Writing 1A Class Notes -- Week 8 (Oct. 10)

Greetings!

Even though we were on the edge of Fall Break this week, students engage well with the material and our discussions.  For the Quick Write, I gave them these three National Days as options:  National Bring your Teddy Bear to Work Day (10/9), National Cake Decorating Day (10/10), and National Free Thought Day (10/11).  We had some great comments on favorite childhood toys, fancy birthday cakes, and conversations we have in our heads.

I used the Words of the Day part of the class for a different kind of activity.  I gave them three unusual words  (Gluggavedur, tidsoptimist, and dysania) and asked them to come  up with definitions for at least 2 of them.  We had a wide range of silly options and some that came pretty close to the real meanings.  (You can follow the links to find the definitions.)

Students are in the process of writing a Biography Essay.  I briefly covered a few topics:  how long should a paragraph be; where should the thesis statement go; how to divide the essay into paragraphs.  When we meet again, students should hand in both their pre-writes and their rough drafts.

Last week I had assigned a brief Character Sketch for one of the primary characters from Animal Farm.  I told them that I had a secret plan for how we would use these.  This week, I grouped the students according to the animals they chose, and they were to use what they knew about their characters to come up with a "campaign speech" for that character.  I didn't give them a lot of time, so they had to think quickly as groups.  They did a great job and were pretty creative.  We are now officially done with Animal Farm.  I gave them their next books, and their assignments include reading this online introduction about Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol and watching this short video.

The remainder of the class was spent learning from the Nouns group (Michael, Carson, James, and Ethan).  They presentation included a video, a slide presentation, a Bingo activity, donuts, and homework.  They did a great job, and we are looking forward the Conjunctions group on 10/24 (Maria, Gabi, Alison).

Assignments for Oct. 24

-- Read the Intro to A Christmas Carol

-- Watch the introductory video for A Christmas Carol

-- Write the Pre-Write and Rough Draft for the Biography Essay

-- Complete the Nouns Homework

This Week's Links

Class Notes

Schoolhouse Rock Nouns Video

Nouns Google Slides Presentation

Gluggavedur, tidsoptimist, and dysania 

Introduction to Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol

Video Introduction to A Christmas Carol

Character Analysis Worksheet

In the boxes below, fill in details from your reading.  For example, when you come across a particularly descriptive or significant statement that your character makes, put it in the box marked “Words;” put the page number in the adjacent column

Character	Supporting Passage Page Number(s)
Words
Actions
Appearance
Thoughts
Effects on Other People
Analysis:  In this box, write up your own personal impressions and opinions.

Character Analysis Worksheet for The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

In the boxes below, fill in details from your reading.  For example, when you come across a particularly descriptive or significant statement that your character makes, put it in the box marked “Words;” put the page number in the adjacent column

Character	Supporting Passage Page Number(s)
Words
Actions
Appearance
Thoughts
Effects on Other People
Analysis:  In this box, write up your own personal impressions and opinions.

Character Worksheet for Jekyll/Hyde

Character Analysis Worksheet

In the boxes below, fill in details from your reading.  For example, when you come across a particularly descriptive or significant statement that your character makes, put it in the box marked “Words;” put the page number in the adjacent column

Character	Supporting Passage Page Number(s)
Words
Actions
Appearance
Thoughts
Effects on Other People
Analysis:  In this box, write up your own personal impressions and opinions.

Character Essay

Definition

            The purpose of a character analysis is to provide information and understanding about a character from a piece of literatures.  Writers use supporting details from the book to back up their opinions and evaluations about the character.        

Thesis Development

            Your thesis should state a stand or opinion about the character you have chosen.  Your thesis can be concerned with the character’s weaknesses or strengths, primary motivations, inner qualities, interactions with others,

Organization

            Your essay should follow the standard structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion.  In the body, the paragraphs should cover the points that you will use to support your thesis.

Tips on Prewriting

·         Survey all the details you have collected and group them in clusters that reveal some similar qualities.

·         In a single sentence, sum up what the character is like.  This summary can be the thesis or controlling idea for your entire essay.

·         Select the details that help support, explain, and illustrate your thesis.

·         Pull from your chart with material you’ve collected.  Use effective quotes and examples.

·         Plan your introduction and conclusion.

Tips on Writing the Introduction

·         The opening paragraph of your essay should introduce who this character is, briefly explaining what his/her role is in the story and why you have chosen to analyze this personality. 

·         Define your character in terms of whether he is the protagonist (hero), antagonist (villain),  supporting player or a catalyst.  A catalyst character often does not participate directly in any of the action, but instead fulfills the role of inspiring the lead character.

·         Possible information to include in your introduction:

–   Make some general comments about the subject matter of the thesis.  Give background information.

–   Mention personal experiences and attitudes you and your readers might share about the character.  Do you think other people have the same opinion about this person.

–   Include thoughts about the author.  Does his life give any clues to this character?

–   Write a few general sentences about the story.

Using Quotations

·         This type of paper requires that you use quotations from the story to support your points.  Be sure that you quote accurately and that your reason for quoting is clear.  Be careful not to use long quotes for your essay will merely repeat the words of the story.

Writing the Conclusion

·         The final paragraph should not introduce a new idea because it cannot be developed.  The conclusion should smoothly bring the reader back to the thesis of the essay.  It is the final comment you make and is your last chance to drive home your main idea

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Pre-Write due February 19; Rough Draft due March 5; Final Draft due March 19.

– Essay length:  600 – 900 words (between 3 and 5 pages)

– Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

– Final draft format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay

Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde -- Character Analysis Worksheet

Character	Supporting Passage (page number; direct quotes)
Words
Actions
Appearance
Thoughts
Effects on Other People
Analysis:

Character Essay

Character Essay

Definition

            The purpose of a character analysis is to provide information and understanding about a character from a piece of literatures.  Writers use supporting details from the book to back up their opinions and evaluations about the character.        

Thesis Development

            Your thesis should state a stand or opinion about the character you have chosen.  Your thesis can be concerned with the character’s weaknesses or strengths, primary motivations, inner qualities, interactions with others,

Organization

            Your essay should follow the standard structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion.  In the body, the paragraphs should cover the points that you will use to support your thesis.

Tips on Prewriting

·         Survey all the details you have collected and group them in clusters that reveal some similar qualities.

·         In a single sentence, sum up what the character is like.  This summary can be the thesis or controlling idea for your entire essay.

·         Select the details that help support, explain, and illustrate your thesis.

·         Pull from your chart with material you’ve collected.  Use effective quotes and examples.

·         Plan your introduction and conclusion.

Tips on Writing the Introduction

·         The opening paragraph of your essay should introduce who this character is, briefly explaining what his/her role is in the story and why you have chosen to analyze this personality. 

·         Define your character in terms of whether he is the protagonist (hero), antagonist (villain),  supporting player or a catalyst.  A catalyst character often does not participate directly in any of the action, but instead fulfills the role of inspiring the lead character.

·         Possible information to include in your introduction:

–   Make some general comments about the subject matter of the thesis.  Give background information.

–   Mention personal experiences and attitudes you and your readers might share about the character.  Do you think other people have the same opinion about this person.

–   Include thoughts about the author.  Does his life give any clues to this character?

–   Write a few general sentences about the story.

Using Quotations

·         This type of paper requires that you use quotations from the story to support your points.  Be sure that you quote accurately and that your reason for quoting is clear.  Be careful not to use long quotes for your essay will merely repeat the words of the story.

  

Writing the Conclusion

·         The final paragraph should not introduce a new idea because it cannot be developed.  The conclusion should smoothly bring the reader back to the thesis of the essay.  It is the final comment you make and is your last chance to drive home your main idea

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Pre-Write due Week 6 (2/20);  Rough Draft due Week 7 (3/6); Final Draft due Week 9 (3/20).

– Essay length:  600 – 900 words (between 3 and 5 pages)

– Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

– Final draft format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay

Character Essay

Character Essay

Definition

            The purpose of a character analysis is to provide information and understanding about a character from a piece of literatures.  Writers use supporting details from the book to back up their opinions and evaluations about the character.        

Thesis Development

            Your thesis should state a stand or opinion about the character you have chosen.  Your thesis can be concerned with the character’s weaknesses or strengths, primary motivations, inner qualities, interactions with others,

Organization

            Your essay should follow the standard structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion.  In the body, the paragraphs should cover the points that you will use to support your thesis.

Tips on Prewriting

·         Survey all the details you have collected and group them in clusters that reveal some similar qualities.

·         In a single sentence, sum up what the character is like.  This summary can be the thesis or controlling idea for your entire essay.

·         Select the details that help support, explain, and illustrate your thesis.

·         Pull from your chart with material you’ve collected.  Use effective quotes and examples.

·         Plan your introduction and conclusion.

Tips on Writing the Introduction

·         The opening paragraph of your essay should introduce who this character is, briefly explaining what his/her role is in the story and why you have chosen to analyze this personality. 

·         Define your character in terms of whether he is the protagonist (hero), antagonist (villain),  supporting player or a catalyst.  A catalyst character often does not participate directly in any of the action, but instead fulfills the role of inspiring the lead character.

·         Possible information to include in your introduction:

–   Make some general comments about the subject matter of the thesis.  Give background information.

–   Mention personal experiences and attitudes you and your readers might share about the character.  Do you think other people have the same opinion about this person.

–   Include thoughts about the author.  Does his life give any clues to this character?

–   Write a few general sentences about the story.

Using Quotations

·         This type of paper requires that you use quotations from the story to support your points.  Be sure that you quote accurately and that your reason for quoting is clear.  Be careful not to use long quotes for your essay will merely repeat the words of the story.

Writing the Conclusion

·         The final paragraph should not introduce a new idea because it cannot be developed.  The conclusion should smoothly bring the reader back to the thesis of the essay.  It is the final comment you make and is your last chance to drive home your main idea

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Pre-Write due 2/20;  Rough Draft due 3/6; Final Draft due 3/20.

– Essay length:  600 – 900 words (between 3 and 5 pages)

– Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

– Final draft format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay

Character Worksheet for Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde

Character Analysis Worksheet

Character	Supporting Passage (page number; direct quotes)
Words
Actions
Appearance
Thoughts
Effects on Other People
Analysis:

Animal Farm Character Sketches

Below are some links that give information about the characters in Animal Farm.

Animal Farm - Comparison of characters to the Russian Revolution
Animal Farm Characters (Schmoop)
Novel Guides website

ACY Character Analysis Worksheet

Character Analysis Worksheet

Character	Supporting Passage (page number; direct quotes)
Words
Actions
Appearance
Thoughts
Effects on Other People
Analysis: