So what is this pattern? Subject - verb transitive - direct object - object complement adjective, or S-Vt-DO-OCA. After learning about object complement nouns last week, the students took to OCAs like ducks to water. :) Your EEL guide demonstrates clearly and simply that an OCA is an adjective that follows and describes a direct object. During class, we completed Tasks 1 through 6 for the sample S-Vt-DO-OCA sentence, "The artist painted his canvas green." Most of the students seemed to understand and be able to contribute to our completion of the task sheet. It's encouraging to see the fruits of learning, so I hope you are seeing them, too.
Depending on your student's level, you can decide where best to invest your time at home this week. Opportunities abound! The lesson in your EEL guides includes an adjectives review and touches again on verb anatomy. I managed to squeeze in the simple and perfect forms today (finally...) and will (hopefully) get to progressive and perfect progressive next Tuesday. Remember, though, that the verb anatomy is advanced material. First-year students and parents need not stress there.
Upon student request for a creative writing assignment, I decided to revise our IEW schedule on your syllabus that I handed out in August. Instead of writing about the Constitution, we are going to complete Lesson 25, which is an essay written from a prompt. We will devote two weeks to this essay, prompted by the First Amendment guaranteeing religious freedom, about how our families practice faith. The lesson itself is easily comprehended, but I want to explain three different options for completing it, basically a Level A, Level B and Level C.
- Level A: Students may write one paragraph, the format of which is in your photocopied lesson. Two weeks is ample time to complete one paragraph, so take your time and enjoy the process of outlining, writing, revising and polishing.
- Level C: Students may write five paragraphs -- an introductory graph, three topic graphs, and a concluding graph. This format is also laid out in detail in your photocopied lesson. As to a schedule, I'd recommend outlining and writing your three body paragraphs this week. Then outline and write your intro and concluding graphs early next week. Finally, use Friday and Monday of next week to revise and polish all five paragraphs. (Just a note: Pages 107-110 teach these two outer graphs very well.)
- Level B: Students may write three topic paragraphs, plus an introductory statement and a final clincher. I will demonstrate an introductory statement and final clincher during class next week, but for those who have the book, they are introduced in the IEW Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons on page 49. The American history book we are using this year does not include this option, but I'll show you next week! Families who choose this option can spread the outlining and writing of the three graphs out over the two-week span.
Now, as to which level each student should tackle, you as the parent have that choice. My suggestions follow: All students enrolling in Challenge A next year should write a five-paragraph essay. Second-year or more advanced students should write three paragraphs, and first-year students or families whose time is tight these next two weeks should write a single graph. Regardless of the level you choose, please check your student's outlines before the rough draft process begins. You may even need to go through the outlines with them to insure they are using the provided questions to "prompt" the right kind of information for their outlines. They don't have to answer every question exhaustively by any means, but the questions should be used as tools to help pull information from their brains!
Finally, their Declaration of Independence and Preamble reports really impressed me these past two weeks. Fantastic efforts should be applauded!
See you next week. Please call or email with questions.
Erin
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