WELCOME to our first class!
Read this first (even if you think you know it already; there's new info here):
There are three parts to your doc: the spreadsheet at the top, a section to keep essay drafts, and a section for other work. Let's look at each one:
SPREADSHEET. This where I'll put your grade for essays and weekly work. Keep an eye on this. I update it every week. And read my comments!
ESSAYS. This section is for essays only. Paragraphs are not essays. Keep the essay assignments together (if you have three drafts on the Helmet Law essay, they should all be next to each other with the latest one on top). LABEL the essay with title and draft #, like this: "Helmet Law draft 2". Keep the most recent assignment at the top of the section.
MISC. WORK. Anything that's not a full essay goes here. Labels are even more important for this section, so include, the week and a title, like this: "WEEK 3, Skill Builder 2". Keep the most recent assignments at the top of the section.
LATE WORK...
It's all due by 5pm FRIDAY.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
If you need more time, you can ask for an extension by Wednesday midnight. After that I'll grade it at half credit. I'll let you do that TWICE. We'll have two "catch-up" weeks, so that should help you stay on top of things.
YOUR WORK FOR THIS WEEK:
Post all scores in your google doc in the MISC WORK section. Something like this: Skill Builder 1 - 15/20
1. Review this course description link.
2. Practice set #1 (Vatican City's Wonders) - Go here for directions and review.
3. Watch this comma video (it will be familiar if you took HSW1; ignore the date). Do this exercise.
4. Skill Builder #1 (Skip the exercise on p62; Do the exercise on p64) - Go here for directions and review. I've gone to pdf's for most of these exercises. It can be a little tricky going back and forth between the Skill Builder pdf and my video. Just a heads-up; I'm sure you'll figure it out.
2. Practice set #1 (Vatican City's Wonders) - Go here for directions and review.
3. Watch this comma video (it will be familiar if you took HSW1; ignore the date). Do this exercise.
4. Skill Builder #1 (Skip the exercise on p62; Do the exercise on p64) - Go here for directions and review. I've gone to pdf's for most of these exercises. It can be a little tricky going back and forth between the Skill Builder pdf and my video. Just a heads-up; I'm sure you'll figure it out.
5. ACT persuasive essay.
When you take the ACT, you'll have 40 minutes to read a piece of persuasive writing and write your own essay analyzing it. In order to write a good analysis, you'll need to be familiar with the persuasive form, so that's where we'll start and spend the first half of this course -- in the persuasive (or argumentative) form of discourse.
Here's the assignment: Write a persuasive essay based on this old ACT prompt:
A few years ago in Michigan, the law was changed making it legal to operate a motorcycle without a helmet. Some argue that this is merely a correction to laws that went beyond the scope of state government. Opponents to the change argue that some laws—including seat-belt laws—are beneficial to the general welfare and therefore should remain in place. Do you agree that safety measures such as helmets and seat-belts should be mandatory? You may address either side of the debate, or you may present a different point of view on the issue.
When you take the ACT, you'll have 40 minutes to read a piece of persuasive writing and write your own essay analyzing it. In order to write a good analysis, you'll need to be familiar with the persuasive form, so that's where we'll start and spend the first half of this course -- in the persuasive (or argumentative) form of discourse.
Here's the assignment: Write a persuasive essay based on this old ACT prompt:
A few years ago in Michigan, the law was changed making it legal to operate a motorcycle without a helmet. Some argue that this is merely a correction to laws that went beyond the scope of state government. Opponents to the change argue that some laws—including seat-belt laws—are beneficial to the general welfare and therefore should remain in place. Do you agree that safety measures such as helmets and seat-belts should be mandatory? You may address either side of the debate, or you may present a different point of view on the issue.
- 500 word minimum (keep the intro and conclusion paragraphs brief: 3 sentences is plenty; just as with any essay, the work — argumentation for this one — should be primarily in the body paragraphs). It's good to begin thinking about this now: try to argue from big principles rather than from particulars. In other words, what principle would lead someone to argue that he should make his own decisions about health rather than the government making those decisions? What principle would lead someone to argue that the government should make these kinds of decisions for us?
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
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