Writing with Mrs. Murphy

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Journal - April 14

Hello 6A & 6B!

Happy Thursday! I hope you are having a great week!!

Below is your journal prompt.

If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?

Happy Writing!
Mrs. Murphy

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

What Am I? Haiku

Hi 6A and 6B!

Your homework for tonight is to write a "What Am I?" Haiku. Remember that a Haiku is a poem that consists of 17 syllables. It is usually formated with 5 syllables on the first row, 7 syllables on the middle row, and 5 syllables on the last row.

Post your poems on the blog so we can all read them tomorrow! You must identify your poem by using your class number. Do not sign your name.

I am looking foward to reading your poems!

Mrs. Murphy

Journal Prompt - April 13

Hello 6A and 6B! :-)

Here is your journal prompt for this morning!

If you could bring one character to life from your favorite book, who would it be? Why?

Wishing you a beautiful Wednesday!
Mrs. Murphy

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Journal Prompt - April 12, 2011

Happy Tuesday 6A and 6B!

For your journal this morning create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the use of technology (computers, Internet) to traditional learning (textbooks, paper/pencil). Write a paragraph about how the use of technology has been different this year and how it has benefitted your learning.

I am looking forward to a great day!
Mrs. Murphy

Monday, April 11, 2011

Journal Prompt - April 11, 2011

Happy Monday!

Your journal prompt for today is:

List ten noteworthy (to you, anyway) events of the last 24 hours.

Do not post your journal, rather complete it as normal in your netbook journal.

Have a great day!
Mrs. Murphy

Thursday, March 3, 2011

When to cite sources...

Hi Everyone!

Hang in there! I know this information can be confusing!! It will get easier as you begin to use it in real life. Reading was hard to do when you first started learning how...remember?!

Below are some websites that might be helpful to you when learning when it is necessary to cite work when writing a research paper.

I hope these are helpful! Let me know what you think!

God bless,
Mrs. Murphy

When to cite a source

Citing Sources Within Your Paper

When to Cite Sources

Citing Your Sources

Plagiarism and the Research Paper

Brain Pop Citing Sources Help

Hi Everyone!

Check out Brain Pop for some extra info and practice with citing sources!

Mrs. Murphy

http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/citingsources/preview.weml

Traits of Writing

Ideas (Central Message)
Finding a Topic
Focusing the Topic
Developing the Topic
Using Details

Organization (Internal Structure)
Creating the lead
Using sequence words and transition words
Structuring the Body
Ending With a Sense of Resolution

Voice (Tone of the piece)
Establishing a Tone
Conveying the Purpose
Creating a Connection to the Audience
Taking Risks to Create Voice

Word Choice (Vocabulary)
Applying Strong Verbs
Selecting Striking Words and Phrases
Using Specific and Accurate Words
Choosing Words That Deepen Meaning

Sentence Fluency (How words and sentences flow)
Crafting Well-Built Sentences
Varying Sentence Types
Capturing Smooth and Rhythmic Flow
Breaking the "Rules" to Create Fluency

Conventions (Mechanical Correctness)
Checking Spelling
Punctuating Effectively and Paragraphing Accurately
Capitalizing Correctly
Applying Grammar and Usage

Presentation (Physical Appearance)
Applying Handwriting Skills
Using Word Processing Effectively
Making Good Use of White Space
Refining Text Features

Journal Writing

Journal Writing is a daily required assignment. You will be given a new prompt each day to write a thoughtful response to. Your response should consist of three to four paragraphs and should be written in proper format. You will be given approximately ten minutes to complete the writing assignment. Seven students will be pulled to share their responses each day.

If you should finish writing before time is called you may:
* Complete a Power Typing Excercise (link to the left)
* Read from our current literature story.
* Work in your handwriting book.

The items above should be accessed in that order.

Happy Journaling!

Modes of Writing

The Modes of Writing help the writer establish and maintain a purpose for writing. The modes are:

Narrative: to tell a story

Expository: to inform or explain

Persuasive: to construct an argument

During the early part of writing, writers focus on which mode they are going to use. The writer will decide if they are going to tell a story (Narrative), explain something (Expository), or try to convince the reader of something (Persuasive). As the writing process continues, the writer may find that they must blend modes in order to make the strongest impression on their audience.