Sunday, September 28, 2008

Reminders and Notables...

Teacherease - Please use teacherease to know what work I haven't seen or hasn't been turned in... don't worry right now about grades. I don't give out failing grades... you earn the grades you get based on your performance in class and the work you do in and out of class.

For Thursday (10/2), please bring in an independent reading book for after channel 1. You should be reading your own books and keeping notes for the Independent Reading Assignment due Oct. 17.

For Friday (10/3), bring loose leaf paper and a pen.

Due tomorrow (Monday, 9/29) in school - Task 2 rewrite with the first draft attached.

You should have already turned in tasks 1 and 3 with rewrites.- These are past due.

Summary: Using It Wisely taken from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/summary.html

Knowing how to summarize something you have read, seen, or heard is a valuable skill, one you have probably used in many writing assignments. It is important, though, to recognize when you must go beyond describing, explaining, and restating texts and offer a more complex analysis. This handout will help you distinguish between summary and analysis and avoid inappropriate summary in your academic writing.

Is summary a bad thing?
Not necessarily. But it's important that your keep your assignment and your audience in mind as you write. If your assignment requires an argument with a thesis statement and supporting evidence—as many academic writing assignments do—then you should limit the amount of summary in your paper. You might use summary to provide background, set the stage, or illustrate supporting evidence, but keep it very brief: a few sentences should do the trick. Most of your paper should focus on your argument. (Our handout on argument will help you construct a good one.)

Writing a summary of what you know about your topic before you start drafting your actual paper can sometimes be helpful. If you are unfamiliar with the material you're analyzing, you may need to summarize what you've read in order to understand your reading and get your thoughts in order. Once you figure out what you know about a subject, it's easier to decide what you want to argue.

You may also want to try some other pre-writing activities that can help you develop your own analysis. Outlining, freewriting, and mapping make it easier to get your thoughts on the page. (Check out our handout on brainstorming for some suggested techniques.)

Why is it so tempting to stick with summary and skip analysis?
Many writers rely too heavily on summary because it is what they can most easily write. If you're stalled by a difficult writing prompt, summarizing the plot of The Great Gatsby may be more appealing than staring at the computer for three hours and wondering what to say about F. Scott Fitzgerald's use of color symbolism. After all, the plot is usually the easiest part of a work to understand. Something similar can happen even when what you are writing about has no plot: if you don't really understand an author's argument, it might seem easiest to just repeat what he or she said.

To write a more analytical paper, you may need to review the text or film you are writing about, with a focus on the elements that are relevant to your thesis. If possible, carefully consider your writing assignment before reading, viewing, or listening to the material about which you'll be writing so that your encounter with the material will be more purposeful. (We offer a handout on reading towards writing.)

How do I know if I'm summarizing?
As you read through your essay, ask yourself the following questions:
Am I stating something that would be obvious to a reader or viewer?
Does my essay move through the plot, history, or author's argument in chronological order, or in the exact same order the author used?

Am I simply describing what happens, where it happens, or whom it happens to?
A "yes" to any of these questions may be a sign that you are summarizing. If you answer yes to the questions below, though, it is a sign that your paper may have more analysis (which is usually a good thing):

Am I making an original argument about the text?
Have I arranged my evidence around my own points, rather than just following the author's or plot's order?

Am I explaining why or how an aspect of the text is significant?
Certain phrases are warning signs of summary. Keep an eye out for these:
"[This essay] is about..."
"[This book] is the story of..."
"[This author] writes about..."
"[This movie] is set in..."

Here's an example of an introductory paragraph containing unnecessary summary. Sentences that summarize are in italics:

The Great Gatsby is the story of a mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby, who lives alone on an island in New York. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the book, but the narrator is Nick Carraway. Nick is Gatsby's neighbor, and he chronicles the story of Gatsby and his circle of friends, beginning with his introduction to the strange man and ending with Gatsby's tragic death. In the story, Nick describes his environment through various colors, including green, white, and grey. Whereas white and grey symbolize false purity and decay respectively, the color green offers a symbol of hope.

Here's how you might change the paragraph to make it a more effective introduction:
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald provides readers with detailed descriptions of the area surrounding East Egg, New York. In fact, Nick Carraway's narration describes the setting with as much detail as the characters in the book. Nick's description of his environment presents the book's themes, symbolizing significant aspects of the post-World War I era. Whereas white and grey symbolize the false purity and decay of the 1920s, the color green offers a symbol of hope.

This version of the paragraph mentions the book's title, author, setting, and narrator so that the reader is reminded of the text. And that sounds a lot like summary—but the paragraph quickly moves on to the writer's own main topic: the setting and its relationship to the main themes of the book. The paragraph then closes with the writer's specific thesis about the symbolism of white, grey, and green.

Analysis requires breaking something—like a story, poem, play, theory, or argument—into parts so you can understand how those parts work together to make the whole. Ideally, you should begin to analyze a work as you read or view it instead of waiting until after you're done—it may help you to jot down some notes as you read. Your notes can be about major themes or ideas you notice, as well as anything that intrigues, puzzles, excites, or irritates you. Remember, analytic writing goes beyond the obvious to discuss questions of how and why—so ask yourself those questions as you read.

The St. Martin's Handbook (the bulleted material below is quoted from p. 38 of the fifth edition) encourages readers to take the following steps in order to analyze a text:

Identify evidence that supports or illustrates the main point or theme as well as anything that seems to contradict it.

Consider the relationship between the words and the visuals in the work. Are they well integrated, or are they sometimes at odds with one another? What functions do the visuals serve? To capture attention? To provide more detailed information or illustration? To appeal to readers' emotions?

Decide whether the sources used are trustworthy.
Identify the work's underlying assumptions about the subject, as well as any biases it reveals.
Once you have written a draft, some questions you might want to ask yourself about your writing are "What's my point?" or "What am I arguing in this paper?" If you can't answer these questions, then you haven't gone beyond summarizing. You may also want to think about how much of your writing comes from your own ideas or arguments. If you're only reporting someone else's ideas, you probably aren't offering an analysis.

What strategies can help me avoid excessive summary?
Read the assignment (the prompt) as soon as you get it. Make sure to reread it before you start writing. Go back to your assignment often while you write. (Check out our handout on reading assignments).
Formulate an argument (including a good thesis) and be sure that your final draft is structured around it, including aspects of the plot, story, history, background, etc. only as evidence for your argument. (You can refer to our handout on constructing thesis statements).
Read critically—imagine having a dialogue with the work you are discussing. What parts do you agree with? What parts do you disagree with? What questions do you have about the work? Does it remind you of other works you've seen?
Make sure you have clear topic sentences that make arguments in support of your thesis statement. (Read our handout on paragraph development if you want to work on writing strong paragraphs).
Use two different highlighters to mark your paper. With one color, highlight areas of summary or description. With the other, highlight areas of analysis. For many college papers, it's a good idea to have lots of analysis and minimal summary/description.
Ask yourself: What part of the essay would be obvious to a reader/viewer of the work being discussed? What parts (words, sentences, paragraphs) of the essay could be deleted without loss? In most cases, your paper should focus on points that are essential and that will be interesting to people who have already read or seen the work you are writing about.

But I'm writing a review! Don't I have to summarize?
That depends. If you're writing a critique of a piece of literature, a film, or a dramatic performance, you don't necessarily need to give away much of the plot. The point is to let readers decide whether they want to enjoy it for themselves. If you do summarize, keep your summary brief and to the point.
Instead of telling your readers that the play, book, or film was "boring," "interesting," or "really good," tell them specifically what parts of the work you're talking about. It's also important that you go beyond adjectives and explain how the work achieved its effect (how was it interesting?) and why you think the author/director wanted the audience to react a certain way. (We have a special handout on writing reviews that offers more tips.)
If you're writing a review of an academic book or article, it may be important for you to summarize the main ideas and give an overview of the organization so your readers can decide whether it is relevant to their specific research interests.
If you are unsure how much (if any) summary a particular assignment requires, ask your instructor for guidance.

Bibliography
Barnet, Sylvan and Cain, William E. A Short Guide to Writing about Literature. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2000.
Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing About Film. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2001.
Lunsford, Andrea A. The St. Martin's Handbook. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well. 5th ed. New York: Harper Perennial, 1994.
"Strategies for Avoiding Plot Summary." Temple University Writing Center. 18 January 2005 <http://www.temple.edu/writingctr/student_resources/plot_summary.htm>.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Weekend homework

Please type a draft of your task 2 essay (on tanning) to be turned in on Monday. Make sure to attach all earlier drafts.

a note about period assessment... please look in your teacherease comments for the day we did the bradford poem. there is a narrative about your work in class right now.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Homework and Reminders - 9/24/08

Today in class we discussed the text on text technique of approaching poetry. This is a helpful way to attack poetry if you are having difficulty. Simply, we start with what we know.

Although, Bradford may not seem the accessible "poet" out there, as we discuss his relevance to American Lit. we continue to explore the meaning of what that legacy is.

Continue work on your independent reading assignment due on October 17th.

Drafts of your Task 3 assignment are due on Friday, 9/26.

Drafts of your task 1 assignment are past due.

Period asssessments will be completed by Monday, 9/29. they will be posted in your teacherease.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

HW - 9/23/08

Draft your task 3 essay.

If you don't have the materials for whatever reason, you may get a copy of them from the link below:

http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/eng-608/eng-exam1-608.pdf

http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/eng-608/eng-exam2-608.pdf

Your draft is due on Friday, 9/26

Monday, September 22, 2008

Due for this week - Homework

Today in class we worked on the Task 3 -

Comment on this post about how you approach a piece of writing that doesn't make sense? What strategies do you use?

Your 2nd draft of your task 2 are due on Wed. with first draft attached to it.

Task 3 is due on Friday.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Weekend work

Today in class we discussed pieces of Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation." This primary source has served to begin our discussion on American Literature. We need to remember at this time, we weren't exactly "America" yet, just a fledgling country trying to survive. However, the seeds of what was to come were evident.

Consider the responsibility of early and current authors in representing our country. What does it mean to be a part of an American canon? What is the responsibility of it? Who should be included in it? – Post to the blog

Discuss some of what you found interesting about what the groups presented on attached to this post.

Also a reminder that your first typed drafts of your Task 1 essays are due on Monday. Please make sure to attach the first class copy when you turn in your second draft.

Your task 2 essay rewrites will be due on Wed. 9/24 with all materials attached.

We will be working on Task 3 on Monday in class. Please make sure that if you didn't turn it in to me already, that you come to class prepared with your copies on Monday.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

3 Questions about the formation of our nation

Post 3 questions you have about how our nation began to this post...

We started talking about William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" and the Time article, "Inventing America"

What do you want to know?

Independent Reading

Directions: Identify and present passages from your independent reading book that illustrate the qualities listed below. Limit passages to one page of text. To present them, you may type them or photocopy and paste them. After each passage, write a brief but specific explanation of hot the passage exemplifies the quality stated (three to five sentences). Remember to provide the page number of each passage.

  • passage that reveals an important quality about the main character (protagonist)
  • passage that shows an important part of setting
  • 2 different passages that suggest the complexity of the protagonist's conflict(s)
  • 2 passages in which the author uses language in a particularly effective way
  • passage that shows teh symbolic importance of something or a passage that suggests why the book has the title it has
  • passage that shows the protagonist's situation at the end
  • passage that suggests and important idea, theme, or insight the book conveys
  • passage that shows what you liked about the book

The first one will be due on October 17th.

Other reading logs will be kept in your writer's sourcebook -
they should include the date, pages read, title of the book and some connections to what you are reading. NOT just plot summary.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Independent Reading... Homework for tomorrow

Please bring a reading book for class on Wed. We will be discussing the outside reading expectations for the class this year tomorrow in class. Please come prepared.

Monday, September 15, 2008

HOMEWORK MSC SACKSTIEN!!

I WAS VERY CONFUSED ABOUT THE DOCUMENT I THINK IT WILL BE BETTER IF THE TEACHER READ IT OUT LOUD

Time Magazine Article discussion

Reflect on the article read in class today and the discussion we had around it.

What do you want to know more about?
What do you have questions about?
What rang true?
Do you disagree with anything?
How did Jamestown set the tone for the America we have now?

Post to this blog item...

Buy a copy of Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Sunday, September 14, 2008

General Observations about Baseline Regents Essays

As a class, we are really going to have to work on development. Most of you get the idea of what you are supposed to be doing and also comprehend whatever you read as evidenced by your multiple choice answers. The real sticking point seems to be taking those 3-4 scores and bringing them a little higher by really utilizing the texts and tasks to develop your ideas.

A secondary issue that I noticed a lot of was organizational issues.

I'm going to pose that we start here when you all consider revision...

Your initial scores will stick until you revise....

I would like to conference with everyone about their papers. Hopefully this week that will happen.

Use the task to help organize what must get done... then prioritize the information that you have gathered... then write... and don't just mention, but use the text to support.

More on this to come...

Friday, September 12, 2008

Reflection.

My greatest challenge of that whole test, was probably the reading. Although I liked some of it, there were other passages that really got me annoyed. The quote that was given out today "..the human is lot and try to fail" or SOMETHING like that; we were expected to know what this quote means within a sentence...less, after reading it over and over, I was like what?? I did not get it at all. Also the essay we had to right about nature was a struggle for me too because, I'm obviously not a professional of "reading between the lines" and figurative language and what not. What I really liked though was passage about the heroine discovering radio activity, and the other passage with the sun exposure. I actually had fun doing it. secretly though. :)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

You Tube Opportunity


YouTube presentsOpportunity for Student Journalists


Today, in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, YouTube presents Project: Report, a journalism contest for non-professional, aspiring journalists to tell stories that might not otherwise be covered by traditional media.

*See the *Project: Report* channel page for all program details.*See the YouTube News team's announcement.

In each of the three rounds of Project: Report, reporters will be given an assignment to complete. Each of these assignments gives people an opportunity to report on the important individuals, issues, and communities in their lives that others do not yet know about.

Round 1

The assignment for Round 1 is to profile someone in your community, in three minutes or less, highlighting a story you think deserves to be heard by a wide audience. Video submissions for Round 1 are due by midnight EST on Sunday October 5, and a panel of journalists from the Pulitzer Center will narrow the field to 10 semi-finalists.

Round 2

The assignment for Round 2 will then be officially announced, and the judging for this round will be opened up to the YouTube community to determine the five finalists who will move onto the third and last assignment (TBD).

PrizesWinners of each round will receive technology prizes (video cameras and laptop computers) from Sony VAIO and Intel, and the grand prize winner will be granted a $10,000 journalism fellowship with the Pulitzer Center to report on a story outside of their home country.

Even if you did not participate in or advance past Round 1, you may still complete the assignments for Rounds 2 and 3, though you will not be eligible for the grand prize.

With Project: Report, the Pulitzer Center and YouTube hope to bring an audience to as many of these stories as possible and draw attention to important topics that have been under-reported, misreported, or not reported at all.

Download official press release

Independent Reading

You will need to read at least 25 independent reading books over the course of this school year. You will need to document your having read these books.
You will need to have completed at least 10 independent reading assignments -to be given out in class on 10 of your 25 books.

Otherwise, while you are reading you will keep reading logs in your sourcebook. They should include:
The date
The author
The title
Pages read during that sitting
a synopsis of what you have read in those pages
a connection of some kind (text-to-text, text-to-world, or text-to-self)
You should also make a note of places in the text that appeal to you where the author has done something interesting with the language or writing (i.e. figurative language, strong examples of sentence structures or characterization)

You will be held accountable for this work

Monday, September 8, 2008

Decorum in the testing environment

While tests are being given, please follow these rules -
  • come prepared with a couple of pens and paper
  • remain silent once the test is distributed and the very last test is collected (every student should have the same right to quiet during their exam experience)
  • keep your eyes, pens and ideas to yourself - (it serves no one to cheat)
  • if you need help at any time, raise your hand and I will promptly address the matter
  • once your work is collected, please remain in your seat silently.

Task 1 - baseline study

Today in class each of you took a task 1 with little or no knowledge of what a task 1 was like of the Regent.

What skills are needed to do well on this task? Post to this blog entry with a comment... think in terms of what the directions were asking you to do.

HW for tonight is to begin work keeping your independent reading logs in your sourcebook... make sure to write the title, author, pages read, date, summary of reading and some kind of connection you can make to the pages.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

5 Essentials for Classroom Success

The votes are in and this is what we agreed on - your rules... make sure to mind them...

  1. Respect for everyone's beliefs, ideas and opinions
  2. Be prespared and ready to work (sourcebook, pens, folders, highlighters, post-its)
  3. Unity - everyone can ehlp each other
  4. Positive attitude - we can't learn if we feel defeated
  5. appropriate classroom behavior - keep your hands to yourself

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

What is American Literature?

http://web.missouri.edu/~materert/e226/amer.html - This link offers a unique perspective as to what we define as American Literature... we will be exploring this idea throughout the year...

What do you think?

http://www.trcc.cc.mo.us/engl242/what_makes_american_literature_u.htm - this is interesting too... which do you agree with?

5 Essentials for Classroom Success

I'm really impressed with what you were able to do in class today. I can't begin to express the importance of this year for all of you as it will be a huge deciding factor in where you go to college.

I would like to congratulate you on the beginning of a successful year...