Homework over the weekend - October 21st

• Post your revision for Composition #3 by Monday.
• Read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and post your Reader Response by Tuesday.**
• Read Chapters 10 and12 in Grammar Troublespots; do exercise 1 (p. 75) and exercises 1 and 2 (p. 92) due in class on Tuesday.

Tuesday: Composition #4 begins promptly at 10:30 am. Be on time. Bring your paper dictionary (no electronic dictionaries!); pens; irregular verb charts.

Have a great weekend!!

**

SUMMARY : Tell what happened in the story in your own words.  Your summary should be five to eight sentences long .

A PART YOU LIKED: In one sentence or two tell which part you liked and explain why it appealed to you.  You can choose one or more paragraphs of the story, a sentence, or even a phrase.  Write down the page number where this paragraph, sentence, or phrase appears so that you can read it to the other members of your group.

A PART YOU FOUND CONFUSING: This can be a sentence, a paragraph, or even an entire page.  If you found more than one part confusing, you should mention it as well.  Put the page number where this part appears.

QUESTIONS: You should ask at least two questions that occurred to you during or after you read the story.

INTERPRETATION: Your interpretation of the story is an explanation of what the story meant to you.  It’s your  analysis of the story.  You can talk about why you think the characters behaved the way they did or what you think the point of the story is.  You can also discuss broader issues raised  by the story.  

Important Points for a Good Conclusion

Options

• Frame your essay by reminding your readers of something you referred to in your introduction and by reminding readers of your main point.
• End on a strong note: a quotation, a question, a suggestion, a reference to something you talked about in the introduction, a humorous insightful comment, a call to action, or a look to the future.

What to Avoid

• Do not use the obvious "In conclusion."
• Do not apologize for the inadequacy of your argument ("I do not know much about this problem") or for holding your opinions ("I am sorry if you do not agree with me, but...").
• Do not use the identical wording you used in your introduction.
• Do not introduce totally new ideas. If you raise a new point at the end, readers might expect more details.
• Do not contradict what you said previously.
• Do not be too sweeping in your conclusions. Do not condemn the whole medical profession, for example, because on person you know had a bad time in one hospital.

Important Introduction Points!!

Options

• Make sure your first sentence stands alone and does not depend on readers' being aware of the essay title or an assigned question. For instance, avoid beginning with "This story has a complex plot."
• Provide context and background information to set up the thesis.
• Indicate what claim  you will make in your essay, or at least indicate the issue on which you will state a claim.
• Define any key terms that are pertinent to the discussion.
• Establish the tone of the paper: informative, persuasive, serious, humorous, personal, impersonal, formal, informal.
• Engage the interest of your readers to make them want to continue reading.

What to Avoid

• Avoid being overly general and telling readers the obvious, such as "Crime is a big problem" or "In this fast-paced world, TV is a popular form of entertainment" or "Since the beginning of time, the sexes have been in conflict."
• Do not refer to  your writing intentions, such as "In this essay, I will..." Do not make extravagant claims, such as "This essay will prive that bilingual education works for every student."
• Do not restate the assigned essay question.

Homework for Monday, October 18th and Tuesday, October 19th

Due Monday, October 18th
Read and complete exercises on a separate piece of paper for Chapter 8, Past Tense Verbs, in Grammar Troublespots. (You will hand these in during lab.)

Write a reading response to A Chip of Glass Ruby. Post your reading response on the blog by Monday.

SUMMARY : Tell what happened in the story in your own words.  Your summary should be five to eight sentences long .

A PART YOU LIKED: In one sentence or two tell which part you liked and explain why it appealed to you.  You can choose one or more paragraphs of the story, a sentence, or even a phrase.  Write down the page number where this paragraph, sentence, or phrase appears so that you can read it to the other members of your group.

A PART YOU FOUND CONFUSING: This can be a sentence, a paragraph, or even an entire page.  If you found more than one part confusing, you should mention it as well.  Put the page number where this part appears.

QUESTIONS: You should ask at least two questions that occurred to you during or after you read the story.

INTERPRETATION: Your interpretation of the story is an explanation of what the story meant to you.  It’s your  analysis of the story.  You can talk about why you think the characters behaved the way they did or what you think the point of the story is.  You can also discuss broader issues raised  by the story.  

Due Tuesday, October 19th

Hand in your typed, revised exploration paper for Professor Mettler.

Homework for 6 October 2010

Finish reading 12 Angry Men (or as much as you can).
Write a paragraph that explains how your juror changed his mind from "guilty" to "not guilty." Find the place in the book that best shows this.
Diana, you can choose juror # 10, 11, or 12.
Bring Grammar Troublespots.