Today we met in groups so all students would have the opportunity to have 2-3 people offer feedback on their essays thus far.

At this point, all students should have a strong introduction,  two body paragraphs,  complete with supporting details from the literary work on which the essay is based.

After the small group editing was complete, we covered conclusions for the essays.  Tonight, all students will finalize their conclusions and, bring the entire essay in for peer editing.

The final step will be typing the essay over the weekend.  It is essential that all essays are turned in on time.  A late essay will be reduced by half the possible points allowed.

For the Critical Lens (10th grade) please make use of the outline I gave you. It provides an excellent example of a conclusion.

Above are pictures from today's notes.

All classes are beginning the essay writing process.  The tenth grade is focusing on the "Critical Lens", and the ninth grade is focusing on a literary device used in a selected piece of literature.

The entire week we will take the essay writing process piece by piece, from introduction to conclusion.  My goal is for students to take home a completed draft of the work to type and turn in on Monday.

Keeping in mind: writing is a 'process', please anticipate that all students will have revisions.  It is exceedingly rare for even a college student to have an error free paper.   

Tenth Grade H.W.-Introductory paragraph
Critical Lens Introduction paragraph:
"In this world goodness is destined to be defeated" -Walker Percy (The Moviegoer, 1962)

Steps to take:
1. state the quote
2. Interpret the quote, do you agree or disagree? (remember, this does not have to be obvious) 
3. Mention the pieces of literature that support your belief .

Ninth Grade H.W.-Introductory paragraph

Steps to take:
1. Choose a literary device: imagery, characterization, foreshadowing or irony
2. Choose a piece of literature that you have read in this class or previous classes.
2. Introduce the literary device, and its use.  (attention getting statement) Remember,  there is a Literary Devices section in your text.
3. State your point about the device and that it is used in your chosen piece of literature.
4. Thesis statement  (see the bold text below) the conclusion/belief/theory you have about the device and its impact on the piece.

For example,  here is a passage from sparknotes that bases a thesis on reason in The Most Dangerous Game: 

      Pitting Rainsford and General Zaroff against each other in the hunt allows Connell to blur the line between hunter and prey, human and animal, to suggest that instinct and reason are not as mutually exclusive as people have traditionally thought. Writers and philosophers have traditionally placed human intellect and the ability to reason above the bestial instincts of wild animals, which have no moral compulsions and act solely to satisfy their own needs. Reason, therefore, transforms mere animals into people and allows them to live together in functioning societies.