Overview - In Writing this week, we will continue to work on our Veteran Profiles. More specifically, the students will be drafting their rough copies. Their objective for this week is to have the first two sections of their paper written. We hope to have "The Earlier Years and "Service Years" completed this Friday. A modeled report has been created for the students to use as a guide. This unit really strengthens many aspects of their learning: note taking, organization, graphic organizers and multiple writing conventions. The students are really beginning to settle in and become more comfortable with the writing expectations.
Monday - 9/29/14 -
Today in Writing, the students were introduced to the engaging beginning. They learned that a strong paper starts with a powerful introduction that lures the reader deeper into the content. Students were trained on making quotations, indenting, subtitling, and threading sentences together. We focused on making smooth transitions from one paragraph to the next, by constructing lead sentences. The process has been modeled for the students, which creates a level of confident writers who know, that if stuck, they have a resource to use at any time.
Tuesday - 9/30/14 -
Today's classes are an exact replica of yesterday. The students finished up on the "Earlier Years" section and have now moved into the "Military Years." For the most part, all of the students are excited about their profiles. They have a deeper understanding of the sacrifices that each Veteran made for our great country. There is added pressure to this assignment as well. The groups must present their profile to the actual veteran, either through the ceremony or by phone. We have provided a real-world application to this project and the students are stepping up to perform the tasks. I am very impressed with how many students that are interested in staying after school to get ahead. Wow!! What more could you ask for? Any students who did not interview a veteran are being given the chance to research one of three generals: Patton, Powell, or MacArthur. Everyone is being given the chance to succeed at this task.
Wednesday - 10/1/14 -
In writing, the students are now deep into their Veteran profiles. They have transitioned into the "Military Years" quite easily. The lesson today focused on the types of training the soldiers received, typical days in the military, vehicles they were using while in service, and any special memories they had while serving. Or general focus was to extract as much information from the Veteran about their duty to our country, and then provide a chronological piece that illustrated their accomplishments. The students are really beginning to understand military vocabulary and are using these words in their profiles. It is quite impressive to see so many kids excited about writing. As always, a modeled portfolio was provided to the classes that allows them to better construct their pieces.
Thursday - 10/2/14 -
The students are now beginning to get into the flow of the writing process. Most classes have moved into the final section of their papers, which consists of the "Returning Home" section. In this section of the profile they will be writing about: how life changed for the veterans when they returned home, what work they have attained since their duty, any friends they keep in touch with from the service, how "9/11" affected them, how the military changed their lives, and finally whether would would "do it again." The students are now learning how to thread each section together by making their paragraphs fluid. The have been using "lead in" sentences that connect each topic. They understand that a paper must flow like water, smooth and continuous.
Friday - 10/3/14 -
The final classes received the final training and modeling on their rough draft profiles. They are now responsible for getting to a computer, either at home or the library, and typing a final copy. The final profiles must have: Title/Cover, a nine paragraph profile, and acknowledgement page. The Title/Cover page must have a photo of the Veteran, their name, branch of service and years served. I have also encouraged the students to take a trip to Office Max, Staples, or the Dollar Store to try to locate printer paper that will honor our veterans. Their grades will be impacted by the amount of effort that is placed upon making the complete package look professional. The Veterans are very excited to read their profiles and will be honored on November 7th, right here at school.
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