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. 

Homework for Week 4 -

1. Have a great weekend!
2. Revise Comp #2; bring to lab on Monday to workshop; hand in with original on Thursday.
3. GTS: Chapter 3, exercises #1 and 2
4. Read 12 Angry Men: p. 5 - 48
5. Post on the blog for Monday night: A description of your juror. This should be seven to 8 sentences long. Choose at least 3 quotes to support your description. What do you know about him?
Irani = Juror #1; Yuan = Juror #2

NOTICE: COMPOSITION #3 WILL BE ON TUESDAY ON SUNDAY IN THE PARK: BRING YOUR DICTIONARY!!!!

Homework due Monday and Tuesday; Reminders

1. Have a great weekend!
2. Revise your composition #1. Remember ARMS: A=Add; R=Remove; M=Move; S=Substitute! Bring your revised composition to lab on Monday. You will post it onto your blog so if you can bring it on a flashdrive or email it to yourself, that will be great. THE TUTORS CAN HELP YOU MAKE FINAL TOUCHES TO YOUR ESSAY BEFORE YOU POST.
3. Read Sunday in the Park. For Tuesday's class, write a short summary of the story (7 - 8 sentences) in paragraph form. Also include at least two questions you have about the story, a word, a sentence, or a paragraph. Please post the paragraph and the questions on your blog by the end of lab on Monday so I can read it!
4. Next week we will cover Troublespot 2 in class. Please read it! You will do all the exercises by the end of the week so if you want to start doing some over the weekend, that would be great!

Bring to lab on Monday:
1. Your revised composition #1 with questions for the tutors; be prepared to post it on your blog.
2. Bring your paragraph and questions for Sunday in the Park.
3. Bring your dictionaries!

Bring to class on Tuesday:
1. Grammar Troublespots
2. Sunday in the Park

MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE 12 ANGRY MEN. We will begin reading it October 5.

Homework for Wednesday, September 22nd (First day of Autumn!)

Hello, Class!
For tomorrow's homework:
Please post on your blog your paragraph summarizing the story "Reunion."
Do Exercises 2 and 3 in Grammar Troublespots. Bring your homework and Grammar Troublespots!