September 14

Homework

• Writing Minutes
• Freewriting ("I'm so sorry I can't give you a less dangerous solution.")  
• Do this if you need extra writing minutes 
• Create a keyword outline for Knights
• Use your outline to recreate the paragraph in your own words

For Review:

• Our first unit focuses solely on creating a writing outline.  You do not need to choose the words or decide on sequence.  Just like an artist copies famous works of art, we will be copying a good paragraph.  And just like the student-artist copies to learn, not to take credit for another’s work, we will use this unit to learn how to take notes, understanding that we’re not creating anything of our own.

• First, we read our paragraph.

• Second, we count the sentences and create that many entries in our outline

• Third, we read each sentence and choose the key words for that sentence. 

• We should choose 3-5 words (numbers and symbols don’t count toward the count!)

• We should choose only important words.  Words like the, and, it, to, etc. should not be considered key words.

• These key words are to help remind you about the content of the sentences.  Each person may choose different key words.

• Fourth, we use our outline to recreate the paragraph in our own words.  Try not to copy your source.  (Some sentences, however, are so short it is nearly impossible to create a different sentence.  Once we're writing our own thoughts the keyword outline will actually help reduce accidental copying.)

Here are some examples.

First the paragraph:

The Statue of Liberty    

     The Statue of Liberty is a huge monument.  It is located on Liberty Island, New York.  It is built of copper and extends hundreds of feet into the air.  The Statue of Liberty was given to the U.S. by France in 1884.  It is a symbol of friendship.  Over two million people per year come to see the Statue of Liberty.  This large monument to freedom is world famous.

The paragraph becomes this outline:

The Statue of Liberty

1.  huge/monument
2. located/Liberty Island/NY
3. built/copper/100s/ft.
4.  given/U.S./France/1884
5. symbol/friendship
6. 2 million/people/come
7.  monument/freedom/famous

The outline is turned back into a paragraph in my own words
     The Statue of Liberty is a huge monument. It was erected on Liberty Island near New York City. Made from copper, this gracious lady stands hundreds of feet high. Originally given to the U.S. by France as a symbol of friendship, the Statue of Liberty remains an American landmark. Today, over two million people visit the statue every year. The Statue of Liberty remains a world famous tribute to freedom.