Five Choices

Today and tomorrow have one big item featured: the timed MC exam. If you were absent, you will need to schedule a makeup time for this exam, which is 60 minutes. Be aware of the time as it cannot be taken during a standard 50 minute class.

All classes are currently - or at least should be currently - writing their certainty and doubt prompts with fourth hour's work due on Thursday and the rest of the classes due on Friday. Remember, this is on the honor code that you are following these directions - a reminder I feel must go on this blog as I have heard witness of some not doing the appropriate measures for this assignment.

1 & 3: First hour, we will resume vocab on Friday. As this unit of vocab has been put on hiatus several times in the past week, you will need to review as much as possible on your own. Third hour, your review was self or partner directed today, so your quiz will be Friday. Moving from vocab,   you received your CDQ prompts back - with first hour averaging 5.31 and third hour with the high 5.88.  As with all arguments, you want organization (strong claim with original diction, topic sentences setting up each exemplification paragraph, concluding warrants explaining the ultimate connection between the claim and the example, a counterclaim either referenced or fully developed, and a rebuttal utilizing an example) and a variety of examples. And, after discussing this issue with a few students after school, this argument is all yours - the claim, the evidence, the conclusion. Relying on the quotes is not the goal, it is not recommended, and it takes away from your perspective. To wrap up the hour, you shared your certainty/doubt box prompts with each other. For homework, you will be writing the essay for the certainty/doubt prompt. You are on the honor system, and here are the rules and regulations: you will time yourself 40-50 minutes, you will write on notebook paper just as you would in class, you may use a dictionary for spelling, you may not use a thesaurus, searches, or friends, and you will turn this in hard copy by the indicated date below. As with any assignment, if you are here at any point during the day it is due, you must turn it in to avoid penalty. If you are justifiably absent, you will send a picture by the given time to indicate your completion of the prompt.

Fourth Hour Prompt due by Thursday @ 3:30 p.m.

First, Third, & Seventh Hour Prompt due by Friday @ 3:30 p.m.

I handed all of you the steps and the citation guide for the human flaw research essay. You will be assigned this officially on Friday. However, you can definitely take a look and start completing the steps for the essay.

7: You have the Human Flaw argumentative research assignment in hand now, and you are working on steps 1-4 for Friday's class. I have had the opportunity to see some brainstorming lists for the flaws, and there are many of you thinking completely outside of the box for your flaw topic. During Friday's class, you will have a succinct review of MLA format, a graded component on this assignment.

4: Same as seventh hour with the addition that you will also have the rangefinders to read and score for Friday's class. 

Certainty & Doubt

As mentioned in all classes - or at least it will be at some point this week - make sure that you are not missing class unless it is a true emergency. We have spent all of these weeks leading up to the "big" assignments, which means all those mega points will occur this week and next week. For instance, you have your full MC test on the block day and 2 argumentative prompts to complete. 

1 & 3: After reviewing tone words and adding to vocabulary, we worked on philosophical-style prompts (i.e. abstract nouns with exemplification). At this point, you have an AP prompt and a box prompt handout to complete regarding the relationship between doubt and certainty. Make sure to have this box prompt completed for tomorrow's class. 

4 & 7: For your vocab and tone quiz today, we worked in a team style. If absent, you will, alas, have to take the quiz by yourself in the next 48 hours. Following the quiz, you received your CDQ prompts back - with fourth hour averaging 5.80 and seventh hour 5.81. Looking forward to see the averages for the other hours! As with all arguments, you want organization (strong claim with original diction, topic sentences setting up each exemplification paragraph, concluding warrants explaining the ultimate connection between the claim and the example, a counterclaim either referenced or fully developed, and a rebuttal utilizing an example) and a variety of examples.  Last, you shared your certainty/doubt box prompts with each other. For homework, you will be writing the essay for the certainty/doubt prompt. You are on the honor system, and here are the rules and regulations: you will time yourself 40-50 minutes, you will write on notebook paper just as you would in class, you may use a dictionary for spelling, you may not use a thesaurus, searches, or friends, and you will turn this in hard copy by the indicated date below. As with any assignment, if you are here at any point during the day it is due, you must turn it in to avoid penalty. If you are justifiably absent, you will send a picture by the given time to indicate your completion of the prompt.

Fourth Hour Prompt due by Thursday @ 3:30 p.m.

Seventh Hour Prompt due by Friday @ 3:30 p.m. 

As a head's up, I will be introducing the next essay - the human flaw essay - to your classes tomorrow, which means you will have another one to work on very shortly. If time permits, you may want to write your certainty/doubt prompt this evening and turn it in early.

First Hour Tone Words Round 3

• ·         Aloof
• ·         Archaic
• ·         Audacious
• ·         Bantering
• ·         Bellicose
• ·         Biting
• ·         Callous
• ·         Candid
• ·         Choleric
• ·         Clichéd
• ·         Colloquial
• ·         Contemptuous
• ·         Dejected
• ·         Dejected
• ·         Demoralized
• ·         Diffident
• ·         Disdainful
• ·         Effusive
• ·         Elegiac
• ·         Empathetic
• ·         Enervating
• ·         Erudite
• ·         Erudite
• ·         Eulogize
• ·         Facetious
• ·         Fatuous
• ·         Fatuous
• ·         Flippant
• ·         Formal
• ·         Gothic
• ·         Hubristic
• ·         Hubristic
• ·         Incensed
• ·         Incredulous
• ·         Incredulous
• ·         Informal
• ·         Insolent
• ·         Irreverent
• ·         Kowtowing
• ·         Laissez-faire
• ·         Laudatory
• ·         Lugubrious
• ·         Malicious
• ·         Nihilistic
• ·         Nostalgic
• ·         Obsequious
• ·         Omnipotent
• ·         Partisan
• ·         Pedantic
• ·         Polemical
• ·         Pretentious
• ·         Quizzical
• ·         Reverent
• ·         Reverent
• ·         Ribald
• ·         Scathing
• ·         Seductive
• ·         Sentimental
• ·         Supercilious
• ·         Supercilious
• ·         Trite
• ·         Unctuous
• ·         Vehement
• ·         Vituperative
• ·         Whimsical
• ·         Wistful

Third Hour Tone Words Round 3

• ·         Abstract
• ·         Abstract
• ·         Abstract
• ·         Ambivalent
• ·         Ambivalent
• ·         Apathetic
• ·         Apathetic
• ·         Apprehensive
• ·         Apprehensive
• ·         Archaic
• ·         Bantering
• ·         Bellicose
• ·         Caustic
• ·         Cautionary
• ·         Cautionary
• ·         Churlish
• ·         Churlish
• ·         Clichéd
• ·         Clinical
• ·         Concrete
• ·         Concrete
• ·         Cynical
• ·         Cynical
• ·         Dejected
• ·         Derisive
• ·         Derisive
• ·         Derisive
• ·         Didactic
• ·         Didactic
• ·         Elegiac
• ·         Empathetic
• ·         Eulogize
• ·         Facetious
• ·         Fatuous
• ·         Formal
• ·         Formal
• ·         Idyllic
• ·         Impartial
• ·         Impartial
• ·         Insolent
• ·         Irreverent
• ·         Jejune
• ·         Jingoistic
• ·         Jovial
• ·         Laissez-faire
• ·         Lugubrious
• ·         Macabre
• ·         Malicious
• ·         Nihilistic
• ·         Obsequious
• ·         Poignant
• ·         Polemical
• ·         Pompous
• ·         Pompous
• ·         Pompous
• ·         Pretentious
• ·         Provocative
• ·         Quizzical
• ·         Resigned
• ·         Resigned
• ·         Resigned
• ·         Reticent
• ·         Reverent
• ·         Ribald
• ·         Sardonic
• ·         Sardonic
• ·         Scathing
• ·         Scathing
• ·         Seductive
• ·         Seductive
• ·         Trite
• ·         Trite
• ·         Unctuous
• ·         Urbane
• ·         Whimsical

Fourth Hour Tone Words Round 3

• ·         Ambivalent
• ·         Apathetic
• ·         Audacious
• ·         Audacious
• ·         Bantering
• ·         Biting
• ·         Choleric
• ·         Clichéd
• ·         Colloquial
• ·         Colloquial
• ·         Demoralized
• ·         Diffident
• ·         Disdainful
• ·         Disdainful
• ·         Earnest
• ·         Earnest
• ·         Elegiac
• ·         Enervating
• ·         Erudite
• ·         Forthright
• ·         Gauche
• ·         Gauche
• ·         Hubristic
• ·         Incensed
• ·         Incensed
• ·         Incredulous
• ·         Informal
• ·         Jingoistic
• ·         Lugubrious
• ·         Nihilistic
• ·         Nostalgic
• ·         Obsequious
• ·         Omnipotent
• ·         Patronizing
• ·         Patronizing
• ·         Pretentious
• ·         Reticent
• ·         Reticent
• ·         Ribald
• ·         Sardonic
• ·         Sentimental
• ·         Vehement
• ·         Vehement
• ·         Whimsical
• ·         Wistful

Seventh Hour Tone Words Round 3

• ·         Aloof
• ·         Apprehensive
• ·         Archaic
• ·         Bellicose
• ·         Biting
• ·         Callous
• ·         Callous
• ·         Candid
• ·         Candid
• ·         Caustic
• ·         Caustic
• ·         Cautionary
• ·         Choleric
• ·         Churlish
• ·         Clinical
• ·         Clinical
• ·         Concrete
• ·         Contemptuous
• ·         Cynical
• ·         Demoralized
• ·         Didactic
• ·         Diffident
• ·         Earnest
• ·         Effusive
• ·         Empathetic
• ·         Enervating
• ·         Facetious
• ·         Flippant
• ·         Forthright
• ·         Forthright
• ·         Gothic
• ·         Gothic
• ·         Idyllic
• ·         Impartial
• ·         Insolent
• ·         Jejune
• ·         Jejune
• ·         Jingoistic
• ·         Jovial
• ·         Jovial
• ·         Kowtowing
• ·         Laudatory
• ·         Laudatory
• ·         Laissez-faire
• ·         Macabre
• ·         Macabre
• ·         Malicious
• ·         Nostalgic
• ·         Omnipotent
• ·         Partisan
• ·         Patronizing
• ·         Pedantic
• ·         Poignant
• ·         Polemical
• ·         Provocative
• ·         Sentimental
• ·         Simple
• ·         Simple
• ·         Unctuous
• ·         Urbane
• ·         Vituperative
• ·         Volatile
• ·         Wistful

Philosophically

For all classes at this point, you have received registration information, logically argued reasons to take the AP exam, a scoring sheet to show the balance of points on the exam, and reminders regarding the entire process. Also, each class can submit designs for the class t-shirts, which will need to be handed/sent to me by next Friday, March 9. 

1 & 3: AP exam info followed by the answers to the MC packet followed by sample readings of jingoism/identity with you turning in all paragraphs for points. Vocab will continue tomorrow as will our work with argumentation.

4 & 7: Vocab and tone review for our quiz tomorrow, answers to the MC packet, and the start of the Philosophical Argumentative Prompt - a box prompt to fill out for tomorrow's class. Depending on time (seventh hour a little shorted due to our little hiatus), you may have finished this during class or you may have had to save this work for homework. In either circumstance, you will want this in class tomorrow. 

Will be back later today with the updated tone lists for all classes. 

The Quest for Identity & Jingoism

1 & 3: We continued forward with our exemplification work by determining the best examples for belligerence (first hour only), dishonor, empathy, faith, and guilt. In all cases, we decided that it is best to not rely on the expected examples (Hitler) and look for surprises that may not be the norm. After this, you were placed into groups to brainstorm for these abstract nouns: identity & jingoism. Each group then selected either identity or jingoism, composed a team thesis statement, and assigned examples for paragraph writing that will be shared during Monday's class. If you were absent, you will select either identity or jingoism, brainstorm for examples, and choose one example to write a body paragraph.

4 & 7: After vocab and tone work, we settled in to talk more about the AP Lang exam and how it would behoove you to take this for a plethora of reasons. And, you had the chance to play with calculators and do math for the scoring worksheet! At the end of class, we discussed the last 2 weeks of the quarter with our 2 prompts and MC test plus the allusion walls scavenger hunt.

The Exemplary

In every hour today, we are working further with exemplification in some shape or form: brainstorming examples to reflect an abstract noun, working with groups to create common thesis statements and examples, or sharing paragraphs utilizing clear topic sentences to set up the eventual specification of each example. Tomorrow will bring us the continuation of exemplification and a little chat about the AP exam, its features, what you have accomplished, and why you would want to take this exam after spending nearly a year improving your close reading, rhetoric, argumentative, and synthesis skills.

As a reminder, all classes at this point have received the extra packet of MC passages that you may complete as a whole (60 minute timed if you want to be official) or in separate parts (12 minutes a passage if you want to continue with our timing in class). If you do have the opportunity to commit 60 minutes to this packet, I highly recommend it: then you will have a better sense of time management for our actual MC test next week.

1: We finally resumed vocab today with 4 words added to our vernacular and then jumped into brainstorming examples for abstract nouns. For homework, you are to take the following abstract nouns and construct a list of examples that could be given as validation for each word's meaning: belligerent, dishonor, empathy, faith, & guilt. Make sure you star your 3 favorites for each one and put them into a range of your liking.

3: We finished analyzing passages 5d & 5e for correct and incorrect multiple choice answers. These last 2 passages offered a strong variety of questions from rhetorical devices to tone to antecedents to confirmation of content. After working with our continuance of unit 19 vocab, we returned to abstract nouns and brainstorming examples for each one. The key is specificity with all examples, and your class did not disappoint at all. For homework, you are to take each of the following abstract nouns and construct a list of examples that could validate each word's meaning: dishonor, empathy, faith, & guilt. After brainstorming, make sure to star your top 3 and put them into an appropriate range. You may time yourself 3 minutes per word if you would like to keep your homework to exactly 12 minutes, or you may work free of clock.

4: What compliments today from our visitor - that your writing surpassed college students with vocabulary, content, style, and organization! Bravo, my fourth hour. (Although, that statement could be applied to all of my AP classes!) After vocab and tone review, we spent the rest of the hour sharing your paragraphs exemplifying identity and jingoism. If absent, you will need to turn in your paragraph to me if you want participation points for today.

7: It's only 6th hour, so I don't think you will have a visitor in class today like fourth hour. However, you are doing everything the same, so check out their synopsis for any specific items.

Constitution, Bible, Judas

I was struggling for a blog title today, so I went with three allusions to fourth hour's dynamic discussion of brainstorming, sacrificing examples, and trying to create t-shirts from random ideas shouted out in class.

Either today (4 & 7) or tomorrow (1 & 3), you will be receiving a 5 passage MC packet for practice. This will not be for a grade, but it will be one more set of practices prior to our full MC test next week. You can take this all at once, in parts, or one at a time. If you want to challenge yourself, put the timer on for an hour and do all the passages at once. I will reveal the answers on Monday.

1: We finished up our team CDQ practice on the Anne Frank quote by sharing all of our examples, analyzing the validity and range, and determining the best collegiate-level exemplification. Then, we completed our last practice MC, which was, in my opinion - not that I have one, a fabulous mix of questions styles and context.

3: We started up vocab unit 19 with 4 words and then moved into a 2 passage MC practice in order to be in the mood of a multi-passage test. We will go over the answers tomorrow.

4 & 7: After vocab and tone work, we continued brainstorming with an exemplification by sharing examples from your abstract nouns. The lesson from all of these brainstorms is that you want to have specific examples from a variety of subjects. We are almost to the point of writing full argumentative essays, yes plural, essays. Then, we worked in groups to brainstorm examples for "identity" and "jingoism" and created a team thesis statement clarifying the meaning of the abstract noun. Then, each of you chose an example to write a body paragraph for this thesis statement. If you were absent, then you need to choose either identity or jingoism as your abstract noun. Then, determine 1 specific examples that reflects this abstract noun. And, last, write one body paragraph exemplifying this specific examples.

The Search for Better Examples

1 & 3: We analyzed the CDQ rangefinders, noting that topic sentences, thorough explanation of the reasons and examples, and including mature, collegiate-level examples will give you a better opportunity to score a 9. Afterwards, we worked on one more CDQ practice activity to help us better select and order examples. First hour, we will finish that up first up tomorrow.

4 & 7: After vocab experts, we worked on brainstorming examples for abstract nouns. For each abstract noun, three of you volunteered your 3 examples. Then, as a class, we selected the top 4 examples, discussing maturity, audience, and variety concerns. Finally, we ordered these to convey what would be best for the hook and the order of the essay. We completed 3 rounds of this, and you will complete 4 rounds of brainstorming possible examples for these words: dishonor, empathy, faith, guilt.

Multiple Choice All Day Long - At Least for Me

1: We completed the third and fourth MC passages today to build on taking multiple passages at one time. It looks like we will be reviewing the answers, starting vocab, and discussing the rangefinders on Tuesday.

3: We completed the third MC passage today and then began our analysis of the rangefinders, which we will finish on Tuesday.

4: Yesterday, we wrapped up CDQ with the rangefinders and a discussion/practice regarding strong examples for argumentation. Today, we completed the fourth and fifth MC passages (that last one - urgh) at one time! We will finish looking at the answers on Tuesday.

7: We completed the fourth and fifth MC passages, which means we will analyze the answers during class on Tuesday!

Happy Quizentine's Day

On this Quizentine's Day, or SAD Day or Quirky Alone Day (Valentine's Trivia is so much fun!), we completed a plethora of activities as we move forward with tone work, arguments, and multiple choice.

1: We started with copying down Unit 19 of vocab, which will begin on Friday. Then, we looked at our second MC passage (happy joy!) and analyzed the correct and incorrect answers for future test-taking prowess. Next was tone paragraph #3 with the overwhelming favorite topic of the end of the world. Faith, you have callous as your tone word. Through paragraphs, the speed learning process, and the circle review, you are currently aware of several new tone words. At the end of the hour, you received the rangefinders for our CDQ prompt, which you will need to evaluate with a number by Friday.

3: We did all the above in first hour. However, your topic was weather for our latest paragraph. Julia, your tone word is clinical. If you were off singing during class, you are still responsible for completing this paragraph.

7: We copied down our next vocab unit and then spent quality time analyzing the CDQ rangefinders for the humorist prompt. Last, we looked at one more CDQ prompt via thesis statements and examples. To make it more interesting, we looked at what were more collegiate, mature examples and what were more high school, jejune examples. For argument, you want to provide as many upper-level examples as possible.

The Agenda Board Moves On

As we keep moving through the agenda on the board these past two weeks, we are moving closer and closer to putting all of these skills into action with further exemplification, abstract noun argumentative prompts, and a MC test. And, the allusion wall continues to grow. I am about a third of the way through the literary allusion posters, which means history and culture are what will follow. I probably need to order more magnets. I always need to order more magnets. 

1 & 3: We'll be back to your second multiple choice passage for grading and analytical purposes tomorrow. In the meanwhile, you had your CDQ diagnostic prompt today to see what your strengths and weaknesses are with the former type of argumentative prompt. This is the only CDQ essay that you will be writing as we will be back to abstract noun work shortly. 

4: We reviewed vocab, which means your quiz over unit 18 and the second burst of tone words will be on Thursday. For the rest of the hour, we worked with your third MC practice passage, which featured a great deal of rhetorical strategies to identify. I guess that means you may have to review these terms again! For homework, score the rangefinders for the CDQ prompt.

7: We completed the vocab/tone quiz for today and then did everything above that fourth hour completed. 

Acronyms, Acronyms

Perfect attendance in all classes today!

1 & 3: Finished sharing our exemplification of the Lucy/Ann CDQ prompts, discussed how to organize a timed vs. non-timed argumentative essay, completed the vocab 18/tone 2 quiz, finished the hour with MC practice passage no. 2.

4: Finished our 15 vocab words for the unit, worked on tone paragraph 3 with the topic of coffee, speed learning and circle review of new tone words.

7: Reviewed vocab for quiz tomorrow - don't forget to look over your tone words too! Shared our paragraphs, did a little speed learning, and reviewed tone words in the circle.

The CDQ Week Continues

1 & 3: We reviewed vocab for the quiz over unit 18 words and tone words of the past - so make sure you look over the list of words encapsulated in a blog earlier this week. Following that vernacular enterprise, you continued to work on and finalize the steps to exemplification using Lucy (yes, I typed the verboten "L" word there) and Ann quotes in the CDQ (challenge, defend, qualify) argumentative vein. Through the steps on Wednesday and Friday, you determined the avenue of your argument, composed thesis statements, brainstormed mighty lists of possible examples that would be narrowed to a manageable 4, and prepped to share all the above with explanatory measures in class. Although we made a substantial dent in a sharing all of the group's examples (and what a wide range!), we will need to complete the remaining groups on Monday. Whether you have completed your part or are speaking during Monday's class, pay close attention to all of the examples and the explanations. We must be looking at all of these CDQ exemplification elements for a reason!

4 & 7: As it has been on the board all week, the time for the CDQ diagnostic prompt became a reality. Forty-two minutes to create this argument on a topic that shall not be named (especially to the other classes - we don't want them to have an unfair advantage). We will be back to our agenda list on Monday, which will include wrapping up vocab unit 18, creating and/or reading tone paragraphs, learning a new set of tone words, practicing more multiple choice passages, and eventually moving back to those abstract nouns for argumentation. 

P.S. All hours, we have been building up a great deal of vocabulary, allusions, tone words, exemplification, and multiple choice work, which may seem minor as of February 9th. However, all of these elements will coalesce into a full MC test and several formal arguments (with exemplification, of course) in the next 2 - 3 weeks, so be ready to put all of this knowledge to the test! And, don't let time become your adversary or the antagonist that haunts your writing. If you keep your mind on time, you will not you have mind on what is most important of all: the actual multiple choice passage and/or the essays. Time is your friend and will help you focus by reading with purpose and writing with organization. As someone who has been taking a great deal of multiple choice passages lately, I know time can be a daunting concept. However, I also know that if I keep my pencil moving via close reading, notes, process of elimination, and moving forward when I am stuck on a question, I know I finish with time to spare. 

P.P.S. The Scholar Quiz team is hosting the St. Charles League on Tuesday, February 20, throughout the 400 and 600 hallways. There will be 2 matches starting at approximately 3:30 p.m. If you would like to watch any of our 4 teams in action, you are welcome to sit in the back and watch as a spectator. 

The Exemplification Continues

7: Let's start at the end of the day to mix it up a bit! We started off class by finishing up our vocab unit words, which means review and quiz are now upon us. Afterwards, you shared your Lucy CDQ prompts by sharing your hook with explanation, your thesis statement, your first example with explanation, your second example with explanation, and third example with explanation. Overall, you did very well with bringing in a multitude of examples that behooved your topic.

After your sharing, we talked about how a non-timed argument would go (intro, body 1, body 2, counterclaim w/example, rebuttal w/example, conclusion) and how a standard timed prompt would go (example hook & thesis for intro, body 1 with example, body 2 with example, brief counterclaim followed by rebuttal with example, conclusion). Just make sure, in any circumstance, to remember to start with a topic sentence (or 2 or 3) that conveys the idea of your argument before your bring in the specific example.

After that fun, we finished MC passage number 2, which featured many a question dealing with syntax and rhetorical strategies. Gasp! I guess that means you still need to know the meaning of these terms and be able to identify them in writing.

And last but not least, we began our third round of tone paragraphs with the overwhelming choice of Hannah Montana. Celeste, you have empathetic as your tone word. We will work more on these new batch of tone words Friday and next week!

3: After vocab work, you received evaluations of your vision exemplification paragraph and then revised this paragraph to have an overall topic sentence clarifying vision, followed by the introduction of your specific example with a plethora of specific details, and a concluding sentence. All students, present or absent, have until 10 a.m. Thursday morning to complete the paragraph or forever hold your typing.

Following our first round of exemplification, we reviewed your MC passage from Tuesday to help us better understand the correct answers and prepare for future passages that will be coming your way in the upcoming classes. All ends with a full MC test, so make sure to utilize all of these practices to improve close reading, process of elimination, and timing.

To end the hour, we began a new round of argument, the CDQ (challenge, defend, qualify) by looking at a quote (its idea), determining what angle you would like to argue, and constructing thesis statements in response. For homework, you are brainstorming a list of examples for your group work. Absentees will be assigned a group and should be ready to jump into the action on Friday.

1: These are long synopses for class today! We started off, per tradition, with vocab experts. Enjoy vocab now because when we arrive in fourth quarter, it will be less about learning words and more about putting them into action. Next, you completed a MC passage to practice all those skills and techniques from first semester - close reading, process of elimination, time management, and so forth. After analyzing the correct and incorrect answers, you should have a better sense of the passage and be ready for the upcoming practices. (I'm just happy I scored 10/10 on your passage - great pick, first hour!)

To end the hour, you found out about the CDQ (challenge, defend, qualify) by reading a given quote and determining whether to criticize, support, or ambivalently fall somewhere in the middle to construct an argument. At this point, your groups have created thesis statements, brainstormed specific examples, selected 4 to focus upon, and ordered the examples accordingly. We will resume there on Friday, so any absentees will be joining a group at that time.

All Over the Place

Today was the last day to make-up any outstanding quizzes as mid-term grades are now finalized. For the most part, we have spent these four weeks working on items to help us with multiple choice passages, argumentation, and rhetorical analysis: vocabulary, modes of discourse, allusions, tone words, exemplification. Now, it is time to move to the next phase: writing! As stated on the board this week, MC & Argument Get Serious!

1: After vocab, I gave you feedback to finish up your individual paragraphs on the group "vision" exemplification. All students - in-class or absent - will have the final draft of their paragraph completed prior to class starting tomorrow. Remember, you want a topic sentence that sets up the idea of vision and then explore the specific example and how it connects to that particular vision and its specificity.

3: After vocab, we used most of the time to work on the composition of the "vision" paragraphs for exemplification. Each student will compose a paragraph on an assigned person/idea/group and complete this task by the start of class on the shared Google doc that all of you have. All students will be expected to have this complete by the start of class tomorrow in order for me to evaluate and give you ideas for revision. At the end of class, we completed our first practice MC from the 5 for 5 book. We will grade and review those answers tomorrow to help you with your Multiple Choice understanding and techniques.

4: After vocab, tone words, and a little longer-than-expected drill, we used the time to talk about CDQ writing, which allowed us to take a quote, determine if we will challenge, defend, or qualify it, and then create a thesis statement. For homework, bring in a list of examples that will support your group's thesis. We will use these to create a verbal not-really-an-essay discussion.

7: Same as fourth hour to a certain point. For the CDQ, we have already taken all of the examples, ordered them into a digestible range, and prepare to share with the class tomorrow.