Wow! Today's class went so fast; I'm sorry for rushing at the very end.
You did a great job working together on the revision worksheet. We'll finish going over that on Friday, so don't forget to bring them so I can collect them and give you credit for completion. Do you feel like doing those worksheets are helpful at all? Sometimes it's beneficial to take sentences out of the larger piece and focus on what's correct and incorrect to get a better picture of what's going on. Thank you for being cooperative and helpful with each other.
At the end of class I introduced you to chapter 25 (page 365), which is about explaining a process or telling someone how to do something. Read through the chapter for some ideas and then for Friday bring a typed piece explaining how to do something. This should be something you already know how to do. It can be like the example we talked about in class: how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Or if there is something you do at work, like cleaning tables or running a mower, you could tell how to do that.
A good place to start may be making a list of the steps and then expanding that way. Don't make this harder than it needs to be. Marc mentioned that he may write about how to do a household task like mopping the floor. That's a great idea!
Other topics students have written about in the past include: how to break up with a girlfriend, how to ask someone on a date, how to apply for a scholarship, how to find a good gym, how to put gas in your car, how to register for classes, how to bake a cake, how to install a car stereo, etc.
If you're struggling for ideas, don't hesitate to ask. I love brainstorming with students!
To clarify: THIS FRIDAY WE MEET IN ATB 132.
Next week we will be focusing on our writing a bit more and shifting workshops to FRIDAY. This means that you will need to do the Writing Center modules on your own time, since it closes at 2:00 Friday. The workshop time will be for writing and you will have freedom to choose where you do this work. We'll talk more about it in the near future; I just wanted you to be aware of the change. Note that this was on the schedule I gave you back in February.
If it ends up that Fridays don't work as well, we can always shift back to Monday. We aren't married to this and I'm more than willing to work it any day. This was just an attempt to meet the desires of everyone in class, having workshop on Monday for a while and then Friday. Also remember that if you ever want help or have questions, I am willing to meet during this workshop time or another day/time. You just need to ask. I don't have a formal office to hold office hours, but am always available before and after class for at least 30 minutes. However, I don't read minds and I never assume that because you aren't doing well in the class that you want me to help you.
Just in case, here is my contact information: slillich@jccc.edu is my email and 913-469-8500 ext 5418 is my voicemail.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Adjectives and Adverbs
I realize this post is late. Something unexpectedly came up right after class Friday that prevented me from posting before I left the room, which is what I usually try to do.
Remember that today is workshop in the Writing Center. You should be getting ahead on those modules and using what you're learning as you do the writing assignments in class. Once we cover something, you are held accountable for putting it into practice. Carelessness and laziness are not excuses for repeating the same mistakes (over and over); if you need help or clarification, YOU have to ask.
On Friday we heard Jennifer and Dustyn's writing about their favorite people. Thanks for sharing! Reading our writing to each other is just another way that we absorb language. It all helps to improve our writing abilities.
We then reviewed the parts of speech and discussed adjectives and adverbs. If you haven't, READ CHAPTER 8 from your text book! There are practice exercises and samples that will review and perhaps clarify what we covered in class.
Remember that adjectives describe nouns and adverbs describe verbs. You should still read chapter 8 THOROUGHLY!
On Wednesday, in COM 319, there is a creative writing reading event at 11:00. Students and faculty are invited to read their writing. You are welcome to join in the reading, or you may also attend to observe and enjoy the creativity. As an extra credit opportunity, you can earn up to 25 points for attending and typing up a half-page reaction. In order to receive the points, this must be turned in by this Friday, April 1.
I hope your week is off to a good start, despite the silly snow. Browse through the site here for things you may have missed and to review important information. More extra credit will be available soon.
I'll see you all on Wednesday!
Remember that today is workshop in the Writing Center. You should be getting ahead on those modules and using what you're learning as you do the writing assignments in class. Once we cover something, you are held accountable for putting it into practice. Carelessness and laziness are not excuses for repeating the same mistakes (over and over); if you need help or clarification, YOU have to ask.
On Friday we heard Jennifer and Dustyn's writing about their favorite people. Thanks for sharing! Reading our writing to each other is just another way that we absorb language. It all helps to improve our writing abilities.
We then reviewed the parts of speech and discussed adjectives and adverbs. If you haven't, READ CHAPTER 8 from your text book! There are practice exercises and samples that will review and perhaps clarify what we covered in class.
Remember that adjectives describe nouns and adverbs describe verbs. You should still read chapter 8 THOROUGHLY!
On Wednesday, in COM 319, there is a creative writing reading event at 11:00. Students and faculty are invited to read their writing. You are welcome to join in the reading, or you may also attend to observe and enjoy the creativity. As an extra credit opportunity, you can earn up to 25 points for attending and typing up a half-page reaction. In order to receive the points, this must be turned in by this Friday, April 1.
I hope your week is off to a good start, despite the silly snow. Browse through the site here for things you may have missed and to review important information. More extra credit will be available soon.
I'll see you all on Wednesday!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday Workshop Day
I'll post from Friday's class soon, but in the meantime wanted to remind you that Monday is a workshop day. Do not go to ATB for regular class; report to the Writing Center to make some progress on your modules.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Full Day
We covered a lot of material today; I hope you will take some time to read through this post to review and refresh what was discussed.
We first got caught up on our sound-alike words. There is a section near the back of your text book that is devoted to common words that get confused because they sound alike. Today we covered the following:
Affect Versus Effect
Already Versus All Ready
Are Versus Our
While it is a good idea to learn the difference between these words, it's even more important to be aware of which ones you struggle to differentiate and then know where to look to find the answers. Simply guessing is not an option. These are things that totally change the meaning of what you are trying to say; it's imperative that you use the correct word.
We then briefly covered some capitalization rules and number rules. There are too many to remember, but, again, what's important is that you know where to look when you are writing, so that you may clarify and be certain that you are following the rules in these areas. Even the most skilled writer does not have every grammar and punctuation rule memorized. However, they do know where to go for the answers.
At the end of class we did a seven minute focused free-write about someone that is special to us. This could be a friend, relative, spouse, mentor, etc. The possibilities are really endless.
FOR FRIDAY: Type and polish this free-write.
It should be roughly half a page in length (it's ok if it's longer).
The format rules are the same: double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1" margins. As I mentioned in class, I don't enforce these just because it's my preference to read papers in this format. These requirements are the most basic guidelines when typing any paper. This course is to prepare you for future classes where you will be required to write. If you have questions or need help learning how to format, JUST ASK! We can spend a few minutes familiarizing you with how to do these basic functions.
We first got caught up on our sound-alike words. There is a section near the back of your text book that is devoted to common words that get confused because they sound alike. Today we covered the following:
Affect Versus Effect
Already Versus All Ready
Are Versus Our
While it is a good idea to learn the difference between these words, it's even more important to be aware of which ones you struggle to differentiate and then know where to look to find the answers. Simply guessing is not an option. These are things that totally change the meaning of what you are trying to say; it's imperative that you use the correct word.
We then briefly covered some capitalization rules and number rules. There are too many to remember, but, again, what's important is that you know where to look when you are writing, so that you may clarify and be certain that you are following the rules in these areas. Even the most skilled writer does not have every grammar and punctuation rule memorized. However, they do know where to go for the answers.
At the end of class we did a seven minute focused free-write about someone that is special to us. This could be a friend, relative, spouse, mentor, etc. The possibilities are really endless.
FOR FRIDAY: Type and polish this free-write.
It should be roughly half a page in length (it's ok if it's longer).
The format rules are the same: double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1" margins. As I mentioned in class, I don't enforce these just because it's my preference to read papers in this format. These requirements are the most basic guidelines when typing any paper. This course is to prepare you for future classes where you will be required to write. If you have questions or need help learning how to format, JUST ASK! We can spend a few minutes familiarizing you with how to do these basic functions.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Warm Monday
It's the first day back after break and we had a hard-working group here today.
The group worked on a revision worksheet in class, and we went over it on the board at the end. It was good to see the importance of taking the time to proofread and revise carefully before turning writing in to be graded. Even little things, like typos and misspellings, can totally change the meaning of what we are trying to communicate to our readers.
At the end of class, I handed out a worksheet on identifying fragment and complete sentences. Chapter 14 in your book will be very helpful in completing this. We'll also work with this more later in the week, but do your best to finish this worksheet on your own. It will give you an idea of how much work you will need to put in on your own.
Think about the following statements:
A sentence is a group of words that communicates a complete thought.
The words in the sentence should be in an order that makes sense.
Begin every sentence with a capital letter, and end with the correct punctuation mark.
Beware of Facebook status sentences. We have talked about this many times this semester.
Examples: Going to the store after school. Headed to Barley's after work tonight.
These are both fragment sentences; they are missing the subject (answers the question: who or what is doing the action?). Though these are accepted sentences in conversation and on Facebook, and the subject is understood, they are not technically correct/complete sentences.
I'm going to the store after school. We're headed to Barley's after work tonight.
The group worked on a revision worksheet in class, and we went over it on the board at the end. It was good to see the importance of taking the time to proofread and revise carefully before turning writing in to be graded. Even little things, like typos and misspellings, can totally change the meaning of what we are trying to communicate to our readers.
At the end of class, I handed out a worksheet on identifying fragment and complete sentences. Chapter 14 in your book will be very helpful in completing this. We'll also work with this more later in the week, but do your best to finish this worksheet on your own. It will give you an idea of how much work you will need to put in on your own.
Think about the following statements:
A sentence is a group of words that communicates a complete thought.
The words in the sentence should be in an order that makes sense.
Begin every sentence with a capital letter, and end with the correct punctuation mark.
Beware of Facebook status sentences. We have talked about this many times this semester.
Examples: Going to the store after school. Headed to Barley's after work tonight.
These are both fragment sentences; they are missing the subject (answers the question: who or what is doing the action?). Though these are accepted sentences in conversation and on Facebook, and the subject is understood, they are not technically correct/complete sentences.
I'm going to the store after school. We're headed to Barley's after work tonight.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Back to Reality
Happy Spring!
I hope everyone had a relaxing break; I know I didn't.
At our last Friday class before break, I collected your typed narrative assignments and gave a quiz. If you were not in class, you missed out on 20 points.
Remember that we will meet in ATB 132 all week this week--NO WORKSHOP TIME.
I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow and hearing about how you spent your week off!
I hope everyone had a relaxing break; I know I didn't.
At our last Friday class before break, I collected your typed narrative assignments and gave a quiz. If you were not in class, you missed out on 20 points.
Remember that we will meet in ATB 132 all week this week--NO WORKSHOP TIME.
I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow and hearing about how you spent your week off!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Narrative Lesson
It's nearly break time!
Today we learned about narrative writing (chapter 22--p. 321, YOU SHOULD READ THIS CHAPTER!).
A narrative tells (and shows) about events and usually about people. They often involve conflict and suspense and answer the following questions:
Today we learned about narrative writing (chapter 22--p. 321, YOU SHOULD READ THIS CHAPTER!).
A narrative tells (and shows) about events and usually about people. They often involve conflict and suspense and answer the following questions:
WHO?
WHAT?
WHERE?
WHEN?
HOW?
WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?
A narrative is essentially telling a story. We tell stories for many reasons--to inform, entertain, persuade, vent.
Just like description is not just reciting a list of attributes about a person/place/thing, narrative is more than simply listing a series of events. There should be a point or some significance to your story. Maybe your behavior changed or your thinking or feeling about a certain subject. Did it help you become who you are today? How so?
We read a sample narrative in class and went over possible topic ideas. There was also time for free-write and planning at the end of class.
FOR FRIDAY WRITE A 200-300 WORD NARRATIVE.
Class ended talking about some non-negotiable aspects of this and all future assignments:
-Your name must be typed on your paper
-Your paper must be typed
-It must be printed by the time we start class on Friday
-12 pt font
-double-spaced
If you need help with using Microsoft Word or any other area of writing, you have to ask. I can't read your minds and I cannot do the work for you.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Commas Are Cool!
Before our next class, I'd like you to read through this page about commas (click on the link!). We'll work on this more after our week off. Study and enjoy because there may be a quiz!
Thank you, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for this great compilation from The Writing Center!
Thank you, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for this great compilation from The Writing Center!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Workshop Monday
It's the week before Spring Break! Are you tired and worn out? Hang in there! In only a few more days you'll be able to shrug off academic stress for a week and bask in some mental freedom.
Remember that we will not meet in ATB 132 today. We're working on the modules and tests at the Writing Center (LIB 308). I was impressed with the progress some of you made last week in moving ahead on the lessons--keep up the great work!
Your homework from Friday was to read through this blog and catch yourself up on some things you may have missed, and also to review things we covered in class. Let me know if you have any questions.
Remember that we will not meet in ATB 132 today. We're working on the modules and tests at the Writing Center (LIB 308). I was impressed with the progress some of you made last week in moving ahead on the lessons--keep up the great work!
Your homework from Friday was to read through this blog and catch yourself up on some things you may have missed, and also to review things we covered in class. Let me know if you have any questions.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Extra Credit Opportunities
It's a dark and rainy day, so I'm in the mood to offer you some extra credit.
The first one is: The Career Development Center is offering a free 2-session strengths workshop with free assessment ($12.50 value) to interested JCCC Students. For more information, call (913) 469-3870 or send an email to kfrankenfield@jccc.edu. Do you know your strengths? They are your greatest opportunities for success in college, career and your personal life.
If you complete this by Friday, March 11th, and show me the results, or show me that you have an appointment scheduled and then set a different due date, you can earn 50 points! This is HUGE!
The second one is: I want to know that you have actually read or are reading this blog. In the past I have made announcements about extra credit in class. This time, I won't. For those that see this post and want to earn 20 extra credit points, turn in a sheet of paper answering the two following questions to me on Wednesday, March 9th.
1: According to the post from 2/23, what is Stacey going to do on payday?
2: According to the post from 2/14, what are the four parts of speech categories?
The first one is: The Career Development Center is offering a free 2-session strengths workshop with free assessment ($12.50 value) to interested JCCC Students. For more information, call (913) 469-3870 or send an email to kfrankenfield@jccc.edu. Do you know your strengths? They are your greatest opportunities for success in college, career and your personal life.
If you complete this by Friday, March 11th, and show me the results, or show me that you have an appointment scheduled and then set a different due date, you can earn 50 points! This is HUGE!
The second one is: I want to know that you have actually read or are reading this blog. In the past I have made announcements about extra credit in class. This time, I won't. For those that see this post and want to earn 20 extra credit points, turn in a sheet of paper answering the two following questions to me on Wednesday, March 9th.
1: According to the post from 2/23, what is Stacey going to do on payday?
2: According to the post from 2/14, what are the four parts of speech categories?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Sleep Much?
Today was a sick and sleepy class, but you stuck with it! Go home and rest while you enjoy the KU game tonight. We only have one more week to get through before Spring Break--hang in there!
We talked about Schoolhouse Rock and I felt old. We enjoyed the verb video at the beginning of class and are officially closing the chapter on verbs.
I handed out a schedule for the rest of the semester. Unfortunately, I'm composing this post at school and don't have digital copy of the handout to paste in here. If you were absent, please see me for a copy when you return to class.
We discussed the freewrites from last week about our favorite place and related them to Chapter 21 in the text book on the topic of description. Your assignment for Friday is to go through your freewrite and decide which details are really relevant to your favorite place and the impression you want to communicate, and then type this up.
I am not interested in reading a list of details that describe your favorite place, but details that would support your feelings about that place.
For example, Jennifer and Dustyn's favorite place was the lake. Rather than say: There are trees and people fishing and sometimes the sun is shining and other times it rains, etc. Focus on a specific location at the lake. Dustyn could say: Sitting on the dock with a beer is the most relaxing place for me. To be even more specific, he could tell what kind of beer. Bottle or can? Are you sitting on a towel or a chair? Is it sunny? Are you alone? Is it quiet or do you hear birds or boats? Think of your physical senses. At the end of reading your piece, I want the details to help me understand why this is your favorite place. This is called creating a dominant impression.
While you should consider all of the senses, in such a short piece you will probably only focus on one or two. This isn't an exhaustive essay, but something that could be developed into a paragraph and maybe later an essay in your next level writing class.
Try to have fun with this. It's your favorite place! Enjoy sharing it with us!
If you start working on this and need any help, don't hesitate to ask.
See you on Friday in ATB 132!
We talked about Schoolhouse Rock and I felt old. We enjoyed the verb video at the beginning of class and are officially closing the chapter on verbs.
I handed out a schedule for the rest of the semester. Unfortunately, I'm composing this post at school and don't have digital copy of the handout to paste in here. If you were absent, please see me for a copy when you return to class.
We discussed the freewrites from last week about our favorite place and related them to Chapter 21 in the text book on the topic of description. Your assignment for Friday is to go through your freewrite and decide which details are really relevant to your favorite place and the impression you want to communicate, and then type this up.
I am not interested in reading a list of details that describe your favorite place, but details that would support your feelings about that place.
For example, Jennifer and Dustyn's favorite place was the lake. Rather than say: There are trees and people fishing and sometimes the sun is shining and other times it rains, etc. Focus on a specific location at the lake. Dustyn could say: Sitting on the dock with a beer is the most relaxing place for me. To be even more specific, he could tell what kind of beer. Bottle or can? Are you sitting on a towel or a chair? Is it sunny? Are you alone? Is it quiet or do you hear birds or boats? Think of your physical senses. At the end of reading your piece, I want the details to help me understand why this is your favorite place. This is called creating a dominant impression.
While you should consider all of the senses, in such a short piece you will probably only focus on one or two. This isn't an exhaustive essay, but something that could be developed into a paragraph and maybe later an essay in your next level writing class.
Try to have fun with this. It's your favorite place! Enjoy sharing it with us!
If you start working on this and need any help, don't hesitate to ask.
See you on Friday in ATB 132!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Nouns & Pronouns
Lesson on nouns and pronouns--chapter 3.
Nouns, along with verbs, form the core of our sentences. They tell us who or what is doing the action.
Nouns name a person, place, thing, or idea.
Pronouns are words that stand in the place of nouns.
Commonly used pronouns include:
I you he she it they all everyone many someone
who this that my your his hers its their
Proper nouns are the names of specific person, places, and things. All other nouns are common nouns.
Proper Nouns might include:
Lake Superior
Johnson County Community College
Stacey Lillich
Lincoln Memorial
Shawnee Mission Medical Center
Common Nouns
a lake
community college
my teacher
monument
hospital
(**note that you only capitalize when you are referring to a specific person, place, or thing***)
In looking at your freewrite, what are some nouns that you found? Verbs?
Insert a noun into each of the following sentences.
After I graduate from high school, I plan to attend _________________.
The shoplifter stole a __________________from the sports store.
I'm having my surgery done at ________________________.
_______________ threw the football to me.
Give the _____________________ to Jennifer.
What is the correct pronouns in the following sentences?
When Richard and (I/me) went to apply for jobs, we looked for (them/they) in the newspaper advertisements.
Cecilia said that she wanted to be a word processor, but (I/me) was more interested in jobs that might take (I/me) overseas.
(She/her) applied for a computer job when (I/me) found (it/them) in an advertisement.
Both Cecelia and (I/me) had excellent training in our business classes.
(Note, one way to test this is to cross out the other name and see how it sounds. Can "me" have excellent training in our business classes? Try it in "She had a great time with Cecilia and I/me.") Also check out this link for a good explanation.
Nouns are often subjects in sentences. After you have located the verb in a sentence, next look for the subject. The subject either does the action or is linked by a verb to a describing word.
1. Subject with action verb: Mariano Rivera pitches for the Yankees. (Who pitches?)
2. Subject with helping and linking verbs: Rivera may be the best closing pitcher in baseball. (Who may be the best pitcher?)
In most cases we can find the subject in a sentence by asking who or what is doing the action.
Subjects can be nouns or pronouns. Other possible subjects could be gerunds (verbs with an -ing on the end that act as a noun) and infinitives (verb forms that begin with to and can be nouns).
Examples:
Gerund subject: Laughing is good for the spirit. (What is good for the spirit?)
Infinitive subject: To succeed requires hard work. (What requires hard work?)
Writing Center Workshop
Remember that Monday was our time for working on the lessons at the Writing Center. I'll be expecting verification of your completion of the master tests in each area starting NEXT WEEK. That means you should be working on them LAST WEEK so that you can complete them all this semester.
See you on Wednesday!
See you on Wednesday!
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