Just a reminder...

Don't forget that your adaptation folder (book/movie folder)is due on Friday, August 5,2011. Also, on that day we will have a "Did You Really Read A Lesson Before Dying Test." Be ready.

Earn extra points on summer assignment

If you would like to earn up to eight extra points on your summer novel assignment, you may write a biography about the writer of the work you read. Find 3 to 5 sources and write a 500-800 word biography of the writer's life. Include internal documentation of your sources and a Work Cited page. (Your research paper notes should help you document.) Type the paper in font 12 or 14, double spaced but no extra space between paragraphs, with title. Use 1 inch top and bottom margins and 1.25 right and left margins. Place in the back pocket of the folder.

Making It Look Nice

I have had a question about margins on the folder writing pieces. Please use 1 inch top and bottom margins. Use 1.25 left and right margins. Remember to use font size 12 or 14 and double space everything. Do not put extra space between paragraphs. Please make sure that your cover is very detailed. Include pictures, quotes, items that relate to the book. Also make sure in your collage that the title and author are clear and distinctive. Remember never follow the word by (a preposition) with a colon (:).
Make it look nice.

Formatting Your Assignments

I have had a question about how to format each paragraph for the folder assignment.
You do not have to head each page with name, class, etc. since that will be on the back of the folder. However, each paragraph should be written like warm-ups were. Place a short but content specific title above each paragraph. Each paragraph must have a specific topic/thesis sentence, supporting sentences, and a conclusion sentence. The five-paragraph essay should have a short but specific title as well. The opening paragraph must include the title, author and original copyright date (you may have to research this online) of the book form and the title and director and release date of the movie form. The conclusion paragraph is opinion based (which one-movie or book is better and why). Make sure that you remain in 3rd person throughout this essay. If you wrote it, I know that is what you feel or believe; therefore, referring to yourself-- "I think, I believe, In my opinion, etc.--is redundant.
Also, I have had a question about what is C D W format.
The C stands for claim. It is your thesis/topic sentence. For example, "In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the carefree and lavish lifestyle of the 'Roaring Twenties' and the failure of the American dream."
The D stands for data. These are the pieces of proof that you use to PROVE your claim. For example, "Fitzgerald conveys the carefree lifestyle of the period through many lavish parties and car accidents in the novel." You will want to have specific quotes from the novel to support your data. Place the page number behind the quote. For example, "People went there [ Gatsby parties]; they were not invited"(45). You should always have at least 2 pieces of data and they must be specific.
The W stands for warrant or why and how this is important in the larger world--what does it convey or reveal. For example, "Fitzgerald's depiction of careless wanderers armed with alcohol, automobiles, money,and power shows the sad destruction of the beautiful American dream. The Great Gatsby serves as a warning to believe, to work hard, and to stay focused. Through its tragic hero Jay Gatsby, the novel also shows the ability to succeed inspite of difficulities. He carried the dream and died for the dream, still believing in its magic." The warrant can be opinion without using personal references. The warrant can be the last sentences; however, you may follow the warrant with a basic concluding sentence if you like.

Mini Lesson

One of the questions in your independent novel assignment asks you to select a passage and write about the diction used by the author. What is diction, you might ask? Diction refers to the writer's choice of words. He may create a formal, informal, casual, descriptive, persuasive, argumentative, objective tone (attitude) based upon his word choice. For example,read these two sentences:
1. Wanting revenge, the gunslinger loaded his rifle.
2. Thirsty for revenge, the gunslinger loaded his rifle.
In sentence one, the use of the word "wanting" is descriptive, but in sentence two the use of the word "thirsty" clues us to the character's extreme desire for revenge.

Remember this passage by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby in which Nick describes Gatsby's home: "The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard — it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. It was Gatsby’s mansion." A response about this passage's use of diction might be something like this:
The use of certain words (in green) help the reader see that Gatsby's mansion echoes his new found wealth. The word "colossal" is stronger than words like "big, huge, large." The use of colossal indicates that the house is almost larger than life, almost too huge. "Colossal" often has a negative connotation as the words "factual imitation" do here. The use of this oxymoron (how can something be factual and an imitation at the same time) helps convey Fitzgerald's creation of a "fake" Gatsby. "Spanking and raw" also help to convey the "newness of the house." Because Gatsby represents the nouveau riche, his home must be described as colossal or over the top in size because he wants to "show off his wealth." Likewise, the old money homes across the bay from his have been in wealthy families for years and are covered in thick ivy, not "raw" or fresh ivy. Fitzgerald's use of precise diction helps not only to describe the setting but echo the details about Gatsby himself.

Summer Blog #10: Hook us...

Briefly introduce your independent novel and explain a theme you have noted in book that might intrigue others in your class to read the novel. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, July 11, 2011.)

Summer Blog # 9: Let Freedom Ring...

I hope you are having or had a wonderful Fourth of July, the day we celebrate freedom, independence, and personal rights. In A Lesson Before Dying, all three of these elements that we take for granted daily aren't part of the characters daily lives. Select one scene that illustrates the need for independence, freedom, or personal rights and explain how this scene reflects the plot, characters and theme of the novel. What is Gaines' purpose here? Did he succeed? How so? (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight, July 6, 2011.)