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!

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!

ietherpad- "Night Sky" Revision

We have working on Trait #2 of the 6+ Traits of Writing, Organization. For this lesson, we've examined the idea of the "Wandering Spotlight", or getting off-track and adding details that take away from the main idea of the piece. Using a tool called ietherpad, you will collaborate with other students in the class to practice recognizing and revising texts in which the author has let the spotlight wander! The first piece which you will work on in small groups is the "Night Sky" activity which is found in the 6+ Traits Student Book. Work with your group and CROSS OUT (DO NOT delete any writing) the details which you think are not relevant to the topic, and which cause the piece to get off-topic and look poorly organized. BE SURE to discuss with your group members the changes that are being made and why you are making them. You will need this info for your reflection.

After you complete the revision task, you will complete the following tasks on your own blog:

1.) Take a screen shot of your finished revision (if you do not know how to do this, please ask me for help).
2.) Start a new blog post on your class blog.
3.) Up load the picture of the original text of "Night Sky" (you can get this from my blog)
4.) Then, upload the screenshot of the final version, after your group has finished revising it.
5.) Write an INDIVIDUAL reflection about the changes that your group made to the piece, why you made them, and how you think these changes made the piece sound better. Be detailed and descriptive in your answers. THEN, discuss whether or not it is easy to keep the spotlight on the topic when you are writing, and why or why not.

Please make sure that you are reading ALL of the directions carefully, and following them completely.

Let's Learn Wordle!

Wordle is a fun little tool that you can use with any type of text. It takes text and creates a "word cloud" with it. Here is an example that I made using the poem "Homework Machine" by Shel Silverstein:



The Homework Machine, oh the Homework Machine,
Most perfect contraption that's ever been seen.
Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime,
Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds' time,
Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be.
Here it is--"nine plus four?" and the answer is "three."
Three?
Oh me . . .
I guess it's not as perfect
As I thought it would be.

So, here is your class task:

1.) Find a poem that you really like. It has to be appropriate for class, and must be at least 10 lines long, but aside from that, you can choose any poem that you like.

2.) Go to Wordle.net and create a word cloud out of your poem by copying and pasting the text.

3.) Take a screen shot of your Wordle (apple + shift + 4, then be sure to select all of the image. When you are ready to take the picture, let go of the mouse).

4.) up load your Wordle into your post, then paste in the regular version of your poem. DO NOT forget to put the title and author of the poem first.

5.) Next, write a reflection about the poem. Describe the reasons why you like it, and what you think it is about. For example, I would not just say that "Homework Machine" is about a homework machine; I would say that it is about not doing things the easy way, because often when we try to get out of doing something (or when we try to do it as quickly and easily as possible), the outcome is not what we want or need. It's better to put in the time and effort in order to have a positive result.

This reflection should be in two separate paragraphs in the post.

6.) Post everything to your blog (Word cloud, poem, and reflection).

7.) Lastly, read the poems and reflections of two other people, and write a meaningful comment for each one.

Have fun!

6 + 1 Traits Writing- Ideas, Narrowing Down Your Topic

[caption id="attachment_61" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Web Model"][/caption]

In class, we've been talking about how to narrow down writing topics from "Oversized" topics to "Manageable" topics. As a class assignment, you and a partner were to choose three oversized topics and narrow them down, using the web model that we went over in a lesson. Now I am giving you the final step of your assignment: (note: this is INDIVIDUAL work, not pair work)

You will choose one of the webs that you and your partner created. Create a Word document that illustrates your web, then take a screen shot of it. Next, you will embed the web illustration on your blog. Finally, you will write a two-paragraph reflection on the process, detailing the following information:

* Why you chose the "Oversized" topic to begin with

* The steps in which you and your partner used to narrow it down (this means that you will EXPLAIN your thought process as you walk us through the narrowing- down motions)

* Your final thoughts on why this is now a "Manageable" topic about which to write a class assignment

* What you learned from this lesson and assignment

This assignment should be categorized as "Six Traits"

NOTE: If you need help with any of these steps, there is an instruction handout that walks you through them posted in the Course Documents section of your NVS page.