Assignment for Week 4....

Assignment for Week 4....

Hi all, I hope you all are feeling the growth in your writing. I wish you could see how much each one of you has improved over the past 2 yrs. I am so proud of how well you can express yourselves and the maturity you all have shown in your writing.

For this next week, we'll read pgs 40-47. Please complete all of the questions and writing assignments on p 47.

Have a good week,
Ms. Michelle

Answers for week 3....

Hi all, here are the answers for week 3:
1. 3 elements of a full thesis:
~thesis
~points that can be made against your thesis
~points that can be made for your thesis

2. These 3 elements are or should be present in any argument, whether in writing or in real life. By including points that others will make against your arguement and then showing them why you are right,in a respectful manner, will more than likely allow you to persuade them to your side.

3. You should keep your thesis in full view while you're writing so that you can be sure to include all your points. What can be easier than a card in your face as a reminder?

4. You should follow your full thesis pretty closely. Not all points need to be included in your "Thesis statement" in your introduction, but the pros and cons need to be addressed somewhere in the body of the essay. It's Ok to wander off track a little. Many new ideas occur this way. Just be sure the new idea somehow relates to one of your points. If it's too much a rabbit trail, consider addressing it in another essay.

Examples of a full thesis statement for:
The search for popularity can limit a student's personal growth.
~Thesis: the search for popularity can be detrimental to a student's personal growth.

~Pros: Students may not develop their natural talents if they aren't mirrored by members of the in-crowd.
Students may pretend to be someone they're not in order to fit in, while ignoring the important adolescent task of self-discovery.
Otherwise intelligent students may pretend to be less smart in order to fit in with the average teen.
Popularity in of itself, does not lend itself to personal growth, but rather to following predetermined standards of style and behavior.

~Cons: Less fortunate students may aspire to higher things by following the in crowd.
Peer pressure can motivate teens to perform better than when left to their own devices.
One can still develop personal growth while appealing to the in crowd.

Vocabulary:
1. Adolescent: teen
analogy: comparison
Belligerent: furious
Concede: forfeit
Flourish: fanfare
Groveling: crawl
Incoherent: disjointed
Irrelevancy: inmaterial
Modify: change
preamble: prologue
propound: proposition
Relevance: applicable

2. I'll leave you all to the creation of sentences.

Assignment for Week 3....

Hi all, This chapter is a very valuable one, one that is probably near and dear to teen hearts, how to argue. One of the most valuable pieces of information in this chapter is how to build an argument. First start with the cons in your arguemnt. This means you need to address the opposing side and how they feel. Then state your points as to why your opinion should be considered. Put your weakest point first, and your strongest point last. Close with a bang. Next time you're reading an issue that's currently being debated, such as health care reform, see if the author folllows this format. Do they finish with a bang?

Here is your assignment for week 3:
Monday: read all of Ch3 p33-39.
Tues: questions 1-4 on p39.
Wed: Choose ONLY 2 thesis statements for Assignment ? #1 and start on #2. #2 is long, as it's a 5 paragraph essay, but this is great practice. It's casual essay, so you don't have to spend a lot of time on it.
Thursday: Complete your 5 paragraph essay and do the vocabulary questions.

Answers for Ch 2:

Answers to Questions 1-4:
1. An opinion is a belief not completely supported by facts or absolute certainty. A thesis is more specific as it focuses on ONE opinion boiled down to an arguable statement.

2. 5 step process of narrowing a topic down to a thesis:
* Take inventory of all you know about a topic.
* Ask questions: about your list of facts that you know. Discard questions that can be answered by facts.
* Look for relationships: consider all possible connections to the original topics.
* Ask the yes or no questions. Look at your opinion and the opposing opinion.
* Qualify: Limit your thesis to the area you wish to defend. Be sure it's realistic, for example, avoid generalizations.

3. Yes and no questions force you to look at both sides of a topic.
4. Qualifying refines your final thesis.

See post below for answers to the assignment portion.

Vocabulary:
answers will vary.

Have a good weekend!

The Full and Final Thesis assignment...

Hi all, I thought I would go ahead and post my answers to the assignment section on p 32 in case you need to see an example other than the silverware example povided in the book.

Remember you can choose any topic to work with. You do not have to choose a subject you are currently enrolled in. I chose Portrait Painting since I recently took this class.

1. 5 Statements of Fact:
~The definition of skilled artist varies.
~Many different mediums can be used in portrait painting.
~Following another artist's style can push the limits of your own art.
~Many interpretations of a portrait can be derived from one assignment.
~Art reflects the current mood of the artist.
2. Write 2 yes or no ?'s based on the above facts.
~Can following another artist's style can push the limits of your own art.
~Can following another artist's style negatively effects your own personal style.
3. Write a thesis based on one of the above statements:
~Following another artist's style can broaden the limits of your personal style.
4. Write an antithesis:
~Following another artist's style detracts from your own personal style.
5. Give one piece of evidence supporting your antithesis:
~Focusing on another artist's style can cause one to focus less on developing their own individual style.
6. Give 2 reasons supporting your thesis:
~New techniques, that may have otherwise been undiscovered, can be added to your repetoire.
~New mediums, that may be used in your own art, may be discovered by following another artist's methods.
7. Write a paragaph based on your thesis in #3. Include the antithesis in #5 and both points supporting your thesis in #6.
Some artists look down on copying the masters and their techniques. These artists feel it is invaluable to develop your own style and techniques; copying other artists is seen as an infringement and deeply frowned upon. After taking several art classes under well known artists, I must say I disagree. I have found the experience of following another artists's style to be very useful. Although I came to class with a certain style to my art, my eyes were opened to new techniques. I never would have thought to use art crayons. I never even heard of oil sticks. I bulked first at the use of these new materials. Wouldn't my time be better spent focusing on the use of acrylics as I've always done? But after forcing myself to use these materials and totally changing the way I applied color, I enjoyed the results. They are not something I would use in my everyday painting, but I will consider them for certain subjects.

I hope this gives you some ideas for your own writing. Please feel free to post your thesis' antithesis' and paragraphs here.

Assignments for the week of March 15...

Here's a great opinion from A Midsummer's Night Dream: "The course of true love never did run smooth." Sounds like the beginning of a good essay to me. Anyway, on to what we'll do this week:

Monday: Rd Ch 2 from Opninon to Thesis.
Tuesday: answer ?'s 1-4 on p 32.
Wednesday: **You can use any topic for this section,** not just the suggested pick a subject you now study. Answer ?'s #1-6 from the "Assignment" section on p 32.
Thursday: Question #7 from the "Assignment" section on p 32. Do vocabulary ?'s 1-3
p32-33.

Feel free to post any comments or questions here.

I've got answers...

Here are the answes to the questions on p 23-24.
1. An opinion can't be absolutely proven. It's not positive knowledge. A fact can be proven to be absolutely true.

2. Facts are important even in essays. You must be able to back up your opinion with facts or knowledge or you could be considered a fool.

3. All opinions are not equal. Controversial opinions ae more interesting as are more argumentative ones.

4. American foreign policy would be a good essay topic if you can narrow it down to a smaller subject; for example, "American foreign policy is distroying Latin American countries."

5. c,f or h,l,p,q

6. A term paper states facts. An essay expresses an opinion.

Vocabulary section:
1. adequate: decent antonym:lacking
altercation: quarrrel antonym: peace
antagonism: oppositional force antonym: facilitating force.
apathy: indifferent antonym: commited
platitude: dull antonym: inciting
valid: convincing antonym: incorrect

2. A value judgement is the act of deciding that one thing is better than another. For example: National Healtch care is more important than tax cuts.
2. One thing is better than another.

Post your Opinions here...

It would be cool to see what types of opinions everyone chooses for assignement #1 on p24.

You only have to choose 3 topics instead of doing all of them.

Feel free to post yours in the comments section.

Mine: Popularity is over-rated.
Organic apples are ugly.
Art is a great stress reliever.

If you are taking this class, please subscribe to the blog, then you will get updates when new info is posted.

Welcome to the Lively Art of Writing!

I hope everyone enjoys these lessons. These years in your life are the years when you are forming your opinons and learning how to express them is one of the biggest tools you can use.

Here is a sample schedule for this week:

Mon-Rd "A Note to the Student" and Ch 1.

Tues: answer ?s 1-6 on p23.

Wed: Writing assignment p24 #1-3

Thurs: Writing assignment #4 p 24 and Vocabulary #1 & 2 p24 (not 3).

Question #5 on p 23 is a bit odd, the possible essay topics are listed in groups. Of the possible topics (say sewing) which oone do you think makes the best topic based on what you've learned?

Feel free to post your writing from Thursday on the blog.