This weekend...

...hopefully the girls will win state!! Besides that, you should be working on your paragraph comparing Ruku and Lalita, Kenny and William Darcy, or the setting of Nectar and the Setting of B&P.
Your paragraph must be typed and must contain:
1. an MLA heading
2. 2 PIEs--in this case, the I(illustration) may be an example rather than textual evidence.

In class I checked for homework, and then we finished B & P.

**Don't forget to blog this weekend! Click here for an interesting article in which a reporter examines his connection to Bollywood.

BP vs. Nectar

Today we compared/contrased Rukmani and Lalita using a double-bubble map. Then, we viewed about 25 minutes of the film. The homework for tonight is to complete another comparison (using double-bubble). You may choose to compare Kenny and Darcy OR the setting of Nectar and the setting of B & P. If you choose to compare the settings, you may have to use more than adjectives to describe--"arranged marriages" may be one of your descriptors, for example.

FINAL ESSAY

Today we did some peer-evaluation of the rough drafts.

The final Nectar essay is due Thursday. On Thursday, you must have:

1. A blank, cream-colored rubric (on Edline if you've lost your copy). This rubric is on the backside of the one used during peer-evaluation.

2. A complete, typed final draft (don't forget a creative title, page #s in a header, and the Works Cited "page")

3. All drafts/paragraphs--I MUST see draft work with peer/other comments on it!

**If you have an excused absence on Thursday, you MUST email me an electronic copy of your final paper by 3:10pm. Then, you must turn in a hard copy of the paper and drafts immediately upon your return to school.

If you are absent on Thursday because of the Girls Hockey (Go Hornets!) game (6th HOUR ONLY), you must turn your paper in on Thursday morning, prior to your departure for the game.

Putting it All Together

Today we did some peer reading of intro, conclusion, and body paragraphs. Individual suggestions for revision are the following:

Try one of the following in your introduction and/or conclusion:
1. Add a sentence using a comparison (simile or metaphor)
2. Use a rhetorical fragment.
3. Combine two sentences
4. Change a word in your attention-getter or closing statement to a more descriptive/sophisticated word.

For tomorrow, the complete, typed, rough draft is due. Your draft must include:

MLA heading
Creative Title
Intro, 3 body paragraphs (2 PIEs each), conclusion
MLA headers with last name and page numbers
Works Cited citation near bottom of final essay page

The Body: Part II

Today we completed more peer evaluation of the Nectar paper paragraphs. Here is the individual editing that students completed in class:

Draw boxes around the first 3 words of each sentence in the paragraph.
• What do you notice?
• Do you begin each sentence the same way? If so—mix it up.

Count the number of words in each sentence.
• What is your pattern?
• What potential problems do you see with the numbers?

Replace two words with more descriptive/sophisticated words.

Replace repetitive signal phrase verbs with more specific verbs.

And here is the assignment for Monday:

Write your introduction and conclusion.
Introduction:
General discussion of topic (beginning with attention-getter)
Introduction of title and author
Specific thesis statement
Conclusion:
Restatement of thesis
Summary of analysis
Return to general discussion of topic


So, you need…
A typed document with:
MLA heading
Introduction
2 body paragraphs
Conclusion
FYI: You will write the 3rd body paragraph, add a Works Cited citation for the book, and number the pages to have a complete rough draft DUE TUESDAY, 2/24.

The Body

Today we worked on revising the thesis statement and first body paragraph. Before you begin writing the 2nd body paragraph, you should revise your thesis and paragraph based on feedback you received today from your peers. Also, you are to make the following specific revisions to your 1st body paragraph:

1.Combine 2 of the paragraph’s sentences.
2.Rework any sentence beginning with there.
3.Replace one word with a more sophisticated, descriptive word.

Then, write your 2nd body paragraph.

So, here's the homework for tomorrow:

REVISE your thesis and first body paragraph.
Add a second body paragraph.
Include a transition between the first and second body paragraphs.
Print it all. Include: an MLA heading, thesis statement, and both body paragraphs.

Nectar: The Paper

After the exam today, we began talking about how to use the multi-flow map (homework for today) to create a thesis statement for the paper. I worked through my own example of examining fear in the text. For tomorrow, your job is to create a thesis statement and write your first body paragraph. This MUST BE TYPED.

Your TYPED paper should have:

• an MLA heading
• your thesis statement
• a complete body paragraph including 2 PIEs.

If your printer is not working, please post your thesis and paragraph to your blog; then, get to school early so you can paste your work onto a word document and print in the media center.

Nectar: The Exam

Today we were able to finish our flow maps of Nectar's plot. We discussed the Nectar essay and required prewriting.

Tomorrow is the Nectar exam. Part of the exam tests comprehension of the book; part of the exam tests the vocabulary that we've been reviewing. Please study the vocabulary from the list in your notebook.

Homework for tomorrow is to complete the multi-flow map that is required to begin writing the essay. We will working on writing the essay over the next few days.

**The essay prompt can be found on Edline.

The End

This weekend you will read the rest of Nectar in a Sieve. You also must answer the 6 questions on the blue sheet about the Coleridge poem.

We took a quiz in class. Then, we worked on "I Have, Who Has?" We need some serious work on that--Roehl's and Tholen's classes are really making us look bad (I think they're cheating). We also showcased the blogs of a couple students.

Enjoy the end of the book!

OH, and don't forget to read/blog. The theme for this post is religion/spirituality/belief/non-belief. Here's an article that works for the assigned theme--and it's about Hinduism, India, and the U.S.

Back to the Village...

Today we discussed the book (after we took a quiz). When we left them at the end of last night's reading, Ruku and Nathan were headed back to their village. Read pp. 165-176 tonight to find out what happens to them...

Also, 3rd hour students should be looking for 4 examples of your theme concept to put in your blue charts. I expect to see completed charts tomorrow.

Analyzing Nectar

Today we reviewed last night's reading and worked on some analysis questions.

Homework: Read pp. 150-164...and don't forget to blog.

Tonight's blog is supposed to discuss gender roles/gender issues. Certainly any text you are currently reading has some aspect of gender to discuss. But, if you want an article to read, check out this article about the treatment of women in immigration detention centers.

First Raja, then Kuti, now Old Granny...

Today in class we took a quiz, added two boxes to our flow maps (and in the process, discussed the reading), and then spent some time examining the vocabulary words. The homework for tomorrow is to read pp. 124-149.

Doing some last minute reading and posting?

This weekend's topic is: a culture different from your own. Here's an article about rice farming in Western Africa.

TGIF

Friday in class, we: added two boxes to the Nectar flow maps, and then finished the group analysis activity.

Homework: Read pp. 103-123

Also, don't forget to blog this weekend!!

Themes in Nectar

Today we worked on group theme analysis after we took a quiz and added four boxes to the flow map in the notebook.

Homework: Read pp. 92-102

More Nectar

Today we read chap. 11-13 and worked on some questions/paragraph response in the notebook. The questions can be found pasted below (a word copy is on Edline). You should be through page 77, and have complete responses in your notebook by tomorrow (even if you were absent for choir).

Part I
Answer the following questions in your notebook on a page entitled, “Nectar, Chap. 1-13.” Answer the questions thoroughly, providing detail from the text.

1. What were your thoughts at the end of this section? Would you have made the same decision that Rukmani and Nathan made? Why or why not?

2. What does Rukmani see decorating the entrance to her new home when she first arrives with Nathan? In what condition are the decorations? What might the condition represent or symbolize?

3. How does Rukmani feel when she is told that her baby is female? Why does she feel this way? What does her reaction suggest about the status of Indian women at the time?

4. Who is Kennington? Why does Rukmani keep her visits to him secret?

5. Contrast Rukmani’s response to the coming of the tannery with that of the other women in the village. Who do you think is right? Why?

6. Why do Arjun and Thambi go to work in Ceylon? What does their decision say about them? How do Rukmani’s feelings contrast with those of her sons?

7. The story is told from Rukmani’s point of view. How does this viewpoint affect your feelings toward Rukmani and her family? How might your feelings change if the story were told from Kunthi’s point of view? Kennington’s?

8. How might Rukmani answer this question:
What do you value the most in life? Friends? Family? Personal possessions? Something else?

Part II
In a paragraph, respond to the following:

The conflicts that a character experiences are often determined by the time and place in which he or she lives. Select a character from Nectar in a Sieve—Rukmani, Nathan, Ira, or another character—and in a paragraph explain the connection between the setting of the novel and the character’s conflict. Would he or she be likely to suffer the same conflicts if the story were set in a different time and place? Why or why not?

Part III
Now, create—in your notebook—a 2-column chart like the one below. Fill in each row with the type of conflict and description/examples of how the conflict has appeared in the text.

Type of Conflict Description, Examples

1. Against society Rukmani is unable to marry a rich man because she does
not have a large dowry.
2.

3.

4.


**Also, don't forget to blog tonight--see a previous post for a link to a NY Times article as well as information on providing an MLA citation.

Today in class, we...

took a quiz, added 2 boxes to our flow maps (and discussed the reading, of course), and analyzed a passage from the reading. The homework is to compose a paragraph about a cultural event (American, Edinian, ethnic, etc.) imitating the style of Markandaya. Remember that we decided the essential elements of Markandaya's style are:
1. Vivid language (imagery)
2. Use of fragments to list elements of setting
3. Cultural language & made-up words
4. Figurative language (simile, personification)
5. Appeal to all 5 senses

Your paragraph must be typed, printed, and turned in during class tomorrow.

Hopefully, you blogged for today. You have another blog due Wednesday. This time, the theme concept is overcoming struggle of facing a difficulty. Here's another link to an appropriate article.

You are supposed to include--in your post--an MLA citation for your reading material. See the OWL at Purdue for rules about MLA citations.

The appropriate citation for the article linked to this blog is:

Barry, Dan. "Remote and Struggling but Still a Bit of America." New York Times. 5 October
2008. 2 February 2009.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/us/06land.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1>