--Take out your HW (essay outline) and place it in the black basket on the front table.
--Engage in some last-minute studying quietly and independently.
--When Mr. Martin directs you to do so, pick up the Unit #4 vocabulary assessment from the front table. Complete the quiz quietly and independently. Good luck!
--Mr. Martin delivers peer outlines to students.
*When finished, begin reading and providing feedback on your peer's outline via the questions/directives below:
- Is the thesis statement both meaningful and complex, or does the thesis statement seem pretty straightforward or as if it's "missing something"? IF THE THESIS STATEMENT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT, WRITE IN SPECIFIC FEEDBACK ON YOUR PEER'S OUTLINE (e.g., "Your thesis statement is making me think 'so what?' If both Santiagos learn important life lessons, who cares? What does that tell me as a reader about life lessons? And, what specific life lessons are being conveyed to each?").
- Are the pieces of evidence selected both strong and thorough? Can you think of a piece of evidence or two that your peer could/should use in order to improve the quality and/or thoroughness of his/her details? AGAIN, WRITE IN SPECIFIC FEEDBACK ON YOUR PEER'S OUTLINE (e.g., "You might want to consider using...").
- Are the tiebacks written both clear and convincing? If, as the reader, you are at all confused or skeptical, this becomes a communication breakdown/unnecessary barrier for which the writer is reponsible, but you as the reader can help! IF YOU ARE CONFUSED BY A TIEBACK, WRITE "I am confused?" ON YOUR PEER'S OUTLINE NEXT TO THE TIEBACK. AT THE VERY LEAST, THIS WILL RAISE YOUR PEER'S AWARENESS OF WHERE WORK IS NEEDED. ALSO, WRITE IN ANY ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC FEEDBACK THAT YOUR PEER COULD USE TO MAKE HIS/HER TIEBACKS LESS CONFUSING AND MORE CONVINCING (e.g., "You should probably add one more sentence here--I get that this quote shows that love is important to Santiago, but how so?).
--As part of today's vocabulary quiz, Mr. Martin is assessing your ability to:
- determine the meaning of a word by using context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence and/or a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of the word.
- analyzing how an author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
- analyzing how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences or paragraphs of a text.
- delineating and evaluating the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.
- participating effectively in one-on-one or group discussions, building on others' ideas and expressing our own clearly and persuasively.
- developing and strengthening writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
- producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, puprose, and audience.
--trade and grade--return quizzes to rightful owners--reflect on performance and note still-not-mastered words in your vocabulary book--Mr. Martin collects quizzes
Writing Workshop -- The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment
--key ideas for part of today's work (same as last class):
- The thesis statement (or argument...whatever you'd like to call it) must present a meaningful and complex idea.
- The evidence gathered via active/critical/purposeful rereading must be both strong and thorough.
- The explanations about the significance of these pieces of evidence in terms of your thesis/argument must be both clear and convincing.
- Overall, the essays that you are currently working on, in their finished forms, must communicate complex ideas effectively. No barriers should exist between you and your audience.
--questions/directives for today's peer feedback block:
- Is the thesis statement both meaningful and complex, or does the thesis statement seem pretty straightforward or as if it's "missing something"? IF THE THESIS STATEMENT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT, WRITE IN SPECIFIC FEEDBACK ON YOUR PEER'S OUTLINE (e.g., "Your thesis statement is making me think 'so what?' If both Santiagos learn important life lessons, who cares? What does that tell me as a reader about life lessons? And, what specific life lessons are being conveyed to each?").
- Are the pieces of evidence selected both strong and thorough? Can you think of a piece of evidence or two that your peer could/should use in order to improve the quality and/or thoroughness of his/her details? AGAIN, WRITE IN SPECIFIC FEEDBACK ON YOUR PEER'S OUTLINE (e.g., "You might want to consider using...").
- Are the tiebacks written both clear and convincing? If, as the reader, you are at all confused or skeptical, this becomes a communication breakdown/unnecessary barrier for which the writer is reponsible, but you as the reader can help! IF YOU ARE CONFUSED BY A TIEBACK, WRITE "I am confused?" ON YOUR PEER'S OUTLINE NEXT TO THE TIEBACK. AT THE VERY LEAST, THIS WILL RAISE YOUR PEER'S AWARENESS OF WHERE WORK IS NEEDED. ALSO, WRITE IN ANY ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC FEEDBACK THAT YOUR PEER COULD USE TO MAKE HIS/HER TIEBACKS LESS CONFUSING AND MORE CONVINCING (e.g., "You should probably add one more sentence here--I get that this quote shows that love is important to Santiago, but how so?).
--in partnerships (or threesomes), meet and discuss feedback--help each other be better!
--Transition--return to desks and take out a clean sheet of lined paper
--view TEDEd video about introductions: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-power-of-a-great-introduction-carolyn-mohr
--go through slides about writing introductions
--quick-write introductions
HW
--Make any necessary revisions to your outline as per today's peer feedback block.
--Finish writing and revise your introduction. It would be a good idea to have one of your peers take a look and offer suggestions for improvement prior to next class.
--Come to class next time with both your introduction and outline, as we will have computer access for typing purposes. It would be a good idea to bring a flashdrive.
