Ready, Set, Write!
Get started writing your papers this weekend. On Monday we’ll take a look at a couple of essays that approach argument in a couple of different ways. We’ll be in the computer lab on Tuesday, but Career Cruising is going to taking up the lab the rest of the week.
Have a good weekend and bring any questions or concerns about the essay with you on Monday.
Elephants travel slowly, evidently
Our cloze activity took longer than it has in the past and with the shortened periods we didn’t get to the more in depth discussion on the essay. That will now happen tomorrow. Think about the essay prompts a bit tonight and bring your thoughts, insights, and questions to class for our discussion.
If you are going on the band trip, re-read the essay in light of the question that appeals to you most, thinking about how the essay makes that particular argument. Think through your position on the issue on which that prompt focuses. Then start forming your argument, keeping in mind our readings from Everything’s an Argument, including Toulmin.
Multitasking Re-Wires Our Brains!?
Those of you that were gone Friday, we took a vocabulary test that you’ll need to make up and we read and had a brief discussion on The Autumn of the Multitaskers that you will need to read as well.
Homework for this weekend is two-fold:
- Identify and blog the main claim of The Autumn of the Multitaskers as well as the supporting claim for each section (helpfully denoted by the big drop cap at the beginning of the section). Write a brief reflection at the end about how these sections and their claims work together to support the main claim.
- In Everything’s an Argument, read pages 139-147 and then skim pages 147-171 (This second set is all about Toulmin and can be very helpful in understanding Toulmin’s system).
FYI: At some point next week, we’ll have a Toulmin quiz.
Next week we’ll discuss the Everything’s an Argument readings that you have done and any questions you may have.
We’ll also dive a bit deeper into argument and start analyzing the essay we’ll use for our argument paper (I know you just turned in your JFK papers, but before the extension, I’d planned for you to have half a week and a weekend before we started talking about the next one!)
Have a good weekend!
“Graff” that “Dumb” Article!
Remember that you should blog your Graff Template response to How Dumb Can We Get?. You DO NOT have to post the questions. Those are there to help you did a bit deeper if you get the first two sentences in the Graff Template written and then realize you don’t know what else to say. This tool is designed to help you drill down a bit and get at some nuanced meaning in a text and then frame a cogent response. If you lost your Graff Template (already!), you can get it in .pdf format from Class Info & Docs.
As I’m going to be gone tomorrow, hold questions on the reading until Friday. If you remember that the whole reading is structured around exploring the 4 stasis questions introduced at the beginning of passage, you should be fine. Just remember to pay attention to what the text is doing and not just let the text wash over your brain as you read without penetrating your understanding.
Homework:
- By Thursday, read Everything’s an Argument pp. 20-32
- By Friday, read Everything’s an Argument pp. 102-115
- Vocabulary test on list 5 on Friday
- JFK paper due Friday
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.
JFK Paper Thesis
In preparation for our writing time in the computer lab, you need to come to class tomorrow with a thesis sentence in response to the prompt on page 57 of our book. Though you may use the sample thesis in the book for your paper, you must have your own for this assignment.
Also, create at least two topic sentences for that thesis. If you have any questions concerning thesis statements or topic sentences, follow the links below.
The idea is that when we’re in the lab tomorrow and Wednesday, you’ll be ready to write. Ideally you’ll have most of a rough draft at the end of those two days and can do some revision before the paper is due (March 11th.)
Thesis links from my three favorite online writing labs:
AP Squaring JFK
AP2 JFK’s speech this weekend. Remember that you’re looking for Persona, Audience, Argument, and Purpose. As we said in class, he may have one overarching argument or purpose, but he likely has sub-arguments and purposes as well. The same goes for audience. Think about this one – don’t just gloss over the assignment with surface analysis.
We will be doing an activity on Monday where everyone will end up with a working thesis and at least two topic sentences that contain claims. After looking at some example theses, we will start writing. To help us get started, we have some computer lab time next week (2nd half of Tuesday and all of Wednesday). We’ll talk more specifically about the essay requirements and question on Monday.
Remember that if you are taking the opportunity to rewrite your Lord Chesterfield paper, that is due Monday as well.
Rewrite!
If you would like to take the opportunity to rewrite your Lord Chesterfield paper, then your rewritten draft is due on Monday. Do not, under any circumstances, waste either of our time by simply editing your paper and resubmitting it. That alone will not get you a better grade and it will make your instructor grumpy.
Some tips for your rewritten essays:
- Answer the prompt. General analysis that was reasonably capable, but that did not answer the prompt earned up to a C or so the first time around. The second time around, such papers will receive an F. I had more than one college professor who used the same type of policy.
- Write a clear, specific thesis that addresses the prompt. Without this, you’re likely to wander aimlessly and end up with a D or worse.
- Write topic sentences including claims that support your thesis. If your topic sentence is summary, it’s hard to write a paragraph that isn’t primarily summary.
- Keep Lord Chesterfield’s purpose in mind as you analyze the text and answer the prompt.
- Rewritten essay
- Analysis of rewritten essay
- Original essay
Your write-up on your rewritten essay should explain how you used the feedback and the information above to revise your paper. What did you consider and where did you focus your attempts to improve? What do you consider to be the strength of your paper? Based on your first grade and the revisions you made, evaluate the overall quality of your revised paper.
Happy revising!
Remember that tomorrow we have a test on Vocab 3!
Also tomorrow the University of Washington Tacoma, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Gene Juarez, and Green River Community College will all be on campus during both lunches. Check out this guide to help you know what to talk about at college fairs (even tiny ones in the school cafeteria).
JFK Rhetorical Questions
As you finish the questions we started in class, remember that the depth you answer them now will determine how useful they are to you as you write your paper. You do not need to blog the answers. Bring them in on paper and I’ll look them over while you do your timed write tomorrow.
Those of you with junior conferences tomorrow, see me to arrange a make-up time for the timed write.
You’ll also be getting your Lord Chesterfield papers back tomorrow and we’ll talk about what we can learn from them as we prepare to write our analysis papers on JFK’s inaugural address.
Step one with JFK
Tonight you need to annotate JFK’s inaugural address. As you think about the speech, keep in mind the context in which it was given to help ground your observations and analysis.
Once you’ve finished your annotation, blog your thoughts on JFK’s speech. This could be a summary of your observations, general reaction to the speech, or an expanded discussion of one or more of your observations you made in the course of your annotation.
Don’t forget your DGP and to study Vocab 3 for Friday.
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