1. WARM-UP: “THIS I BELIEVE” August 27-28, 2014 Think of 2-3 beliefs that you have that you feel very strongly about. What are these beliefs and why do they have passion or intensity for you? Due Today: Course Agreement, Surveys Note: Normally, all journals must be at least one full page written in your notebook. Today’s may be completed in your notebook or on loose-leaf paper. 1

2. HOUSEKEEPING: 1.Food & Drink Policy 2.Bathroom Policy 3.Electronic Device Expectations 4.Picture Day! 5.Ms. Smith’s English 10 Handbook 2

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4. ______ Life is fair. ______ Words can hurt. ______ Police are your friends. ______ What goes around comes around. ______ How you act in a crisis shows who you really are. ______ Love conquers all. ______ An eye for an eye… ______ People learn from their mistakes. ______ You can’t depend on anyone else; you can only depend on yourself. ______ If you smile long enough, you become happy. ______ Miracles do happen. ______ There is one special person for everyone. ______ Money can’t buy happiness. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

5. Choose a belief that is common to all group members. Then each member of the group should tell a story that either shows the belief in action or explains why she/he believes what she/he does. 5

6. WHAT IS A PERSONAL ESSAY? Personal EssayFocuses on belief or insight about life that is significant to the writer. Personal NarrativeFocuses on a significant event. Personal MemoirFocuses on a significant relationship between the writer and a person, place, or object. A personal essay often combines elements of both the narrative and the memoir since an insight about life or a personal belief is usually based upon both experiences and relationships that have taught the writer what individual values are most important.

7. PERSONAL ESSAY: *communicates the significance of a central idea or insight that has a deep personal meaning to the writer *purpose is more reflective *development of the text is based upon the writer’s personal experiences and anecdotes *written in first person; more conversational or entertaining in style *more subjective in tone *more informal in language, tone, and subject matter *rarely requires documentation

8. “THIS I BELIEVE” PERSONAL ESSAYS A.Think back to our earlier description of the elements of a personal essay. Find and mark specific examples from the essay that demonstrates that it is a personal essay. B.Is the speaker passionate about his or her topic? How do you know? Explain and mark text examples. C.Is the essay broad enough to allow the reader to draw comparisons to his/her own life—even if they haven’t experienced the exact same situation as the writer? Explain and mark text examples. D.Does the essay relay specifics and details about one instance and then use that small moment to reveal a greater truth about life? Explain and mark text examples. E.Does the essay make emotions real and immediate through use of details that draw the reader into the text? Explain and mark text examples. F.Does the essay engage all of the senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and hearing? What are the impacts of these? Explain and mark text. G.Summarize the main idea of the essay.

9. YOUR ASSIGNMENT (WRITE THIS DOWN!) 9 Compose your own “This I Believe” essay that captures a significant/meaningful belief that you hold and why. * Due before 7:10 am on 9/3 & 9/4 * Bring in a hard copy and submit on www.turnitin.comwww.turnitin.com * No length requirement * Will be graded based on rubric * Must be in MLA format * Use notes from class today to help you!

10. MLA FORMATTING: MLA: 12 Pt. Times New Roman Font, 1” margins, double spaced.