Class #3

Quiz.

Groups discussed the examples of writing genres that everyone brought to class.

We read Samuel Scudder's "Take This Fish and Look At It" on page 60 and discussed the Observation paper assignment, including techniques for doing this kind of writing.

Then groups read Muir's description of the Yosemite Valley on pages 56-57 and annotated it for the techniques for writing about observation (see Reid p. 54-55).

I handed out copies of the assignment sheet for the Observation paper. If you need another copy of it, email me please.

Homework:

1. Read in Reid pages 90-95 for an example of a student essay called "Permanent Tracings" that meets the Observation essay assignment.

2.Then begin observing your chosen subject. Fill at least two pages of your journal with observation notes. These can be very rough, including lists, drawings, quotes, bubble charts or sketches.

3. Write Draft #1 of your observation essay. For help with shaping the paper, look at pages 80-85 in Reid. It may be hand-written, but do skip lines so it's easier to read and make changes on. The goal is to have as many pages as possible, but there is no page requirement at this stage. Revising will be easier if you have too much and are paring it down, rather than struggling to reach the required pages. E-mail questions to me as you have them! kvloden@yahoo.com Bring your first draft to class on Tuesday.

4. Two vocabulary words in your journal.

Class #2

We discussed Chapter 1 in Reid, including a quiz. Then we looked into Chapter 2, where the word "rhetoric" lead to a digression about ancient Greece. See this and this .

Finally, everyone read and discussed two essays in Reid: "The Struggle to be an All-American Girl" by Elizabeth Wong and "I'm O.K., but You're Not" by Robert Zoellner.

Homework:

1. Read pages 18-29 in Reid.

2. In your journal, do the Freewrite at the bottom of page 21 and the top of page 22 in Reid.

3.Do #2 page 38 Warming Up Exercises in Reid, finding THREE examples of different genres of writing. Describe and discuss them in your journal, as the assignment explains, but also BRING THEM TO CLASS on Thursday. Try to find an example of ineffective communication.

4. To prepare for the Observation paper, read in Reid pages 52-55. Think about what you could observe for this assignment and what questions you have about it. Also, READ the "Warming Up: Journal Exercises" on page 58-59. Each of these activities would work well as a basis for the Observation paper assignment. We will discuss the assignment in depth on Thursday.

5. Two vocabulary words in your journal.

Further reading: For a great book about the Spartans, see here. (Available at the Lincoln Public Libraries.) This book has been required reading for US Marines' officer training.