Last week we began our study of Greek mythology in preparation for an upcoming writing assignment.  In lieu of the flu we were closed for a couple of days, which means we will be looking at reading some myths and beginning to learn about legends through this week and the beginning of next. 

By the end of next week students should be able to meet the learning targets below:

• I can explain the similarities and differences between myths and legends.
• I can make connections between myths and legends and my life.

• I can identify the:
  • structure of a myth.
  • elements of a myth.
  • style of a myth.
  • purpose of a myth.

• I can identify the:
  • structure of a legend.
  • elements of a legend.
  • style of a legend.
  • purpose of a legend.

We completed this guided note-taking exercise last week Thursday and Friday.  Today we began taking a deeper look at the Greek gods and goddesses to better understand them as characters in myths we will read.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves

The Girl’s Like Spaghetti

Just a reminder though that this occurs in all forms of writing – not just poetry!

Below are copies of the some of the resources students used today in class:

Signal Words

Cause                              Effect

Because                        As a result
The reason for          Outcome
On account of           Finally
Bring about               Consequently
Give rise to                Therefore
Created by                 For this reason
Contributed by        Hence
Led to                          Effect
Due to                          Then
Since                            So

Checklist

____ Do I include an introduction that clearly states the cause and effect relationships?

____ Do I use important details and examples to explain at least one effect?

____ Do I use language effectively to help the reader understand the cause and effect relationships?

____ Do I use a logical order to move from one idea to the next?

____ Do I include a conclusion that helps the reader understand the cause and effect relationships?

____ Do I spell, punctuate, and capitalize my writing to help readers understand?

Rubric

• Content and Ideas
• Organization
• Style
• Conventions

Sample Cause and Effect Essays

The Effects of Being an Athlete

The Causes of Anorexia

Writing Invitations (Prompts)

• What are the effects of television on study habits?

• What are the physical effects of anger?

• What are the typical causes of poor behavior in the classroom?

• What are the possible causes for a student being featured in a local newspaper?

The article is posted here as a reference which we hope students to find useful!

Effect Vs. Affect

Author: David Bowman

These two words, with such different meanings, are frequently interchanged in writing. The problem is that they sound so similar, which causes many writers to use the wrong one. A little basic knowledge of English grammar will help you know which one to use–and why.

1. Common uses

“Effect” is most commonly used as a noun and refers to something that happens because of some action or event. A good synonym is “result.” For example, pretend that you are watching a fireworks display, and one rocket makes a really big boom. The person next to you, deafened by the blast, turns to you and shouts, “That was a really great effect.” That person is referring to the blast that occurred when the rocket exploded, i.e., the result of the explosion.

“Affect” is most commonly used as a verb and refers to the action of influencing something else. In fact, “influence” (the verb) is a good synonym. For example, when the person just mentioned has finished shouting about the effect, you might respond, “Yeah, it must have affected your hearing.”

Here are a few more samples:

1. What will be the effect of winking at her? Will winking affect her opinion of me?

2. When she smiles at me, my whole day is affected. It’s a strange effect.

2. Less common uses

““Effect” is sometimes used as a verb, though we don’t like this use. It is too “new-speaky” for us, like using “dialogue” as a verb, which it isn’t. When “effect” is being used as a verb, it refers to the action of causing something to occur. An example of this is: “My wink effected a change in her attitude about me.”

“Affect” can be correctly used as a noun. As a noun, this refers to emotions or an emotional response. You will find many examples of this in psychology documents. An example is: “Her affect was strange when I winked at her.”

3. Quick Summary

Effect: Noun, means result

Affect: Verb, means influence; Noun, means emotional response

Since so many writers mistake these two words, editors at Precise Edit usually do a search for them when editing. We examine each occurrence and make sure the correct word is being used. Correct word choice, after all, is a sign of being a professional writer.

About the Author:

David Bowman is the Owner and Chief Editor of Precise Edit (http://PreciseEdit.com), a comprehensive editing, proofreading, and document analysis service for authors, students, and businesses. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Effect Vs. Affect

I consider myself pretty comfortable with technology.  I am young enough to have grown up with computers in school and in the home, however I still feel I have a lot to learn and my skills could definitely use some tweaking.  It is my personal goal this year to learn as much as I can about technology through the multitude of resources I have available to me.  In addition, I hope to incorporate these skills into my teaching as much as possible.  Students–I’m expecting you to hold me accountable for this   

Thank you Mrs. Cornwell, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hour for inviting my 4th and 6th hour to join you on your blog.  This is a wonderful opportunity for our classes to connect, and I look forward to updating frequently.

With sports practices in full swing, and the long weekend on the horizon, many families were unable to attend our back-to-school night.  Rest assured that the paperwork will be sent home with your student next Tuesday.  For students in my class, here’s the presentation I gave last night.  While you’ll be missing my witty remarks that make a few jokes (such as my affinity for baking necessitating my need to enjoy running!), I think the gist of the message stands alone.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!  This was meant to be an overview – a very general overview – of what each course looks like, and a full syllabus is available as well. 

To view the presentation, keep clicking the “play” button and you’ll scroll through each part. 

*Email subscribers, please click to our blog to see the presentation!

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!  See you Tuesday!

Purpose

• Students will understand the parts of a story.
  • Exposition
  • Rising Action
  • Climax
  • Falling Action
  • Resolution
• Character Roles
  • Antagonist
  • Protagonist
• Setting
• Conflict
  • Types
    • Internal
    • External
  • Kinds
    • Man v. Nature
    • Man v. Man
    • Man v. Himself
    • Man v. Society
    • Man v. Circumstances

Assessment

• Students will take various vocabulary and character tests.
• Students will revisit sections of the text during writing instruction so that they may learn directly from Karen Hesse.

Your students are writing original children’s stories that will be published and illustrated.  The understanding for the assignment is that the writing should be around 1 1/2 – 2 pages single spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font.  This equates to about 1,000 words.  Most students have reached that length in their handwritten drafts (around 4-5 lined pages).  When they prepare their books for publication, the have the option of changing the style and size of their font and adding digital pictures, clip art (though I’ve discouraged this), hand-drawn or computer generated images.  Their text will be spread out over 7-8 pages in the book and they will complete their cover art, Title and Dedication pages and well as an About the Author section.

This week, students are going to be getting a little messier with their drafts.  We are learning strategies such as Babysteps, snapshots and thought shots, and how to punctuate dialogue.  Students will have computer lab time in class to type their papers next week.  As always, if your son/daugther feels that they would benefit from additional time, they are free to take advantage of our open lab Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after school if a home computer is unavailable.

The entire project is due no later than Friday, December 21st.  I anticipate the final week before break being spent on the illustrations and hope to have things wrapped up on Thursday (12/20) since that last day before break is filled with other fun activities.

Finally, the books are being published through StudenTales and paperwork will be sent home shortly with details on how to order an additional copy of your child’s book.  Be sure to ask for it!

OK, I really did know that the quarter was coming to a close (just ask the students how many times I’ve reminded them about that very fact).  It just seems like time is flying by.  This week we have started our first novel – Chernowitz by Fran Arrick.  So far we’ve read a quarter of the book (the first 10 chapters), with the plan being to read at least another quarter (if not more) next week. 

Students will be having their first vocabulary quiz on Wedesday, October 31st (Happy Halloween) and will receive a study guide on Monday.  We’ve been working in the computer lab this week for a few days trying to explore the wonderful world of wikis (pronounced “wickies”).  I’ll admit that it went……well, it was pretty rough.  First, we had to contend with a finicky computer lab, then a s-l-o-w wiki site and by today I think kids were just plain tired of the tech trouble. *sigh* 

Next week we’re going back to some good ol’ paper and pencil, throwing in the occasional marker or colored pencil too.  Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t scrapped the whole high-tech possibility for collaborative learning, we just won’t be focused on wikis for a while.

How about you?  What have you tried recently that turned out differently that you’d expected?  Was there something valuable that you learned even though the outcome didn’t meet your expectations?