1. Sentence Combining Bellringer  Read and evaluate each sentence.  If correct, mark it CORRECT.  If incorrect, mark it INCORRECT.

2. “It’s a Make Your Claim Monday!” February 4, 2013 Mr. Houghteling

3. SC 1  1. Designed by Peter the Great, the northern city of St. Petersburg is Russia’s second-largest metropolis with a population of almost five million people.

4. SC 2  2. With almost five million people in Russia’s second- largest metropolis, St. Petersburg was designed by Peter the Great in north Russia.

5. SC 3  3. In northern Russia, St. Petersburg, which Peter the Great designed, has almost five million people, making it Russia’s second-largest metropolis.

6. SC 4  4. St. Petersburg—named for and designed by Peter the Great—has many notable qualities: Russia’s northernmost city and second-largest metropolis with a population of almost five million people.

7. AGENDA  From Thursday: Sentence Combining Begin preparation for essay writing on Prose Tuesday.  Unpacking the prompt!  Featured African American author: James Baldwin and “The Rockpile.”

8. Unpacking the Prompt  The guiding question for this unit is “To what extent do our schools serve the goals of a true education?” While Francine Prose is highly critical of Maya Angelou and Harper Lee (deservedly so), she is also clear that many share in the blame of producing inferior or inadequate American students: teachers, boards of education, the media, the government, the advertising industry, and students themselves.

9. Unpacking the Prompt  In a well-reasoned essay, make an argument that determines who is primarily at fault for American students becoming “products” who are incapable of serious literature, who can only make “quick and irreversible judgments,” who “entertain and maintain simplistic immovable opinions about guilt and innocence,” and who ultimately have a “residual distrust” for anyone who might be considered an “individual.” Use textual support accurately and appropriately to support your argument.

10. “The Rockpile”  We will check in on this story on Wednesday and wrap it by Friday.  Read and annotate, make inferences, make predictions as you read, figure out characterizations, enjoy it.

11. HOMEWORK  Do pre-writing for the essay, if you have not already done so.  Review your claim and evidence: Do you have enough? Where would you go to get more?  Read “The Rockpile.” We will begin studying this short story on Wednesday.

12. Closing  On your index card, please write the thesis statement of the essay you are going to write tomorrow.  Your thesis statement should include: Claim—your opinion of who is “primarily” at fault for the state of education for American students Your brief list of supporting evidence—because of this, that, and this.