ADVANCED STUDENTS:

Please refer to the syllabus I handed out on 1/31. This details the reading assignments for the rest of the month. A copy will also be available under COMMENTS.

New Semester! Week 1, January 22-25

We are working on letters to veterans this week. This is actually an assignment in your history class, but since it involves persuasive writing, and we've done a LOT of that, I thought it would be an easy way to get a grade in two classes for doing one assignment.

Mr. Harrell says he wants the letters to make him cry. So don't forget to add those EMOTIONAL appeals!!!

At the end of the week, we're going to start a unit on the American Dream

The Blues 1: Advanced ONLY

Open Comments for copy of the notes.

1/4 and 1/7: This I Believe...Courage

Today we finished our benchmark analysis forms.

Then we discussed what courage means to us, if we've ever been courageous.

In the computer lab we completed the following worksheet for TWO essays

• This I Believe worksheet.
• Copy and paste the following link:
o http://www.thisibelieve.org/dsp_AdvancedSearch_youth.php
• In the menu find the theme for “Courage”, click search
Name:
Read at least 5 hooks. Before selecting one to read. Only read an essay that is interesting to you. There are 186 to choose from!!! You must choose two essays and fill out a worksheet for each.

1. Predict: Write the essay’s title:

a. Based on the title and author information, what do you think this essay will be about?
2. Draw Inferences: What is the author’s argument, or claim (what do they believe?)? Explain what they mean by this.
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3. Summarize: Write a brief (3-6 point) summary of the essay:
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4. Question: If you could ask the author 3 questions, what would they be?
a.
b.
c.
5. Evaluate: Briefly, 3-6 sentences, explain how this essay makes you feel. How persuasive was the author in explaining their beliefs?
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6. Reflect: How does this author’s experiences relate to your own? Do you know someone, have you seen a movie or read a book, or do you, personally, have experience with their topic, or a shared belief?
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