When I first read the remarkable story of Lori Ruff, née Kennedy, aka Becky Sue Turner, aka Kimberly McLean, I knew it would make an excellent basis for a unit on argumentative writing. Students would find it compelling and would also learn valuable research skills by studying copies of actual documents, such as birth certificates, … Continue reading Lori Ruff Project Resource Page
The Argumentative Essay Assignment 2021
Your major assignment for this unit is to write an argumentative essay that supports your point with evidence. Choose one of the four options described below. To make the research process easier, each topic has 4 articles in its respective article library. You may only use those resources; other articles will be disallowed. Also, you … Continue reading The Argumentative Essay Assignment 2021
The Concession-Thesis-Reason Topic Sentence
The thing I like about the concession-thesis-reason topic sentence model is that it's compact. It forces the writer to condense his counterargument, thesis, and reasons into a simple, streamlined idea that is easily grasped by the reader. Today's lesson was focused on learning that model, but if you were unable to be here, fear not … Continue reading The Concession-Thesis-Reason Topic Sentence
Informational Writing: Plagues and Pandemics
This post will be your go-to place for resources about our informational writing project, and as such, it has a very limited audience. Some of the Taco's other readers may find some of this information useful in their own writing classes or projects. If so, I'm glad it could help you. For my students this … Continue reading Informational Writing: Plagues and Pandemics
Phrases and Clauses Assignment
We've reviewed phrases and clauses over the last couple of days, and I want to make sure you have the differences between them clear in your mind before we proceed. The following video sums things up pretty well, so watch it and take notes while you do. Write down 10 facts that you learned from … Continue reading Phrases and Clauses Assignment
Nothing Gets Done Without the Last Minute
I'm sure all of my students are aware by now that last Monday marked the end of digital learning at FSMS. To be perfectly clear, there is no lesson for today, nor will there be one for next Monday. The time is yours to catch up on any missing work. You must have all assignments … Continue reading Nothing Gets Done Without the Last Minute
Don’t Analyze a Poem – SLAM IT!
Analyze a WHAT?! Agonizing over paragraph structure? Finding nothing worth smiling about regarding similies? Worrying that you won't sound like you know what you're talking about? Counting the words and writing line totals in the margins? Don't worry about poetry analysis - SLAM it! SLAM, in this case, isn't like a poetry slam. A poetry … Continue reading Don’t Analyze a Poem – SLAM IT!
What Makes a Poem Good?
As you continue to work on your original poem (see last week's assignment) and prepare to video the presentation, take time to really think about what you want your work to say, how you want it to make your reader feel, and what impressions you want to leave your reader with. Hopefully, you haven't rushed … Continue reading What Makes a Poem Good?
Poetry Slam!
Today's video introduces our next lesson, and I hope you'll become as excited about it as I am about it! Yeah, it's about writing a poem, but I'm going to leave the technical stuff for the lesson video. To get you into the spirit of things, watch Nova Venerable deliver her poem, "Apartment on Austin." … Continue reading Poetry Slam!
Poetry: Terms and Applications
DirectionsUse the following procedure for each poem on the list. Links to the poems you will use for this assignment are at the bottom of this post. Type your answers in Classroom and turn it in. This assignment is due Saturday, April 18. Make sure you're seated in a quiet spot. Turn off all distractions. … Continue reading Poetry: Terms and Applications
