1. Monday, 7 March, 2016
Today we will be working towards finishing up our AR Reading Goals for the 3rd Nine Weeks! First, open Harmony and look over this 9 weeks assignments. If you have any concerns about your grade or missing assignments, we will conference today! All missing work will be due by Friday! Then, assemble all reading supplies—AR log and book—and begin reading immediately. I will send small groups for library visits, as needed.

2. Tuesday, 8 March, 2016
This week we will be working on refining and retuning our grammar skills while we brush up on some important punctuation and sentence matters. Download today’s note sheet from Class Readings/Downloads, titled “Colons and Semicolons” (msbeamish.weebly.com).

3. What is a colon?
When a colon (:) is used, it shows that the words which follow it are an explanation, example, or list of what has been written before it.
For example:
A cheeseburger is usually made up of four layers:
the bottom half of the bun, the burger, the cheese, some salad and the top half of the bun.
Photo © Andrjuss, Shutterstock.com

4. Where do we put colons?
A colon should be placed after a complete sentence.
It can be followed by lots of words or just a few words that may, or may not be in a complete sentence. For example:
There is only one thing I have to say to you: you are a pig!
I don’t know what to do with my money: spend or save?
complete sentence
not a complete sentence
Photo: © 2009 Jupiterimages Corporation
Colons are placed directly after the last word of the main idea and they are followed by one space only. They are never followed by either a hyphen (-) or a dash (–).

5. Where do we put colons?
A colon can also be used in certain conventional situations.
Use a colon between the hour and minute, between chapter and verse in Biblical references, between titles and subtitles, and after the salutation of a business letter.
12:47 p.m.
Genesis 1:4—12
The Restful Hour: Treatment in Literary England
To Whom It May Concern:
Photo: © 2009 Jupiterimages Corporation

6. Caution with Colons
Space once between a colon and the next word, when the colon is used between words. Do not space between numerals and a colon when a colon is used to mark time or ratios.

7. Where should the colons go?
Chris had two thoughts about the movie long and boring.
There are so many things we could do go to the movies, go skating, go bowling, or just stay in and watch Netflix.
He said he would be home by 530 p.m.
Her parents overcame adversity They had grown up in poverty, traveled across an ocean, and started a business from scratch.
There was only one verdict for the jury guilty as charged.
The fire destroyed many things in the house the furniture, the carpets, and the curtains.
The environment is facing a huge threat global warming.
The daily newspaper contains four sections news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads.

8. Where should the colons go?
Chris had two thoughts about the movie: long and boring.
There are so many things we could do: go to the movies, go skating, go bowling, or just stay in and watch Netflix.
He said he would be home by 5:30 p.m.
Her parents overcame adversity: They had grown up in poverty, traveled across an ocean, and started a business from scratch.
There was only one verdict for the jury: guilty as charged.
The fire destroyed many things in the house: the furniture, the carpets, and the curtains.
The environment is facing a huge threat: global warming.
The daily newspaper contains four sections: news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads.

9. What is a semicolon?
A semicolon (;) joins two main clauses (complete sentences) into one longer sentence.
It is used to join clauses that are too closely related to be separated by a full stop. Semicolons can replace conjunctions (remember F.A.N.B.O.Y.S.)
Eating chocolate in moderation is fine; eating chocolate to excess is bad.
The semicolon joins the statements about chocolate into one sentence which acts like a warning: eating a little chocolate is okay but beware of eating too much. The second clause is directly related to the first clause.
Photo © Olga Kushcheva, Shutterstock.com

10. What is a semicolon?
A semicolon (;) joins two main clauses (complete sentences) into one longer sentence.
You can also team up a semicolon with a transition to connect two complete sentences that are close in meaning.
My father does not approve of his mother cruising around town on a Harley motorcycle; however, Grandma has never cared what anyone thinks.
Photo © Olga Kushcheva, Shutterstock.com
The semicolon joins the two related statements into one sentence with a conjunctive adverb as a transition. This shows the connection between the second clause to the first clause.

11. What is a semicolon?
A semicolon (;) joins two main clauses (complete sentences) into one longer sentence.
Finally, use the semicolon to avoid confusion when you have complicated lists of items.
On a Harley motorcycle, my grandmother and her poodle have traveled to Anchorage, Alaska; San Francisco, California; and Tijuana, Mexico.
Photo © Olga Kushcheva, Shutterstock.com
The semicolon joins the two related statements into one sentence with a conjunctive adverb as a transition. This shows the connection between the second clause to the first clause.

12. Reminders about Semicolon Use
Keep these three things in mind when you use a semicolon:
The two main clauses that the semicolon joins should be closely related in meaning.
Don't capitalize the word that follows the semicolon unless that word is a proper noun, one that is always capitalized.
Limit your use of semicolons; you should not scatter them and overuse them throughout your writing. Semicolons are like party hats; save them for special occasions.

13. Put it all together!
Using colons, semicolons, commas, and periods – fill in the blanks with the correct punctuation.
It was and eerie night __ dark __ cold__ and misty__ A dog howled somewhere on the hillside __ breaking the stillness __ I felt scared __ I shivered __ I walked slowly towards the castle __ its bulk dominated the hilltop __ After a few minutes of walking __ I began to feel warmer __ I approached the castle __ it looked gothic and uninviting __ I began looking for an entrance but suddenly I froze __ someone was behind me…

14. Punctuating sentences

15. Punctuation Practice
With a partner, complete the following practice assignment and use your notes as a guide if you get stuck. Homework: Colons/Semicolons Assignment—if not finished in class.

16. Wednesday, 9 March, 2016
Download today’s note sheet from Class Readings/Downloads, titled “Hyphens, dashes, ellipsis, and more…” (msbeamish.weebly.com).

17. Hyphen - A hyphen is used to
Join words together that form a compound adjective placed before a noun.
I have one sixteen-year-old student.
Michael Jackson had a very high-profile court case.
Write out numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.
Seventy-five students turned in an essay.
Show a word break at the end of a line.
Only break between syllables. Ex: stu-dent
Divide words between syllables or between prefixes/suffixes and their base word.
Por-tu-gal (between syllables)
Tire-less (between base and suffix)

18. Practice: My ex wife took our children to see that movie already.
My great grandmother is turning eighty five today.
I cannot wait to visit the all inclusive resort that has everything I’ve ever wanted to do!
The child got very wide eyed when their favorite hero passed by during the parade.
5. Two thirds of teens do not get their full serving of fruits and vegetables in a day.

19. Practice: My ex-wife took our children to see that movie already.
My great-grandmother is turning eighty-five today.
I cannot wait to visit the all-inclusive resort that has everything I’ve ever wanted to do!
The child got very wide-eyed when their favorite hero passed by during the parade.
5. Two-thirds of teens do not get their full serving of fruits and vegetables in a day.

20. When using ellipses, leave a space before and after each period.
Use ellipses to indicate that info has been left out or omitted in a quotation.
Original Passage: I knew that the places I wanted to go on vacation, such as Hawaii or Jamaica, I couldn’t afford. -Ms. Pickett
Ms. Pickett told us, “I knew that the places I wanted to go on vacation I couldn’t afford.”
When using ellipses, leave a space before and after each period.
To omit words are the end of a sentence within quotation marks. Keep the sentence’s end punctuation and follow it with 3 spaced ellipsis points.
- Original Passage: The longest structure ever built is the Great Wall, which was constructed by hand.
The author writes, “The longest structure ever built is the Great Wall ”

21. Parenthesis ( )
Use parenthesis to set off extra information that is not essential or of major importance.
My dog’s favorite toy (a stuffed alligator) is lying out in the yard.
You should generally avoid using parenthesis in academic and formal writing.

22. Dashes —
Use a dash to indicate and abrupt break, set off words for emphasis, or to indicate a pause.
The final exam—worth 15% of your final grade—will be next Thursday.
“Don’t you think that cleaning up will be—” Carmen began, and then she paused to reconsider.
Use a dash to indicate namely, that is, or in other words, or to otherwise introduce an explanation.
Brushes, cans of paint, dropcloths, and scrapers—these are the tools of my trade!
A dash is created by hitting the hyphen key twice.
Do not put extra space around a dash.

23. Practice:
Dishes, laundry, dusting they’re all done now, and I need a rest.
This is very important are you listening to me?
After eighty years of dreaming, the elderly man realized it was time to finally revisit the land of his youth Ireland.
Nettie her chin held high walked out into the storm.
5. The fairgrounds cold and wet in the October rain were deserted.

24. Practice Check:
Dishes, laundry, dusting—they’re all done now, and I need a rest.
This is very important—are you listening to me?
After eighty years of dreaming, the elderly man realized it was time to finally revisit the land of his youth—Ireland.
Nettie—her chin held high—walked out into the storm.
5. The fairgrounds—cold and wet—in the October rain were deserted.

25. Brackets []
Use brackets to enclose an explanation within quoted or parenthetical material.
Dr. Thomas writes, “We found it [the serving bowl] after only two days of digging.”
The bracketed information should not be information that was a part of the original quote.

26. Punctuation Practice
With your table group, complete the following practice assignment and use your notes as a guide if you get stuck. Homework: Punctuation Practice Assignment #2—if not finished in class.

27. Thursday, 10 March, 2016
Download today’s note sheet from Class Readings/Downloads, titled “Sentence Structure Review” (msbeamish.weebly.com). Today we will do a quick review of our sentence structure. We will practice a bit and finish with a review game that pulls it all together—everything we know about SENTENCES! 

28. The Four Sentence Structures
INDEPENDENT
CLAUSES
DEPENDENT
Simple 1
Compound
2 or more
Complex
1 or more
Compound-Complex
What is a clause?
Group of words with a subject & verb. It ,may or may not have a complete thought
Independent
Subject
Verb
COMPLETE THOUGHT
Basic Elements of a Sentence
Dependent
Not a COMPLETE THOUGHT
Will introduce with subordinating conjunctions (since, if, because, when…) OR relative pronouns (whom, which, that, whose…)
subject
predicate

29. It’s so easy, it’s a piece of cake!
Simple Sentence Definition:
1 Independent Clause
Subject + predicate
Example:
I like to play softball.
“It’s a cakewalk!!!”

30. Compound Sentence Definition: 2 (or more) Independent Clauses
Subject + Predicate Punct. Subject + predicate
Independent clauses are connected by coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs or a semi-colon.
Example:
I went to the game early, but I forgot my wallet.
Think of a compound word…basketball!

31. What’s the subordinating conjunction in the dependent clause?
Complex Sentences
Definition: 1 independent clause + 1 dependent clause (at least) linked together with a subordinating conjunction
Example: When I go home from school, (Dep) I like to ride my four wheeler. (Ind)
A complex sentence has at least two parts: one that can stand alone and another one that cannot
What’s the subordinating conjunction in the dependent clause?
When

32. COMPLEX SENTENCE: SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
The most common subordinating conjunctions are "after," "although," "as," "because," "before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," though," "till," "until," "when," "where," "whether,” and while."

33. Compound -Complex Sentences
Definition: 2 independent clauses (at least) + 1 dependent clause (at least)
Example: I enjoy listening to music, and I just bought a new CD since my grandma gave me money for my birthday.
This type of sentence has more than one part that can stand alone, and at least one that cannot.
Conjunctions link the different parts of this sentence.

34. Practice!
Since we wanted to have fun, my friend and I went to San Juan yesterday, and we danced all night.
Bridget ran the first part of the race, and Tara biked the second part.
The bell rang.
Mike is popular because he is good looking, but he is not very happy.
Maria is nice even though she is bullied.
The skier turned and jumped
He stands at the bottom of the cliff while the climber moves up the rock.
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.

35. Practice!
Since we wanted to have fun, my friend and I went to San Juan yesterday, and we danced all night. (compound-complex)
Bridget ran the first part of the race, and Tara biked the second part. (compound)
The bell rang. (simple)
Mike is popular because he is good looking, but he is not very happy. (compound-complex)
Maria is nice even though she is bullied. (complex)
The skier turned and jumped (simple)
He stands at the bottom of the cliff while the climber moves up the rock. (complex)
Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich. (compound)

36. Are you ready for LAW & ORDER
SSU
Sentence Structure Unit
On our “sentence knowing” skills!
Only justice is served…

37. This is… THE GREAT ELA GAMES DAY (Grammar Edition)
Friday, 11 March 2016
Today we PRACTICE our grammar skills through PLAY! Using all of the skills we know we will break down, build and structure, and apply our knowledge through a series of games and stations!
This is… THE GREAT ELA GAMES DAY (Grammar Edition)