Final essays are due tomorrow. Here are all of the tips to ensure success!

Family,

We are really moving through our nonfiction essays in class. Students have done excellent planning and research, and drafting, now we are moving into our final draft/publishing stage. At this point, all students should have one typed draft shared with me on Google Docs. I have asked that they finish their final draft at home, if they were not able to finish in class. Even those students who have finished, should check their document if possible. I am making a concerted effort to comment on every single student's essay today. Students know how to respond to my comments and make appropriate changes in Google Docs. For those who have never used Google Docs before, it is a pretty cool program. As long as you have access to the internet, you can visit your document anywhere. Also, there is no "save" button because they program automatically saves your work.

Here are the steps to accessing Google Docs:

1. Visit docs.google.com
2. You may be prompted to log in. If so, use your school account login (firstname-lastname@pgcps.org and your password). You may have to enter your info a second time after you are redirected to the PGCPS login page. It's okay. Do what they are asking you to do. 
3. If you are not logged into google, here is what the process will look like:

1. If someone else (like Mom or Dad) is logged onto Google, here is how you add an account without logging theirs out:

1. Once you are logged into Google Docs, you should see your document just as you did today in class. 
2. Click on your document and begin work!

Speaking of work...

Some homeskillets are still missing a conclusion paragraph. You have two ways of writing a conclusion paragraph. Either way is fine. Check this link for the first option or just follow this formula:

Sentence 1: Restate your thesis in different words.

Sentences 2-5: State each reason as a sentence in different words.

Sentence 6: Leave an interesting lesson learned from your research about your topic. 

Last thing. This is how you will be graded:

I hope this info was helpful. Let's finish the quarter strong!

-Ms. Sheps