Welcome to English IV
A,
My name is Ms. Marcus and I will be teaching this course. Although I just joined the Great Lakes Cyber Academy family in August 2014, I have been working as a teacher with Connections Education for almost three years. Prior to teaching online, I was a brick and mortar teacher and guidance counselor for fifteen years. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you through webmails, phone calls, LiveLessons, field trips, and your work. My goal is to have a productive, educational, fun semester with this class!
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. You are more than welcome to webmail or call me at 517-381-5062 ext. 321 (my office phone) or 248-797-8807 (my cell phone – text or call).
In this document you will be provided with: general course information, specific information regarding Unit 1 and Unit 2, and an example five paragraph essay for reference.
Please familiarize yourself with the reference documents located on our class message board and the English Department Weebly. You can access the Weebly at www.glcaenglish.weebly.com
LiveLessons
LiveLesson attendance is not mandatory; however, LiveLessons are an excellent way to find answers to many common questions and problems.
I will have a LiveLesson for our class from noon to 12:30pm every Tuesday. The link to that LiveLesson is: http://www.connexus.com/external/livelesson/?url-path=kmarcus. You are welcome to join whenever you would like and know that I will have announcements and then open time for you to ask any questions about class or upcoming events.
On Wednesdays, the English Department will host a LiveLesson from 1 to 1:30 which will review a specific skill like MLA format. The link to that room is: http://www.connexus.com/external/liveLesson/?url-path=jmuszynski.
Office Hours
Further, from 2 to 2:30 on Wednesdays we will have English Department open office hours where you will have at least two English teachers at your disposal to answer questions and help you construct your papers. The link for that LiveLesson room is: http://www.connexus.com/external/liveLesson/?url-path=jmuszynski.
I would strongly suggest adding the times for both LLs and the Office Hours to your planner in Connexus and your personal calendar. Even if you do not plan to come to LiveLessons at this time, or do not anticipate having questions about portfolios or other assignments, it would be good to have these times set aside in case you do find a need for them later on.
Grading / Weighting
Type
Weight
Test
23%
Quiz
25%
Portfolio
52%
Resets
The purpose of resets is to help students learn and improve. Quizzes and unit tests may only be reset once. Final exams will not be reset. Please be aware that when assessments are reset you must redo the entire assessment, not just the questions or sections you answered incorrectly the first time.
Extra Credit
I will provide extra credit opportunities for students who are on track with their lessons, and are currently earning a B or above. Please be prepared to work hard for the extra credit through knowledge building activities.
Unit 1
For this class you will be reading Macbeth. You should start reading the play immediately, and must be finished with the entire play by Unit 1, Lesson 14.
This play can be read online. The full text is available as a downloadable PDF in its original form and in modern text. It is also available as a downloadable mp3 version on the English Department Weebly. You will also find many helpful resources to aid your understand of the play on the Weebly.
At the end of Unit 1, you will be writing a narrative essay based on information gained from reading Macbeth. While you are reading it is a great idea to take notes about characters and quotes that you find interesting. We will also be discussing the play in LiveLessons, and working together to prepare for writing the narrative essay.
Specific information regarding the Unit 1 narrative essay portfolio is found below.
Some lessons and assessments have been removed from Unit 1. If there is a gap on you planner, or the lesson numbers are not sequential, please do not be alarmed. In Unit 1, the following lessons have been skipped, and the assessments dropped: Lesson 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
When you have a skipped lesson on your planner, please do not “take the day off.” It would be in your best interest to do the next lesson listed in the course tree. If you have any questions about this, please let me know.
Unit One Narrative Essay Portfolio
Student Name
Ms. Marcus
English IV A
24 October 2015 (use this format for the date, but change to the date you submit your portfolio)
English IV A Unit 1 Essay
For this unit one narrative paper you are going to pick one of the following scenes and narrate it how the prompt instructs.
Narrative Topics:
1. From another character’s perspective, narrate a scene that tells the story of Macbeth’s coronation dinner and his reaction to seeing Banquo’s ghost.
2. Narrate a scene where the weird sisters appear and speak to Macduff after King Duncan is killed.
3. Narrate a scene where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth prepare for Banquo’s funeral and tell the story of their interaction.
For the first topic, think about how the other people at the table would have seen Macbeth reacting in the way that he did. Remember that these other people could not see the ghost.
For the second topic, narrate it either from Macbeth’s point of view or the weird sisters’ point of view. Think about what must be going through Macbeth’s mind in this moment or explore how the sisters view Macbeth.
For the third topic, concentrate on the interactions between the two and let these musings lead your reader to understand more about their dynamic.
Unit 2
Unit 2 has been replaced by a post-high school exploration project. Unit 2, Lesson 13 is the only lesson you should be able to access, and that contains the dropboxes for the Collaboration Project and Reflection, and the Semester Exam.
Post-High School Exploration Research and Collaboration Portfolio
Post High School Research Project
For this project you will do an interest profiler which will help you narrow in on your post-high school interests, research a chosen path, and create an informative presentation. It is a goal of this project that you gain skills in researching, creating presentations, organizing information in a clear and concise manner, demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively, assess the strengths and limitations of each source, narrow or broaden inquiry when appropriate, demonstrate understanding of the subject under investigation, and synthesize multiple sources on the subject.
This project is a HUGE portion of your grade and the final project is due by the end of the semester, but you NEED to be working on it for most of the semester.
English IV A Collaboration Project
For your collaboration project this semester you will not be doing the one in the lessons, but will have a choice of two different projects. Both projects will allow you to collaborate with your peers, and serve as preparation for post high school plans. The rest of this document lays out your options, rubrics, and what you will need to submit to the gradebook.
Collaboration Project Option #1
The first option for a collaboration project is research a college or trade school, career, or branch of the military you are interested in. Through your research you will be gathering knowledge about the college or trade school (or career, or branch of the military). Below are lists of questions you should consider when doing your research, and should be used to create a bullet pointed list of 10 things you learned. Since there are more than 10 questions to research, please choose the 10 most important facts for your bullet pointed list. This list will be posted as a comment to the Option #1 blog post on the class website: http://glcaenglish.weebly.com/collaboration-project1.
You will post your list and then respond to someone else’s list. Your response will be 3-5 sentences in length and will be why you think you would like to attend this college or trade school, work in this career, or join this branch of the military, or not based on your peer’s list.
What you need to submit:
Collaboration Product: screen shot of your list posted
Collaboration Reflection: screen shot of your response to a peer
Grades:
Collaboration Product:
10 items that are each unique and about the college – 25
Well written sentences and correct grammar – 25
Collaboration Reflection
Response is 3-5 complete well-constructed sentences – 20
Response follows the prompt – 20
Response is respectful and appropriate – 10
Questions for Research
College Information Organizer
Top reasons for attending this college:
What are two concerns you have about this college, based on your research:
When you use a site for information write it down below so that you can cite it in your works cited. The works cited must be completed by the end of the project and a link to help is on the website: glcaenglish.weebly.com.
Workforce Exploration Organization
Answer the following questions in 3-6 sentences:
What would you like about this job? What would you dislike?
Interview someone who performs this job currently or who used to perform the job. Ask them at least five open ended questions so you can get a better understanding of what their job entails. Include a written list of the questions you asked, and what the response was.
When you use a site for information write it down below so that you can cite it in your works cited. The works cited must be completed by the end of the project and a link to help is on the website: glcaenglish.weebly.com.
Military Information Organizer
Answer the following questions in 3-6 sentences:
What would you like about this branch? What would you dislike?
Call a recruiter in Michigan for the branch you have chosen. Ask them at least five open ended questions so you can get a better understanding of what will be required of you and you should most certainly ask about their service. Include a written list of the questions you asked, and what the response was.
When you use a site for information write it down below so that you can cite it in your works cited. The works cited must be completed by the end of the project and a link to help is on the website: glcaenglish.weebly.com.
Vocational / Trade School Information Organizer
Answer the following questions in 3-6 sentences:
What would you like about this trade or vocational school? What would you dislike?
Interview someone who is attending this school or a similar one, someone who completed this school or a similar one, or a representative of the school. Ask them at least five open ended questions so you can get a better understanding of what this school entails and what people like and dislike about the program. Include a written list of the questions you asked, and what the response was.
When you use a site for information write it down below so that you can cite it in your works cited. The works cited must be completed by the end of the project and a link to help is on the website: glcaenglish.weebly.com.
Collaboration Project Option #2
The second option for a collaboration project is to write a college application essay. This essay will serve as a personal narrative and reflection piece for those of you not planning on attending college. Additionally, this essay can be used to apply for scholarships. If you are planning on attending college this is a head start on your application. For this essay there is a 650 word maximum and you can choose one of the following prompts for your essay:
You will post your essay to the to the Option #2 blog post on the class website: http://glcaenglish.weebly.com/collaboration-project1.
After you post your essay, you will then respond to someone else’s. Your response will be 4-7 sentences in length and will be at least two good things about your peer’s essay and two things that could be changed or improved. Feedback is to be thoughtful and constructive. No hurtful or inappropriate comments will be tolerated.
What you need to submit:
Collaboration Product: your essay and a screen shot of your post of it
Collaboration Reflection: screen shot of your response to a peer’s essay
Grades:
Collaboration Product:
Essay fully answers the prompt and is well composed – 25
No convention errors – 15
Essay gives insight into you as a person and has strong voice - 10
Collaboration Reflection
Response is 4-7 complete well-constructed sentences – 20
Response follows the prompt – 20
Response is respectful and appropriate – 10
Header with last name and page number
Name
Double spaced heading
Teacher Name
Double spaced Times New Roman 12 point font
Class Name
Date (example: 29 May 2010)
Hook: this time it is a quote that relates to the topic
Huck Finn Copes by Sleeping
The speaker of the quote is introduced and the quote is preceded by a comma. The quote is followed by a citation and then an explanation of the quote and how it relates to the topic.
One-inch margins
Earnest Hemmingway notes, “I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?” Hemmingway indicates that sleep is a place of safety for him and this realization is one that the character Huck Finn would strongly relate to. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn's body and mind allow sleep to overtake him at crucial moments; when one would think that sleep would be an impossible task. Huck Finn involuntarily implements this learned coping technique of sleeping in an attempt to weather the storms. Sleep is Huck Finn's way of escaping his fear and it gives his problems a chance to work themselves out on their own.
The topic in the last sentence of one paragraph is related to the first sentence of the next paragraph or there is a clear transition.
Huck’s father is a drunk who kidnaps Huck and keeps him locked up in a cabin in the woods leaving him trapped inside for stretches of time without adequate amenities. Huck reflects, “He got to going away so much, too, and locking me in. Once he locked me in and was gone three days” (122). With a drunk for a father, Huck is forced to grow up quickly, and in Chapter Six, as he deals with his father; Huck is the one who has to act more like the fatherly figure. Huck narrates in Chapter Six, “While I was cooking supper the old man took a swig or two and got sort of warmed up” (123). His father was beginning his drinking for the day as Huck was preparing dinner for both of them. His father's inability to deal with life and all of its trails without alcohol is painfully apparent in Chapter Six especially.
The entire paper remains in third person
When a quote is shortened and part of it is taken out. The meaning is not changed and it is formatted with brackets and an ellipsis to indicate the change to the reader.
The word “said” is not over used and alternatives are implemented.
Pap, Huck's father, took any money that Huck had on him spent it all on alcohol. Huck had six thousand dollars which was in the town judge's possession and it was also the object of Pap's attention. Huck's father wanted this money so that he could buy enough alcohol to last him more than one day, but when the judge was making it impossible for him, Pap came back to the cabin furious. Huck retells the scene, “He drank, and drank, and tumbled down […] by-and-by luck didn't run my way. He didn't go sound asleep” (125). It is important to note that when Huck's father was not fully asleep, Huck was worried and said that luck didn't run his way. As the son of an alcoholic, Huck was well aware of the sobering effects that sleep had on a person, and when his father was “uneasy” in his sleep, he knew that it could mean that his father's drunken episodes were not done for the night (125). Nevertheless, Huck's body and mind attempt to escape the situation as Huck remarks, “I got so sleepy I couldn't keep my eyes open, […] and before I knowed what I was about I was sound asleep” (125).
Thesis, usually restated, is the first sentence of the concluding paragraph.
Huck follows his father's misguided lead, and tries to sleep away his fear in an attempt to let his problems with his father work themselves out. Unfortunately, for Huck, his father wakes up from his light sleep and begins chasing Huck around the cabin with a knife and Huck says that Pap was, “calling him the Angel of Death and saying he would kill [him]” (125). His father eventually got tired, and Huck observed that his father, “put his knife under him and said that he would sleep and get strong, and then he would see who was who” (125). Here Huck notices that sleep can be a time to strengthen and deal with things when a body is more able. Huck, however, does not take to his father's regimen right away, but he goes and gets his father’s gun and points it at him saying that he would “wait for him to stir” (215). At this moment, crucial to Huck's survival, he falls asleep again in a second attempt to sleep away his troubles.
Sleep is Huck Finn's way of escaping his fear and it gives his problems a chance to work themselves out on their own. From watching his father get “blind drunk” on a daily basis, Huck knows better than to pick up drinking, but he did, perhaps subconsciously, pick up on the observation that when his father wakes up after falling asleep drunk, he wakes up sober and all better (125). It may seem ridiculous for someone to fall asleep at such a pivotal moment, like pointing a gun at one's father, but Huck has to deal with situations that no one should have to encounter, and he has to deal with them alone. Sleep is Huck's way of escaping his problems, and it is a chance for him to rest, to get strong, and to handle some more. This shows that Huck has learned the survival technique of sleeping until things work themselves out from his father. This is also Huck's way of doing what he has to do when it comes to his father, and as Huck said, I “saved myself” (215).
The last sentence of the concluding paragraph does not introduce new information. It drives home the point of the paper and it leaves the reader with a lasting thought.
My name is Ms. Marcus and I will be teaching this course. Although I just joined the Great Lakes Cyber Academy family in August 2014, I have been working as a teacher with Connections Education for almost three years. Prior to teaching online, I was a brick and mortar teacher and guidance counselor for fifteen years. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you through webmails, phone calls, LiveLessons, field trips, and your work. My goal is to have a productive, educational, fun semester with this class!
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. You are more than welcome to webmail or call me at 517-381-5062 ext. 321 (my office phone) or 248-797-8807 (my cell phone – text or call).
In this document you will be provided with: general course information, specific information regarding Unit 1 and Unit 2, and an example five paragraph essay for reference.
Please familiarize yourself with the reference documents located on our class message board and the English Department Weebly. You can access the Weebly at www.glcaenglish.weebly.com
LiveLessons
LiveLesson attendance is not mandatory; however, LiveLessons are an excellent way to find answers to many common questions and problems.
I will have a LiveLesson for our class from noon to 12:30pm every Tuesday. The link to that LiveLesson is: http://www.connexus.com/external/livelesson/?url-path=kmarcus. You are welcome to join whenever you would like and know that I will have announcements and then open time for you to ask any questions about class or upcoming events.
On Wednesdays, the English Department will host a LiveLesson from 1 to 1:30 which will review a specific skill like MLA format. The link to that room is: http://www.connexus.com/external/liveLesson/?url-path=jmuszynski.
Office Hours
Further, from 2 to 2:30 on Wednesdays we will have English Department open office hours where you will have at least two English teachers at your disposal to answer questions and help you construct your papers. The link for that LiveLesson room is: http://www.connexus.com/external/liveLesson/?url-path=jmuszynski.
I would strongly suggest adding the times for both LLs and the Office Hours to your planner in Connexus and your personal calendar. Even if you do not plan to come to LiveLessons at this time, or do not anticipate having questions about portfolios or other assignments, it would be good to have these times set aside in case you do find a need for them later on.
Grading / Weighting
Type
Weight
Test
23%
Quiz
25%
Portfolio
52%
Resets
The purpose of resets is to help students learn and improve. Quizzes and unit tests may only be reset once. Final exams will not be reset. Please be aware that when assessments are reset you must redo the entire assessment, not just the questions or sections you answered incorrectly the first time.
Extra Credit
I will provide extra credit opportunities for students who are on track with their lessons, and are currently earning a B or above. Please be prepared to work hard for the extra credit through knowledge building activities.
Unit 1
For this class you will be reading Macbeth. You should start reading the play immediately, and must be finished with the entire play by Unit 1, Lesson 14.
This play can be read online. The full text is available as a downloadable PDF in its original form and in modern text. It is also available as a downloadable mp3 version on the English Department Weebly. You will also find many helpful resources to aid your understand of the play on the Weebly.
At the end of Unit 1, you will be writing a narrative essay based on information gained from reading Macbeth. While you are reading it is a great idea to take notes about characters and quotes that you find interesting. We will also be discussing the play in LiveLessons, and working together to prepare for writing the narrative essay.
Specific information regarding the Unit 1 narrative essay portfolio is found below.
Some lessons and assessments have been removed from Unit 1. If there is a gap on you planner, or the lesson numbers are not sequential, please do not be alarmed. In Unit 1, the following lessons have been skipped, and the assessments dropped: Lesson 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
When you have a skipped lesson on your planner, please do not “take the day off.” It would be in your best interest to do the next lesson listed in the course tree. If you have any questions about this, please let me know.
Unit One Narrative Essay Portfolio
Student Name
Ms. Marcus
English IV A
24 October 2015 (use this format for the date, but change to the date you submit your portfolio)
English IV A Unit 1 Essay
For this unit one narrative paper you are going to pick one of the following scenes and narrate it how the prompt instructs.
Narrative Topics:
1. From another character’s perspective, narrate a scene that tells the story of Macbeth’s coronation dinner and his reaction to seeing Banquo’s ghost.
2. Narrate a scene where the weird sisters appear and speak to Macduff after King Duncan is killed.
3. Narrate a scene where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth prepare for Banquo’s funeral and tell the story of their interaction.
For the first topic, think about how the other people at the table would have seen Macbeth reacting in the way that he did. Remember that these other people could not see the ghost.
For the second topic, narrate it either from Macbeth’s point of view or the weird sisters’ point of view. Think about what must be going through Macbeth’s mind in this moment or explore how the sisters view Macbeth.
For the third topic, concentrate on the interactions between the two and let these musings lead your reader to understand more about their dynamic.
Unit 2
Unit 2 has been replaced by a post-high school exploration project. Unit 2, Lesson 13 is the only lesson you should be able to access, and that contains the dropboxes for the Collaboration Project and Reflection, and the Semester Exam.
Post-High School Exploration Research and Collaboration Portfolio
Post High School Research Project
For this project you will do an interest profiler which will help you narrow in on your post-high school interests, research a chosen path, and create an informative presentation. It is a goal of this project that you gain skills in researching, creating presentations, organizing information in a clear and concise manner, demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively, assess the strengths and limitations of each source, narrow or broaden inquiry when appropriate, demonstrate understanding of the subject under investigation, and synthesize multiple sources on the subject.
This project is a HUGE portion of your grade and the final project is due by the end of the semester, but you NEED to be working on it for most of the semester.
English IV A Collaboration Project
For your collaboration project this semester you will not be doing the one in the lessons, but will have a choice of two different projects. Both projects will allow you to collaborate with your peers, and serve as preparation for post high school plans. The rest of this document lays out your options, rubrics, and what you will need to submit to the gradebook.
Collaboration Project Option #1
The first option for a collaboration project is research a college or trade school, career, or branch of the military you are interested in. Through your research you will be gathering knowledge about the college or trade school (or career, or branch of the military). Below are lists of questions you should consider when doing your research, and should be used to create a bullet pointed list of 10 things you learned. Since there are more than 10 questions to research, please choose the 10 most important facts for your bullet pointed list. This list will be posted as a comment to the Option #1 blog post on the class website: http://glcaenglish.weebly.com/collaboration-project1.
You will post your list and then respond to someone else’s list. Your response will be 3-5 sentences in length and will be why you think you would like to attend this college or trade school, work in this career, or join this branch of the military, or not based on your peer’s list.
What you need to submit:
Collaboration Product: screen shot of your list posted
Collaboration Reflection: screen shot of your response to a peer
Grades:
Collaboration Product:
10 items that are each unique and about the college – 25
Well written sentences and correct grammar – 25
Collaboration Reflection
Response is 3-5 complete well-constructed sentences – 20
Response follows the prompt – 20
Response is respectful and appropriate – 10
Questions for Research
College Information Organizer
- Name of college
- Location
- Year established
- Type of college (community, public, private…)
- Student-faculty ratio
- Number of student
- GPA requirement (or average GPA of students)
- Percent of Undergrads Receiving Financial Aid
- The mascot
- School colors
- Tuition and fees per year – in-state vs out-of-state
- Student demographics (ethnicity; gender)
- On campus housing?
- Percent of applicants accepted
- Alma matter
- Fight song
- Five sports teams
- Five clubs
- Majors or Certificates offered (list no more than 20)
- Minimum test score requirements for admission – ACT score
- What kinds of meal plans are offered and how much are they
- College mission statement
- Are freshman required to live on campus?
- Who is the president of the college?
- What is their graduation rate?
Top reasons for attending this college:
What are two concerns you have about this college, based on your research:
When you use a site for information write it down below so that you can cite it in your works cited. The works cited must be completed by the end of the project and a link to help is on the website: glcaenglish.weebly.com.
Workforce Exploration Organization
- Name of occupation
- Expected salary – salary range
- Description of the work
- What is the work environment like (workload, pace, people)?
- Skills required
- Knowledge necessary for the job
- List five job specific tasks
- What is the work schedule like (hours per week, shift length, overtime, travel)?
- What are the possibilities for advancement or promotion?
- What are some related occupations?
- Job outlook (can you expect to find this job after graduation?)
- Three different companies you could perform this job for
- What education does this job require?
- Do you have a uniform? If so, what is it?
Answer the following questions in 3-6 sentences:
What would you like about this job? What would you dislike?
Interview someone who performs this job currently or who used to perform the job. Ask them at least five open ended questions so you can get a better understanding of what their job entails. Include a written list of the questions you asked, and what the response was.
When you use a site for information write it down below so that you can cite it in your works cited. The works cited must be completed by the end of the project and a link to help is on the website: glcaenglish.weebly.com.
Military Information Organizer
- What branch of the military interests you?
- What interests you about that branch?
- How long are the commitment options?
- What is your chance for deployment?
- What kind of pay would you receive?
- What kind of basic training or boot camp is required?
- How long does basic last?
- Possible basic locations
- Tuition assistance
- Insurance
- Food and housing
- Retirement
- Recreation
- Would you live on base?
- What is the mission of this branch?
- What are the values of this branch?
- What are the different uniforms?
- What are the different rankings?
Answer the following questions in 3-6 sentences:
What would you like about this branch? What would you dislike?
Call a recruiter in Michigan for the branch you have chosen. Ask them at least five open ended questions so you can get a better understanding of what will be required of you and you should most certainly ask about their service. Include a written list of the questions you asked, and what the response was.
When you use a site for information write it down below so that you can cite it in your works cited. The works cited must be completed by the end of the project and a link to help is on the website: glcaenglish.weebly.com.
Vocational / Trade School Information Organizer
- What vocational or trade school are you planning to attend?
- What is your program called?
- What type of certificate will you receive?
- Where is this school located or is it online?
- Timeline for completion?
- What are the requirements for admission?
- Cost of attendance
- What type of job will you have after?
- Job outlook (can you expect to find this job after completion?)
- Any scholarships?
- What is included in this program?
- What is your school known for?
- What type of instructors will you have?
Answer the following questions in 3-6 sentences:
What would you like about this trade or vocational school? What would you dislike?
Interview someone who is attending this school or a similar one, someone who completed this school or a similar one, or a representative of the school. Ask them at least five open ended questions so you can get a better understanding of what this school entails and what people like and dislike about the program. Include a written list of the questions you asked, and what the response was.
When you use a site for information write it down below so that you can cite it in your works cited. The works cited must be completed by the end of the project and a link to help is on the website: glcaenglish.weebly.com.
Collaboration Project Option #2
The second option for a collaboration project is to write a college application essay. This essay will serve as a personal narrative and reflection piece for those of you not planning on attending college. Additionally, this essay can be used to apply for scholarships. If you are planning on attending college this is a head start on your application. For this essay there is a 650 word maximum and you can choose one of the following prompts for your essay:
- Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
- Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
- Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
- Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
- Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
You will post your essay to the to the Option #2 blog post on the class website: http://glcaenglish.weebly.com/collaboration-project1.
After you post your essay, you will then respond to someone else’s. Your response will be 4-7 sentences in length and will be at least two good things about your peer’s essay and two things that could be changed or improved. Feedback is to be thoughtful and constructive. No hurtful or inappropriate comments will be tolerated.
What you need to submit:
Collaboration Product: your essay and a screen shot of your post of it
Collaboration Reflection: screen shot of your response to a peer’s essay
Grades:
Collaboration Product:
Essay fully answers the prompt and is well composed – 25
No convention errors – 15
Essay gives insight into you as a person and has strong voice - 10
Collaboration Reflection
Response is 4-7 complete well-constructed sentences – 20
Response follows the prompt – 20
Response is respectful and appropriate – 10
Header with last name and page number
Name
Double spaced heading
Teacher Name
Double spaced Times New Roman 12 point font
Class Name
Date (example: 29 May 2010)
Hook: this time it is a quote that relates to the topic
Huck Finn Copes by Sleeping
The speaker of the quote is introduced and the quote is preceded by a comma. The quote is followed by a citation and then an explanation of the quote and how it relates to the topic.
One-inch margins
Earnest Hemmingway notes, “I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?” Hemmingway indicates that sleep is a place of safety for him and this realization is one that the character Huck Finn would strongly relate to. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn's body and mind allow sleep to overtake him at crucial moments; when one would think that sleep would be an impossible task. Huck Finn involuntarily implements this learned coping technique of sleeping in an attempt to weather the storms. Sleep is Huck Finn's way of escaping his fear and it gives his problems a chance to work themselves out on their own.
The topic in the last sentence of one paragraph is related to the first sentence of the next paragraph or there is a clear transition.
Huck’s father is a drunk who kidnaps Huck and keeps him locked up in a cabin in the woods leaving him trapped inside for stretches of time without adequate amenities. Huck reflects, “He got to going away so much, too, and locking me in. Once he locked me in and was gone three days” (122). With a drunk for a father, Huck is forced to grow up quickly, and in Chapter Six, as he deals with his father; Huck is the one who has to act more like the fatherly figure. Huck narrates in Chapter Six, “While I was cooking supper the old man took a swig or two and got sort of warmed up” (123). His father was beginning his drinking for the day as Huck was preparing dinner for both of them. His father's inability to deal with life and all of its trails without alcohol is painfully apparent in Chapter Six especially.
The entire paper remains in third person
When a quote is shortened and part of it is taken out. The meaning is not changed and it is formatted with brackets and an ellipsis to indicate the change to the reader.
The word “said” is not over used and alternatives are implemented.
Pap, Huck's father, took any money that Huck had on him spent it all on alcohol. Huck had six thousand dollars which was in the town judge's possession and it was also the object of Pap's attention. Huck's father wanted this money so that he could buy enough alcohol to last him more than one day, but when the judge was making it impossible for him, Pap came back to the cabin furious. Huck retells the scene, “He drank, and drank, and tumbled down […] by-and-by luck didn't run my way. He didn't go sound asleep” (125). It is important to note that when Huck's father was not fully asleep, Huck was worried and said that luck didn't run his way. As the son of an alcoholic, Huck was well aware of the sobering effects that sleep had on a person, and when his father was “uneasy” in his sleep, he knew that it could mean that his father's drunken episodes were not done for the night (125). Nevertheless, Huck's body and mind attempt to escape the situation as Huck remarks, “I got so sleepy I couldn't keep my eyes open, […] and before I knowed what I was about I was sound asleep” (125).
Thesis, usually restated, is the first sentence of the concluding paragraph.
Huck follows his father's misguided lead, and tries to sleep away his fear in an attempt to let his problems with his father work themselves out. Unfortunately, for Huck, his father wakes up from his light sleep and begins chasing Huck around the cabin with a knife and Huck says that Pap was, “calling him the Angel of Death and saying he would kill [him]” (125). His father eventually got tired, and Huck observed that his father, “put his knife under him and said that he would sleep and get strong, and then he would see who was who” (125). Here Huck notices that sleep can be a time to strengthen and deal with things when a body is more able. Huck, however, does not take to his father's regimen right away, but he goes and gets his father’s gun and points it at him saying that he would “wait for him to stir” (215). At this moment, crucial to Huck's survival, he falls asleep again in a second attempt to sleep away his troubles.
Sleep is Huck Finn's way of escaping his fear and it gives his problems a chance to work themselves out on their own. From watching his father get “blind drunk” on a daily basis, Huck knows better than to pick up drinking, but he did, perhaps subconsciously, pick up on the observation that when his father wakes up after falling asleep drunk, he wakes up sober and all better (125). It may seem ridiculous for someone to fall asleep at such a pivotal moment, like pointing a gun at one's father, but Huck has to deal with situations that no one should have to encounter, and he has to deal with them alone. Sleep is Huck's way of escaping his problems, and it is a chance for him to rest, to get strong, and to handle some more. This shows that Huck has learned the survival technique of sleeping until things work themselves out from his father. This is also Huck's way of doing what he has to do when it comes to his father, and as Huck said, I “saved myself” (215).
The last sentence of the concluding paragraph does not introduce new information. It drives home the point of the paper and it leaves the reader with a lasting thought.