Agenda, February 27

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 7-8   
Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 9-10 (if you're struggling to keep up, use the weekend to read ahead)    
Due Tuesday, 3/4: Outline Essay - Develop one of your outlines into a 750-1000 word essay. Your audience is the Editorial Staff of the OCHS Literary Magazine and the student body of OCHS in general (you will be submitting this essay for publication). MLA format. Include your word count on the 1st page. You need a multi-paragraph intro and an outstanding close. If the outline essay isn't working for you, this is an acceptable substitute. The deadline is still Tuesday.   

1. The role of the chronology
2. Who is Jose?
3. Three questions I need answered ...
4. Open discussion
5. Stream of consciousness
6. Developing the purpose

Agenda, February 26

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 5-6  
Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 7-8 (yep, the pattern keeps going)  
Due Tuesday, 3/4: Outline Essay - Develop one of your outlines into a 750-1000 word essay. Your audience is the Editorial Staff of the OCHS Literary Magazine and the student body of OCHS in general (you will be submitting this essay for publication). MLA format. Include your word count on the 1st page. You need a multi-paragraph intro and an outstanding close.    

1. Yesterday in a nutshell: Juxtaposition (effect and purpose); answers to Emily's question, the role of the chronology
2. Developing the Purpose
3. Three questions I need answered ...
4. Open discussion
5. Stream of consciousness

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 3-4
Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 5-6 (yep, the pattern keeps going)
Due Tuesday, 3/4: Outline Essay - Develop one of your outlines into a 750-1000 word essay. Your audience is the Editorial Staff of the OCHS Literary Magazine and the student body of OCHS in general (you will be submitting this essay for publication). MLA format. Include your word count on the 1st page. You need a multi-paragraph intro and an outstanding close.    

1. Purpose
2. Chronology
3. While I was reading, I noticed ...
4. Open discussion 
5. Stream of consciousness

Agenda, February 24

Due Now: Cause and Effect Outline with complete conclusion. No five paragraph outlines. Use a conclusion technique other than summarizing your argument. 
Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 1 - 2 
Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 3 - 4 (do you detect a pattern?)
Due Tuesday, 3/4: Outline Essay - Develop one of your outlines into a 750-1000 word essay. Your audience is the Editorial Staff of the OCHS Literary Magazine and the student body of OCHS in general (you will be submitting this essay for publication). MLA format. Include your word count on the 1st page. You need a multi-paragraph intro and an outstanding close.   

1. Outline Essay Questions
2. While I was reading, I noticed ...
3. Open discussion 
4. Stream of consciousness

Due Today: Optional Synthesis Revision. If I asked you to add a paragraph and you did not, I will not rescore it.
Due Monday: Cause and Effect Outline with complete conclusion. No five paragraph outlines. Use a conclusion technique other than summarizing your argument.  
Due Monday: Chapters 1-2 of Johnny Got His Gun

1. Conclusions: Some Parting Words
2. Get Johnny Got His Gun
3. Finish Discussion of "Tiffany Stephenson"
4. Discuss "Retreat into the iWorld"

Agenda, February 20

Due Now: Cause and Effect Packet  
Due Now: Process Analysis Outline. The body should be the same as usual. For the introduction, simply state your claim. At the end of your outline, write a complete conclusion. Use a conclusion technique other than summarizing your argument.  
Due Friday: Optional Synthesis Revision. If I asked you to add a paragraph and you did not, I will not rescore it.
Due Monday: Cause and Effect Outline with complete conclusion. No five paragraph outlines. Use a conclusion technique other than summarizing your argument. 

1. Testing? Testing?
2. Cause and Effect Brainstorm
3. Open discussion on "Tiffany Stephenson"

Dani Got Her Book

And she found it for free, right here:

Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo

The page numbers don't agree with the classroom textbook, but we can deal with that. If you use this edition, you'll need to be able to access it during class. You can bring an electronic device to read online or print out hard copies. Please don't overwhelm the library by trying to print the entire book at once.

Due Today: Cause and Effect Packet
Due Today: Revisions of Rhetorical Devices / Works Cited pages (if you do not want to revise your whole synthesis)
Due Tomorrow: Process Analysis Outline. The body should be the same as usual. For the introduction, simply state your claim. At the end of your outline, write a complete conclusion. Use a conclusion technique other than summarizing your argument. 
Due Friday: Optional Synthesis Revision. If I asked you to add a paragraph and you did not, I will not rescore it.  

1. Small-group discussion of organization
2. Review of Cause and Effect
3. Cause and Effect Prompts
4. Discussion of "An Apology"

Due Tomorrow: Cause and Effect Packet
Due Tomorrow: Revisions of Rhetorical Devices / Works Cited pages (if you do not want to revise your whole synthesis)
Due Thursday: Process Analysis Outline. The body should be the same as usual. For the introduction, simply state your claim. At the end of your outline, write a complete conclusion. Use a conclusion technique other than summarizing your argument. 
Due Friday: Optional Synthesis Revision. If I asked you to add a paragraph and you did not, I will not rescore it.  

1. Process Brainstorm
2. Open discussion on "Independence Day"
3. Small group discussion on organization.

Agenda, February 13

Due Now: Process Analysis Packet 
Due Wednesday: Cause and Effect Packet
Due Wednesday: Revisions of Rhetorical Devices / Works Cited pages (if you do not want to revise your whole synthesis)
Due Thursday: Process Analysis Outline. The body should be the same as usual. For the introduction, simply state your claim. At the end of your outline, write a complete conclusion. Use a conclusion technique other than summarizing your argument.
Due Friday: Optional Synthesis Revision. If I asked you to add a paragraph and you did not, I will not rescore it. 

1. The return o' the Synthesis
2. Scoring the multiple choice
3. Process Brainstorm
4. Open discussion on "Running"

Agenda, February 11

Due Now: Multiple Choice Practice.  
Due Thursday: Process Analysis Packet

1. We will fix comma splice's, we will also fix errors' with apostrophes.
2. State Writing Assessment

I must be losing my touch ...

... but this link has no educational purpose whatsoever:

How to Overthrow Your Dystopian Government, by Kit Steinkellner

Agenda, February 6

Due Now: Outline for Compare and Contrast Paper: Typed (single spaced ok); Multi-paragraph intro, topic sentence for each body paragraph, two supporting details for each body paragraph (no more than one full sentence for each supporting detail), instead of a conclusion, write a "So What?" statement (one sentence). No 5 paragraph outlines (you need more than three body paragraphs)     
Due Friday: Review the rules regarding comma splices and apostrophes. I'd expect a quiz.  
Due Monday: Multiple Choice Practice.           
Due Monday: Process Analysis Packet

1. State Writing Assessment

Hey folks, here's a handful of prompts that you can use for your compare and contrast outline:

1.  Compare and contrast two genres of shows (sports, sitcom, reality TV, talk shows, etc.) or two shows in the same genre (Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother).

2.  Compare and contrast two sports, one that you love, and another that you don't think deserves the name (like competitive cow tipping). Your aim should be to give your reader a clear understanding of what you mean by sport.

3. Think of a difficult decision you have made. Compare and contrast the choice you made with the choice you could have made.

 

Agenda, February 5

Due Now: Revision of Synthesis Paper. Staple final draft on top of rough. Attach peer review to the back. No highlighting necessary.  
Due Thursday: Outline for Compare and Contrast Paper: Typed (single spaced ok); Multi-paragraph intro, topic sentence for each body paragraph, two supporting details for each body paragraph (no more than one full sentence for each supporting detail), instead of a conclusion, write a "So What?" statement (one sentence). No 5 paragraph outlines (you need more than three body paragraphs)   
Due Friday: Review the rules regarding comma splices and apostrophes.
Due Friday: Multiple Choice Practice.         
Due Monday: Process Analysis Packet

1. C&C Question Factory
2. State Writing Assessment

Agenda, February 4

Due Now: Compare and Contrast Packet 
Due Tomorrow: Revision of Synthesis Paper. Staple final draft on top of rough. Attach peer review to the back. No highlighting necessary. If you were absent yesterday, you need to grab the form for the peer review and complete it by tomorrow.
Due Thursday: Outline for Compare and Contrast Paper: Typed (single spaced ok); Multi-paragraph intro, topic sentence for each body paragraph, two supporting details for each body paragraph (no more than one full sentence for each supporting detail), instead of a conclusion, write a "So What?" statement (one sentence). No 5 paragraph outlines (you need more than three body paragraphs) 
Due Friday: Multiple Choice Practice.         

1. Multiple Choice Practice (12 minutes)
2. Compare and Contrast Brainstorm
3. Whole Class Discussion

Agenda, February 3

Due Now: Poor Synthesis Paper  
Due Now: Compare and Contrast Packet 
Due Wednesday: Revision of Synthesis Paper. Staple final draft on top of rough. Attach peer review to the back. No highlighting necessary. 
Due Thursday: Outline for Compare and Contrast Paper: Typed (single spaced ok); Multi-paragraph intro, topic sentence for each body paragraph, two supporting details for each body paragraph (no more than one full sentence for each supporting detail), instead of a conclusion, write a "So What?" statement (one sentence). No 5 paragraph outlines (you need more than three body paragraphs)         

1. Peer Review
2. Compare and Contrast Brainstorm
3. Whole Class Discussion

So, you wanna write a multi-paragraph introduction?

Don'ts:

• Don't write a one-paragraph intro and make it into two paragraphs by hitting return before your claim/thesis.
• Don't write a one-paragraph intro and hit return somewhere in the middle. It might look like two paragraphs, but if you're still supporting the same main idea, it's one paragraph. Many of you are trying to turn transition sentences into topic sentences.
• Don't begin with common knowledge: "People have two feet" does not make for a compelling opening. The purpose of an introduction is to invite the reader in, and if you begin by telling me something I already know, I'm not likely to want to come in.
• Don't write about "every one's" or "your" experience. 

Do's:

• Try to build your introduction around image, an analogy, or an anecdote. If your essay is about school, show us school or compare school to something (please, not prison) or tell us a story about an experience in school.
• Write from personal experience. Second person is rarely inviting.
• Write the intro only you can write. If you're writing about something that many people have experienced, share your specific, unique experience.