Friday, December 8, 2017

Fri. Dec. 8, 2017: Essay Assignment Class

Today, I gave you your essay assignment (I have pasted it below). You will get Monday to write it (rough) and Tuesday to edit it (you can work on it this weekend, of course).
You will then write your poetry unit exam on Wednesday. This exam will involve two poems. You will complete the "before" and "during" activities on them and then, using process of elimination and active reading, answer the multiple choice questions. All you can really do to study for this is memorize the literary devices and the steps.

ELA 10B: Poetry Essay


INSTRUCTIONS: Using the three poems we have studied, respond to ONE of the following questions using a critical/analytical essay format (in other words, a formal essay using evidence coming from the poem (“Jamie,” “Dana Moran,” “Ernest Mott”):

1.    How can loneliness impact people?
2.    How can a person be affected by the need to fit in?
3.    How can decisions impact outcomes?



This is to be a five paragraph, formal essay that is edited and revised. To complete this, keep in mind the steps of the writing process (reading, questioning, arriving at a thesis, outlining, rough, revision.). Also keep in mind that it needs to be entered into your student folder and must meet all the computer layout requirements. It will also need a “works cited” page.

Essay Editing Checklist
Style
1.      No personal pronouns (except in quotes) no “I, you, we, us, me, your
2.      No Contractions I’ve I have could’ve could have
3.       No questions allowed
4.      Use the noun instead of a word used to describe it (or be sure to describe with enough detail not to be confusing).
a.       E.g.: Sinclair Ross used this because the wife keeps calling herself a fool over and over.
b.      They say that the beast was furry...
5.      Pronoun referencing: When you are talking about more than one character in the same paragraph and they are of the same gender, use the name and not the pronouns he/him or she/her.
6.      Use of “who” or “that”: pronoun referencing: “who” refers back to a PERSON: are you referring to a person or a thing? Use “who” if it is a person whom you are referring to.
7.      No clichés/slang: a cliché is an overused phrase: “stands up to” “looks down on” “sucks” “trigger happy” “man with the plan.”
8.      Write your essay in present tense = verbs that end in “s” not “ed” – tense shifts are a serious error (see #12 in “16 Common Errors” Booklet.
9.      No possessive errors (Bob Brown’s binder = correct). See #15 in your “16 Common Errors” booklet.
10.  Ensure that your essay has word variety – have a thesaurus open when you are typing, and have a transition word list open when you are typing.


Mechanics
1.                  No spelling errors (check for red line and do synonym checks if in doubt).
2.                  No capitalization errors (capitals at the beginning of sentences, on proper nouns, on titles, etc.).
3.                  No sentence fragments (watch for sentences that start with “that” “because” “and” “but” “which” or “who”. (see #2 in your “16 Common Errors” booklet).
4.                  Subject verb agreement (they is = wrong. They are = correct). See #6 in your “16 Common Errors” booklet.
5.                  Comma usage (see #3, in your “16 Common Errors” booklet.)
6.                  No run ons (#4 in your “16 Common Errors” booklet).
7.                  Strong verb usage (run or fled)

Format
1.                  12 point, Times New Roman, spacing at zero, last name and page number in header
2.                  First page info. (name, teacher, class, date) and “works cited” page

Content
1.                  Following the introductory paragraph layout
2.                  Body paragraphs: start with a main point (opinion), provide evidence to support opinion and explain how evidence supports opinion.
3.                  A conclusion (the “so what”)

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