OCPoWriMo begins ...

Here's the link to the blog:

OCPoWriMo

If you click on "All Contributors," it will take you to a page with an alphabetical list of, well, all contributors.

When you write your poem tomorrow, send it to me and I'll happily post it.

Due Today: Obama's Acceptance Speech 
Due Wednesday: "Henry V Speech"

1. Multiple Choice Awesomeness
2. Writing Time
3. Disco Time

In the unlikely event ...

... that you are asked to write an essay that answers the question "Is there such a thing as a just war?" you will probably be required to research one or more of the following four conflicts:

1) The current situation between Russia, Crimea, and Ukraine
2) The Syrian Civil War
3) The Arab Spring (of 2010)
4) The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (anywhere from the 1940s to the present)

Of course, your research wouldn't be limited to those four conflicts.

Happy Spring Break!

Due Today: Multiple Choice Practice
Due Today: An image of war.
Due Today: "Visual Rhetoric" from earlier in the year. Come in ready to discuss it afresh.
Due Monday after Spring Break: Obama's Acceptance Speech 

1. Your questions answered! 
2. Show Me War
3. Whole-Class Disco 

Due Now: "Declaration of Independence," by Thomas Jefferson.
Due Tomorrow: Multiple Choice Practice
Due Tomorrow: An image of war.
Due Tomorrow: "Visual Rhetoric" from earlier in the year. Come in ready to discuss it afresh.

1. Finish... Question 9.
2. Yay! Bonus Multiple Choice!
3. Whole-Class Disco (Strut it out)

Will you print this or scroll through?

"The Reading Brain in the Digital Age" might make an interesting read for y'all for a couple of reasons. First off, it's an excellent example of a synthesis paper. The writer offers plenty of examples of establishing sources and fluidly incorporating quotations. Should you find yourself writing another synthesis argument soon, it might be nice to have a model handy. Another reason it might be useful is that it mirrors the type of arguments that frequently appear on the Lang exam. I can easily envision a prompt centered around reading digital texts compared to paper texts.

It's a long article, but the wrinkle at the end is intriguing.

Due Now: "Declaration of Independence," by Thomas Jefferson.
Due Thursday: Multiple Choice Practice

1. Tee-Shirt Vote.
2. Small-group Discussions
3. Open Discussion

Due Now: "Show and Tell," by Scott McCloud, in The Language of Composition.
Due Now: 5 quotations from Johnny Got His Gun that will help you answer the question "Is there such a thing as a just war?" Include page numbers. Typed. (A few sentences about context would be helpful to you, but not required.)

1. House cleaning.
2. Multiple Choice Practice
3. Discuss "Show and Tell"

For your planning convenience ...

We will be having an AP Lang practice exam on the morning of Friday, May 2. This is an inservice / grading day for the teachers, so it looks like a day off on your calendar. If you are unable to dedicate a Friday morning to AP Lang, you will need to take the exam home on Thursday night and complete it before class on Monday; however, it's better to practice the test under testing conditions.

Agenda, March 12

Due Monday: "Show and Tell," by Scott McCloud, in The Language of Composition.
Due Monday: 5 quotations from Johnny Got His Gun that will help you answer the question "Is there such a thing as a just war?" Include page numbers. Typed. (A few sentences about context would be helpful to you, but not required.)

Agenda, March 11

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 1-20
Due Tomorrow: Portfolio Maintenance. If you have an essay in your possession, bring it with you.

1. Whole class disco, part 1
2. Small group disco, part 1
3. Whole class disco, part 2
4. Small group disco, part 2

Agenda, March 10

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 1-20

1. So ... what did you think?
2. Open Discussion
3. Finals Prep Discussion Questions

Agenda, March 7

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 15-16         
Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 1-20

1. I really don't get / I really need to ask
2. Open Discussion
3. Let's get allusion-tastic

Agenda, March 6

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 13-14       
Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 15-16

1. Rhetoric and Style: which is which?
2. Three things I need to say ...
3. Open Discussion

Agenda, March 5

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 11-12       
Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 13-14 (more allusions coming your way)      

1. Logos in Chapter 10
2. Stream of Consciousness, part 2
3. Rhetoric and Style

Agenda, March Forth

Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 9-10     
Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters 11-12 (Read with your laptop open; these chapters are filled with allusions you'll want to look up)      
Due Now: 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. While I was reading, I noticed
2. Rhetoric and Style
3. Logos
4. Stream of consciousness