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ORB #2 - Non-fiction Work

11/22/2013

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Hello, Folks.

Yesterday I gave you a worksheet which explains what you should do for your ORB#2 assignment, due on December 2, 2013.  Click here for the link to a PDF.
You asked me about a few different aspects of this paper, so I will try to answer your questions here:

Q: Can we use the main ORB text as one of our sources?
A: If you make reference to the main ORB text, you are required to cite it, so it has to be in the Works Cited page.  It is not, however, counted as one of your "required" sources unless it is a reference book.  (Some of your fellow students actually took out reference books to read as their ORB.  Why?  Ask Will.)

Q: What is an in-text citation?
A: In-text citations are the same as parenthetical documentation.  Look on your worksheet for a website where you can find a good explanation.  Also on Purdue OWL, you'll find a sample Works Cited page and sample in-text citations.  Watch the video below for extra help.  The only thing that I don't like in the video is that the man uses a period at the end of his sentence AND a period after his parentheses.  That is wrong.  He should use ONLY that last period.

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Things Fall Apart

11/20/2013

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Do things fall apart?

We discussed the answer to this question in class, but, of course, there were varied opinions:

*We sometimes feel as though our lives were falling apart, but it is only because we don't see the big picture of how our lives are shaped.
*Yes.  Things deteriorate, but it is for a good reason.  If we wait long enough, we will see that this hardship is purposeful in our lives.
*No.  Things don't really fall apart; they just change and morph into something different.
*Analogy: Our lives are like a vase that gets broken; the pieces can be used to create something else.  Even the edges of the broken glass can be beautiful when seen in a certain light.

We also discussed the meanings behind each chapter using the following questions:
1.  Summarize the events of the chapter.
2.  What are you having difficulty understanding?
3.  Why would the author tell this story?  What does he want us to understand in regard to the context of the story itself AND in regard to the truth of humanity?

Example:
Chapter 3
1.  During a flashback to Okonkwo's father, the reader learns that Unoka (O's father), went to the Oracle several years ago to ask why his crops didn't grow.  The oracle simply told him that his laziness was not going to produce good crops.  Instead of being wealthy and respected in the community, Unoka became ill eventually with a swollen stomach.  Because this was an abomination to the "earth gods", he was not even given a proper burial.  Okonkwo had to fend for himself when he was young if he wanted to earn respect, so he asked 
Nwakibie for help getting started on his yam crop. After the drought and the torrential rain of that season, the ground did not produce yams for Okonkwo, even though he worked hard.  After that difficult year of working hard for nothing, Okonkwo saw that he could survive any situation due to his "inflexible will".
2.  I am having trouble with the theme of the story.  Unoka did not work hard, but Okonkwo did.  Both had terrible crops at some point in their lives.  Is this teaching us that it doesn't matter how hard we work?
3.  It is possible that the chapter is telling us that hard times come to both those who work hard and those who don't.  But the spirit of the hard worker is strong enough to deal with failure, while the spirit of the lazy man dies when faced with hardship.

Tomorrow: Chapter 5 due.  Write the answers to the above questions in your binders under the TFA section.

As you know, we chose non-fiction books to read from the LMC today as well; I will give you the ORB assignment tomorrow as well.

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Analyzing Critical Lenses

11/4/2013

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Today in class we took a look at the format of a critical lens.  In case you are wondering, here it is...

Introduction paragraph:
*State the quote
*Reword the quote
*Explain the significance and the meaning of the quote.
*Thesis - Explain how you are going to prove the quote EITHER true or false with two pieces of literature.  The thesis should be detailed enough to give a general outline of your entire paper.

Body Paragraphs:
1st
*Create an introductory sentence where you explain which literary tool the author utilizes to support your theory of the validity of the quote.
*Give details about how the literary work ties in with the quote.
*Connect the use of the literary tool, the idea of the quote and the story itself to reiterate the fact that you are correct in your theory.

2nd
*Write another paragraph using the first work and the second literary tool.

Repeat 1st and 2nd for the 2nd literary work.  Don't slack off and be sure to CONNECT to the focus of the whole paper, which is your quote.

Conclusion:
*Restate your thesis from the intro, but use different wording.
*Connect the quote, the story, and the literary tools once more.
*End with a short discussion about the validity or invalidity of the idea of the quote.  In these final two sentences, you should no longer be focusing on the literary works, but only the idea behind the quote.

Look here for some examples of critical lenses.  (A 6 is a well-written essay, but as the scores decrease you will see terribly written essays.)

Have a great day!
-Mrs. Coller
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Thesis Revised

11/1/2013

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Today you did exactly what good writers are supposed to do: you came into class worried that your sentences fell flat, didn't have enough detail, had too much detail, or just completely missed the mark.  Then you worked with partners to revise, reword, revisit, and reorganize your sentences.  Yay!!  THIS is how good writing is created!!

Remember that even in a SENTENCE, you need to pay attention to:
Voice
Organization
Ideas
Conventions
Word Choice
Sentence structure!

Have a good weekend!
-Mrs. Coller
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    ELA10H
    Mrs. Coller says:

    I will keep this little blog here so you and I can communicate better.  Please note that it does not replace your BRAIN.  Attend class, take notes, ask questions - these are your best and most powerful tools - not the blog.

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  • Home
  • Word Power
    • 6 Traits of Writing
    • 100 Misspelled Words
    • Types of Writing
    • Grammar >
      • Grammar Games!
      • Grammar Links
      • Grammar Prezis
      • Homonyms
    • Literary Terms
    • Poetry >
      • Black Out Poetry
      • Spoken Word Poetry
    • Words to Avoid Like the...
  • ELA Classes
    • Dramatics (Blog) >
      • BLINK
      • Readers Theater
      • Drama Contract - Marking Period 1
      • Drama Contract - Sem 2
      • Drama Websites
    • ELA 10Honors (Blog) >
      • Short Stories >
        • "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin
        • "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
        • "The First Seven Years" by Bernard Malamud
        • "The Bet" by Anton Checkov
        • "The Bass the River and Sheila Mant" by J.D. Wetherell
        • "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
        • "The Mask of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe
        • "The Velt" by Ray Bradbury
      • Boy's Life
      • Taming of the Shrew
      • Things Fall Apart >
        • Audio
        • Connected Ideas
        • Proverbs
      • World War II Choice Text >
        • Poetry of War
        • Lost In Shangri-La Website
      • Research Paper >
        • Annotated Bibliography
        • Source Evaluation
    • ELA11Regents >
      • Unit 1: Early American >
        • The Crucible >
          • Arthur Miller
          • McCarthyism
          • Salem Witch Trials
          • Read online
          • Vocabulary Games
      • Unit 2: American Romanticism
      • Unit 3: A Nation Divided/Reconstruction >
        • The Great Gatsby
      • Unit 4: Realism/Naturalism/Regionalism >
        • Of Mice and Men >
          • The Great Depression
          • John Steinbeck
      • Unit 5: Harlem Renaissance/Modernism
    • Own Local
  • Links I Like
    • Funny Stuff!
    • Social Media Awareness
  • Extra-Curricular
    • Mock Trial (Blog) >
      • The Competition >
        • Baldwinsville
        • Bishop Ludden
        • Cazenovia
        • Christian Brothers Academy
        • Cicero North Syracuse
        • Cortland
        • East Syracuse Minoa
        • Fabius Pompey
        • Fayetteville Manlius
        • Jamesville Dewitt
        • Jordan Elbridge
        • Lafayette
        • Marcellus
        • Malius Pebble Hill
        • Nottingham
        • Onondaga Central
        • Skaneateles
        • Tully
        • West Genesee
        • West Hill
      • NYSBA
      • Mock Trial Objections
    • Syracuse Stage TKTS
  • Contact Me