May 27, 2014

Agenda 5-27-14Journal InventoryRubric for Final: Synthesis EssayGroup Preparation Activity

Activity GuidelinesDivide into Groups

Hand Back Work!HOMEWORK: FINAL PROJECT DUE DAY OF FINAL; TURN IN COPIES OF TKR ON THURS.

Journal Inventory

We need to create a journal inventory for The Kite Runner unit.

Synthesis Essay RubricLet’s take a look at the final synthesis essay rubric that will be used to score your writing.Keep in mind the keywords that you hear and underline them as we go along.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Quickwrite Write about a time in your life when you faced an injustice. What did you do about it? Did you stand up and make a change? Why or why not? What were the factors involved in your decision making and how did you come to a conclusion? Think about people in history who have faced injustice and challenged it. What made it difficult for them to challenge it? What made it possible?

I will be numbering you off 1-5. Once everyone has a number, I will tell you where each group should meet. You will need your journal and something to write with.

Discussion QuestionsWhat forces shape the way an individual views his or her role in the world and ability to make a change?What factors make it difficult or impossible for an individual to make a change in the world around them? To what extent is it possible to make a change in the world given these forces and factors?

Group Activity: Prep for Final

In groups, you will be assigned both a non-fiction piece and a novel that we’ve read. You will have a prompt to respond to and it will be up to you and your group members to brainstorm, discuss, pull quotes as evidence, analyze, and ultimately create an essay outline.Each group will present their outline on Thursday, so it is essential that we work through all possible arguments and essay elements in class today.

The Prompt

In response to the quote above by Mahatma Gandhi, please write an analytical essay in which you state your belief in or skepticism about individuals’ ability to change the world around them. You must include evidence from two sources (the novel and non-fiction pieces your group has been assigned).

In Your JournalsYou will be responsible for:

Creating an outline with these essential elements:

A full introduction (hook, transition, background, thesis)A topic sentence for each body paragraphPulling evidence for each body paragraphA sentence, or two, of analysis to support your claim in terms of the quotes you foundA full conclusion

You have the rest of the period to complete the outline in your journals. I will be including this as part of the inventory, so make sure you are taking down the same information as the rest of your group. You will also need the information in order to successfully present on Thursday.

May 29, 2014

Agenda 5-29-14Finish OutlinesShare Outlines“Synthesis” DiscussionAnnotate Sample EssayQuick Grammar Review Collect Journals/Hand Back Work

HOMEWORK: FINAL PROJECTS; PREP FOR GRAMMAR

Finish and PresentTake 15 minutes to finish your group outlines.

Once the outlines are complete, you will share yours with the rest of the class.

Be ready to discuss any strategies you used and what worked best in terms of drafting/analyzing/synthesizing.

Synthesis

Example: What are the three most significant events in chapter two?

Examples: Why does Golding use animal imagery to describe Jack? What sorts of behavior do you think Jack would exhibit back at school? What would he be like?

This pyramid represents the different levels of critical thinking we’ve been practicing all year.

You can see the levels at work in the various types of questions you’ve had to create/answer and the types of writing you’ve been asked to perform.

What Is Synthesis?

Synthesis is the process of bringing together information from various sources to form a new whole. The word comes from a Greek root that means “to put together.” So whenever you draw evidence from various sources to support a point—whether it’s your reading, observation, or experience—you are synthesizing.

What is a Synthesis Essay?

The synthesis essay is a timed writing situation which was designed to mirror the researched arguments many university courses call upon students to write. Like an argument, it is persuasive, but you must use the facts and ideas presented in the sources provided for you. These sources are almost always relatively brief and will sometimes include--at least--one visual (a graph, a table, a cartoon, a photograph, etc.). The research paper you were asked to write this year is an example of an out-of-class synthesis.

The prompt will call upon you to write a composition that develops a position on a particular issue, and while you may draw upon whatever you know about the issue, you must make use a certain number of the provided sources to earn a high score.

Let’s Look at a Sample

Major Tasks:

1) Unpacking a Sample Prompt.

2) Looking at a Sample Synthesis Essay

Sample PromptIn the Quickwrite section of your journal, title this entry “Sample Prompt.” You will be responding to the prompt in terms of what it is asking of the writer.

What is the actual task?What keywords do you notice and why are they significant?What words or phrases are confusing and why?

Sample PromptPrompt: Television has been influential in United States presidential elections since the 1960’s. But just what is this influence, and how has it affected who is elected? Has it made elections fairer and more accessible, or has it moved candidates from pursuing issues to pursuing image?Directions: Read the following sources (including any introductory information) carefully. Then, in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, take a position that defends, challenges, or qualifies the claim that television has had a positive impact on presidential elections.

Strategies to ConsiderQuestion the claims made by the writers. Examine the warrants (assumptions).Do you note any logical fallacies or unsupported claims? What does the writer claim to be true? Is it actually true?For statistics, identify the presumed cause for any numerical changes. Might there be other causes?Question! Question! Question! Your job is to evaluate the sources, not bow down at the altar of some intellectual genius.Address—if appropriate—the opposition, but don’t’ forget to explain you still ultimately disagree with their position.Is the writer using conventions correctly (i.e. integrating ALL quotes) and synthesizing sources chosen?

Sample Synthesis EssayPlease locate your “Hassan” group members and move your desks to face each other.You will need to take your journal and something to write with (perhaps a highlighter or two if you wish).

Sample Synthesis Essay

Read through the essay. Annotate essential elements (hook, transitions, background, thesis, topic sentences, analysis) as well as parts you thought were particularly effective. Be ready to discuss:

What is the writer doing in each paragraph?How are the sources being used?What do you notice about the quote analysis/commentary?How is the essay structured? Is it the best possible? How else could one structure it?

Essential Grammar Lessons

Misplaced Modifiers, 64

Modifiers should be placed as close as possible to the words they modify. Misplaced modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that cause confusion because they modify the wrong word or seem to modify more than one word.

Misplaced: Taxiing on the runway, the radio tower was in contact with the pilot of the plane.Clear: Taxiing on the runway, the pilot of the plane was in contact with the radio tower.

Dangling Modifiers, 64

Dangling modifiers are modifiers that do not logically modify any word in the sentence. Usually, if a modifier is dangling the word(s) it intends to modify is missing, so to fix the sentence you must add the word(s).

Dangling: After trying for many years to locate my birth mother, she lives in Tuscon.Clear: After trying for many years to locate my birth mother, I found her living in Tuson.

Lesson 65Usage: Affect vs. Effect

Affect is a verb that means to “cause change” and is a verb

The heat affected my ability to do my best at the track meet.

Effect is usually a noun and means “a result”

The heat during the track meet yesterday hurt my performance and the effect was that I did not get a metal.

Usage lesson 68Lay means “to place” or “to put” and is a transitive verb that refers to a direct object. Lay; laying; laid

Please lay the silver on the table for dinner. (present)

Jessica laid the book on the table. (past)

Usage lesson 68Lie means “to recline” or “to be positioned” and does not refer to a direct object.

Lie; lying; lay; lain • Ms. Keys lies in her recliner. (present)• She can’t come to the phone right now: she is

lying down. (present progressive)• Last night I lay down at 8:00 pm. (past)• That book has lain on the floor since you

dropped it there. It has been lying there all day.

A few new lessons (unit 12)

Colons (lesson 74)

Semicolons (lesson 75)

Commas: (lessons 76, 77, 78, 81)

I will ask you some questions about these on the final so the exercises in the book will help you practice

ColonsUse a colon to introduce a list (especially after the phrases such as these, the following, or as follows).

Ex: She loves Italian food, such as the following delicious dishes: lasagna, spaghetti, and risotto.

Use a colon to introduce a long or formal quotation.

Ex: Jason’s speech ended with this quotation from MLK Jr.’s speech: “I have a dream, that one day……”

Semicolons

Use a semicolon to separate main clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS--for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

Ex: Our opponents were alert; we were not.

Use a semicolon to separate the main clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, thus, etc.).

Ex: I did not go to the movies; instead, I cleaned the house.

Use a semicolon to separate the items in a series when the items already contain commas.

Ex: The itinerary has us going to Rome, Italy; Paris, France; and Rotterdam, Holland.

Example Questions: Colons and Semicolons

Correct or Incorrect? Explain.

Her favorite movies are: Braveheart, Good Will Hunting, and The Usual Suspects.

She did not have her homework, therefore she skipped class.

The students were mostly from Saratoga, Los Gatos, and San Jose; but some others were from the East Bay.

Commas (there are lots of rules, here are a few of the main ones)

Use commas between the main clauses in a compound sentence. (76)

Ex: I tried to read that book, but it was much too boring.

Use commas to separate the items in a series. (77)

Ex: She spoke of hockey, baseball, and softball with authority.

More comma rulesUse commas to set off nonessential elements of a sentence, like phrases or clauses that could be taken out without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Ex: Joe, wearing red shoes, accepted the award. (nonessential--use commas)

The player wearing red shoes flew. (no commas = essential-- the information in the modifier is essential to understanding the sentence)

More nonessential examples

Use commas to separate out non- essential parts of the sentence.

Ex: I read an essay by the author John Steinbeck. (no commas)

Ex: John Steinbeck, a writer I admire, wrote The Grapes of Wrath. (commas)

Commas: Titles, Addresses, and Numbers (Lesson 81)Use commas to set off titles when they follow a person’s name.

Ex: Jake Lee, R.N., will be here later.

Use commas to separate the various parts of an address, location, or a date

Ex: Jane visited Rome, Italy this summer, and she also went to Bremen, Germany.

Exit TicketThis is the very last one!!In order to help me become a better teacher and learn from what we’ve done in this class, I would like you to answer a few questions before you leave today. I won’t read them until after finals, and I want you to be thoughtful in your responses so that I really can take your feedback with me for my planning next year.

What, of the following, was your favorite part of the semester and why: Socratic Seminars, Creative Projects, Group Presentations, Research Project