October 29 2010

Cell Phones Off and On

Let’s get out our homework for today.

• Take a moment and look over it. Underline what you see as being the most important sentences and ideas.

• We are going to start down the road to a draft of paper two today.

• Let’s begin that process with a QUICK review of what an argument is, and how an argument works.

Form:

• Must meet or exceed page length requirements – No exceptions.

• Must be double-spaced – No Exceptions

• No extra spaces between paragraphs – No Exceptions

• Times New Roman Font, Size 12 – No Exceptions

• Transitions between paragraphs are expected and required – No Exceptions

The ink must be legible. I don’t want ink I can’t read. You can always print it here, where there is ink. In fact, this is always a better idea (you’re paying for it one way or the other).

Content:

We will need to remember everything we have learned about argumentation in order to write this paper:

Eh 123/124/200 Issues

1) Paragraph Structure: 6-8 sentences of varied length.

2) Paragraphs Structure: paragraphs begin  with a claim, present evidence in support of that claim, and then provide a clear explanation of how that evidence supports the claim.

3) Evidence is always _ always _ cited in MLA style.

4) Evidence and Quotes: When we use evidence and quotes, we always make sure to introduce them and explain their relevance.

5) Before we can connect any of our evidence to a class concept, such as class, income, or work, we need to establish a definition for the term. This means that you will be providing these definitions early on in the paper. The whole point of these definitions is that they will make it easier for you to argue!

6) Say everything you have to say about one story before you move on to the next story. Once you have discussed the stories independently, then you can compare and contrast your findings.

Here is your Prompt: At this point, you have read several stories, all of which touch on issues related to play and work, though in different ways.

Your job is to draft a paper that clearly articulates how and why two scenes from two stories relate to “work” as the concept can be related to “income” and “class.”

This paper will require that you develop good working definitions for your key terms, and then that you develop your argument and explanations through close readings of the stories in question.

Journal Assignment: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)

Looking at your homework for today, I want you to come up with a 5-step plan for yourself. This plan will detail the major changes and additions you will need to make to your current writing to move it in the direction of this draft.

Group Work: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)

First, I want everyone to have a chance to present their homework for today. I want you to read it to each other. Next, I want you to discuss your five-step plans for transforming your current writing into the first draft of paper two.  As you have this conversation, one person in the group should keep a list of the major problems you anticipate encountering. One of you will be presenting this list to the class.

Group Presentations: (Suggested: 5-10 Minutes)

Mini-Lecture:

Thesis statements: Find something interesting to say.

Obvious writing is not good enough.

What’s the standard? It has to be something reasonable people – not a crazy person – could disagree with.

It needs to be insightful and show your understanding of the topic.

A good thesis statement shows your ethos – and this is something you need to be very aware of now that your situation and issues sections have been stripped away.

Complete a three to four page draft of paper two for Monday.