If you missed Tuesday, August 31st....Shame on you!

Dear Juniors,

Let me "enlighten" you on what we worked on today in class:

1. We "outlined" the five paragraph essay format using the COLOR CODING format.
2. Students recorded the following information on the Five Paragraph essay structure:

INTRODUCTORY Paragraph
Eye Catcher
Transition Sentence
THESIS statement with three defining points

BODY #1
Body Thesis/Topic Sentence
Commentary
Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail
Concluding Sentence

BODY #2 and BODY #3 contain the same organization format

CONCLUDING Paragraph

3. We then "TRIANGLED" (an organization method) our ideas regarding why teenagers rarely eat a healthy breakfast.
4. As a group we wrote the color body paragraph for  "Why teenagers rarely eat a healthy breakfast. This was the outcome:

                Due to hectic schedules, many teenagers fail to eat a healthy breakfast. One reason for this pertain to the fact that the young people wake-up late. Late nights spent on homework can cause exhaustion, and therefore a lack of desire to eat. In addition, teens must work to pay for expenses and to assist their families. This, of course, adds to the fact that they are tired, and therefore not interested in eating a healthy meal. A second reason involves indolency on the teen's part. Lack of motivation to complete responsibilities takes place because students don't see a purpose with their "jobs." Therefore, laziness kicks in and teenagers fail to eat. The above points illustrate why teenagers struggle with eating a healthy breakfast.

HOMEWORK:
1. Complete a colored body paragraph choosing from the list below. Your paragraph needs to include the "triangle" and appear in color.

• Divorce
• Uniforms in secondary schools
• Marrying young
• Taking the ACT
• Liposuction
• Freedom
• Racism
• Year-Round school
• Cell Phone Policy
• ARC

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday.
Cheers,
Crampton

If you missed class on Friday, August 27th.....

Dear Juniors,

We completed the following on Friday, August 27th:

1. Students submitted their Disclosure Documents (50 points).
2. Students submitted their "Where I stand/Introductions." (80 points)
3. A1 and A4 completed the writing and reading assessments in order to determine if their placement in junior English is accurate. I can have you take these when you return to class.
4. We reviewed some "Writing No-No's." Please cut and paste the following aspects into WORD and then place them in the "Vocab./Mechanics" section of your notebook.

NO-NO #1: The following words are called "Dead Words" and they should not be used in your formal writing work: got, get, very, a lot, cool, stuff, sort of, kind of, like, really, good, thing,and pretty.

NO-NO #2: Please avoid the use of SECOND PERSON when writing. Second person includes the following words: you, your, yourself, and  yours.

NO=NO #3: Avoid passive voice in formal writing. Active voice adds clarity, where as passive voice makes writing flat and dull. Passive voice uses the "be verbs" (is, was, were, be, been, being). For example, the following sentence uses passive voice: The check was cashed at the bank. It is not difficult to use the active voice in re-writing the sentence. Molly cashed her check at the bank.

NO-NO#4: Avoid redundant phrases such as In my opinion...., I believe that....., I think that....., I am going to write about.....

NO-NO #5: Avoid absolute terms such as never, always, everyone, all, always, none.

NO-NO #6: Make sure that your structure in writing is parallel. For example the following sentence is NOT parallel. Sarah loves playing volleyball, readying poetry, and to study history.  This sentence is easy to correct with by doing the following: Sarah loves playing volleyball, readking poetry, and studying history.

HOMEWORK:
You have no homework for Tuesday, August 31st.
Enjoy your weekend. I look foward to seeing you on Tuesday, August 31st.

Welcome to Junior English!

Dear Junior English Students,

Welcome to "American Literature," otherwise known as "Junior English." I am so excited to work with you this year. Our study will pertain to American authors and their impact on society. You will have the opportunity to read exceptional pieces of literature that will effect change within your lives.

HOMEWORK for Friday, August 25th:
1. Remember to return your signed copy of the Disclosure Document
2. Remember to have your notebook organized and labeled with the following dividers (homework, handouts, notes, vocab./mechanics, and journal)
3. Remember that your "Where I stand" Introduction is also due on Friday.

Introductory Writing Prompt for Wednesday, August 25th

In relationship to your own abilities to write, to comprehend text, and to communicate overall, I ask that you respond to the following quote by Plato, "The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life." Do you agree or disagree with Mr. Plato? Consider your desires regarding your educational goals and your goals for the future in junior English. Finally, consider your attitude towards learning.

I am significantly interested in your thoughts on the subject of education. Please write your name in the upper right hand corner, along with your period and seat #. Please do your best to structure your writing in an organized and thorough manner. You will have approximately 10 minutes to write your paragraph.

Cheers,
Crampton