Dance! Baby, Dance!

For the AP test is over!
(don't forget to scroll down below the video for some important messages)



Dance, Bubba!! :)
Now that you have the dancing out of your system (right, when do you ever get dancing out of your system?), it's time to start those papers if you haven't already. If you lost your information on that, scroll down from this post 6 or 7 posts and you'll see it.  We'll try to get a lab day or two next week, but we will also start The Great Gatsby too. So, if you plan on buying a copy, do so this weekend. Otherwise, we'll pick up copies from the library on Monday. Have a great weekend!!

Papers

______________'s paper

A number of people spent much of Sunday stranded in a foreign land. Given my heartfelt aversion to reading poorly thought through and constructed papers and the decided pleasure that comes from reading papers that are buoyed by creative vision and honed by ruthless revision, I have offered those that were on the Jazz trip an extra 24 hours.

If those of you who were not stranded outside a bus that was in no danger of catching on fire want to put your papers through an extra round of revision, you may turn your papers in on Tuesday as well. If you'd rather not look at it anymore, you may turn it in whenever you like before the deadline. Well, it is a free country so you could in fact turn it in after Tuesday, but then it would be late of course. (<--- humor)

Citing Sources
Remember when you're citing the essays from our textbook, they are sections/essays in an anthology. The three people on the cover are the source editors, and whoever actually wrote the article is the section author.

Pop Culture Paper

TV Bad! TV Good? Orwell, Huxley, Postman Oh My!!! Squirrel....! What? Oh, sorry, I got distracted. Jersey Thursday, ya know.

Anyway.

Write to prompt 3 on page 787 of your book. Keep it to 1000 words +/- 10%.

Remember that a synthesis paper is essentially a research paper in that you are using sources. Those sources need to be cited. So, remember to look over the research paper resources for how to do that. Also, Easybib.com is your friend and he loves to help out with works cited pages.

It is due on Monday April 16th. That will give those music and FBLA people time to upload whatever they swyped on their phones to Google Docs and give it a quick revision before submitting it. ;)

This I Believe

Ninja Nakayla Chan

Your This I Believe essay is due on Wednesday January 25th. It should be uploaded to your blog and you will be reading it aloud in class as well. 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 350-500 words.
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.

Break Reminders

A scene from somewhere where it isn't supposed
to rain over Christmas 

Remember that you have a paper to work on over break (cue music..."He's a grinch...").  It is due on the 6th at the end of the day.

I you want to take advantage of the rewrite/revise a paper opportunity, remember to make a copy of your original Google Docs version and edit the NEW one. That will be due on the 3rd when we get back.

Otherwise have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Enjoy the holidays and the bowl games!

Writing your JFK paper

If you feel like you've been cornobbled by this JFK paper and are lost in a collieshangie with rhetorical devices, remember to step back, take a breath, and reacquaint yourself with the purpose you are dealing with in each paragraph/section. Focus on how he attempts to fulfill each purpose using rhetorical strategies. Remember that rhetorical strategies can include such things as diction & syntax, appeals (both classical and various, i.e. patriotism, pride, compassion, etc.), choice of detail, figurative language, imagery, organization, etc.

Remember the rhetorical situation: speaker, occasion, audience, purpose(s) as well.

Best of luck with this paper. Don't over-think it. Just identify a purpose and show how he tries to accomplish it in his speech.

JFK Paper

JFK Jr. salutes you

So, it's time to start the JFK paper. Your prompt is in the TLC book on page 57 at the bottom. This paper should be 900-1200 words long. You can, but do not have to, use the sample thesis.

Whatever you choose to focus on, remember to identify the purpose first and then seek to show how he uses various rhetorical strategies to accomplish that purpose.

Happy writing.

Paper Reminders

Papers are due tonight by 11:59.

If you've had trouble with the MLA heading, it should look like this:

First and Last Name
Teacher name
Class title, period
8 February 2011

Title: Reading Between the Lines

Good luck and happy writing. I promised 3rd period we'd analyze commercials tomorrow and then we'll dive into Niccolo Machiavelli's The Morals of the Prince on Thursday after a quick reflection on complex texts.

What's this!? Extra Lab time!?

Whoo hooo!!!!

For those of you crying about writing your papers during the Super Bowl (Bryce) ;) or just wanting to polish your paper and get more peer review, this post is for you.

On Monday, 3rd period will be in the study hall lab and 5th period will be in the English/Social Studies lab. The paper will be due on Tuesday. The calendar reflects this new schedule.

This I Believe Paper

Ninja Nakayla Chan

Your This I Believe essay is due on Wednesday January 19th. It should be uploaded to your blog and you will be reading it aloud in class as well. 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 350-500 words.
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.

Revising your paper

Hey, how 'bout them Dawgs!!!!!!

1. Open your original. 
2. On the File menu choose Make a copy... That will make a copy. 
3. Give the new version the same title and add "Revision" to the end. 
4. Close the original and edit the new one. 

Remember, go for substantive revisions. Last minute changes of syntax, diction, and punctuation will not garner a better grade, unless of course I noted that the preponderance of errors was so distracting it engendered the low grade in the first place.*

Remember the rewrites are due before we get back.

Best of luck and Happy New Year!


*I hope you all remembered to study your vocab a bit.

This I Believe...is your last paper!

Your this I Believe essay is due on Friday June 11th. It should be uploaded to your blog and you will be reading it aloud in class as well. 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 350-500 words.
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.

If you look at the Calendar, you'll see that with the movie et al, we are running right up to the end with Gatsby. So, I advise working on this in the background. If we have time one day, we will look at some examples on the website, though I recommend looking some examples on your own. Often the ones put on the radio are a bit better, but not necessarily so.

Andrea Kang's This I Believe essay. They reposted it from its original posting so all of the comments are gone, but her essay is there.

Pop Culture Synthesis Essay

[caption id="attachment_1084" align="alignright" width="131" caption="DGP Citation issued!!!"][/caption]

DGP Update: 2nd period missed the threshold by 10.7 percentage points...so the quest continues.

This synthesis paper will be on Entering the Conversation question number 3 on page 787 (in the popular culture conversation section we’ve been working on).  Note that you must use at least three of our conversation sources, though you may also use any of the pop culture essays and articles we’ve read in class as well as our discussion and the Merchants of Cool video.

We will have the next couple of days in class to work on this. Please be ready to write so I can help you.

Synthesis Paper Requirements:

• 1200 words


• MLA format (page style, in-text citations, and works cited page — see MLA at Owl and Easybib links under the AP heading to the left as well as this post for class MLA modifications for help on this)


• Synthesize at least three sources from the conversation section (other sources are okay, but not required on this essay)

Due Dates:

• Rough draft due Tuesday, April 13th for 1st period


• Rough draft due Wednesday, April 14th for 2nd period


• Final Draft Due Friday, April 16th

Suggestions:

• Remember that your argument is paramount and your sources are there to support you, not the other way around


• Key notes on Synthesis in our book are in chapter 3, especially the last sentence before the new section on page 62; the paragraph beginning “Sources should enhance” on page 65; and pages 81-85


• Finish early and revise! When you revise, think about the following:
  
  
  
  • These revision guidelines
  
  
  • organization
  
  
  • how your sources interact with your audience (see p.69 ff.)
  
  
  • transitions!
  
  
  • remember that this is an argument, it’s just one that is both informed and formally supported
  
  
  
  


• Write a clear, convincing, awesome essay!

Lab Tomorrow

We are in the computer lab tomorrow.  Please bring your paper, either posted to your blog or on a USB drive so you can work on it.  Rough drafts are due on Thursday.

Period 2, please don’t forget to read The ABC’s of Home Schooling on page 50 of Everyday Use for Friday (half day, bay-bay!).

This I Believe

Your this I Believe essay is due on Wednesday the 10th.  It should be uploaded to your blog and you will be reading it aloud in class as well.  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 350-500 words.


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.

Graded Synthesis Write

Remember as you work on your papers tonight that our first graded synthesis timed write is tomorrow.

Other than the timed write, we’ll take a look at another essay that might help with our paper. 

Happy writing and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Pop Culture Synthesis Essay

Our first synthesis paper will be on Entering the Conversation question number 3 on page 787 (in the popular culture conversation section we’ve been working on).  Note that you must use at least three of our conversation sources, though you may also use any of the pop culture essays and articles we’ve read in class.

We will talk about this in class as well and be working through the conversation section essays this week, but I wanted to give you a heads up on this assignment.  Also you may have noticed that the planning page says this paper is due April 24th.  I will be gone that Friday and Saturday at a National Boards class and so thought you might appreciate the extra weekend since I wouldn’t be picking them up until Monday anyway.  I hope that doesn’t inconvenience anyone. :)

Synthesis Paper Requirements:

• 1200 words
• MLA format (page style, in-text citations, and works cited page — see MLA at Owl and Easybib links under the AP heading to the left as well as this post for class MLA modifications for help on this)
• Synthesize at least three sources from the conversation section (other sources are okay, but not required on this essay)

Due: Monday, April 27th

Suggestions:

• Remember that your argument is paramount and your sources are there to support you, not the other way around
• Key notes on Synthesis in our book are in chapter 3, especially the last sentence before the new section on page 62; the paragraph beginning “Sources should enhance” on page 65; and pages 81-85
• Finish early and revise! When you revise, think about the following:
  • These revision guidelines
  • organization
  • how your sources interact with your audience (see p.69 ff.)
  • transitions!
  • remember that this is an argument, it’s just one that is both informed and formally supported
• Write a clear, convincing, awesome essay!

Elephant Paper due tomorrow

As you prepare and polish your papers for tomorrow, don’t forget a few things:

1. Revise your paper!


2. Make sure the MLA format is correct.  I will not take papers written in pencil or that are single-spaced.  Presentation may not be as important as your thesis and the depth and complexity with which you deal with your argument, but it does reflect on your effort and attention to detail.


3. Vocabulary test tomorrow


4. 1st graded argument timed write tomorrow

Wow, I didn’t plan it this way (Bwuhahaha), but it seems that much is converging on this Friday.  Makes me think of that Flannery O’Connor story, or at least the title, Everything That Rises Must Converge.

JFK Paper Due Date

I’m going to be gone at a conference on Thursday.  If we’re going to move the paper due date, we may as well move it to Friday since I won’t be there to pick up the papers on Thursday anyway. 

Before you cheer too much and make further plans to put off working on your papers, you will still have the homework I’d planned for you Wednesday and Thursday nights.  That is not moving.  It’s not onerous, but it’s still 12-15 pages of reading from an argument textbook each night.  For some of you, it will take a while to work through and understand what you’ve read. 

Call it a mixed blessing and use it to your advantage, but don’t let things get out of hand as you may very well have homework in other classes. 

JFK Paper Rough Draft

The rough draft for your JFK paper is due on Monday March 9. 

Reminders:

• Respond to the prompt on page 57 of our textbook.  You may use the sample thesis above the prompt if you wish.
• 900-1200 words
• Due Wednesday March 11, 2009 
• Use MLA format with the following caveats: 1) Single-space your heading 2) Leave the page number and last name off the first page.  Format examples are here and examples of the above-noted modifications are here.
• I WILL NOT accept papers that are written in pencil, single-spaced, or with the heading on the right.  Pay attention.  I’ve been lax the first couple of papers as we learned what was expected.  Papers that are not in MLA format will be returned ungraded for corrections and will be counted as late.