Friday, September 26, 2008

Writing the Biography: Your Comments Invited

This was my first attempt at teaching the writing of a biography. My intent was to provide students with a clear motivation for doing their best, in interview, in getting the details right, and in completing a final draft that each student is proud to submit.


What did you like? And, more importantly, what would you change and why? Your comments are invited and, especially, your concrete suggestions for things like pacing (how long to allocate to a lesson), order (what to do first, second, third) and any other suggestion you may have.


Please Complete Profiles

Hi Everyone: A few profiles are either missing or incomplete. Please make an effort to finish them this week. Include some interests and answer a random question, too. I've updated my photo if you're interested and changed my question.

Opinions on Plagiary (Using Quotes and Paraphrase)

Using the original article from the New York Times and one other source on this issue, give your opinions about Internet plagiarism.

You might like to address the question of whether students who plagiarize should be punished, whether students who plagiarize are aware of what they are doing or any other important idea. Reference the articles using quotation and paraphrase to respect your sources!

Write about 200 to 300 words in paragraphs. It is not necessary to write in full essay form. Complete your writing by 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday so that others may read your opinions before next week's class.


Friday, September 19, 2008

Andrea, Khalil, Grace, Josephine and Lien

Place your biography here as a comment by Sunday midnight please.

Read the other biographies and comment before Wednesday's class. Thanks!

Phoebe, Esther,Francis, Spencer and Teresa

Place your biography here as a comment by Sunday midnight please.

Read the other biographies and comment before Wednesday's class. Thanks!

Masaru, Genel, Sean and Ken

Place your biography here as a comment by Sunday midnight please.

Read the other biographies and comment before Wednesday's class. Thanks!

Beatrice and Ayako and Liza Biographies and Comments

Place your biography here as a comment by Sunday midnight please.

Read the other biographies and comment before Wednesday's class. Thanks!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Welcome to English 12 Students

This is your blog. Students at the PALC have been blogging since January, 2006. The blog is a place where students share thoughts and ideas with each other and with the teacher. It offers an opportunity to write more often and have your writing and ideas read by your classmates and teacher.

Your first assignment will be to post a copy of your second draft of a short biography for comment and suggestions from fellow group members. Each group will have its own post for biographies from other group members.

To get a feeling for blogging, read through some of the posts from previous classes!