Wednesday, June 9

Went to computer lab to finish working on resumes and cover letters (due no later than Tuesday).
Handed out rubrics for both assignments
Went back to class to preview articles for final researched persuasive essay (final exam worth 20% of your second term mark).

Tomorrow we will spend the entire class previewing/highlighting articles for final.

Persuasive Cats and Dogs essay dissection

“Why Dogs Are the Cat’s Pajamas” – Dissection of a Persuasive Essay
Implicit thesis statement: Dogs are superior to cats.
Allusion: “it barks”
Argument #1: Dogs are more friendly animals than cats.
Argument #2: Dogs are more giving creatures than cats.
Counter-Argument: Cats are more self-reliant than dogs.
Refutation: Whole point of having a pet is to spend time with it and have a mutually dependent relationship.
Counter-Argument: Cats are self-cleaning
Refutation: (humour – “ovens are self-cleaning”)  Rewarding to care for dogs (ie: baths).
Argument #3: Dogs have a purpose/use  they can be trained.
Counter-Argument: Cats are useful  they catch mice.
Refutation: They don’t catch mice on purpose  it’s their killer instinct (negative trait).
Counter-Argument: Cats are smarter than dogs. (examples: villains etc.)  Pain them as sinister, calculating, evil creatures
Refutation: Dogs are too lovable – it’s not in their genetic make-up to be so conniving.
Argument #4: There is more variety (sizes, shapes, colors) when it comes to dogs.
Argument #5: Dogs are unselfish and brave.
Ends with an anecdote and an emotional appeal to further convince/persuade the reader.

Resume and Cover Letter Exercise

Resumé and Cover Letter Exercise

Your mission is to find a job which interests you. You do not have to be 100% qualified for this job; however, you will be asked to relate any previous experiences (work or volunteer-related) and skills you have acquired, to the position. You will prepare a resumé and cover letter to apply for this job.



Part I

Please go to the website: http://jobbank.gc.ca/Search_en.aspx

1. You need to choose Prince Edward Island under the heading "Select" where you are willing to work.

2. Be sure that the following sections are selected: All Jobs, All Text, All Occupations, Job Bank Jobs, & Government of Canada Jobs.

3. Press "Search".

4. A list of current jobs should appear on your screen. Navigate the website to find jobs which interest you.

5. Click on any job that interests you and a job description should pop up. If this job interests you, click the "print" icon.

6. You must print out 1 job description.

Part II

1. Read over both job descriptions. Choose the job which you feel you are best suited/qualified for.

2. Use the job descriptions you printed out to do the following:

$ Create a resume on career cruising (you should have already done this last class).

$ Create a cover letter to apply for the position (please use the templates as a guide).

$ You will be asked to pass the following materials in this order:

 Cover Letter
 Resume
 Job Description (print-out)

Monday, June 7

Went over persuasive KD essays (dissected for persuasive elements)
Talked about the final exam
Finished Narrative Autobiography Oral presentations
Passed out persuasive essays on cats and dogs --> dissect for homework

Tuesday, June 1

Passed out info. sheet on persuasive writing
Passed out two persuasive essays on Kraft Dinner (read aloud)
Students had to dissect articles for homework (all info. is on side board in the classroom).
Oral Presentations Friday and Movie Reviews are due Friday!

Narrative Autobiography Rubric

Creativity/Voice /5

$ Use of imagination
$ Object’s voice shines through
$ Humour

Paragraph Strength /5

$ Use of transitional words
$ Sentence structure is varied
$ Flow

Oral Presentation
• Eye contact
• Speed
• Expression (must capture audience’s interest) /5
•


Storyline /5

$ Appealing to the reader
$ Follows a logical sequence
$ Has a strong beginning that hooks the reader=s interest; ends appropriately (object in the >state= that you chose it).
$ Content (length)


Total: /20 marks =

Monday, May 31

Notes on Persuasive Writing (2 overheads)
Went over Types of Persuasive Writing
Showed a sample editorial article
Writing Folders: Write a letter to the editor on a controversial topic of your choice.
5 paragraph movie review due: Thursday, June 3
Narrative Autobiography Oral Presentation: Friday, June 4
Bring in your resumes (if you have them) or useful info. relating to your work experience/interests Wednesday (we will be working on resumes and cover letters in the computer lab).

Thursday, May 27

Watched -- Freedom Writers --
Assigned 5 paragraph movie review (passed out criteria sheet) -- due next Thursday, June 4th.

Wednesday, May 26

Passed in final research paper
Did Sentence Fragment Activity (for Writing Folders)
Worked on Narrative Autobiographies -- oral presentation of this assignment will take place next Friday.

Tuesday, May 25

Handed out rubrics and checklists for the research papers
Final draft due Wednesday
Worked on Narrative Autobiographies
Worked on Grammar Run-on sentence sheets

Thursday, May 20

Grammar notes: Run on sentences
Grammar sheets
Worked on research papers -- rough drafts are due tomorrow!

Wed. May 19

Worked in library all class on research papers

Wednesday, May 19

Silent Reading
Worked on research papers in the libary for the rest of class
Rough Copies are due Friday!
Rough Drafts passed in on Tuesday will be docked -20%
Final Drafts are due: Wednesday, May 26

Tuesday, May 18

Passed in Research Paper outlines
Watched Plagiarism video
Worked on research papers for the rest of class

Monday, May 17

Passed in Works Cited page
Worked on research papers for rest of class
Please be sure to bring all materials with you, as we will be working on our papers all week (those unprepared will lose class marks).
Outline is due tomorrow!

Friday, May 14

Showed powerpoint presentation on "MLA format" can be found on the site http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Passed out two hand-out relating to MLA format for your research papers
Works Cited pages are due Monday
Outlines are due Tuesday

Please visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ for ANY questions relating to your research paper and/or MLA format.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, May 13

Went over sample outline (you can access this on the "S" drive at school if you wish. Go to the "S" drive and it is saved under the Flick Writing 421 Folder).
Rest of class was spent working on research papers and/or 5 paragraph essays.
For your essays due tomorrow you need: cover page, idea web, good copy of essay, rubric.
Works Cited is due Monday
Outline is now due Tuesday (You're welcome!!)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/ Please visit this site for updated info. on electronic sources for your Works Cited page.

Wednesday, May 12

Silent Reading
Paraphrasing Activity
Worked on 5 paragraph essays and/or research papers
Please bring all your materials for your research papers/essays as you will have time to work on them in class the rest of the week.
5 paragraph essay is due Friday!
Outline and Works Cited are due Monday!

Tuesday, May 12

Passed out double-sided sheet on how to create an outline (for research paper)
Discussed outlines and copied more notes on important tips for creating outlines
Paraphrasing Activity (with class) aloud
5 paragraph essays are due Friday!!!

Monday, May 10

Watched Research Skills Video "Organizing Research" --> completed sheet worth marks
Submitted tentative thesis statements
Passed out Idea web and rubric needed for 5 paragraph essay
5 Paragraph Essay Assignment Due: Friday, May 14th
This year, you have learned what it takes to be a high school student. Please write a 5 paragraph essay explaining what you have learned about the changes between grades nine and ten and how best to cope with these changes.
Feel free to discuss workload, rules, teachers (no names please), social life, students (no names please), classes, expectations, or any other differences you have noticed between grades nine and ten.
Assignment Criteria:
 5 paragraph essay (please choose three of the above topics for each of your body paragraphs).
 Introduction (thesis statement & 2-3 main ideas that support your opinion on the topic).
 Conclusion: Summary of main points, restatement of thesis (in different words), advice & predictions.
 Please DO NOT use: contractions or personal pronouns (I, you, we, etc.)

Extra Notes on Essays (sorry the formatting is awful!)

General Information on Writing Essays

Step 1 B Finding a Subject

A. Brainstorming
B list ideas in point form
B start with a topic; list everything you can think of about that topic

B. Web or Cluster Outline
B arrange ideas in a web, connecting points that go together
B record ideas in point form

Step 2 B Limiting the Topic

A. Limiting the Scope
B think about how long the essay will be (should be a minimum of 5 paragraphs)
B choose a small topic or focus on one aspect of a larger topic (*focus)

B. Focusing the Purpose
B give an opinion or generalization
B give direction to the essay

C. The Thesis Statement
B identify the topic, limit the scope, and focus the purpose
B should be a complete sentence (may be more than one for a longer essay)
B should come early in the essay, but not the first sentence (commonly the last sentence of the first paragraph); give background information first
B think of this as the Abig idea@ of the essay




Step 3 B Choose an Audience

A. Consider the Reader=s Level
B the reading level of your audience will determine the terminology you will use (your diction or choice of words)

B. Consider the Reader=s Knowledge and Beliefs
B consider what the reader already knows about the topic to determine how much detail you need to give
B consider the reader=s beliefs so that you can use appropriate persuasion without offending your reader

Step 4 B Organizing the Information

A. Making an Outline
B decide what order makes sense
B go from general to specific

Step 5 B The Rough Draft

A. Writing the Rough Draft
B write quickly to get the ideas down
B double or triple space to allow room for editing and revising
B try to follow the outline (although the outline may change as you write)
B don=t worry about grammatical errors at this point

Step 6 B Revising and Editing

A. Revising
B look for unsupported statements
B look for errors in facts or logic
B look at your wording - could it be more powerful, more clear?
- is there a better word you could use?
- does your language seem too familiar?
- is your language suitable for your audience?

B look at your content - have you repeated or left out any ideas?
- are your transitions effective?
- have you supported your thesis statement?
- do you have a strong introduction and a strong conclusion?

B. Editing
B look for mistakes in spelling and punctuation
B look for subject-verb agreement and proper verb tenses
B look for parallel sentences
B look for sentence faults (run-ons, comma splices, fragments)
B look for proper capitalization
B look for pronoun-antecedent agreement
B look for continuity of voice
B avoid using Ayou@
B do not use contractions

Step 7 B Further Drafts

A. Further Drafts
B if you have time, you may want to have multiple drafts
B if your essay does not support your thesis, either the essay or the thesis must change

Step 8 B Final Essay

A. Final Essay
B should be neat and free of errors
B should be typed and double-spaced on one side only of plain white paper (if you are unable to type it, then it should be neatly printed and double-spaced on plain white paper in blue or black ink)
B should include a title page (title of essay, your name, course, instructor=s name, date)
B pages should be numbered (except the title page)


Outline Format

I. Introduction
A. Hook
B. Background information
C. Thesis
II. First main point
A. Topic sentence
B. Supporting point
C. Supporting point
D. Supporting point
III. Second main point
A. Topic sentence
B. Supporting point
C. Supporting point
D. Supporting point
(continue for each paragraph in body)
VI. Conclusion
A. Restate thesis
B. Summarize main points
C. Final recommendation