Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

You know that you go to a great school when....

Wos:

Today we recited our "To be, or not to be" lines. If you were not ready, or were absent, please be ready to go Wed. Remember, you loose 10 points each day that you are not ready!

Brit Lit:

Today I was finally able to get us into the lab to but together the final draft of your pilgrimage papers. I will look to get us one more day if possible this week.

These will be due this Friday.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Word O' the Week:

Anile [an-yl]: Adj. Of or like an old woman. Why did that kid and anile get along so well? Because they have a common enemy: mother.

WOS:

Today we translated the famous "To be, or not to be" speech in Hamlet. Reminder, you need to memorize the first 10 lines for Tuesday.

HW: Learn your lines for Tuesday. 10 points per line, with one free line if needed.

Brit Lit:

Today we learned about the Compare and Contrast Essay. In class you began the 1st draft of comparing and contrasting the differences between the classic tale A Kinight's Tale and the very modern film of the same name. Below is a brief explaination on how to write this:


How to Write a Compare/Contrast Essay
Compare and contrast essays are the other big essay types in academic writing. These essays will follow a specific question and are fairly easy to complete. There are several ways to write this type of essay. The most important thing to remember is structure. Many wonderful essays fall victim to the woes of bad structure, making any ingenuity to fall by the wayside. Go over the rules on how to write a general essay, and then structure your compare/contrast essay in one of the following two formats:
Introduction
Your introduction — like the five-paragraph-essay, should open generally (with a quotation, anecdote, generalization), and lead into the thesis statement.
Topic 1
This next portion of your essay (which may consist of one paragraph or several) should cover only the first topic of the comparison and contrast. Compare/Contrast essays take two topics and illustrate how they are similar and dissimilar. Do not mention topic 2 in this first portion.
Topic 2
This next portion of your essay (which may also consist of one or more paragraphs) should cover the second of the two topics. Do not discuss Topic 1 in this section. Since you have already gone into great detail about it, you may allude to Topic 1 briefly; however, do not analyze Topic 1 in this section. This portion of the paper is to discuss Topic 2 in great detail.
Topics 1 and 2 Together
Now that you have analyzed both Topic 1 and Topic 2 independently, now it is time to analyze them together. This section may also be one or several paragraphs.
Conclusion
The conclusion — like the introduction — should be a generalization of the thesis. This paragraph should express your certainty and absolute knowledge on the subject matter. You should reaffirm your thesis (essentially restate it in new words) and show how you've proven it.
OR
Introduction
Your introduction — like the five-paragraph-essay, should open generally (with a quotation, anecdote, generalization), and lead into the thesis statement.
All Comparisons (Topics 1 and 2)
This section — which should consists of several paragraphs — should go through all similarities you find in the two topics on which you are writing. There should be at least three comparisons (essentially three short body paragraphs) in which you give an example from both topics of comparisons in each.
All Contrasts (Topics 1 and 2)
This section — which should consist of several paragraphs — should go through all differences you find in the two topics on which you are writing. There should be at least three contrasts (essentially three short body paragraphs) in which you give an example from both topics of comparisons in each.
Conclusion
This conclusion is wrapping up everything you have just proven in your paper. It should restate the thesis in a new, more official way, and you should feel quite confident in your writing.
Here is a quick breakdown on how the Compare-Contrast Essay should appear:
Type A:
Paragraph 1: Introduction (with Thesis)
Paragraph 2: Topic 1 (Comparison a)
Paragraph 3: Topic 1 (Comparison b)
Paragraph 4: Topic 1 (Comparison c)
Paragraph 5: Topic 2 (Contrast a)
Paragraph 6: Topic 2 (Contrast b)
Paragraph 7: Topic 2 (Contrast c)
Paragraph 8: (Optional) — Comparisons/Contrasts together (any topic)
Paragraph 8: Conclusion
Type B:
Paragraph 1: Introduction (with Thesis)
Paragraph 2: Comparison a (Topic 1&2)
Paragraph 3: Comparison b (Topic 1&2)
Paragraph 4: Comparison c (Topic 1&2)
Paragraph 5: Contrast a (Topic 1&2)
Paragraph 6: Contrast b (Topic 1&2)
Paragraph 7: Contrast c (Topic 1&2)
Paragraph 8: Conclusion