Peer Editing/Revision!

Today's Goal: Share your writing with at least two other people, with the goal in mind that you will get support from your peers as you begin to make your draft into a fully-formed essay

The Agenda:

1. Read!
2. Share your essay with your partner by using our new "Writing Group Procedures."
3. Use your conversations to begin to make revisions to your document based on suggestions/ideas from your group.
4. Reflect a little bit in your English Journal.

Here is your prompt for your English Journal (We'll do this in the last 5-10 minutes of class). I expect sincere answers:

1. In what ways was your group supportive and helpful to you today? What did you learn from them by sharing your essay?
2. What did you learn by listening to and talking about your group's essays?
2. What aspects (parts) of your essay do you still need to work on this weekend?

HOMEWORK:

Work on your essay. It's due date is Wednesday, October 13.

Introductions and Conclusions

Today's Goal: After writing and compiling your body paragraphs, begin to formulate your introduction and conclusions.


Agenda:

1. Read!
2. Write!

Okay, seriously, this is what needs to happen today: SO MUCH WRITING. MORE WRITING THAN YOU'VE WRITTEN ALL WEEK.

On Monday I gave you some helpful handouts that you can (and should) use to begin to formulate your essay. Your draft is due on Friday. 

Homework: DON'T FORGET!

• LORD OF THE FLIES TEST TOMORROW (I gave you a study guide. If you were present in class, did your reading, and actively listened and participated, you shouldn't have too much to worry about. Review the things given to you in School Loop.)
• ESSAY DRAFT DUE FRIDAY - meaning you should have all of the parts by the time you come to class.
• I will tell you when the final draft is due on Friday.

Counterclaims and Rebuttals

Today's Goal: Examine possible opposing viewpoints (counterclaims) to your thesis, gather evidence, and express your rebuttal.

Yesterday you began to draft your body paragraphs. We're not quite done with those yet. You now need to begin to organize them into paragraphs, and place them at the top of your document (where your essay goes.

The Plan:

• Read
• Start to organize your paragraphs into essay format on your document
• Discuss writing your counterclaim paragraph
• Continue working on your essay!

This "counterclaim" paragraph should also follow the Two-Chunk method, or something close to it. I think you have enough resources to know and/or figure out how that is formatted now.

COMPONENTS OF THIS PARAGRAPH:

1. Counterclaim:
An opposing viewpoint related to your thesis. If someone disagreed with your point of view, what would they say?

2. Evidence from text that supports the opposing argument:
What evidence would support the opposing viewpoint? What evidence would your "opponent" use to try to tell you you're wrong?

3. Rebuttal: 
In your commentary, explain the argument that the other person might make, and then assert the reasons why you believe that the opposing viewpoint and its evidence are not valid.


HOMEWORK:

• YOU HAVE A LORD OF THE FLIES TEST ON THURSDAY. THE STUDY GUIDE IS ON SCHOOL LOOP ATTACHED TO THE ASSIGNMENT.
• Take everything you've been working on and draft it into the essay portion of the document at the very top. This is where your draft needs to be to get credit. Remember: your draft is to be complete by FRIDAY when you walk in the door.
• Vocab Practice Due Wednesday (tomorrow). Let me know if you have questions about any of the words.
• BOOK LOVE! We're going to talk about your book reviews sometime this week.

Forming a Thesis and Connecting your Evidence

Yesterday, you chose a side.

Which side are you on? (Source)

Today, you write a thesis and find evidence that will support that thesis.

Agenda:

1. Read!
2. Vocab Test
3. Discuss the end of the book and do bit of writing in your English Journal.
4. Write your thesis. Gather evidence.

CLICK HERE for the document that has the evidence YOU gathered on Wednesday. 

Here's the thing: this is for gathering ideas and even quotes. Your own writing cannot be plagiarized from this. I know who submitted what. Don't cheat. It's not worth it.

ALSO: Don't blindly assume everything there is correct. Maybe it was cited wrong? Maybe the quote means something different than what the group wrote. Maybe their interpretation is weak. You have to evaluate it.

Copy and paste the link onto your own essay document under "STEP TWO" for ease of access.

For your English Journal:

“The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.”--William Golding

What does Golding mean by this statement? How does the ending of the novel support what Golding says about humans?

HOMEWORK:

• Your thesis is due TODAY by 9 pm (on the document). I'm reading and grading them TOMORROW morning.
• You need to begin to gather evidence under "STEP TWO" on your essay document. My suggestion is to have at least 4 or 5 pieces of evidence that you think you could use to support your thesis done by Monday.
• BOOK LOVE! (Read your own book. You don't have Lord of the Flies, which means you have no excuse but to read something of your choosing!)

Essay Prompt Introduction

Today:

1. Book Love!
2. GROW!
3. Introduction to your new essay prompt, and our initial brainstorm (it's in your "Shared with Me" folder in Google Drive. It's called the "Human Nature Essay." DO NOT make a copy!!!!)
4. Reading of Lord of the Flies

CLICK HERE for the Grow Powerpoint (your GROW notes go in your English Journal, with today's date, at the top)

About the Essay: 
Today we go over the essay prompt and begin to brainstorm for our thesis (we'll write the thesis itself tomorrow.) Before you leave today, you should have chosen a side (good or evil), and brainstormed at least two reasons you believe that. This is in the STEP ONE part of the document.

HOMEWORK:

• Finish reading Chapter 12
• Vocab/GROW Quiz tomorrow
• BOOK LOVE (book done by October 12)

Gathering Evidence: What do these authors believe about humanity?

Yesterday, you participated in a Socratic Seminar.

Today, you take what you discussed, and what you've written down over the course of the past couple weeks, and focus on evidence.

Here's the question: Is humanity inherently good or inherently evil?

Today your opinion doesn't matter (Sorry. It happens sometimes).
Today you only focus on what the authors of our texts believe.

The Plan:

1. Book Love!
2. Work with a partner to fill out THIS FORM.
   My suggestions: Open the form on one computer. Open the articles on another so you can reference them together.

CLICK HERE for the Superdome Article (you have it printed too)

CLICK HERE for Zimbardo's TED Talk (you can access the transcript here as well)

HOMEWORK:

• Finish Chapter 11 if you haven't already
• Complete the Socratic Seminar Reflection from yesterday's post. If you don't complete it, you will have a zero for the Socratic Seminar. You do not want that.
• Read your Book Love Book. It needs to be completed by October 12!