Magnolia Writing 1

2019-2020

Homework and Links

March 3

• Finish your videos. Share them with a family member or friend, get feedback, and revise accordingly.

• Finish reading The Knowledge of the Holy.

• Complete the Gratitude and Compliments log. You don’t have to do it for each day of the week- just so you get 7 days in before next class.

• Begin work on Sincere, Specific Encouragement Due April 7.

• Decide which project you would like to do for your final paper. Begin work if you would like.

• Vocabulary (Sorry for so many at once. Just so you have them all done by the second to last week of class, I will be happy): Omnipotence, Immutability, Finite, transcendence, sovereignty, omniscience, transformational, reverence, awe.

February 25

• Finish your script for the video. You can begin working on your video.

• Read more of The Knowledge of the Holy. Chapters 21-23 are assigned, but go at your pace. You have time.

• I handed out the final assignment. You don’t have to begin now, but it gives you an idea.

February 18

• Read Gratitude and the Brain

• Keep reading Tozer. Your target is to be finished by March 24 (after spring break).

• Begin to write out the story you would like to make a short video about:

  • Recall a time in which God revealed some aspect of His character to you. Tell about the experience. OR

  • Recall an experience after which your life was never the same. Tell about the experience. (If you take this option, be sure to tell what you learned about God in the process.

• Try two poems (any kind). Express something in your poems about the experience you are going to share about in your video. Be sure to:

  • Use Personification at least once

  • Use Alliteration at least once

  • Use Assonance at least once

  • Use Consonance at least once

February 11

• Using the feedback you received in class, write your final draft of your essay.

• Read chapters 14-16 of Tozer. (If you are behind, no worries. You have plenty of time to catch up reading slower for understanding).

• Think about what story you would like to make a short video about:

  • Recall a time in which God revealed some aspect of His character to you. Tell about the experience. OR

  • Recall an experience after which your life was never the same. Tell about the experience. (If you take this option, be sure to tell what you learned about God in the process.

February 4

• Write out the entire essay. Be sure you:

  • Use strong verbs, descriptive adjectives…avoid banned words (everything we’ve practiced so far)

  • Use at least 2 quotes in the writing and cite it with MLA with a works cited page at the end.

  • Avoid “I,” “we,” and “you”

  • Are writing a persuasive essay.

• Read Chapters 10-13 of The Knowledge of the Holy.

January 28

• Create a strong thesis statement for your essay. Complete your outline. Make sure it is following a persuasive approach. This usually means explaining the different approaches, noting the one you’d like them to take last. For example:

  • Paragraph 2: Paint a picture of what the fixed mindset looks like in someone’s life. What does it look like for someone with no grit but only lonely suffering? Why might someone choose this? What might be the outcome of their lives?

  • Paragraph 3: Paint a picture of the life of one with grit, the growth mindset, and healthy lament. Why might someone choose this approach? How do they think? What might be the outcome of their lives?

  • Paragraph 4: Persuade them to desire grit and show it is within reach. Explain how developing grit is attainable

• Need another outline? Here you go!

• Read Chapters 7-9 of The Knowledge of the Holy.

• Vocabulary: lament, awry, empirical

January 21

• Complete an outline of your persuasive essay. You are picturing a friend going through a hard time. You will write an academic essay that could be used to persuade readers (such as your friend) to value the trials of life and develop grit. Finish the outline. Begin writing 2 paragraphs of your rough draft (any 2 you want).

• Read Chapters 3-6 of The Knowledge of the Holy

• Vocabulary: verge, coddled, anguish

January 14

• Plan and write a 3-paragraph essay based on the notes you took from:

  • Source A: Duckworth

  • Source B: Growth Mindset

  • Source C

• Write definitions and sentences of your 3 vocabulary words

• Read Chapter 2 of The Knowledge of the Holy and do the additional work for that chapter. (If it’s too much, just read the chapter and do the additional work later).

December 10

• This week: Read the Preface of The Knowledge of the Holy (part of linked additional work- see note last week) and do the The Knowledge of the Holy Additional Work for the Preface.

• Over break: Read Chapter 1 of The Knowledge of the Holy and do the The Knowledge of the Holy Additional Work for Chapter 1.

• Please turn in next week: Polished Piece for Spring Program

December 3, 2019

• Polish your favorite writing piece from this semester.

• Prepare to take the test

• Bring your completed notebook to class next week.

• Here is the document for the Knowledge of the Holy in case you want to get a head start. If you don’t have the book yet, don’t worry. The preface through Chapter 2 are included in this. You can also find the rest free online.

• If you want, there was an item on the scope and sequence that applies to what we discussed today. It is not homework, but it is likely something you are thinking about and doing anyway:

  Brainstorm people around you with a real need (physical, emotional, or spiritual). Consider a gift that you could give anonymously that could help meet that need. Do it with gratitude, in the power of God, and for His glory, storing up treasure in heaven.

November 12, 2019 Snow Day

• Read through Unit 5 in our binder called Writing from Pictures (pp33-40).

• Try writing from pictures. Use the three pictures in order to write a 3-paragraph story from these.

November 5, 2019

This week, we talked about small things to improve on your Charles Mulli stories. You will finish these for next time. Please download and email me your finished video. Also, you are filling in numbers 2-4 on page 115 of your resource notebook based on what we talked about today.

October 29, 2019

This week, you will be outlining the story of Charles Mulli. You want to be certain you chart out main events and the character you see through Charles through those events. You also want to think about showing verses telling with the words you choose. You may do this together or separately. Here is some info about Adobe Spark, which we will work on next week. This week you map out the story and plan. Next week, you will record it.

October 22, 2019

• Prepare to retell “The King’s Stilts.” Practice on your siblings this week.

  • Try to “show not tell”

  • Use the sensory words we looked at this week. Paint a picture with words.

  • Try using different voices, sound effects, and gestures to bring the story to life. Consider the example of this professional storyteller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk52QL9Y_ZQ

• Finish reading Charles Mulli. You will bring all your notes to class the next two weeks.

• Vocabulary: rampant, vulnerable, conservation

October 15, 2019

• Prepare two 1-2 minute presentations. Make one in response to each of the following statements,

  • Humility is vital for good character

  • It is important for life to both work heartily and rest rightly

• Read Charles Mulli Chapters 11-13 and take notes on key character traits you notice.

• Vocabulary: reticent, retorted, sustainable (in relationship with agricultural practices)

October 8, 2019

This week, we talked about how all good communication has a purpose behind it. You want to communicate in speeches and writing with purpose- lasting purpose. To improve your own communication, it is important to be able to recognize purpose in what other’s are communicating. Our activity this week will focus on that.

• Watch/read the linked items below. Fill out the form (or write it on your own paper) to note what you believe is the purpose statement behind the talk. Write down the attention-getting opener and the clincher from the end of their presentation.

  • Less Stuff, More Happiness

  • The Power of Vulnerability

  • Humility by Andrew Murray (Preface, Chapter 1, Chapter 10). If you like it and want to read the whole book sometime, (it is very short), I found the entire book as a PDF here.

• Read Charles Mulli Chapters 9-10 and take notes on key character traits you notice.

• Vocabulary: compassion, humble, flimsy

October 1, 2019

• Write your essay based on your notes from the summary of Integrity and the podcast.

• When you are writing your Bibliography you can use this reference for MLA formatting. For the PDF of the book summary, there is no author (so leave it off and don’t worry about it). You will need the web link for the reference. Here is the web link for where I got it: https://www.essentialleadershipapps.com/uploads/5/8/4/4/58449207/integrity_-_henry_cloud.pdf.

• Read the handouts on Summarizing, Writing an Essay with old and new information, and Thesis Statements.

• Read Unfading Beauty: What Does Gentle and Quiet Really Mean?, watch the video and write a summary. Try writing a one paragraph summary.

• Read Charles Mulli Chapters 6-8 and take notes on key character traits you notice.

• Vocabulary: glum, battered, wispy

September 24, 2019

• Finish your outline of your 5 paragraph essay from your notes on the Integrity podcast and book summary.

• Read Charles Mulli Chapters 3-5 and take notes on key character traits you notice.

• Finish your personal mission statement.

• Vocabulary: whole-hearted, tumultuous, burden

September 17, 2019

• Read: Summary of Integrity and take notes.

• Listen to https://player.fm/series/catalyst-podcast/episode-495-dr-henry-cloud-leading-with-integrity and take notes.

• Read Charles Mulli Chapters 1-2 and take notes on key character traits you notice.

• Finish through Step 2 of your personal mission statement.

  • Would you like to take a personality test to help with this section? If so, you might select from these options (not required, but often fun and insightful):

    • DISC method: really helpful and easy to understand.

      • One Example Free DISC test

    • Enneagram: very popular today.

      • Article I wrote on it with a link to a free test at the end

    • Strengths Finder: One of the best tests for finding your strengths out there. Very solid, but this one has a cost.

      • Link to information and test

• Vocabulary: thatched, maize, integrity

Click on the images below to access files for each date of class. Some links will become accessible over the course of the class.