Bellringer Capitalization: 1. "jana and i made indian fry bread to sell at birk elementary school's bake sale last march," said brad. Punctuation: Punctuate these types of sentences: 2. A. She encountered a wild boar while walking (declarative sentence) B. Where is Tombstone (interrogative sentence) C. Take this, please (imperative sentence) D. Your sculpture won first place in the art contest (exclamatory sentence) Parts of Speech: Pronouns - Circle the correct pronoun: 3. Tugging hard on the rope, Craig exclaimed, " (We, Us) kids don't have a chance!" Parts of Speech: Nouns - Write "A" if the noun is abstract and "C" if the noun is concrete: 4. A. _____ puppet C._____ pasta E. ______ pride B. _____ peach D._____ purity F. ______ perch Sentence Combining: 5. An inky cap is a type of mushroom. It emits an inky fluid after maturing.

Bellringer Answers 1. "Jana and I made Indian fry bread to sell at Birk Elementary School's bake sale last March," said Brad. 2. A. She encountered a wild boar while walking. B. Where is Tombstone? C. Take this, please. D. Your sculpture won first place in the art contest! 3. We 4. Concrete: A, C,F; Abstract: B,D,E 5. An inky cap is a type of mushroom that emits an inky fluid after maturing.

Announcements “SSR”- Silent Sustained Reading will occur EVERY Tuesday and Thursday during your 4 th period class. You are required to have a NOVEL, not picture book. Bring a book to read; It is NOT optional. You are required to turn in at least 1 “Reading Log” sheet every week for a daily grade. It must be written in complete sentences. Friday (1/8/16) – Unit 3 Test

Homework Complete “Sir Isaac Newton and Lebron James” article; Due Friday (1/8/2016). You must: – Read the article. – Write a summary sentence every 3 paragraphs. – Answer questions with textual evidence. – Open ended questions need to be answered in complete sentences.

Objective SWBAT define and compose strong thesis statements.

Attention Grabber In writing, it is important to grab your reader's attention toward the beginning of a writing piece. This is known as a hook. You can use "attention grabbers" such as: – Rhetorical questions – Interesting facts – Quotes – Descriptions – Personal Experiences/Dialogue/Anecdote

Example Prompt Prompt: What characteristics make a good actor? Think of several television and/or film performances you have seen. The write an essay discussing the features of good acting.  Rhetorical question: What is the true definition of “good” acting?  Interesting fact: In actuality, numerous citizens aspire to be actors, but very few of them make it to the “big screen”.  Quote: Nicholas Cage, a famous actor once stated, “To be a good actor you have to be something like a criminal, to be willing to break the rules to strive for something new.” I agree with this quote because…  Description: A good actor possess qualities such as being diligent, hard-working, being believable, and a commitment to performing to the best of their ability.  Personal Experience: When I participated in a play in 2 nd grade, I prepared by memorizing my lines and rehearsing constantly. Truly great actors do the exact same thing to make themselves successful.

Short and Sweet So What Arguable Direction A Thesis Statement “Packs a Punch”

1. DIRECTION-- is a road map; shows where you are going 2. ARGUABLE--makes a claim that others might dispute/disagree with 3. SO WHAT?--tells the reader the significance of your opinion/idea 4. SHORT AND SWEET-is usually a single sentence Elements of a Thesis Statement that “Packs a Punch”

1. DIRECTION-- is a road map; shows where you are going 2. ARGUABLE--makes a claim that others might dispute/disagree with 3. SO WHAT?--tells the reader the significance of your opinion/idea 4. SHORT AND SWEET-is usually a single sentence Using the list above, 1st: Label the words/ phrases in each example that illustrate proper use of the elements above. 2nd: Identify which elements are missing. EXAMPLE 1: Eating fast food is bad and should be avoided. EXAMPLE 2: Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food because the fast food diet leads to preventable and expensive health issues. Strong Thesis Statements?

Model Expository Essay With a partner, read the model expository essay. On notebook paper, rewrite the thesis statement to make sure it contains all 4 elements of a strong thesis statement. DO NOT WRITE ON THE MODEL ESSAYS. THEY ARE CLASS SETS!

Possible Improved Thesis Statements Although education is not equally important to everyone, dropping out of school can negatively impact your future. Choosing to attend and graduate high school provides opportunities such as a path to a better future, learned maturity, and social activities.

Practice For each of the prompts below, write an attention grabber and a strong thesis statement that contains all 4 elements. You may work with a partner. – Write an essay describing techniques for helping others resolve conflicts. – Friendships are important to students. Write an expository essay describing your definition of friendship. – How does evidence of life in places other than Earth affect your philosophy of life? Write an expository essay describing your ideas and feelings about this development.

Brainstorming READ the following quote. "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.“ ~ Mark Twain THINK carefully about the following statement. Reading is the most important skill a person can learn. People who are able to read well are much more likely to be successful than people who can not. WRITE an essay explaining why reading is such an important skill to develop.