Time Period?

Hi all. Sorry that I neglected to get the actual post for you to respond to. Do it if you can before C Block. If not today then, when you can. As the assignment read, what about this time period is familiar to you? I imagine that history has provided you with a pretty good background, and maybe there's less reason to list the things you're all hearing in class there. Or maybe the first few postings will set the groundwork for that part, and you can simply confirm what's already posted. So as you go to the postings, look for what isn't there. Maybe you could cross the Atlantic and mention a few things that take us from the Dust Bowl and the Joads into the late 30's and early 40's in the USA. Go for it!

NO BOOKS!

The other side of the "you can bring an outline" card (See previous posting) is that you should NOT bring your books. Thumbing through pages when you have only 50 minutes to write is a bad idea. Do the looking ahead of time and spend the time you have actually writing! Good luck from Albuquerque!!!

Essay Buddies

Today in C Block I'm going to assign pairs/partners between the two sections. The reason primarily is that D Block has one less day to prepare for the writing, and I want to create an opportunity for "cross-pollination" between the two groups for a little greater thinking and planning. If you are in D Block, expect to hear today (Wednesday) from someone in C Block. Expect that they will try to arrange to meet you during lunch or in after school tutorial today. If nothing else, plan a phone call or email exchange. The goal is to give each person a partner to help prepare for this writing. Talk through your ideas for the essay, your intentions for organization, maybe some of the text citations you plan to use. React to each others ideas in ways that seem helpful to both of you. Be the support system for each other. Finally, those few of you who are leaving before the essay writing is scheduled to occur, you NEED to make other arrangements with me before I leave campus today, during lunch. Please email me and set something up. No essays will be postponed until mid-April. That's not fair to everyone else. Some other plan is necessary.

Rules for the In-Class Essay

In response to the questions about what you may bring to the in-class writing on Thursday and Friday, here's the answer. Similar to the procedure for the semester exam, you may bring a single page outline, using 12 point font. No complete sentences, or "sentences minus one" that some of you used last time. The spirit of this is to STAY AWAY from anything like a complete sentence. Keep to short phrases. The exception is text from The Grapes Of Wrath that you are quoting as evidence. There of course you may use complete sentences. No books are necessary therefore, and you should not bring them. As previously announced, the majority of you will have to complete the essay in 50 minutes. Those with accommodation for extra time will get 25 or 50 extra minutes as per your documentation. However, since the 50 minute situation will require time beyond class, you need to see me if that is your situation so we can make a plan. Also, if you are going to be missing from class either day, please make prior arrangements to write your essay. I do not want anyone to wait till after Break to do this work—for your own sake as well as general fairness to your classmates.

TGOW In-Class Essay Topics Posted

Later this week you will be writing the first stage of an essay about the novel. This first step is a 50-minute in-class graded draft that you will do either Thursday (D block) or Friday (C Block). The topics are now posted for you in the Essential Documents section here. As indicated on that document, this essay will be graded twice: once as the in-class piece you create this week, and again (for more points) as a revised piece after Spring Break. For now, you should look over the topics, think about which ones appeal to you, and do some pre-writing. What that looks like for you is one of the learning points here. I suggest you do some sort of loose, non-linear writing. That could be a "vomit draft" where you write whatever comes into your mind. It could be a bubble diagram, where you write down ideas and show visually the relationships between them, whether they are characters, scenes, themes, quotes, or whatever. I would suggest you try a couple of topics and see which one is working better for you. I would suggest that you wait to make a formal outline until you have a better idea of what you are outlining—what your ideas are and what order they are in. The thesis is ultimately very important, but that might be the last thing that gets finalized. You might tweak it several times in the process of the pre-writing. That would be good. I hope this is a satisfying process for you, and one that leads you to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the novel!

53 Word Story?

I posted the link in "online resources". If you are interested, do it! Due by tomorrow, 2 PM. All information you need is on the website. And here's mine again: Ride The bumper sticker reading, “God is my co-pilot” might have spooked him. But he had already stuck out his thumb, the blue Subaru had already pulled over. Fred popped a mint, took a breath, and dove into the front seat, wishing he had X-ray vision for the future. And there she was.

Road Trip Reflection/Moving On

Yesterday we began to reflect on the process and the learning that was the Travel Odyssey/Road Trip. I indicated that the written reflection was something we'd do in class, and that is still true. Some of you expressed a wish that it also be posted to the blog however. So it is. Look in Essential Documents. Just understand that you are not required or expected to do anything with it outside of class. You may choose to continue your reflection if you like. The bulk of our in-class work this week and thereafter will be finishing the novel and doing some further writing about it.