Green Words and Thesis Development

Get your songs out You should have your highlighting done for the top, middle, and bottom of the abstraction ladder For today, don’t worry about the MIDDLE. We are focusing mainly on the green concepts and the support (pink)

Get Out Your Song

Annotations and Summary Add annotations based on the example. Where do you see “green” concepts implicitly present? With your partner, complete the “Summary” section on the back

Thesis development After you have summarized the poem, turn to section 3 in your binders and locate your notes on the Abstraction Ladder. Write the title of the song in your notes, then DEVELOP A COHESIVE THESIS STATEMENT expressing what the lyricist is trying to convey. Write this thesis down. Use the same piece of paper to take notes on this powerpoint--you will turn it in later Set the song aside

The Abstraction Ladder in your song– Big ideas On the small white board at your table, write down ALL the green words from BOTH songs. Make them LARGE and LEGIBLE Class check for abstract/ general concepts DO NOT ERASE. Put the board down for now

From Abstract Concept to “GREEN Words”: a note We have talked about abstract concepts and highlighted them in green, BUT that does not mean that all of them will make the cut for what we will not identify as “GREEN WORDS.” So, what does it take to be GREEN?

What is a “GREEN” word? A “GREEN” word is ABSTRACT HIGHLY CONNOTATIVE VALUE-DRIVEN

EXAMPLE: "Wealth" Is "wealth" an abstract idea? Does wealth have connotative significance? Does your definition of "wealth" say anything about what you value?

YOUR TURN Go through the words on your white board. For each, ask yourselves 1. Is this abstract? 2. Is it strongly connotative (positive or negative)? 3. Does a person’s definition for this word indicate what he/she values? Cross out any that don’t meet the criteria

STILL YOUR TURN Put the words from your board in your notes. Make a list of 5 additional words that represent "green" concepts. Each time, ask yourself 1. Is this abstract? 2. Is it strongly connotative (positive or negative)? 3. Does a person’s definition for this word indicate what he/she values?

So how does this help me write a better thesis? Your thesis should be driven by a combination of strong green words Because of their connotative, value-driven nature, a “green” word based thesis will automatically drive your paper toward persuasion.

Try this: Look at your list of green words. Create a sentence utilizing three of these words. It can be about anything (school appropriate, of course!).

STOP! Did you just write a three-prong thesis? If you did CROSS IT OUT!

Round 2: Write another sentence using three of your green words, BUT this time follow this formula: Create an “although” statement using ONE green word in the dependent clause (at the beginning) and TWO in the independent clause (back half). Example for The Glass Castle: Although the Walls children grow up in deprivation, their determination and intelligence drive them to become successful people.

Rewind Go back to your song and look at the thesis you wrote at the beginning of class Use three strong green concepts from the song to REWRITE your original thesis on the following: DEVELOP A COHESIVE THESIS STATEMENT ON what the lyricist was trying to convey in this song. Use your green words and “Although…”formula this time.

All about YOU Write down 3-5 green words that accurately describe YOU Get out your essay prompt. List 3-5 green words that fit the prompt Using a combination of these two sets of green words, develop a preliminary “although” thesis for the prompt