Monday, December 21, 2015

Day 45

REMINDER: Our final exam is on Saturday, 26 December 

from 4-6pm in room N3-202. Please arrive at least 10 

minutes early. You do not need anything except yourself (no 

laptops, pencils, etc).

Mission 1
  • Read "Building Better Sentences" pp. 237-238
Mission 2 - Complete for HOMEWORK (DUE by 8:59am on 24 December)

Mission 3
TIPS for the essay portion of the Accuplacer:
  • Write more than 600 words. Yes, it says between 300-600 words, but there is a direct correlation (relationship) between essays that receive high scores and essays that have more than 600 words.
  • Do not use the <TAB> button to indent your paragraphs. 
  • Skip a space between your paragraphs by pressing <ENTER> twice.
  • Make sure that you have a thesis statement with a clear opinion.
    • Good opinion words include:
      • should/shouldn't
      • ought to/ought not to
      • need to
      • must
      • best
      • most important
      • ...
How your essay will be scored:
  • Your essay will be given a holistic score that represents how clearly and effectively you expressed your position. 
  • The following six characteristics of writing will be considered: 
    • Purpose and Focus – The extent to which you present information in a unified and coherent manner, clearly addressing the issue. (In other words, does everything make sense together?)
    • Organization and Structure – The extent to which you order and connect ideas. (Do you use transitions? Is there good "flow" from idea to idea?)
    • Development and Support – The extent to which you develop and support ideas. (Do you explain and expand your ideas using details and examples?)
    • Sentence Variety and Style – The extent to which you craft sentences and paragraphs demonstrating control of vocabulary, voice and structure. (Do you use academic vocabulary correctly? Do you use active voice? Are the words in your sentences written in the correct order?)
    • Mechanical Conventions – The extent to which you express ideas using Standard Written English. (Is your grammar correct?)
    • Critical Thinking – The extent to which you communicate a point of view and demonstrate reasoned relationships among ideas. (Do you give an opinion? Is it well-supported with strong examples?)

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Day 44

Mission 1
Mission 2
  • NOTE: We have "caught up" with the Achieve 3000 articles. This means that the most recent article, "Did Weather Change History" and our last article "Breaking Balloon Records" are not yet unlocked. Please complete these last two article assignments as follows:
    • Did Weather Change History? - opens on 21/12; DUE by 22/12 at 8:59am
    • Breaking Balloon Records - opens on 23/12; DUE by 24/12 at 8:59am
Mission 3
  • Go to Kahoot!
  • Put in the code Ms. Bruce puts on the board.
  • For your nickname, put your student ID (without GUST00).
NOTE: To practice Kahoot! quizzes at home, you need to create a Kahoot! account (it's free). 
  1. Go to getkahoot.com and click "Sign up for free!"
  2. When asked "What's your role?" choose "I'm a student over 16"
  3. In the "School or University" box, put "Gulf University for Science and Technology"
  4. Choose your Username (I suggest your ID), email (I suggest your gmail), and password (put it in a safe place)
  5. Click "Create Account"
  6. Once your account is created, you can search for Kahoots by title, subject, tag, or username. All of my Kahoots are listed under the username MissBruce, so if you type MissBruce in the search bar, you'll be able to find the four Kahoots I made for Accuplacer practice.
REMINDER: Our final exam is on Saturday, 26 December from 4-6pm in room N3-202. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early. You do not need anything except yourself (no laptops, pencils, etc).

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Day 43

Mission 1
Mission 2
  • Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Sunday, 20 December. REMINDER: As of Sunday, 22 November, NO LATE WORK will be accepted on ANY Achieve 3000 assignments. In other words, if you miss this deadline, you will receive a zero (0) and you will NOT be permitted to make it up.
    • A Desert Run
    • Did Weather Change History?
Mission 3
  • Kahoot!
  • Put in the code Ms. Bruce puts on the board.
  • For your nickname, put your student ID (without GUST00).
  • Between today and exam day, you can practice here.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Day 42

Mission 1
  • Review "What is a Run-on?" p. 220
Mission 2
Mission 3
  • Review "What Is a Comma Splice?" p. 222
Mission 4
Mission 5
Mission 6
  • Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Thursday, 17 December. REMINDER: As of Sunday, 22 November, NO LATE WORK will be accepted on ANY Achieve 3000 assignments. In other words, if you miss this deadline, you will receive a zero (0) and you will NOT be permitted to make it up.
    • A New First in Flight
Mission 7
  • Go to Kahoot!
  • Put in the code Ms. Bruce puts on the board.
  • For your nickname, put your student ID (without GUST00).
  • Between today and exam day, you can practice here.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Day 41

Mission 1
Mission 2
  • Read "Prepositional Phrases" p. 216
Mission 3
Mission 4
Mission 5 - COMPLETE FOR HOMEWORK - DUE by 8:59am on Tuesday, 15 December.
  • Complete BWH Activities 14 & 16-18
Mission 6
  • Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Tuesday, 15 December. REMINDER: As of Sunday, 22 November, NO LATE WORK will be accepted on ANY Achieve 3000 assignments. In other words, if you miss this deadline, you will receive a zero (0) and you will NOT be permitted to make it up.
    • Medieval Europe: English Princess Found?
Mission 7
  • Go to Kahoot!
  • Put in the code Ms. Bruce puts on the board.
  • For your nickname, put your student ID (without GUST00).
  • Between today and exam day, you can practice here.

An Opportunity...

  • You may choose ONE (1) of your essays to resubmit. A resubmission is the same as a revision - you will take the same essay and improve it (make it better). A resubmission is not a completely new essay.
  • You have until the beginning of class (8:59am) on Sunday, 20 December to improve your essay (JUST ONE OF THEM!).
  • You must print a physical copy of your resubmission and hand it to me at the start of class. 
    • If you do not have a physical copy, you have missed this opportunity. 
      • DO NOT come to me at the beginning of class and ask to go print it. The answer is "No." 
      • DO NOT tell me that you forgot. 
      • DO NOT ask for more time. The answer is "No."
  • Once I receive all resubmissions (again, just ONE essay from each student; while it is optional to resubmit, it is not optional to resubmit more than one essay), I will score the resubmissions and record the higher of the two scores (either the original or the resubmission).

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Day 40

REMINDER: All Argument Essays are DUE by 11:59pm TONIGHT
Mission 1
  • Review "Sentence Type 2: Compound Sentences" p. 212
  • What are Coordinating Conjunctions?
Mission 2
Mission 3
  • Review "Sentence Type 3: Complex Sentences" pp. 213-214
  • What is the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause?
Mission 4
  • Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Sunday, 13 December. REMINDER: As of Sunday, 22 November, NO LATE WORK will be accepted on ANY Achieve 3000 assignments. In other words, if you miss this deadline, you will receive a zero (0) and you will NOT be permitted to make it up.
    • Ancient Greece and Rome: Look What They Found
    • Letting Girls Learn
Mission 6
  • Go to Kahoot!
  • Put in the code Ms. Bruce puts on the board.
  • For your nickname, put your student ID (without GUST00).
  • Between today and exam day, you can practice here.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Day 39

Mission 1
  • Read "Sentence Types" p. 209
Mission 2
  • Read "Clauses," "Independent Clauses," and "Dependent Clauses" pp. 209-210
Mission 4
  • Read "Sentence Type 1: Simple Sentences" p. 211
Mission 6
Mission 7
  • Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Thursday, 10 December. REMINDER: As of Sunday, 22 November, NO LATE WORK will be accepted on ANY Achieve 3000 assignments. In other words, if you miss this deadline, you will receive a zero (0) and you will NOT be permitted to make it up.
    • Pluto: Full of Surprises
Kahoot!
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