What do Keanu Reeves, Kurt Vonnegut and the novel Divergent have in common? You're going to find out soon. The connection between those three is just one of the things I was working on today at my meeting. Even though I wasn't with you in class, I was thinking about you, trying to create some units that will spark your interest and challenge your mind.
As you know, I'll be gone tomorrow as well, but I wanted to take this time to offer a few tips to the enriched students who will be engaged in a timed writing tomorrow in class.
*First of all, you need to come prepared. You have read "Raymond's Run", so you should be quite
familiar with that story. Today, you were assigned two other nonfiction pieces to actively read. If you didn't finish those reads in school, you need to be sure they are completed tonight for homework. The last thing you want to do is be forced to use some of your writing time to catch up on the reading.
*Speaking of writing time, you have a 55 minute class tomorrow, but you will only have 45 minutes to write your essay. Even if you come prepared, you want to use your time wisely. I'd spend a couple minutes reading the prompt, reading it again, underlining what it is asking you to do, and then planning your attack. You have three sources from which to draw. Which ones will you use? What points do they offer that will allow you to write the best essay? What support is available to strengthen your claim? Plan, but don't spend too much time planning.
*Perhaps you'll want to write a rough draft. That's fine, but if you do, be sure to calculate the time needed to rewrite the essay.
*Most of the time will undoubtedly be spent writing the essay. Great. But to stay focused on the topic, keep referring to the prompt. Be sure you are writing about what you need to write about.
*You'll also want to leave time to review it. Reread the essay when you are finished. I would want to be sure that I am working on my conclusion before the five minutes remaining mark. That way, I should have time to review the rest of the essay and make any small, last-minute changes.
*Above all, breathe. Relax. Do your best. This is the first of many timed prompts we will be doing. Yes, this will be assessed for points, but if you relax, focus on what the prompt is asking, and support with specific textual evidence, you should do fine.
Good luck!
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