Question of the Week (12/2/11)

In thinking about your next essay:

We constantly compare and contrast people and events in our lives though often we are not consciously aware that we are making a comparison. We choose our friends by discovering the similarities between their lives and ours. We choose classes in a way that we think will most benefit us.

For this paper, compare and contrast two characters, themes, motifs, symbols, places etc. from A Lesson Before Dying.  You will need to choose a topic that is significant, that gives the possibility of depth of thinking and/or creativity, and that would be interesting for your reader to consider.

The first step in this paper writing process will be to make a long, detailed chart of the similarities and differences between the two literary devices, people, or places (yes, you DO need to actually write this down and turn it in with your drafts).  The second step is to decide from the items on the list which major areas of comparison you will take up in your paper; in other words, what will each paragraph cover?  The third step is to choose an angle (specific point of view) from which to write the paper and a method of  organization: AAA BBB or AB AB AB. Since you cannot post your entire chart on the blog, write a free write about the two things you wish to compare and share them. Be sure to bring your detailed chart to class on Monday. Your posts are due by 3 p.m. on Monday.

Your rough draft is due next Friday, 12/9. You should bring 5 copies to class, one of which you will turn in to me. Below are some notes on how to begin your rough draft.

 

Some notes on the rough drafts:

1.     You don’t have to use all the details on your chart.  Some won’t fit into your major categories anyhow.

2.     After you take up the points in one part, the points must be taken up in the same order in the other part of the essay.  Be sure each part has equal space.

3.     The points must echo each other.  There must be an active comparison or contrast going on.  You will need appropriate transitions and linking expressions.

4.     Your final paragraph must come to some judgement or conclusion about the two things being compared. 

5.     Make your comparison as complete and clear as you can.  Use examples and/or supporting evidence to make your point interesting and vivid.  What do you really want to say about these two?  Is it clear?  Is it interesting?

6.     Be sure your rough draft is double spaced and you have included all the necessary information on your first page such as: your first and last name, your section, the date, your teacher's name, that your quotes are in proper MLA format, etc.  Comma errors, fragments, and run-ons are not acceptable.  Edit carefully. 

You could also read the compare/contrast section of your English text for more examples of these types of essays. 

Question of the Week (11/18/11)

In thinking about A Lesson Before Dying, how would you answer the following questions?

1) What is a human right?
2) How would you define justice?
3) What is the relationship between justice and self-esteem?

Post your response to one of the questions by Monday at 3 p.m. Explore the question and dig deeper than the superficial. Keeping in mind these are difficult questions and there really is no right or wrong answer. With regard to writing, there is more meaning in the journey, than the destination. Be sure to respond to another classmates' response, if you are not the first to post.

I Have a Dream

Post your "I Have a Dream" speeches here.

Question of the Week (11/4/11)

Choose one of the prompts below and write a rough draft of your persuasive essay. This will be like a structured free write, in that you should just write down your ideas on the selected topic. Post your draft and comment on another classmates' draft as well. Posts are due by 3 p.m. on Monday. Happy writing.

Since the cloning of the sheep Dolly, there has been much debate

over whether or not human beings should be cloned. Many people

feel this is a violation of the natural order of things and that all

research in the area of human cloning should be banned. Others

feel that this is a natural progression of science and human

evolution and that research in the area of human cloning should be

a priority. How do you feel about this issue? Use specific reasons

and examples to support your position.

All-girl schools have been gaining popularity in recent years

because of the belief that girls learn better when they aren’t

competing with or intimidated by boys, who statistically get more

attention in the classroom. Do you think single-sex schools are a

good idea? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to

support your position.

Many of us spend hours in front of our computers and

communicate more by e-mail or instant-messaging than in person.

Some people believe that this is good because it helps shy people

communicate more openly with others. Others believe that

computer communication prevents us from developing

interpersonal skills and limits our ability to have meaningful

relationships with others. How do you feel about this issue? Use

specific reasons and examples to support your position.

According to some health organizations, many foods on our

grocery store shelves are made with genetically modified

ingredients. Most of these foods, however, do not have a GMO

(genetically modified organism) label. Do you think there should

be a law requiring manufacturers to label foods containing GMOs?

Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

What is your all-time favorite movie and why? Write an essay persuading readers to watch this film.

Today, there are more and more reality shows on television. Do

these shows make good television? Why or why not? Explain your

answer using specific reasons and examples.

Is “an eye for an eye” a good basis for determining an appropriate

punishment? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples

to explain your position.

Is there a book that you feel should be required reading for

everyone? Write an essay persuading your audience to read

this book.

Some people go right on to college after high school; others take a

year or more off to work or travel. Which do you think is the

better choice? State your position and support it with specific

reasons and examples.

For centuries, people have wondered about the possibility of life

on other planets in the universe. Do you believe extraterrestrial life

exists? Write an essay persuading others to share your point of

view.

If someone discovered a formula that would enable us to live

forever, would that be a blessing or a curse? Use specific reasons

and examples to support your answer.

Some educators argue that every child in every school should have

access to computers. Others believe that the value of computers in

the classroom is overrated and that computers may actually

interfere with the learning process. In your opinion, how

important are computers in the classroom? Use specific reasons

and examples to explain your answer.

Some people believe that students aren’t learning enough in high

school. Should school standards be higher? Explain your answer

using specific reasons and examples.

It has often been said, “Ignorance is bliss,” and “What you don’t

know won’t hurt you.” Do you agree with these statements? Why

or why not?

 

Question of the Week (10/28/11)

Watch this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3gB1zgpGqs
Read Why We Crave Horror Films by Stephen King, the essay can be found online.  Simply type in "why we crave horror films" into google and a pdf of the article is the first hit.
Answer the following question and post your answer to the blog by 3 p.m. on Halloween. We will discuss this essay in class on Monday.

Question: What has been your own experience watching horror films? Are they one of your favorite film genres, or do you avoid horror films? Identify one horror film and explain your response to it.

Question of the Week (10/21/11)

Choose one of the prompts below and write your response. Posts are due by 3 p.m. Monday, October 24.
Enjoy your weekend.

1. Choose a fairy tale and rewrite it from another character's point of view. For example, retell the story of Snow White from Bashful's point of view, or what if Cinderella's slipper had fit one of her step-sisters? What if Little Red Riding Hood took place in the city instead of the forest. Have fun with this one.
2. In 300 words, write about deceit.
3. Recall a time when you did something to get noticed. Write about it in third person.
4. Take two people who immensely dislike each other and stick them in the back of a cab during rush hour traffic. What happens? (Feel free to change the setting if you wish.)
5. Write about how you felt when you were lied to.
6. Two people split a winning lotto ticket. What happens next?
7. Find an interesting headline and create a story around it.

Question of the Week (10/7/11)

Compare and contrast spoken and written language. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each? What can the purveyors of written language learn from the masters of spoken language that can enrich their writing? Use the language Gloria Naylor uses in the "A Word's Meaning Can Often Depend on Who Says It" essay as an example. All the usual rules apply, but your posts are not due until Tuesday at 3 p.m. Enjoy your long weekend!

Question of the Week (9/22/11)

Writing exercises are a great way to both increase your skill as a writer and to generate new ideas for future work. They can also give you a new perspective on your current project. One of the great benefits of private writing exercises is that you can free yourself of fear and perfectionism. To grow as a writer, it is important to sometimes write without the expectation of publication. Don’t be afraid to be imperfect. That is what practice is for. What you write for any of these exercises may not be your best work, but it is practice for when you will need to write your best work.
Choose one of the following writing exercises and post it to the blog. Be sure (if you are not first) to respond to another post. Be respectful in your writing, as the blog is an extension of our classroom. Post by the end of school on Monday.

• Pick ten people you know and write a one-sentence description for each of them.
• Record five minutes of a talk radio show. Write down the dialog and add narrative descriptions of the speakers and actions as if you were writing a scene.
• Write a 500-word biography of your life.
• Write your obituary. List all of your life’s accomplishments. You can write it as if you died today or fifty or more years in the future.
• Write a 300-word description of your bedroom.
• Write a fictional interview with yourself, an acquaintance, a famous figure or a fictional character. Do it in the style of an appropriate (or inappropriate) magazine or publication such as Time, People, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen or Maxim.
• Pick up a newspaper or supermarket tabloid. Scan the articles until you find one that interests you and use it as the basis for a scene or story.
• Keep a diary of a fictional character.
• Take a passage from a book, a favorite or a least favorite, and rewrite the passage in a different style such as noir, gothic romance, pulp fiction or horror story.
• Pick an author, one you like though not necessarily your favorite, and make a list of what you like about the way they write. Do this from memory first, without rereading their work. After you’ve made your list, reread some of their work and see if you missed anything or if your answers change. Analyze what elements of their writing style you can add to your own, and what elements you should not or cannot add. Remember that your writing style is your own, and that you should only try to think of ways to add to your own style. Never try to mimic someone else for more than an exercise or two.
• Take a piece of your writing that you have written in first person and rewrite it in third person, or vice-versa. You can also try this exercise changing tense, narrators, or other stylistic elements. Don’t do this with an entire book. Stick to shorter works. Once you commit to a style for a book, never look back or you will spend all of your time rewriting instead of writing.
• Try to identify your earliest childhood memory. Write down everything you can remember about it. Rewrite it as a scene. You may choose to do this from your current perspective or from the perspective you had at that age.
• Remember an old argument you had with another person. Write about the argument from the point of view of the other person. Remember that the idea is to see the argument from their perspective, no your own. This is an exercise in voice, not in proving yourself right or wrong.
• Write a 200-word description of a place. You can use any and all sensory descriptions but sight: you can describe what it feels like, sounds like, smells like and even tastes like. Try to write the description in such a way that people will not miss the visual details.
• Sit in a restaurant or a crowded area and write down the snippets of conversation you hear. Listen to the people around you — how they talk and what words they use. Once you have done this, you can practice finishing their conversations. Write your version of what comes next in the conversation. Match their style.

Question of the Week (9/8/11)

 Writing Situation: Everyone has done something that he or she will remember. 
Directions for Writing: Before you begin writing, think about something you have done that you will always remember. 
Now tell the story about a time you did something that you will always remember.

---

The narrative approach, more than any other, offers writers a chance to think and write about themselves. We all have experiences lodged in our memories which are worthy of sharing with readers. Yet sometimes they are so fused with other memories that a lot of the time spent in writing narrative is in the prewriting stage.

 In this stage, writers first need to select an incident worthy of writing about and, second, to find relevance in that incident. To do this, writers might ask themselves what about the incident provided new insights or awareness. Finally, writers must dredge up details which will make the incident real for readers.

Principles of Writing Narrative Essays

Once an incident is chosen, the writer should keep three principles in mind.

 

• Remember to involve readers in the story. It is much more interesting to actually recreate an incident for readers than to simply tell about it.
 
• Find a generalization which the story supports. This is the only way the writer's personal experience will take on meaning for readers. This generalization does not have to encompass humanity as a whole; it can concern the writer, men, women, or children of various ages and backgrounds.
 
• Remember that although the main component of a narrative is the story, details must be carefully selected to support, explain, and enhance the story.

Keeping these three principles in mind post a rough draft of your "moment to remember". This may be different from your other narrative topic. If so, great! Now you have two possibilities for a wonderful narrative essay. If not, simply post your rough draft of your narrative essay. Remember to thoughtfully respond to another classmates' post. This provides you with an opportunity to practice your peer editing skills. Post by Monday at the end of school.

Question of the Week (9/1/11)

Focusing on some of the motifs mentioned in class (use your in-class notes as reference), write three paragraphs supporting one of the motifs and integrate 3 different quotes which support your points. This is excellent practice for your in-class essay on Tuesday. Remember to use MLA format when citing.
After you have finished your paragraphs, read another classmates' writing and provide constructive criticism. This week, even if you're first, you must peer review another's post. Post your paragraphs by Monday at midnight -- you get some extra time this holiday weekend!

Welcome to Composition!

Remember:

Each Thursday a question will be posted on the classroom blog. You will have until Monday, at the end of school (3 p.m.), to post your thoughtful response and a response to a fellow classmate's response to this question. If you are FIRST to respond to the Question of the Week (QoW), you will not be required to respond to a classmate's response. Keep in mind that the blog is timestamped, so every minute counts. Each complete blog response is worth 20 points unless otherwise stated; 2 points will be deducted for each day blog responses are late and are counted as a zero on the Friday of the following week when a new blog question is posted. This is an easy way to earn points, but can be detrimental to your grade as the zeros add up.