Enriched 9-30-2012

Another weekend has flown by.  We had fun at the O'Malley household: visiting relatives and homemade chocolate chip cookies!

But I also spent a little time on the Acuity website.  I was able to get on to the site Saturday evening to see who has been completing the Acuity-At-Home material (way to go Spencer Kilmer, Peter Rutkowski, Matthew Shan, Ryan Klinedinst, and Karley Bounds) and to see the areas we need to focus on based on the predictive test we took Tuesday.  Good news: the areas we need to focus on are the same in every class.  Our top problem areas all dealt with our ability to "determine how the structure or organization of a passage aids comprehension".  I went ahead and made up a custom test covering those traits (7.2.3; 7.2.7; 8.2.2; 8.2.7; 8.2.9) which we will be taking a look at this week.  If you are assigned any work on the Acuity-At-Home site that deals with reading comprehension, I'd start focusing on that.

This weekend I also spent some time assessing your juxtaposition examples and your Symbolic Venn Diagrams.  First, the SVDs.  We had a couple super examples (Matthew Shan--again--and Monesh Devireddy, and Julia Kwak and Allyssa Pate) and several fine ones.  Also some in need of polishing.  You and your partner may have lost points for reasons including the difficulty in seeing the alignment between the differences, quotes that weren't cited or used, or perhaps a confusing layout.  Some of you will be able to regain some points.  More to come tomorrow.  The juxtaposition examples were solid.  Maddie Busch had a great example and explanation.  So did Grant Brenner.  Joe Bursley used one from a book he was reading which made it a one-of-a-kind.  Some of us were confusing irony and juxtaposition.  One of the popular attempts used a McDonald's billboard next to a obesity billboard.  Of the nearly dozen of you who selected that example, only Nathan Glaser was able to put into words why it might be juxtaposition.  The rest will need to try again with a different example.

I know you've been working on those papers this weekend.  Be sure you are opening up with an engaging lead.  Mention the three authors and their respective works in the intro.  Be sure to ID your individual as well.  Develop the heck out of the material in the body paragraphs.  I want to see your claim fully developed.  Use evidence, specific info, quotes, show don't tell, exact words and specific actions from your individual whenever possible.  Wrap the paper up nicely.  Then don't forget your internal citations and your Works Cited page.  Below you will find the proper ways to cite the texts I gave you in class.

Brooks, Max.  World War Z.  New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006. Print.

Donne, John.  "No Man Is An Island" PoemHunter.com, 18 May 2012. Web.  02 Sept. 2012.

Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." Visions of Darkness.  Ed. C. Merton Babcock.  
     Kansas City: Hallmark, 1971.  41-52.  Print.

Notice the reverse indentation used on Poe's citation that extends to a second line.  Yes, you need to do the same.  We'll be looking at the rough drafts extensively on Tuesday.  We'll also have time for an author's chair or two as well.  If someone wants to get in the author's chair tomorrow, just let me know. We'll make time.

You have some amazing books that I know you are reading and preparing.  You'll be meeting again Wednesday in the IMC.  Archer card signatures for the entire class if the entire class gets a check plus on the work you need to prepare.  Let's make it a goal each time.

Tomorrow we'll start out with a little tool time over our weak acuity area and then have a mini lesson on parallel structure which will lead to an assignment.  We'll also have a notebook quiz over mood and/or theme.  Be prepared.  (By "be prepared" I mean be better prepared than you were for the last notebook quiz.)  We'll follow that up with the return of that previously mentioned notebook quiz.  I'll pass out the SVD assessment sheets and then you'll get to show off some of your great juxtaposition examples.  We'll revisit "Jazz Fantasia" for a figurative language lesson, and hopefully, have time for an author's chair or two.   Full day.  See you in class.