December 14 - 18

It's the last week of 2015!

This week, we'll finish the Rhetorical Historical Term paper, continue reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and continue with Argument.


MONDAY: Journal warm-up.  Collect Grapes projects from wall, turn in Grapes book to class.  Rough draft peer editing in rounds.  Argument notes - types of evidence/article - I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read by Francine Prose.

Due: Full rough draft of paper. 

Homework: Work on drafts, upload starred rough draft with starred/marked paragraph for teacher notes to Turnitin.com by Wednesday night, December 16 at 10:00 p.m.

Finish reading "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read by Francine Prose." What kind of evidence does she use?  Is this an effective argument, in your view?

WEDNESDAY: Discuss "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read". Notes: satire vs. parody, examples. Periodic sentences.

Homework:  Work on drafts, upload starred rough draft with starred/marked paragraph for teacher notes to Turnitin.com by Wednesday night, December 16 at 10:00 p.m.

FRIDAY: (minimum day, 35 minutes) Metonymy and synechdoche.  Check-in term papers.  Discuss reading/Learnerator multiple choice practice over break.

Homework:
1. Please upload the Rhetorical Historical Term Paper by Sunday, December 20 at 11:59 p.m. to Turnitin.com with visuals, the text of the paper, and Works Cited all included.

2. Learnerator, please complete the following: (see sign up on the right hand navigation bar if you need instructions)
Under the sections "Rhetoric" and "Author's Meaning and Purpose" complete  "Was the World Made for Man" by Mark Twain.

3. Please read Huckleberry Finn through Chapter 11 and be ready to discuss the book's style and content after break.

4.  If you're up for it, the homework for January 6 is a short "Huckleberry Finn Raft Project". You can get a jump on that if you have time over the break.

Thanks for a wonderful 2015.  I hope you have a fabulous (and well-deserved) Winter Break.  

I look forward to seeing you next year!

December 7-11

We continue with our Rhetorical Historical term papers this week, begin our Argument Unit, and reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up.  Discuss Huckleberry Finn and the controversy over the "n" word.  Check-in for Step 6 - write 2 body paragraphs - of the term paper.  Intro to argument unit, define claim, discuss types of claims, evidence.  Discuss Atlantic article with SOAPS.  Read and annotate the article "Letter to Jerry Seinfeld from a Politically Correct College Student" in class and discuss how the argument is crafted.  Discuss current climate on college campuses.  

Due: Read the article from The Atlantic "The Coddling of the American Mind" and be ready to discuss the authors' claim and how they support their argument (evidence, examples).

Rough draft of 2 body paragraphs of the term paper.

Homework:

Study for current events quiz. 

++Note: You'll leave journals in class at the end of the period on Thursday.

THURSDAY:  Journal warm-up.  Current events quiz - last quiz of 2015.  Huckleberry Finn reading out loud in class.  Go over writing body paragraphs and the conclusion of the paper.  Go to computer lab for last portion of class to work on Rhetorical Historical term paper.  Leave journals in class container for points.

Homework:
1. Finish writing a rough draft of the body paragraphs - step 7 - approximately 2-3 more for a total of 4-5 body paragraphs, 6 sources minimum, and conclusion (Step 8).  Please come to class with a full draft for Monday.

2. Read the rest of chapters 1-3 of Huckleberry Finn (pages 1-14 - just get a feel for it).  Come with answers to the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:

• How does Huck show his age?
• How does he relate to the African American character Jim in these earliest chapters?
• How is the novel NOT politically correct?  Does this make it a little painful to read?