Online Sources for Help with Writing

I've spent much of my time recently reflecting on the past school year and my teaching practice, considering what worked well and what didn't, which strategies were useful and which weren't. I've been recollecting my students' performance this past year and the ways I've tried to affirm their strengths and bolster their weaknesses. As always, I'm looking for new ways and resources to help me be a more effective teacher and to help my students become better readers, thinkers, and writers.

One area that comprises a large part of English class is writing essays.  Though it's a pleasure to some and a bane to others, everyone knows that writing is important and necessary to convey one's thoughts. But many students struggle with writing for a variety of reasons, which I'll touch on in a bit, and don't see it as the serious and organized business it is. (Sorry kids, sometimes we need to be serious and organized!) Now, I don't mean to get all "gloom and doom" with the serious part, but for most people, writing well takes effort and attention. Many can't remember the rules about writing they learned years ago. Some didn't learn the rules. Some haven't had much practice writing. Quite a few think that the only writing necessary is texted or tweeted. But writing is a skill that can be improved if one cares to do it well. And I'll be the first to say that if you are going to do something, you might as well do it the best way you can.

Most students can't "wing" a well-crafted essay on the first try. It takes work--some knowledge of essay structure and format, grammar, style--and lots of revision. And the cool thing is that with practice, like any other skill, writing will improve!! All it takes is knowing what problems need fixing, getting the information or help necessary to fix the problems, and fixing them on the work at hand, and on every subsequent occasion. That last phrase is VERY IMPORTANT.  It means that it's not enough to fix mistakes on the essay one happens to be writing and revising right now, only to forget all about those errors once the paper is turned in so that those same errors appear on the next essay! One must learn the rule or procedure or correct usage--internalize it so that one KNOWS the way to do it--and try not to make the same mistakes over and over again. Just imagine if early in his basketball career, say middle or high school, when LeBron James began making a name for himself, his coach gave him a tip to correct or improve a specific move, which ultimately led to James scoring more points in the game. But in the game after than, James reverted to his old way again. He wasn't careful enough to remember that correction and apply it to the next game and the next. Would he score as well in those games? Probably not. Now, you might be thinking--hey, its LeBron James--he could be playing basketball blindfolded and still score a lot of points. But I'm telling you that even with innate talent, skill is developed through practice that corrects previous mistakes and that repeats the correct action every time after. EVEN SKILL IN WRITING ESSAYS!! 

So, when you write a draft of an essay, always remember that there are all sorts of resources out there to help you hone your craft. YOU SHOULD USE THEM. Even your first draft of an essay would benefit from you checking on a few things and correcting them. Of course, you always will have access to your textbook (online or borrowed) which, in several sections or handbooks, gives you information to help you write correctly. But there are lots of places on the Internet that you can access independently on your computer or phone. I've provided some links below which I think are good resources to use when writing.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL):  Purdue OWL
     This site has information on all areas of writing: grammar, sentencing, style, MLA 
     formatting, using citations, etc.

Guide to Grammar and Style:  Guide to Grammar and Style
     This guide arranges the definitions, explanations and examples of grammar terms and 
     rules alphabetically.

Grammarly: Grammarly
     This tool will review your written work for grammar errors and suggest corrections 
     for free. It's like Spell-Check on steroids! 

Grammarly Handbook: Grammarly Handbook
     A reference to all areas of writing.

Woodward English: Grammar Notes
     Gives basic, intermediate, and advanced grammar rules.

Easy Writer: Easy Writer - Companion to Reference Book
     This is the online reference companion to the Easy Writer book we will use 
     occasionally in class.

AP English Literature and Composition 2016 Summer Reading Assignments

Hello, AP Lit students for the 2016-2017 school year!!!

     Click below to access all the information and assignments you'll need for your summer reading. There are several pages, so be sure to get them all. If you have not yet picked up the books from me, you may obtain them over the summer in the Main Office of BHS. Otherwise, you will have to borrow them from the Worcester Public Library or purchase them yourself.
     Remember that all assignments are due the first full week of class, so complete them during the summer. If you have any questions or problems, see me before the end of the school year or contact me at henrionl@worc.k12.ma.us
     While I'm on the subject of your summer reading, I want to take a few minutes to explain my rationale for selecting the books you are required to read. To some of you, reading might be a chore and to others it might be a pleasure. I'm of the latter category. To me, books are, as former Harvard president Charles Eliot said, "the quietest and most constant of friends." I'm never without a book nearby, and I never feel bored as long as I have something to read. Have I loved every book I've read? Of course not! But I usually try to stick with it until the end, though there's nothing wrong with putting a book aside if it's completely not to one's taste. I'm partial to historical fiction and historical romance with a little biography and mystery thrown in. I've read some dystopian fiction, too, which is pretty interesting and popular, especially with young adults.
     When it comes to reading for academic purposes (though I and many people I know read them for pleasure), however, I can't say enough about the classics. By classics I mean those works which have withstood the test of time in terms of creativity, innovation, and/or relevance and honest portrayal of human emotion and interaction. In AP class, you'll hear me call them "works of literary merit" or "the literary canon."  Not every book or poem written before 1900 has become a "classic" though I know for certain that you've read some Sophocles, Shakespeare, Dickens, or Twain before. Those are just a few of the "classic" authors and playwrights. And some more modern books, like The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini,  The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison have gained "merit" in the last decade or two.
     So why am I asking you to read How to Read Literature Like a Professor? Well, in my opinion, this book is an extremely reader-friendly way to get to know what the classics are all about--what they bring to the reader beyond just a story. Probably everyone has heard that to really understand literature, one must "read between the lines." Well, that's what English professors (and teachers) do all the time, and what you'll be asked to do in AP Lit. Works of literary merit invite the reader to look deeper for meaning, to examine and investigate the words, phrases, and images they contain to find ideas and themes that are beneath the surface. The Professor book helps you learn what to look for in literature and clues you in to how to look for it and what it means. I'm sure you'll pick up several pointers from this book.
     Next, the only thing I can say about the Mythology book is YOU NEED TO KNOW MYTHOLOGY IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND LITERATURE BETTER!!! Back in the day when everyone studied Latin and/or Greek (yes, they really did), everyone knew their Greek and Roman mythology, and writers used it allusively to convey ideas to their readers, who quickly got the message because they knew the mythological story to which the writer alluded. But now that mythology studies has gone by the wayside somewhat, readers no longer recognize the time-honored stories of gods, goddesses, and heroes. Hamilton's Mythology is one of the most comprehensive and popular compilations of all the Greek/Roman mythological characters and tales. So, I hope this book increases your recognition of those characters and tales because, trust me, it will help you as we study and analyze a wide array of literary pieces. And the stories are quirky and unbelievable and fun, too!!
     So, happy reading, students! Keep an open mind and try to absorb as much as you can from both books. They have a lot to offer.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor Assignment
Professor Assignment Moment Sheet
Mythology Assignment
Mythology Assignment Learning Tasks

ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS:

I've found two excellent resources for background information and analysis on Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The first website is "Shakespeare-Online" and you may access it at

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/playanalysis/revengetragedy.html

The site contains the full text of the play and additional resources like essays and interpretations of a wide range of topics related to Hamlet.

The second website is a YouTube video graphic of the play:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0CqUTmwKiM

Check them out.

Hamlet PowerPoint Presentation

Attention English IV Students:

Here is the Hamlet PowerPoint presentation you will need to view and read through by Friday, March 4. Hopefully, it will give you some insights into the play. I suggest that you print out a copy of the PP (4 or 6 slides to a page) to keep in your binder along with the notes we take in class.

Hamlet PowerPoint Presentation

Link to Renaissance PowerPoint Presentation

Here is the link to my Renaissance PowerPoint Presentation. 

Renaissance PowerPoint Presentation

Use it to fill in any gaps you might have in your notes.

"The Prioress's Tale"

Attention: English IV Honors Students - Periods 1 and 5

Here is the link to "The Prioress's Tale" text.

"The Prioress's Tale"

Over vacation, close-read the tale as follows: 

1) Number each stanza 
2) Paraphrase each stanza and define all new/unfamiliar words and terms
3) Summarize each stanza so that you are clear that you know what is going on; underline or jot down significant quotes and explain them.
4) Comment, clarify, question the characters' actions and the story's events. Make inferences about events or about the Prioress's telling of the tale.
You may complete this assignment in one of two ways. You may read the tale online and complete Dialectical Journal/Cornell style notes or you may print out the tale and annotate it right in the margins of the paper. You must follow the close-reading steps regardless of which method you chose to take notes.


Have this assignment finished by Monday, January 4, as there will be a subsequent essay assignment you will begin to focus on.

Documentation - Citing Sources and the Work Cited Page in Critical/Research Essays using MLA Guidelines (2015)

It is important, when writing critical/research essays about literature, that the essay writer always gives credit for the ideas and words he/she "borrows" or "adopts" from someone else or from some other source. Not to do so, or "to use and pass off the ideas or writings of another as one's own" is called plagiarism, which is a very serious offense in academic circles, especially in college. The process of giving credit within the text of the essay and listing the sources from which the ideas/words come is called Documentation or Documentation of Sources.

As you know, in an English class, the essay writer must follows the MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines for essay formatting and structure. These guidelines also provide the procedure for documenting sources. 

• When one copies, word for word, a word, phrase, sentence, or passage from another source into one's essay, one must enclose the copied text in quotation marks and follow it by the source author's name and page number of the source in parentheses.
• When one paraphrases a word, phrase, sentence, or passage from another source into one's essay, one will not use quotation marks, but will still follow the paraphrased text with  parentheses containing the source author's name and the page number upon which the original text was found.
• Even if one "borrows" an idea from another source, one must include the source author's name and page number in parentheses right after the idea is expressed in the essay.
• These references to the source are called in-text citations or parenthetical citations. The in-text citation comes immediately after the end quotation mark and before the punctuation that follows. There are many different kinds of texts an essay writer might use for sources, and the MLA guidelines provide the required citation methods for all of them.
• At the end of the essay, one must include a separate sheet called the Works Cited page. The purpose of this page is to list, in alphabetical order, the full publication information for all the sources one uses, or cites, in the essay. 

There are many online resources to help you understand the correct citation method to use and the proper way to format your Works Cited page. Some resources are listed below. (Also note that my blog post of June 18, 2015 lists some of these links as well.)

Also note that documents on plagiarism, which you are expected to read, have been shared with you via email.

Purdue OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab, or Purdue OWL

    This very comprehensive online resource is a premier source for explanations and examples for all     MLA Documentation rules.

Easy Writer: Easy Writer - Companion to Reference Book
     This is the online reference companion to the Easy Writer book we will use 
     occasionally in class.

EasyBib: EasyBib.com

    This is a citation and works cited entry generator and that is easy to use.

Bibme: bibme.org

    Another free cite for works cited entries

Medieval PowerPoint Presentation Assignment

Hello English IV Honors students:

We are finishing up our study of the Anglo-Saxon period and moving on to the Medieval Period.

Here is a Medieval Period PowerPoint Presentation I would like you to read and annotate in preparation for our reading of The Canterbury Tales.


Essential Question: The Norman Conquest ushered in the advent of the Medieval period in England. What social, political, and religious changes occurred through the fusion of Norman and Anglo-Saxon culture and behavior? What systems, behaviors, or traditions were created in the Medieval period that still exist in some form in our modern day world?



Please do the following:

1) Read each slide carefully, and take notes, in the Cornell style, of all the important information you find.
2) Your notes must be organized and clear, and must use some system of highlighting to emphasize important terms, people, or events.
3) After you have finished taking notes, review them and at appropriate intervals in the left column of your notes, write several quality questions that address historical events or concepts. (These questions should not be the "Who was William the Conqueror" variety--or questions which can be answered by a single fact. Instead you might ask, "What impact did the invasion of the Normans have on Anglo-Saxon government?"

You will have until Wednesday, November 18 to complete this assignment.

Seniors! It's College Essay Time!!!

     You will soon be working on your college essays in English class, which will be your first process writing assignment. I will guide you through the process, from getting tips on writing the essay, to brainstorming ideas, to writing multiple drafts, editing and revising, to conferencing, to the final draft. For the purpose of this assignment, you will choose one of the essay prompts from the Common App. 

     I have listed some links below which you may refer to for help as you are writing. You will find many more articles by googling "Writing the college essay."

8 Tips for Crafting Your Best College Essay ( we will look at this one in class)

Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay

Top Ten Tips for Writing a College Essay

9 Essay Writing Tips to "Wow" College Admissions Officers

English IV: The Anglo-Saxon PowerPoint Presentation

     Here is the link to the Anglo-Saxon Period PowerPoint presentation. We will be using this presentation to practice our Cornell note-taking skills and to gain a historical context for our reading and study of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf.


Powerpoint Presentation: Anglo-Saxon Period

Beginning of the Year: Lessons and Procedures

Hello Students!

     At the beginning of the school year there are always lessons and procedures that I must teach or demonstrate for you, so for the next few weeks we will be practicing and doing several things at once. This post outlines those lessons so that you will know what is coming up.

1. Lesson Activator: Caught Ya
     I call the activity done in the first five minutes of class a "Lesson Activator." Other teachers might call it a "Do-Now" or a "Bell-Ringer" but I've chosen my label because it sounds less elementary to me. It's just my preference, but all the labels mean the same thing.

   The activity I choose for you to do is known as "Caught Ya," which some of you may remember if you had me as a teacher before. I've been doing this activity with my English classes for many years. We will work at this activity for a few minutes at the beginning of almost every class, and the activity will last for most of the school year.  I like this activity because it combines practice in many different reading and writing skills, like spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, vocabulary, and sentence structure, but it also allows you to sharpen your skills in listening, following directions, doing things consistently, participating, and acting responsibly to always have your work with you.

     Look for me to present the procedure for Caught Ya this week.

2. Dialectical Journaling and The Cornell Way
     Most of you probably know something about creating a dialectical journal, also called a 2-column (or 3-column) note taking system. It is also very similar to the Cornell Way note taking system we use here at BHS. In my class, students will use a dialectical journal format often when taking notes, analyzing literature, and close-reading texts. We will go over the required procedure for Dialectical Journals this week also.

4.  Taking Notes from a Power-Point Presentation
     As we proceed this year, you will notice that the important writings and texts we study are deeply connected to the historical and social themes of each time period. Therefore, at the beginning of each unit, you will learn something about each time period and how the important people, events, and customs of each period influenced the writers of that period. For each unit, I will post a Power-Point presentation which you will be required to read, study, and take notes from. If you like, you may also print it out in handout form (6 slides to a page). The first one you will be required to study covers the Anglo-Saxon Period. Your notes will have to take the form of  Cornell notes. We will practice a bit in class to get you started.

5. College Essay
     Your first process writing assignment will be your college essay. Everyone will write one, and it will take several drafts before it is finished. I will give you many tips on writing the essay, and will conference with each of you as needed to improve your essay. If you have already begun the process in an AVID class or on your own, bring in whatever you have written.

6. Discussion Forums Using Blogger
     In the near future I will begin using my blog to initiate discussion forums on a variety of topics. These will be counted as a homework assignments. For example, I will present a topic and post a prompt and ask you to respond to it and to other contributors. There will be more on this soon.

MLA Format - 2015: Refer to these guidelines for all essay writing for me.

MLA FORMAT - 2015

1. 1-inch margins all around; font size 12; Times New Roman
2. Entire document is double-spaced (including heading and title; no extra spaces between heading and title or title and first sentence).
3. Essay heading in top left:

Name

Mrs. Henrion

Course Title-Period __

__ Month 2015

4. Use header tab to create page numbers in top right corner of each page, including the first page. Each page number should be Last Name # (i.e. Shmoe 1, Shmoe 2, Shmoe 3 and so forth 

5. Title of essay is centered. Capitalize first letters of first word and important words. a) Novel and play titles are italicized. Size 12, Times New Roman. No underlines, no bold type, no quotation marks. b) Poem, short story, or song titles are quoted, with no underlines or bold type.

6. Indent the first word of each paragraph. No extra spaces between paragraphs.

7. Use quotation marks around quoted passages. Keep quotes short by choosing only the part that best supports the idea you are trying to convey in your discussion and integrate the quote into your sentence. Do not use the ellipsis (…). Use in-text citations (also called parenthetical citations) for quotations as follows : 

a.     The MLA recommends using the author’s name in a signal phrase to introduce the quotation and citing only the page number(s) in parentheses. (example:  Crystal, a noted linguist, explains that Monty Python’s humor often relied on “bizarre linguistic interactions” (108). When you do not mention the author’s name in a signal phrase, do the following:

b.     From novels/short stories: write (Author last name page #) after the quote for the first in-text citation in an essay paragraph. Subsequent quotes in the same essay paragraph from that same text only need (#). If a quote from another text is used within that same paragraph it must be followed by that author’s name and page # and so forth.  Start over with (Author last name page #) in next paragraph for the first quote.

                      (example: A noted linguist explains that Monty Python’s humor often relied on “bizarre linguistic                                   interactions” (Crystal 108).

c.     From poems/songs: write (line(s) #) after the in-text citation for the first quote in an essay paragraph.  Subsequent quotes in the same essay paragraph should have (#) as the in-text citation.

(example: Whitman speculates that “All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses” (line 129).

d.     From plays: give the act, scene, and line number(s) separated by periods.

(example: As Macbeth begins, the witches greet Banquo as “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater” (1.3.65).

e.     For all quotes, punctuation comes after the in-text citation, not before it. If the quote itself is a question, place a question mark within the quotation mark and a period after the in-text citation.

Mrs. Henrion's Room Management Plan

ROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN                                                  MRS. HENRION

Room C21                                                                                        henrionl@worc.k12.ma.us

                                                                                                          henrionsblog.blogspot.com

Class begins ON TIME: Please be in your seat when the bell rings for class to begin.

Classroom     YOU WILL EARN RESPECT BY BEING RESPECTFUL.

Behavior:        * Please do not talk excessively while the teacher or another student is talking or when announcements are being made.

                         * Please put your cell phone away and do not use it before, during, or after class.

                         * Please raise your hand if you have something to say.

                         * Please remain in your seat unless you are given permission to get up.

                         * Please do not deface the property of the school, the teacher, or other students.

                         * Please do not bring or consume any food or drinks (except water) in the classroom, especially

                            during Period1 and after lunch.

Organization:  Come to class every day with all the necessary and required items so that you can be fully engaged in the learning process. This includes your binder, notes, planner, supplies, homework, and anything else required for class. Be as organized as you can be.

Homework:     I expect homework assignments to be completed and/or handed in ON TIME (at beginning of class).

                                    ?Late assignments (not handed in at beginning of class) will only receive half the credit or less.

                                    ?Late assignments must be handed in by Friday of that week in order to receive any credit.

                                    ?If absent for an assignment, please write absent on top and hand it in the day you return to class or the day after the                                                                       absence. It will be graded as if on time.

                                    ?Homework will be checked whenever assigned and marked for achievement purposes.

                                    ?Class cuts constitute a 0 for the day. Cutting a test will mean a 0 for the test.       

                 When “On Project,” you are still responsible for completing all work ON TIME. Come  in the morning or after school to ask about                                      that day’s classwork and to obtain assignments or assistance. Any work due that day must be turned in that morning before you go on                                project.

Tests:  Make-up tests must be taken after school on Tuesdays or Thursdays or during a study.  Tests must be made up within one week of the test date.

Grading:                English IV                                                                

              * HW/projects-40% of grade                                                        

              * Tests/Quizzes/Essays-30% of grade                                          

              * In-Class work/Binder/Collab./Partic./Attendance-30% of gr                                      
                    AP English Literature and Composition                                                                                                
              * HW/Projects/Dialectical Journals/Acronymic analyses/Vocab.-40% of grade
              * Process essays (all components)-30% of grade
              * In-Class work/ Practice tests/Timed writing/Collab./Discuss. & Partic./Attendance-30% of grade

(First quarter only: Summer Reading 10% and Homework 30%)

                       

Passes:  Use the clipboard sign-out sheet as your pass to go to the bathroom or another destination. Always have a signed pass or tardy slip when you enter                           the classroom late.

REMEMBER, PLEASE…

KEEP ALL CELL PHONES OUT OF SIGHT UNLESS OTHERWISE INSTRUCTED.

NO EATING OR DRINKING IN THE CLASSROOM, OTHER THAN WATER.

DO NOT BRING BREAKFAST, LUNCH, OR SNACK FOODS INTO THE ROOM.