So this is the only class that we have for the week. After talking with Kate before class, I was beginning to wonder how many students would show up...because it was snowing like crazy, and because this is the only class this week.
My wonderings were confirmed when I got to the classroom and there were only a few people and only a few more showed up before class time. However, to my surprise, almost everyone showed up by about 12:10!
I began class by collecting the remaining Project 4 letters that still needed to be mailed and/or graded. I'm still missing some. I need to make sure I get them all.
I then collected all of the journals the students had done so far so that I could give the students some feedback on them before they turned the final MGP in the upcoming Wednesday.
The last thing I collected was the 2 pt. genre so that I could get a glimpse of what students were working on and also give them credit for getting them done on time. I had a few really good pieces and some that desperately needed more time and effort. I am, however, excited to see all of the pieces put together.
I also explained to the class that I would be sending out a copy of one of their classmate's journals that was done really well so that they could get an idea of what I was looking for. This student actually emailed me a few days later thanking me for valuing his work and sharing it with the class. I think this sharing of their work is good because it really shows them where they are in the process of their studies and is an informal way of publishing work...
This was a great lead in to the last journal they would do about their genres. I really tried to get them to share with me and whoever else would be reading their project, what their projects really reveal about them at one of the stages of their life.
After this, I passed out blank notecards and had them all define for me (on one side) what they thought revision is and what editing is. I asked them to clarify the difference between the two and tell me if there was a difference. On the other side of the card, I had them tell me what they still want to work on in class, what they learned from the class, things they liked about the class...stuff like that. After they were finished, I shared with them some of the definitions they came up with. I was surprised to see how many of them were in agreement and how they had chosen definitions opposite of what I did, however, after reading what they thought, I think I would tend to agree with them rather than myself.
For our grammar and revision practice today, I had seven students write on the board and the rest in their seats on notebook paper about their MGP projects. I asked them to try to use commas, a semi-colon if they remembered the rule, and a homonym or homophone if they could. After a slight moment of confusion and frustration, they all got started and wrote for me a good little chunck of writing. When they were finished, I read the writing on the board and had the students tell me how they would fix the errors that were present. Most of the errors were with commas & semi-colon usage; there were no issues with homonyms or homophones! This activity seemed to work well. The students, although hesitant to participate, did well with the writing and correcting. I think it modeled to them how easy it is to make mistakes (there was only one student who didn't have any errors) and how easy it is to correct them. I hope to use this activity more.
For a final finale to the chalkboard activity, I shared with the students a few examples from their work of sentence combining, word choice, and tone. Although this seemed to be a little much for the day, because I only used 2 examples and let them rest a little, I think they got the point. It was a good learning moment and, I think, showed them a little more how to revise a work without necessarily worrying about mechanics and grammar...
Before our final activity, I made sure they were all on the right track to having their work done for Monday. We revisited the schedule and made the necessary additions.
We ended class with a peer review of all the pieces they have done so far...this was a great lead in to writing studio as well.
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