JUST A REMINDER: Progress Reports go home Wednesday afternoon.
NEW PROJECT ALERT!!!! We are starting a new project this week. Students will be exploring informational texts by reading about a disaster in history (ie: the Titanic, Chernobyl, the Challenger, etc.) Students will then work on expository writing by reasearching the disaster and writing a first person account of the event.
Each student will be paired with another student to read about a pre-assigned disaster. Together, they will work to compile necessary information to complete a 5 W's (who, what, when, where, why) chart, as well as a cause-and-effect graphic organizer relative to that incident. Two days will be spent in the Media Center working on research skills as the students learn more about their assigned disaster.
Each student will then compose an individual first person account (as if eye-witnessing the event) either as a reporter, victim or agent of human error. Students will describe the events- the horror, destruction, injuries and deaths- as well as the causes and lessons learned.
Students will receive multiple grades at various stages of the assignment. The grades are listed as follows: (The percentages indicate the overall percentages for the category of the assignment: see the syllabus for further explanation).
5Ws Graphic Organizer - Classwork (20%)
Cause & Effect Graphic Organizer - Classwork (20%)
Rough Draft Essay - Writing Project (35%)
Revised and Edited Rough Draft - Classwork (20%)
Final Draft - Writing Project (35%) AND Journal (25%)
DUE DATE: ALL ASPECTS OF PROJECT TO BE COMPLETED AND TURNED IN BY FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2011.
We are really excited about this project and we think the students will enjoy it. Students will be provided ample time in class to complete the project as long as they use their time wisely.