WAVE WEDNESDAYS

Timed Writings
Week #1

l “Respect means listening until

everyone has been heard and
understood; only then is there a
possibility of balance and harmony.”
l DAVE CHIEF, Grandson of Red Dog
l Explain why you believe that
statement to be true or false.
– Stay focused on topic and fully explain
your ideas.
Week #2 – Sept. 17th

l Think about the

teachers/coaches you have had.
Was there a teacher who was
special to you in some way?
l Pretend that you have been
asked to present the Golden
Pencil Award to that teacher.
l Write the tribute that your will
read as you make your
presentation.
Breaking Down the
Prompt

lR = your role, what are you

being asked to do?
l A = audience – who are you
writing for?
l F = form/function – how are you
supposed to write.
l T = topic = what you are writing
about.
l S = strong verb
PART TWO: The thesis

l What does the prompt say?

lA teacher or coach who is
special to me:
l What do I SAY (examples,
because, why – your reasons).
l WHY????
PART THREE: Combine

lA (teacher or coach) who

is special to me is
Name of person.
l He /she deserves the
Golden Pencil award
because……
l Fill in your reason and an
example.
Week #3 – Sept. 24th ODW

l You will have a blank page to

add to your notebooks for this
day.
l Since it is an ON DEMAND
WRITING (ODW) prompt, you
will not be given this prompt in
advance.
l You will only have the 25
minutes to complete the essay.
Week #4 – October 1:
ODW

l Suppose you order a product by mail

or on the internet, but the product you
received was not what you expected.
l On a separate piece of paper, write a
letter of complaint to the company that
sent you the product.
l Include details about your complaint,
as well as what you want the company
to do to satisfy you.
l Remember to include
the five parts of a letter:
– Heading, salutation, body, closing, and the
signature.
Week Five: 10/8

l “The willingness to accept

responsibility for one’s own life is the
source from which self-respect
springs.”
l Joan Didion
l Explain what this quote is saying, what
it means, and why it matters.
Week Six: 10/15

l Plants “eat” by absorbing

minerals and nutrients through
their roots.
l What if humans ate by absorbing
food through their feet?
l Describe what a typical meal
might be like.
Week Seven: 10/22 ODW

l Think about an issue that is of

concern to you, such as global
warming, recycling, or animal
rights.
l On a separate piece of paper, write
a letter to the editor that explains
your opinion about the issue.
l Clearly state what you want done in
regard to your concern. Use
persuasive language to convince
readers of your letter to take action
or adopt your point of view.
Week #8 – Responsibility
10/29

l “The more you are willing

to accept responsibility for
your actions, the more
credibility you will have.”
l Brian Koslow
l Explain what the quote is
saying, what it means and
why it matters.
Week #9 – ODW 11/5

lThink about a unique

place you have visited or
would like to visit.
Describe this place.
lUse words that will help
the reader create clear
images in their mind, as
well as hold their interest.
Week #10 11/12
Controlled

l “Not to have control over the

senses is like sailing a
rudderless ship, bound to break
to pieces on coming in contact
with the very first rock.”
l Mahatma Gandhi
l Explain what this says, what it
means and why it matters.
Week #11 – 11/19

l Pretend that space aliens have

landed in your neighborhood.
l They don’t understand your
language.
l How might you communicate
with them?
l Describe your “conversation”.
Week #12 12/3

l Write a biography about a person

of interest to you.
l The person can be someone from
history or someone from your
family.
l Focus your biography on a
particular aspect of the person’s
life, such as the person’s childhood,
career, or favorite hobby.
l Provide an introduction with
background information.
l Include details to support your
chosen focus
Week 12/10 Punctual

l “Punctualityis a virtue if you

don’t mind being lonely.”
l ANONYMOUS
l SAY* MEAN * MATTER
Week 12/17

l Writethree (3) challenging math

word problems that involve
everyday events in your life.
Week #1/7/09

l Thing about an experiment that

you have done at school or have
read about.
l Write the complete directions for
performing the experiment.
l Be sure to include the key
components:
– Purpose, materials, procedure, and
conclusions and findings.
l Explain each step with clear and
precise wording
Week 1/14/09

l “Animals are reliable, many full

of love, true in their affections,
predictable in their actions,
grateful and loyal. Difficult
standards for people to live up
to.”
l Alfred A. Montapert
l Write your ideas of what this
quote says, why it matters and
why it is so difficult for people to
be reliable.
Week 1/21/09

lA rebus story uses words and

simple pictures to tell a story.
l Write a rebus story that uses
simple pictures to replace some
of the words in the sentences.
l Be sure your story has a
beginning, middle and an
ending.
Week 2/4-09

l Are we truly free to make our

own choices in life, or are our
decisions always limited by
the rules of society?
l Plan and write an essay in
which you develop
your point of view on this issue.
l Support your position with
reasoning and examples
taken from your reading,
studies, experience, or
observations.
Week 2/11

l “Create the kind of self that you

will be happy to live with all your
life.” by Golda Meir
l SAY MEAN MATTER
WEEK 2/18/09

l You have found a strange,

magical mask. When you put it
on, you can become someone
else.
l Who would you become, and
what might happen while you are
wearing the mask?
Week 2/25

l “The principle goal of education

is to create individuals who are
capable of doing new things, not
simply or repeating of what other
generations have done—men
who are creators, inventors and
discoverers.” ALBERT
EINSTEIN
l SAY MEAN MATTER
Week 3/4/09

l A sense of happiness and

satisfaction is the best motivation
for what you achieve. Expecting
wealth or fame may result in
disappointment and frustration.
l Are people motivated to achieve
goals by personal satisfaction
rather than by money or fame?
l Plan and write an essay in which
you develop your point of view on
this issue.
l Support your opinion from your own
experiences, observations and
readings.
Week 3/11/09

l “The capacity for hope is the

most significant fact of life. It
gives human beings a sense of
destination and the energy to get
it started.” NORMAN COUSINS
l SAY – MEAN - MATTER
Week 3/18/09

l If you could perform a miracle, what

miracle would you like to perform?
l How would it help others?
Week 3/25/09

l “Positive things happen to

positive people.”
l SAY MEAN MATTER
Week 4/1

l Do people need to keep secrets

or is secrecy harmful?
l Plan and write an essay in which
you develop your point of view
on this issue.
l Support your position with
reasoning and examples taken
from your reading, observations,
studies, and experiences.
Week 4/15

l “Success depends in a very

large measure upon individual
initiative and exertion, and
cannot be achieved except by
dint of hard work.” ANNA
PAVLOVA
l SAY MEAN MATTER
WEEK 4/22

l Imagine that your school could

be located in any place you’d
like. It could be in a forest, at the
beach, or in an airplane—any
place you’d like to be.
l Describe this place and explain
the good and bad things about
going to school there.
Week – 4/29

l “Success is the sum of small

efforts, repeated day in and day
out.”
l Robert Collier
l SAY MEAN MATTER
5/13Persevering –
Character Counts

l “Friends are as companions on a

journey, who ought to aid each
other to persevere in the road to
a happier life.” Pythagoras
l Explain what this quote is saying,
what it means and why it
matters?
5/20Fun/Creative

l How would life be different if no

one went to school?
l Elaborate on the pros and cons.
5/27Persevering -
Character Counts

l “There is nothing which

persevering effort and unceasing
and diligent care cannot
accomplish.” Roman
philosopher, mid -first century
A.D.
l Use Say, Mean, Matter to
respond.
Week – 5/6

l Are there some heroes who will be

remembered forever? Or are all
heroes doomed to be forgotten one
day?
l Plan your response, and then write
an essay to explain your views on
this issue.
l Be sure to support your position
with specific points and examples.
(You may use personal examples
from your reading, observations, or,
knowledge of subjects such as
history, literature and science.)
Week – 5/13

l “Friends are as companions on a

journey, who ought to aide each
other to perseverance in the
road to a happier life.”
l Pythagoras
l SAY MEAN MATTER
Week 5/20/09

l How would life be different if no

one went to school?
l Elaborate on the pros and cons
l AKA explain how life would be
different.
Week 5/27/09

l “There is nothing which

persevering effort and unceasing
and diligent care cannot
accomplish.”
l Roman philosopher, mid-first
century AD
l SAY MEAN MATTER
Week 6/3

l Is honesty always the best

policy?
l Plan and write an essay in which
you develop your point of view
on this issue.
l Support your position with
reasoning and examples taken
from your reading, studies,
experience, or observations.
Week – 6/10

l “Being moderate with oneself

and generous with others; this is
what is meant by having a just
relationship [to] money.”
l By Natalia Ginzburg
l SAY MEAN MATTER
Week 6/17/09

l Imaging you are only one-half

inch tall.
l What new uses could you invent
for a normal-size comb, spoon,
wallet, and key chain?