and Essential Questions

During this course, students will develop the ability to…

·       identify and apply strategies and techniques of proficient writing.

·       express themselves in writing using a unique voice.

·       increase their frequency of and confidence with independent writing.

·       revise and improve their own writing using independent proofreading, peer critique, and instructor feedback.

We will aim to explore—perhaps even answer—some of the following questions:

·       How can we use writing to explore, explain, and understand our lives and society?

·       What makes writing a “process” and not a “product”?

·       What concrete steps can we take to polish our writing?

·       What benefits are there to collaboration in writing? To workshopping and peer critique?

·       Why must a writer be competent and comfortable with the rules of writing in order to be successful?

Outcomes Assessment

The following assignments will be used to assess students’ progress toward learning outcomes: participation & attendance (graded daily); daily journals; daily grammar-and-mechanics exercises; in-class and out-of-class assignments; a midterm exam; and a cumulative final project. Additionally, other artistic or academic assignments may be collected and assessed when the instructor sees appropriate.

Classroom Policy – Grading, Attendance, and Comportment

Grades for Writing Fundamentals will be calculated on a points-based scale; i.e., each assignment, including long-term projects and daily participation grades, will be valued at a certain number of points possible. Over the 8-week course, points possible will amount to roughly 1000-1200 points. At any time, a student may request his or her grade, and I will do my best to provide a response in a timely fashion.

Extra credit will not be provided, barring unforeseen, extenuating circumstances; therefore, students are expected to complete each and every assignment to the best of their respective abilities. Opportunity for success will not be withheld: each student will have the chance to excel, in terms of grades and personal growth. However, the burden lies upon the student to optimize these opportunities.

Students should attend all classes as possible. There will be only 16 sessions of Writing Fundamentals, so each absence is extremely detrimental to learning potential. I will not deduct points for absences, whether they are excused or unexcused. However, students are always responsible for information, work, and cumulative assignments which they miss when absent: missing multiple classes will unforgivingly hinder a student’s academic success. If a student misses class, I advise visiting the course blog – http://boulderprepreadwrite.blogspot.com/— to see what she or he missed and what she or he needs in order to catch up. If you know in advance that you will miss a class, please consult with me beforehand.

Students are expected to arrive to class on time. This means that each student should be sitting at a desk with all necessary materials, including any assigned reading for the class, ready to begin working at 1:00. This does not mean walking from the Commons to the classroom at 1:00; this does not mean arriving at 12:59 and leaving to use the bathroom until 1:05. In regards to individual breaks, you should think of yourselves as adults during this class: leave the classroom only when you must and only when it is appropriate. At the maximum, only one student should be out of the classroom at any given time.

My classroom is a place for personal growth, be it intellectual, emotional, or otherwise. I expect all students to help me maintain an environment conducive to such growth. All students are entitled to the right to improve and evolve, and no person should infringe upon this right in any manner. My classroom will be a safe and respectful environment for my students to exercise their right to learn.

Course Specific Grades:

Daily participation – 10 pts. / day

Daily GMX – 5 pts. / day

Daily journals – 160 pts.

General assignments (in-class and homework) – approx. 200 pts.

Midterm exam – 150 pts.

Final project – 300 pts.

                  * see particular assignment sheets for specific breakdown and expectations

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and cheating, whether intentional or unintentional, shall not be tolerated. Every student is expected to follow any and all codes of academic honesty endorsed by Boulder Preparatory High School.

Electronic Devices

In order to contribute to a classroom environment which respects everyone’s educational opportunities, students are asked to refrain from the use of cell phones and other unnecessary and/or distracting devices during class time. When you are in class, regardless of the nature of the activity, your cell phone should be put away, your music device shut off, and any other devices out of sight. Devices that seem to be distracting any student will be impounded for the remainder of the period.

Materials Needed

Please bring these things to class every day:

Writing materials (pen/pencil, paper)

Course texts

Assignments (in progress and completed)

Binder, folder, or other organizational system for hand-out readings

Approximate Schedule of Study and Curriculum

This schedule is a rough estimate and is subject to change. Please refer to daily assignments for more accurate information.                

Week one (8/19 - 8/23) –	Introduction to Writing Fundamentals Traits of Writing
Week two (8/26 - 8/30) –	Sentence Fluency
Week three (9/3 - 9/6) –	Sentence Fluency
Week four (9/9 - 9/13) –	Diction, Word Choice, and Description Midterm exam
Week five (9/16 - 9/20) –	Organization
Week six (9/23 - 9/27) –	Organization
Week seven (9/30 - 10/4) –	Compiling, Revising, Polishing, and Publishing Final project
Week eight (10/7 - 10/14) –	Compiling, Revising, Polishing, and Publishing Final project

Miscellaneous

I reserve the right to amend or alter this syllabus; please note that any changes are made in an effort to create the best possible academic environment. I will notify students of any such changes as promptly as possible.

I wholeheartedly welcome feedback. Please do not hesitate to provide response to my teaching practices, assignments, etc.—but please provide this feedback while class is not in session.

[Please complete and return this section.]

During the course of this block, I hope to:

	Identify at least two concrete, measurable academic goals.
	Identify at least two abstract, subjective, and/or personal goals.

I think my biggest asset as a student is:

I believe my greatest struggle as a student is:

I do best on assignments which:

My greatest strength as a writer is:

My greatest struggle as a writer is:

My favorite academic subject is:

If there’s one thing on which I’m an expert, it would be:

I, _______________________________, hereby acknowledge that I have received and reviewed this

(print name)

syllabus. Any questions or concerns that have arisen have been addressed adequately.

I recognize that I am a student: I am capable of anything I encounter in this course, though it may be challenging—and it should be challenging. I will not state that I “can’t” do something, but that I “can’t yet.” I will ask for help when I need it, whether assistance is from Shane, from my peers, or from another responsible individual.

I will contribute to a classroom environment which is healthy, fun, welcoming, intellectual, emotional, and safe, among other things.

I will respect everyone’s educational opportunities; I will respect our building; I will respect my peers’ and instructors’ belongings; I will respect everyone’s right to make amends.

I will be the best person—intellectually, socially, and otherwise—that I can be.

_____________________________________                                                                                        __________________

    (signature)                                                                                                                                                   (date)

Blog Transition

Note: As of August 19th, 2013, this blog will be repurposed for Writing Fundamentals (Block I, 2013-14) materials.