Agenda, October 31

Due Now: "Letter from Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 50 Essays. Pay attention to antithesis, anaphora, and figurative language.

Due Thursday: Bring a hard copy of a political advertisement.

Due Friday, November 2: Synthesis Essay. Details below. If you are ill or absent, your essay is due at 1:30.

Due Monday, November 5: Revised OR unrevised version of "Injustice Narrative." Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. 
DO NOT staple the drafts together.

We are headed to the library this week to check out Grapes of Wrath. 

1. Bibliography / Synthesis Questions?
2. "Birmingham Jail"

Agenda, October 30

Due Now: A complete Bibliography. Typed, double spaced, proper MLA header. Staple your notes from 10/25 on the back.

Due Now: "On Being a Cripple," by Nancy Mairs, in 50 Essays

Due Wednesday: "Letter from Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 50 Essays. Pay attention to antithesis, anaphora, and figurative language.

Due Thursday: Bring a hard copy of a political advertisement.

Due Friday, November 2: Synthesis Essay. Details below.
Due Monday, November 5: Revised OR unrevised version of "Injustice Narrative." Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. 
DO NOT staple the drafts together.

1. Bibliography / Synthesis Questions?
2. Parallelism (or //ism) Questions?
3. "On Being a Cripple"

Agenda, October 29

Due Now: "On Being a Cripple," by Nancy Mairs, in 50 Essays

Due Now: Revised OR unrevised version of "How it Feels" essay. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. 
DO NOT staple the drafts together.

Due Wednesday: "Letter from Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 50 Essays. Pay attention to antithesis, anaphora, and figurative language.
Due Tuesday: A complete Bibliography. Typed, double spaced, proper MLA header. Staple your notes from 10/25 on the back.

Due Thursday: Bring a hard copy of a political advertisement.

Due Friday, November 2: Synthesis Essay. Details below.
Due Monday, November 5: Revised OR unrevised version of "Injustice Narrative." Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. 
DO NOT staple the drafts together.

1. Bibliography / Synthesis Questions?
2. Three easy steps to avoid plagiarism: establish your sources, cite your sources, and analyze your sources
3. Parallelism (or //ism)
4. "On Being a Cripple"

Agenda, October 26

Due Friday: "On Being a Cripple," by Nancy Mairs, in 50 Essays

Due Monday, October 29: Revised OR unrevised version of "How it Feels" essay. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. 
DO NOT staple the drafts together.

Due Tuesday: "Letter from Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 50 Essays
Due Tuesday: A complete Bibliography. Typed, double spaced, proper MLA header. Staple your notes from 10/25 on the back.

Due Friday, November 2: Synthesis Essay. Details below.

1. Bibliography Note: If you cite "The Female Body" or "I Want a Wife," you have accurate page numbers in your Bibliography.
2. Bibliography / Synthesis Questions?
3. Ethos in "Lost"
4. "Lost" Changes
5. "On Being a Cripple"

Agenda, October 25

Due Friday: "On Being a Cripple," by Nancy Mairs, in 50 Essays

Due Monday: "Letter from Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 50 Essays 

Due Monday, October 29: Revised OR unrevised version of "How it Feels" essay. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together.

Due Tuesday: A complete Bibliography. Typed, double spaced, proper MLA header. Staple your notes from today on the back.

Due Friday, November 2: Synthesis Essay. Details below

1. Any potential editors out there?
2. Synthesis Questions?
3. Bibliography Notes 
4. Work time for Bibliography / Research

Agenda, October 24

Due Now: "Lost in the Kitchen," by Dave Barry, in 50 Essays (look for "Turkeys in the Kitchen" in the red version)

Due Friday: "On Being a Cripple," by Nancy Mairs, in 50 Essays

Due Monday, October 29: Revised OR unrevised version of "How it Feels" essay. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together.

Due Friday, November 2: Synthesis Essay. Details below

1. Synthesis Questions?
2. A note about late work
3. Whole Class Disco: "Lost in the Kitchen"
4. Dave Barry: Pick your three

Agenda, October 23

Due Wednesday: "Lost in the Kitchen," by Dave Barry, in 50 Essays (look for "Turkeys in the Kitchen" in the red version)

Due Monday, October 29: Revised OR unrevised version of "How it Feels" essay. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together.

Due Friday, November 2: Synthesis Essay. Details to follow.

1. The MLK Prompt
2. To the library for research

MLK Synthesis Prompt

Due Friday, November 2nd

Task: Considering several of the pieces we have read in this unit, evaluate the progress Americans have made towards realizing the dream expressed in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech. Consider not only the lives of African Americans before and after the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, but also the scope of King’s dream: is his dream big enough? Is his dream even worth pursuing? Support your thesis with direct quotations from multiple texts (a minimum of three sources from class, plus one additional source from the Gale Database), properly formatted in MLA style.

Typed. Double Spaced. Twelve point. No blank lines between paragraphs, except to indicate a major shift in tone or setting. Include the appropriate header on every page. Four – seven pages. Don’t forget a title.

Required:

·      Include at least one sentence that employs parallelism, used to create a specific effect. Underline your parallel structures.

·      A minimum of two synthesis paragraphs

·      A minimum of three classroom sources

·      A minimum of one additional source from Gale

·      Properly formatted Works Cited Page

Suggested: End with a plan of action for the future. Employ anaphora in your conclusion.

Audience: 1) The editor of a nationally published magazine. 2) The well-educated readers of that magazine. 3) Yourself.

Purpose: 1) To explore contemporary issues of race and gender through the lens of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “Dream.” 2) To evaluate the current state of race and gender relations in America or the world at large. 3) To suggest a plan of action for the future.

How to approach this paper:

·      Develop an opinion on this subject.

·      Gather evidence (from our texts and from research) to support your opinion. This is an argument; therefore, personal experience is valid evidence and first person is an acceptable POV.

·      Create clear, defensible topic sentences.

·      Draft paragraphs with two quotations to support your topic sentences.

·      Draft paragraphs with an eye towards ethos, pathos, and logos.

·      Proofread to ensure your quotations are properly formatted and cited.

·      Create your Works Cited page.

Agenda, October 22

Due Now: Revised OR unrevised version of Injustice Narrative. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together.

Due Now: "The Myth of the Latin Woman," by Judith Ortiz Cofer, in 50 Essays

Due Wednesday: "Lost in the Kitchen," by Dave Barry, in 50 Essays (look for "Turkeys in the Kitchen" in the red version)

Due Monday, October 29: Revised OR unrevised version of "How it Feels" essay. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together.

Due Friday, November 2: Synthesis Essay. Details to follow.

1. Synthesis Paragraph Notes Decoding
2. Mythbusting
3. The synthesis prompt revealed ...

Agenda, October 18

Due Now: Using two of the essays by Atwood, Kingston, or Brady, write a synthesis paragraph that answers the question "Have we made any (or enough) progress since Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote her 'Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions'?" Typed. Double spaced.

Due Now: "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions," by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in 50 Essays.

Due Thursday: "The Myth of the Latin Woman," by Judith Ortiz Cofer, in 50 Essays

Due Now: Using two of the essays by Atwood, Kingston, or Brady, write a synthesis paragraph that answers the question "Have we made any (or enough) progress since Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote her 'Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions'?" Typed. Double spaced.

Due Monday: Revised OR Unrevised version of Injustice Narrative. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together.

Due Monday: "Lost in the Kitchen," by Dave Barry, in 50 Essays (look for "Turkeys in the Kitchen" in the red version)

1. Synthesis Show and Tell
2. Sentiments about Stanton
3. Mythbusting

The Synthesis Paragraph Made Simple

AKA "TSQASQAC"

Topic Sentence: The topic sentence should state your opinion. The synthesis paragraph supports your opinion with evidence from multiple sources.

Set-up: You need to set up your quotation. The set-up has a number of purposes. Some set-up sentences establish your source. Where did you find the information? What makes this author qualified to support your opinion? Sometimes the source material itself is sufficient to establish your author's qualification. For example, if your article comes from the Journal of American Medicine, your author is by definition credible. If your article is from High Times, on the other hand, it might be more difficult (but not impossible) to establish your source as reliable. Appositives can be very helpful when you are establishing sources. Once you have established your source as reliable, you don't need to do it again. Your set-up also needs to provide a little bit of context. What was the purpose of the source material? What was your author writing about in the essay when your quotation appears?

Quotation: Never use a quotation as a complete sentence. At the very least, begin like this: [Author] writes, " ..." (Author Pg). Here's an example:

Kline writes, "It's most effective to use your examples in chronological order" (Kline 12).

Generic Student asks, "What if the quotation ends with a question mark?" (Student 17).

The "Author's Name" in the parenthetical citation should be the first word that appears on the Works Cited page. You don't need the abbreviation "Pg" in your citation. You don't need to invent a page number for websites that don't have page numbers.

Analysis: First, decode any figurative language that appears in your quotation. Then, explain how the quotation supports your topic sentence. You don't need to label your quotation as a quotation.

Repeat the S-Q-A steps: At some point during the first Analysis or the second Set-up you will need to transition from your first quotation to your second. Transitions of addition, emphasis, or contrast will all work here (a quick google search will provide you with endless lists of transitions).

Closing: This sentence wraps up your paragraph and transitions the reader into your next paragraph.

Agenda, October 17

Due Now: "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions," by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in 50 Essays. You might want to skim the Declaration of Independence before you read this one.

Due Thursday: "The Myth of the Latin Woman," by Judith Ortiz Cofer, in 50 Essays

Due Tomorrow: Using two of the essays by Atwood, Kingston, or Brady, write a synthesis paragraph that answers the question "Have we made any (or enough) progress since Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote her 'Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions'?" Typed. Double spaced.

Due Monday, 10/22: Revised OR Unrevised version of Injustice Narrative. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together.

1. What is a synthesis paragraph anyway?

Agenda, October 16

Due Now: "The Female Body," by Margaret Atwood (Handout) 

Due Now: "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions," by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in 50 Essays. You might want to skim the Declaration of Independence before you read this one.

Due Thursday: "The Myth of the Latin Woman," by Judith Ortiz Cofer, in 50 Essays

Due Monday, 10/22: Revised OR Unrevised version of Injustice Narrative. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together. 

If you're ill tomorrow, make sure your "guy" talks to you tomorrow night. 

1. Back to the appositive drawing board
2. The structure of "The Female Body"
3. Sentiments about Stanton

Agenda, October 15

Due Now: "The Female Body," by Margaret Atwood (Handout) 

Due Tuesday: "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions," by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in 50 Essays. You might want to skim the Declaration of Independence before you read this one.

Due Thursday: "The Myth of the Latin Woman," by Judith Ortiz Cofer, in 50 Essays

Due Monday, 10/22: Revised OR Unrevised version of Injustice Narrative. Highlight your changes on the most recent draft. DO NOT staple the drafts together. 

1. Wrapping up "No Name Woman: Literal truth v. Metaphorical Truth, Capitalization, Occasion
2. "The Female Body"
3. Back to the appositive drawing board

Agenda, October 11

Due Now: "No Name Woman," by Maxine Hong Kingston, in 50 Essays.
Due Now: "The Female Body," by Margaret Atwood (Handout) 

Due Monday: "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions," by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in 50 Essays. You might want to skim the Declaration of Independence before you read this one.

1. "No Name" Noisy Discussion
2. Occasion
3. "The Female Body"

Agenda, October 10

Due Now: "No Name Woman," by Maxine Hong Kingston, in 50 Essays.
Due Now: "How it Feels" Revisions OR your unrevised hard copy. Highlight all changes in your new draft. DO NOT staple the two versions together; connect them with a paper clip instead.
Due Thursday: "The Female Body," by Margaret Atwood (Handout)

1. Finish Silent Discussion
2. Debrief Posters / Share Out
3. Noisy Discussion

Agenda, October 9

Due Now: "I Want a Wife," by Judy Brady (handout)  
Due Now: "No Name Woman," by Maxine Hong Kingston, in 50 Essays.
Due Tomorrow: "How it Feels" Revisions OR your unrevised hard copy. Highlight all changes in your new draft. DO NOT staple the two versions together; connect them with a paper clip instead.
Due Thursday: "The Female Body," by Margaret Atwood (Handout)

1. Does "I Want a Wife" still matter?
2. Is this a rhetorical question?
3. Silent Discussion
4. Noisy Discussion

Agenda, October 8

Due Now: "I Want a Wife," by Judy Brady (handout)  
Due Now: Write about a time you experienced injustice. You may have been the victim, the perpetrator, or a bystander. Follow MLA Format.
Due Tomorrow: "No Name Woman," by Maxine Hong Kingston, in 50 Essays.
Due Wednesday, 10/10: "How it Feels" Revisions OR your unrevised hard copy. Highlight all changes in your new draft. DO NOT staple the two versions together; connect them with a paper clip instead.

1. Injustice Titles
2. Great lines
3. Who wouldn't want a wife?
4. "No Name" Categories: Historical Fact, Information from the Author's Mother, Author's Speculation About Her Aunt, Descriptions of Culture and Tradition, Reflections on the Self, Beautiful / Powerful Writing
5. No Name Freewrite

Agenda, October 5

Due Now: "The Joy of Reading: Superman and Me," by Sherman Alexie, in 50 Essays
Due Now: "I Want a Wife," by Judy Brady (handout)  
Due Monday, 10/8: Write about a time you experienced injustice. You may have been the victim, the perpetrator, or a bystander. Follow MLA Format.
Due Tuesday: "No Name Woman," by Maxine Hong Kingston, in 50 Essays.
Due Wednesday, 10/10: "How it Feels" Revisions OR your unrevised hard copy.

1. Injustice Narrative Questions?
2. The Joy of Small Group Discussions 
3. Who wouldn't want a wife?

Agenda, October 4

Due Yesterday: "Happy Endings," by Margaret Atwood (handout)
Due Now: "The Joy of Reading: Superman and Me," by Sherman Alexie, in 50 Essays
Due Tomorrow: "I Want a Wife," by Judy Brady (handout)  
Due Monday, 10/8: Write about a time you experienced injustice. You may have been the victim, the perpetrator, or a bystander. Follow MLA Format.
Due Wednesday, 10/10: "How it Feels" Revisions OR your unrevised hard copy.

1. Injustice Narrative Questions?
2. Are you appositive about that?
3. Four essays, four questions
4. More happiness
5. The Joy of Small Group Discussions

Agenda, October 3

Due Yesterday: "Happy Endings," by Margaret Atwood (handout)
Due Now: "The Joy of Reading: Superman and Me," by Sherman Alexie, in 50 Essays
Due Friday: "I Want a Wife," by Judy Brady (handout)  
Due Monday, 10/8: Write about a time you experienced injustice. You may have been the victim, the perpetrator, or a bystander. Follow MLA Format.
Due Wednesday, 10/10: "How it Feels" Revisions OR your unrevised hard copy.

1. We should probably talk about participation (phones, chatting, writing time, "guy" breakdowns). Sigh.
2. Injustice Narrative Questions?
3. The return of the How it Feels
4. How it Feels Notes
5. Four essays, four questions
6. More happiness
7. The Joy of Small Group Discussions

Agenda, October 2

Due Now: "Happy Endings," by Margaret Atwood (handout)
Due Tomorrow: "The Joy of Reading: Superman and Me," by Sherman Alexie, in 50 Essays

Due Monday, 10/8: Write about a time you experienced injustice. You may have been the victim, the perpetrator, or a bystander. Follow MLA Format.

1. Injustice Narrative Questions?
2. Grammar as Rhetoric: The Appositive
3. Diction in "Walk on By"
4. Purpose in "Walk on By"
5. Four essays, four answers
6. Happily ever after?

Injustice Narrative Assignment

Due Monday, October 8

Write a three – five page narrative about a personal experience with injustice. You may be the victim of the injustice, an observer of the injustice, or the perpetrator of the injustice. Follow MLA format.

Typed. Double Spaced. Twelve point. No blank lines between paragraphs, except to indicate a major shift in tone or setting. Three – five pages. Don’t forget a title.

Required: Include at least one properly punctuated appositive, used to create a specific effect. Underline and label your appositive.

Required: One intentionally, effectively placed short sentence or fragment. Underline and label your short sentence or fragment.

Suggested: Four possible structures. 1) Begin at the end, then explain how you got there. 2) Alternate narration of the action with reflection on the action. 3) Traditional beginning, middle, end narration. 4) Something too cool for me to think of and suggest.

Audience: 1) An educated reader. 2) Yourself.

Purpose: 1) To explore the causes and nature of injustice 2) To explore your role in preventing or spreading injustice. 3) To use this exploration to further your understanding of the definition of justice. 4) Tell a good story.

Excellent topics are not limited to gross violations of our sense of justice. Sometimes great wisdom lies in exploring the little details. Write about an experience you remember vividly and can describe honestly, even if you’re not proud of your actions.

You must bring a hard copy of this assignment with you to class on Monday.

Agenda, October 1

Due Now: "Just Walk on By," by Brent Staples, in 50 Essays. 
Due Tomorrow: "Happy Endings," by Margaret Atwood (handout)
Due Wednesday: "The Joy of Reading: Superman and Me," by Sherman Alexie, in 50 Essays 
Due Monday, 10/8: Write about a time you experienced injustice. You may have been the victim, the perpetrator, or a bystander. Follow MLA Format.

1. Injustice Narrative Brainstorm
2. "Just Walk on By" whole class disco
3. Grammar as Rhetoric: The Appositive