Day 34: TIB workshopping

1. Before we begin ... group reading. Plug your ears, and read together. GO! What needs tweaking in terms of how it sounds? Where are you at your best both in ideation and delivery?

2. Workshop groups #2:

Group 1: Lacy, Jorge, Micah, JR
Group 2: Jason, Brodie, Jack, Jenny R
Group 3: Douglas, Nora, Jenny N
Group 4: Jaq, Michelle, Jez
Group 5: Kyndelle, Andrew, Angus

3. How to record --> use your phone, use your laptop, use some other device I haven't listed. Just find yourself a quiet space in which to record your This I Believe. It may take a few takes, but please practice so as to produce the highest quality recording possible. On Friday, please have your recording ready to go on your selected device. I will have a small speaker for us to share and use.

Day 33: Final Essay, TIB workshop

1. The final essay
2. Review of TIB requirements

• Be brief: Essay of no more than 500 words
• Be positive
• Name your belief: make it clear and obvious
• Be personal: speak from the I and talk about something that's had an impact on who you are

3. Workshop TIB

Group 1: Lacy, Brodie, Jenny N, Andrew
Group 2: Jorge, Jack, Jaq, Angus
Group 3: Micah, Jenny R, Michelle,
Group 4: JR, Douglas, Jez,
Group 5: Jason, Nora, Kyndelle

Day 32: More TIB .. Micah Press request

Writing

You have 40 minutes to write, review, and practice your TIB. You can write about anything you believe in. Think about the topics you've read for homework and the essays you've listened to. Think about what makes a good spoken essay. Your writing must be between 150-225 words (approx 1.5-2 mins). You can do it.

Topics --> 

More serious

Gun control, civil rights, statement supporting a political candidate, family

A little bit lighter

Sports, animals, holiday traditions, favorite leisure activity, family

Present

Each person will stand at the front of the room and read their TIB. We will clap and cheer when you're done.

Weekly Post #12: It's almost over, so let's get silly and keep things light.

You need to post a clip of an appropriate yet silly video. It could be something like this or maybe something like this or maybe even something like this. Keywords are appropriate and silly.

Thanks for all of your good work here on the weekly comments. What I have appreciated the most about your posts is your willingness to follow the same writer, engage with their work deeply, and think about ways in which your author has influenced your own writing and style. Bravo!

Day 31: This I Believe (day 2)

Write

Opening line: I believe in ...

You have 40 minutes to write, review, and practice your TIB. You can write about anything you believe in. Think about the topics you've read for homework and the essays you've listened to. Think about what makes a good spoken essay. Your writing must be between150-225 words (approx 1.5-2 mins). You can do it.

Present

Each person will stand at the front of the room and read their TIB. We will clap and cheer when you're done.

Discuss

Best parts of what you heard? How could we all improve?

Review TIB from homework. What worked in the recordings? What didn't?

Day 30: This I Believe (food edition)

Writing: Write about a favorite family related food memory (20 mins). Start with :I believe in ..."

Review: What is This I Believe?

• Be brief: Essay of no more than 500 words
• Be positive
• Name your belief: make it clear and obvious
• Be personal: speak from the I and talk about something that's had an impact on who you are

Discuss
Small groups --> Share your TIBs with each other. Identify SAS and belief. What stands out on each one? Use of ethos, pathos, logos?

Large group -->

There is No God
Be Cool to the Pizza Dude
Finding Acceptance in Mac N Cheese

Day 29: Finalizing letter

1. Group check-in: what do you love the most about your letter? What is your intention?
2. Workshop with 1-2 peers as you feel comfortable.
3. Hand letter in

• dropitto.me/mcollie
• EnglishRocks
• File name --> Essay4_Name.pdf

Day 28: SAS + opening + closing

1. Check-in ... how is everyone doing?
2. Small groups --> discuss SAS, How, Why, So What?
3. Large group --> best opening phrase. best closing phrase.
4. Work on letter. Ask Mary questions. Workshop with peers.

Post #11: Letter from your writer

Now that you've written a letter to your writer (super great job!), I want you to get creative, embrace the style and tone of your writer, and write a letter to yourself FROM your writer. Have some fun. Capture their voice as best you can. We will share these in class.

Day 27: Workshopping the letter

Some letter reading to inspire your letter writing ...

Amy Poehler, Apology Letter from Heart and from the Brain --> response?
Caitlin Moran, Advice letter to her daughter --> response?

1.  Check in around who is ok with working with others and who is not.
2. Break into groups and talk out what you're thinking of writing ... for those not working with others, quick check-ins with me.
3. Review the timeline of this essay.

Group 1: Kyndelle, Brodie, Jaq, Nora
Group 2: Douglas, Jez, Andrew, Michelle

Post #10: Letter to your writer

Write a short (think 7-9 sentences) letter to your writer. Tell the writer whatever you like, but make sure you include some specifics about what you've read, enjoyed, loathed, or learned.

Day 25: Letter of thanks & lots of audio

Writing: Write a thank you note to someone at MA. I will deliver.

Discussion
Small Groups --> what did you respond to in the homework?

Ken Burns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNfBdzpG6L4

What does this letter tell us about war time? What does it reveal about family?

Ted Talk

https://www.ted.com/talks/lakshmi_pratury_on_letter_writing?language=en

How has letter writing changed in the digital age? What is the societal loss of letter writing? What's the gain?

NPR Story

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/26/132263637/perfect-thank-you-notes-heartfelt-and-handwritten

Listen
1. Snap Judgment: Unspoken --> Prison Librarian (6 mins)
Thoughts?

2. This American Life: Parent Trap --> Act 1 (14 mins)
Thoughts?

Day 24: Letters of advice and to family

Writing: Write a letter of advice. You need to pick a topic you have yet to explore.

Discussion:

HW: How does using the structure of a letter complement the content of the letter? In other words, why is the format of a letter the most successful form to convey this information?

A Letter to my Nephew // Letter to My Daughter // Things to Worry About

small groups --> discuss homework, SAS (entire triangle)

Listen
Snap Judgment: Unspoken

Post #9: Steal a line

What's the best line in the entire piece and why? Think about our discussion with MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail. Think about MLK's use of sentence structure and language. Where has your writer dazzled you, but only in one sentence. Be sure to share that sentence.

Day 23: Letter writing and MLK

Writing: Write a letter calling attention to something. You can call attention to a global injustice, a familial argument, a personal matter. Whatever it is you write about, it should be serious in tone and subject.

Review: What is a letter?
1. Parts: greeting, body, closing, signature
2: Purpose: communication between two people ... family, heads of state, companies, etc
3. Value today?
4. Ethos, Pathos, Logos are back!!

Assignment: write a letter to someone. This will be personal and it will be mailed (by me). I will be looking for sincere expression, clarity of ideas, precision of language, organization of ideas, articulation of a clear point (thesis). I understand that this assignment might be more personal in nature, but you must write a letter to someone about something that you feel comfortable with me reading. You will not have to swap with peers if you're uncomfortable doing so.

Discussion

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Small groups --> review homework questions (1. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. invokes passages from “The Gettysburg Address,” The Declaration of Independence, and the Bible. Why do you think he references these sources? How do these sources help make his letter more powerful? 2. Select a paragraph or section of this letter and talk about the tone. Define the tone. Is it effective? What is King trying to convey?)

Structure
1. This is a very persuasive essay with lots of argumentation. How does he organize his ideas, transition between different examples, and maintain the reader's attention?

Content

1. In King’s response he writes, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” What are the implications of this statement for all people in relation to social injustices? Do you believe he is right? Why or why not? 
2. Where do you hear King's passion? His desire to demonstrate his point?

Day 22: finishing up your essay

Swap with two peers to review your essay. Ask me questions. Finalize this puppy!

Uploaded as pdf to http://dropitto.me/mcollie. Password: EnglishRocks. Please label the file Essay3_name.pdf.

Post #8: What's missing?

Sometimes when I read the same writer for a while I get lulled into their habits and their style. And then sometimes I start thinking ... Sheesh. This writer would be super amazing if only they did ________. In looking at this week's work, what's missing from the work that would really make you love it? What's missing that would make this writer truly the best ever?

Thanks for your insights and ideas. Excellent work.

Day 21: Working and writing and more working

Swap as needed. I'm happy to check in. This is a full period of essay work. Get to it!

Day 20: More small group work

Writer --> What do you love about your argument? What help are you looking for?

Small groups --> same as last class. Swap drafts. Give feedback. **Readers: need to offer one new perspective both for and against the thesis. Writer cannot address all arguments and issues, but has the writer forgotten anything major?

Day 19: Small group workhop

Large group: What are the components of a good argument? of effective persuasion? What do you as the reader want to experience? What do you as the writer what to achieve?

Solo work: Check in with your thesis statement. What is it? Where is it? Revise once and tighten it up.

Board work: Put your thesis statement on the board. Space them out. Let them breathe. Review of all thesis statements. No names. No comments. Just read them.

Break into groups based on what thesis statement you'd like to work with. Can't choose your own. Two people pick to make a group.

Day 18: Why Don't We Complain & Small Town ...

Writing: You must take a stand on one of these issues (homework policy at MA, MA is a bubble, MA food stinks, MA doesn't appreciate how busy the students are, ) and argue for or against it. This is not a time to be wishy washy or a moment to embrace the spectrum. Draw a line in the sand and stand on one side or the other.

List thesis statements on the board. Pick one (not your own) and come up with three arguments for and three arguments against the claim. Working in groups, share your ideas and pick the best for and the best against argument. Share with larger group.

Discussion

Why Don't We Complain

Small groups --> How would you describe Buckley's attitude toward his subject? What's his tone? What's the thesis? Is it one sentence? Two? Pinpoint.

Large group --> Ethos, Pathos, Logos? What purpose does the story about the ski shop serve in the narrative?

Small Town, Quiet Town, Safe Town

Small groups --> review homework questions, look for moments of levity and discuss their effectiveness, paragraph 4 includes some interesting repetition (what do you think of it?)

Large group --> Identify Ethos, Pathos, Logos! How does Steben achieve a nearly universal appeal to his story that's ground in a specific place? What purpose do the first 5-6 sentences serve?

Day 17: Death & Justice // Why Prisons Don't Work

Writing: You must take a stand on one of these issues (funding public pensions, gay marriage, raising the minimum wage, climate change, college affordability) and argue for or against it. This is not a time to be wishy washy or a moment to embrace the spectrum. Draw a line in the sand and stand on one side or the other.

Discussion

1. Death & Justice

In small groups --> review homework questions, find examples of Ethos, Pathos, Logos

In large group --> Review Ethos, Pathos, Logos; closer look at the opening ... impact of the quotes? Are there faulty parts to the argument and structure?

2. Why Prisons Don't Work

In small groups --> review homework questions, find examples of Ethos, Pathos, Logos

In large group --> Review Ethos, Pathos, Logos; what is Rideau's tone?

**Compare the effectiveness of the two essays? Which one does a better job of arguing its side? A better job of persuading you to side with him?

Post #7: Getting involved

This week try to focus on how the writer involves the reader. Good narrative pieces (this is not to say all of your readings are narrative pieces) engage the reader on some level. How do your writers do it? Is it the topic? The language? Something about the style?

Day 16: Argument & Persuasion

Write: You must take a stand on one of these issues (death penalty, legalized marijuana, gun control, assisted suicide, immigration reform) and argue for or against it. This is not a time to be wishy washy or a moment to embrace the spectrum. Draw a line in the sand and stand on one side or the other.

Working with Argument & Persuasion:
Argument --> appeal to audience's sense of reason
Persuasion --> appeal to audience's feelings and values

THESIS!!! Your claim. Your assertion. It's debatable. It's concise. It's amazing.

Ethos: Ethical appeal (writer takes aim at reader's desire for credibility and reasonable argument)
Pathos: Emotional appeal (writer takes aim at reader's hearts)
Logos: Rational Appeal (writer takes aim at reader's ability to reason logically)

• Inductive Reasoning: moving from particular to the general, from evidence to generalization or conclusion
• Inductive Leap: movement from particular to general
• Deductive Reasoning: moving from general to the particular
• Syllogism: an instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion (e.g., all dogs are animals; all animals have four legs; therefore all dogs have four legs )

Fallacies --> review (p. 326). Eight fallacies listed. Break into groups and work to write a fallacy for the topics you wrote about at start of class. Share fallacies on board.

Reading:
Half the class reads The Racial Reality of Policing and the other half reads In Defense of Football. In your group, answer the following questions:

• What is the essay about? Summarize for the other group. Define SAS.
• How is the essay organized?
• Did you find any fallacies?
• Ethos, pathos, or logos?

Day 15: Writing Workshop 2 (Share, Ask, Write)

Share: Please share your work with at least two peers.

Groups -->
Lacy, Michelle, Kyndelle
Jason, Brodie, Jenny R
Jez, Angus, Jenny N, Jaq
Douglas, Jorge, Jack,
Nora, JR, Andrew, Micah

Ask: I will answer as many questions as possible. I cannot read everyone's essay (not enough time and I'm not that fast of a reader), but I want to check in with everyone.

Write: Once you have swapped with peers, use class time to refine and revise your work. Your final essay needs to be uploaded to dropbox before the start of our next class. Instructions are on MyMA. You'll be great.

Please bring your books and laptops to our next class. We are heading into Argument territory for the next essay. Best. News. Ever.

Weekly Post #6: Patterns

You can answer this week's post in one of two ways ...

1. Do you notice any patterns to your writer's work this week? Does your writer love a certain sentence pattern or piece of punctuation or phrase?

2. Looking back over the last few weeks, do you notice a pattern to your writer's work. I want you to think structurally not thematically.

Share the pattern and an example with us all.

Day 14: Writing workshop

Some inspiration from previous essays ... opening lines

1. I come from a village.
2. When I was five years old I was a social, adorable baseball fanatic.
3. I need to compete
4. I was a shy kid.
5. I'm not white.
6. As a child, one of the realities I believed I understood (perhaps even better than other children of my age) was death.
7. I knew when the hamper screamed that everything would be alright.
8. When I was four years old, my siblings and I would often leave our house for extended periods of time.

What's your purpose? What do you want to achieve with this essay?
---------------------------------
Step 1: At the top of your draft please write the following:

• 3 things I love about my work.
• 3 thing I need help with.
• 3 questions for the reader (unrelated to previous ideas)

Step 2: Find your partners and get reading. Be sure to read their notes at the top. Remember: this is a time to be concise, constructive and honest in your feedback.

Step 3: Work on your own. Ask Mary questions. Work toward that second draft.

Groups:
1. Michelle, Lacy, Micah, JR
2. Douglas, Nora,  Kyndelle
3. Jack, Jason, Angus, Jez
4. Jaq, Brodie, Andrew
5. Jorge, Jenny R, Jenny N

Day 13: Talking workshop

Solo work: What do you aspire to do with your writing? What writers do you look up to and want to be like? How are you going to excite your reader and encourage them to read? What two goals do you have for the next essay?

Large group: What are the components of a successful compare/contrast essay? What makes a good comparison great? What do you as the reader want to experience?

In groups of four ...

1. Presenter presents. Partners listen. (3 mins) Talk out the points you're comparing, the details, the ideas. Listeners listen, take notes (think about what stands out, what you'd like to know, etc).
2. Listeners report back. Presenter listens. (3 mins) What did you hear? What do you want to know? What needs elaborating? Share your thoughts and insights.
3. Repeat until everyone has told their story.

Group 1: Jorge, Lacy, Jenny N
Group 2: Nora, Kyndelle, Jack, Jaq
Group 3: Brodie, Andrew, Michelle
Group 4: Jenny R, Micah, Angus
Group 5: JR, Jez, Douglas

Day 12: Neat People vs Sloppy People & Batting Clean-up

Writing: Brainstorm a list of traits for people you see as opposite from you. From that brainstorm, tease out 2-3 that have the potential for humor and write away.

Check-in about previous essay: reading of some opening lines.

• Three areas where people struggled: consistent tone, focusing on one moment around which to tell your story/share revelations (get to that story earlier), writing voice distinction

Discussion

1. Neat People v Sloppy People

Small Groups --> review homework questions AND figure out the audience, So What?, and tone. (share on board)

Large Groups --> Review board work

2. Batting Clean-up

Small groups --> come up with your own questions. 1 on structure and 1 on meaning. Put on board.

Large groups --> share questions and discuss

Weekly Post #5: Words!

Diction. Vocabulary. Word choice. Call it what you will, but the style and tone and voice of a writer are all created with the most basic unit of writing: words. Find something in the diction that stands out. Maybe it's a word combination, the use of simple words, a word bomb that makes you reach for the dictionary.

A sentence I just had to share. From the NYT and Mark Bittman. This is awesome!!

The food processor replaces the whisk; the pastry cutter; the standing mixer (for which there are still some uses, but only if you’re a dedicated baker); the mandoline (which, to me, remains a fine alternative to the food processor for small quantities); the mortar and pestle, which, no matter how lovely, quaint and authentic, is perhaps the most labor-intensive, primitive and damnable set of tools in the kitchen; and, perhaps most importantly, the grater.

Day 11: Middle Class Black's Burden & Fatso

Writing: What oppositions do you use to evaluate people? Nice/mean. Men/women. Tall/short.

Discussion

1. The Middle-Class Black's Burden

Small Groups --> review homework questions AND figure out the audience, So What?, and tone. (share on board)

Large Groups --> Review board work.

Forms of persuasion
1. Ethos: trust, credibility (credible sources, personal experience)
2. Logos: reason, logic (references studies, comparisons, analogies, metaphors)
3. Pathos: values, emotion (personal stories, inspirational quotes/speech, vivid language)

Is McClain trying to persuade us of something? If so, what forms does she use?

2. Fatso

Small Groups --> review homework questions AND role of repetition.

Large Groups --> Is there a difference between identity elements you can control** and elements you're born with?

**assumed

Day 10: Compare & Contrast: Living in Two Worlds

Writing: Tell about a time when you knew you were different. How did you know? Who was the other group? How were they different from you?

Check-in about previous essay .... process in class and out? What else do you need/want?

Working with compare/contrast:
One of the most popular forms of essays we see every day. Think Presidential elections. Course selection. College selection. It's everywhere!!

Comparison --> to show similarities
Contrast --> to show differences

Explain (show similarities & differences to make either or both clear) or Evaluate (to establish advantages and disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses)

Subject-by-subject --> cover boys polo and then cover girls polo
Point-by-point --> style of play, skills of players, offensive tactics, defensive tactics

Questions to ask yourself: Will you emphasize both subjects equally or stress one over the other? Will you emphasize difference, similarities or both?

The most important piece is ... COHESION! No one wants to go to a tennis match while reading an essay. Smooth out the back and forth. Focus on strong transitions that signal the comparisons or contrasts you're trying to make.

Extra note: Look Back at Arm Wrestling with my Father and Salvation, and you'll see some compare and contrast going on. Bet you didn't even notice. It was that sneaky.

Reading: Listen to Six to Eight Black Men by David Sedaris

Discussing: What is purpose? Who is audience? Style of compare/contrast?

Weekly Post #4: Endings

You looked at opening lines, so now let's look at closing lines. What is the last line of the essay and is it an effective way to close the piece? If it is, why? If it isn't, is there a better ending earlier in the piece? Or feel free to suggest your own. Does the ending tie it all together? Does it feel complete? So many questions, so little time.

Great job so far. Keep it up.

Day 9: Share, Ask, Write

Share: Please share your work with at least two peers. Please note with whom you shared as I'd like to know for my notes.

Ask: Eugenie is a wealth of information when it comes to writing. She's a writer herself! So please ask her for help should you need any. She's awesome. Promise.

Write: Once you have swapped with peers, use class time to refine and revise your work. Your final essay needs to be uploaded to dropbox before the start of our next class. Instructions are on MyMA. Good luck!

Please bring your books and laptops to our next class. We are heading into Compare & Contrast territory for the next essay. So exciting.

Day 8: Writing workshop w partners

A little reading --> how to start

Seeing as you have a first draft, there's no better time to share it with your peers and get some serious feedback. Awesome!

Step 1: At the top of your draft please write the following:

• 3 things I love about my work.
• 3 thing I need help with.
• 3 questions for the reader (unrelated to previous ideas)

Step 2: Find your partners and get reading. Be sure to read their notes at the top. Remember: this is a time to be concision, constructive and honest in your feedback.

Step 3: Work on your own. Ask Mary questions. Work toward that second draft.

Groups:
Lacy, Nora, Brodie
Jorge, Kyndelle, Jez
Jenny N, Jack, Micah
Andrew, Jaq, Jenny R, JR
Angus, Michelle, Douglas, Jason

Weekly Post #3: Sentence structure

Few things tell me as much about an author as sentence structure. I'm not just talking about the ability to put a subject and a verb together; rather, I'm talking about being wowed by a simple variation or double wowed by a wild one. Maybe your author loves the fragment or the meandering thought or, god forbid, the interjection. Whatever it is, post a sentence that dazzles or bores you. A sentence that makes you want to steal it or one that makes you want to erase it. A sentence that reveals something about the author's style. Once you've posted your sentence, tell me briefly why you chose that sentence and what it tells you about the author.

Day 7: Talking workshop

Large group: What are the components of a good narrative? What makes a good story great? What do you as the reader want to experience? What do you as the writer what to achieve?

In groups of four ...

1. Presenter presents. Partners listen. (5 mins) Talk out the narrative, the details, the ideas. Listeners listen, take notes (think about what stands out, what you'd like to know, etc).
2. Listeners report back. Presenter listens. 5 mins) What did you hear? What do you want to know? What needs elaborating? Share your thoughts and insights.
3. Repeat until everyone has told their story.

Group 1: Lacy, Kyndelle, Andrew, Angus
Group 2: Nora, Jenny N, Jaq, Michelle
Group 3: Brodie, Jack, Jenny R, Douglas
Group 4: Jorge, Micah, Julia-Rose, Jason

Weekly Post #2: opening lines

Please share the opening line of your writer's work this week. What stands out about it? What works? What doesn't work? Do you think it's an effective way to begin the piece? Why/Why not?

Day 6: Salvation & Arm Wrestling

Writing: Tell me about a childhood epiphany you had

Discussion

In small groups --> Compare and contrast these two essays and their use of emotion, not only revealing their own but also drawing on the reader's.

In large group

1. Salvation

• Do you see child-like innocence in this essay? If so, how? where?
• Focusing on the opening, how does Hughes get the reader to buy in early?
• How is Hughes' tone reflective yet his style adolescent?
• Paragraph 2: Is this younger Hughes or older Hughes? What language and structural hints can we use to answer this?
• Paragraph 2: What's up with all those exclamation points?
• Ending --> is Hughes sad because he didn't have realization? because he let those around him down? OR because he lied?
• What's the main point of the essay? What change occurs in him as a result of his experience? (M1)
• Ideas of unmet expectations OR unexpected expectations ... how do expectations change us?
• Where can we find irony in this piece?

2. Arm Wrestling With My Father

• What is the overall tone of this piece?
• Who is the audience?
• How does Manning create universal appeal out of a very personal story?
• What impression do you have of Manning's father? Does Manning want the reader to have empathy for the father? Understand his way of love?
• How would you describe Manning's style? His voice? Does he always remain in the present, adult voice?

Day 5: The Chase & Santa Ana

Writing: Tell me about a time when you were chased or when you were chasing someone/something.

Discussion

In small groups --> review the homework questions. Identify SAS.

In large group

1. Santa Ana

• Ending: is this all of LA? California? Humanity?
• How does Didion use objectivity to appeal to emotion?
• How does Didion establish her credibility and truth?
• What's the tone of this piece?
• Do the Santa Ana's change people who expose a truth about people?
• How does Didion exclude and/or include her audience in her work?
• How dos she make the regional universal?

2. The Chase

• How does Dillard balance her youthful tone and adult reflection? Why is the success of this essay dependent on that balance?
• What's the So What? How do we reconcile the ending?
• is the man a placeholder, something against which to expose a personal truth?
• What's the tone of this piece?
• Paragraph 6: notice the structure
• Paragraph 20: does hyperbole work for or against the narrative?

What would you want to steal or borrow from these pieces? Ideas? Structural pieces? Something stylistic?

Day 4: Narration/Description, SAS & more

Writing: Tell me a childhood story you’ve told many times before. Be sure to include the last time you told it.

Working with Description

Description draws on the perceptions of the five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch — to understand and communicate a particular experience of the world.

Objective vs Subjective Description

Dominant Impression — a central theme or idea about the subject. Could be something seen, an emotional response. Serves as unifying principle that guides the writer's selection of details and the reader's understanding of the subject.

Point of View — consistency is key

Working with Narration

We tell stories all day long. Your job in your essay is make some meaning out of the story and convey some larger point/idea.

Modes of telling a story: chronologically, en media res (start in the middle), flashbacks, frame story (final event comes first and then details of how you get to final event follow)

Thesis — You should have a point to make. And that point should be clear but not overtly stated (this is hard to do, but you'll get there)

Point of View — consistency is key

SAS Triangle
Speaker --> who?
Audience --> to whom?
Subject --> what?

Purpose --> Why? relationship between speaker and audience
Tone --> How? relationship between speaker and subject
Argument & Point --> So what? relationship between audience and subject

In-class reading and discussing ...

Day 3: Ground Rules, SAS and writing

Writing: Think of a time when you were little and you did something you shouldn't have done. Describe both the incident and the feelings they created.

Forming Ground Rules:
What do you need from a community of learners to do your best work?
What do you need during discussions?
What do you need during class writing workshops?


List 5-7 things for each question

Go around the room and list items on board
Narrow down list to 10 items per question

Review: Speaker, Audience, Subject --> and relationship between these three items

Weekly Post #1

What writer are you going to follow? What does your writer writer about? And for whom? Why do you like this writer or are you interested in reading his/her work?

When commenting, please select the GOOGLE tab at the bottom of your comment, and sign in using your MA email account. In the body of your comment, please include your name. To avoid losing work, copy your comment before hitting publish.

Day 2: Why I Write and crafting your own answer

1. Discussion of reading: What is writing to the author? How does the author interact with writing? How would you describe the style of each writer? (in groups and then share out)

2. Clarity: What is it? Purpose? How does a writer achieve it? WSJ article.

3. Finding your own voice: What is voice? What components make it up? When you think of your own writing, what three things do you think stand out about your work? What makes your writing your own? How would a teacher know you from a peer? (solo and then share out)

4. Start writing: Why I write. Three pages max. Think about Orwell and Didion and Welty. Think about discussion.

Day 1: We begin

1. Class introduction (basic contact info, writer to follow, writing every day, who are you?)

2. What is good writing? What is good story-telling? Podcast! TAL: Return to the Scene of the Crime

3. Write: How do you see yourself as a writer? How would you like to see yourself as a writer?

4. Let’s read: Orwell’s “Why I Write”