Sentence Fluency!

OK, we have gone over the trait of Sentence Fluency in class. We've even practiced it a bit. So, now you are going to COMBINE your skills at Word Choice and Sentence Fluency with this fantastic assignment. Here are your instructions:

1.) Open the screen shot of the original text that we worked on with Word Choice last time (See above). This was emailed to you.

2.) You have also received an email with an attachment of the text, which you can work on. First, go through the text and make your Word Choice changes (these were done last class). Highlight and save these changes.

3.) Next, go through the text and edit it for Sentence Fluency. In a different color, highlight the sentences which you changed. YOU MUST MAKE  AT LEAST TEN SENTENCE CHANGES!

4.) Now, take a screen shot of your new, edited text (apple + shift + 4).

5.) In the SAME blog post, include both the Before and the After screen shots of your text. Then, write a reflection about what you learned about Word Choice and Sentence Fluency, how/why your second draft reads better than the first draft, and how you are going to try and include these new skills into your writing for all of your classes.

ALL OF THESE THINGS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR REFLECTION PARAGRAPH.

Mood and Tone

We've been talking about mood and tone in class. Tone is the way that the writer/narrator feels about the piece or characters, and mood is the way that the piece makes the reader feel when reading it.

Your assignment is to look at the topic which was given to you in class. Choose THREE different tones/moods which you will create (for examples, perhaps your topic is walking to school in the morning. You might choose Happy, Frustrated and Scared as your three tones/moods). THEN, write one paragraph (MINIMUM 6 sentences per paragraph) about that topic for each mood/tone that you've chosen.

After EACH paragraph, write a short reflection that discusses:
* What the tone/mood of the paragraph is
* Specific words that you used to show this tone/mood (give examples)
* The style of writing that you used

So, just to recap, you need to write:

* THREE paragraphs
* THREE reflections

Have fun!

Trait #4- Word Choice

We've been working on the trait of Word Choice. So, for your assignment you are going to be editing and peer editing for strong word choice in your writing. Here are the tasks for you to do:

1.) Choose the Quick Write that you did today, along with ONE OTHER that you feel is descriptive. SO, you are working with two Quick Writes.

2.) Type up your pieces on titanpad.com. They can go on the same pad, just be sure to put them separately, label/title them properly and leave a good amount of space between the two.

3.) Email your titanpad page URL to a partner.

4.) When your partner sends you their link, go through EACH piece and highlight at least 10 adjectives that you feel could be replaced with better or stronger words. If they do no have 10 adjectives in their piece, put a space and highlight some places where strong descriptive words should go. Just remember, you are doing this TWICE.
* Underneath each piece, you can write some notes about the changes that you feel your partner needs to make.

5.) When your partner is finished, take a screen shot of your titanpad page BEFORE you make any changes!
(To take a screen shot: Apple + Shift + 4)

6.) Go through your pieces and make the recommended changes, plus any other changes that you think are necessary (in your color).

7.) Take a screen shot of your finished piece.

8.) Post your two screen shots, PLUS a reflective paragraph underneath that describes how and why your second piece is improved by the changes which you made. This paragraph should be at least 5 sentences long. To be clear, EVERYTHING should go into one post. The title of this post should be "Word Choice Practice".

Have fun!

Glogster!

Glogster is a great, new way to make posters...virtual posters! Check out my sample below:

http://mrsraisdana.edu.glogster.com/sample-glog/

You can follow this link and it will take you to my example.

What I want you guys to do in class is to make your own Glog illustrating the charity which you created in class. You can use mine as an example, or do something completely different. Be sure to include pictures, music (must be appropriate for school), some text giving info about your charity, and creative use of color and graphics.

When you are finished with your glog, update your original post about your charity and include the link to your glog at the end. THEN I would like you to visit the glogs of all of the other students in the class and comment on each one.

Writing With Voice!

OK, we have been talking about the trait of Voice, so now let's put it into practice...

Your assignment is to choose one of the following topics:

1.) A newspaper article about how to make your school dances more exciting
OR
2.) A persuasive letter trying to get people to recycle more.

Once you choose your topic, write two different articles/letters that are CLEARLY geared towards two different audiences (you can choose your audiences). Your articles/letters should be a MINIMUM of 15 sentences long and be labeled according to your audience.

When you have written your texts, write a one-paragraph reflection on your two different texts. Describe the things that you had to keep in mind when writing for each audience, the different way that you wrote, the different types of words/vocabulary that you used, and the tones that you used. Then explain WHY you chose each of these for your particular audiences. Be sure to include all of this information.

Next, look at the writing assignments for two other students and comment on their use of voice. You will want to write MEANINGFUL comments about their choice of voice (did you agree with the voices which they chose? Do you think that they fit the audience? Why/how?).

Have fun!