Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Lit Circle #4 and Narrative 1st Draft

1. Ben Opening Moment

2. Ms. Peterson's class interviews us- 10 minutes

3. Reading Response Protocol #4: play around with the six-word memoir

4. Review what makes a good college essay 

5. Common app: new prompts! Pick one and start writing

Thursday, October 10, 2013

What Makes a Good College Essay?


  • Having an anecdote or a story
  • Having an engaging writing voice
  • Organization
  • Don't be pretentious
  • Don't use cliches
  • Being humble
  • Including some of your interests
  • Try to make it clever and different from everyone else's
  • Word choice should sound natural- don't overuse big words but don't be too simple
  • Have a focus in the beginning
  • Try to make it funny or fun to read
  • Be interested in what the school has to offer
  • Be yourself

What Makes a Good College Essay?

1. Opening moment: Paul

2. This American Life: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/504/how-i-got-into-college

3. Review these 6 pieces of advice from The Huffington Post on how to write a great essay:   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-hansen-shaevitz/the-best-advice-i-have-fo_b_3644712.html

4. Sample College Essays: 
http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays/#essay1

What makes these essays work?


HW: Profile Final Draft and Draft Letter and Reading Response #4

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Personality Profile Revisions

Goals and Agenda for Today:

  • Answer the question of how images can be a metaphor for the different facets of journalism
  • Share career profiles
  • Choose one profile to revise to second draft
1. Chanler Opening Moment

2. Reading Response #3: Journalism as Metaphor

3. Peer Review Career Profiles

4. Choose one profile to revise

Journalism as Metaphor



Sometimes an interview might be awkward but it isn't impossible.

When doing an interview you start off by asking small little questions that break the surface. Then you get into the "big picture" which is the big open ended question that sparks a good interview question. The big interview question is the lit up house and the lights leading to the house are the "scratch the surface" questions. 

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Career Profile

Goals and agenda for today:
  • Discuss personality profile assessment
  • Begin drafting career profile
1. Spencer opening moment

2. Personality profile- writing tips, grading, writing time
Personality Profile Assessment

HW: Reading Response #3 and Career Profile 1st Draft

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Silent Conversation and Writer's Workshop

1. Opening Moment: Quinn

2. Go to this link and then answer the following question on your blog: Do schools provide students with enough opportunities to be creative?

Comment on two other people's posts

3. Share first draft of "Favorite Mistake"

4. Work on interview questions/reading/revising

HW: Interviews due next class and revise "Favorite Mistake"