RL.3 Practice

RL.3 practice

Cause and Effect Essay

Your task is to write a literary analysis examining how complex characters develop a theme in Of Mice and Men (RL.10.3). Review your scoring guide here.

After you've chosen a worthy theme, brainstorm how the character(s) develop that them over the course of the novel or through their interactions with other characters. Then start your introduction. You will write a typical funnel introduction (works every time). Here is a sample:

What elements does Kenzie include in her introduction? Use hers as a model for your introduction.

Themes in Of Mice and Men

Click here to begin exploring themes in the novel.

Of Mice and Men

A lot to analyze with this novel...

First, who are the mice and who are the men?

Let's examine Steinbeck's choice of title. Click here to read the poem "To a Mouse" by Robert Burns. Look at the original and the translation. Then click here for a quick assessment. (RL.10.9)

Second, some literary experts think Of Mice and Men is an allegory, an artistic or literary device in which characters or events represent or symbolize broader ideas and concepts. Consider this painting:

Any ideas as to what it symbolizes or represents? What about the individual objects and people?

Because Steinbeck often chose to write about the every man, it is very realistic to think that his novella is a critique of the state of humanity, with the ranch representing the greater society. So what aspect, role, or facet of society do the characters in this novel represent? If you were creating an allegorical picture, how would you symbolize the characters? 

Add your group's thoughts on groups and tone here. 

Of Mice and Men Mini Research Project

We will begin reading Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men soon, but before we delve into the 1930's, we should probably learn a little about that time period. You will work with a small group to study one of the following topics of the 1930's:

• The Great Depression
• The Dust Bowl
• Migrant Workers

For your exploration, you need to research the social, political, and economic causes and impacts of each event or group. This document will help you organize your findings. Make a copy for your group so that you can record your information. You can start your research by accessing our databases or even checking out books from the LMC or Mid-Continent.

As you are considering which information to incorporate into your findings, please use this chart to evaluate the source of the information. 

Your group will share your findings with the class. Please create a presentation in one member's Google Drive so that all members can contribute equally to your finished project. If you want to use a different presentation medium, talk to me first. Your presentation should included:

• an overview of your topic
• important details about the social, political, and economic causes and impacts
• pictures and/ or videos from credible sources 
• citations for information and media 

You are an editor and a mentor!

We have been invited to comment on some writings and blog activity for a group of Ms. Selock's sixth graders at South Valley Middle School. Please find your sixth grade writing buddy in this document, and read his or her narrative. If you can make comments, do so. If the technology isn't working, we'll make comments next week. Don't forget your buddy's name.

Here's how you write a quality comment:

Shakespeare continued

Access this document to practice standard RL.1 and RL.4 and RI.5.

And here is the full text of the play.

Research and Article of the Week #3

If you've finished your research paper, it is now graded. If you haven't finished your paper, you need to do that today.

You have three tasks for February 17th:

1. Reread your research paper and make corrections. Please do not resolve comments that I've made; just leave them as is. I don't mark every comma issue or run on sentence (although I sometimes just correct them if something is really bothering me), so learn to be your own best editor. Some of you need to bring your use of quotes in. If a quote is longer than a few lines, it needs to be block quoted. When I looked over papers and articles for my former boss's journal, we almost always asked authors to get rid of the block quotes in favor of a wonderful summary or paraphrase. It is okay to block quote text from a book or a poem, but it is generally not okay to copy a researcher's words. Research is very different than writing a literary analysis. Use your quotes sparingly.

2. At the end of your research paper (after your Works Cited), answer these questions:

• What is (or was) the weakest part/element of your research paper?
• What are your strengths when it comes to writing a research paper? 
• Did you choose the right topic? Explain.

3. Begin working on your new Article of the Week. Click here for your article (an interview in this case) and analysis instructions. It is due next Tuesday. 

Sonnets

Your analysis of Sonnet 73 was excellent. Let's examine a few more sonnets. This time, we'll look at at a series of sonnets by Sir Philip Sidney--108 of them. Choose a couple to read to help you ascertain the gist of Sidney's sonnets.

Shakespeare read Sir Sidney's sonnets and wrote a few in response. Check out this one to his dark-haired mistress:

SONNET 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.


I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks; 
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.


I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
   
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare. 

Article of the Week #4: Schools

Please complete your analysis of your newest article of the week by Tuesday, February 17th.

Essay writing

Let's examine the use of direct quotes in this editorial and this research paper.

ACT Practice

Click here for the ACT question of the day.

Argumentative Research Paper Scoring Guide

Help! Our scoring guide for your research paper is too wordy. We need to pare it down to the essentials so that any student can understand what is expected. The scoring guide also needs to be matched to the Common Core State Standards. Good luck!

Article of the Week

Here's your second article of the week for 2015.

Your research ideas

• Is America a bully?
• Is the economic/ educational/ social stretch (inequality) ruining America?
• College costs
• Welfare/ public assistance
• Technology/ monitoring
• Are we living in a sci fi society?
• Minority issues
• Common Core
• Gender equity
• When does adulthood start? 
• Are today's adolescents spoiled, over nurtured?  
• Helicopter parents
• Sexualization of advertising
• Why we can't brainstorm effectively 
• Portrayal of homosexuality in the media
• Are sports and extracurriculars ruining American education? 
• Are we the instant generation? 
• Pageants for young girls
• Ebola is a conspiracy
• The fault of our generation lies with our parents

Article of the Week 2015 #1: Elf on the Shelf

Please read the this article and write your analysis. Your annotations and analysis are due on Friday, January 9th.