• Oct162009
    10/16 Stressed out About Class

    POSTED AT 01:52 PM

    Writing a literary analysis can be difficult. It's easy once you get it, but even then, it's stressful.
     
    So, we're postponing our literary analyis until Monday. High school kids and college kids should be writing these things, not 12- and 13-year-olds. What we're writing is not at that level, but it's still stressing us out.
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    Oct142009
    10/7 - 10/15 -- Literary Analysis Paper

    POSTED AT 03:41 PM

    The 7th grade Language Arts teachers are covering this assignment in a step-by-step, formulaic process. Why? Analyzing literature can be difficult. The purpose here is to expose students to this type of writing.
     
    I don't expect students to write complete papers. The lesson teaches three basic requirements: 1)students write a thematic statement, 2) students summarize a part of the story that points to the theme, and 3) students use a quote and page number from their story as proof.
     
    On the handouts link, there is a paper titled "How to Write a Theme Statement for Literature." We covered that today. After step 1, students wrote a thematic sentence. After step 2, I asked them to draw a box around their thematic statement. Those are the words that follow after the word therefore. Step 3 was most difficult. It asks, now that you have a theme for your story, what parts of the story go with this theme? Go ahead and summarize those parts. Do not quote, only summarize.
     
    Q: If one of my theme words was love, why can't I repeat it in my thematic statement? It's a really long sentence.
    A: Because. No, seriously, if you keep using the same word, your thematic statement sounds confusing and repetitive. It's a poor writing practice.
     
    Q: Is this like a lesson or a moral?
    A: No. A theme is neither lesson nor moral. It is a statement about human nature.
     
    Q: Does my theme have to fit my story?
    A: Yes. If your theme needs rewriting, do so. I wrote an example theme statement for the short story "Seventh Grade" but it sounded mean, so I rewrote it.
     
    Some classes started filling out the next page. It's also in the handouts link and it's titled "Step-by-Step How to Write a Literary Analysis Paper." We'll continue working with this paper tomorrow.
     
    Overall, students are doing well. I don't expect to see a full paper by Friday. I do expect to see two, maybe three paragraphs done correctly.
     
    Mr. E.
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    May112009
    How to Cite a Source

    POSTED AT 10:15 AM

    Here's my online lesson that explains how to cite books.
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    May062009
    How Many Sources Do I Need?

    POSTED AT 09:58 AM

    A good research assignment does not have an exact number of sources you have to find. Students, read this carefully -- it's not about how many sources you find. What really matters is that you know how to find sources and that you know how to write down the information that lets other people find the same source.

    1. Find sources by thinking about key words. If you are looking for information about foxes in central Texas, don't type in "Foxes in central Texas." That's too specific. Type in something like "Texas wildlife," or "Texas mammals," or "Texas endangered animals." That will give you more books, magazines, and news articles to look through.
    2. Write down information according to the documentation handout. It's not enough to write down the title of the article. It's not enough to say you remember reading it somewhere. If I want proof, you better have notes that it came from somewhere, and I better be able to find your sources without having to ask you to be next to me.
     
    So, please don't ask me if it's okay if you only have three sources. No, it's not okay. If you are researching a topic, you would normally end up with more than just three sources. If you keep trying to get me to give you an answer about how many is okay: 4? 5?, then I'll just have to tell it like it is -- you're missing the point. When anyone does research, he or she doesn't worry about the number of sources. A good researcher worries about documenting everything correctly.
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    Mar252009
    Literature Circles - How Groups work

    POSTED AT 04:38 PM

    A common problem with literature cirles is that students don't talk about the book. They focus on the "assignments" instead of talking openly about what they are reading.
     
    So what is supposed to happen? Basically, the group sets a reading goal, usually a few chapters, and once they reach that goal, everyone should work on their inidividual work for awhile. Why? Because the individual work will allow everyone to contribute to the group work.
     
    The passage selector should have several passages selected for the group to discuss writing style, mood, etc.
    The illustrator should have several sketches to share so the group can discuss imagery.
    The connector should have made connections to real life so that people can try to relate to the story.
     
    Too many students simply try to accomplish their respective roles and think they are done with the "assignment." The fact is they have the role for the entire week.
     
    So, if a group sets a goal, reaches it, and everyone does their individual part, which leads to having their group work done -- good! The job is not over! The week is not over. Set another goal (for a few more chapters) and do it again. You have to learn to discuss the book, not just read it.
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    Feb112009
    Create a background of images

    POSTED AT 11:07 AM

    When you write, you should always give the reader specific images, not generic ones.
     
    Look at these two images:
    This one, Manet's The Fifer, has nothing but a boy playing a flute. He's floating... in nothingness!
     
     
    This next image is of Eastman Johnson's Wounded Drummer Boy. Yes, it is about the boy, but look at everything else that goes with the main topic. It has a background, so it all makes more sense.
     
    Writing works the same way. People need to be able to picture what you are talking about, not just read about the main topic.
     
    Now, go write something! 
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    Feb082009
    Revise Your Paper

    POSTED AT 02:21 PM

    1. Plan it.  -- plan your thoughts out in some way
    2. Write it. -- write some type of draft of your thoughts
    3. REVISE IT. -- rearrange sentences and paragraphs to make your point clear
    4. Read it. -- read your paper to catch errors and make changes
    5. Write it. -- when you can read it straight through, write a clean copy of it
    It's the 3rd step that everyone skips. The biggest problem is that most writers want to leave their writing the way it comes out the first time. Most times, that is not good enough. Your real point won't come out for awhile. Believe it!
     
    Advice:
    • After you write a draft, read from about halfway down and through to the end of your paper; that's where you'll find your point. Find it and move it to the front. Rewrite it, as needed. Always start with your point.
    • There may be a deep or meaningful sentence in the second half of your paper. Grab that sentence and rewrite an introduction with it.
    • Remember all those handouts on different types of sentences? Use them. (Go to the Handouts Link for a few of them.)
    Remember, don't skip the 3rd step.
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    Sep222008
    Imitate Good Writing 1

    POSTED AT 09:24 PM

    When I was in college and I knew I had an in-class writing assignment coming up, I used to read some Mark Twain. Reading his work always influenced my writing style. My intent was always to walk into that classroom, give the professor a confident look, and position myself into a chair somewhere up front. I pretended I was Mark Twain. Sometimes, it worked; sometimes, it still does.

    My point: any writing pattern and style can be imitated. Learn to appreciate how writers put together sentences.  Here is the beginning of Maya Angelou's essay, "Graduation."

    The children in Stamps trembled visibly with anticipation. Some adults were excited too, but to be certain the whole young population had come down with graduation epidemic. Large classes were graduating from both the grammar school and the high school.

    I only took the first three sentences to analyze and imitate. First is a simple sentence: The children trembled. Maya adds a prepositional phrase, an adverb, and another prepositional phrase: in Stamps; visibly; and, with anticipation. Next is a compound sentence: Adults were excited, but the population had come down. By adding an adjective, an infinitive phrase, two more adjectives and a prepositional phrase at the end, the sentence gets more elaborate. The third sentence, like the first, is also simple: Classes were graduating. Maya added an adjective up front, and a prepositional phrase at the end. Easy, right!

    When you imitate a writer, don't try to copy them phrase for phrase, or part of speech for part of speech. That could be strange or awkward. Try to get a feel for what is being created with the phrases and words. Think of a time in your life that was similar. Once you recall a memory, try using the pattern to tell your own story.  Here's my example:

    The young karate students in Master Bob's gym paced nervously . Some parents were excited, too, but it was obvious that the whole school from yellow belts to brown belts had come down with ceremony jitters. Entire age groups were graduating from one level to the next.

    You try. Let me know whose work you read and what you ended up writing.

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