Sophomore -- Personal Essay Ratiocination

Sophomores,

Some of you asked that I post this so you an work on your essay drafts at home. Here you go!

Ratiocination – Personal Essay

•You will need highlighters or markers if you are at this stage (done with drafting).

 

•Please ratiocinate for several items:

– (In yellow) Controlling idea

•Did you introduce it with an interesting hook?

•Is the statement clear and explain the main idea of your essay?

–(In blue) Sentences using Em dashes, ellipses, humor, or figurative language

•If you have them, make sure you don’t have too many of one over another

•If you don’t have any of them, add some!

–(In pink/red) Personal experiences evidence

•Does it connect back to your controlling idea?

•Is it your primary source of evidence?

–(In green) First words of each sentence

•Check for excessive repetition

•Try to vary your word choice – use a thesaurus!

•Check sentence lengths – are they varied? Are some too long/short?

(10th) Weekend Discussion #15

"Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; and any man who is over 30,

 and is not a conservative, has no brains."

- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

CONSIDER: What might Churchill, through this quotation, be saying about the human mind as it grows older? How do the “brain” and the “heart” play into our decisions at both a young and an older age? Is this statement merely about politics, or does it have a deeper application?

Please consider that we have learned three essential parts necessary to answer a question:

·                     Idea statement (similar to a thesis; summarizes your point)

·                     Evidence (in this case, the evidence is your experience and knowledge)

·                     Explanation (combine with evidence to prove your point)

Use this format to answer these weekend discussions from now on; please also do these things:

·                     Use a pseudonym (pen name) and not your real name when posting,

·                     Respond to someone else’s answer whenever possible, and

·                     Be polite and positive at all times!

You have until Monday, December 17, 2012 @ 5:00 PM to comment on this posting. At 5:00 comments will close.

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE FOR WEEKEND DISCUSSION UNTIL JANUARY 2013!!!!

(9th) Weekend Discussion #15

"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names."

- John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

CONSIDER: We normally hear the axiom “forgive and forget,” but Kennedy appears to believe only half of it. Based on what you know about his history, why might he have believed this? Do you agree with his assessment, and why? Which is the more ethical action, the forgiving or the forgetting, and why? Is it ethical to forget the wrongs done us by others?

Please consider that we have learned three essential parts necessary to answer a question:

·                     Idea statement (similar to a thesis; summarizes your point)

·                     Evidence (in this case, the evidence is your experience and knowledge)

·                     Explanation (combine with evidence to prove your point)

Use this format to answer these weekend discussions from now on; please also do these things:

·                     Use a pseudonym (pen name) and not your real name when posting,

·                     Respond to someone else’s answer whenever possible, and

·                     Be polite and positive at all times!

You have until Monday, December 17, 2012 @ 5:00 PM to comment on this posting. At 5:00 comments will close.

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE FOR WEEKEND DISCUSSION UNTIL JANUARY 2013!!!!

(9th) Ratiocination / Revising Instructions

Freshmen: pasted below is the ratiocination slide displayed in class. Below that is a summary of my overall expectations of the fictional story for your final exam. Also, please consider the modified rubric attached to your original instructions page!


Ratiocination – Fictional Story 

•You will need highlighters or markers if you are at this stage (done with drafting).

•Please ratiocinate for several items:

– (In yellow) Dialogue

•check punctuation, capitalization

•Look at dialogue tags (don’t use “said”)

–(In blue) Sentences using appositives, adjective clauses, or participle phrases.

•If you have them, make sure you don’t have too many of one over another

•If you don’t have them, add some!

–(In pink/red) Evidence in support of the “importance of friendship” theme

•Is your theme clear?

•Did your characters or conflict address the theme?

–(In green) First words of each sentence

•Check for excessive repetition

•Try to vary your word choice – use a thesaurus!

•Check sentence lengths – are they varied? Are some too long/short?

Fictional Story Instructions

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Today you will draft a fictional story in your notebooks. Use these resources:

¡Your character planner

¡Your comics

¡Your practice dialogue (from the comics)

¡Draft must be 2-3 notebook pages long (writing s2)

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ž Your story must follow these criteria:

¡Have the theme of “the importance of friendship”

¡Display good dialogue use

¡Incorporate an appropriate conflict and setting

¡Use correct spelling and grammar

žBegin working on this as soon as you finish your benchmark.

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žIf you finish your draft today, you may either read a book (if you brought one) or work on the vocabulary review given to you as a warm-up.