Writing Workshop

Welcome to Writing Workshop for high school seniors!  Please check in online each school day to find out what your assignment is.  Come to class each day prepared to write.  Bring a writing utensil and paper.

DAY 1

1. Sign TECHNOLOGY GUIDELINES sheet.  Each participant must sign in order to continue with this class.
2. On notebook paper,answer the following questions in 1 full page and complete sentences:  What are your writing strengths and/or weaknesses?  Regarding your writing skills,what would you like to accomplish or learn prior to graduation?  Looking back,what have you written that you are most proud of and why?
   

DAY 2

1. On notebook paper,answer the following questions in complete sentences:  a)  Define autobiography.  b)  Think about some real-life situations in which you might find yourself writing about significant events in your life.  List those events.  c)  Have you ever read any autobiographies?  Which ones?  Why?  Did you enjoy them?  d)  Why would a person write an autobiography?  e)  Why would a publisher publish a particular autobiography?
2. Complete A SAMPLING OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL APPROACHES.
3. Consider this:  the next few lessons will lead to writing your autobiographies.  These will be different than ones you have written before.  You might want to spend time thinking about possible approaches to experiences.  What general tone will you take?  What sort of language will you use?  For whom will you be writing?  With what key events might you begin?  What “philosophy of life”might you convey?  What do you want the reader to now about you when they are finished?
4. Hold on to  A SAMPLING OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL APPROACHES until tomorrow.

DAY 3

1. Finish A SAMPLING OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL APPROACHES and turn in.

DAY 4

1. READ:  The following is a list of top autobiographies:  The Autobiography of Malcolm X:As Told to Alex Haley by Malcolm X,The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou,Black Boy by Richard Wright,Prison Writings:My Life Is My Sun Dance by Leonard Peltier,and The Ice Opinion:Who Gives a Fuck? by (Musician) Ice-T.  People write autobiographies for different reasons.  Autobiographies are necessarily selective because no one can write about everything that has happened to him or her.  There are three autobiographical approaches:  family autobiographies,significant event autobiographies,and futurographies.  Family autobiographies explore  history of a family,rather than an individual.
2. READ:  Algo-Saxon last names have four major sources:  occupation (Smith);patronym (Fitzpatrick);location (Hill);description (Longfellow).
3. Complete TYPES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY Worksheet.  You may need to consult your parents this evening to complete part of this.
4. Hold on to TYPES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY Worksheet for tomorrow.

DAY 5

1. Choose one of the autobiographical forms on TYPES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY Worksheet and write a first draft of your autobiography with your classmates as your target audience.  Type this in NeoOffice and save to your computer.

DAY 6

1. Finish your autobiography rough draft in NeoOffice and save.  Remember,this is a rough draft,so,you will be working on this more later.

DAY 7

1. Complete DISCUSSING A STUDENT PAPER Worksheet.
2. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper,in complete sentences:  a) What is the writer’s purpose?  What is his point in telling you about this particular game?  b) Who is the writer’s audience?  Do you think you have to be a basketball fan to appreciate this piece?  c) What actions does the writer describe as part of this experience?  d) Who is involved in this story?  e) How do the other individuals react to the central figure?  f) Are the main idea and the supporting ideas presented in a way that makes sense to you?  g) What part of this paper do you like best?  h) Is there anything in this piece that you do not understand?  What?  i) Is Dennis a hero in any sense of the word?  Why or why not?  j) To which of your emotions does the writer appeal?  How?
3. Focus on the content of the paper,rather than grammar and spelling which will be corrected in the editing process.
4. Answer questions 1-5 on pg. 20.

DAY 8

1. Complete BECOMING A PEER CRITIC worksheet.
2. Answer questions 1-7 on pg. 22.

DAY 9

1. Writing Prompt (8-10 complete sentences):  How do you show respect for a community you care about and for others? Turn in.
   
2. Watch FINAL EDITING VIDEO.
3. Complete EDITING GUIDELINES,Part A-D and turn in.
4. Tear off AUTOBIOGRAPHY EVALUATION and save for tomorrow.

DAY 10

1. Go back to your saved autobiography and re-read it,checking for mistakes.
2. Ask a peer to edit it and give suggestions.
3. Grade your own paper using the AUTOBIOGRAPHY EVALUATION worksheet.  Print your autobiography and staple the completed  AUTOBIOGRAPHY EVALUATION to the front.  Turn in.

DAY 11

1. Watch ANECDOTE INTRODUCTION VIDEO.
2. Read over ORIGINAL ANECDOTE worksheet (pg. 40).
3. On a separate sheet of paper,in eight to ten complete sentences,answer the following questions:  What is an anecdote?  Who tells them today?  In what situations might someone tell an anecdote?  Give an example an anecdote that someone told you that is memorable.  Why was it memorable?

DAY 12

1. Complete ANECDOTE SAMPLER (pg. 41-46).

DAY 13

1. READ: Anecdotes can focus on the following topics —a) pleasant or unpleasant surprises at home or in school;b) shocking incident in the news;c) family incident;d) a memorable time spent with a person or pet;e) any personal experience that demonstrates moral values
2. Choose one of the topics above and write a draft of a third-person anecdote (approximately two paragraphs).  Hold on to it when you’re finished.

DAY 14

1. Have two different people read your third-person anecdote draft.  Each person should complete RESPONSES TO MY ANECDOTE. This should be done as a one-on-one session with verbal and written feedback.  Pick a partner to work with for about 20 minutes and then switch.
2. On the bottom of the RESPONSES TO MY ANECDOTE worksheet,in complete sentences,answer the following questions:a) How was the conferencing helpful to you?  b) What sort of comments were most helpful?  c) How was it useful to have more than one responder?

DAY 15

1. Complete PLANNING MY REVISION worksheet.
2. Tear off ANECDOTE EVALUATION (pg. 59) and turn in the rest of the packet when finished.

DAY 16

1. Make corrections and revisions to your anecdote.  Type it in final draft form.  Print when finished.
2. Complete ANECDOTE EVALUATION (pg. 59) and staple it to the front of the final draft of your anecdote.
3. Turn in anecdote.

DAY 17

1. Make-up work.

DAY 18

1. Watch PROBLEM/SOLUTION ESSAY INTRODUCTION VIDEO.
2. Consider the following statements about problem-solving:  a) There is no perfect solution to any problems with human begins mixed up in it.  b) Most people spend more time and energy in going around problems than in trying to solve them.  c) One reason for the world’s problems is that we know more ways to get into trouble than to get out of it.  d) Many a problem will solve itself if we forget it and go fishing.  e) Part of the problem today is that we have a surplus of simple answers and a shortage of simple questions.
3. If you know any,add any quotes or sayings to the above list about problem-solving.
4. Select one statement above and write a half-page response to it. Share responses with the class.
5. Brainstorm a list of problems that affect your lives.  Consider problems that you might help solve while fulfilling a service requirement (community service),or problems that people tend to list as ones that you most want politicians to address.  Make the list on the board.
6. Go to an online newspaper (Star Tribune or Pioneer Press) and find an article about a problem that directly or indirectly affects someone’s life,such as inadequate police patrol or air pollution
7. Complete PROBLEM AND SOLUTIONS worksheet.

DAY 19

1. Read the “PEANUTS”cartoon and answer the following questions on the bottom of the page,in complete sentences:  a) What does Sally want to talk about?  b) Do you think she gets the response she expects?  c) What sorts of world problems do you think Sally has in mind?  d) What do you think Charles Schultz may be saying about how most people view world problems?  e) List some examples of being wrapped up in small problems while ignoring bigger ones.
2. READ: Problem solving on national,state,and local levels of life provokes an abundance of satire on TV and in books,magazine articles,and daily newspapers.  Writers’witty,humorous,or biting satire on any aspect of the human condition may prod readers to acknowledge the problem,and possibly stimulate a search of a solution.
3. READ:  In this lesson,you will be provided with four different approaches to problem solving.  Charles Schultz has created a cartoon to express his feelings about world problems and apathy.  Art Buchwald and Mike Kilian parody government cover-ups and extravagance.  In Buchwald’s piece,characters from Alice in Wonderland invade a presidential press briefing.  Kilian reserves the situation in A Christmas Carol by shocking the ghosts of congressmen past as he gives them a guided tour of the present Capitol.
4. READ:  In “Advice for the Hopelessly Absentminded,”Jack Robinson examines a personal problem shared by many people and offers suggestions on coping with it.  Through charts and discussion of these pieces,you ability to analyze models of problem solving can be assessed.
5. Background information for POLITICAL SATIRE:  The White House press secretary makes periodic announcements to journalists and answers their questions supposedly in order to keep the public apprised of what is going on in the White House.  When this piece was written,in 1974,the Watergate scandal,replete with stolen and erased tapes which led to present Richard Nixon’s resignation,was a recent event.
6. Read and complete POLITICAL SATIRE worksheet (pg. 74-75) and answer the questions from the directions on the back of the sheet.  Use complete sentences.

DAY 20

1. Complete Satire in Washington (pg. 76-78).
   

DAY 21

1. Complete pg. 79-82 from the above packet.
   

DAY 22

1. READ:  Just like there are many uses for different objects,there are many answers to different problems.  There are also better uses for certain objects and better answers for different problems.  For example,a hockey stick is better served to play hockey than to build a tree fort.  This is called ‘lateral thinking.’  In problem solving,you use lateral thinking to brainstorm solutions to problems and evaluate whether or not the solutions are effective or not.
2. Complete Problem/Solutions worksheet.

DAY 23

1. Begin drafting your Problem/Solution Essay.  This should be written.  It should look like this –>Paragraph 1:Introduce the Problem.  What is the problem and why is this a problem?  Paragraph 2:Examine weakest solution.  What are the pros and cons?  Paragraph 3:Examine stronger solution.  What are the pros and cons?  Paragraph 4:Examine the best solution.  What is it the best?  Paragraph 5:Summarize.  What are you proposing?  Leave readers with a thought to remember.

DAY 24

1. Continue working on Problem/Solution Essay.
2. If you have a good start on the essay,research some statistics to add into the paper.  You must have two borrowed sources. Quote in-text and site (MLA format) your sources in a bibliography at the end of the paper. For help with this,go to EasyBib.

DAY 25

1. Finish rough draft of Problem/Solution Essay.
   

DAY 26

1. Set aside Problem/Solution Essay.
2. Complete A Problem/Solution First Draft.
   

DAY 27

1. Complete Editing for Energy.
   

DAY 28

1. Have a peer proofread and edit the rough draft of your Problem/Solution.  He/she should be reading for meaning,understanding,structure,as well as spelling and grammatical errors.  Ask your peer reviewer to make corrections on your rough draft.
2. When you feel all errors have been eliminated,begin typing your Problem/Solution Esssay in NeoOffice.

DAY 29

1. Continue typing your Problem/Solution Essay in NeoOffice.
   

DAY 30

1. Continue typing your Problem/Solution Essay in NeoOffice.
   

DAY 31

1. Have a peer proofread your Problem/Solution Essay and make corrections.
   

DAY 32

1. Make final corrections to your Problem/Solution Essay.

DAY 33

1. Print a copy of Problem/Solution Essay and turn in.

DAY 34

1. Make-up Day.
   

DAY 35

1. Beyond Day 35,complete any late work.
2. All work must be turned in to Sarah May by Tuesday,April 6th.