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Grammar / Parts of Speech Review Packet
What follows is a selection from Super Grammar: Illustrating the Point. Childish? Yes. Good review prior to diagramming sentences? Ditto. This should be a quick yet profitable read. The document in pdf format is here.
by Tony Preciado and Rhode Montijo, published by Scholastic
Favorite Passage from TBL
A 1958 cover to the Boy Scouts periodical, Boy's Life. Wolff's memoir is an homage to the magazine's iconic (and misleading), idyllic imagery.
You will want to post your favorite passage from Wolff's This Boy's Life as a comment to this post. Please type the passage into a saved Word document, and then write your stylistic analysis after the passage. Include MLA citation/page numbers following the quote.
When posting a comment, you will want to be logged into your google accounts. That way, it will allow you access and include your name on the post. Please be aware that this is a public site, so your writing will be published on the web for other students--from all over the world--to see. So take some time and care writing these.
Week 1 Syllabus, 8/24/15
WE REVIEWED the workshop format for our course, discussed course expectations, the process for grading the writer's notebook, wrote one journal entry, and finally reviewed your notes from the T. Wolff interview as well as your favorite passages from This Boy's Life.
Monday
- Journal #2: Choose an early memory that depicts an important lesson, and describe it from your perspective, not re-creating the experience, but selecting details from the experience that are meaningful. Short, in-class essay on TBL. Discussion of Patricia Hampl's essay, "Memory and Imagination." How is memory different for a writer of memoir?
HW: 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?
Tuesday
- Practice workshop using chapter one of TBL. We will use our K-N-T litmus test for contributions, making sure they are critical but also constructive.
- HW: Select your favorite passage from TBL and retype it, posting it along with a short paragraph explaining why it's your favorite. Look both at content and style in this paragraph. You should post it as a comment to the "favorite passages" posting on our blog.
Wednesday
- Journal #3: Describe a failing that is really a strength, using an experience going back no further than two years. Then, we will have class members begin reading aloud and sharing your favorite passage paragraphs.
- HW: Read the section from Super Grammar on the parts of speech, located here. This is about 60 pages in length, but the audience is junior high students, and it should be review. Read it tonight for class tomorrow.
Thursday
- Journal #4: What is your one, least-observed, yet most-important trait? Describe and develop an exemplar of that trait. If needed, we will finish reviewing favorite passage paragraphs.
- HW: Read chapter one of Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog. Also, sign up for a college/writing conference with me. Use the following google-doc to do so. Please include first name and last initial. My office is room 330, right off Stairwell Q.
Friday
- Journal #5: What has been your most influential book? Unlike the failing/strength, you can go to any time period in your life for this entry. You will begin developing a style-book for class, including the writer's specific advice, their example, and a practice example that you create. Read chapter two of SBBD. Bring Short Takes to class on Monday. We will also begin work on college essays next week.
Interview with Tobias Wolff
You should watch this interview tonight. Though the literary focus is on his novel Old School, Wolff spends a lot of time talking about both his life and being a writer. Pay careful attention to what he says about writing and becoming a writer.
Text for Senior Writing Seminar, 2016
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.
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.
My notes from class, second packet of essays
What follows are my notes from class, generally on the topic of how to not be boring. Here's a link to the second packet of essays.
How do you make non-fiction writing more interesting, less boring?
Have a specific audience. If the group you’re writing for is undefined, part of your essay will remain undefined. And that makes for less interesting subjects, opens you up to excessive, indefinite pronouns like it, they, he, thing, some, many.
Have a definite stance. Insert yourself in the essay. Your audience wants to know where you stand throughout the essay. There shouldn’t be just one point that you address that…it needs to be incorporated throughout.
Think carefully about citing your sources, when to describe the source and when not to. Some sources are more interesting than others. Some sources bring their own tone and expertise. Consider what you include, how you include, why you include it.
Readers like stories, especially stories within stories. Put an experience or a face to the facts. That will make the facts sing, give context that your audience can identify with.
Know what your audience knows, and go from there. You do NOT want to focus on what they already know of believe. Readers like what’s novel.
What is interesting: specific stories, gross stories, comparisons that connect to and build upon your readers’ experience.
syllabus for week of April 20
CONSIDER THE LOBSTER is the title work of a collection of essays by David Foster Wallace. Last week, we finished reading his essay, and also watched two documentaries about interesting subject matter, Crumb and The King of Kong. This week we workshop the "Consider" essays that we've written.
Monday
- Continuing the documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.
- HW: You can watch the last 7 minutes of the documentary in the post just prior to this one. There's also an interesting article going into greater depth about the rivalry. Tonight, you should print the first five essays, read them, and provide feedback to the five writers tomorrow in class.
Tuesday
- Today we will read the first five "consider" essays. Each writer will have seven minutes to gather feedback.
- HW: Read the next five essays tonight. Your revised verb essay will be due on Friday. Tonight, Wednesday and Thursday night, work on that. The revisions to your "consider" essays will be due Wednesday.
Wednesday
- The next five essays will be work-shopped.
- HW: Remember, the verb essay revision is due Friday. If we workshopped your essay today, or yesterday, should should start revising. Read and annotate the next five essays.
Thursday
- The next five essays will be work-shopped.
- HW: Verb revisions are due tomorrow. Read and annotate the next five essays. Remember, your non-fiction book should be read by the end of April!
Friday
- I will collect your verb essays, and we will then work-shop the next five essays.
- HW: Reading your non-fiction text, revising your consider essay. Those revisions are due Wednesday of next week.
The King of Kong
An article of interest, that details what happened prior to, during, and post documentary is located here. You can watch the last ten minutes of the documentary by clicking on this link. Is is worth watching! Finally, make sure you download, print, read and annotate the five essays for tomorrow's workshop. They are located here.
syllabus for week of April 6
LAST WEEK WE FINISHED "Reality, Persona" by David Shields, selecting a non-fiction text, and began workshop on our verb essays. This week we will finish that workshop, revise those essays, and finish our viewing of the film Throw Mama from the Train.
Monday
- Continuing the film Throw Mama from the Train, starring Danny DeVito (Owen Lifts), Billy Crystal (Larry Donner), and Anne Ramsey (Mama). It is the story of a community college writing teacher who is struck by writer's block after his wife steals and successfully publishes his first book. His student then inadvertently kills his wife, and expects the unwitting teacher to, in turn, kill his mother. Ramsey won an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role.
- HW: If you did not receive the packet of verb essays in class last week, pick one up from me in 330. Also, students who missed class on Friday should watch the first 35 minutes either tomorrow before school, or Wednesday before or after school.
Tuesday
- Finishing the film, and a short journal entry. Silent workshop on the verb essays. I will also collect journals for a quarter grade.
- HW: Remember, that you are to read the entire verb essay without writing anything, without even having a pen in hand. After reading, you should identify the top three comments for revision, AND underline your favorite sentence in the piece. These are due back to the writers on Wednesday.
Wednesday
- Passing back all revised essays, journals, and grade reports. Then reading "She--Portrait of the Essay as a Warm Body" by Cynthia Ozick. We'll discuss her take on essays.
- HW: A homework journal: identify one essay that has moved you, been meaningful or important in some way. What was it? Why did it matter? 2-3 pages in length.
Thursday
- Journal entry. should have their non-fiction books with them, in class, today. We will review the independent reading assignment, and begin some SSR.
- HW: Create a calendar for your independent reading, planning on finishing the book by the end of April. Begin reading.
Friday
- Journal entry. Reading David Foster Wallace's "Consider the Lobster."
- HW: Reading your non-fiction text.
Syllabus for Week of March 16
AFTER FINISHING THE INDIVIDUAL characterization essay, we will review our sentence diagrams. We'll then move on to an independent reading. You should have a title by Friday of this week, the book by Monday of next week.
Monday
- Continuing with our workshop of essays on a "friend." Remember that your essay revision (with two students' notes and my notes attached) is due one week after the day you read your essay in class.
- HW: You should be looking for nonfiction texts that you would like to read. One source is the Barnes & Noble web page, which lists more popular, newer titles. Another good source is the NYT booklist. There, you can find recent titles categorized by topic. Finally, Novelist has a solid nonfiction section as well.
Tuesday
- My intention was to have students read an essay, "Reality, Persona" by David Shields and then write a journal entry in response to, "What is truth?" But like all the best laid plans, things go amiss.
- HW: Revising essays, and looking for a nonfiction book.
Wednesday
- In the Library today to spend some class time identifying titles.
- HW: Gather your five titles for the nonfiction books. Revise your essay.
Thursday
- Finishing up our workshop. Remember that your essay revision (with two students' notes and my notes attached) is due one week after the day you read your essay in class.
- HW: Finish revising essay.
Friday
- Today we will read the essay from Tuesday. I will also look through and either approve or disapprove your nonfiction book selections.
- HW: Obtain a hard copy of your selected book and begin reading.
Syllabus for Week of March 9
IF YOU DON'T RECALL WHAT A SUBJECT OR PREDICATE is, then this week will be your final chance to sort that out before shipping off to college and life post-New Trier. We will finish our dip in the waters of sentence combining, and will then begin workshopping your essays on individual friends.
Monday
- We are going to practice analyzing student sentences for subject and predicate construction. We will begin checking our work in class, and will then finish with a blank cartoon writing exercise focusing on subject and predicate.
- HW: Finish the sentence predicate practice, if not done.
Tuesday
- Journal entry: your other friend in your idyll of Spring. We will check the second half of your subject predicate exercise, continue to discuss how to identify the main components of sentence structure. We will then review one last method of sentence diagramming, this one fairly bare bones, and go back to the sentence diagrams from "Tales of the Tyrant."
- HW: Finish writing the first draft of your other friend essay. This should be a characterization, emphasis being on person.
Wednesday
- The return on the Standard Deviants in a sentence part review. After watching the video, you should read through the following review from the Scope English Level One Grammar & Composition.
- HW: If you didn't turn in the first draft of the friend essay today, please turn it in tomorrow. Turn in your scan/photo of your diagrammed tyrant sentence to the drop>english>easton folder on the N: drive by class. You can access this either using wed/dav/nav on your ipad, or by using a networked computer here at school.
Thursday
- Work-shopping the individual essays. Revisions are due one week after they have been workshopped.
- HW: You should complete and submit your diagram of your sentence selected from the top 100 first sentences in novels. Drop that in the drop folder, just as you did with the tyrant diagram.
Friday
- Work-shopping the individual essays. Please remember to turn in your revision with the top three feedback notes with your revision.
- HW: We will finish workshopping the essays next week. You should come in to class with a list of five non-fiction books of your choosing. Criteria: must be more than 299 pages in length; must have been reviewed either by _________________________.
Famous First Lines
Image above from www.popchartlab.com ... go there now!
They are diagrammed here, and a list of lines are here. The imperfect javascript tool from yesterday is here. And there's even an app for that here.
Here's the simple overview of instructions.
Syllabus for week of march 2, 2015
WE WILL LOOK AT CHARACTER, learning how to develop a portrait of the individual. Last week we looked more closely at two descriptions, Saddam Hussein and Val Kilmer. How does a writer create character beyond the obvious physical description, speech patterns, thoughts and actions? What makes a real person seem real in fictional prose? That will be our focus this week.
Monday
- We will revisit the Chuck Klosterman essay. How does he make Val Kilmer seem like a real person? We will turn our attention to Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog, reviewing the history of sentence diagramming. We will finish by brainstorming physical traits of your chosen individual portrait.
- HW: Read the first part of chapter one, The Confederacy of Dunces, attached here.
Tuesday
- No class on account of Senior Seminar Day. Enjoy the presentations.
- HW: Finish reading the selection from Confederacy.
Sentence diagramming 101
You can review the work of Mr. Reed and Prof. Kellogg via Google-books here.
Syllabus for week of February 23
LAST WEEK STUDENTS REVISED the setting essays on the NT Cafeteria. This week we will spend some time taking a micro view of an essay, looking into sentence structure a bit more closely. Perhaps too close for some students' comfort. We'll see.
Monday
- Starting class with a journal on friends. Discussion of two of the essays we read in class Friday. Closing class with another journal, this one on an inanimate object.
- HW: Finish reading the "Tales of the Tyrant" essay for discussion tomorrow.
Tuesday
- Journal on your favorite passage from "Tales of the Tyrant," and then class discussion on style. Reading an article on sentence diagramming. Students should then select one sentence and post it in response to the "One Great Sentence" post.
- HW: Read the handout linked to the word "sentence" in the aforementioned post on sentences. Remember to bring crayons, markers, or color pencils to class tomorrow.
Wednesday
- Each student should diagram his/her own sentence. In the event your did NOT post a sentence, you should attempt to diagram Matt's posted sentence. (Matt, you may choose a new sentence, if you like.)
- HW: Finish your sentence diagram. Use color. Use common sense and creativity, both as needed. Due tomorrow.
Thursday
- Reading "Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy" by Chuck Klosterman. Finishing class by revisiting the journal you wrote on a type of friend, expanding the description of that person.
- HW: As best able, you should complete the diagram of your selected sentence from "Tales of the Tyrant."
Friday
- No school for Institute Day
One Great Sentence
Which is the best, your most favorite, sentence within the essay, "tales of the Tyrant"? Post that sentence as a comment to this blog post. Do include the page number in parenthesis following the quote.
Interview with Marion Winik
Read the interview with the author of "What are Friends For?" here.