Category: Rhet-Comp 102 / ENG 8A DC

TIPS to Keep Moving Forward (while learning from a distance) – ALL CLASSES

I know everyone keeps using the term unprecedented and it might be annoying – the more I think about it, the more I don’t even know what it means (is it even a real word?).  Anyway, we are in an unprecedented situation.  And you have been thrown into learning at a distance/digital/online/whatever.  And it is weird.  And kind of scary.  Liberating for some (even if lonely) and overwhelming for others.  But, now more than ever, it is important to keep on keeping on – we will get through this.

HERE ARE MRS. C’s TIPS TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD:

  1. A Schedule. You Need One.  NOT a strict hour by hour one, but a general, get up in the morning (maybe even get dressed), don’t stay up till 3am and sleep until noon…. Think about when you will be learning – morning with a break after lunch?  mostly after lunch?  maybe in the later afternoon after you’ve helped other little people in your house do stuff?  Also consider how you are sharing devices and/or wi-fi with others who need access.
  2. Creative Online Access.  If parents are working from home or siblings need computer time too, you might have to consider what you need big access for and what can be accomplished on your phone.  Get creative and don’t procrastinate waiting for perfect conditions – they may never arrive.
  3. A Support Network.  Push your friends, let your friends push you.  Be that friend who doesn’t buy into apathy and reminds your friends “take a break, take a quick walk, get back at it.”  Get together on zoom calls or fb video message or even just a group chat.  Check in on your friends, laugh a little, work a little, try for balance.  Don’t have a real group of friends? (Some of us are introverts or loners by nature.) Lean on your WRITE CLUB group (or in English 8 even the people you got to know in your BOOK CLUB) – you should have enough rapport now to support one another.
  4. Perspective/A New Mindset. Instead of mourning what we’ve lost in face-to-face classtime (and it’s okay to grieve what your losing here), try thinking of the opportunity you have to try out online coursework.  Do the best you can with the situation and then you can walk away from it knowing if you want to take online college classes in the future or if on campus classes will be better for you.  You won’t know if you don’t try.
  5. Get Interested. I can’t do anything to make calculus more fun for you (sorry, Ms. Albrecht), but I can tell you that for your MG project, it will all get better once you pick a topic you really can dive into and you put your creative efforts into researching and creating.  You can use this project as a way to escape.

I’m not gonna pretend that I can fix all this for you or that I even have all the answers.  Right now, know your teachers are grappling with how best to move forward also.  But I’ve done many of the above and they seem to help.

I get up each morning, get dressed, take care of some school stuff.  I take breaks to help my own kids and just to read, take a walk, play with the dog, enjoy a game on my phone, etc.  Then I get back to work to complete what else needs to be done – respond to email, check your Google responses, monitor the Flipgrids, etc. We tried to set up workspaces for each person in our house to have a place to work (I’m working from home along with a 6th grader, a 10th grader, and a college junior who is now home and doing all her work online for the rest of the semester.  My husband is an essential healthcare provider, so he still goes to work each day, being cautious and avoiding exposure to COVID-19 the best he can).  I’ve got a support network of some local teachers, teachers I’m friends with on Twitter and even some teachers who are providing daily online talks for free on fb and YouTube.  I’m trying to embrace the challenge of figuring out how to make this MG project doable in an online-only format while not overwhelming y’all. And in the process, I’m staying interested in what you are accomplishing and how you are responding to this whole situation.  (As I write this, I just love seeing your names pop up on my computer as you change documents in Dropbox.)

I know it feels uneventful to stay at home, but the experts say this is our best course of action. Stay well, stay put, and keep learning.

-Mrs. C = )

P.S. If you need me, I am here.

 

Rhetoric & Comp – Thursday, March 26th

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who responded to the survey.  The most important question was the last one (about your well-being) and today we’re gonna slow it down a bit and GET CAUGHT UP!  See my extra post today with tips to keep moving forward.

  1. Indie read – the usual 15 to 20 (at least)
  2. Quickwrite* #34:  Using one of your MG topic possibilities as inspiration, let’s play with genre in our notebooks.  Write either a biography/character sketch (real or fictional) or a set of interview questions (if you run out of ideas for one genre, try the other).  *Keep in mind for Quickwrites in class, I give you 3 to 4 minutes ON A TIMER to write.  Feel free to use your phone or a clock or the microwave timer or whatever to time yourself and keep the writing moving.
  3. Do any things you have not yet done from the previous days.  (Make the Hamlet group survey a priority please – I need to hear back from everyone.  Text/Msg your friends/classmates/WC peeps.)
  4. NEXT UP:  narrowing your focus to ONE topic and generating pieces of writing.

Deadlines:

  • YESTERDAY 3/25 – Sometime today (if you haven’t already) reconnect with your WRITE CLUB by adding a video to the topic “How are you? …Really”
  • END OF DAY YESTERDAY 3/25 – Idea Exploration (LastnameMGIdeas.docx – there’s a template for it in your Dropbox drafts folder) 3 – 5 ideas.
  • EXTENDED!! BY 3pm NOON (12pm) TODAY 3/26 – Share w/ your WRITE CLUB via Flipgrid these ideas – talk them through – I’ll add a topic for this in just a bit.
  • EXTENDED!! BY end of 3/26 ANYTIME 3/27 – Watch your group members’ videos and respond to them with your thoughts and opinions (I’ll be doing this too).

Reminders:

  • BookTalk!
  • Google survey about Hamlet group paper experience (This was sent out MONDAY!! – check the webpost for the link)
  • A total of 4 Memory Book one-pagers should be in a sub-folder in your Dropbox submissions folder.  (These are just hanging out waiting for Memory Book work in May. But if you haven’t written them, this would be a great time to do so.)

Rhetoric & Comp – Wednesday, March 25th

IMPT:  Due to technical problems (YouTube is just impossible right now) you’ll notice some of the stuff for today is repeated from yesterday.  We’ll have to backtrack just a little.

ALSO:  I updated the MG Components slides (These are better, so if you downloaded or printed yesterday, maybe take a look to see how these are improved).  IF this is your first go round – you are all good.

  1. Indie read (you know you ❤ it)
  2. Quickwrite* #33:  Using one of your MG topic possibilities as inspiration, let’s play with genre in our notebooks.  Write either a list or a dialogue (if you run out of ideas for one genre, try the other).  *Keep in mind for Quickwrites in class, I give you 3 to 4 minutes ON A TIMER to write.  Feel free to use your phone or a clock or the microwave timer or whatever to time yourself and keep the writing moving.
  3. Watch the MG Videos #1 – 8 that go over the components for your MG.  You’ll find them in Flipgrid – code rcmg20 under the MG Overview & Schedule topic (total time is less than 20 minutes, but I tried for over 11 hours to upload to YouTube before deciding to break it down and put it here). Download, print, or read the pdf here: MG Components slides (note: this version does NOT have examples and the videos DO – so please watch them).
  4. Use the new WRITE CLUB Flipcodes!! to check-in with your WRITE CLUB sometime TODAY or so.  See the post below “WRITE CLUB via Flipgrid” for details & check your school email for codes.

Deadlines:

  • TODAY 3/25 – Sometime today (if you haven’t already) reconnect with your WRITE CLUB by adding a video to the topic “How are you? …Really”
  • END OF DAY TODAY 3/25 – Idea Exploration (LastnameMGIdeas.docx – there’s a template for it in your Dropbox drafts folder) 3 – 5 ideas.
  • BY NOON (12pm)TOMORROW 3/26 – Share w/ your WRITE CLUB via Flipgrid these ideas – talk them through – I’ll add a topic for this in just a bit.
  • END OF DAY TOMORROW 3/26 – Watch your group members’ videos and respond to them with your thoughts and opinions (I’ll be doing this too).

Reminders:

  • BookTalk!
  • Google survey about Hamlet group paper experience (This was sent out MONDAY!! – check the webpost for the link)
  • A total of 4 Memory Book one-pagers should be in a sub-folder in your Dropbox submissions folder.  (These are just hanging out waiting for Memory Book work in May. But if you haven’t written them, this would be a great time to do so.)

WRITE CLUB via Flipgrid – ALL CLASSES (March 24th)

Your WRITE CLUB is going online via Flipgrid (for now).  At some point, we may need to do some live calls via zoom, but let’s start here.

My rationale for this move:

  1. I’m looking for a way for you to feel connected face-to-face while remaining (for now) asynchronous (this means we don’t have to coordinate being online at the same time.
  2. I’m looking for a way to connect to you as well (and I can through each group here) and to notice who is taking the time to connect and who is neglecting school work.
  3. I’m looking for a way for you to feel a little more secure and less self-conscious than big Flipgrid groups where so many more classmates can watch/listen to your videos.
  4. I’m looking for you to still have feedback that is more than comments in MSWord (although you can still make those too).

HOW IT WORKS

  1. You will get a school email from Mrs. C with your Flipcode. This code is ONLY for your WRITE CLUB group – no one else has access to it.
  2. The first topic will be set up as just a check-in.  Leave your group a message about how you are doing – what is it like to move to “shelter in place” – how are you and your family holding up or making adjustments to working/learning from home?
  3. Check back in every once in awhile and respond to your groupmates – it’s okay for this to devolve into outside conversations, etc.  I plan on checking on all of you this way.
  4. Soon, you will have your MG ideas put together.  We’ll be sharing them in Dropbox as usual, but also in Flipgrid – more instructions to follow.

TODAY/the next 24 HOURS

  • Check your email.
  • Use your Flipcode.
  • Tell your group (and Mrs. C)  how it’s going.
  • Check back and respond when it seems appropriate.

Rhetoric & Comp – Tuesday, March 24th

NEW Update: Check the post for 3/25.  I ended up putting these on Flipgrid as multiple videos.

Update: I am STILL working on today’s YouTube video.  It is super taking forever  to upload.  It’s been working on it since 10:30am.  Hopefully, it will someday finish. – Mrs. C

Today is about ideas for your multi-genre paper/project (henceforward MG) & the components that go into your paper both “required” & by choice.

  1. Indie read (you know it – spend 15 to 20 in your book).  Running out of things to read? Check the post from the top of the week on ideas for getting more book access.
  2. Check the MG Project submission sheet (one of the pink handouts I gave out on our last day together).  The first item is the Idea Exploration.  You’ll name your doc “LastnameMGIdeas.docx” and put it in your draft folders by the end of today. (Use the MGIE Template already in your Dropbox drafts folder to know what to include and then rename appropriately.  IF you don’t have a template, send me a quick email and I’ll fix that.)
  3. Watch the YouTube video (I’ll add this here as soon as it uploads) that goes over the components for your MG.  Download, print, or read the pdf here: MG Components slides (note: this version does NOT have examples and the videos DO – so please watch them).
  4. Here’s the handout with other genre ideas: genre ideas page
  5. Use the new WRITE CLUB Flipcodes!! to check-in with your WRITE CLUB sometime in the next day or so.  See the above post for details & check your school email for codes.

Reminders & Deadlines:

  • Don’t forget about Booktalks!
  • If you haven’t yet, be sure to complete the Google survey about group work that was posted yesterday.  (At this point, I have about half of these…)
  • MG Idea Exploration (3 to 5 ideas with reasoning) due sometime tomorrow 3/25 in Dropbox (and on Flipgrid – more details to follow).

 

Who Wants More Examples? – More looks at Multi-genre projects/papers

If we were in class, I have a couple of binders with about 15 different student written multi-genre papers from previous years that you are able to look at in groups or on your own.  So far, I’ve shared 6 of these papers (with permission to share student work).  If you’d like a look at more creations to see what others have done with this assignment, here are a few more.  Again, notice the visual layout, the length of the whole and the parts, the overall format used, the thread or “glue” (aka unifying element) that holds pieces together, and the order (or rather the variety of ordered possibilities) these genres occur.  Watch for the “required” items and the extra ones that students chose to include.  You can find both pdf for read-thru here and videos with a quick run-through on the Flipgrid site (use codes I gave out last week).

BridickFINALMG

JacobsFINALMG

JonesFINALMG

EarlsMGFinal

ColeFINALMG

RicheyFINALMG

Tomorrow, you can expect to see examples of the different genres, both required and ideas for optional ones you could try.

Rhetoric & Comp – Monday, March 23rd

OK.  Week 2:  Here we go.  If you haven’t started much of anything yet, thinking “this will just be a week or two and I’ll catch up when we go back,” you should probably rethink that and work on getting caught up.  Now that distance learning is through at least April 7th (and I can’t make any guarantees beyond that), it’s time to get started if you’ve been avoiding it.  And if you are caught up on the day-to-day, congratulations.  It’s good to keep a sense of routine and normalcy.

  1.  Indie read (as usual 15 to 20 minutes)
  2. Now that Hamlet papers should be submitted appropriately (check the submission sheets if needed), I’ve got questions for you.  Fill out this Google survey – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKpKKF6t3YilsgHKTflSLmEaYRkOADhfmrb8MP5-dP43nO7Q/viewform?usp=sf_link as today’s work.  Please be thorough – and know that only Mrs. C will read it.  Instructions at the top should explain how this works.
  3. EXPLORING IDEAS:  You will bring to WRITE CLUB (submit-via-DropBox) 3 – 5 ideas (number them) you might pursue in a multi-genre project, explaining why these ideas interest you (these can be as weird & abstract as you wish).  Check out the MGIE Template 2020 that you can use to easily format your work (and to know what you might include).  You can download the template above or find a copy already in your Drafts folder.
  4. Tomorrow, we will share ideas with WRITE CLUB members via our shared Drafts folders in Dropbox.

ALSO:  See the separate post on BookTalks below.

BOOK TALK Update & Where to Find Your Next Read – ALL CLASSES

Hey Seniors,

With even more time away from school now, be sure to work on your booktalk and post it to Flipgrid.  Watch a few others while you’re there! Note that with the stay-at-home orders, I realize some of you might not have your book for booktalk with you.  If you can’t add a read aloud section, no worries – it’s now optional.  Just give us the rest of the book talk.

I know the world is changing fast but there are still places you can access books. So far, Amazon still delivers (just a little slower) and has e-book options, audible is a good choice to listen to books on audio (and in this crisis time, some stories are being offered FREE – click here https://stories.audible.com/start-listen for more).  Also, the Granite City public libary aka Six Mile Regional Library District is allowing you to sign up for library cards online for FREE too.  While the physical buildings are currently closed, you can check out e-books for FREE through the library. Click Here: https://www.smrld.org/connect/get-a-library-card/  to find out how. Escape the endless news cycle and the boredom of being trapped at home by diving into a good book or finding a new research “rabbit-hole.”

Can’t wait to see what you read next.  Please let me know if you have questions or need anything.

-Mrs. C = )

Rhetoric & Comp – Friday, March 20th

Nothing new today – just reminders about what should be going on. (SWICs courses are officially online the rest of the semester, so make no mistake we still have things to accomplish).

  • No weekend plans?  Make some time to read – about 20 minutes per day.
  • Also start thinking about topics you might like to explore for your multi-genre paper.  We’ll be putting these to paper next week & sharing them.
  • If you didn’t read “Crafting Narrative” or take a look at the multi-genre example papers, give that a go (some of my videos were accidentally set to “hidden” so they weren’t visible to you.  Check out the Flipgrid (code rcmg20) to watch them & look at the posts from the last couple of days to check them out in more detail.
  • Enjoy the great booktalks already posted and add yours to Flipgrid.
  • And finalize that Hamlet paper if you haven’t already.

PLEASE take a look at these papers so you are not confused as to what multi-genre can be, how it can look, and where you might take it.  This thinking will help you as you begin to develop your own topic possibilities. *Note that these papers do not specifically fit your criteria (they are just about getting a feel for multi-genre).

DEADLINES FROM PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENTS:

Rhetoric & Comp:  Hamlet group papers no later than Sun. 3/22 (do some final copyedit, finish up the gaps in research, whatever…get me those awesome papers.  Also, note that this would be a great time to catch up your memory book shorts if you haven’t been writing them.  You already have those handouts (basic assignment on the course syllabus and chapters listed on the memory book paperwork).

Rhetoric & Comp – Thursday, March 19th

First and foremost, take care of yourselves.  Note that social distancing means staying home (mostly) and not really interacting in person, face to face, with friends.  I don’t like to be the person to say it, but this is NOT Spring Break.  If you have questions, concerns, or comments, be sure to send me an email and I’ll see how I can help.

  1. Indie read (Yep, again.  Make this a 15 to 20 minute – or more – part of your routine.)
  2. Quickwrite/Notebook: #32 – do the last set of inventory questions.  You can answer them right on the page (or if you missed on Monday, find them here QW interest prompt DAY3 as PDF)
  3. Today, we are going to read an excerpt from Tom Romano’s book Fearless Writing – Chapter 17: Crafting Narrative. (If you missed the handout of this chapter on Monday, find it here Crafting Narrative – Romano.  If you’d like to read along (or listen instead, audio-book style), go to Flipgrid & use flipcode rcmg20 to find the grid for distance learning and listen to me read the chapter there (you’ll find it in the MG Overview topic).
  4. Check out more example papers*.  You can look by yourself at the PDF here: SchaeferFINALMG PryorFINALMG HutsonFINALMG OR  You can watch the screencast video where I talk you through what’s going on in the paper also on the Flipgrid.  Check them out!

PLEASE take a look at these papers so you are not confused as to what multi-genre can be, how it can look, and where you might take it.  This thinking will help you as you begin to develop your own topic possibilities. *Note that these papers do not specifically fit your criteria (they are just about getting a feel for multi-genre).

DEADLINES FROM PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENTS:

Rhetoric & Comp:  Hamlet group papers no later than Sun. 3/22 (do some final copyedit, finish up the gaps in research, whatever…get me those awesome papers.  Also, note that this would be a great time to catch up your memory book shorts if you haven’t been writing them.  You already have those handouts (basic assignment on the course syllabus and chapters listed on the memory book paperwork).