On Grading Your Writing

The way I approach grading essays is probably very unlike anything you've experienced before.

My main goal is to see that you are able to write proficiently in each of the six-traits (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions). As a result, I am using a rubric that gives you a score for each of the traits, which gives you the ability to recognize both your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. This way, you can decide where to focus your energies when re-writing.

Also, I do not expect multiple draft writing projects. If you can write a first draft that meets the required score (an average of a 4 on the 6-point, 6-trait rubric), you do not need to re-write. You can choose to re-write, though, if your score is not to your liking. This puts you in the driver's seat -- provided you do your work -- and makes writing a realistic task that puts quality at a premium over quantity.

Remember: if you turn in an essay on-time, you can revise as many times as you need to achieve the score you desire. This means, though, that you have to stay on top of things, and make sure you get those revisions to me so a grade can be inputed in the gradebook.

Origin Myth Project Tips -- English III

Some of you might be struggling to get started with this project, so here is the process I went through to create my origin myth.

1. Wrote the story out like an essay. Three paragraphs: beginning, middle, and end. Make sure your story sets up a character with a problem. The character should try to solve the problem. The end should involve what happens as a result of the character's solution.
2. Create a list of events. I created a numbered list of events, up to 10, since the project requires 10 pages in your children's book.
3. Write a script. Write out what you're going to say on each of the 10 pages. This way you won't make any major mistakes when you start putting together the book.

Lastly, make sure you try to have some fun with this. Get together with some friends in class and work together, bouncing ideas off of each other. The best stories come out of a desire to entertain, not just trying to get work done.

Good luck!

Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket -- Video

This video is a student retelling of Jack Finney's classic, "Contents of the Dead Man's Pockets." It's quite cheesy, and the conclusion doesn't quite line up with Finney's story, but it's a fun adaptation nonetheless.

Storytelling -- Why It Matters -- English II

Telling stories is one of our favorite pastimes. Everyday we either tell a story, listen to one, or see one. As a society, we consume movies, music, books, graphic novels, and plays with a voracious appetite.

Storytelling is important to people because it is a way for us to connect to one another. By relating experiences, either made up or real, we are able to learn, explore and better understand the world we live in as well as our place in it.

Origin Stories -- What They Are and Why They Matter -- English III

Why are we here? Why do things happen the way they do? What does it all mean?

These are questions people have been asking since the very beginning, I suppose. These are the questions that everyone will have to answer for his or herself at some point during a lifetime. Depending upon where a person is raised, who they connect to, etc., often determines how he/she will answer these questions.