Quiz #11 (technically!)

Now that we're almost done with Caesar's Column (we finish the text for Monday, if we haven't already), I'd like you to think about the 'thematic patterns of figurative language' you've observed, or, short of that pattern of imagery or language, some other thematic pattern or narrative track you plan to elaborate on for essay number two. I'd like to also gauge how you plan to incorporate the novel alongside The Destruction of Gotham, and which text you plan to privilege in your essay, if any. Furthermore, as we look to our next reading, I'd like to know if you plan to focus on May Day. All students must work from at least two texts. If you plan to use all three, let me know.

Blog Assignment #6: Peer Comments

For this assignment you will offer your perspective to classmates in ENG 101.

First, you will click on your name below to find the blogs that need your comments. Follow the instructions provided below. Your main goal is to offer an overall evaluation of the blog, including praise, communicate what you believe to be their main ideas, and to provide helpful 'constructive criticism' for their revision process.

What is the goal my response?

The goal of your response is to offer the writer some positive praise and some suggestions for revision based on the assignment they had for the blog. Remember, you shouldn't feel confused about what they're writing about - you are their audience. If you're confused, you need to say why. If they need to expand their ideas, you need to tell which ones, and also how to do it. Their interest and focus should also make you interested. If you weren't interested, they need tell them what they could have done to make you more interested.

As for how you should organize your response, see the directions below. Here are the specific steps:


Blog Comment Directions (from the text Tutoring Writing)

1. Open a general statement of assessment about the blog's relationship to the assignment. Be clear about which parts fulfill the assignment and which parts need improvement.
2. Present comments so the writer knows which problems with text are most important and which are of lesser importance.
3. Use comments primarily to call attention to strengths and weaknesses in the piece, and be clear about the precise points where they occur.
4. Don't feel obligated to do all the 'fixing.' Refrain from focusing on grammar unless it impedes your ability to understand the piece.
5. Write comments that are text-specific, and uniquely aimed at the blog and the writer.

Strategies

1. Pose at least two questions that ask for clarification or that seek other possible views or more information on the subject.
2. Let the writer know what specific lines, ideas, and stylistic touches you find pleasing.
3. When you make a specific, concrete suggestion for improvement, try couching it in a qualifier: "You might try..." or "Why don't you add..." or "Another way of writing the lead might be..."
4. If you notice a pattern of errors (incorrect use of commas, etc) comment on it in a global way at the end of the piece.

How do I leave a comment again?

Press the "No Comments" or "Comments" link at the end of their blog entry.
Consider pasting your response from Microsoft Word, or simply write in the box.
Fill out the web-bot verification boxes.


What if someone else has already left a comment?

Leave yours, too.

What if I don't know why they're writing?

A) Their blogs *should* explain what they're doing. If they don't, that's something for you to offer criticism about.
B) Remember, each blog was in response to the assignment. The assignment and purpose should be clear in the blog. If it isn't, tell them, and tell them how they can make it more clear.

What is constructive criticism?

It's when you point out issues that need attention and offer suggestions for how to make the changes you propose.

What do I do? 

See the directions above after you find your name below. 

What if I have a question?

Email me!

Can I get extra credit for leaving feedback on more than my two assigned blogs?

Yes. Please email me for details. 

Click on your name below to find the blogs that you'll leave comments for. 

Alex, Alex
Amanda, Amanda
Angel, Angel
Brian, Brian
Christian, Christian
Crystal, Crystal
Ed, Ed
Enis, Enis
Eric, Eric
Gerlad, Gerald

Jason, Jason
Jeeylan, Jeeylan
Johnnie, Johnnie
Jorge, Jorge
Kenia, Kenia
Kenny, Kenny
Oscar, Oscar
Sonny, Sonny

EXTRA CREDIT: Students that leave comments on the following blogs will receive FIVE QUIZ POINTS for each comment, or THEY MAY APPLY as 1/2 of a BLOG if they are making up a blog. Students must indicate where they want the grade applied to the professor. (NOTE: Students may only receive up to 20 quiz points or ONE full 'make-up' blog).

EXTRA CREDIT BLOG COMMENT
EXTRA CREDIT BLOG COMMENT
EXTRA CREDIT BLOG COMMENT
EXTRA CREDIT BLOG COMMENT
EXTRA CREDIT BLOG COMMENT
EXTRA CREDIT BLOG COMMENT







 

Class Agenda 10.27

1. Go over essay one
2. Look at blog assignment for this week
3. Caesar's Column partner work: identify group you want to be part of, enter it, select key passage for discussion
4. Blog Roll
5. Looking at the novel as a whole: how does this intersect with issues we considered for essay 1 and for the previous riot readings? How does this connect with The Destruction of Gotham?

Blog #5

Connect two different passages from Caesar's Column to one of the themes we discussed in class. Discuss what the passages mean individually, and then how the passages relate to one another. Conclude by stating a claim about the theme overall.

Essay assignment two

Due Date:

Peer Review: 

Assignment Goal: Create a thesis-driven essay that explains the significance of a thematic pattern you find operating in both novels we've read so far.

Assignment Description: Look to the novels and re-read the key passages and your notes. Go back to class discussion. Find a theme, or two closely related themes, operating in both novels. Create an essay that explores the meaning of this theme using evidence from the novels.

Your thesis will very likely contain a set of ideas, or one big idea, that you see standing behind the theme(s). For example, someone might be able to see how the ideas of 'mushroom civilization' from the Destruction of Gotham also appear in Caesar's Column. Then you might begin to argue in your thesis that both writers locate the origins of social violence in urban blight, or neighborhoods of poverty. In this thesis, urban blight would be your key term. You would then identify moments from both texts that support this reading, while using critical thinking in each support paragraph to elaborate or contest elements of the theme (that is, you can 'extend' the thinking of the author to make historical connections, or inter-textual connections, but you could also 'take issue' with elements of the theme to note limitations or contradictions in its logic).

Please see our class discussions and notes for reference, and use your blogs and discussions to 'test' your ideas.

Passages for Group Discussion and Writing Activity from Caesar's Column

To the public (4)

man is a drug (17)

dead men's bones (29)

the demands of science (33)

where virtue breaks (38)

volcanic explosions (50)

public school system (53)

caste bigotry (54)

desperate to pull down the temple (55)

Close-reading and Critical Thinking Breakdown

Breaking down literary interpretation into steps

Purpose: Producing ‘Critical Thinking’ in a college-level paragraph comes naturally for some, but can cause anxiety for others. It’s a good idea for everyone to feel confident about how to ‘unpack’ (or ‘close-read’) a passage from a literary text. Let’s review the steps we practiced last week. The following steps work for discussion, but it’s even more important we begin to write sentences that correspond to them. Note: the Basic Examples below are just ‘templates,’ or models. Feel free use your own language to accomplish the same step.

Step one: Identify a word or phrase in the text we find interesting, exciting, revealing, or worth contemplating.

Activity: In a sentence, draw the reader’s attention to the phase using direct quotes and MLA citation.

Basic Example: One important moment in the text occurs when _____ writes, “_______” (author’s last name [space] page number).

Step two: Discuss the word or phrase by explaining to your reader what it literally means in the text. This may require you to paraphrase the basic idea about the word or phrase.

Activity: In a sentence or two, paraphrase the basic idea behind the word or phrase, as if a reader might now anything about its meaning.

Basic Example: In this passage, ______ is trying to say ______. [And/Or] In this passage, the idea of “_____” stands out because __________. [You may want simply call attention the language itself here, and attempt simply to define it.]

Step three: Discuss the passage in the larger context of novel’s action, plot, and character.

Activity: In a sentence or two, explain how the idea of “____” is supposed to function at that particular point in the story. Why do you think the idea of “___” comes up at the moment? What does it reveal about that moment in the novel’s action? What perspective does it give us on the larger story of the novel, or on the character in question? How does the idea or language ‘mark’ this as a special moment in the story?

Basic Example: This passage is important to the novel’s plot because ____. This passage is important because it reveals ________ about [character, plot, action, point of view]. This passage is instructive because it shows ___________.

Step four: Discuss the ‘deeper’ meaning or ultimate significance of the passage.

Activity: In as many sentences as necessary, explain why this passage is meaningful. You may want to continue expanding on an idea raised in steps 1-3. You may want to connect the passage to an overall ‘thematic pattern’ in the novel. You may, too, want to explain how the passage fits into previous and on-going class themes and discussions, such as ‘moral authority,’ ‘violence,’ or ‘class conflict.’ You may also connect the passage to your own ‘big ideas.’ This is a chance to ‘play’ intellectually and have fun with thinking.

Basic Example: This passage is ultimately significant because ______. The idea of “____” matters because it reveals _______ about how and why American violence occurred at this time in history. The notion of “______” connects to ____, and shows us that ______. The author is trying to convey the importance of “____” to show readers that _____.

Class Agenda 10.20

1. Class Announcements: Guest in class, be yourself.
2. Caesar's Column Writing Activity.
3. Essay Assignment Two
4. Merging your blogs and notes into supporting paragraphs/thesis for Essay Assignment Two
5. Reading Habits/Skills/Reflections

Note: Observer in class Monday

Hi all - there will be an observer in class Monday. Please try to arrive on time. Otherwise, be yourselves!

Blog Assignment for this week

Please respond to one or both of the novels we've read (or are reading): The Destruction of Gotham or Caeser's Column. You can reflect on anything, but I'd ask that you 'ground' your thoughts in at least one correctly cited passage (in other words, give evidence for some of your thoughts by quoting from the text when appropriate).

Letter to Professor with Assignment One

Reflection on your writing process: letter to the professor. Answer the following questions in a brief letter to the professor. 1. Overall, are you confident that your essay meets the expectations of the assignment? Why or why not? 2. What was the most difficult part of the assignment for you? How did you overcome it? 3. Looking back, what would you do differently next time? 4. What writing skills or techniques do you think we need to work on most as a class going forward? 5. How this assignment changed your thinking on violence in American history and culture?

Reading Schedule for Wednesday

First, if you have time skim the Introduction in the Ruddick edition (if you bought the copy sold in the school bookstore).

Second, ALL students should read at least through page 40 by Wednesday's class. If you're feeling ambitious, read to page 80.

If you haven't read The Destruction of Gotham, I would finish it. The second essay will ask you to compare and contrast these two novels. We'll talk about it more in the first hour of class next Wednesday.

Your first essay is also due Wednesday.

They Say I Say Link

click here

Thoughts on the paper

1. Sample thesis template

One moral the rioters shared is______________. One moral the authorities shared is _______. The conflict between these two groups is important because __________.

ANOTHER example

The rioters didn't always share the same morals, but some did; in 1837 and 1877, they both felt___________________. In the texts "300 Years Hence" and the Draft Riots, however, the rioters appeared to act according to the moral of ____________. By contrast, the authorities felt the same way across all riots. They felt _______________________.

SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCES FOR THIS SECOND THESIS TEMPLATE

TOPIC SENTENCE ONE: In 1837 and 1877, the rioters felt they were acting in the name of ____________________. By ______, I mean they _________. We can see this in Joseph Headley's chapters on the riots. Headley wrote his text in 1877 in order to show ______. His main perspective is ____. At one point in his discussion of the Flour Riot, he writes about _____. In this moment, however, we can see that the rioters were acting _______ because [support thesis claim here]. For instance, he writes, "XXISIKDFKSD sdfsdlkjfasdklf asd" (Headley 54). In this quote, he is saying_____. This is important to understand because ______. We can here see the connection between 1837 Flour Riot and the 1877 General Strike, which I'll discuss below. I believe that ______. This also appears when _________. Some may argue that _______. They might agree with Headley that _______. I argue, though, ________. [so on and on]

Reference to John Russell's 300 years hence

here - just an FYI

Link to Sample Grading Grid

HERE

MLA Citation

HERE

and

HERE

Class Agenda 10.6

1. Quiz: What characters in the novel are we supposed to have pity for? Which ones we are supposed to dislike? Which are we supposed to identify with?

2. Peer Review

1. FIRST: Write down the questions you have about your paper and what challenges you faced writing it. Write down what you think you need attention to from your classmates.

2. THEN: Read the first paragraph out loud to your group. Your classmates will be listening and reading along for the THESIS STATEMENT.

3. THEN: Read the topic sentences of the paragraphs that follow. Your class mates will be listening and reading along to see if they support the thesis statement or relate to the thesis statement.

4. THEN: Have your team quietly read the paper in whole. When they're BOTH done, they will: describe whether or not they believe the paper responds to the assignment's MAIN goal(s); they will point to at least one idea they found interesting; and ask questions to the author about aspects of the paper that confused them or moments they want more information from.

5. THEN: the team will review the questions and concerns the author wrote down and respond to them.

6. THEN: When offering suggestions, take the 'what if' approach. "What if you changed this..." "What if you added more here..."

7. FINALLY: the team will offer the author the most creative title for the paper they can think of, based on the draft so far.

3.  BLOG Roll

Jorge
Johnny
Gerald
Jeeylan
Jason
Ed

4. The novel: What is this about? 


4. 

sample sentence with direct quote

When Miller writes about the "ugly and offensive beast in the dark places," he is explaining to us, at a minimum, that the emotional mood swings of every person implies they are imperfect (9). {continue with more sentences that explain the possible meanings of the quote}

Blog #4

For this blog you will practice 'close-reading' of a passage from the text (see Class Agenda for 10.1). Then you will connect the passage you wrote about it to the larger issues of the book, and end the blog by directly quoting from another passage in the book that you feel captures one of those larger issues. Be sure to try and explain the relationship between the two passages you quoted from.

Class Agenda 10.1

1. Look at a passage from the The Destruction of New York together.

2. Break down into groups to look at passages assigned by professor. Practice 'close-reading' of a passage and prepare for blog #4.

a. Read the passage in question together.
b. Identify what is happening in the passage and how it fits into the plot of the story.
c. Explain how the passage communicates knowledge about the characters involved in the passage.
d. Identify a word or phrase that you think captures one of the 'main ideas' of the passage.
e. IN WRITING: After summarizing what the passage says and how it fits into character development, interpret the word or phrase you selected and explain its significance.
f. Prepare to connect this passage to whatever 'big ideas' you think the novel is addressing.

3. Revise your writing for your 4th blog assignment.