Skip to main content

Fall Semester Tentative Plan for "Adventures in Writing"

- September 3rd, 2024 - 1 - Introduction - Introduction - Who am I? - Who are You? - Get each student to talk a bit, to break the ice - Where do you live? - What are your hobbies and interests? - Do you have brothers and sisters? Pets? - Etc. - Overview, Rules, Expectations - Attendance - Homework Submissions - Grading - Extensions - Cheating / AI Policy - Class Participation - Working camera and microphone - This is fun! No pressure - Homework (Link to Google Classroom) - Easy Grammar Pre-Test - Mini-Mystery Fun
- September 10th, 2024 - 2 - Prepositional Phrases / Writing Mini-Mysteries - Learning - Prepositional Phrases, Subjects, Verbs - Workbook Page 7 in Class - Homework - Workbook - Page 8 - Important Words - Playing - How to Write a Mini-Mystery - Mystery Writing Game - Mystery Writing Suggestions - Write one or two in class - Homework - Write One!
- September 17th, 2024 - 3 - Prepositional Phrases / Sharing Mini-Mysteries - Learning - Prepositions - Workbook Page 10 in Class - Homework - Workbook Page 9 - Capitalization - Playing - Sharing Students' Mysteries
- September 24th, 2024 - 4 - Verbs / Writing Reports and Reviews - Learning - Verbs - Homework - Pages 12, 13, 14 - Playing - Book Report - Examples of how to write a report of summary of a movie or video or story - Write Shop TSP Game - Homework - Write a Book Report!
- October 1st, 2024 - 5 - Compounds & Imperatives / Reading Book Reports and Reviews - Learning - Compound Verbs - Do Workbook Page 18 in Class - Imperatives - Homework - Workbook Page 20 - Playing - Read Reviews in Class and Apply what We've Learned to Them
- October 8th, 2024 - 6 - Periods and Apostrophes / Writing a Personal Narrative - Learning - Punctuation - Period, Apostrophe - Homework - Workbook Pages 289, Page 291, Page 292 - Playing - Personal Narrative in Junior Writer’s Notebook - Write About ... - Trip you took - Funny thing that happened - Best day ever
- October 15th, 2024 - 7 - Commas, Question Marks, Exclamation Marks / Reading Personal Narratives - Learning - Commas - Do Workbook Page 295 in Class - Talk about Question Marks and Exclamation Points in Class - Homework - Workbook Page 298 - Playing - Reading Personal Narratives
- October 22nd, 2024 - 8 - Review / Interviews - Learning - Review - Playing - Examples of Interviews, using proper punctuation - Homework: Interview a family member or a friend. Make sure your questions end in question marks and your exclamations end in exclamation points, etc.
- October 29th, 2024 - 9 - Verbs / Read Interviews - Learning - Verbs - Teach Half of Workbook Page 37 in Class - Homework - Contractions: Workbook Page 37, Page 38, Page 39 - Teach Verb Phrases in Class - Homework - Verb Phrases Workbook Page 42 - Playing - Read Interviews
- November 5th, 2024 - 10 - Tense / Poetry - Learning - Tense - Homework - Workbook Page 49 - Playing - Fun Poems! - Page 14 in JW Notebook: Poetry - Casey at the Bat - Suzie at the Mall - Write a Limerick in Class - Homework - Write a Limerick

- November 12th, 2024 - 11 - More Tense (Tension Builds!) and Subject - Verb Agreement / Read Poems - Learning - Workbook Page 50 in Class and Workbook Page 74 in Class - Homework - Workbook Page 51 , Page 76, Page 77 - Playing - Read Poems in Class
- November 19th, 2024 - 12 - Cumulative Review - Go over as much as possible, especiall what they've been struggling with - Assign Test -

Popular posts from this blog

About Me

I'm  Kevin O'Brien! I am a creative and passionate online teacher. Here are a few things about me ... Professional Actor and Comedian Many years ago, I made a living as a stand-up comedian.  I also owned my own singing telegram company and performed over 2,000 singing telegrams in the St. Louis metro area. In 1991, I performed at military bases around the world with an Old Fashioned Comedy Melodrama that I wrote and produced, on a USO-style tour. Since 1989, I have been producing and performing in my own interactive murder mystery dinner theater shows.  I appear in about 150 live performances a year, at venues such as mansions, wineries and dinner trains.  I write all of the scripts and we perform a different script every month! Click on the photo below to visit my murder mystery website. To get a better idea of the kind of shows we do, check out the promo video I put together for George R. R. Martin, who hired us to perform murder mysteries on his train in New Mexico.  I'v

Live Courses 2024-2025

Here are the live courses I'll be teaching online Fall 2024 and Spring 2025.  I'll be adding links as more info become available! Adventures in Writing  - Grades 6 & 7 Speech, Debate and Communications  - High School Drama and the Human Spirit - Middle School and High School Dystopias in Fact and Fiction  - High School Symbolism, Allegory and Imagery - High School

Rave Reviews!

"I cannot tell you what a difference your class has made this semester for [my daughter]. She came downstairs the other day and said, 'I'm so sad that Mr. O'Brien's class is over.'  This semester I watched some of your classes with [my daughter] because she'd say, 'Mom, you're going to love this!  Pull up a chair!' You are an outstanding teacher ... We are so grateful for your impact on my daughter's life,"  "We love Mr. O'Brien!! Our son is really enjoying his class this semester. Thank you so much!"  You are so very real and down to earth, so spontaneous. You're not afraid to just be who you are. You are alive and that's what your students love. Of course you can throw in a great sense of humor and intelligence to boot. Thank you for drawing all your friends more deeply into the mysteries of life. We can't help but think about the deeper things, the most important things in life...you lead us