Revising your author bio

Now that you've had time to really consider yourself as a serious writer, it's time to go back and revise those author bios we wrote at the beginning of NaNoWriMo.

Here's what I'll be grading you on:

• Written in 3rd person (5 points)
• Follows the typical progression of an author bio: where you live, family info, other books written -- or the fact that it's your first book, possibly even hobbies if you so choose (10 points)
• Adheres to the conventions of a published piece of writing -- consider capitalization, punctuation, spelling, etc. I will be taking off points if these things are not in place (20 points) 
• There's a sense that you studied up on the genre of writing author bios and you show a respect for the genre (5 points)  
• Made some noticeable revisions to original author bio (5 points)
• Shared your document with at least 2 classmates who commented on your work (5 points)
• BONUS: Inject some of your own writing voice into the author bio somehow, i.e., find a way to make it more than just plugging in a formula. Try to find a way to make it your own while also adhering to the conventions of the genre. (up to 5 points) 

Writing a summary

Summary: A brief statement of the main points of something (e.g. book, article, movie, play, etc.)

 
The following steps were taken from and slightly modified for our purposes from this website.

Recommendations for writing a summary:

1. Note the major points of the work you a summarizing, either in an outline or bulleted list.

2.Write a first draft of the summary without looking at the article. Then go back to the article and include any major points you missed.

3. A summary paraphrases someone else's work.  If you do copy a phrase from the original, be sure it is a very important phrase that is necessary and cannot be paraphrased. In this case put "quotation marks" around the phrase.

4. Summaries are meant to be brief but also thorough. If you leave out main points, then it is not a thorough summary.

The features of a summary:
1.Start your summary with a clear identification of the type of work, title, author, and main point in the present tense.

Example: In the feature article "Four Kinds of Reading," the author, Donald Hall, explains his opinion about different types of reading.

2.Check with your outline and your original text to make sure you have covered the important points.

3.Never put any of your own ideas, opinions, or interpretations into a summary.

4. Write using "summarizing language." Periodically remind your reader that this is a summary by using phrases such as the article claims, the author suggests, etc.

Epigraph assignment

Epigraph:  a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme.

Assignment:

1) Find an epigraph in a book (preferably one that you've read and are familiar with)

2) In your writer's notebook, write down the title and author of the book

3) Copy down the epigraph

4) Write a short explanation as to why you think that quote fits the theme of the book

* Due when I collect your writers' notebooks this Friday.

Words

“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” - Tom Stoppard

"Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary. How potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

The old adage "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" is a lie. Words have power. They often leave scars more painful than physical ones. So your task is to write to this prompt:

Words are powerful.

Think back to our article of the week, the poem we discussed, the passage from X: A Novel that we talked about, as well as the We Need Diverse Books video we watched in class.  

The genre you choose to write to this prompt is up to you. You can write an essay, story, poem, article, etc.  Whatever you write though, needs to speak to the prompt in some way.

Assignment is due Monday, December  8th.

This I Believe essay resources and requirements

We started by exploring two different poems about  belief  "What I Believe" by Jacqueline Woodson. This poem was a listing of all the things the author believes. Now it's time to narrow it down. 

Your first formal writing assignment for the 2014-2015 school year will be to write a "This I Believe" essay. Writing this essay will allow you to go beyond a personal narrative and shape your story into a personal belief or credo.

Requirements (taken from the "This I Believe" essay collection book and the website):

• Name your belief (focus on ONE belief, not many)
• Be positive - be FOR something, not against it
• Focus on the "I" in the title rather than sermonizing to a "we."
• Tell a story about you and be personal

Avoid (also taken from the "This I Believe" essay collection book):

• self-righteousness
• prescribing for others (telling people how THEY should live)
• cliches and restatement of someone else's or group's beliefs
• disguised attack

For those who feel especially inspired, it is possible to submit your essays to the "This I Believe" website for the possibility of being published.

"To make such an earnest, exposed statement is itself an act of bravery." - Jay Allison

Explore the "This I Believe" website
Writing Guidelines
This I Believe podcasts and texts of essays



Read and grade Mrs. Shaum's "This I Believe" essay:
Happiness is a Grand Piano

Final reflective essay

Your reflective essay should include the following:

1. How you have grown as a writer this year

2.  Where you feel you could improve

3.  How the 6+1 traits of writing helped you to become a better writer

o  Are the 2 traits you chose at the beginning of the year still the most challenging for you?

4.  The one piece of writing that helped you to see your progression as a writer (your “Aha!” moment if you will)

5.Tell me your favorite and least favorite writing pieces and why.

6.How did your writer’s notebook help shape your writing this year?

7.BONUS: What mentor text helped you the most? 

Also:

•Must be typed, double spaced and use an easy-to-read font

•Need to have a rough and final draft

DUE: Friday May 24th 

Need help better understanding in-text citations?

Here's a great video better explaining the need for in-text citations and how to format them:

Author Carrie Harris visits St. Paul 6th Graders

On October 25th, Carrie Harris, author of the epically funny zombie novel Bad Taste in Boys, visited St. Paul to do a writing workshop with the 6th graders. She did a great job getting them thinking about character and plot and even had them write their very own Monster Prom scene.

And since Carrie loves monsters so much (particularly zombies), the 6th graders made sure she was greeted in monsterly fashion:

Fun was had by all:

Writing Assignment: Social Studies Essay

Your 5-paragraph essay will involve choosing a famous person from Latin America and explaining why they are important to study in history class. Remember that you are not just reporting your research. You need to take what you learned about your person from your research and form a well-thought out argument for why this person should be studied.  You also need to remember to cite your sources within your paper and write a works cited at the end.

Here is a list of people to choose from, but you are not limited to these people if you can think of someone else you'd rather write about. You must, however, confirm that person with me.

Due date: ??? TBA

• Simon Bolivar
• Cesar Chavez
• Bartolome de las Casas
• Pancho Villa
• Diego Rivera
• Fidel Castro
• Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Pablo Escobar
• Rigoberta Menchu
• Che Guevara
• Eva Peron
• Miguel Hidalgo
• Jose Marti
• Julia Alvarez
• Selena
• Juanes
• Frida Kahlo
• Oscar de la Hoya
• Gloria Estefan
• Carlos Santana
• Eugenio Maria de Hostos
• Desi Arnaz
• Celia Cruz
• Antonio Novello
• Roberto Clemente
• Atahuallpa
• Quetzalcoatl
• Sammy Sosa 

Remember: it is OK to use Wikipedia as long as you corroborate the information by confirming it with other reliable sources. Think of Wikipedia as your jumping off point for research, not your be-all, end-all.