-- Pick up the grading sheet for the culminating essay assignment from the front table. Spend approximately ten minutes purposefully reading through both the front and back of the grading sheet. As you read the front of the sheet, engage in purposeful reading as per the following question: What questions do you have about any of the items on this section of the grading sheet? As you read the back of the sheet, engage in purposeful reading as per the following question: What distinguishes a "5" from a "6" in each of the five categories?
S. the C.
--agenda/HW
Writing Workshop -- The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment
--Q & A (grading sheet)
--a few controlling quotations for today's block:
- "At this point [of gathering evidence], you want to include anything, anything, that might be useful, and you also want to avoid the temptation to arrive at definite conclusions about your topic. Remember that one of the qualities that makes for a good interpretation is that it avoids the obvious. You want to develop complex ideas, and the best way to do that is to keep your ideas flexible until you've considered the evidence carefully. A good gauge of complexity is whether you feel you understand more about your topic than you did when you began (and even just reaching a higher state of confusion is a good indicator that you're treating your topic in a complex way)."
- "A
thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis
is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before
you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize
evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as
surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of
these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a
'working thesis,' a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can
support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way."
--reminder
of our “Compact for Work Time” established last class
- "fish
out the small moments, the complicated moments in the
story..."--today, the best use of your time is likely
gathering/crafting an extended list of evidence
--work block
--meetings as per the order established on the front board (proposals from last class block)
HW (Take-Home Assessment)
--Finish "Article of the Week" #8, which is due at the beginning of class next time (Friday, 2/26). This task will include purposefully reading the directions in the box on the first page and completing your best work with regard to the directions.
HW (Take-Home Assessment/Class Preparation)
--An updated version of your thesis statement for the The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment is due at the beginning of class next time (Friday, 2/26). Your thesis statement: A.) can be handwritten on a piece of lined paper, B.) should be your absolute best effort, C.) must follow from the evidence that you have gathered, and D.) must be strong as per the guidelines present in the "Thesis Statements" document from The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill (see link below).
HW (Class Preparation)
--Finish gathering evidence for your The Alchemist and The
Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment. Next class, you will have
some time to look through all of your evidence and make some decisions about
what evidence you will actually end up using. A document from The Writing
Center at UNC Chapel Hill exists titled "Evidence". Please
visit the following link, as this document is extremely helpful:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/evidence/
--Continue
progressing through your essay-writing process in whatever manner you see fit. We are likely heading to the library on Tuesday, 3/1.
--Work on finishing your free reading book. You have just about a month
between now and the due date of the one-pager. ALWAYS BRING YOUR
FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS! See me if you have finished your book and
need a one-pager
On the backburner:
- ACT
nonfiction passages and multiple choice questions
