SENIORS: Your children's book is due today!!! YAY!!!  I can't wait to read them!  HAVE A GREAT SPRING BREAK!!

SOPHOMORES: Today's agenda was: working Grammar #11, updating Goodreads, and finishing the deconstruction of the Butterfly essay (group work) and the Childcare essay (independent work).  If you didn't get that done, it is your HW over the break.  Here is what you need to circle and label:
The argument (what is being argued), the claim (what side has the writer taken), the purpose (inform/assert, win/prevail, explore/inquire, negotiate differences/find a solution), the type of argument (fact, values, policy), what appeals are being used (logos, pathos, and ethos), what kind of evidence is being used (statistics, facts, testimonials, anecdotes, examples, descriptions, quotes from an authority), and lastly, identify any fallacies.  HAVE A GREAT SPRING BREAK!

SENIORS: Your children's book is due tomorrow!  Yay!

SOPHOMORES: Today's agenda was: Grammar 9 and finishing the group work in which an argument essay was deconstructed.  Make sure you spend some time with your independent reading book, as we will be updating our accounts on Goodreads. 

SENIORS: You have 2 more days to finish your children's book; no excuses!

SOPHOMORES: Besides Grammar Exercise #8, we got into groups and deconstructed an argument essay.  Don't worry if you were absent; you can catch up tomorrow.

SENIORS: Only 3 more days to complete your children's book; don't delay!

SOPHOMORES: Besides Grammar Exercise #7, we watched some videos and analyzed them for the 4 purposes of argument, the 3 basic categories of argument, the 3 basic appeals of argument, and looked for the 7 common fallacies in argument.  Turn in the Topic Sentence HW and the technology essay if you have not already done so.

SENIORS: It is now crunch time!  Your children's book is due this Friday!  That means everything is done; we could publish it if we wanted to.

SOPHOMORES: We did a lot today; besides a grammar exercise, we learned that an essay can have several different formats (not just pro, con, pro, pro), and we also learned to write thesis statements that could work for both sides of an argument.  It's easy to argue what you believe, but it is also important to understand what the alternatives are.  There was a handout about this; if you didn't finish it in class, it is HW due tomorrow, and if you were absent, you'll need to get the handout from Austin upon your return to class. 

SENIORS: You have one week left to complete your children's book; that includes cover, illustrations, and text.

SOPHOMORES: Argument essays were due today, along with an update on your independent reading book through Goodreads.  We also did another grammar exercise, took notes on a powerpoint presentation concerning some nuances of argument, and I collected your notebooks, checking for the following: response to prompt on whether or not the United States should get involved in the policies of other countries; 5 grammar exercises; argument/persuasion definitions, notes from Kony 2012, credible source for technology essay, and outline for that essay.

SENIORS: Your children's book should be at an intermediate stage now; your story has a beginning, middle, and end; also, you have your illustrations done and matched up with your text.  Now, polish your writing: mechanics are correct and the fonts look good.  Everything you're using is "right," and it's just a matter of putting it all together.

SOPHOMORES: Tomorrow we will do independent reading book updates on Goodreads, so make sure you bring your book and have something to say.  Also, work on your final draft of the argument essay; you will have some time to work on it tomorrow, but not a lot, so have it finished or mostly finished.  I will collect the essays at the end of the period.