Continue work on your thesis statement and sentence outline.  I will be holding ZOOM meetings today at 11:00 AM for English IV/Research Paper stuff and 2:00 PM for AP to talk about test preparation.  This week I plan to offer ZOOM times frequently so I can answer questions and help with your research paper one-on-one/in-person.  I need everybody to attend at least one of these meetings.  I will post times as soon I get that all figured out.  I want to put my eyeballs on each of you this week.  We will be pushing to finish the research paper by Monday, one week from today.  Some of you may need to kick it in to high gear to make that happen.  Most of you are on track.  The biggest hurdle is the sentence outline.  Once it is written- it is just a matter of editing and revising.  After the research paper, we will do end of the year presentations and wrap it all up.  Today, I will put some links that might help you on the Research tab.  Just websites and videos, etc.  For AP, I will be putting up information on the AP LIT & COMP tab.  I will talk to you about that in the meeting today.  I will try to record the meeting for anyone who can't be there and post it here afterwards.  I look forward to seeing you.  (Now, let me try to go put some makeup on and not look like a zombie!)

TGIF?  It seems a little odd that Friday isn't nearly the fun it is under normal circumstances.  We are definitely living in weird times.  Thanks so much for the texts yesterday.  I feel better today; I think I just needed to have a reset.  I know y'all have to be feeling somewhat the same.  That being said, I am giving you very lax deadlines and stuff for that reason.  If you need to take a day "off" from school for your mental health, do it.  If you need to spend a day sitting outside or eating ice cream or facetiming with friends, do it.  The work will get done.  We all have to take care of ourselves the best way we know how right now.  I am trying to do that myself.  Ok, I am off my soapbox.  Now, down to work.  

A few announcements:  
1.  We will not have a Warm or Cold Read this week.  If you haven't done After Apple-Picking or Fingerprints.  Please do them immediately.  They are from the week before Spring Break and can be found on the WR,CR,Quiz,Test tab.  
2.  I need to have a ZOOM meeting for AP Monday to talk about the new information that has come out and how we need to proceed.  I am sending out a Remind message asking what time.  Please respond when you see it.
3.  We will have a ZOOM Monday for everyone to check in and talk research papers and other stuff on Monday at 11:00.  I can do a repeat later in the day if I need to, just let me know via Remind if you can't make 11 on Monday and if I need to make a second one, I can.
4.  If you are an artist of any kind-- music, visual art, dance, etc., we would love to share your work on the newspaper website.  Our staff is working to keep the site up to date so you can get some Magnet news while sequestered.  Send or share pictures, videos, etc with me at missmccalister.magnet@gmail.com and I will post them.  
5.  I am in the process of typing up the What I Haven't Seen list.  I will let y'all know when I have it posted so you can see what I haven't seen from you.  In many cases it may be that I'm not looking in the right place or something-- so we just need to figure that out.  

​Okay, today's stuff:

If you have been pacing yourself and staying on track with what I tell you to do daily, you should have a thesis statement written and a skeleton outline done.  The skeleton outline will help you stay organized when you move into writing a sentence outline and eventually the paper.  Now when you are doing a paper on your own in college, you will probably skip the sentence outline, and that's okay.  For our purposes though, that is our next step.  

Go into the Research 2020 folder and make a copy of the 2020 Outline.  All you need to do is replace MY information with YOUR information.  Each number/letter of the outline MUST be a complete sentence.  If you use a quote or paraphrase, you should put the internal citation after the sentence.  I will link some information about internal citations HERE.  Go ahead and include that in your outline.  Once this sentence outline is done- it will just be a matter of revising and fancy-ing to have your complete paper.  Spend the weekend catching up if you are behind and working on that sentence outline.  I would like it to be done by Monday night.  

As you work on your sentence outline, remember the quote requirements.  

1. You must have at least one exact quote from each secondary source in your paper.
2. You must have at least five exact quotes from the primary source(s) being discussed 

*  The outline was accidentally altered.  I am fixing it now.  Make sure you use the document 2020 Outline. If you copied it previously, I apologize.  Just copy the one that is called 2020 Outline.  (Everybody should know how to copy by now.  A few people are still having a little trouble, and I will get with them.)

I made a list for each period with what items I don't have.  I did not include everything that we have done.  If you don't know how to do something- check the posts on this site.  Let me know when you have done it via remind so I can go back and check it off.  I hope this helps.  Please don't worry, I am not fussing-- just trying to make sure that we are all on the same page.  Most people are missing the Thesis Statement.  That's okay, as you should still be working on that.  After looking over the list, I am pretty happy that the vast majority of people are on track.  Each period is a separate file below.  

Good morning.  Today, we move on to actually writing your paper.  There are two big steps that need to happen.  We need to construct the thesis statement and complete the initial single-word outline. These two things sorta happen at the same time. 

First thing you need to do is MAKE A COPY of this document and put that COPY in your research folder.  (I messed with the settings so that you should HAVE to make a copy and not be able to inadvertently edit the original.  Y'all will have to let me know if it doesn't work correctly.)  I would focus on completing the Skeleton Outline Graphic Organizer thing first.  Just put single words to represent ideas you will discuss in your research.  It is okay if you can't fill out the whole thing right now.  You should at least be able to sorta subdivide your topic into three main points or examples. 

Once you can do that-- you are ready to write your thesis.  I have written out two thesis options.  I have included a few examples of each.  You will see the examples at the top of the Thesis Statements document.  (I will also copy and paste them on to the Research tab.  I will link videos and other resources throughout the day.  See if you can make one of them work.  Then add your thesis to the table in this document.  I think having them in one place will help us see each others' for help and allow me to review them easily.  If you can get those two steps done, you will be on track.  

SIDE NOTE:  If you have not placed your topic/prompt on the chart, please do so today.  I will post a list of people who are not getting the points for this task this evening.  

Can y'all believe we made it to the end of the first week?  I miss y'all like crazy!  Today will be another semi-easy day.  You need to complete the Cold Read Fingerprints located on the WR,CR,Quiz,Tests tab.  Then, you need to continue researching.  A few reminders:
1.  If you have not made a folder in your own GoogleDrive and shared it with missmccalister.magnet@gmail.com, please do so IMMEDIATELY.  Click here to see a picture of my shared drive and see if I have your folder shared with me.   I still have people who have it shared with ammccalister@caddoschools.org.  I am trying to keep that email clear for communications from school officials and/or parents.  I still have people who have embedded their folder inside the 2020 Research folder.  Please watch the video that I posted yesterday if you are one of those people.  I will be moving and organizing over the weekend, and I can't chase down your information every day.
2.  This week we have had several assignments: Reading Confirmation, Creating a Folder, Agreeing to the Research Components, Plagiarism, Getting to Know MLA8, WR After Apple-Picking, study.com, and CR Fingerprints.  (I think that is everything!)  If you have not completed any of those, please scroll through the week's directions to locate and complete those before Sunday at midnight.  
3.  I will post a list of people who have stuff missing on Monday.  I know that it is Spring Break- you do not have to DO those things over Spring Break- but that is when the information will be posted. You will not have any assignments during Spring Break; however, you would be wise to continue your research.  I have allocated the week after the Break for writing the paper.  I will help you with thesis statements and organization, so please don't go rogue and write the paper yet.  There is a certain way I want it written-- that way it gives you a fall-back pattern in college should you need it.  
4.  I will be checking in your research folders to see that everyone has some research done.  This is important.  Everyone is working so diligently, that I will not reward those who are not.  I have been so proud of y'all this week with the level of maturity, personal responsibility, and engagement that I have seen.  The people who have not participated much are the same people who did not participate much when we were physically AT school.  To those people, I say:  WE ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE, AND WE ARE NOT IMPRESSED BY YOUR APATHY.  I will not allow the few people with negative attitudes to mess up a good thing.  I talk to Ms. Jones and some of the other teachers daily, and they just can't say enough about how amazing Magnet kids have been doing this week.  
5.  I know that I have said this in many, many posts, but I want to make sure that each of you know how extremely impressed I am with your patience and work this week.  I feel so blessed to teach at our school.  I know as teenagers y'all are jaded and hate everything-- but I hope you will really stop and think about how lucky you are to go to an awesome school with the best. most caring students and teachers.  I have worked in the best and worst schools in this city- and there is nowhere I would rather be right now.  I know some of you may be comparing what you are doing to what your friends at other schools are doing.  Just remember that we transitioned to this seamlessly, y'all already had the skills and work ethic to make this happen, and you are doing AMAZING!  If I have not touched base with you yet-- I will in the coming days.  I will be setting up some Zoom sessions over the Break just to check in with everybody-- not for work, but just to see your smiling faces!  I'll let you know when those will be.  I love you!  I miss you!  Have a great break!  

Here is your daily dose of the class mascot helping with my work.  

Today is pretty straight forward.  You will complete the Warm Read (like always) and continue your research.  I am glad to see that some people are researching and finding that they need to change works, add works, consider other aspects, etc.  Sometimes in research, that's what you have to do.  You don't always know what is available until you start looking around.  If you need information on dates, requirements, etc... look back at that Research Components file or visit the Writing tab.  I have the directions/requirements listed on both.  You may notice that I have tomorrow listed as a "due date" for research.  That's not a real "due date."  It just means that when I look in your folder tomorrow I should see that you are in the process of doing your research.  You will have to continue the researching and come up with a thesis statement over the break.  While we don't have actual class over Spring Break, if you need me I will be here.  I can help with thesis statements then.  For now, just research.  

If you are having trouble making the folder, see the video in the post from yesterday.  (I am becoming a YouTube Legend... move over Vlog Squad!)

Just a little check in... I hope everyone is doing okay.  I am climbing the walls a little.  But, I am here if you just need to chat or vent or whatever.  All of our home situations are different, so I get it if this isn't so easy.  My home situation is good, and I still get down when I am stuck in the house and without people.  I think my dog may even be getting irritated by me!  So, please reach out if you need to!!!  Your teachers are definitely here for you.  We are missing you as much as you (admit it) might be missing us.