Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Persuasive Essay

Monday, January 4, 2010..........Happy New Year!!!

Person of the Century - Project Overview

Objectives: Students will review the basics of a PERSUASIVE ESSAY
Students will review the specific details for the overall project

1. Students will look over and discuss the PSSA check list and rubric .

CHECK LIST- This must be completed and turned in with your final draft.
http://www.pssa-prep.com/rubricscheck.pdf

RUBRIC -
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NAFSON3H
2. Persuasive Essay Notes:

Definition of Persuasive Writing: Persuasive essays include material that tries to move a reader into taking an action, forming a new opinion or changing an opinion

Function of Persuasive Writing: requires writers to think critically and take a position on an issue of importance in school, work or the community

Types of Persuasive Writing: editorial, letter, proposal, explanation, defense of an issue, speech writing, persuasive essay, defense of a hypothesis, public service announcement, personal viewpoint essay, application/ resume and comparison/ evaluation.

3. Students will be researching their Person of the Century in the library.

- Students will select a prominent person form the 20th or 21st Century. You will be writing an
essay to nominate this person for the "Person of the Century Award"

20th Century - 1901-2000
21st Century - 2001-present

Research Specifics:
In your paper, you will have to include a minimum of three reasons explaining why your person deserves to win the Person of the Century Award.

A. Suggestions:
- Your person is influential in a positive way.
- Your person is admirable.
- Your person has overcome something challenging in their life in order to achieve certain goals.
- Your person has helped the community and taken part in volunteer work for the good of humanity.
- Your person gives hope to others and has leadership abilities.

B. In order to make those three reasons valid you must back them up with authentic evidence and examples. What has your person actually done that will prove an attribute they might have? How are you going to demonstrate that your person actually portrays those qualities?

C. You must have a minimum of three examples for each reason.

By the end of class today students should have chosen a person that they will be nominating and writing about for the Person of the Century Award.

Paper Specifics
1. Each student must have a research notebook...specifically for this project
2. The notebook will be graded
3. The paper may only contain research that makes up 25% or less of the entire paper
4. The paper will be 2 pages in length
5. The paper will follow MLA rules for set-up and research
6. The paper will ALSO contain the following:
A. An outline page
B. A Works Cited page
C. A peer-edited rough draft
D. Attached PSSA rubric

7. Sources- Minimum of 3 sources cited in the paper; 1 must be a tangible source.
*That means information must be collected from 3 or more different sources in your notebooks*
A. NO random Google searches.
B. Absolutely NO Wikipedia or Wiki sources of ANY kind.
C. All online sources must come from Power Library.

You will be using a combination of direct and paraphrased quotes. Partial quotes are acceptable.

Standard: 1.4.11.C

Include a clearly stated position.
Include convincing, elaborated detail.
Make sure the paper is properly cited.
Develop reader interest.
Anticipate and counter reader concerns arguments.
Include a variety of methods to advance the argument or position.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Journal Day

Christmas is only a week away, but are you ready? Do you have all of your plans in order for the big day? Today you will be writing about your plans for the Christmas holiday. What do you plan to do on Christmas day? Christmas Eve? Are there any yearly rituals you observe on Christmas? Do you have a special place to visit every year? Etc. etc.

Or


Write on a topic of your choice.


(Journals MUST be a minimum of 1 full page)

Academic Content Standards:
15.1.11A- Write with a distinctive focus.
1.5.11B- Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.
1.5.11C- Write with controlled organization.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Capitalization Rules

Capitalization Rules:
Main rules from Purdue Owl:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/592/01/

A FEW MORE RULES:

-Capitalize geographical names:

Vancouver Island

San Francisco

the Grand Canyon

the South Pacific

-Note: do not capitalize directions that are not part of a regions name:

northern California

-Capitalize the main words and the first word of the titles of articles, books, poems, plays, songs, etc.:

English Structure and Style

The Brothers Karamazov

Stairway to Heaven

Capitalize official names or names of groups or organizations:

Department of Redundancy Department

House of Commons

House of Senate

Republicans

Black Americans

Lutherans

Capitalize personifications:

Because I could not stop for Death —
He kindly stopped for me —

Usually capitalize the first word of each line of poetic verse (see above example).

Capitalization Chart
http://www.eliterateeducation.com/site/capitalization.htm

Ex 1
http://www.mytestbook.com/test_questions.aspx?topics=Grammar%20Capitalization%20and%20Punctuations&subject=LanguageArts&grade=3&test_id=926

Ex 2
http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/punctuation_mastery.asp

Ex 3
http://www.mytestbook.com/test_questions.aspx?topics=Grammar%20Capitalization&subject=LanguageArts&grade=3&test_id=776

EXERCISES:

Capitalization Worksheet 1
Circle the correct choice in each sentence:
1. I decided to take courses in (Journalism / journalism) and (Dramatics / dramatics).
2. My (Aunt / aunt) goes (East / east) each winter to visit her sister.
3. Two (High School / high school) reporters asked to interview the college (President / president).
4. I was told to begin my letter with “My (Dear / dear) (Sir / sir).”
5. I ended it with “Very (Truly / truly) (Yours / yours).”
6. After (Labor Day / labor day), I’ll be in (University / university) classes.
7. Members of the (Freshman Class / freshman class) are being assisted by a group of (Senior / senior) students in making a float for Homecoming.
8. My (Sister / sister) now lives in the (South / south).
9. Dr. Gillis, (Professor / professor) of (English / english), retired last semester.
10. She always does well in (French / french) and (History / history) courses.
11. “I once attended,” (He / he) said, “Elm (High School / high school).”

12. My (Uncle / uncle) Charles became an (All-American / all-American) athlete while he
was in college.
13. The (Boy Scout / boy scout) leader pointed out the (Milky Way / milky way) to his troop.
14. She read Language (In / in) Thought (And / and) Action.
15. Her office is in (Room / room) 218 of the new (Science Building / science building).




Capitalization and Punctuation Worksheet 2
Correct the punctuation and capitalization errors in the following sentences:
1. he could not make up his mind whether to take french spanish or russian
2. the rocky mountains extend through several states including colorado wyoming and utah
3. the amazon river is located in south america
4. he was a sergeant in the marine corps stationed at a naval base south of san diego
5. the epic paradise lost by john milton is an attempt to justify the ways of god to man
6. last summer we toured the south for awhile and then turned back northward camping among other places in yellowstone national park and the black hills
7. i asked mother when uncle george would be visiting at our home in fargo north dakota
8. two of arthur millers best plays are death of a salesman and the crucible
9. she couldnt decide whether to major in elementary education or english
10. they worshipped the blessed virgin at st peters cathedral in rome italy
11. he was a senior at the university of west florida in pensacola florida
12. the union pacific railroad serves various states in the midwestern and northern parts of the united states
13. they shopped first at sonderbergs department store on elm street and then visited cramden park zoo in east miami
14. he decided to visit professor abbott who taught western civilization 101 at depaul university in chicago Illinois
15. the london symphony orchestra performed ludwig von beethovens ninth symphony





Correct the following sentences which contain punctuation and/or capitalization errors.
1. The seasons passed and the couple grew old it was July 1943 before their son returned
2. There are three poems i shall never forget the rubyiat of omar khayyam by edward fitzgerald elegy written in a country churchyard by thomas gray and the waste land by t s eliot
3. Did you hear him ask her will you go to the party tonight
4. The U S S Constellation entered the war on July 18 1969 and a brave accurate bunch of its gunners successfully destroyed three of the enemys boats
5. In spite of repeated attacks the fort a must on the generals capture list did not fall and the position of the invading troops grew perilous
6. The paper said that the population boom was jeopardizing the countrys future and one ecologist was quoted as saying either people stop producing offspring or they will produce famine and death
7. There are several possible solutions to the energy problem said the scientist one is conservation another is increased exploration and a third is the development of solar energy
8. The author of the work edgar allen poe was a moody genius who was reputed to have a drinking problem but if that was the case it certainly didnt interfere with the quality of his work said the professor particularly his poems such as the raven and annabel lee and his short stories such as the Gold Bug
9. One day i want to go to New York city I want to see a broadway show and shop on fifth avenue
10. The two cats have very different personalities squirt is playful and tidbit is lazy

Friday, December 11, 2009

Journal Day

There are only 13 shopping days left until Christmas. Many Americans get very stressed around this time of year with all of the shopping and preparation for the holiday season. Today you will write about your own holiday shopping and preparation routine. Are you or anyone in your family one of the people that falls into this stressed out category? Do you spend lots of time trying to find just the right gifts for a very large shopping list, or do you take the easy way out by buying lots of gift cards? How do you decide who to buy for?


Or


Write on a topic of your choice.


(Journals MUST be a minimum of 1 full page)

Academic Content Standards:
15.1.11A- Write with a distinctive focus.
1.5.11B- Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.
1.5.11C- Write with controlled organization.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Journal Day

President Obama wants to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. He has also stated that he plans to begin bringing all American troops home within 18 months. What are your thoughts on the topic? Should we send more soldiers? Are they really needed? When should our soldiers be coming home?

Or


Write on a topic of your choice.


(Journals MUST be a minimum of 1 full page)

Academic Content Standards:
15.1.11A- Write with a distinctive focus.
1.5.11B- Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.
1.5.11C- Write with controlled organization.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Library

Tuesday-Thursday:

Tuesday: Miss Hoffman will teach you how to use the Power Library

Wednesday-Thursday:
1. Review how to create a research notebook
2. Collect research for your individual paragraphs

I. In ONE paragraph, you will incorporate a direct quotation and create a WORKS CITED PAGE
II. In a SECOND paragraph. you will incorporate a direct quotation and a paraphrased citation. You will create a WORKS CITED PAGE for this paragraph.

**Remember you MUST cite within each paper.

1.5.11C - Write with a distinctive focus