Syllabus for week of September 29

Monday

• Journal: If you weren't a person, and had to be a thing, what thing would you be? Collecting, scanning, and then posting the descriptive object essays. We will model a workshop on an object essay, the floor. Remember our workshop principles: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? These questions should be in the back of your mind during every workshop experience. The object of the workshop is to help the writer improve their work. Toward that end, we need critical and constructive observations. 
• HW: Begin reading an annotating the object essays in preparation for workshop. You MUST read and annotate the essays before class, the night before. It is NOT acceptable to complete first readings during workshop. Tonight through Wednesday night, you will want to complete your writer's notebook assignments. 

Tuesday

• Object workshop. 
• HW: Finish reading an annotating the object essays.

Wednesday

• Object workshop. 
• HW: You will want to begin researching memoirs that you might want to read. Ultimately, you will want a list of ten titles that you will narrow to your top five. For those top five, you will want to read the opening pages--the first 7-10 pages--and write a short stylistic analysis on that work. How does the memoir begin? What--if anything--captures the reader's interest? What are the stylistic fingerprints that you can discern from the short selection? This top-ten list will be due on Monday. 

Thursday

• Object workshop. 
• HW: Remember that after you have "workshopped" your object essay, I want you to complete and submit the student evaluations using the following scale:

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Friday

• Ideally, we will finish the object essay workshop today. 
• HW: Complete your list of memoirs. You will want to submit these as an annotated bibliography. Rather than alphabetizing your list, I want you to number them in order of preference, one being you first choice, ten being your least favorite. Remember that the first five should have short paragraphs analyzing the memoir's style. 

Syllabus for week of September 22

Monday

• In class journal: What is your name? This will be a second day of revising college materials. Make sure to bring hard copies of the work you want read. Do NOT share material that you're uncomfortable reading in small group. 
• HW: Type your response to journal question #1 on page 35. Read "El Hoyo" on page 36-38

Tuesday

• In class journal: Describe your "neighborhood." Discussion of "El Hoyo": how does Suarez create place?  
• HW: Choose a specific artifact within New Trier--a static, specific, thing--that you want to describe. It must be on-campus. It must be accessible to all students. You should spend at least 20 minutes wandering the building, looking for your artifact. Bring in a list of your top ten artifacts. 

Wednesday

• Brainstorming details related to the artifact. 
• HW: Write your artifact journal, due for class on Friday. 

Thursday

• No school for Rosh Hashanah
• HW: Please be certain that you have completed the journal entry for class. 

Friday

• Meeting in computer lab 377N. 
• HW: Complete the OTIS questions for "El Hoyo" and read the introduction to narrative writing. 

Syllabus for week of September 15

Monday

• In class journal. Reading of "The Bridge" by Jason Holland, then small group work, discussing the OTIS questions. 
• HW: Type responses to the OTIS questions on page 27-8, due tomorrow. 

Tuesday

• In class journal. Reading of "Tommy" by Kelly Ruth Winter, then small group work, discussing the OTIS questions. 
• HW: Type responses to the OTIS questions on page 31, due tomorrow. 

Wednesday

• Examining sentence structure, and reviewing the sentence parts by watching a dated-but-excellent video by the Standard Deviants. Afterwards, identifying sentence structure in "Tommy."
• HW: Identify all the parts of speech in the sentence, "When Tommy is in sixth grade and I am in third, he lights his house on fire and tries to kill himself with a pair of scissors."

Thursday

• Journal: how would your closest friend describe your most memorable attribute? Watching the Jimmy Kimmel video on hand washing. Then reading "You'll Love the Way We Fly" by Lori Jakiela.
• HW: Type responses to the OTIS questions tonight. Due tomorrow. 

Friday

• This will be a second day of revising college materials. Make sure to bring hard copies of the work you want read. Do NOT share material that you're uncomfortable reading in small group. 
• HW: Write a response to the #1 journal question on page 35, in your writer's notebook. 

Super Grammar!

You should read the following two handouts from the aforementioned grammar book. These are intended for and junior high audience. But the content is solid. Learn it. Know it. Live it. 
On subjects and predicates...        On parts of speech...

Syllabus for week of September 8

LAST WEEK we finished a faux workshop of the student college essays from last year's workshop. Additionally, everyone signed up for a writing conference, whereat we'll talk about why you choose SWS, your strengths and weaknesses as a writer, where you are at in the college process, and if applicable, discuss a draft of your college essay. 

Monday

• Day one of discussion of Tobias Wolff's style. What stands out? What patterns do you see? Which of his techniques are most interesting to you? Keeping notes of discussion.
• HW: An analysis of ONE of Wolff's technique is due Wednesday. 2-3 pages. Provide evidence from various points in the memoir. Your revision of the college essay is due one week from today.

Tuesday

• Second day of discussion of Wolff. Today we will start with a short documentary on Wolff, sponsored by the NEH: public film available here
• HW: Wolff essay is due tomorrow. Bring your copy of Short Takes to class on Wednesday, as we will begin working with it this week. Between drafts, take a minute to read "Wolff at the door."

Wednesday

• Journal entry. How is the college essay importantly different from memoir? Lecture on wordiness, structural and notional language, and active language. Some final Q&A on college essays.
• HW: Read the introduction to Short Takes, as well as the introduction to descriptive writing. That would be pages 1-22.

Thursday

• Today we will read the first essay in ST, "The Summer Wind," and will work in small groups to answer the Organization and Ideas, and Technique and Style (OTIS) questions on page 24..
• HW: Type responses to the OTIS questions tonight. Due tomorrow. 

Friday

• Small group reading of college materials. Make sure to bring hard copies of the work you want read. Do NOT share material that you're uncomfortable reading in small group. 
• HW: Revision of college essay due Monday. 

Ipad users, unite!

So, I have been working with New Trier's IT Department, trying to help them help you troubleshoot some of the ipad issues that have arisen. I need you to try something for me. 

1) Go to this web site: here!

2) Click on the audio link.

3) If it plays successfully, send me an email letting me know.

4) If it doesn't, take a screenshot, and send me a copy of that at my NT web mail address.

Thanks, all.

The Roadside Signs of Burma-Shave

One of the more lovely examples of nostalgic Americana is the Burma Shave sign campaign which were one of the earliest examples of roadside billboards, and ran from the 1920s through the early 1960s. I actually have the book mentioned on the following fan-site: burmashave.org. Here's the 1955 advertisement slogans.

Though not seen in your lifetime, these signs, spaced so that cars travelling at high speeds could read the jingle over the stretch of a mile or so, were once ubiquitous and known by every American.

Schedule college essay, writing conference

Use the following link to schedule a conference: GO HERE. 

If someone has already signed up for a period, please leave the other slot that period open, if possible. I would also ask that you try to sign up for a conference during a period, rather than before/after school, if possible. I have periods 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 free most days. 

Note: Once you and I have completed our meeting, I will change the color of your name to blue. That's a visual reminder to myself that we did, in fact, meet. Please do not alter any colors on the page!

Syllabus for week of September 1

LAST WEEK we began our work on running a workshop. We covered the basic tenant of comments: Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary? We discussed the importance of maintaining confidentiality and respect for others' work, and I also provided some excellent examples from the Killer Kane. We also wrote three journals in class, and submitted a written response to a Short Takes (ST)  narrative, "A Night of Oranges." We reviewed the English Department handouts on the college essay, and students provided actual prompts from your college application process via the blog. Finally, students identified one well-written passage that stood out in This Boy's Life.

Monday

• No school today for Labor Day.
• HW: I did not get the prompt blog posting up until 9/1. If you were unable to get your posted this weekend, get it up by the end of school Tuesday. Have your passage identified for class discussion on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Tuesday

• We will begin with another journal entry, more brainstorming about your life. Covering some adminis-triva, review of the syllabus, academic integrity policy and textbooks. Today we will also read and discuss one more of the sample student essays.
• HW: Sign up for a conference with me this week to discuss your college essay. Use this google doc to add your name. Re-read the first chapter of This Boy's Life, and annotate for stylistic technique: How does Wolff set the stage? What tools from his writer's bag-of-tricks does he use to accomplish that? How is he establishing character, setting tone, foreshadowing Jack's conflicted end of adolescence? What language quirks do your note? What does he do with image that's striking? What's the thumbprint he leaves upon the work? Also, listen to the student essay on the post, "A Sample Essay."

Wednesday

• Starting today with a journal entry. We will finish our discussion of the student sample essays. Time permitting, we will begin discussing the posted questions on squarespace. The last ten minutes of class, a stylistic discussion of This Boy's Life, chapter one. 
• HW: Remember that this week (and early next week) you are to conference with me outside of class. For that meeting, you should plan on talking about where you are in the college application process, as well as why you took this course and what goals you have for yourself (as a writer) for first quarter.

Thursday

• At this point, we should hopefully have finished workshopping the sample college essays and have discussed the posted questions. If so, we will begin a two day (more likely it will take 3 days of) discussion of the passages chosen from TBL. We will not approach them chronologically. Rather, we will look at what Wolff does in terms of techniques. During the two day discussion, everyone will keep class-mapped notes, and everyone should have introduced their passage. 
• HW: Read and take notes on the introduction in Short Takes (page 1-14) for class on Tuesday.

Friday

• Continuation (and possible conclusion) of the TBL conversation.
• HW: Your analysis of TBL will be due on Wednesday. The revision of your college essay a week from this coming Monday. 

The Question(s)

Kindly post (as a comment) a question that you either have or will answer as part of the college application process. Remember to ______ out any reference to the college or university in question, including location specifics. What I want to see is the question. PLEASE INCLUDE ANY LANGUAGE THAT PRECEDES OR FOLLOWS THE ACTUAL QUESTION. Frequently, that language provides insight into an approach to the question. We will review these, in class, on Tuesday.

A Sample Essay

This first essay was written for the “This I Believe” series, and ultimately the author William Wissemann submitted it as a college essay to Bard College:

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=94566019&m=94603503

There are also several other student essays at NPR. This slightly older series has five student essays that you should listen to. Notice that in all of these—though very different—capture the student’s personality and voice. Being you in your essay is one of the best things you can do.

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/mar/010326.essays.html

On bland essays...

What's Wrong With Getting Help On A 'Personal' Essay?

The organization that hands out Rhodes Scholarships says application essays — which are often heavily edited by family, advisers and universities — no longer reflect a student's true "values and aspirations." In a new rule, the organization says that help is no longer allowed.

Read this story

Another advice column on college essays

Oversharing in Admissions Essays

By Op-Ed Columnist FRANK BRUNI

The raw and revelatory admissions essay reflects the blinding competition to get into elite schools.

Sample Essays from SWS 2014, Easton

Last year, several of your peers voluntarily shared their essays so that you could have them as samples this year. If you find these helpful, I would ask that when the time comes you make a point of sharing your own essay so that future New Trier students may benefit. 

Names of individual students have been changed, however other proper names--teachers, coaches, universities--have not. As with any workshop material, you should print these out and take editorial notes prior to class. These classroom materials may NOT, under ANY circumstances, be shared with anyone outside of our course. I consider doing so a violation of our academic integrity code. So please--be respectful of your peers--these students' drafts are for your eyes only. 

Welcome to Senior Writers' Seminar

LOCATING SHORT TAKES, 10TH EDITION

This ISBN number for locating the 10th edition of Penfield's Short Takes is 978-0205725472. That's the 13 digit ISBN number. When I last checked, the lowest price I had found was around $.99, shipping excluded. You should be able to obtain a copy for under ten dollars. If you find a site that has a low price, please add that information here via the comment feature so others can benefit from your searching.

I will say that the sooner you purchase it, the better. Many of the textbook sites use an algorhythm that raises the price when more than one person begins searching for a particular book. Make sure your copy is the 10th edition.

This is the cover of the 10th edition. Note that many sites do NOT include accurate pictures of the used text being sold. So check twice on that. 

Syllabus for Week of May 5

Monday

Journal entry: Reading editorial from New Trier News, "Give Us Our Tutus." What is your response? Discussion about the administrative letter/emails on the topic. After, discussion of Captain W's four letters, and chapter one of Frankenstein. How does Frankenstein embody both entitled noblesse oblige and fated catastrophe?

HW: Read chapters two through four in Frankenstein, approx. 20 pages for class tomorrow. 

Tuesday

Reviewing a professors notes on literary criticism of Frankenstein since the mid-20th century: allegorical, scientific, biographic, gender, historical. Each student should select one of these lenses through which
HW: Reading chapters four through six in part one of Frankenstein.

Wednesday

Today we will begin to watch "The Bride of Frankenstein," made in 1935, which picks up where the first popular film version of our story, produced by Universal Studios, is made. The 1931 hit ended with the Creature atop of mill, afire. The Creature escapes the fire by hiding in the stream running beneath the mill, and when his survival is discovered the villagers attempt to capture and destroy him once and for all. 

HW: Finish reading part one of the novel. . 

Thursday

We will watch part two of the film, in which one of Victor Frankenstein (in the film, called Henry) is approached by a former professor, Dr. Pretorious, who proposes they work together to create a mate for the Creature. 

HW: Catch up night. For those who have missed class because of AP testing, you should have finished reading part one of the novel by class tomorrow. Also, because our novel is in the public domain, LibriVox has the audio to our novel available for free. Go here. 

Friday

Today we will finish the film, and then break into our small, literary criticism groups to analyze the first part of the novel through your chosen lens. Class will not meet on Monday.

HW: Read chapters one through five of part two. 

Analysis of Children's Books

My brief notes on the books I happened to receive in class today. Reflect on the books you read, and share some of your insight related to what makes for a high quality story. Share them via a comment to this post...

Punk Farm: The author will ask or otherwise pose question that—while rhetorical in an adult’s mind—sets the stage for both imagination and prediction. What will the animals be doing in the barn? We know that they will be rehearsing for their upcoming concert. But the question helps children make their own predictions, test them for accuracy, and use their imagination in creative ways.

No more Homework! No More Tests! Poems: Some of these create a hyper-reality, takes a common object or thing—a desk, someone’s nostril, a lunch—and either examines it closely or describes it using extreme examples, usually sensory in nature.

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale: Take a visual element that repeats throughout, relate it to character, and make that static image take on dynamic meaning. So the author subverts that static visual by imbuing it with dynamic meaning.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin: Take an animal and provide it with a human trait. I’ve seen this with inanimate objects too, for example, a book about a sad pea who doesn’t want to eat his candy dinner that his parents shove down his throat. In this instance, it’s about transgression, an animal of inordinate size and the outrageous transgression that causes a chain of events—the entire thing is about consequences, how one action leads to another, and in turn to another.

John Pig’s Halloween: Rhyme with purpose, rhyme that emphasizes a way of coping with an emotion. One thing that the author does is uses the meter and rhyme scheme to emphasize the main character’s way of resolving a conflict or coping with an otherwise uncontrollable emotion, like anger or fear. 

Syllabus for Week of April 21

Monday

Today we will have our Art Project Fair. Students will be divided into alpha slices A-L and M-Z by last name, and will present to the other group accordingly. While presenting, be prepared to answer questions like: What about your chosen medium was surprising or intriguing? How did technique shape your end-product? And what about your chosen art is transferable to writing (as a medium, technique, form)?

HW: Finish reading "Tales of the Tyrant" by Mark Bowden. Tomorrow we will discuss leaders. Are they born or made? How and why do tyrants come to power, (when society supposedly abhors a tyrant)?

Tuesday

Starting with a journal entry: Sophocles' Tiresias suggests that tyrants are born (as Oedipus is fated to become who he is), whereas Bowden suggests that tyrants are made (as Saddam reflects his tribal, patriarchal life of the Iraqi village). Which is closer to the truth, and why? Are leaders born or made? Then discussion: At the end of his essay, "Tales of the Tyrant," Bowden observes that, "Like the good king, he is vital in a way that will not be fully understood until he is gone." Why are tyrants like Oedipus and Saddam vital? And how does Bowden stylistically create such an intriguing tyrant (the obvious content aside)? 

HW: Reading up to line 490 in Antigone. How does Sophocles present Creon differently (from the Creon that Oedipus begs to protect his children in Oedipus Rex)?

Wednesday

No class on account of juniors' PSAE testing.

HW: Reading up through line 900 in Antigone. Here, we see the father son relationship between Creon and Haemon. Is Creon's treatment of his son hypocritical? Or consistent with his politics? On what basis does Haemon base his arguments? Is he the same as his father, or does he represent a complete rejection of his father's world view?

Thursday

No class for the Senior Seminar Day. 

HW: Read up through line 1090 in Antigone. Do you see Haemon and Antigone as representative of a new, Theban philosophy? Or are they both more of the same corruption which Oedipus suffers? For that matter, are they "peas from the same pod," or do they themselves disagree?

Friday

Finishing Sophocles cycle, the end of Antigone. Literally. Her end. I will also preview (albeit breifly) our reading of Frankenstein. 

HW: Have fun at prom. And also read from Frankenstein: and "Themes, Sources and Influences" on xxiii in Frankenstein.

Syllabus for Week of April 14

This week we say adieu to both Zoe, Jake and Kimberly, who will embark upon their senior projects. Take a moment to thank both for their work in our class. 

Monday

Starting with a journal entry: Describe rain. We will then turn our attention to "Tumooh (Ambition)" from Bowden's "Tales of the Tyrant" and discussing Bowden's writing techniques. What one passage or sentence strikes you as particularly effective? We will start by discussing the first part that you read on Friday, and then will read aloud together. Time permitting, you and your partner will have the last ten minutes of class to work through your scene from Oedipus Rex. 

HW: Read up through and including line 1022.

Tuesday

Today we are going to look at four speeches: Theseus, Creon, Oedipus, and the Chorus. How doe Sophocles present these four points of view? What is their position in the play, and what are we to take from their examples? Time permitting, partners will again have some time in class to review their lines.

HW: Tomorrow we will begin having students perform their lines. 

Wednesday

Student performances of the selected scenes from Oedipus Rex.

HW: Reading Oedipus at Colonus. Read up through and including line 1416. 

Thursday

We will finish the student performances of the selected scenes. Once done, we will return to the article on Sadam Hussein.

HW: Read up through line 1765 in Oedipus at Colonus.

Friday

No school for Good Friday.

HW: Enjoy the weekend. Art projects are due Monday. If religious obligations complicates your being able to meet this deadline, please speak to me privately.

Syllabus for Week of April 7

Monday

Starting with a journal entry: What one word best describes you? Then discussion on which one word best describes Oedipus. We will finish by watching an animated, vegetarian version of the play, done in stop-action. 

HW: Finish reading Oedipus Rex tonight. 

Tuesday

Looking briefly at the Calder-esque mobile I created for my art project. The deadline for your art project is Monday, April 21, when we will have an art fair exhibiting the results of your endeavors. Breaking into pairs and rehearsing a chosen scene using pitch, pace, and power.  

HW: Begin memorizing your lines.

Wednesday

Returning to Short Takes.  We will read "The Plot Against People" by Russell Baker. We will also complete an in-class journal for the essay question #1. 

HW: Creating your art. Reading from Oedipus at Colonus, through line 160 (the first chorus' speech). 

Thursday

We will complete a group read of the Chorus' lines 142-159, and then also rehearse the scene from Oedipus Rex.

HW: Read up through line 349 in Oedipus at Colonus.

Friday

In Short Takes, reading "the Search for Human Life in the Maze of Retail Stores." We will also look at a longer non-fiction selection from The New Kings of Nonfiction.

HW: Reading through and including line 910 in the play. Rehearsing your scene in the play.