Lesson for 6/31!!!

Exploring Google Presentation!!

Entrance Ticket (Organization practice) 10 mins

Intro to google Docs 10 mins 650

Intro to Google Presentation 10 mins 7

Pick a topic (10 mins: 7:10)

Create power point (20 mins 7:30)

Reflection (overtime)

Powerpoint: Focusing on one term→ Literature.

How can you present this one term in a fun and engaging way?

I want you to bring baseball into it, school into it, and reading into it.

Assignment:
Literature- written works, esp. those considered of superior or lasting artistic talent/value.

Example Presentation: Use as Guide

You will create a Google Doc’s Presentation, that will focus on the term Literature. I want you to think about how you can present this terms relation to (1) baseball; (2) school; and (3) reading. How can you show this in a fun and engaging way? After we explore the program Google Presentation, create your own presentation using at least two images from Google, or outside source using at least two sentences on each “slide.” Each Slide should contain a header such as “Literature and Baseball,” “Literature and School,” and “Literature and Reading.” Use google to do research on how you can explore the relation between these three selected topics and the term literature. Finally, take some time to present your slides to me. Come up with a total of five slides, one being the cover page (Introduction) then the following three should be your main topics and relation to the term literature, and you should finish it with a page that shows where you got your research and ideas from (Works Cited Page). Most Importantly, have fun with it and I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!!

New Exercises, June 14, 2014

New Vocabulary List!


Using Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences.


After completing the two other exercises, I want you to write a letter to the New York Yankees. Explain to the general manager why they should pick up your favorite player from another team that they do not currently have. Why would this player be a good asset to the Yankees in the upcoming season? What position do they play? Does this player seem to have a good personality? Why would you personally recommend this player? What could be a possible controversy that will come about for the Yankees as a result of picking this player, or how could it hurt them as a team?

Quill - Interactive Learning Site

Explore Quill.org to practice grammatical and punctual skills and to refine your critical thinking abilities while writing. I will analyze the process, and help you when you need assistance, and we will discuss the benefits or the "cons" of the site, deciding whether or not it is effective and worth exploring in future sessions.

Quill

The Yankees Years

Instruction: Read the first two pages of The Yankees Years, the autobiographical text about former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, written by himself and with the assistance of the nonfiction writer Tom Verducci. Read through these pages and write a one to two paragraph response taking what you read and thinking about bigger issues than the actual hiring of Torre. What does it mean to be a manager of a professional baseball team? Is there anything within this text that seems interesting or odd to you? IS there something that Torre says that strikes you as revealing something about him or the league that is important? Can you relate in any way to either this text or what Torre says? Think about all of this and put it into a two paragraph response that will address some of these issues.

It is always beneficial to find appropriate sites that will help you navigate through some lessons on English and basic grammar. No one is ever a "professional" when it comes to grammar. It is hard to perfect even your native language, and writing or expressing yourself in your language "perfectly." Instead, we need to work on refining our abilities by constantly working and reminding ourselves about the core roles about grammar and writing.

Use this site to practice some of the rules of grammar and writing, and we will discuss together how this helps, and the progress that you make!

http://www.chompchomp.com/hotpotatoes/commas01.htm

Video Reactions: Critical Thinking

Instructions: Watch these two videos by the inspirational professional baseball player Jackie Robinson who was the first African-American man in the MLB. What do you think these two videos are saying not only about Jackie Robinson as a person, but his experience in an all-white professional baseball league. What were the challenges that he had to overcome? What does this say about America then and now? Are things different or are they the same in society? What does it mean to be an African-American baseball player today?

Jackie Robison Video 1

J.R. Video 2

Analyzing Kate Chopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings"

http://learnzillion.com/lessonsets/434-close-reading-literature-a-pair-of-silk-stockings


This site provides strategies for middle-school readers to analyze a text. What I want to get from this site is the ability to convey how listening to a text and reading a text can help both understand that text and form original ideas for a critical essay based off of this text. Listening to the text in this format aids the reader in creating her or his own material in response to the text. Sometimes the aid of technology can be extremely beneficial in reading analysis. This site is beneficial for the middle school reader.

What to do with this link:

After reading and listening to the text, what notes would you take on the text? What did you think was important from the text and did you think there was any lesson to be learned from it? Did it seem like a text that should be taken as is (literally) or did it seem like a text with a deeper metaphorical meaning, meaning that the words really represent something else. Let's see what you think!

Vocabulary Practice 4/30

Vocabulary Practice:

Try to match the words with the definition. It is okay if you cannot get them right away, go back and look up the words that you do not know. Or deduct which ones they are after finding the rest of the answers.

1. Allegory              
2. Connotative
3. Dialogue
4. Drama
5. Explicit
6. Figurative
7. Flashback
8. Genre
9. Hero
10. Humor
11. Implicit
12. Irony
13. Literal
14. Perspective
15. Script
16. Setting
17. Theme
18. Monologue
19. Symbolism
20. Tone


a. The practice of investing things with symbolic meaning.
b. The overall meaning or implied meaning or an artwork, conversation, film, etc.
c. A way of thinking about situations or topics etc.
d. Limited to the exact or “real” meaning of a word or text.
e. Implied though not directly expressed.
f. Someone who fights for a cause. Someone who you enjoy reading about in a book, or watching in a movie.
g. A transition to an earlier event of scene that interrupts the normal plot of a story.
h. A kind of literary or artistic work.
i. Precisely or clearly expressed in a work.
j. Not to be taking literally (used of the meanings of words or text).
k. A dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage.
l. A conversation between two persons
m. Having the power of implying or suggesting something in addition to what something already means.
n. A short moral story (often with animal characters)
o. Confusion between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
p. The physical position of something.
q. (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound).
r. A (usually long) dramatic speech made by a single actor or character.
s. A message that has the power to evoke laughter.
t. Something written by hand (usually for films and television).

Working with Commas!

Working With Commas

4/30/14

Instructions: Go through this handout and circle any comma that you think is unnecessary. Leave the commas that you believe are correct as they are and do not circle, or put a line through them. Also add a comma to a sentence if needed.

1.)  To be successful nurses with M.S. degrees must continue to learn.

2.)  The new microwave disinfection system was delivered, but the installation will require an additional week.

3.)  The conditions at the test site in the Arctic, made accurate readings difficult.

4.)  The idea is good; however, our budget is not sufficient.

5.)  Joe, enclosed is the money for your baseball registration.

6.)  The director of the little league, and the supervisor of the parks and recreation were opposed to the new game schedules.

7.)  The chairperson formally ended the meeting, but, the members of the committee continued to argue.

8.)  I agree with you, yes.

9.)  Our new baseball team, which played together for the first time this year, walked out onto that championship field with our heads raised.

     10.) You will understand, Joe, that your grade is a reflection of the work you put into class.

Learning the C's

Clauses!

--> A Clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and that functions as a sentence or as part of a sentence. Every subject-predicate word group in a sentence is a clause, and every sentence must contain at least one independent clause; otherwise, it is a sentence fragment.

* A clause that could stand alone as a simple sentence is an INDEPENDENT CLAUSE.

ex. The scaffolding fell when the rope broke.

A clause that could not stand alone if the rest of the sentence were deleted is a dependent or (subordinate) clause.

Ex. I was at the St. Louis branch when the decision was made.

Dependent clasues are useful in making the relationship between thoughts clearer and more succinct than if the ideas were presented in a series of simple sentences.

Subordinate clauses are especially effective for expressing thoughts that describe or explain another statement. Too much subordination, however, can be confusing and produce wordiness.

A clause can be connected with the rest of its sentence by a coordinating conjunction, a subordinating conjunction, a relative pronoun, or a conjunctive adverb.

--> It was 500 miles to the facility, so we made arrangements to fly. (coordinating conjunction)

-->Mission control will have to be alert because at launch the space shuttle will contain a highly flammable fuel. (subordinating clause).

--> Robert M. Fano was the scientist who developed the earliest multiple-access computer system at MIT. (relative pronoun)

--> We arrived in the evening; nevertheless, we began the tour of the facility. (conjunctive adverb)

Commas:

Like all punctuation the comma (,) helps readers understand the writer's meaning and prevents ambiguity. Notice how the comma helps make the meaning clear in the second example.

Ambiguous- To be successfull nurses with M.S. degrees must continue to learn.

Clear: To be successful, nurses with M.S. degrees must continue to learn. (The comma makes clear where the main part of the sentence begins).

Do not follow the old rule that a comma should follow wherever there is a pause if you were speaking. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, and sometimes so, yet, and for) that links independent clauses.

--> The new microwave disinfection system was delivered, but the installation will require an additional week.

If two independent clauses are short and closely related-- and there is no danger of confusing the reader-- the comma may be taken out.

--> The cable snapped and the power failed.
--> The cable snapped, and the power failed.

* Commas are also used to enclose nonessential information in nonrestrictive clauses, phrases, and parenthetical elements.

*Our new factory, which began operations last month, should ask 25 percent to total output. (nonrestrictive clause)
* The technician, working quickly and efficiently, finished early. (nonrestrictive phrase)
*We can, of course, expect their lawyer to call us. (parenthetical element).

A direct address should be enclosed in commas:

--> You will not, Mark, that the surface of the brake shoe complies with the specification.

An appositive phrase (which re-identifies another expression in the sentence) is enclosed in commas.
--> Our company, Envirex Medical Systems, won several awards last year.

* Interruptin parenthetical and transitional words or phrases are usually set off with commas.

--> The report, therefore, needs to be revised.

Clauses and Phrases: Generally, place a comma after an introductory clause or phrase, especially if it is long, to identify where the introductory elemnt ends and the main part of the sentence begins.

--> Because we have not yet contained the new strain of influenza, we recommend vaccination for high-risk patients.

A long modifying phrase that precedes the main clause should always be followed by a comma.

--> During the first series of field-performance tests at our Colorado proving ground, the new engine failed to meet our expectations.


Words and Quotations: Certain types of introductory words are followed by comas. one example is a transitional word or phrase (however, in addition) that connects the preceding clause or sentence with the thought that follows.

--> Furthermore, steel can withstand a humidity of 99 percent, provided that there is no chloride or sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere.
--> For example, this change will make us more competitive in the global marketplace.

Works Cited:

Alred, Gerald J., Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu. Handbook of Technical Writing. New York: St. Martin's, 2006. 8. Print.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3h42RWnCB0

 

Understanding the A's!!!

"Handbook of Technical Writing" Understanding The A's!

For this blog, I will be using the "Handbook of Technical Writing" by Gerald J. Alred et al., to facilitate tutoring sessions in writing organization and fluency. I believe that it is important to utilize any technology that can be beneficial for progressive learning and experience in a nation that is beginning to submerge itself online. Referencing the eight edition of this text, I will proceed chapter-by-chapter, pulling out what I believe is most beneficial to learn about the writing process. This will also be a unique learning experience for me, an individual who aspires to become a teacher. Use this slowly and develop one step at a time, your understanding of each concept!

The first chapter deals with grammatical and organizational skills in writing, regarding terms that begin with the letter a.

Section I:

A/An: "A and an are indefinite articles because the noun designated by the article is not a specific person, place, or thing but is one of a group.

Example: She installed a program. (Not a specific program but an unnamed program).

* Use "a" before words or abbreviations beginning with a consonant or consonant sounds, including y or w.

Examples:
--> A manual has been written on that subject.
--> It was a historic event for the laboratory.
--> The year's activities are summarized in a one-page report. (One begins with the consonant sound "wuh").

Use "an" before words or abbreviations beginning with a vowel or a consonant with a vowel sound.

Examples:
--> The report is an overview of the year's activities.
--> He bought an SLR digital camera. (SLR begins with a vowel sound "es").

A lot is often used incorrectly as one word (alot). The phrase a lot is informal and normally should not be used in technical writing. Use many or numerous for estimates or give a specific number or amount.

Abstract Words refer to general ideas, qualities, conditions, acts, or relationships-- intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) such as learning, leadership, and technology. Concrete words identify things that can be perceived by the five senses, such as diploma, manager, and keyboard.

Accept Versus Except:

Accept is a verb meaning "consent to," "agree to take," "or admit willingly." (I accept the responsibility.)
Except is normally used as a preposition meaning "other than" or "excluding." (We agreed on everything except the schedule).

Adjectives:
An adjective is any word that modifies a noun or pronoun. DESCRIPTIVE adjectives identify a quality of a noun or pronoun. LIMITING adjectives impose boundaries on the noun or pronoun.

Ex:
--> Hot surface (descriptive)
--> three phone lines (limiting)

LIMITING ADJECTIVES include these categories:

--> Articles (a, an, the)
--> Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those)
--> Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their)
--> Numeral Adjectives (two, first)
--> Indefinite adjectives (all, none, some, any)

ARTICLES: Articles (a, an, the) are traditionally classified as adjectives because they modify nouns by either limiting them or making them more specific.

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES.

A demonstrative adjective points to the thing it modifies, specifying the object's position in space or time. This and these specify a closer position; that and those specify a more remote position.

Ex: This report is more current than that report, which Human Resources distributed last month.
These brownies are more fresh than those that my mother made last weekend.

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES.

Because possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) directly modify nouns, they function as adjectives, even though they are pronoun forms (my idea, her plans, their projects).

NUMERAL ADJECTIVES.

 Numeral adjectives identify quantity, degree, or place in a sequence. They always modify count nouns. Numeral adjectives are divided into two sub-groups. Cardinal and Ordinal. 

     a. A Cardinal adjective expresses an exact quantity (one pencil, two computers);
     b. An Ordinal adjective expresses a degree or sequence (first quarter, second edition).

--> In most writing an ordinal adjective should be spelled out if it is a single word (tenth) and written in figures if it is more than one word (312th).

INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES.

 Indefinite adjectives do not designate anything specific about the nouns they modify (some Cd-Roms, all designers). The articles a and an are included among the indefinite adjectives (a chair, an application).

PLACEMENT OF ADJECTIVES. 

When limiting and descriptive adjectives appear together, the limiting adjectives come before the descriptive adjectives, with the articles usually in the first position.

Ex:

--> The ten red cars were parked in a row. (article (THE), limiting adjective (ten), descriptive adjective (red).

Within a sentence, adjectives may appear before the nouns they modify (the attributive position) or after the nouns they modify. (The predicative position).

• The small jobs are given priority. (attributive position)
• The exposure is brief (predicative position)

USE OF ADJECTIVES:

Nouns often function as adjectives to make other nouns more precise.

• The accident report prompted a product redesign.

When adjectives modifying the same noun can be reversed and still make sense or when they can be separated by and or or, they should be separated by commas.

• The company seeks a bright, energetic, creative management team. (There is no comma after creative because you should never use a comma between a final adjective and the noun it modifies. When an adjective modifies a phrase, no comma is necessary. 

Works Cited:

Alred, Gerald J., Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu. Handbook of Technical Writing. New York: St. Martin's, 2006. 8. Print.

Schoolhouse Rock "Adjectives"