Writing Final

Hi students. We are getting close to the end of the semester. I have greatly enjoyed having you in my class and I hope you have learned a lot.

The final will be on Monday, the 17th. The final will consist of 3 parts:

• Standard Test-- In this section there will be some multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions about basic information in the book. There will also be a fill-in-the-blank section on articles and a paragraph where you must proofread and correct the mistakes. 
• First Paragraph--You may choose to write either a definition paragraph or an opinion paragraph. 
• Second Paragraph--You may choose to write either a descriptive paragraph or a process-analysis paragraph. 

You may bring a notecard to the final. You may use one side of this notecard for any information that will help you write the paragraphs. 

Wednesday the 12th will be a self study day. Study hard and write well. 

Unit 10, Homework 1-- Due: 6/10

For this homework, please write a narrative paragraph. This paragraph can be about any experience that you have had. Remember, the purpose of this paragraph is to entertain and inform. Use adjectives and strong verbs to add description. Use the following information to proofread your paragraph.

Content and Organization

Directions—The student has followed the directions and included the necessary items.

Format—The paragraph is indented, written in 12 point font and double spaced with all appropriate information.

Title—The paragraph has an appropriate title. P.21

Topic—The topic is interesting for the reader. The idea is neither too general nor too specific. P. 47

Organization—The paragraph is logically organized. The writer uses words that helps the organization.

Topic Sentence—The topic sentence is clear and has good controlling idea.

Supporting Details—All sentence relate to the topic and support the topic. Many of the readers’ questions are answered.

Concluding Sentence—The concluding sentence brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion.

Length—The paragraph is the appropriate length, not too short and not too long.

Grammar and Mechanics

?—All sentences and phrases are understood.

Articles—Articles are properly used.

Capitalization—All appropriate letters are capitalized. P.228

Conjunctions—All conjunctions are used appropriately.

Missing Words—There are no missing words in the text.

Person Agreement—The writer uses a consistent person and rarely changes.

Plurals—Student uses singular or plural form for count and non-count nouns.

Pronouns—All pronouns are clearly understood and not overused.

Punctuation—Every sentence has correct punctuation (periods, commas, etc.).

Unnecessary Words—All words are necessary and contribute to the understand of the text.

Verb Form—The correct verb form is used.

Word Choice—The correct word is used.

Word Form—The correct form of the word is used.

Unit 9, Homework 1 (Due: 6/3)

Please write an opinion paragraph for next class. This will be your final draft so make sure to proofread and edit your work at home. When you write, keep these points in mind:

• Choose a topic you are interested in or a topic you want to know more about. 
• You can have any opinion you want, but you must use facts and examples to back up your opinion. 
• Do not copy from the internet. You can use the internet for research, but you should take general notes and then use these notes when you write your paragraph. 
• Try to have three points to support your opinion. 
• Try to include a counterpoint (other side's opinion) and a refutation. 

When you proofread, look for the following things: 

Content and Organization

Directions—The student has followed the directions and included the necessary items.

Format—The paragraph is indented, written in 12 point font and double spaced with all appropriate information.

Title—The paragraph has an appropriate title. P.21

Topic—The topic is interesting for the reader. The idea is neither too general nor too specific. P. 47

Organization—The paragraph is logically organized. The writer uses words that helps the organization.

Topic Sentence—The topic sentence is clear and has good controlling idea.

Supporting Details—All sentence relate to the topic and support the topic. Many of the readers’ questions are answered.

Concluding Sentence—The concluding sentence brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion.

Length—The paragraph is the appropriate length, not too short and not too long.

Grammar and Mechanics

?—All sentences and phrases are understood.

Articles—Articles are properly used.

Capitalization—All appropriate letters are capitalized. P.228

Conjunctions—All conjunctions are used appropriately.

Missing Words—There are no missing words in the text.

Person Agreement—The writer uses a consistent person and rarely changes.

Plurals—Student uses singular or plural form for count and non-count nouns.

Pronouns—All pronouns are clearly understood and not overused.

Punctuation—Every sentence has correct punctuation (periods, commas, etc.).

Unnecessary Words—All words are necessary and contribute to the understand of the text.

Verb Form—The correct verb form is used.

Word Choice—The correct word is used.

Word Form—The correct form of the word is used.

Unit 8, Homework 1 (Due: 5/22)

Please do the following homework for next time:

• P.145 Activity 5
• P.146 Activity 6
• P.150 Activity 8 and 9
• P.153 Activity 10 

Unit 7, Homework 1-- Due 5/15

For this homework, please write a process analysis paragraph. Remember, in a process analysis paragraph we tell people how to do or make things in chronological order. Please refer to your book to help you with this assignment.

We will not peer review or revise this paragraph so make sure that you proofread and edit your own work.
Check for the following things:

Content and Organization

Directions—The student has followed the directions and included the necessary items.

Format—The paragraph is indented, written in 12 point font and double spaced with all appropriate information.

Title—The paragraph has an appropriate title. P.21

Topic—The topic is interesting for the reader. The idea is neither too general nor too specific. P. 47

Organization—The paragraph is logically organized. The writer uses words that helps the organization.

Topic Sentence—The topic sentence is clear and has good controlling idea.

Supporting Details—All sentence relate to the topic and support the topic. Many of the readers’ questions are answered.

Concluding Sentence—The concluding sentence brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion.

Length—The paragraph is the appropriate length, not too short and not too long.

Grammar and Mechanics

?—All sentences and phrases are understood.

Articles—Articles are properly used.

Capitalization—All appropriate letters are capitalized. P.228

Conjunctions—All conjunctions are used appropriately.

Missing Words—There are no missing words in the text.

Person Agreement—The writer uses a consistent person and rarely changes.

Plurals—Student uses singular or plural form for count and non-count nouns.

Pronouns—All pronouns are clearly understood and not overused.

Punctuation—Every sentence has correct punctuation (periods, commas, etc.).

Unnecessary Words—All words are necessary and contribute to the understand of the text.

Verb Form—The correct verb form is used.

Word Choice—The correct word is used.

Word Form—The correct form of the word is used.

Unit 6, Homework 3--Due: 5/13

For this homework, please write a final draft of your definition paragraph. When you come to class on Monday, please bring your rough draft, the peer edit sheet, and a final draft.

Unit 6, Homework 2-- Due: 5/6

For this homework, please write one paragraph describing a word or phrase. Make sure your word or phrase is unique and interesting. Use facts, research, stories, and examples to add details to your writing.

Please use the proper format (12 point font, double spaced, indented, with a title) and bring this paragraph to class on Monday.

Also, proofread your paragraph. Below are some of the things to look for when you proofread:

Articles—Articles are properly used.

Capitalization—All appropriate letters are capitalized. P.228

Conjunctions—All conjunctions are used appropriately.

Missing Words—There are no missing words in the text.

Person Agreement—The writer uses a consistent person and rarely changes.

Plurals—Student uses singular or plural form for count and non-count nouns.

Pronouns—All pronouns are clearly understood and not overused.

Punctuation—Every sentence has correct punctuation (periods, commas, etc.).

Unnecessary Words—All words are necessary and contribute to the understand of the text.

Verb Form—The correct verb form is used.

Word Choice—The correct word is used.

Word Form—The correct form of the word is used.

Unit 6, Homework 1--Due: 5/1

For this homework, please do P. 106 and 113.

Midterm

The midterm will be on 4/22. There will be questions on general information in the book, writing titles, writing topic sentences, writing concluding sentences, and error correction. You also need to write one paragraph on the following topic:

• Describe a time where you felt an extreme emotion. This could be when you felt very happy, very sad, very frightened, etc. (P.7 has a good example paragraph.)

I recommend studying the book and practice writing the paragraph at home. Let me know if you have any question. 

Unit 4, Homework 3-- Due: 4/15

Please re-write your paragraph from last class. Remember to proofread and edit this paragraph. Please bring your rough draft, peer edit sheet, and final draft to Monday's class. 

Unit 4, Homework 2_Due: 4/11

Choose one of the topics from P.69 and write a paragraph on that topic. Below are some tips to help you:

• Use correct format, 12 point font, double spaced, with a title and indents. 
• Use a topic sentence that is neither to general nor too specific. 
• Use good supporting sentences that are organized in a logical way. 
• Use a concluding sentence that restates, suggests, gives an opinion, or predicts. 

Also, check your paragraph for the following grammar points:

Capitalization—All appropriate letters are capitalized. P.228

Conjunctions—All conjunctions are used appropriately.

Fragments—All subjects in clauses or sentences have a verb. P.23

Indent—The paragraph is indented. P.10

Missing Words—There are no missing words in the text.

Person Agreement—The writer uses a consistent person and rarely changes.

Plurals—Student uses singular or plural form for count and non-count nouns.

Pronouns—All pronouns are clearly understood and not overused.

Punctuation—Every sentence has correct punctuation (periods, commas, etc.).

S-V Agreement—All verbs match their subjects. P.37

Unnecessary Words—All words are necessary and contribute to the understand of the text.

Verb Agreement—The writer uses a main verb tense consistently.

Verb Form—The correct verb form is used.

Word Choice—The correct word is used.

Word Form—The correct form of the word is used.

Unit 4, Homework 1-- Due: 4/8

For this homework, please do P. 71-73.

Unit 3, Homework 2-- Due: 4/1

Please complete P. 51-54 in the book.

Unit 3, Homework 1--Due 3/27

Now that you have peer edited your paragraph, you need to write a final draft. Change anything you think needs to be changed. Next time, please give me your rough draft, your peer edit sheet, and your final draft. Also, be careful to include all the good elements of a topic sentence (Unit 3).

Unit 2, Homework 1--Due: 3/25

In this unit we learned about brainstorming. Brainstorming is coming up with as many ideas about things we can write about. You should always brainstorm, even if you don't think you need to. Often, we begin writing and find that we have not chosen a good topic. If we have brainstormed, we should have many other topics to choose from.

Assignment: Descriptive Paragraph-- Valuable Thing
For this assignment you need to write one paragraph describing a valuable thing in your life. Describe what the thing looks like and why it is valuable to you. Below are some writing tips.

• Use P. 9 to help you. Remember, every paragraph has a topic sentence, some supporting sentences and a concluding sentence. 
• Try to describe something specific and unique. My ipod is valuable to me but it is a boring topic for my reader. 
• Use the correct format. Include your name, student number, class day and a title (see P.21 for help with titles). Also use 12 point font and double space your writing. 
• Proofread your paragraph and look for mistakes. Remember to look for verb agreement, correct person (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person) correct capitalization (P.228), correct punctuation, verb fragments (P.24) and subject-verb agreement (P.37).
• Have fun!

Unit 1, Homework 2-- Due: 3/18

For this homework, please do P.14-P.19.

Unit 1, Homework 1--Due 3/13

I hope you are enjoying class so far. Below are the basics of what we learned in the first part of Unit 1.

Purpose
People write for 3 reasons.

• to inform
• to entertain
• to persuade

Verb Tense Agreement
Choose a tense to write in (past, present or future) and stick to it. It is okay to occassionally change tenses, but your writing should be in one main tense

Person

• First person--I
• Second person--you
• Third person-- he, she, it, they

Just like verb tense, you should choose one person to write in and stick to it. Try not to change person too much.

Homework

For your homework, please write one paragraph on about how to do something. This is an instructional paragraph and you should use the imperative tense. Please use P.4 (An Easy Sandwich) as an example to help you. Your paragraph must be typed using 12 point font and it must be double spaced. Please bring this for next class.

Welcome!

Hello students. Thanks for signing up for English Writing 1. I'm sure that you will learn a lot about both writing and English language usage this semester. Remember to continuously check this blog for information on the class and assignments. Below is the homework for the first day (due next class):

• Buy the text book, Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs (2^nd Edition) by Keith S. Folse, April Muchmore-Vokoun, and Elena Vestri Solomon, ISBN: 1-4240-7112-7
• Complete the Partner Paragraph WS; write at least 6 questions to ask your partner, interview your partner and write a paragraph introducing your partner to me. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone.