Week 1

Welcome to our writing class!  The first assignment is to find your name on the roster below and click on it.  After you open the page, choose "edit".  You will be able to type in an introduction.  We will add pictures later. Make sure to click on "save" at the bottom when you finish.  Please write 5-10 sentences. 

Week 2 Journal Topic

DUE by midnight Jan. 30

On your own page, write a paragraph answering the following question: Of all of the places that you could have chosen to study English, how did you choose SAL?

Remember to select "edit" to write on your page and "save" when you are done. Use the title "week 2 journal topic"

Howework for 2/4

• Grammar quiz on Friday
• Review: 7-4 through 7-8
• check wiki for a link to online article practice
• Writing book- p. 45-47 activity 12 and 13
• New journal posted (due Sunday night)

Link for practicing Articles- click here to go to a website to practice article usage.  There are several practice tests and answers. You can ask me on Friday if you have any questions about the answers.

Week 3 Journal Topic

Due by midnight Sunday, Feb. 6

This week a big event happens in US sports- the Superbowl!  It's the championship game of the National Football League.  There will be many big parties at people's houses and at local sports bars.  Companies pay a lot of money to advertise on TV during the game. Many Americans will watch the game or go to a party. What is the biggest sporting event in your country?  Do you watch it?  Why or why not?

Homework due 2/9

• Grammar book-  p. 87 ex. 8, p. 89 ex. 11
• New journal will be posted (due Sunday night)
• please comment on 2 other classmates' pages

Journal Topic week 4

due by midnight February 13

Next Monday is Valentine's Day.  You've probably noticed a lot of advertising of candy and flowers! In class on Monday, I'll tell you about what happened to me on Valentine's Day 19 years ago. Do people celebrate Valentine's Day in your country? If so, how? If not, does your country have a holiday similar to Valentine's Day?

Click here for the link describing the difference between block style and point-by-point comparison paragraphs

Homework Due Feb. 16

• New Journal topic will be posted

• Writing book p. 69 (you can use different topics than the choices listed)
• Activity 10 #1 (only)
• Activity 13 #1 (only)

Have a happy Valentine's Day! 

Journal Topic Week 5

Due by midnight February 20.

Comment on this quote.  Do you agree or disagree? Why?  "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." - Alan Kay

Homework for Feb. 18

• New journal is posted on the wiki
• Grammar handout
• p. 91 ex. 14 blue grammar book
• Study for Subject-Verb Agreement test
• do the quick quiz on the wiki about sentence types

Read : Try using a variety of basic sentence structures. We can categorize sentences into four main types, depending on the number and type of clauses they contain:

1. Simple (one independent clause):

   We drove from Connecticut to Tennessee in one day.

2. Compound (more than one independent clause):

   We were exhausted, but we arrived in time for my father's birthday party.

3. Complex (one independent clause and at least one dependent clause):

   Although he is now 79 years old, he still claims to be 65.

4. Compound-complex (more than one independent clause and at least one dependent clause):

   After it was all over, my dad claimed he knew we were planning something, but we think he was really surprised.

Do this practice and bring in the answers (you can print them out or write them down)

Homework for Feb. 25

• p.88-89 Activity 6 (Draw a picture of the restaurant based on the essay)
• Think of 2-4 topic ideas for your descriptive essay
• New journal is posted 
• Comment on 2-3 other students wiki page 
• add a picture to your wiki page if you know how to

Journal Topic Week 6- Due midnight Sunday, 3/27

This week we will begin writing a descriptive essay. With this cold, rainy weather, let's write about our perfect vacation.  My perfect vacation involves tropical weather, lots of tennis and a good book on the beach. What about you? Write 4-6 sentences describing your perfect vacation.

Descriptive Essay Topic Ideas

• A certain experience
• A special memory
• An interesting place
• One person (an ideal roommate or ideal spouse)
• A thing/object

THE FOUR STEP PLAN TO WRITING A GOOD THESIS STATEMENT

1. Assertive: Your thesis statement must state exactly what you intend to describe with the paper.
2. Singular: The thesis statement, in most cases, should contain only one idea, keeping the paper focused.
3. Specificity: The thesis statement should be as specific as possible. One sentence is enough for shorter papers.
4. Position: It should be in the introduction, in most cases at the very end.

Read more: http://www.experiment-resources.com/what-is-a-thesis-statement.html#ixzz1EzcszkB8

Homework for March 9

• Find descriptions of your personality according to Western and Eastern astrology.  Do the descriptions fit your sense of yourself? Write a 4 paragraph essay that answers that question. Double space. Remember that this essay is about you.  All the FRIEDS (facts, reasons, incidents, examples, details, specifics) should be about you.
  
• Introductory paragraph
• body paragraph #1- Eastern astrology
• body paragraph #2- Western astrology
• concluding paragraph

Homework for March 11

• Grammar quiz on present perfect, using present perfect or simple past, present perfect progressive (sections 3-1, 3-3, 3-4)
• practice quiz
• blue sheet "how's it going?"

Here is a link for a modal quiz.  Try it out!

Michelle

Eric

Tiffany

Melanie

Saki

Miwa

Ayaka

Lois

Gary

Giang

Norah

Thang

Sunha

Yuri

Cheng

Tom

Hanan