To Do on Friday

William Hazlitt: a self portrait

These are as they were written for the sub. It's getting late and I want to go home, so I'm not going to change the voice to fit you as the audience. Perhaps it can be a sneaky object lesson in how a misplaced voice can fall flat. ;)

• Please take roll
• Distribute the prompt
• Have a student read the  prompt and the passage to the class, but DO NOT DISCUSS OR COMMENT ON IT YET.
• Give students 15 minutes to write the best, most insightful paragraph they can responding to the prompt. They should shoot for 10 sentences. Some will do more, some less, but shoot for 10 really good sentences addressing the prompt.
• In small groups, they will read their paragraphs to each other. Read the actual words; do NOT just paraphrase.
• Discuss what people in the  group wrote. What insights into the passage did the group make? What is still needed to understand the passage and effectively and clearly  address the prompt?
• We’ll debrief on Monday. Have them keep their paragraphs; I will want to see them on Monday.

No homework!

This I Believe

Your This I Believe essay is due at the beginning of class on Thursday Jan 14th. You will need two copies, one for me and one for you. As this is a radio show staple, it will be presented aloud. Here are the requirements adapted from the This I Believe submission page (I encourage you to submit them to This I Believe if you wish).

Keep the following in mind when you write your essay:

1.    Limit your essay to 400-600 words (3 minutes).

2.    Describe an event that shaped your beliefs or a person who inspired them.

3.    Avoid sermons and editorials—no soapbox declamations, please!

4.    Read more of the This I Believe essay-writing tips.

You can peruse multiple examples at http://thisibelieve.org. Often the ones put on the radio are a bit better, but not necessarily so.

Andrea Kang's (Class of 2009) This I Believe essay. They re-posted it from its original posting so all of the comments are gone, but her essay is there.

We'll begin presenting on Thursday. Please post to your blog and bring a copy for you.