Friday, January 15, 2010

Happy Friday! Today we spent some time going over a little packet that I put together to help you with your revisions of your final Kaffir Boy essay. Click here to download.

In addition, click here to download the supplemental grammar packet that contains info on how to correct some common grammatical errors. These resources came from Writers Inc. and Painless Grammar, two really helpful writing books that we will be referencing again several times over the semester.

The rest of the period was spent having some Friday Fun - Musical Round Robin Writing!! I can't wait to read your goofy stories on Tuesday.

Enjoy the long weekend and as always, don't get arrested. REMEMBER...YOUR FINAL ESSAY SUBMISSION IS DUE ON MY ACCESS BY MONDAY NIGHT AT 11:59 PM! EMAIL ME IF YOU NEED ANY LAST MINUTE HELP OR IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Today we finished Amandla!, discussed it as a class, and watched some of the additional special features, one of which happened to be a sing-along, which many of you loudly participated in! You kids are such goofballs. =)

After completing your viewing guide and turning it in, we wrapped up our discussion of the book and also checked out Mark Mathabane's website, which contains many photographs of his life both in Alexandra and in the United States as well as videos and resources to learn more about Africa. Click here to visit the site.

We also spent some time talking about the devastating earthquake in Haiti and some things you could do to help. One way to help is to donate ten bucks to the Red Cross. Text the word "Haiti" to 90999.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Today, following a brief class discussion on some of the main points of the film Amandla!, we went over some of the questions on your video guide and then continued watching the documentary. We will finish this up on Thursday during class, and I will collect your viewing guides then.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Today we began watching the amazing documentary film Amandla! and responding to some critical thinking questions as you watched. Click here to download the viewing guide.

Currently I am in the process of uploading feedback on your drafts on My Access. Your feedback will be available by Thursday, and you will have until SUNDAY NIGHT AT 11PM to revise and submit your final essay draft. To view my comments, click on the voice bubble icon and you should see sections of your draft highlighted in blue. Click the hyperlink for each and a window containing my comment should pop up. In the meantime, you will have the opportunity to complete additional submissions if you like, just email me to give me a heads up if you want me to take a look at it.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Today was our second day in the writing lab. Based on the feedback you recieved from My Access when you submitted your first draft yesterday, you spent some time adding to and revising your essay. By the end of class today, you should have revised your first draft, submitted your draft a second time (make sure you have written a minimum of five paragraphs), and examined your score. I will be reading your drafts over the weekend and providing feedback for you to look over by Monday. Have a great weekend!!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Today we were in the computer lab to begin drafting your Kaffir Boy essay. Mountain Range has adopted a cool new online writing program called My Access, and this is what you will be using to write this essay. Click here for a copy of instructions for using My Access. Everything else you need is on your account, which is accessible from any computer with internet capabilities. We will be working on this mostly during class time in case you don't finish, in which case it will be up to you to work on it from home.

Click here to go to My Access.

Due Dates:

First draft submission by tonight, Thursday.
Second draft submission with revisions by the end of the day Friday.

Third and Final draft submissions by Tuesday (we will be working on it again during class on Monday.)

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Happy New Year!! I hope all of you had a wonderful vacation and are looking forward to the last half of the school year...

Today, as planned, you took an open book quiz on the remaining chapters of Kaffir Boy which you had to finish over break. The rest of the week this week will be spent working on your essay assessment for this unit and finishing up some last book activities.

Good to have you back! =)

December 18, 2009

Have a great break!! Enjoy your holidays and get some rest! Don't forget, you need to finish Kaffir Boy by Tuesday, January 5 and complete the constructed response. You will have a reading quiz on the book when you return. Download the constructed response sheet by clicking here.