Class Minutes, Tues. Jan. 19th

Three things were due today: 1. journal check on "progress" 2. query log and letter 3. lead search. After these items were checked and collected, Mrs. Wall distributed handouts:
1. Titles and Closings-read
2. Ways to Respin-read
3. Angles charts-fill out
4. Sample slants on mint-answer accompanying questions
While students worked on their angles, Mrs. Wall finished the portfolio interviews.

Class Minutes, Fri. Jan. 15th

Mrs. Wall distributed three handouts on leads, including the "Zimmerman." Then, while she was continuing the portfolio interview, the class did a magazine lead search, looking for examples of the various types of leads including: narrative, shock, quote, direct addresss, statistic, etc. Journals and query log/letter are due on Tues. Jan. 19th. It was also a coffee and cookie day!

Class Minutes, Wed. Jan. 13th

Mrs. Wall continued conducting portfolio interviews, while the class used the period to do query log and query letter research on the library's computers.

Class Minutes, Monday Jan. 11th

I keep forgetting to assign students the minutes. Sorry. Today we had a bit of housekeeping to do. I started the second round of portfolio interviews, checked the "broken promises" journal, assigned the "work in progress" journal, collected the "This I Believe" essays. Finally, I handed out some notes called, Writing for Magazines. Then, we discussed query letters: their purpose and form. Students started writing a query while I conducted the 1:1 interviews.

Class notes

I'm sorry everyone- I was supposed to do this a really long time ago. But, here are the class notes from, I believe, Tuesday Dec 1st.

-talked about Dogwood Scholarship (scholarships for grade twelves, in all areas of the arts)
-Recieved December YouThink Issue (w/Taylor Swift on the front)
-Mrs Wall checked our celebratory times journal & collected hair essays
-Played the agree/disagree and why, stand-in-corner game
-read a booklet: "Cool quotes for Teens" and looked at an essay called "School Spirit" to inspire our future "This I Believe" essays

no homework- had to finish list of 5 things you've learned in life thusfar (ticket out of class)

Class Minutes, Tues. Jan 5th

The "This I Believe Personal Essay" typed and double-spaced, as well as the first personal reflections journal prompt (subject of broken promises) are due on Mon. Dec. 11th. In class we started the creative non-fiction unit. We read on overhead called, "Advice for Publication" and a handout on the submissions guidelines for Chataleine magazine. Then, we read a list of magazine "hot topics." Each student selected a magazine and did a masthead examination for a magazine research handout, which is due next class. Please bring a newspaper to class on Thursday for our clip file activity.