In Class Lab 10/6/15

1. “The hall had no windows; only fluorescent lighting illuminated the large space.” Pg 128 Paragraph #2

2. “Seeking higher ground, she climbed on top of her dining room table. It, like most of her furniture, had been handed down from her grandparents. The table was bulky and heavy; normally, it took three men to move it. But as the water continued to rise, the table started moving, then rocking --- Lydia knew she was in trouble.” Pg 129 & 130 Paragraph 4

3. “Lydia was soft spoken, but eager to have her tooth examined.” Pg 128 Paragraph 3

“Entering the large VFW, we were struck by the chemical odor of a cleaning solution so strong it seemed toxic.” Pg 128 Paragraph 2

“Her tongue became dry and her lips were cracked, but she only was aware of being terrified of the water.” Pg 130 Paragraph 3

Narrative Ideas:

5 paragraph essays/Masterpieces from elementary school

Reading in front of people

Jan

Reading my cousin’s papers

5. I want to share this story to fulfill the assignment, but also describe my first experience with long stories/papers.

6. I think people will have similar experiences, since I’m writing about my first papers from Elementary school. I think writing learning to write papers/essays in Elementary school is an experience that most people experience.

7. I would say that attitude is probably affectionate, because this is where I first learned some writing tools and strategies that help me even today.

8. My narrative will most likely be in print. Orally would be ok too so I could be challenged since I have a hard time with saying speeches or papers in front of a group.

9. I see my teacher, Mr. Brennan. The brick walls of the classroom with a carpet that didn’t match. Colored closets and desks. Writing guidelines and Masterpiece guidelines. Student made masterpieces bound together by staples and tape with old book covers on the front and back. A poster of Albert Einstein with a quote by him, one of Mr. Brennan’s favorite quote. Leaves blowing around outside the window.

10. I hear the sound of the 30 year old heater, which sounds just a little bit quieter than a vacuum. You can hear the kids in the classroom next to ours. Wind blowing.

11. The classroom smells of an old closet, which isn’t that bad.

12. I felt nervous and excited to work on my essay/masterpiece. The room starts to warm from the heater.

13. I taste some mint or some sort of fruit from the gum I’m chewing. I chewed gum a lot. Occasionally I would drink water from my water bottle.

14. Mr. Brennan was a tall man, about 6 foot 5. He was bald and had a weird beard and mustache combo thing.  He usually wore a coat in the mornings until the heater started heating up the room. His voice was very loud so he could get our attention, but he was fair, nice, and helpful to all of his students, going over parts that we didn’t understand, or helping us come up with topics different ideas for our papers.

15.  “This week, our five paragraph essay will be about your favorite animal and why it is your favorite animal.” Mr. Brennan told the class

“Can it be any animal?” A student asked.

“Of course!” Mr. Brennan exclaimed. “Any animal you want.”

“What if it’s not a real animal… Can I write about that?” asks the student.

“Umm, Well I guess you could. Make sure to be descriptive about your animal though.” Mr. Brennan responds.

“Ok!” says the student cheerfully.

16. When writing our essays and masterpieces, we started pondering our essays a drawing of our outline which we focused on a lot. We would then write our drafts, then slowly had other students edit our essays while we edited others. When we finally felt confident, we would hand them in, or have Mr. Brennan look it over.

17. The meanings of these events really helped me by shaping my whole way of writing. It made me have a little bit of a templete, something to start with, and to this day, it is still extremely helpful. If Mr. Brennan had not helped me or shown me this type of writing, I would probably be really behind in writing in general. It helped me shape ideas, and shape my whole essay. This story matters to me, because it's really the start of me learning to write with some logic in a way, not just a bunch of  scrambled ideas on a piece of paper. These events contribute to a huge part of my writing, and I am forever grateful for them.