Day 36

Mission 1 - Rough Drafts DUE 3 December; Final Drafts DUE 10 December

• Peer Editing
• Essays have been shared with you in your gmail inbox. Evaluate them for the following:
• Is the hook interesting?
• Does the connecting information clearly bridge between the hook and thesis?
• Is the thesis a clear opinion in favor of or against the topic?
• Does each body paragraph have a topic sentence?
• Does each body paragraph have information that clearly supports the writer's thesis?
• Is the counterargument truly opposite of the writer's thesis?
• Is there support for the counterargument?
• Does the refutation clearly shoot down the counterargument?
• Is the refutation supported?
• Does the writer restate the thesis in the conclusion?
• Does the writer summarize his main points in the conclusion?
• Does the writer give a recommendation or prediction in the conclusion?
• Is the recommendation or prediction supported?
• In addition to the questions above, remember to point out any obvious spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or grammar errors.

Mission 2

• Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Thursday, 3 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 Better Way to Farm?

For those of you who would like to get ahead:

The following are the upcoming Achieve 3000 assignments:

• Ancient Greece and Rome: Losing History
• Empty Nests
• Ancient Middle East: Will This Pyramid Draw Crowds?
• Pluto: Full of Surprises
• Ancient Greece and Rome: Look What They Found
• Letting Girls Learn
• Medieval Europe: English Princess Found?
• TBD
• A Desert Run
• Did Weather Change History?
• Breaking Balloon Records

Also, on 13 December you will automatically have to complete an interim Level Set on Achieve3000. Completion of this Level Set will result in a score of 100%. Failure to complete this Level Set will result in a score of 0% and will block you from completing future Achieve3000 lessons.

Day 35

Mission 1 - Due by the end of class today
NOTE: As I am in a meeting this morning (W5-205, if you need me for anything), your attendance will be based on your completion of Mission 1. If you do not complete this paragraph by 10:00am today, you will be marked absent.

• Compose your Refutation paragraph (see p. 173 for guidance).
• This must include 
• a clear counterargument (what the other side says - the opposite opinion)
• at least one reason why they believe this
• a clear refutation of the counterargument (why are they wrong - shoot them down!)
• at least one reason why your side is right

Mission 2 - Due by 8:59am on Tuesday

• Compose your Conclusion paragraph.

Mission 3

• Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Tuesday, 1 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 Real Rembrandt

Day 34

Mission 1 - DUE by the end of class

• Compose Body Paragraph 2.

Mission 2 - DUE by 8:59am on Sunday, 29 November

• Compose Body Paragraph 3

Mission 3

• Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Sunday, 29 November. 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.
• Water Worries
• Earliest Peoples: Saving the Paintings

NOTE: The site will be unavailable on Saturday, November 28th, from approximately 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. EST (That's 5-8am Kuwait time) while they do some important system upgrades.

Day 33

Mission 1

• Create a new Google Doc titled with your ID number, essay 3, draft 1
• example: 12345Essay3Draft1

Mission 2 - DUE by the end of class

• Compose your Introduction

Mission 3 - DUE by 8:59am on Thursday, 26 November

• Compose Body Paragraph 1

Mission 4

• Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Thursday, 26 November. 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.
• Sun Power

Day 32

Mission 1

• Thesis Statements Test

Mission 2

• Topic choices for Argument Essay

Mission 3

• Create your outline on a new Google Doc and share it with me (bruce.p@gust.edu.kw).
• Be sure to include:
• a thesis statement with a clear opinion in favor of or against your topic.
• topic sentences for each of the three body paragraphs.
• a counterargument.
• a clear refutation.
• a complete conclusion with:
• restatement of thesis,
• summary of main points,
• opinion/suggestion/prediction.

Mission 4

• Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Tuesday, 24 November. 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.
• What's Behind This Door?

The following students must see me today during office hours:

• Fahad Al-Dousari
• Hassan Al-Sayegh
• Mohammad Al-Qenaei
• Assel Qasem
• Abdullaziz Ben Farah
• Saud Al-Ajmi
• Saleh Al-Ruhaimani
• Abdullah Al-Jazzaf

Day 31

Mission 1

• Read "Strong Counterargument and Refutation Statements for Argument Essays" in Great Writing p. 173 and complete Activity 7

Mission 2

• Read "Transitions and Connectors in Argument Essays" in Great Writing p. 174 and complete Activity 8

Mission 3

• Complete Unit 7 Activities 9 and 10

Mission 4 

• Complete the following Achieve 3000 assignments by 8:59am on Sunday, 22 November. NOTE: From this point forward in the semester, 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.
• Try, Try Again
• Reaching High...Again

Test on Sunday

• On Sunday, we will have a test on thesis statements. This test will include 
• multiple-choice questions 
• you will need to identify the type of thesis statement 
• process
• cause/effect
• argumentative
• short answer questions 
• you will write thesis statements based on a prompts
• identification 
• you will be given at least one introduction and will need to identify the topic and thesis statement

ACCUPLACER Practice

Day 30

Mission 1

• Complete Unit 7 Activity 3 "Studying an Example Argument Essay"

Mission 2

• Complete the outline on Great Writing p. 171

Mission 3

• Read Great Writing p. 172 and complete Activity 6

NOTE: If the following Achieve 3000 assignments are not completed by 11:59PM on Thursday, 19 November 2015, the current grade of zero will remain a zero and you will not be able to make up these assignments. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ACHIEVE 3000 IS 20% OF YOUR GRADE IN THIS COURSE!

• Rainforests: A Gift on Earth
• Once, They Fished
• New Rules for Restaurants

Day 29

NOTE: If the following Achieve 3000 assignments are not completed by 11:59PM on Tuesday, 17 November 2015, the current grade of zero will remain a zero and you will not be able to make up these assignments. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ACHIEVE 3000 IS 20% OF YOUR GRADE IN THIS COURSE!

• An Old Story Told a New Way
• Getting Reading to Live on Mars
• Too Many Climbers?
• Butterflies on the Rise
• Tracking Gray Whales
• Okapis Say "Cheese"
• Dawn Reaches Dwarf Planet
• Visiting a Volcano
• Birds Welcome Here
• The Only Place to Study

Mission 1

• Complete Unit 6 Activity 13 "Editing an Essay: Review of Grammar"

Mission 2

• Read "What is an Argument Essay?" in Great Writing pp. 162-163 and "How Is an Argument Essay Organized?" p. 163

Mission 3

• Read "Great Topics for Argument Essays" in Great Writing p. 164 and complete Unit 7 Activity 1

Mission 4

• URGENT: Please click on this link for information and a survey about our final examination!

Day 28

REMINDER: There are 10 Achieve 3000 assignments that MUST be completed by 11:59pm this evening. Any of these ten that are still incomplete after this evening will become permanent zeros (0) in the grade book, with no opportunity to make them up. See Wednesday's blog to check which 10 must be complete.

Mission 1

• Read p. 149 "Consistent Verb Tense Usage."

Mission 2

• Complete Activity 11, p. 150.

Mission 3

• Read "Sentence Fragments" p. 150.

Mission 4

• Complete Activity 12

Mission 5

• Complete Achieve 3000 "A Last Look at Amelia Earhart" and "School on Snowy Days"

Day 27

NOTE: If the following Achieve 3000 assignments are not completed by 11:59PM on Thursday, 12 November 2015, the current grade of zero will remain a zero and you will not be able to make up these assignments. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ACHIEVE 3000 IS 20% OF YOUR GRADE IN THIS COURSE!

• Stronger Than Steel?
• Problems by the Sea
• How Much for a Glass of Water?
• Blue Bottle Coffee a Hit in Japan
• The Magic of Model Airplanes
• Hawaii's Early Settlers
• Save the Rhinos?
• Bright Colors, Bright Ideas
• Saving the Land
• Look Who's Tweeting

Today's Mission

• You will complete your Writing Midterm and submit it to Turnitin by 10:00am today.

Day 26

Mission 1

• Reading Midterm
• Please make sure that you fill in the bubble COMPLETELY.
• 

Mission 2 (DUE by 8:59am Tuesday)

• Achieve 3000 "A Pink Lizard and a Striped Fish"
• NOTE: The site will be unavailable on Saturday, November 14th, from approximately 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. EST (this is from approximately 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. in Kuwait) while they do some important system upgrades.

REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR LAPTOP AND CHARGER ON TUESDAY FOR THE WRITING MIDTERM!!

Day 25

Mission 1

• Use the class time to brainstorm, outline, and compose your first practice In-Class Essay.
• Prompts
• Use Google Docs to compose your essay
• Title your essay with your ID, then In-ClassPractice3
• ex: 12345In-ClassPractice4

Mission 2

• Before you leave class, even if you are not finished, submit your practice to Turnitin.
• If you do not already have an account, you must create one.
• Use your regular email to set up your account.
• Class number: 10909703
• Class password: bruce100
• To submit
1. Click on the class name
2. Click on "In-Class Practice 3"
3. Click on the blue Submit button
4. Under Submission Title, type the name of your essay
1. 12345In-ClassPractice3
5. Click "Choose from Google Drive"
6. Select your essay
1. For help finding your essay, type the name of the essay in the search box

Mission 3 (DUE by 8:59am on Sunday)

• Achieve 3000 "Once, They Fished" & "New Rules for Restaurants"

Day 24

Mission 1

• Use the class time to brainstorm, outline, and compose your first practice In-Class Essay.
• Prompts
• Use Google Docs to compose your essay
• Title your essay with your ID, then In-ClassPractice2
• ex: 12345In-ClassPractice2

Mission 2

• Before you leave class, even if you are not finished, submit your practice to Turnitin.
• If you do not already have an account, you must create one.
• Use your regular email to set up your account.
• Class number: 10909703
• Class password: bruce100
• To submit
1. Click on the class name
2. Click on "In-Class Practice 2"
3. Click on the blue Submit button
4. Under Submission Title, type the name of your essay
1. 12345In-ClassPractice2
5. Click "Choose from Google Drive"
6. Select your essay
1. For help finding your essay, type the name of the essay in the search box

Mission 3 (DUE by 8:59am on Tuesday)

• Achieve 3000 "Rainforests: A Gift on Earth"