Classwork and Homework

Today in class we talked about conclusions, how to write them, strategies to use, and things to avoid. We then practiced by writing a conclusion with a sample thesis statement and topic sentences. Lastly, we reviewed the timed writing strategy ABCDE and worked on an integrated writing prompt for practice for our integrated writing test this Friday! The PowerPoint used for today is in the link below.

5 November 2014

Homework:

• Study for Academic A Vocabulary List 7 Quiz
• The format is choosing the correct word for either a definition or a synonym (multiple choice), and then being able to write a sentence with the word that you chose from the first part of the question. 
• Go to a tutor to help you fix grammar and other editing errors 
• Check the rubric for anything that you might have missed and will need to add in drafting your essay.

Classwork and Homework

Today in class, we first reviewed what to do when you have plagiarism on your paper as well as how to create more academic vocabulary words in your essay.  We also went over different types of hooks for introductions, reviewed in-text citations (for parenthetical citations and signal phrases), and voted on our class finalist for the "Excellence Is" quote contest. Congratulations to Kevin Berrio from the 12:15 class, and Mafer Herrera in the 1:30 class! Lastly, we played a review game with the whiteboards for APA and Academic Vocabulary List 7. The PowerPoint for today has a link below.

4 November 2014

Homework:

• Journal #5 – Prompt about Conclusions (Due tomorrow)
• Link to the prompt: http://goo.gl/forms/yLlb4TcHt9 
• Remember that brainstorming and planning can be part of the 20 minutes 
• Go to a tutor! .
• Revise your paper for the final draft

Today in class

Hello class, today we will be doing some things that will help you get ready for your Classification Essay Final Draft! I can hardly believe it, it feels like this essay has been much quicker than the last one.

First, you will do a peer review on your classmates. Go to turnitin.com and go to Draft 2. Follow Miss Lutz for the next directions.

Second, we need to vote on our classmates' "Excellence Is" quotes. Click on the link below for the ballot.

Excellence Is Quote Ballot

Next, do the following activities that will help you evaluate the plagiarism and Academic word count in your papers.

1. Go to turnitin.com and check the plagiarism amount on your Draft 2. Write down the amount in the Lab Day Activity Form.
2. Write about what you will need to do to change it so it will be plagiarism-free. Remember that you cannot have any plagiarism (0%) on your final draft.
3. Go to http://www.lextutor.ca/vp/eng/ and copy the text of your Draft 2 to find out 
• You need at least 7% academic vocabulary.
• The yellow font is the Academic Word List
4. If you need to change the academic vocabulary, remember to change adjectives (easiest), then change verbs, and then if you have to change nouns (hardest). You can go to thesaurus.com to find synonyms, and then check for academic words in your Academic A Vocabulary Packet or on http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm. 
5. When you finish checking your plagiarism and academic word count, please fill out the form below.

Lab Day Activity Form

Homework:

• Finish Peer Review Form (if you need to)
• Finish/Fill out the Lab Day Activity Form (if you need to)
• "Excellence Is" Quote Voting (only 1:30 class needs to finish this!)

Requirements for the Final Draft
Remember to include the following things when you turn in your essay:

• Full essay turned in to turnitin.com by 5pm on November 7th 
• Title Page (1 page) 
• Main essay (at least 2 pages) 
• References page (1 page) 
• % AWL (highlighted) after the essay paragraphs (http://www.lextutor.ca/vp/eng/) 
• Correctly APA formatted 
• Free of plagiarism (0%, this is NOT negotiable)
• Green Classification Packet (especially rubric and tutor forms)

Classwork and Homework

Today in class, we took our Academic A Vocabulary List 6 Quiz, and talked about two parts of  in-text citations, parenthetical citations and signal phrases, learning how to identify them and how to write them. Next, we talked about proper formatting in a paper and what is needed. Lastly we did a group Halloween story activity, and made funny stories. The PowerPoint from today is found below.

30 October 2014

Homework:

• Finish Draft 2 and submit it to turnitin.com by 5 pm on Friday 

Draft 2 Specifications

• Must be at least 1 ½ pages long 
• Introduction with thesis statement 
• 3 organized and developed body paragraphs 
• Conclusion 
• APA 
• Properly formatted (title page, font, reference page, etc.) 
• In-text and Reference page citations, (mostly) properly formatted. 

Classwork and Homework

Today, we started by meeting in class and discussing things, and then we went down to the lab for time to work on our essays by adding body paragraphs, adding a conclusion, working on our references, looking at feedback from the teacher, or working on our "Excellence Is" quotes. The combined PowerPoints from yesterday and today can be found below.

28 & 29 October 2014

Homework:

• Bring final “Excellence Is” quote to write on your card
• Work for 30 minutes on drafting/revising your essay
• Study for your Academic A Vocabulary List 6 Quiz tomorrow
• Be able to use 5 words in a paragraph
• Go to a tutor and get feedback on your essay

Classwork and Homework

Today we learned about the "Excellence Is" competition and we started brainstorming for our own "Excellence Is" quotes that we will turn in on Thursday in class. The examples are in the PowerPoint, if you need a reminder/refresher. For the majority of the class, we broke into groups so that we could prepare brief presentations on good paragraph writing that were presented and will continue to be presented tomorrow. The PowerPoint we used in class can be found below.

27 October 2014

Homework:

• Bring a draft of your “Excellence Is” quote to class (Due tomorrow)
• Write for 20 minutes using the Google Form Journal #4 Essay Prompt  (Due tomorrow)
• Journal #4 Link
• Go to a tutor and get feedback on your essay!!

Classwork and Homework

Today in class we took a quiz on the synonyms of Academic A Vocabulary List 5, and then talked about what kinds of feedback that you can expect at the ELC. The feedback that I give you on your drafts is formative. We also reviewed citing sources in APA, both in-text citations and reference page citations. Lastly, we looked at a strategy for writing TOEFL essays called ABCDE, and then worked in groups to use the strategy. Here is the PowerPoint that we used today.

23 October 2014

Homework:

• Finish your Draft 1 (due by 5pm tomorrow on turnitin.com)

Draft 1 Requirements

• Be at least 1 page long 
• Introduction 
• At least 1 developed body paragraph 
• All topic sentences (in short, less developed paragraphs) 
• APA 
• Reference page 
• At least 1 paragraph with in-text citations

If you need some help with the APA, here is a handout that I gave weeks ago to help with in-text citations and reference citations.    APA Basics