Week 5 Syllabus: February
SCHOLARS WILL CONTINUE REVISING THEIR FIRSTDRAFT/ ESSAY on Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. Besides reading first drafts aloud in class on Monday, we will begin reading a chapter from Graff and Birkenstein’s guide, They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. We will read the chapter on writing literary analysis, and review some of their rhetorical templates on how to add your view of another scholar’s analysis of TFA. Having observed for a week, Ms. Devdariani will formally introduce herself and begin working on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet this week. Scholars will read and annotate a handout on the play’s background, and begin planning a group presentation on that material.
MONDAY, February 3rd
Returning grades on last third of TFA/annotations.
Scholars will read their essays aloud to their peers in small groups.
We will also, briefly, review the importance of editing on paper.
Small group reading of “‘On Closer Examination’: Entering Conversations about Literature” by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, 3rd edition. e novel.
HW: Read the following handout of Shakespeare’s R&J by class on Wedensday.
WEDNESDAY, February 5
Providing Ms. D with feedback on your learning styles/about you.
Reviewing categories presented in the Shakespeare reading.
Watching (and taking notes on) Lehrman’s 1997 version of Romeo + Juliet.
Update on Graff/Birkenstein handout.
HW: Revise your first draft of the TFA essay, making changes based on your small group reading.
THURSDAY, February 6
Continuing the film, Romeo + Juliet.
While watching, keep notes on the catagories presented in the reading.
HW: Add approximately 1/2 page on analysis to yoru TFA paper, adding YOUR view of Nnoromele’s/Achebe’s view of the novel. Use the templates presented in “They Say/I Say” to add your analysis.