Friday's Schedule

Wednesday, November 9 ~ POO Essay Options

Roots - Comparison

• acer, acid, acri - bitter, sour, sharp
• acu - sharp
• ali, allo, alter - other

The Power of One - Essay Topics
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1. Consider one of the themes that Courtenay expresses in the book. Write an essay that examines how and more importantly why Courtenay would choose this theme for his novel.

Some possibilities…

·         The way to survive is to blend in—camouflage.

·         First with your head, then with your heart.

·         Little can beat big (if you are smart).

·         Any other themes that you can think of?

2.      How does Peekay’s coming of age story compare to other book(s) with characters who make similar journeys: Ender in Ender’s Game, Harry Potter, Siddhartha, (other coming of age stories that you can think of). [The technical name for a coming of age story is a Bildungsroman].

3.   Is there any significance to the idea of “the power of one” in this novel beyond the individual? Is Courtenay suggesting that South Africa itself must, like Peekay, develop this power in order to survive?

4.   Both boxing and music are important to Peekay and to The Power of One. At times, Bryce Courtenay contrasts them, while at other times he stresses their commonalities, and even describes one in terms of the other–as, for example, when Peekay boxes “like a Mozart concerto” (249). Identify more of these contrasts and commonalities. Why do you think the author emphasizes them so much?

5.    Do you rely upon something like the power of one in your own life? What is it, and how did you develop it? How is it similar to or different from Peekay’s power of one?

6.    Assuming that the novel is Courtenay’s message to South Africa, what advice is he giving to help people change a nation’s mentality (about racism or any other oppression)?

7.     Or…you can propose your own essay topic. Come and talk with me.


HW: Pick a prompt and write your CAB style thesis. You may also bring a notecard with quotes on it to class tomorrow. No digital books allowed!

Tuesday, November 8 ~ TIED

Roots Quiz today.

 EQ: What is TIED?

 When writing a literary analysis, there are (4) elements that must be present in your body paragraphs.

Topic Sentences	T: The topic sentences lets the reader know what your subject is and what you are going to prove.  Never use "I" or talk about the essay/paragraph in this sentence.
Introduce Evidence	I: After the topic sentence, you should introduce  the context of your evidence (or quote).
Evidence          (this could be a quote           or logical reasoning)	E: In a Literary Response essay (the type we are working on), this is the quote that demonstrates your point.
Discuss (aka commentary)	D: You must discuss how the evidence is important in proving your argument as stated in the Topic sentence or Thesis. (This element ties the paragraph into a circular unit in which the topic sentence is effectively proven with evidence and author commentary.)

Monday, November 7 ~ Peekay Defines the Power of One

 Reminder

• Roots Quiz Tuesday, November 8

 The Power of One - Today we will finish the book. Please rev up your iPad, go to Chapter 15.

Block Day, November 3&4 ~ Peekay's Journey Comes to an End

                                                                                                                     

Roots

• centri - center
• fin - end
• join, junct - join
• loc, loco - place

Reminder
Journals 12 and 13 due Friday. 
Roots Quiz on Tuesday, November 8 

Activity

Journals 17 & 18: Questions - Chapters 12&13

 The Power of One - Chapter 14

Homework
Finish Chapter 14
West class Journal 19
Write a CAB style thesis to answer the question:
Why is the concert to the prisoners the climax of the novel? (What is so significant about it?)
 

Wednesday, November 2 ~ TIE Method Explained

 

 Roots

• form - form, shape
• sphere - ball, sphere
• umber - shadow

Reminder
Bridgette's class - Journal #12 due Friday.

EQ: How can I incorporate quotes in a fluid way that uses the quote to build momentum rather than in a way that interrupts the text of my essay?


Writing

TIE METHOD = Tag it, Introduce it, or Embed it.

• TAG: Tag the context to the end of the quote.
• Example: "Mr. Van Zyl [the Kommandant] was trying to be a smarty pants with the people in town," mentioned Doc during the visit (226).
• Introduce: Introduce the context of the quote to lead into the text.
• Example: During Peekay's visit, Doc mentioned some insight: "Mr. Van Zyl was trying to be a smarty pants with the people in town" (226).
• Embed: Embed the quote inside of the context sentence.  
• Example: Doc mentioned that the Kommandant was "trying to be a smarty pants with the people in town" to Peekay during their visit (226).

• Puctuation Notes: Notice in the Tag section that only part of the quote was used and that [the Kommandant] was added for clarity. You may add words for clarity within a quote by using the brackets too. Also, notice that the introduced quote can use a colon because the first sentence before the colon is a complete sentence. 
• Activity...Write a quote down and pass it around...and TIE it up. Use all (3) methods.

Homework

• Read Chapter 13
• Journal 18 
• Record at least two quotes with context using one of the TIE methods.

Tuesday, November 1 - Take a CAB to better thesis writing

 

Roots

• chrom - color
• cycl, cyclo - wheel, circular

EQ: What do the terms contest and assert mean?

Writing 

 Notes: What makes a good thesis?

For starters: Are these Strong Thesis Statements?

1. The myth, Midas, has a great lesson.
2. My essay is about the lesson on greed in Midas. 
3. While greed is universally known to lead to disaster, Midas is one Greek myth that shows the painful effects of greed on the individual, the family, and society

How do you write a STRONG Thesis Statement?
      *In this case, strong means clear and specific.

1st -Figure out the question.
         What traits make a hero universal hero?
         Why has the hero changed?
         How has the hero changed since Greek times?
         Which traits do I view as the true hero?
         
2nd - Answer the question.  
  One possible format to use is the CAB thesis:

Contest (Acknowledge what the opposition could say against your idea)
         Although the Greek heroes were often demigods and quite selfish,
Assert (Assert the position you will prove)
          they do have some major similarities with the typical modern hero,
Because (State your areas of proof, *You do not have to use "because.")
          because they share the traits of self-sacrifice, loyalty and courage.

3rd - Check it.

• Did I take a debatable position? No Summary!!!
• Is my thesis specific enough? Avoid general words. For example, if you contain words like "good" or "successful," then state what makes it good or specifically what the standard for success is.
• Does it pass the "So What?" test? If not, you may need to clarify, connect your ideas to a larger issue, or narrow your topic down somehow. 
• Does my thesis match my body paragraphs? If the topics of your body paragraphs do not match your thesis, then one of them has to change. It is ok to change your thesis. This often happens as your write and think more deeply about a topic. For this reason, many people write the introduction to the essay last. 

For more help, go to this website.

For more practice, go to this website.

Homework

• Finish Chapter 12
• Journal #17 - Write a thesis that follows the CAB method. Also, include (3) discussion questions for Chapter 12.