Writing 2 Class Notes -- Week 2 (Sept. 10)

 Greetings!

We had a great class yesterday.  These students are coming in with a readiness to learn and are encouraging a positive perspective for one another.

Our Quick Write today was from the National Days Calendar.  Yesterday was National Swap Ideas Day, in which people are encouraged to share their ideas and creativity with one another.  I asked them to write about any big, outside-the-box ideas they've done or had.  They could also write about whether or not they are creative.  I've just finished reading their Quick Writes, and this class has a wonderful variety of creative and practical students!

This week students handed in their first paper assignment of the year, their Personal Essay Rough Drafts.  I'm looking forward to reading them.  My procedure with student papers is to go through and correct them after they're handed in and then hand them back the next week.  Students are to take that following week to make revisions.  If they haven't already, they should answer the Discussion Question posted on Google Classroom, "From your perspective, what is the easiest part of writing an essay and what's the hardest?"

Last week for the Literature portion of the class, we started My Antonia by Willa Cather with an  introduction and a quiz on Google Classroom.  Before they started reading the book, they also wrote a little bit about their family history.  For next week, they are to complete 3 Reader Responses.  We talked in class about the study guide questions that are listed per chapter and also the ala carte options if students would like more creative opportunities to respond to their reading.  Students can do any combination of questions and ala carte options -- they just need to choose 3.  NOTE:  These reader responses can be done on paper and handed in during next week's class time OR they can be done on the Google Classroom assignment.  Students DO NOT need to do it both ways.

For the final third of the class time, we covered some Grammar.  Last year in Writing 1, the students did parts of speech projects during which they were the teachers.  I'm starting this year out with quick reviews of those parts of speech.  This week, the assigned worksheets are reviews of Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs.  All of the grammar worksheets for the semester will be on the Rocketbook template, so if students want, they can either hand in the assignment during class next week OR scan the worksheet using the Rocketbook app and upload it to the Google Classroom assignments.

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

This Week's Homework

Note:  Many of the assignments have hyperlinks to the Google Classroom assignment.  If you're doing the paper version of the assignment, you can disregard the Google Classroom assignment.  ONLY if it has GC after the assignment is it required that you do it on Google Classroom.

-- Read p. 1 - 23 of My Antonia

-- 3 Reader Responses. 

-- Writing Discussion Question (if not already done) (GC)

-- Grammar Worksheets:  Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs

This Week's Links

Class Notes -- Week 2 (Sept. 10)

Mrs. Prichard's  Zoom link 

National Days Calendar.  

National Swap Ideas Day

Evaluation Essay

Definition

            In an essay of evaluation, a writer acts like a roving critic, exploring the significance of your topic.  The purpose of an evaluation essay is to demonstrate the overall quality (or lack thereof) of a particular product, business, place, service, or program.  To develop an essay of this type, think in terms of a subject’s value, impact, and significance; its strengths and weaknesses; its place in the scheme of things.

Choosing a Subject

            An Evaluation Essay explores a particular event, a current trend, an extended project, a recent decision, a new product, and so on.  Consider recent experiences, conversations, and headlines for possible ideas.  It can focus on current events, political or social events, or developments in medicine or technology.

Thesis Development

While any evaluation involves injecting some form of opinion, if an evaluation is done properly, it should not come across as opinionated.  Instead, the evaluation should seem reasoned and unbiased. 

Organization

In order to give a clear representation and reasonable, unbiased discussion of your topic keep the following elements in mind:

• Critera – This refers to the elements or qualities that demonstrate an ideal for any similar situation.  Having clear criteria establishes your paper with facts and details so that it does not appear to be only an opinion.  For example, if evaluating a restaurant, you would choose the common characteristics of menu items, cleanliness, staff, prices, etc. 
• Judgment – This establishes whether or not your topic meets the appropriate criteria that you’ve chosen to consider in your evaluation.  Using the example of a restaurant, if you’ve chosen as criteria the quality of food, the judgment states whether or not the particular restaurant offers food that meets or exceeds this stated quality.
• Evidence – These are the details that support your judgment of the criteria.  Again, in the restaurant example, if you have determined that the quality does not meet a certain standard, give an explanation that serves as evidence.

Generally, each body paragraph of an evaluation essay is going to focus on one specific criterion, which should be fully explained, followed by the judgment and a variety of evidence offered as support.  Because of this, it is important that any evaluation contains several different criteria, judgments, and evidence.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Pre-Write due March 26; Rough Draft due April 4;  Final Draft due April 23

– Essay length:  800 – 1000 words (between 3 and 6 pages)

– Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

– Final draft format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay

Comparison/Contrast Essay

Definition 

In comparison and contrast essays, the writer places two subjects side by side and examines their similarities and/or differences in order to clarity the qualities of each (to inform) or to make a point (to persuade).  Comparison and contrast papers can be used independently with just similarities or differences or in combination covering both similarities and differences.  These essays are important since they allow you to show your knowledge of two subjects while analyzing the relationship between them. 

Thesis Development 

The thesis of the essay should name the subjects (A and B) and announce the focus of the contrast and comparison.  The thesis also states a general opinion but leaves the explanation of the points of comparison to the body of the essay.   For example, if the essay compares two sports, the writer’s thesis might express opinions regarding the cost, danger, difficulty, etc. of the one sport compared to the other.  A thesis also might deal with surprising similarities between two seemingly different subjects. 

Organization 

Essays that compare and contrast two subjects use either a subject-by-subject or a point-by-point structure.  In a subject-by-subject structure, the writer describes one subject first and then moves on to the second subject.  In such a structure, the writer would discuss everything about subject A before moving on to discuss subject B.  This structure results in larger blocks devoted to each subject. 

In a point-by-point structure, the writer organizes his or her writing around specific points of similarity or difference between the two subjects, so each subject is discussed in relation to a point o similarity or difference.  This structure results in both subject A and B being discussed within a paragraph. 

 EXAMPLES 

Subject-by-Subject Pattern 

1. Introduction 

2. Subject A 

1. Point #1 

2. Point #2 

3. Point #3 

4. Point #4 

3. Subject B 

1. Point #1 

2. Point #2 

3. Point #3 

4. Point #4 

4. Conclusion 

* Note:  The points for Subject A and Subject B correspond. 

Point-by Point Pattern 

1. Introduction 

2. Main Point #1 

1. Subject A 

2. Subject B 

3. Main Point #2 

1. Subject A 

2. Subject B 

4. Main Point #3 

1. Subject A 

2. Subject B 

5. Main Point #4 

1. Subject A 

2. Subject B 

Tips on Writing 

• Select the subjects for your comparison/contrast with a purpose and audience in mind.  Consider why and how you plan to bring these two topics together. 
• Are you trying to help your reader understand the topics more thoroughly or are you trying to persuade your reader of something? 
• List similarities and differences in your subjects before planning your structure and outline. 
• Decide if your subjects share more similarities or differences.  You will want to choose carefully what aspects you will emphasize so that your reader has a clear impression and understanding. 

Pitfalls to Avoid 

Avoid obvious comparisons.  It’s not very interesting to hear what you already know, so try examining similarities or differences that aren’t obvious. 

Avoid incomplete comparisons. A comparison that does not discuss the same elements for both topics would confuse your reader. 

Avoid confusing comparisons.  If the writer shows only the similarities, the reader will wonder if the two subjects are identical.  If the writer shows only differences, the reader might wonder why they are being compared. 

Essay Guidelines 

• Due dates:  Pre-Writing due November 14; Rough Draft due November 28; Final Draft due December 12.  
• Essay length:  800 – 1000 words (at least 2 ½ pages) 

• Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced. 
• Final draft format:  
• Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know) 
• 1 inch margins 
• Name and date on the upper right hand corner 

• Number the pages on the lower right hand corner 
• Title centered above the text of the essay