Notes
Week 5: Sunday September 22- Saturday September 28 & Week 6: Sunday September 29- Saturday October 5
£ Classwork & Lecture: Review all files posted in Classwork & Samples/Guides for section.
£ Reading: Read American Street & Critical Reading articles.
ASSIGNMENTS
£ Forum: Post your responses to American Street forum. 1st post due 09/28, 2nd due 10/05.
£ Writing Quiz: Not a reading quiz, but the larger quiz on writing. Due 09/28.
£ Glossary # 2: Post your entry to this Critical Reading glossary. Due 10/05.
£ Optional Plan 1: If wanted submit Plan for Paper #1 through Moodle by 10/05)._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Glossary Checklist:
I left some glossary comments (and ratings) in the gradebook for you as I cannot comment privately in the glossary itself.
The glossary entries went pretty well, especially for a first round. Below is a helpful and condensed glossary assignment checklist as you continue working on your glossary entries!! J
In your glossary entry is there:
☐ Clear evidence of interaction with main points or concepts from the critical articles with or without the use of quotes (but not just quotes standing alone)
☐ Visual or audio elements that add interest to the entry and mirror the content/topic
☐ Commentary showing reflection from the student on how glossary elements work together (if not self-explanatory)
☐ Connections or bridged links between the critical article and our YA book(s)
Here are a few more detailed tips paraphrased from the assignment description:
1) Do make sure to show engagement with the critical reading article beyond pasted quotes and images. Commentary in some way perhaps adding audio to a powerpoint or including written text is a great way for me to see how you are making connections with the critical reading.
2) Don’t forget to add visual or auditory element.s These glossaries aim to move us beyond the text of forums so i am looking for multi-dimensional layers in here and elements other than just text. Play around and experiment.
4) Recommending another article can be a great resource if you take a moment to comment on why this other source offers additional insight.
Look at this great article a former student recommended (consider it part of our lecture note reading this week):
I found it a provocative albeit disheartening read. But the examples in here really showcase what is happening in YA lit on many book covers.
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Look for the Writing Quiz Study Packet in our block. Writing Quiz is due in Week 5 so take a good chunk of time this week studying for that.
Password for quiz: owl
Websites and Upcoming Writing Quiz due in Week 5: The Writing Quiz is a multiple choice/multiple answer quiz, much like the syllabus quiz you took during Week One. There is no time limit for this quiz though you must complete it once you begin. I'm providing you the links this week so that you can begin looking over the material in preparation for the quiz (and the essay writing you will be doing!). It is a LOT of material to absorb, but critically important.
Look in the weekly's block for the Writing Quiz Study Packet. Everything you need is there!
My best advice would be to start reading over these web pages NOW. This way you should not get overwhelmed. Saving all of this technical reading for week 5 will feel overwhelming so start looking at these now!
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Plan for Paper #1
If you have not already done so, read the description for the paper in Essay Assignments, the second main box on our Moodle page before Week 1. And look at the samples too. The samples should be a lot of help to you all!
You will see that this is the week you may choose to submit a "Plan”
/preliminary work for the first paper. The plan is not required but is
an optional way for you to have a bit more of the workshop experience
typical in a composition course. We are a literature course and as such
we focus a little less on invention writing. In the past I have made
plans a required assignment, now it is for a bit of extra credit. To get
credit though the plan will need to be completed in depth following the
plan instructions listed in Paper 1.
For the submitted plans I will take time to read through it and give you constructive feedback working towards our first essay. Think of this as serving not just as invention writing but also like a bit of a conference. If you choose to skip this step that is fine. Student's choice!! :)
Even if you choose to not submit a plan to me please read through the plan notes below so you can start thinking about our first paper. Even completing a rough draft of this plan prior to writing the paper can be useful to generate ideas prior to writing.
Any plans must be submitted this week. This allows for me to get you feedback at the beginning of Week 7.
If you do choose to submit a plan I need for you to follow the plan directions specifically so I can give you the most useful feedback possible. Start by (re)reading the description for Paper #1 in the Course Documents folder. The plan is extremely important and in some cases may actually take more time to complete than the writing of the paper. A good plan should be like a road map for you when you begin the writing process, but if the plan has major problems, you will also be able to alter it before you begin the actual writing.
A good way to begin this process is with a tentative thesis. I have listed some possible topics for your paper in the assignment page for this paper, but these are only suggestions, and they are not thesis statements. Barefoot Heart, The Boy on the Wooden Box, and Monster are books that raise some important questions, so your thesis may actually be an answer to one of those questions.
Remember, you want to choose a thesis that is debatable. Avoid obvious statements like "Elva wanted to please her father". Instead, look for a statement that interprets the story in a unique way. For example we know Elva wanted to please her father, but why she did could be debatable. One could argue that as the youngest and often most excluded child she had an especially keen need for attention from her father. Or one could argue that in the Hispanic culture daughters are traditionally portrayed as being particularly obliging and subservient to their fathers. In either of the latter statements you are getting into a meatier territory where you are proposing an argument about how we read a book and interpret the characters actions. Yes, not all arguments work, and you have to be persuasive with your thesis providing substantial textual and occasionally outside support. But first and foremost you have to be presenting a debatable thesis: one that some readers would be inclined to agree with, and one that might even ruffle other readers' feathers forcing you to really work to convince them.
Once you have a tentative thesis, go back through the book to see if your idea really can be supported. Gather quotes and references to events in the story that might be used as evidence. If you find evidence that is contrary to your thesis or if there is just not enough evidence, you may need to change your thesis.
Here's what your plan should look like:
Statement of a debatable thesis worded as a sentence. (A question is not a thesis. Also, a statement of fact is not what we're looking for here.)
A.
Major point related to that thesis (This may become the topic sentence
for one of your paragraphs, and it should be an abstract or general
statement.)
1. Supporting quote or specific references to support the point
2. (Optional) Additional quotes or specific references to support the point
B. Next major point related to thesis
1. Supporting quote or specific references to support the point
2. (Optional) Additional quotes or specific references to support the point
C. Next major point related to thesis
1. Supporting quote or specific references to support the point
2. (Optional) Additional quote or specific references to support the point
D, E, etc Continue with the same pattern.
*** Outside research can also be included but is not required.
It is not uncommon for students to fall into the trap of summarizing the paper instead of analyzing it. Remember this is a literary analysis paper. Your central argument is not telling me about what happened, but analyzing the how and why. Take your cue from the excellent weekly forum comments which have revolved around analysis and various interpretations of our reading.
If you submit a plan, I will look it over, give you suggestions, and return it to you (usually within three-five days after the plan due date). As soon as you get it back, read my comments and then start writing your first draft. Each of your main points may become the focus for one of your body paragraphs.
Don't forget that you still need a strong introduction and conclusion that will present your thesis in a way that is clear to those who have not read the book. Your audience for the paper is an academic audience that may or may not have read Monster, The Boy on the Wooden Box, or American Street. You'll need to give enough summary details for both sets of readers, providing enough information for the context or support of your argument, but you need not summarize every detail of the book, particularly if certain summary details feel unnecessary.
If you have questions, send me an email. I would be happy to chat with you about tactics and possibilities.
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The Writing Center
When
in the process of writing your paper, you have the option of using the
Writing Center at NMC for a workshop experience. The readers working there are trained to give
you feedback to improve your paper regardless of whether they are
familiar with the work you are writing about. They will need several
days to read and respond to your paper. You may send your paper by
email (as an attachment - Word or RTF only) or go for a consultation in person at
the Writing Center, which is on the top floor of Scholars Hall. Give
them a call at 995-1189 if you'd like more information. Their email
address is writingcenter@nmc.edu.
If you send in your paper by email, provide:
• Your name
• The name of the class (ENG 271)
• Your instructor's name (Patricia Lincoln)
• Your email address
• The due date for your assignment
• The assignment itself (If you have saved it in your documents, you can send the assignment as a separate attachment.)
Signing off:
Email me if questions come up this week. I'm looking forward to everyone's work in our first reading discussion quiz that I will be reviewing. Look back to the syllabus and FAQ for a recap of the differences between forums and quizzes. There is a lot of info for you there.
-Tricia
