Announcements (1 Minute) Please stay up to date with the class and check Engrade. I still need Norberto to sign up! Office Hours – Monday-Thursday from 4-5 PM and/or by appointment. If you turn in your literary essay now, you will lose 20 points. Please turn it in before you lose more. Fall Masquerade today from 5-7 PM.
Feedback (5 Minutes) Take a few minutes to read through your partner’s hook, or introductory paragraph. Read with laser vision. What mistakes did you find? What can be improved? What did your partner do well?
11th Grade American Literature AIM: How do we begin to draft the body paragraphs for our synthesis essay on whether or not the American Dream still exists? (October 27, 2011)
Objective(s) and Standards SWBAT to develop a supporting paragraph for their synthesis essay after selecting a quote that support their thesis statement.
Support (Start Stacking Your Facts to Convince Them) You set out the reasoning behind your argument. Provide supporting evidence of your claim (data, quotes, anecdotes). Blend together logical and emotional appeals. Remember the structure of a body paragraph!!! Topic Sentence 1st Quote Analysis of 1st Quote 2nd Quote Analysis of 2nd Quote
Finding Relevant Quotes Imagine presenting your position on the issue to each of the authors of your sources. Create an imaginary conversation between you and the author of the source discussing the following questions, and record your findings. Would the author/creator agree with your position? Disagree? Why? Would the author/creator want to qualify your position? Why and how? Does the author make a specific claim about your issue? What assumptions or beliefs are either spoken or unspoken (implicit or explicit)?
Key Points to Remember… You should feel free to say things like “Source A would disagree with my viewpoint, but here is why I still maintain my position” or “Source B would agree with the majority of my position but would offer a slightly different perspective in this area.” Don’t forget to cite your sources appropriately in the text itself.
Mr. Hew’s Claim, or Thesis Statement I believe the American Dream does still exist today, but it may take generations for it to be realized, if at all, because of racial, economic, and educational obstacles that severely limit the opportunities of immigrants, minorities, and lower-class citizens. “Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, / And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, / Stealing my breath of life, I will confess / I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!” - “America” by Claude McKay
Here is What We Are Going To Do… (15-20 Minutes) Look at the quote from Claude McKay’s “America” and explain it as thoroughly as you can and include whatever analysis you want as long as it answer our thesis. Feel free to discuss the rest of the poem. Try to look at the literary devices and symbols being used. Then, explain if Claude McKay agrees or disagrees with the thesis statement and why? Then, we will create a topic sentence for our body paragraph. What does this paragraph focus on? How does it relay back to the thesis?
Homework Complete AT LEAST three body paragraphs for your synthesis essay using the steps we discussed today. Study all of your literary devices! Your test is tomorrow!