Reading maketh a full man . . . . . Speaking maketh a ready man . . . . . Writing maketh an exact man.

~~Sir Francis Bacon

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Due: Friday, November 15, 2013 (no FI & RD Saint)

This week our assignment is:

A ROUGH DRAFT ONLY
1 paragraph essay on your saint.

Each person has been assigned a particular saint. And! I have included a link for each saint . . . . this should make your research much easier!  ;-)
Remember . . . . one paragraph. You will have to choose what to include in your essay and what to leave out.
1) Read your source(s)
2) Choose the parts you want to include
3) KWO the info you want to re-write to include in your essay
4) Write your Rough Draft(s)

Bring your Rough Draft to class.  We will read these in class. I will offer helpful hints to help you with your finished essay. It is to your advantage to turn in a RD that is close to "finished."
Include your KWO
Include your checklist -- with your work-in-progress.

THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR YOUR FINAL COPY (due November 22)
Required Dress-Ups:
ww
ly
b/c
www.asia
SV
QA

Required Openers:
#1
#2
#3
#5
#6



Extra Credit "DECs":
MET
SIM
ALLIT

Vocab = extra credit
No Banned Words
No Contractions

NO FIX ITs or newVOCAB this week!

ANNIE       St. Robert of Newminster
TARYN       St. Elizabeth of Hungary
SOPHIA      St. Margaret of Scotland
LAURA       St. Clare
ERIN           St Francis of Assisi
AVA             St. Lawrence O'Toole
PABLO        St. Anthony of Padua
MEGAN      St. Bernard of Clairvaux
BRADEN    St. Louis of France
TERESA     St. Albert the Great
JOSE           St. William of Bourges
JEREL         St. Thomas Becket
JACKSON   St. Albert the Great

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Due Friday, November 1, 2013 (FI#9 & Letter)

We will meet @ 10:00 on my class conference line. Dial in at 10:00am. Do NOT
go to St. Simon & Jude this Friday. 
No SS&J ~~~>

Essay Assignment:
Write a letter to a loved one, preferably to someone you care about greatly.
Choose someone who would especially appreciate a letter from you.
Suggestions in my classes include:
1) "My brother in Afghanistan"
2) "My Godparent in Ohio"
3) "My Grandmother"

• KWO first! Jot down reminders of what you want to share.
• Include RD and Checklist and KWO with finished essay/letter (PLEASE STAPLE THESE TOGETHER)
• Minimum 2 paragraphs
Include at least one of each dress-up and each opener (#2, #3, and #6)  in each paragraph. Start a new paragraph when you switch topics. Make sure each paragraph has at least 6 to 7 sentences minimum.

I will let you decide if you want to mail these letters after the essays (letters) are graded. I really hope you will save a copy without the bolding, underlining, etc., so that you can mail to your loved one. Better yet, hand-write the one you are actually going to send.

Here is an example of what KWOs could include:

Weather
    Sweaters here Sunday
     Rain on Mon
     Roses happy 7Bloomed!
     Dogs loving it
     Fido outside lots
TY 4 sweater (still use!)
       liked zigzag embroidery
       People compliment
       Never want 2 outgrow
Funny thing class
     Teacher crazy!
      Acted like train
      Little Engine book
      Writing getting better
       A's on papers
       Share w/ U soon
Sister's school picture
       Silly smile
       Blinked eyes
       Teacher laughed
       Re-taking next week
Football game w/ neighbors
       Parents against kids
       P' better than expected!
       I caught pass
       Sister made touchdown
        ids won
Thanksgiving plans
         Can U come?
          Miss you
          @ least Skype
Homily @ Mass good 1!
         Priest told joke
         Gospel from Luke
         I understood & liked
         Had 2 explain 2 brother
         Included fav Bible verse
         Reading next Sun.'s B4 Mass
         Easier to follow
Learning to kayak
         Fell in twice
         Water not deep
         Dad took picture
         Will post on FB
         Practiced again yesterday
         River pretty & clam
         Heron, Fish, Dragonflies

Monday, October 21, 2013

Due Friday, October 25, 2013 (FI#8 & Ind Qs)

Answer the question you chose or obtained by a trade . . . . .

Homework:

1) Essay Details:
One paragraph minimum

Include all Dress-ups, and Openers #2, #3, and #6 in EACH paragraph

Be sure to "indicate" properly

Vocabulary words - properly used and indicated = extra credit

Alliteration (3 in a row) - properly used and indicated = extra credit

Include your KWO & a rough draft & checklist

No banned words or contractions

Do not use dialogue (or, use at your own risk)

2) Fix It #8

3) Vocabulary Words 



Saturday, October 12, 2013

Due Friday, October 18, 2013 (FI#7 & Add 3 Openers)



1) Essay Assignment:
Add 3 openers to your Nursery Rhyme Essay . . . .
a #2, #3, and #6 
• Make any changes that we talked about in class . . . no banned words, indicate only what is required, add vocab if you want to.
• Remember to INDICATE
PROPERLY
• Remember that all required DRESS-UPs and these three OPENERS should be in each paragraph 
#2 -- Prepositional opener (AKA: prep opener)
#3 -- ly opener (AKA: adverbial opener)
#6 -- vss 
2) NO KWO for this assignment 
3) NO Rough Draft for this assignment
4) YES  CHECKLIST -- Please include a checklist
5) YES Fix It #7
6) YES Vocabulary Words

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Due Friday, October 11, 2013 (FI#6 & Nursery Rhyme)

Assignment Details: 
Staple these first four things together:
1) Nursery Rhyme Essay
2) KWO
3) Rough Draft
4) Checklist

5) Fix It #6
6) Vocabulary Words


HEAD'S UP! Vocabulary Test on Friday, October 11, 2013

I have sent an email to every family with 4 attachments.
1) Tom Sawyer Fix Its (a pdf file)
Parents, this will allow you to stay on top of upcoming FIX ITs and vocab. Move ahead or review, as you deem appropriate. THIS week’s FIX IT is “week 6.” I just like to refer to it as #6 because the “weeks” do not correspond to our co-op weeks. 
2) Formatting I advise you to print this and place it in the appropriate place in your student’s 3-ring binder.
3) Indicators with examples I advise you to print this and place it in the appropriate place in your student’s 3-ring binder.
4) Checklist Print multiple copies. Students are now required to submit one with each essay.

REMINDER: Vocabulary Test on Friday, October 11, 2013

Essay Assignment: Nursery Rhymes with a Twist
Start with a nursery rhyme, (KWO it)
Let your imagination run wild!
Who, What, When, Where, How  . . . . and, Why?
 . . . . . remember, you can ask yourself these Qs many more than once.

Elaborate and re-create  (KWO it) . . . . . Your essay should tell us a version of the nursery rhyme we never would have guessed. You may decide to tell it from a different perspective.

• Include one of each dress-up (properly indicated) in every paragraph. 1 paragraph minimum.
ww,  -ly,  b/c,  QA,  SV

• No banned words*
• No contractions
• Avoid dialogue as much as possible.
• Highlight vocabulary words

Each paragraph must have at least 10 sentences
____________________________________________

REMINDER: Vocabulary Test on Friday, October 11, 2013
Parents, I have included a copy of ALL the nursery rhymes for your reading pleasure!  
Each student has been given a different nursery rhyme.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the waterspout.
Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain,
And the Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the spout again.


Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away
       `

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn;
Where is that boy who looks after the sheep?
Under the haystack fast asleep.


Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.[


Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his ears cut short, and his tail cut long,
Oh where, oh where can he be?


Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And she shall have music wherever she goes.


Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.


Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
And down he’d run,
Hickory, dickory, dock.


Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And doesn't know where to find them;
Leave them alone, And they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.


Little Jack Horner sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum,
And said, “What a good boy am I!”


Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old;
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot, nine days old.


Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.


Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.


Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone;
When she came there, the cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

BANNED WORDS
These words (and any form of these words) are banned:


eat/ate
come/came
give/gave
get/got
go/went
say/said
see/saw
big
pretty/nice
look
like

Friday, September 27, 2013

Due Friday, October 4, 2013 (FI#5 & Parent Choice)

Dear Class and Parents,

The assigned homework is to write your essay (as many paragraphs as you want) based on your parent’s suggested source(s). 
Introduction and conclusion paragraphs are not required yet. 

EVERY paragraph must contain EVERY required dress-up.
 
WRITE YOUR KWO FIRST. Use it as a guide. I understand that your finished essay will probably elaborate on, deviate from and/or expand on your original KWO.
Always start with a KWO.

Parents, you might want to suggest a topic based on your child’s current curriculum.
This is a perfect opportunity for you to integrate YOUR home-school curriculum with your IEW assignment.  :-) 

In EACH paragraph you should include and properly indicate:

one -ly word
one who/which clause
one because clause
a quality adjective
a strong verb


Remember, NO BANNED WORDS
BANNED WORDS:
come/came 
get/got
eat/ate
go/went/gone
pretty/nice
say/said
see/
look
like
 . . . or any other form of these words
Properly used and indicated vocabulary words = 1 point extra credit

Use proper formatting! Remember, there are points deducted for incorrect heading, title, and/or formatting.

I hope you will transfer the techniques you learn in this class to your other subjects!  It will be fun to hear the variety of topics that will be presented.

_________________________________________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FIX-ITs and VOCAB (#5)Starting this week, students will no longer be underlining the subject/verb. Instead, they will underline some dress-ups.
 

Dress-ups are simply additional words added to the sentence to dress it up and make it more
interesting. See the Appendix pages A-1 to 2 for more information.
 

The two dress-ups you will need to underline are the quality adjective and the “-ly”
adverb
.
 

Quality Adjective
Test for an adjective: The ___________ pen
It must be a quality adjective, which is one that adds a strong image or feeling.
 

“-ly” Adverb
An –ly adverb ends in -ly and is usually near a verb or an adjective.
To be an adverb, it will answer questions like “when?” “where?” “why?” “how?”
“in what way?” “how much?” and “to what extent?” 


Editing Checklist
**Vocabulary: Find the bolded vocabulary word. Look it up in a dictionary, and then write the definition that best fits the context.

**Indent? Decide if each passage needs to be indented. Ask yourself, “Is it a new
topic, a new scene/time, or a new person speaking?” If yes, indent.


**Homophones: Correct faulty homophones, which are words that have the same sound but different spelling and meaning.

** Underline Dress-ups: 
Learn to find
~~> the “-ly” adverb dress-up
~~> quality adjective dress-up (must be quality!)


** Rewrite the passage in your notebook. Be sure to double-space. Have your parents and/or teacher check and correct your work if necessary. 
_________________________________________________________________ 

FIX-ITs and VOCAB (#5)
On this bright Saturday morning Tom felt prodigiously afflicted because Aunt
Polly had sternly ordered him too whitewash the fence.


Presently Ben Rogers ambled buy. He taunted Tom. “Poor chap, two bad you
cain’t come a-swimmin’ with me on such a hot day since you gotta work.”


“Why, ain’t a boy in a hundred gets too whitewash an illustrious fence like this
one,” Tom proudly announced two Ben.


Enthusiastically Ben offered too barter his shiny red apple in exchange four a
turn two whitewash.


_________________________________________________________________

EXTRA HELP  
More tricky homophones to watch for:
 

for/four 
by/buy
your/you're
 

for/four
Sally bought four candy bars. four = 4 
She bought them for Bobby. (not the number)

by/buy
I will walk by the fence. by = position
I will buy lots of candy. buy = to purchase
 

your/you’re
Those are your candy bars. your = possessive
You’re a nice person. you’re = you are 

Friday, September 20, 2013

Due Friday, September 27, 2013 (FI#4 & Time, Space, Events, of Space)

Reminder: Mrs.Cotham's Literature Assignment is also due.

Dear Class,
What did you think of the communication game we played?  Feel free to try it at home with your parents and siblings. Isn't it interesting how our words might mean something else to the recipient?  I hope you understand how important it is to speak and write clearly for understanding!  Always proofread your papers with this in mind.

Your homework is to write one chronological paragraph using transition words that will distinguish time, steps, events, or space.  You may write about your favorite day, an event in history, a visual space (like your closet or room, the Grand Canyon!), or a sequential story.


Remember to include and indicate:
  • a who/which clause
  • an "ly word" (adverb)
  • a because clause
  • a quality adjective
  • a strong verb
Remember to indicate these "dress-ups" with bolding and an underline in your paragraph.  I will also be looking for transition words, so please use appropriate terms for your topic (time words, location/space words, etc.).


FIX IT #4
Name over due date (9-27-13)  on the top right.  Determine if it is necessary to indent. Some of the passages this week contain more than one sentence. If so, be sure to find the subject/verb in each sentence. Look for those faulty homophones. Be sure to "Fix It." 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIX-IT #4 due Friday, September 27, 2013

Vexed, Aunt Polly tried a different line of questioning. “Well, then, you busted the stitches on your collar, hmm?”


Phew! Tom was safe. His shirt collar was sewn securely.


Then Tom’s cousin Sidney chimed in. “Well, now, if I didn’t think you sewed his collar with white thread, but it’s black.


“Why, I did sew it with white! Tom!” In a flash Tom was out the kitchen door muttering two himself, “I wish to geeminy she’d stick too one or t’other!”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reminders:
  • FIX-ITs -  hand-write on notebook paper, neatly and legibly. Write in paragraph form (this shows paragraph changes in the text).
  •  VOCABULARY WORDS - Along with your weekly submission of vocabulary words and their definitions, I strongly suggest that you begin a Word document with an accumulative and alphabetized list of vocab words. Refresh your notebook with an updated alphabetized list regularly. Sorting alphabetically can be done online at: SortMyList.com Our vocabulary list grows quickly and the open-book tests are sometimes unannounced. 
  • ESSAYS - check your formatting (especially font size, proper use of headers and footers, and spacing in your title block). 
  • KWOs and Rough Drafts - must be staples to the BACK of your essays.
  • Checklists will be required next time.
  • Be sure to use proper formatting. 
  • You have one week to turn in late vocab, KWOs, FIX-ITs and checklists for half credit 
  • There is a 10 points deduction per week for late essays.



HELPFUL REMINDERS for the first 4 FIX-IT assignments



Vocabulary: Find the bolded vocabulary word. Look it up in a dictionary, and then write the definition that best fits the context.
Indent? Decide if each passage needs to be indented. Ask yourself, “Is it a new topic, a new scene/time, or a new person speaking?” If yes, indent.
Underline the subject and double underline the verb.

Homophones: Beginning in week 3, correct faulty homophones, which are words that have the same sound but different spelling and meaning.
(Advanced students) Identify the #1 subject opener. This is for advanced students who already know their dress-ups. Starting in week 2, mark subject openers by placing a (1) in front of the sentence.





Some tricky homophones to watch for:

to, two, too

Sally went to the store. to = "

Sally bought two cases of candy. two = 2

Bobby said, “I want to go too!” too = also, besides

Sally and Bobby ate too much. too = to an excessive degree

Friday, September 13, 2013

Due Friday, September 20, 2013 (FI#3 & Aesop Fable)

Remember, we will meet from 10:00 to 12:00 at St. Simon and Jude's next week. (Friday, September 20, 2013) 

Dear Students and Parents,
I enjoyed listening to you read your essays in class. I think we have a talented group of writers in our 2013- 2014 IEW class! I am expecting great work from each and every one of you.  


Your 7 assignments: 
DUE September 27, 2013 
1) Literature: long paragraph 

DUE September 20, 2013
2) Final Essay: Re-write one of the four Aesop’s Fables (@ the bottom). 

Remember to include the two “dress-ups” that we discussed:  a who/which clause and an “ly”word (adverb). Properly "indicate" them. They should be bolded and underlined.
If you include vocabulary words, remember to highlight them in blue.


3) KWO
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS do your KWO first. Then try to "re-write" your essay without using the original fable.  Hand-write your KWO on a separate piece of paper that has your name and due date on the top right. 
Staple your KWO to your essay as the last page.

4) Rough Draft
Using just your KWO, compose the rough draft of your essay. Many teachers and parents call this the sloppy copy. 
After you write the rough draft, ask someone older and wiser to read it and help you edit. You may write more than one, or two, or even (gasp!) three rough drafts . . . . that is great, awesome, and AOK!! Each new draft will include improvements.
Staple @ least one rough draft of your Aesop Fable to your final essay and KWO.


Artist:
5) KWO for The Statue of Liberty paragraph which was handed out in class. You may write it directly on the hand-out. Be sure that your name and due date are written on the top right part your KWO paper.
If, by any chance, you have misplaced your hand-out, text me to request an e-copy. I diligently try to get back to questions via text within 24 hours. 
832 766 2172.


6) Four Vocabulary words: 
Define, name the part of speech, and write a sentence that uses the word correctly.
Hand-write this on a separate piece of paper that has your name and due date on the top right.


7) Fix It #3
Name over due date (9-20-13)  on the top right.  Determine if it is necessary to indent. Be sure to underline subjects and verbs appropriately.
This week you will find your first faulty homophone. Be sure to "Fix It."

~~> A homophone is a word that sounds like another word but may be spelled differently (for example: sail & sale).
Also, if you see both conversation and an attribution, be sure to identify the subject/verb in both of them. 
~~> An attribution tells you who said the words in the quotes. “I love you,”said Mom.
“I love you” is the quote; “said Mom” is the attribution.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“That Tom will play hooky from school today,” she thought too herself.

During supper Aunt Polly questioned Tom in a roundabout way.
 

“The heat must ‘a’ been overpowering in school today, hmm, Tom? Maybe you wanted a swim?”
  

Suddenly wary, Tom replied coolly, “No’m, but we dunked our heads under the pump, Auntie.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember, we will meet from 10:00 to 12:00 at St. Simon and Jude's next week. (September 20, 2013)

~~> If you have questions about formatting, please refer to the Essay Format Requirements.
~~> If you have questions about how to properly indicate this week’s two required dress-ups, please refer to the Required Indicator Examples.
~~> If you have questions about the FIX-ITs please refer to the FIX-IT Help

Here are the Aesops Fables. Choose one.
  
The Goose With the Golden Eggs      
     One day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played upon him.  But he took it home on second thoughts, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon became rich by selling his eggs.   As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find nothing.  

The moral of the story: Greed oft o'er reaches itself. 

The Dove and the Ant     
     One day Ant, walked to a nearby river to get a drink. Alas, he fell in and was carried along in the stream. A Dove, taking pity on Ant, threw into the river a small bough. The Ant gratefully climbed onto the bough and floated to the shore. The next day the Ant spotted a man with a fowling-piece. The hunter was aiming at the Dove. Ant stung him in the foot sharply, and made him miss his aim, and so saved the Dove's life. 

The moral of the story: Little friends may prove great friends. 

The Four Oxen and the Lion   
     A Lion used to prowl about a field in which Four Oxen used to dwell. Many a time he tried to attack them; but whenever he came near they turned their tails to one another, so that whichever way he approached them he was met by the horns of one of them. At last, however, they fell a-quarrelling among themselves, and each went off to pasture alone in a separate corner of the field. Then the Lion attacked them one by one and soon made an end of all four.    

The moral of the story: United we stand, divided we fall.

The Ant and the Grasshopper    

      In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content.  An Ant passed by, carrying an ear of corn that he was taking to his family's hill. It was very heavy for the tiny ant but he did not give up even as he huffed, and puffed, and strained under the weight of it. The Grasshopper asked him to stop and play instead of toiling, moiling, and working all day. But the little ant explained that he was laying up food for the winter and recommended the grasshopper do the same. The Grasshopper thought it too much bother to plan for the winter because he saw the food growing in lush abundance all around him. Without a care about the winter, the grasshopper continued to play. Industriously, the Ant went on his way and continued his toil.  When the winter came, the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.  Then the Grasshopper understood. 
   
The moral of the story: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.




Information for Mrs. Cortez 
Correlation to 2011-2012 Lesson Plan: The Goose with Golden Eggs
Correlation to 2012-2013 Lesson Plan: The Effects of Vanity

Monday, August 19, 2013

Due Friday, September 13, 2013 (FI#1,2 & U. Airplanes, Rafflesia or Mother Tongue)

Your homework is due on Friday, September 13. 
There are 4 assignments that need to be submitted:

1)  KEY WORD OUTLINE  (KWO)
Your key word outline should be handwritten on a lined piece of notebook paper and stapled to the back of your essay. It must be properly headed with your name and due date on the upper right lines. Remember, only 3 words per sentence. Numbers and symbols are free. They do not count as part of the 3 word limit per sentence.

2) ESSAY
Your one-paragraph essay is also due.  Essays must be typed and your  KWO must be stapled to it. Proper formatting is extremely important.   ESSAY FORMAT REQUIREMENTS may be found on the side bar of our website.

Essays should simply re-tell one of the following:
The Stinking Giant (Rafflesia)
•  Ultralight Airplanes  (younger students) or  
Mother Tongue (high school or younger students who want a challenge)
The original source paragraphs are included at the bottom. Your essay may have a different number of sentences than the source paragraphs but the content should reflect the source paragraph.  

Using ONLY your key word outline, re-tell the paragraph in your own words. 

3) FIX-IT
Another aspect of your homework is the FIX-IT.  Students should hand write the sentences on lined paper. Read the directions carefully and remember to include proper heading - name and due date on the upper two lines of the paper on the right side.

4) VOCABULARY
Define the bolded words from the weekly FIX-IT assignment on a separate sheet with proper heading and bring to class.  Students will be tested intermittently throughout the year on these words.  If the student uses the vocabulary words correctly in his essay  and indicates it with a blue highlight,he will receive one extra point per word on his score. In order to receive extra credit, vocabulary words must be used correctly and highlighted with light blue in the essay.  


Please be aware that we will sometimes practice timed writing in class with writing prompts for SAT and H.S. application preparation. It is very important for the students to be accustomed to writing an essay in a timed setting even if these tests are not in your student's immediate future. 
If you have questions, please feel free to call, text or send an email. Texting is usually the fastest way to contact me. Mrs. Peggy Cortez 832 766 2172


Tom Sawyer . . . . FIX-ITs

Week 1    There are no mistakes to fix in week 1.
Focus on when to indent. Read about when to indent below.
Underline subjects once and verbs twice.  The subject is who or what the sentence is about, and the verb is what the subject is doing or being. The vocabulary words are bolded.

Tom’s perplexed Aunt Polly punched under the bed with the broom.
She resurrected
a cat—but not a boy—from under the bed.
Secretly in the closet Tom gobbled
up a sticky jam sandwich.
He burst
out of the closet, but not fast enough.

Week 2     Remember that helping verbs need to be underlined twice along with the main verb.

Aunt Polly seized her mischievous nephew by his collar.
“I might ‘a’ guessed your foolery, Tom!”
In a shrill tone Tom yelled, “My! Look behind you, Aunt Polly!”
Aunt Polly reeled around, and Tom fled.

                                         Helping Verbs (all 23 of them!)
may,  might,  must,  be,  being,  been,  am,  are,  is,  was,  were,  do,  does,  did,  should,  could,  would,  have,  had,  has,  will, can,  shall

Indentation
In nonfiction, body paragraphs are organized by topic ideas.
In fiction, especially with dialogue, the rules are more ambiguous, with different authorities citing different rules. Most, however, accept these basic guidelines. If the paragraphs are very short, you might not need
a new paragraph for Rule 2 but should start one for a new speaker (Rule 1).

Rule 1. Begin a new paragraph each time a new person speaks.
Rule 2. Begin a new paragraph to indicate a change of topic, a change of place, or a lapse of time.

NOTE: If a character’s speech continues into the next Fix-It, the passage will end with “quotation continues.” Do not close the first passage with quotation marks. Continue writing where you left off the next week, using close quotation marks only at the end of the character’s speech.


ESSAY SOURCE PARAGRAPH CHOICES:
 

Ultralight Airplanes  (recommended for Younger Students - 7 sentences to outline)
      An ultralight airplane is very different from a conventional airplane. It looks like a lawn chair with wings and weighs no more than 254 pounds. It can fly up to 60 miles an hour and carries about 5 gallons of fuel. Most ultralights are sold as kits and take about 40 hours to assemble. Some models now have parachutes attached, while others have parachute packs which pilots can wear. Flying an ultralight is so easy that a pilot with no experience can fly one. Accidents are rarely fatal or even serious because the ultralight lands so slowly and gently and carries so little fuel. 

The Stinking Giant  (recommended for Younger Students - 7 sentences to outline) 

     The rafflesia is the biggest flower in the world. Its bloom can be three feet wide. It takes two years to form and stays open for a week. Unlike other flowers, it has no stem or leaves. It grows on the root of another plant. You do not want to get too close to this giant flower, though, because its big blossom gives off a big stink! Some people think that it smells like rotting meat. Because of the awful smell, the rafflesia is also called a "corpse flower" or a "stinking lilly."


Mother Tongue  (recommended for Older Students - 10 sentences to outline)
      First language, also known as mother tongue, is generally the language a person learns first.  However, it is possible to have two or more native languages thus being a native bilingual or indeed multilingual. The order in which these languages are learned does not necessarily predict proficiency.  In fact, incomplete first language skills often make learning other languages difficult. Children learn the basics of their first language or languages from their family. The term mother tongue, however, should not be interpreted to mean that it is the language of one's mother. Many first generation Americans have a different mother tongue than their parents. Also, in some paternal societies, the wife moves in with the husband and thus may have a different first language or dialect than the local language of the husband. Yet their children usually only speak their local language. This is a trend that might be changing because being multilingual is a valuable skill.