Agenda
1) Warmup:
What would your life be like if you lived in zero gravity?
2) Make an assertion
3) Detail and Explanation chart
Homework
Finish chart
Today we started working on the essay. We chose our assertion (aka our thesis statement), and began looking for quotes from the story to back it up.
The thesis statement will be "The theme of _______ is _____." Students can write about any of the four short stories we have read:
Priscilla and the Wimps
How the World Was Saved
All Summer in a Day
The Veldt
This year I am offering my grade-level (period 5 and 6) an alternate version of the essay assignment, which I'm calling the Basic Essay. This is intended for students who require extra help in essay writing. In the Basic Essay the students will be given the thesis (Monk is a Bully) and will be provided with extra help in writing the essay. For example, I will provide the first sentence of each paragraph, and will help students identify the details needed to prove their thesis.
The tradeoff is that the basic essay has a maximum score of 90. What I'm trying to do is make it easier to get a B or C, but the cost is that it's almost impossible to get an A.
