Wednesday, Sept. 26: Turco, etc.

* Open

* Review Yesterday's Awesomeness (whatever awesomeness that may have been)

* Honors Only: RD Reviewed and Edited

  • Underline the thesis.  Is it clear?  Is it interesting?
  • Double underline the theme this writer has chosen.  Is this theme a suject or an actual theme (complete sentence)?  Is this theme too basic or too obscure?  
* Review Lost Tools for FD

* Turco (if any classes need to catch up or continue through theme)

HW: Honors, Final Draft due on your block day

Tuesday, Sept. 25: Turco

* Open
* Note the terms on the left for atmosphere and theme. Today, theme. Copy and define.

* Grammar: Fragments

  • Review 19-2 (in 19d) orally.
  • Take notes on run-on sentences (20 a-d)
  1. Fused sentence vs. comma splice
  2. Revision with a comma and coordinating conjunction
  3. Revision with a semicolon
  4. Revision by separating sentences
  5. Revision by restructuring sentence(s)
  • Do ex. 20-1, LETTERS a-e ONLY (not the numbers this week)
* Honors: Work on your Tolkien assignment

HW: Grammar ex. 20-1; Honors, RD of Tolkien Essay

Monday, Sept. 24: Reminders

* Open

* The PSAT is Oct. 17. We will be using our packets next week, so keep them around.

* Quarter 1 ends Oct. 19.

* The CWP and Binder check are in two weeks. Prepare.


  • Note the links to CWP examples below from the block day post.
  • You have to be logged into gmail in one of your tabs to see them as they are google documents.
  • Schwager's classes need all notes handwritten in your binder (terms and their definitions handwritten, vocab. and their definitions and parts of speech handwritten, class notes handwritten, grammar handwritten, journals handwritten)
* Honors students have an essay due at the end of this week. Let's discuss.

* Honors students need to enter a contest or read publicly each quarter. Enter Bookshop Santa Cruz's contest.

* Schwager's per. 3: Grammar

* Time Permitting: Practice the Lost Tools of Writing lesson 1 or beginning of lesson 2.

* Work in class.

HW: Work on your CWP and/or essay

HONORS ONLY: Tolkien Assignment

* Read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien


* Answer the beautiful, good, and true reading questions for this novel. 
Artwork by J. R. R. Tolkien
Lonely Mountain

Week 5 Block: Terms, Turco, Tools, and Tales

* Open

* Quiz
  • Follow instructions on the board
  • When complete, please turn in face down on the rolling desk in the center
  • Read and take notes on atmosphere from the Turco .pdf
* Extra Character Story: Read "Mista Courifer." It's in the red World Literature book on the shelf pp. 285-293.
  • Discuss character in terms of Mr. Courifer
* Grammar check (the rest of section 19)

* Review Honors Extra Assignment

* Review the CWP assignment examples
* Extra Time?: Lost Tools of Writing, Lesson 1 Reviewed
  • Let's do a second ANI chart and outline based on a new topic of your choice.
HW:
  • Finish Notes on atmosphere
  • Work on your CWP
  • Honors only: read thirty or more pages of Tolkien


Wednesday, Sept. 19: Terms, Poe, Mr. Courifer

* Open

* Honors
  • Review J3
  • Review terms
  • Per. 4 Grammar
* Reno: Read "Mr. Courifer" (or other tale selected by your teacher)

* Holtzclaw:
1) Look up "Mood" or "Atmosphere" for fiction. Know what it is and how a writer creates it. Take notes.
2) Read Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher."
3) Explain the Mood/Atmosphere that Poe creates in the story.
4) Record 5 words or phrases that create this mood. For each word or phrase, cite the page number if working with the PDF or the paragraph number if working with the link.
5) Explain your response to the mood. Do you think it adds to the story? Does it bother you?
6) Briefly summarize the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
* Grammar and J3 (if time)

HW: Study for your quiz and work on  your CWP

Tuesday, Sept. 18: Grammar

* Open

* Writing Notes
  • gods and goddesses vs. God
  • Bulfinch wrote of the "handmaid of literature." Chesterton wrote of the difference between myth and religion.
* Bedford
  • Grammatical Sentences Continued
  • Read and take notes in section 19 (fragments).
  • Write out sentences for exercise 19-1, numbers 1-10.
* Discuss Doyle







HW: Terms





Monday, Sept. 17: Holmes and Character

* Open

* STAR language testing during advisory for many sophomores today.


* J3: From your Sherlock Holmes tale: identify and describe five characters (think of external features, personality, traits, and relationships to other characters). If you have already read Turco on character, be sure to employ new terms you are learning. (any length, write in class)

* Note the new terms listed on the left side (character). Be sure you have these defined by Wednesday.

* Discuss your journal.

* Tie up any loose ends with the Lost Tools of Writing Lesson 1

* Work on your CWP

* Honors extra for J3: This tale is famous for its exciting Gothic elements and complexity; however, Doyle did introduce some inconsistencies into this tale. Can you find any?

HW: Fill in terms; work on your CWP



Block Day, Week 4: Essay Writing

* Open.

* Discuss J2: Plot and Story

* The Lost Tools of Writing Program
  • This is a writing program that we will do alongside our essays.  The exercises will help us in every aspect of writing (from first thoughts to final flourish).  
  • See the online course for the .pdf to load into a reader (like iBooks or Notability)
  • Lesson 1 is for today.  This lesson is overly basic, but each lesson gets harder, and we want to be sure we've started the bus at a stop everyone can reach.  
  • You will look at the .pdf on your iPad, but you will copy and do the work by hand on paper in your binder (Essay section). 
* Lesson 1
  • Traditionally, there are five canons of rhetoric (five parts to an artful presentation).  We focus on those that apply to writing (in bold). 
    • Invention (introduced today)
    • Arrangement (introduced today)
    • Elocution (next week)
    • Memory 
    • Delivery
  • Invention
    • This is the stage where you imagine, explore, question, consider your topic...come up with ideas.  These are soccer try-outs.
    • Writing prompts are often questions: "Should the anonymous author of 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves' have given such prominent place to Morgiana?"
    • The issue, then, is whether or not the author should have given such a prominent place to Morgiana. We have turned the question into a statement we can consider and take a side on.
    • To gather our thoughts, we could make a three-column drawing, as in our text, and place our thoughts in columns for Affirmative, Negative, or Interesting.  
    • Fill it in. 
    • You look over your columns to help you decide which side you'll fall on.  
    • Now you can write a thesis statement. 
  • Arrangement
    • This is the stage where you drop things that won't help and shape up the rest.  You are making cuts, assigning positions, and developing your game plan.
    • You start with a thesis statement.  
    • Given your thesis, consider which of your thoughts in the A and N sections of your columns are strongest.  
    • Choose three.  These become your topic sentences. 
    • Now you can create a basic outline, as in your .pdf. 
    • Do so now. 
* Holtzclaw's classes will go to "Geraldo, No Last Name" and continue into a plot activity.

 * Schwager's classes continue on to Character
  • Read and take notes from Lewis Turco's  (see pdf. online)
  • Cool trivia: Agatha Christie's detective fiction is used as the character example by Turco.  Did you know that a new book release of her autobiography and a biography have just been released (published by William Morrow books)? 
  • Did you know that a popular the TV series Murder, She Wrote  was based on Agatha Christie's character Miss Marple?  What's more, Peter S. Fischer (co-creator and executive producer of Murder, She Wrote) will be at Crossroads Books this Saturday in Watsonville from 1-3 pm?  He has a new series of books.  Go Watsonville literary scene!
* Read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" (or other short story your teacher will choose that illustrates character like "Through the Tunnel", "The Bet", "A Worn Path")

HW: Finish reading your story, linked above.

"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

-->

VIII.  THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND

On glancing over my notes of the seventy odd cases in which I have during the last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes, I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely strange, but none commonplace; for, working as he did rather for the love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth, he refused to associate himself with any investigation which did not tend towards the unusual, and even the fantastic. Of all these varied cases, however, I cannot recall any which presented more singular features than that which was associated with the well-known Surrey family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran. The events in question occurred in the early days of my association with Holmes, when we were sharing rooms as bachelors in Baker Street. It is possible that I might have placed them upon record before, but a promise of secrecy was made at the time, from which I have only been freed during the last month by the untimely death of the lady to whom the pledge was given. It is perhaps as well that the facts should now come to light, for I have reasons to know that there are widespread rumours as to the death of Dr. Grimesby Roylott which tend to make the matter even more terrible than the truth.

PSAT Packet

Let me know if you have been absent and did not get your PSAT packet.

Extra Honors Assignment

Every quarter you must do one extra outside writing assignment.  You must do one of the following:

  • Enter one writing contest.  Prove this by showing it to me before you send it out or taking a screen shot of your online entry, printing your screen shot, then turning it in. 

  • Read publicly at any writing or poetry event.  Tell us ahead of time if possible so that we can see you.  When you return, tell the class how it went. 




Here are two possibilities to knock this out early if you wish:


  • Watsonville Library Poetry Reading: 09.13.12 | Poets’ Circle


    This Month's Poetry Reading Series and Open Mic features Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate David Swanger. September 13, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
    See Details 

  • Young Writers Contest through Bookshop Santa Cruz.  Genre: Any kind of prose.  Send before Oct. 14.  

Extra Honors Quarterly Assignment

My honors classes must do a quarterly writing assignment.  You may either:
  • Enter a writing contest.  As a first suggestion, consider Bookshop Santa Cruz's Young Writers Contest.  Genre: Any prose.  Deadline: Oct. 14th.  
  • Read publicly.  Tomorrow, you may read at the Watsonville library 6-8 pm. :

    09.13.12 | Poets’ Circle

    This Month's Poetry Reading Series and Open Mic features Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate David Swanger. September 13, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
    See Details »

Wednesday, Sept. 12: J2

* Open

* Check Grammar

* Work on J2 (see yesterday's post)

HW: Finish J2

Good Job Today in Chapel!

I was supposed to remind all my students that we need to be a good and polite audience for our chapel speakers.  This includes
  • Being attentive and engaged
  • Not engaging your neighbor unless you are asked to do so by the speaker
  • Keeping your seat or spot quietly, even if the bell rings.  Wait for Zo to dismiss us.  If chapel runs over, Mr. Woods will lengthen lunch.
Chapel is a vital part of our school's culture: honoring God by honoring his messengers; thank you for being an attentive and respectful audience today.


Extended Chapel Schedule - Special Speaker

Tuesday, Sept. 11: Plot continuted

* Open

* Reminder of resources on Focus/Moodle, etc.

* Check the very long list of terms on the left to see if you need to add any to your notes.  Again, we are not adding vocabulary because of the number of new terms.

* Any questions about plot?

* Grammar: Bedford (see the link to the book on the right under Grammar links)
  • In the grammar section of your binder
    •  review and takes notes on section 19 and 19a, pp. 238-242 (Part IV, Grammatical Sentences)
    • Create and fix four sentence fragments using techniques you have just noted 
* If you finish your grammar in class:

  •  Finish reading "Into Thin Air."
  • J2 (choose between "Ali Baba" and "Into Thin Air"): What would you say was the most clever or masterful stroke of this short story?  How did that aspect of the plot better draw in the reader and contribute to a major theme? This must be handwritten, single spaced, and one full page or longer.


HW: Finish Grammar

I added our textbooks to the permanent links to the right (in Course Documents)

For the .pdf version of the Elements of Literature: Fourth Course, please see the online Moodle/Focus.  The link to the right will take you to an online version.

Monday, Sept. 10: Plot

* Open

* Honors Only: Grammar and Johnson

* Review Story (Ali Baba or other)

* Plot. Focus on
  • Turco's opening sentence (the definition)
  • The difference between the theme thread and plot thread
  • What a subplot is
  • The basic graph of a plot (not in the .pdf...so you need to draw it with the assistance of your teacher)
  • How a writer gets the reader's attention at the outset...important if the book will sell beyond immediate relatives
  • An open vs. a closed ending

* Begin "Into Thin Air" in HRW Elements .pdf (pp. 276-288)

HW: Read half of "Into Thin Air"

Cash and Steinbeck Optional Activity (if a period is ahead)

* Optional Activity

  • We have read and considered Steinbeck. One interesting aspect is that Steinbeck claims that age and laziness were his real reasons for sparing the coyotes (beyond the fact that they posed no immediate threat to anyone); however, his rich description of the creatures shows that he saw their beauty, but was, perhaps, not comfortable claiming that as his reason...imagine him telling that to his buddies over a drink.

Block Day, Week 3

* Open

* Vocabulary Quiz (for classes quizzing)

* Work on Your CWP while others finish the quiz

* Discuss/Collect J1 (Esther and the four parts of fiction)

* Read and take notes from Lewis Turco on plot (pages 2-3 of .pdf)

* Grammar Notes
  • There (location), their (possession), they're (they are)
  • Take it for granted (not granite)...oh, and avoid clichés like the plague!
  • a lot (not the same as the verb allot)...oh, and avoid really, really, useless modifiers and very wimpy words
  • tragedy (not tradgedy)
  • Sentence Fragments: Begin reviewing Bedford section 19 (click on Grammatical Sentences on the left sidebar) if time permits.  
* Honors Only: Discuss "The Vanity of Human Wishes"

* Read "Ali Baba and the Forty Robbers" in the Short Stories anthology. It follows "Esther" (pg. 35 of the .pdf or pg. 24 if you are looking at the book pages.

HW: Finish reading "Ali Baba and the Forty Robbers"

Songs for Unexpected Adventures

Ch. 1, Dwarves' Cleaning Song

Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
     Blunt the knives and bend the forks!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates—
     Smash the bottles and burn the corks! 

Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!
     Pour the milk on the pantry floor! 
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
     Splash the wine on every door! 

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl; 
     Pound them up with a thumping pole; 
And when you've finished, if any are whole,
     Send them down the hall to roll ! 

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates! 
So, carefully! carefully with the plates!


Dwarves' Treasure Song

Far over the misty mountains cold 
To dungeons deep and caverns old 
We must away ere break of day 
To seek the pale enchanted gold. 

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells, 
While hammers fell like ringing bells 
In places deep, where dark things sleep, 
In hollow halls beneath the fells. 

For ancient king and elvish lord 
There many a gloaming golden hoard 
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught 
To hide in gems on hilt of sword. 

On silver necklaces they strung 
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung 
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire 
They meshed the light of moon and sun. 

Far over the misty mountains cold 
To dungeons deep and caverns old 
We must away, ere break of day, 
To claim our long-forgotten gold. 

Goblets they carved there for themselves 
And harps of gold; where no man delves 
There lay they long, and many a song 
Was sung unheard by men or elves. 

The pines were roaring on the height, 
The winds were moaning in the night. 
The fire was red, it flaming spread; 
The trees like torches biased with light, 

The bells were ringing in the dale 
And men looked up with faces pale; 
The dragon's ire more fierce than fire 
Laid low their towers and houses frail. 

The mountain smoked beneath the moon; 
The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom. 
They fled their hall to dying -fall 
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon. 

Far over the misty mountains grim 
To dungeons deep and caverns dim 
We must away, ere break of day, 
To win our harps and gold from him!

Ch. 7, Dwarves' Song of the Lonely Mountain

The wind was on the withered heath, 
but in the forest stirred no leaf: 
there shadows lay by night and day, 
and dark things silent crept beneath. 

The wind came down from mountains cold, 
and like a tide it roared and rolled; 
the branches groaned, the forest moaned, 
and leaves were laid upon the mould. 

The wind went on from West to East ; 
all movement in the forest ceased, 
but shrill and harsh across the marsh 
its whistling voices were released. 

The grasses hissed, their tassels bent, 
the reeds were rattling-on it went 
o' er shaken pool under heavens cool 
where racing clouds were torn and rent. 

It passed the lonely Mountain bare 
and swept above the dragon's lair : 
there black and dark lay boulders stark 
and flying smoke was in the air. 

It left the world and took its flight 
over the wide seas of the night. 
The moon set sail upon the gale, 
and stars were fanned to leaping light.


Ch. 8, Bilbo Taunts the Spiders

Old fat spider spinning in a tree! 
Old fat spider can't see me! 
Attercop! Attercop! 
Won't you stop, 

Stop your spinning and look for me! 
Old Tomnoddy, all big body, 
Old Tomnoddy can't spy me! 
Attercop! Attercop! 
Down you drop! 
You'll never catch me up your tree!

Second Taunt

Lazy Lob and crazy Cob 
are weaving webs to wind me. 
I am far more sweet than other meat, 
but still they cannot find me! 

Here am I, naughty little fly; 
you are fat and lazy. 
You cannot trap me, though you try, 
in your cobwebs crazy.


Ch. 9, Elf Barrel Song

Down the swift dark stream you go 
Back to lands you once did know! 
Leave the halls and caverns deep, 
Leave the northern mountains steep, 
Where the forest wide and dim 
Stoops in shadow grey and grim! 
Float beyond the world of trees
Out into the whispering breeze, 
Past the rushes, past the reeds, 
Past the marsh's waving weeds, 
Through the mist that riseth white 
Up from mere and pool at night! 
Follow, follow stars that leap 
Up the heavens cold and steep; 
Turn when dawn comes over land,
Over rapid, over sand, 
South away! and South away! 
Seek the sunlight and the day, 
Back to pasture, back to mead, 
Where the kine and oxen feed! 
Back to gardens on the hills
Where the berry swells and fills 
Under sunlight, under day! 
South away! and South away! 
Down the swift dark stream you go 
Back to lands you once did know!


Ch. 10, Song of the King Under the Mountain

The King beneath the mountains, 
The King of carven stone, 
The lord of silver fountains 
Shall come into his own! 

His crown shall be upholden, 
His harp shall be restrung, 
His halls shall echo golden 
To songs of yore re-sung. 

The woods shall wave on mountains 
And grass beneath the sun; 
His wealth shall flow in fountains 
And the rivers golden run. 

The streams shall run in gladness, 
The lakes shall shine and burn, 
And sorrow fail and sadness 
At the Mountain-king's return!


Ch. 15, Dwarf Victory Song

Under the Mountain dark and tall 
The King has come unto his hall! 
His foe is dead, the Worm of Dread, 
And ever so his foes shall fall.

The sword is sharp, the spear is long, 
The arrow swift, the Gate is strong; 
The heart is bold that looks on gold; 
The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong. 

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells, 
While hammers fell like ringing bells 
In places deep, where dark things sleep, 
In hollow halls beneath the fells. 

On silver necklaces they strung 
The light of stars, on crowns they hung 
The dragon-fire, from twisted wire
The melody of harps they wrung. 

The mountain throne once more is freed! 
O! wandering folk, the summons heed! 
Come haste! Come haste! across the waste!
The king of friend and kin has need. 

Now call we over mountains cold, 
'Come hack unto the caverns old'! 
Here at the Gates the king awaits,
His hands are rich with gems and gold. 

The king is come unto his hall 
Under the Mountain dark and tall. 
The Worm of Dread is slain and dead, 
And ever so our foes shall fall!


Ch. 19, Elf Song

'The dragon is withered, 
His bones are now crumbled; 
His armour is shivered, 
His splendour is humbled! 
Though sword shall be rusted, 
And throne and crown perish 
With strength that men trusted 
And wealth that they cherish, 
Here grass is still growing, 
And leaves are yet swinging, 
The white water flowing, 
And elves are yet singing 
Come! Tra-la-la-lally! 
Come back to the valley! 

The stars are far brighter 
Than gems without measure, 
The moon is far whiter 
Than silver in treasure: 
The fire is more shining 
On hearth in the gloaming
Than gold won by mining, 
So why go a-roaming? 
O! Tra-la-la-lally 
Come back to the Valley. 

O! Where are you going, 
So late in returning? 
The river is flowing, 
The stars are all burning! 
O! Whither so laden, 
So sad and so dreary? 
Here elf and elf-maiden 
Now welcome the weary 
With Tra-la-la-lally 
Come back to the Valley, 
Tra-la-la-lally 
Fa-la-la-lally 
Fa-la!


Another Elf Song

Sing all ye joyful, now sing all together? 
The wind's in the free-top, the wind's in the heather; 
The stars are in blossom, the moon is in flower, 
And bright are the windows of Night in her tower. 

Dance all ye joyful, now dance all together! 
Soft is the grass, and let foot be like feather! 
The river is silver, the shadows are fleeting; 
Merry is May-time, and merry our meeting. 

Sing we now softly, and dreams let us weave him!
Wind him in slumber and there let us leave him!
The wanderer sleepeth. Now soft be his pillow!
Lullaby! Lullaby! Alder and Willow! 

Sigh no more Pine, till the wind of the morn! 
Fall Moon! Dark be the land! 
Hush! Hush! Oak, Ash, and Thorn! 
Hushed be all water, till dawn is at hand!


Bilbo's Concluding Song

Roads go ever ever on, 
Over rock and under tree, 
By caves where never sun has shone, 
By streams that never find the sea; 

Over snow by winter sown, 
And through the merry flowers of June, 
Over grass and over stone, 
And under mountains in the moon. 

Roads go ever ever on 
Under cloud and under star, 
Yet feet that wandering have gone 
Turn at last to home afar. 

Eyes that fire and sword have seen 
And horror in the halls of stone 
Look at last on meadows green 
And trees and hills they long have known.

Wednesday, 9/4/12: Esther

* Open

* Check our downloads.  Wifi permitting, let's download everything we can into iBooks (HRW, Stories Old and New) or another app like, say, Notability.  Remember, you may need to hold your iPad in portrait mode to see the "direct link to this file" message at the bottom of the page.  You click that link and open the resulting .pdf in iBooks, Notability, or another app that can handle PDFs.  Then you don't need online access to read on your iPad. 

* Review Steinbeck.
 
*Finish reading Esther on your own.

* Journal 1 (J1):  Describe the four key aspects of this story (plot, character, atmosphere, theme).  How do you find the aspects balancing and emphasizing? (1/2 pg. or longer, handwritten, single spaced)

* We have so many new terms that we will not be adding daily vocabulary words at present.

HW: J1(1/2 pg. or longer, handwritten, single spaced); study for a quiz on previous vocab. words

Tuesday, 9/4/12: Short Fiction Introduction

* Open

* Read and takes notes on Turco's opening and "Dramatic Situation."

* Read and discuss HRW .pdf pg. 72: John Steinbeck (excerpt from "Travels with Charlie"). This is a .pdf with many stories you will find in the online course of focus.

- How does Steinbeck draw sympathy or empathy from the reader?

* Begin reading the story of Esther. The story is in this book of stories. It may take you to the chapter here. You may also download this as a free books into one of your app libraries. You may also read this in any Bible.  Esther is the book in the Old Testament that follows Nehemiah and precedes Job.

HW: Continue reading the story of Esther



Unplanned Absence

In the event of an unplanned absence, please work quietly all period on the Full SAT Practice Test.  We will review the sections you could complete when I return.  Please time yourself as you go; you will see that each section provides clear directions for the time you are allotted.  You may work on more than one section, then score your work, or score you work as you work section by section.  Be sure not to look at the answers until you have completed the entire section you are working in.  

You may take the test as a .pdf or take the test online. 
The total test requires 3hs and 20 min., so you will not finish the test today.  If I am absent tomorrow, then you will continue where you leave off today.  When I return, we will review the essay and any other sections the time permitted you to progress through.  You will receive a gradebook grade for completion.  I will gauge assignment completion by comparing how far you progressed in the test with the number of minutes available to you minus 5-10 for roll-call and announcements (some school days provide more class minutes than others).  In short, work the entire period on this assignment and all will be well.  This assignment is based on class time and is not homework for the evening. 

All the best!

Mr. S

THE Essay Scoring

Every student should understand how his teacher grades.

First, this post will tell you the general parameters that apply to the formal writing you will complete in this course (take home essays, in class essays, and creative writing portfolios).  Specific qualifiers concerning style, length, and format will be given with each particular assignment.  Think of what you read here as larger context for all formal writing assignments.  

Second, you'll notice that I circle your errors.  Generally, I expect that you will know whether it is a spelling or punctuation error.  I will often suggest a punctuator in its stead.  I will generally mark where your piece stands out (for good reasons...or otherwise).  Perhaps your imagery is particularly good in a given paragraph or your word choice in a given sentence...or perhaps your thesis is too weak.  You will see short notes in the left margin. If you repeat a word or phrase in an unhelpful way, I will circle them and draw lines that connects them.  Please read those comments.  Do you understand what I'm noting?  Visit me during advisory so that I can go over your essay, explain my marks in more detail, and give you strategies to improve your writing.  Please visit. 

I do my best to adhere to the traditional grade scores: A is excellent, B is good, C is satisfactory, D is poor, and F is a failure.  That means that an essay that is complete and on time begins at the C level and proves itself otherwise by its merits or deficiencies.  Most lower scoring essays have a mix of persistent punctuation errors (5 or more per page), weak ideas (simple thoughts and a lack of sentence variety), and misused or misspelled vocabulary.  The most common mechanics error is comma misuse.  Comma misuse will transform otherwise reasonable thoughts into fragments and run-ons in the blink of an evil eye. I count vague thoughts, needless repetition, structural mistakes (such as having no clear thesis), and simplistic diction as essay errors. 

Points are generally divided in half between content (your ideas) and grammar.  So, a 100 point assignment would receive up to 50 points for addressing the prompt clearly, fully, insightfully, and imaginatively....and up to 50 for grammar, usage, and mechanics

Each MLA-formatted page of your writing has 23 lines of writing (this counts the heading but not the header).  While not absolute, if an essay follows the assignment prompt and guidelines and has evidence of good thought, then
  • 1-2 errors on a page will earn an A
  • 3-4 on any page will earn a B
  • 5-6 errors on any page will earn a C
  • 7-8 errors on a page will earn a D
  • Papers that are challenging to read due to persistent errors will fail.  Papers that do not address the prompt will fail.

FAQ's

May I handwrite my essay?  Yes, you may always handwrite your essay unless the guidelines require a typed essay.

May I type my essay? Yes, you may type your essay unless guidelines require a handwritten essay.

What font should I use? Times New Roman, 12 point.

What if I have poor handwriting?  May I type an essay that you require to be handwritten?  No, you have to handwrite it.  You may have to handwrite a number of copies in order to arrive a legible version, but it must be handwritten and it must be legible (unless you are missing hands, etc.).  If your handwriting is poor, it's time to tackle it!

What if I fail due to formatting, such as MLA? You will lose 10% on the assignment if it must be returned for formatting.

Extra Reading for Honors English

Your first extra reading is from Samuel Johnson's most famous poem, "The Vanity of Human Wishes."  Please read this for Tuesday.  It will be very challenging, but we will make some sense of it together next week.  Extra readings are only for honors English. 

Block Day, Week 2

* Open

* California Scholarship Federations Applications Due by Sept. 21 (see student services)

* CWP

* Honors Outside Reading

* Templates

* Return Papers

* Review Writing Expectations
     a. Style
     b. Punctuation

* Essay (choose from the two prompts)

HW: Get Literature to Go; Read your outside reading book (honors)
      

The CWP Assignment

 English 201-207


Your Creative Writing Portfolio (CWP)

Assignment: Fulfilling the requirements of each quarter's prompt, you must complete a minimum of two full pages or more.  Quarter 4 requires seven or more pages (senior project). 

 

Format: 

  • Typed MLA (12 point, Times New Roman, proper margins, etc.)
    • One change to MLA: Single space poetry (double space prose as usual)
  • Or handwritten in pen for certain cases only (maps, letters, etc.) 
  • All poetry must be single spaced and punctuated according to modern MLA usage.  
  • All prose must be double spaced and punctuated according to modern MLA usage. 
  • Submit your work to Turnitin.com through Focus each quarter

Your Grade: If you are short of the minimum, you will earn no more than a D. When completed, the CWP should be free of typos and grammatical and spelling errors. In general, 2 errors or fewer on any page =A-, 3-5 errors on any page=B-, and 6 or more errors on any page =C- or lower. Failing to adhere to the themes or neglecting to meet any of the other standards on this handout will result in a significantly lower grade. Fragments and run-On sentences are major deductions.

You may not include pieces written for other classes (past, present, or future) or for other assignments in this class. You will fail this assignment if you do so.

Start it early, and write something you are proud of.  Work to make it wise in its theme, rich in its descriptive imagery, and clever in its execution.  Put your joy into it.


Quarter 1 CWP: Fiction!

For this quarter's CWP, you will compose your own short story to submit to a short-story contest.  Consider one of the example stories we have read for inspiration (adventurous, historical, romantic, satirical).


* Working on Your Short Story
  • Identify a protagonist; think of people you actually know.  Change them up a wee bit. 
  • Identify an antagonist (character, internal conflict, natural force, or other combination). 
  • How will you generate tension between the protagonist and the antagonist? 
  • Share ideas. 
  • Work in class. 
 More on Formatting:
  • Rough Draft Due 9/24 (midnight, submitted to turnitin.com)
  • Peer Edit 9/25
  • Final Draft Due 9/30

Quarter 2: A Christmas Blessing

"My heart is indicting a good matter: I speak of things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer" (KJV Psalm 45.1). 

"Behavior that's admired / is the path to power among people everywhere" (Beowulf, 25-26).

"Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick" (The Hobbit, ch. 1, "An Unexpected Party").
  • Background: You have now read many tales and even written a first short story (last quarter).  We ought to love what is beautiful, good, and true.  Yet the world, through sin, is full dark challenges to what is noble and right.  The legends of old often explored this in song and story, perhaps as a kind of imaginative practice for the young.  In this assignment, we will seek to bless a young girl or boy with a nicely woven tale and an actual gift that the tale turns on.  Let the little children come; bless them.  
  • Prompt: Write a mighty tale of nobility, courage, and grace.  Your story must 
    • be full of adventure,
    • teach something noble, 
    • and include references to the physical gift (such as a ball or sword) that you will give this child. 
  • Format: Your format should fit whatever time period and background you set (two or more pages in length).
  • In general, your work will be descriptive.  Please read this overview of the basics from Purdue University on descriptive writing. 
  • Requirements: 
    • Choose a child to bless.
    • Think of a fitting gift (purchased or made by you).
    • Write your adventure.  Make it look old and cool. 
    • Make a map.  Make it look old and cool.
    • Hide the gift during Christmas break.
    • Present the legend and map to the child.
    • When you return from break, tell us all about it! 

Quarter 3 CWP: The Beauty of the Days
Lyrical inspirations:
"A Reminiscence" by Anne Bronte
"The Beauty of the Days Gone By" by Van Morrison
"The Time of Your Song" by Matisyahu

Prompt: We are who we were; our destiny has much to do with our past.  We become what was planted.  What you plant this year will flower in time.  Reminisce on the best of the past: a wonderful day from your summer, a feeling from a starry night, a heartfelt conversation, an epiphany.  What sweetness and grace can you recall?  Explore a moment or experience that are you grateful for.  
Form: Poetry, compose using the form you taught us in class.
 

Due: March 6-7
 

Typed: MLA format, double spaced (this is atypical for the CWP assignment)
Length: 20 lines or more (you may be writing more than one poem, depending on your form)
Be sure you punctuate correctly, for this is the sole criteria for your grade.

    _____________________________________________________________
      
Quarter 4 CWP: Resume
It's that time of year to think about this year's accomplishments and this summer's preparations.  You will write a resume with either future work or a college application in mind.
 Here are some helpful links for context, examples, and formatting. 
* When in doubt (i.e. you don't have something specific they need for a particular end), use the high school example resume and its general format:
If you already has such a thing written (for Health, say), then the senior survey is fine.

Requirements
Typed
Formatted (indents match, headings match, follows an example format)
Grammatically accurate
At least one full page in length
Due block day on the second-to-last week of school



Your Grade: If you are short of the minimum, you will earn no more than a D. When completed, the CWP should be free of typos and grammatical and spelling errors. In general, 2 errors or fewer on any page =A-, 3-5 errors on any page=B-, and 6 or more errors on any page =C- or lower. Failing to adhere to the themes or neglecting to meet any of the other standards on this handout will result in a significantly lower grade. Fragments and run-On sentences are major deductions.

You may not include pieces written for other classes (past, present, or future) or for other assignments in this class. You will fail this assignment if you do so.

Start it early, and write something you are proud of.  Work to make it wise in its theme, rich in its descriptive imagery, and clever in its execution.  Put your joy into it.





    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Optional Assignment (for some years)

#1

Chestertonian Essay

Prompt: Take a subject and dance delightfully.  Use Chesterton as your example.
Due: May 8
Type; MLA format 
Prose: three full pages or more
Poetry
Single space (you may have a space between stanzas)
Punctuate
Three full pages or more 

    #2

"These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it" (Paton 33).

Prompt: When Caedmon (the first English poet) sang, he sang the creation.  The world is indeed a marvelous place, despite the effects of sin.  In quarter four, your task is to sing the creation, even though it be beyond any singing of it.  You may not use work from your previous contest entries (like the coastal commission contest).  I'd like you to focus on the hills and mountains near or far.  Focus on employing rich, vibrant, fresh imagery. 
Due: May 8
Type; MLA format 
Three pages minimum for honors classes (two for regular classes)
Poetry
Single space (you may have a space between stanzas)
Punctuate

Wednesday, 8/28/12: Myth

* Writing Reminders:  You will have 40 min. to write your essay (on your block day).  You will need to write three or more paragraphs.  Today, let's remember how the thesis works in an essay.

* Review myth: let's consider how myths teach us something applicable to life today.

Allusions in mythology: consider some here


Tuesday, 8/28/12: Summer Reading

* Opening

* MLA

* Bulfinch: You may use a book, get the free version on iBooks, or from Google books.

HW: Review your Summer Reading