11th Grade Contemporary Composition (Period 3) Assignments

Instructors
Term
2008-2009 School Year
Department
English
Location
Building B 303
Description
Contemporary Composition Course Description The purpose of this course is to explore ideas, issues, and themes from contemporary fiction, non-fiction, and informational material. Students will respond by writing essays that convey tightly reasoned arguments with well-defined perspectives. In the process, students will read, think, speak and think about structure, style, content and purpose. There is a concentrated emphasis on writing, using reflective and historical composition styles. Reflective compositions focus on personal experience while balancing individual impressions with an abstract idea. Historical compositions utilize primary and secondary sources to compare different points of view regarding a single historical event. This course provides the opportunity to increase awareness of the audience, purpose and progression of stages of the writing process and writing conventions to produce narrative, persuasive, expository, and descriptive texts of at least 1500 words each, including timed writing.

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Past Assignments

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Douglass/Malcolm X Research report

teams will be assigned this week and we will be working on laptops 2 days a week in class

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As the mester is drawing to a close, please makeup any work you are missing.

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Complete plot map for The Devil and Tom Walker.  Write a character description of the "Devil" for your own short story about an encounter with the devil.  Do plot map for your story.  Check Vantage Site for specifics on story assignment.

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work on character description and plot development of short story

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Spend some time this weekend becoming familiar with the Vantage Learning Program. To get to the site, in search, type myaccess vantage and click on the student login website. After logging in with the username and password you were given, click on the assignment and then click on the Student Workbook. Read over the first few exercises. Om addition, review the graphic organizers and iseek---a research tool.

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Review feedback on vantage essay # 1. Make changes for final submission due 3/5.

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continue to work on two page essay listed on myaccess vantage learning--

Street Art that Does or Doesn't Speak to Me.

Review the next essay on Beauty Pageants. It will be due on 3/9. Follow the guidelines provided. This is a structured exercise that is designed to utilize the teaching tools on this program.

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Study vocabulary for test on Friday. Have your notes on Street Art available.

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New vocabulary words are: languish, incipient, bane, ravenous, languish, vociferous, eradication, pittance, tutelage, abatement

During class discussion, you will list them and definitions on a separate piece of paper

They are a continuation of the words from "Going Up in LA" and listed on p. 18.

Test will include these words on Friday.

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Look for street art that you admire and street art which you do not like. Make notes as to why you respond the way you do. Include elements such a location, message, choice of colors and style. Be prepared to write a detailed description of your observation and reasons for your response.

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Contemporary Composition
Week One

Standards:

R2.2 Meaning affected by organizational patterns, syntax, word choice, etc.
R 3.2 Analyzing themes
R 2.4 Interpreting the author’s arguments

You will need text (provided), Readers/Writers Notebook—RWN-- (provided), pen/pencil

Setting up the Readers Writers Notebooks. Reviewing goals and expectations, assessments, grading and rubrics.

Overall, you will be evaluating written and visual material for the purpose of improving your academic writing skills, learning new ways to approach text—both written and visual, and composing several compositions of 1500 words each. In addition, you will be giving oral presentations to demonstrate your understanding of persuasive speech and related methods of persuasion.

Your grade will be based on the overall quality of your work, participation, successful completion of assigned work, demonstrated mastery of key concepts and assessments.

Introduction to Rhetoric

Visual Rhetoric—How to read, interpret, analyze and evaluate visual text

You will be shown two images and asked to answer the following:

Read-- What do you see? (the gist)
Interpret--What does it mean?
Analyze--What kinds of connections do you make?
Evaluate—Taking a critical stance.

Module One Los Angeles: The Unread City

Classwork

RWN
1.Getting Ready to Read—co-constructed charts 1 & 2
2. Quickwrite

Two Paintings—get the gist


In pairs or trios, use a venn diagram to show how they are alike and different.
What creates the mood in each?

Two Paintings:

RWN

Write a paragraph on each.

Homework: Read to get the gist of “Going up in Los Angeles”

Classwork:

In RWN, be ready to answer pg 17 questions—1st read

In workbook, complete vocabulary assessment pp. 17 & 18

Pg. 19 -- Examining the writer’s language—

Concepts-- Diction, Figurative Language, Sentence structure, Connotation of words

“Try it out”

Pair share--Focus on p. 19 passage—word choice reflects author’s feelings

Whole class discussion

Homework

Reread article and underline sections where the author reveals his opinions.

Classwork

Quickwrite, pair share,

Inquiry based discussion

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On a separate piece of paper, rewrite the sentences using denotation. Underline the loaded words in the five sentences.

Be prepared to write on the importance and relationship of the Rhetorical Triangle.