Due 3/31/20 submitted to Schoology - American Novel Evidence (50 points)
Hey, all.
I am just reposting the Schoology update here since there have been some issues accessing the site due to so many users.
A few reminders:
- Turn in your American Novel work - It does look like they will be asking me to enter grades for ALL students. Make this count. I am giving you extra time to make this look good.
- Next week's post will most likely be required work and provide you with some new information about an old skill. Please tell your friends to check out Schoology for the official tasks and the class website for a more casual learning experience.
- Figurative language response questions. Many of you were struggling to write this response. Please check out MY SAMPLE. A language response just focuses on the author’s use of figurative language and quotes that sound cool. The CM might seem like you are discussing the theme.
Essential Question for the Week: How do individuals build or maintain their 5 human needs (safety, freedom, control, sense of belonging and fun) in a time like this?
Task #1 - Reading Skills: Students will actively read THIS article and identify the thesis/claim. Students will put their work on their Reading 2 doc and then post to the Schoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooology Discussion board for the week.
If you are still working on your American novel, then you are going to be identifying the theme.
Tips for identifying theme: the author’s insightful opinion of a universal issue that is relevant to all people.
- Identify the protagonist, greatest internal conflict, climax and resolution. These should help you narrow down a potential theme.
- Themes should not contain: CDs, the phrase “The theme is”, or the word “you”.
- Focus on what makes the hidden message/theme insightful.
Tips for identifying a thesis: the writer’s well organized insightful argument that is proven through the use of claims and strong evidence.
- Identify the topic or focus of the text in the introductory paragraph.
- Outline/identify the major claims in each paragraph based on the writer’s use of CDs/evidence.
- Write out the author’s clear argument with the supporting claims from the body paragraphs. Try to put this all in one sentence!
Task #2 - Writing Skill: In your Writing 2 document, write a 2 Chunk response that analyzes the thesis of “Thriving in Times of Crisis”. Is Echterling’s thesis valid, insightful, helpful? What are the best claims or arguments?
If you are finishing up your American novel, write your 2 CD paragraph about the theme. What was your author’s insightful opinion of a universal issue that is relevant to all people?
Post your work to the Schooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooology Discussion for the week.
Tips for Writing a 2 Chunk Response
- Focus on refining your CD usage. Make sure your CD is smoothly embedded or has enhancing & informational context, edited down, properly cited and would seem important or meaningful to someone who had never read the source material.
- CDs should obviously connect to the thematic topic or issue.
- Practice writing bits of CM that consistently shows nuanced, sophisticated understanding of texts. Your CM is thorough, complete and clearly relates CD to TS. Your CM consistently anchored in CD.
Task #3 - Language Skills: Identify 5 words you came across this week, in your American novel or the article I provided you, that seemed sophisticated or you had to look up. I want you to write an original sentence for each of the words and post your best sentence to the Schoooooooooooooooooooooooooooology Discussion for the week.
Tips for increasing your Language Skills
- Identify words that you do not know in a text.
- Look up and write down the definitions of words you do not know.
- Look up examples of that word in other sentences. There are several online tools for this...like Words in a Sentence.com.
- Write a sentence using the word that actually provides context for the word.
- You can practice vocabulary at this link too: vocabtest.com.
Grammar & Conventions Skills: For those of you who want to work on your grammar skills, review this Khan Academy mini lesson on parallel structure and answer the questions below using proper parallel structure.
- What activities are keeping you from boredom during this extended break?
- What are the three things you are looking forward to when life returns to normal?
- What is the greatest movie of all time and why? Provide at least three reasons.
American Voices Independent Read & Assessment Reminder - Hopefully, you have finished the reading log and 2 CD responses. While I would love to have all of you submit all of the work, I understand that many of you might need more time to finish all these tasks.
Requirements:
- Appropriate Novel written by an American author (200 page “minimum”)
- Active Reading Journal that proves your ability to identify theme, analyze characterization, evaluate language and harvest meaningful CDs (4 entries minimum from beginning to end of the novel)
- Four 2 CD responses (1 on theme, 1 on characterization, 1 on language, 1 self selected)
- Final Creative Presentation (this can be done in groups or individually...depending on your novel)
- Self-Generated Essay Prompts
Homework Tips - You should have finished reading your novel last week and moved on to the sources I am providing on Schoology. Remember, you should be spending 2 hours a WEEK on these tasks.