Writing/Reading Fridays

Miss Sprecher - Sauk Prairie High School

Home
2007-08 School Calendar
American Literature
Adventures of Huck Finn
Bell Schedule
Bonus Point Sheets
Book Reports
Brain Boosters
Brochure Unit
Budgeting and Expenses
Career Research
Classroom Expectations
Classroom/Teacher Evaluation
Compare/Contrast Writing
Contact Me
Dance Pages
Daily Warm-Ups
Demonstration Speaking
Descriptive Writing
Educator Information
English 9
English 10
ESL Resources
Essay Assignments
Grading Scale
Great Links
Internet Reliability
Internet Searching
James Fenimore Cooper
Japan Presentation
Job Hunting Strategies
Job Interviewing
Julius Caesar
Learning About Myself
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Life Choices
Listening
Meet Your Teacher
Memo Writing
MLA Documentation
Narrative Writing
Native American Literature
Of Mice and Men
On the Job English
OTJ Portfolio
Persuasive Writing
Poetry
Puzzle Making Web Sites
Radio Plays
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Reader's Theater
Research Paper
Resumes & Cover Letters
Shakespeare
Shakespeare's Language
Short Story Unit
Speaking and Speeches
Spelling
Team Building Activities
The Test
Vocabulary
War of the Worlds
Weekly Grammar Sheets
Writing Letters
Writing Process
Writing/Reading Fridays

Every other Friday during Semester One will be designated as a Writing/Reading Friday. Students will be given a topic/style of writing and they have the entire hour to complete the assignment. Should a student finish early, they are to be reading quietly until the hour is complete. The writing is graded as follows:

2 Pages: 25 points ( A page is considered
one side of a sheet of paper)
1 1/2 Pages: 20 points
1 Page: 15 points
1/2 Page: 5 points

Topics:

September 14:
Wisconsin needs a superhero. Develop a superhero for Wisconsin giving him an appropriate name, a nemesis, and a situation. You can use either description or dialogue to progress your story. Make sure that you develop the character: let us know his personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Be creative and have fun!

September 28:
Joel, a 12-year-old boy, says, "When you meet a stranger, you can usually tell if they're a good person or a bad one. And if you're good to people, they'll treat you well in return. So if a stranger asks me for help, I'll usually help them if I think they're okay." Do you agree with Joel? Why or why not?

October 19:
Friday the 13th is widely known as an unlucky day. Create a character and write about his/her events of the day: from waking to going to bed. Remember to use descriptive word choice, vary sentence lengths, and correct paragraph construction.

November 2:
Students complain about having too much homework. Do you think this is true? Do your teachers assign too much homework, or do they not give you enough for you to learn the subjects? Write a letter to the principal of your school to convince her/him that either teachers give you too much or not enough homework. Remember to be respectful, take responsibility, and argue your points rationally and reasonably.

November 16:
We have all had an embarrassing moment. A time where we just wanted to run away and hide. What is an embarrassing moment that you have had? Narrate this moment using descriptive language... Remember to show, not tell.

December 7:
Some people think that they can learn better by themselves that with a teacher. Others think it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons. It is not acceptable to say that you don't want a teacher because you don't like school!

December 20:
Describe a Christmas memory. This needs to be narrowed down to a specific moment or event. Describe all the sights, sounds, smells, sensations, and tastes. This could be a time where you are baking cookies or decorating the tree. It could be a party or opening gifts on Christmas morning. It does not necessarily need to be a happy memory.

January 11
Describe your New Year's Eve. Make sure to narrow down to just a few hours. Describe sights, sounds, scents, etc. We should be able to draw a mental picture of the scene. If you went to bed early (like me). then you can make up a description. If you went to a party and were naughty, try to clean it up for the writing! :)

Semester Two

February 8:

You have just won the Wisconsin State Lottery - Power Ball Jackpot for 58 million dollars. After taxes, you get to take home 30 million. Yes, the government takes that much! Now, what are you going to do? What will you buy? Where will you go? Will you take your English teacher with you, why or why not?

March 7:

Fairy tales have happy endings. We all know what happened in the mushy fairy tale, Cinderella. Yeah, it's romantic, the prince actually finding Cinderella. They live happily ever after. Well, happy endings can be boring. No zip, no zing, no pizzazz. Summarize the story of Cinderella and write your own ending. What if the shoe actually fit one of the step sisters? What happens then? Use your imagination. Be funny, serious, or in the style of Alfred Hitchcock if you like. Will you keep it a romance or make it a thriller?

March 20:

Occasionally, students in elementary school are allowed to advance to the next grade even though they have not successfully completed the lower grade. Advocates of “ social promotion” think that keeping a child in a grade for longer than a year hurts his or her development and self-esteem. Write an essay stating your opinion on this issue, making sure to support your opinion with convincing reasons.

One of the many highlights of last week's Superbowl was the commercials. Advertisers spent $2.7 million dollars for a 30 second advertisement. It is also said that commercials we enjoy don't sell the product. We remember slogans like "Built Ford Tough;" however, if a commercial is too fun, we remember the commercial but not the product. Think of a commercial that you have enjoyed. Describe that commercial in detail. Then explain if this is a good commercial...does it make you want to buy the product? Why or why not?

A movie director is looking for teens to act in a horror movie in Sauk Prairie. Think of yourself and all the teens you know. Who would you choose to act in this movie? Think why you would choose this person. Write a letter to convince the movie director of your choice.

March
Write a reflection on this quarter. What have you learned? What was covered that you enjoyed? What didn't you like so well? How do you feel that this should go?

Hit Counter

Last Updated: 04/10/2008 11:36 AM