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.