Wednesday, January 31, 2007

We went over some of the parts of an essay:

Essay means to explain
Most often, you are explaining from your own point of view, though you could certainly include other points of view (both sides of an issue).
An essay can be used to inform, teach (how to), persuade, observe (narrate)
Most high school English essays are in-class under pressure affairs; as such, they usually consist of five paragraphs (Introduction, Body paracgraphs, 1,2,3, conclusion)
The introduction most often consists of: an attention getter, introduction to the issue, a summary of other pieces of literature referred to, a thesis and a road map (main points you will try to prove)

You are Then going to read the following editorial listed below
You are then going to answer the following questions


1. What goals might the writer be trying to achieve? In order to answer this question, you need to consider the context in which the essay was written as well as what is actually stated. List all the ones you can come up with.

2. Choose one of these goals and determine what limitations are standing between the goal and the author reaching it?

3. Discuss the themes presented in this essay with your partner. Write down the ones that present themselves. Which one would you and your partner support as being the dominant one? What support is there to convince you of this? List this support.

4. How does the author get the reader’s attention at the beginning of this essay?

5. Why is tone important when writing an essay? What is the tone of this essay? What evidence is there which supports your position? Brainstorm

6. If you were to rewrite this essay (say, as an editor) what would you keep, change, or add to make it better and/or more appealing?

7. Compare your own position regarding making amends to that of the author. Have you ever felt the same types of emotions? What emotions does the author express in this essay as having experienced them?



One letter is all it took to make amends
By Dawn Adam, Editor, Spotlight

Coming home from work the other day, I did what I always do, unlock the door, assess the mess in the living room, and lecture the dog on what is and is not a chew toy. Lately, it seems my shoes, especially my leather ones, have held her attention.
After all of this, I headed into my office to check the email. This little act a couple of weeks ago put me on a path that I would never have taken on my own – that of yearbook sleuth.
There was a message was from my brother asking if I could return the yearbooks.
The yearbooks? What yearbooks? I vaguely recalled getting some handed to me at the end of each school year, but I hadn’t seen them in ages. Besides, what would he want with my yearbooks?
I wrote him back and found out it was his yearbooks he wanted. Confused, I informed him that I didn’t have them, and added in a humourous tone, that perhaps I’d used them to line a guinea pig or bird cage….
From this communication, I learned that my brother does not have the same sense of humour as myself. To put it mildly, he was on the warpath, now sure that I must have taken the books when I was a teenager, still had them and was holding them hostage.
The notion that I may have taken them was not a far-fetched one for him to reach. As the youngest child, I often stuck my nose where it didn’t belong. I was the irritating little sister, always getting into his stuff; taking his things was just part of the package. Money – yes. Cassettes? Sure, why not? But his yearbooks?
Besides concern over my brother’s state of mind (I really can’t repeat what he actually wrote due to the fact that this is a family paper), the communication left me feeling guilty. Had I, some time in the past, taken those yearbooks? Had I lost them? I couldn’t remember doing it, but he seemed so certain that it was me…. Did it really matter then, if I had taken them or not? Wasn’t it time to make amends for some of the obvious things I was guilty of doing? I decided to try to appease him and do my best to right the situation. I set out to locate copies of these yearbooks.
In order to search them out, I would have to contact people and institutions I hadn’t even thought of in years. The first order of the day was to find out which books he was looking for, and from which schools. It turned out he was missing all three of his high school books and one from grade nine.
It had been 17 years since he graduated from high school in Lethbridge; each year gone would make it all the more difficult to get copies. The first thing I decided to do was phone his old high school and see if they had any copies still kicking around. Makes sense right? School librarians most certainly must have copies of the yearbooks of their own students for just these reasons, so we can come in and look back, and perhaps copy them if we feel so inclined. They did keep them, I was told, but somewhere along the line, other previous students had stolen them.
My next step was to try and contact students from the high school who would have the yearbooks in question. I placed an advertisement in the Lethbridge Herald for four days, sure that it would get someone’s attention. Sure enough, after three days running, I received a whopping…. one call.
The call proved to be fruitless, not because the person didn’t have the yearbooks – he did; I guess I should say, he thought he did.
“They’re somewhere in my parents’ basement. I’ll look and see what I can come up with.” Alas, a yearbook thief had been tempted by his books as well. They couldn’t be located.
It seemed like I was hitting a dead-end. I couldn’t physically search them out – I lived too far away for that, and I wasn’t able to get them through paid ads or the school. That’s when it hit me: write a letter to the Editor.
I sat down and quickly composed my letter, explaining the need to obtain these yearbooks and the fact that I would compensate anyone willing to part with them for their time and effort. I sent the letter off – and waited.
A few weeks passed. By this time, having heard no reply, I assumed my search was at an end. I would forever have to put up with the glaring looks from my brother and would be shunned as a yearbook thief. Oh, the pain of it all. How would I bear it?
Last weekend, the faxes started rolling in.
“I saw your letter in the Herald and can sell you three of the books for $5 each.”
“I have the yearbooks in question and I would be glad to photocopy them and send them to you.”
These were just two of the many responses I received.
I was, and still am, overwhelmed by the response. My letter to the Editor had convinced people to help me out when a paid ad had failed. It proved to be a valuable tool to getting a message across which cost nothing more than a stamp and yet reaped a better result than any other route did.
The yearbooks are now on their way here. In a few short days, they’ll be in my brother’s hands, complete with congratulations in the back which mean nothing to him. But that’s all right. I will have made amends for something he felt I owed him.
I learned from this experience that you can right a wrong. My brother will have something back which he has wanted for some time and I will never have to worry about this issue again.
In the future, if I get an email from a family member stating I have something missing from their childhood, I’ll examine the feelings they are expressing and not simply put up a defense; after all, most of us want validation and not smug replies.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

We will be going over the course outline that I have pasted below. You will be expected to have a journal by Thursday, February 1, (I will sell you one for a dollar), cue cards A.S.A.P. and an independent novel in class for Monday, February 5 (the list of approved novels is at the end of this).

Welcome to English 30! This course is oriented towards academic students who enjoy the process of communication and who also enjoy literature. We will include all of the five strands of the Language Arts Program (reading, writing, speaking, viewing, listening and representing) with a major emphasis on written expression and relating various works of literature to ourselves and to the society in which we live.

This course requires your dedication and commitment to achieving your personal best. It requires you to look at and respond to more advanced and abstract concepts and philosophies in literature at a more mature level. You will be challenged in your thinking and expression. If you fall behind or find that you don’t understand something, it is important that you speak to me so that we can get you back on track. Do not wait until it is too late for any type of remedial action. I will make the effort to help or guide you, but ultimately YOU are responsible for YOU! I look forward though, to working together.

The semester will be divided into six units (plus prep). These units will provide a general framework for literary choices. Students will also work on word processing skills, and other computer technology skills.

UNITS OF STUDY:

1. Getting the Point Across: The Successful Attempt

Persuasive writing (essays) will be studied with respect to the history and influence of the “assai”, a study of the essay genre, and rectifying any remaining writing difficulties that students may have with this form of communication. Students will also focus on thesis formation, writing strategies, effective proofreading and fine-tuning their own writing voice and style.

Texts: Fit to Print, Viewpoints 12

Time Frame: January 31 – February 23 (14 classes)

2. Short Story: Values, Beliefs and Choices

A minimum of three short stories will be read and discussed with emphasis on interpretive literature, theme, symbolism, character, plot, irony, conflict, etc. Students will focus on what seems to be the author’s purpose in writing, achievement of that purpose, and other critical thinking skills. The ability to state and expand upon theme and purpose will be key.

Text: Viewpoints 12


Time Frame: February 26 – March 15 (13 classes)


3. Poetry: The Voices of Art, Love, Life and Death

This unit will further develop skills of poetic expression and response, and expose students to the full range of creative language and form. Knowledge and use of common poetry terms will be a focus.

Text: Viewpoints 12

Time Frame: March 16 –April 4 (13 classes)

4. Novel: Experiences that Change You Forever

This genre has the power to act as a social commentary, make us see ourselves in characters in conflict and depict the relationship between an author’s purpose and the nature of his/her work.

Texts: Pride and Prejudice, Night, Wuthering Heights, The Bean Trees,
To Destroy You is no Loss (TBA)

Time Frame: April 5 – April 30 (11 classes)


5. Shakespearean Drama: The Tragedy and Drama of Human Desires

Students will again have the opportunity to further their interest in and confidence with Shakespearean languages and develop an understanding of he complexity of characters, themes, plots, and skillful writing in the Elizabethan era.

Texts: Taming of a Shrew Hamlet, Othello, King Lear (TBA)

Time Frame: May 1 – May 23 (15 classes)

6. Modern Drama: The Pursuit of Happiness

Students will appreciate the impact of modern dramatists in changing drama to analyze real social, psychological and personal problems for “real” people. Our own aspirations, dreams, desires and ideals will be challenged through the study of this genre.

Texts: On Stage 3: A Doll’s House, Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar
Named Desire (TBA)

Time Frame: May 24 – June 7 (11 classes)



7. Test Prep: Part A and B
Students will gain confidence in writing both the Part A and Part B portion of the English 30-1 PDE exams. Many of these skills will transfer to other exams as well.

Time Frame: June 11 – June 12 (Part A Prep) Exam is on June 13
Time Frame: June 14 – June 15 (Part B Prep) Exam is on June 26


In addition to this, you will also be working in journals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and an independent novel study on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Evaluation

Major Assignments 35%
Daily Work 30%
Unit exams 35%


School Mark: 50%
Provincial Diploma Exams (Part A and B): 50%

Assignment Expectations:

· Name, class and date submitted are to be written in the upper right-hand corner of all work that is to be handed in (with the exception of essays, which are to have a cover page)
· Write assignments only on one side of the paper.
· All assignments that are being marked for editing (essays, paragraphs, etc.,) are to be double spaced.
· All assignments (unless otherwise specified) are to be written in dark blue or black ink or completed on a computer.
· Assignments that are written in pencil will be returned unmarked and must be re-submitted in ink. Work submitted in pencil will be considered “late work” as well.

Late Work:
· Most work will be accepted late and will have a maximum of 10% of the total possible mark deducted from the achieved mark for each delayed date.
· After THREE late days (-30%), the work will not be accepted for marks but still must be completed (then the “NHI” will be removed from Students’ Achieve).
· Occasionally, some work will not be accepted late (e.g., homework checks, in-class assignments, in-class group work). This will be specified at the time the work is assigned in class.


Absenteeism:
· If you are going to be absent, have a parent to call the office. If this is done in the morning, then I have it indicated on the computer when I do attendance (and will make sure you get copies of the assignments put in your portfolio).
· If an assignment is due on a day you are absent then it is due the day you get back. However, if your absence was planned and the assignment is a major one, you are expected to have it handed in before you go (ie; a holiday or field trip).
· If no one calls and there is no note, I will not treat the absence as an excused.

Classroom Expectations:

· This is a computer lab. No food or drinks (other than bottled water) are allowed.
· The computers are a privilege, not a right. Treat them well. Anyone who has been in this lab knows that it takes time to get a tech in to repair them.
· The NLSD has computer use policies in place that we are to follow. This means that accessing e-mail, chat rooms, “inappropriate” sites, or surfing aimlessly are not allowed.
· The computers are for teacher-approved and teacher-directed class use only. We have had recent situations in which misuse has placed an extreme burden on the system. When this happens things important to use – and you can get purged.


IMPORTANT!!!

Plagiarism is a crime. It is NOT excusable. Doing so can range in consequences from a zero on an assignment to expulsion (see Student Handbook).

REMINDER

Any cell phones that go off in my class become my property until the end of the day. They can then be collected from Mrs. Ripkens (any phones in the class during a test = zero!!!). Use the day care and save us both a lot of grief!!!

Supplies Needed:

· Dictionary (optional)
· Thesaurus (optional)
· Journal duo-tang
· Pens (dark blue and black only)
· Pencils HP and coloured (as required)
· Highlighter (this is really important at this level)
· Eraser
· Cue cards

Independent Novel Study Choices:

(Availability: L= school libary, PL= Public Libary, PLO= Can be ordered in from the Plublic Library)

Full-length Fiction
1984 – Orwell (L)
All the Pretty Horses – McCarthy (PL)
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz – Richler (L)
The Ash Garden – Bock (L)
The Bean Trees – Kingsolver (L)
The Chosen – Potok (PL)
Chronicle of a Death Foretold – Marquez (PLO)
Crime and Punishment – Dostoevsky (L)
Davita’s Harp – Potok (L)
East of Eden – Steinbeck (L)
Great Expectations – Dickens (L)
The Great Gatsby – Fitzgerald (L)
Heart of Darkness – Conrad (PL)
House of the Spirits – Allende (PL)
The Lovely Bones – Sebold (T)
Life of Pi – Martel (T)
The Metamorphosis – Kafka (PLO)
Moonsignor Quixote – Greene (L)
The Mosquito Coast – Theroux (PLO)
My Name is Asher Lev – Potok (L)
No Great Mischief – MacLeod (PL)
The Outsider – Camus (PLO)
The Poisonwood Bible – Kingsolver (PL)
Pride and Prejudice – Austen (L)
Siddhartha – Hesse (PL)
Snow Falling on Cedars – Guterson (T)
The Stone Angel – Laurence (L)
The Stone Carvers – Urquhart (PL)
Things Fall Apart – Achebe (PLO)
Tuesdays with Morrie – Richler (PL)
Under the Ribs of Death – Marlyn (L)
The Wars – Findley (L)
Wild Geese – Ostenso (PLO)
Wuthering Heights – Bronte (L)
Ciderhouse Rules – Irving (L)

Shakespearean Plays

Henry VI Part I (L)
King Lear (L)
Othello (L)
The Taming of the Shrew (L)
The Tempest (L)