Grade 11–Due Date Change

Just a reminder, and for those who weren’t in class today, that we have adjusted the due dates for the research paper a bit.

Thesis statement (written or typed, just the sentence)–due Friday 2/26

Annotated Bibliography–due Tuesday 3/2

Thesis Outline–due Tuesday 3/2

11th Grade–sample thesis/paragraph

11th graders–I have attached the powerpoint with the sample thesis/paragraph I showed you in class today (2/25).

11th Sample Essay

Grade 12: Thesis Paper/Presentation Evaluation

Senior Thesis/Presentation: Self-Evaluation

You have completed your first thesis paper and have given your complementing presentation. This might have been a daunting task, but give yourself a pat on the back because it is OVER!! Congratulations!

Now, take some time to reflect on the assignment, for yourself and for me. This will give me a better understanding of your efforts, your group dynamic and your process.

Not only will this give you an opportunity to assess your own efforts, but give me feedback on this project for next year.

Please TYPE this!!! Hand it in to me on TUESDAY 1/19.

Essay:

1. On your essay, are you pleased or disappointed with the grade you earned? Why/Why not? Was it a shock? Explain
2. What are some repeated mistakes you notice in your essay, based off of comments I left you and going back and re-reading it after abandoning it for a period of time?
3. What do you think your strengths were in this assignment? What did you do well? What was not challenging for you? Think of all the steps we took from finding a book to producing a finished product.
4. Now, what about your weaknesses? What was difficult?
5. What do you think you put the most effort into? Why? How does it show?
6. What do you think you could have dedicated more effort toward?
7. How have I helped you (or not helped you) during this process?
8. How well did you time manage?
9. Evaluate your process: choosing a novel, to outlines, to drafts, to annotated works cited, to the final piece. What did you do well? Not so much? Challenging? Painful? Tedious? Fun?
10. Using the process and due date structure, what could I change to make it easier to understand? Did the process seem backwards or out of order? What could I do to make it more fluid and to build upon each task?
11. What did you learn from this essay?

Presentation:

1. How much formal presenting did you do prior to this class? What was your knowledge base prior to this class? Be specific of your past experiences? How well do you think you knew how to give a presentation? How well do you feel prepared for college?  (this will help me for future classes, but also to reevaluate the English curriculum).
2. As a group, what grade do you think you should earn? Why?
3. How would your grade change (higher or lower) if you were graded individually in this assignment? Why? What did you do more (or less of)? Explain your grade rationale.
4. As a group: how much did you communicate? How effective were your meetings? Why? What would you have done differently?
5. What was your individual role? How did you achieve your goals in this particular role? Explain.
6. Since most of you chose to be with a selected group of people, is there anyone who you are surprised you worked well with? Is there anyone who you would chose not to work with again? Why?
7. Who did the most work in your group? The least? Explain.
8. What did you do well in your presentation? How do you know you did that well?
9. If given the chance, what would you have changed about your presentation, maybe to change something that did not go as well as expected. Explain what and why.
10.  What did you learn from this ENTIRE process? Be specific.

ANY additional comments are welcomed

Grade 12: Presentation Evaluation

Here the rubric I will be using for your presenation. If you have questions/concerns, please post them in the comments section of this post.

TEACHER EVALUATION (you are graded on a 0 through 5 scale)

______Hook: The hook or “ice breaker” used in the beginning of class was relevant, and hooked me. The explanation as to why this hook connected to the focus was explained.

 ______Book: They briefly and effectively summarize and connect the novel to an idea/theme about society and utopia. The group uses creative means to summarize, rather that tell, they show.

______Handout: The handout coincides with the visual and oral parts of the presentation and is interactive so that the audience can take notes without being distracted or missing important information. The key points were included. It allowed the audience to take notes while the presenters elaborated.

 ______Visual: Pleases the eye and doesn’t distract from important and necessary concepts. The rule of three is maintained and the audience was not

 ______Other “Media:”  The groups incorporated several forms of media beyond the visual  (songs, movie clips, home-made conceptual videos: rap, skit, reenactment, poetry, other written work etc). The form(s) of media connect to the concepts/focus.

 ______Time: The presentation was broken up into components and the necessary time was spent on each in order to meet the objectives. They did not rush through or bore the audience with unnecessary details. They did not go over the allotted time frame.

 ______Interaction: Ensured people were participating and engaged. The audience was part of the presentation. The audience had incentives to pay attention. The interaction within the group was fluid, focused and practiced. Their positioning was appropriate and they used movement while presenting.

______ Focus /Concepts/Connections: The objectives were clear, as the audience, we know what the point(s) you were trying to make and leave with your intentions. There was a clear and concise focus throughout the presentation. The concepts were connected to society, to the idea of Utopia, are relevant to the focus, engage as many senses as possible. As the audience, we comprehend the points you are trying to make. The presentation was interesting, educational and valuable.

______Presenting skills: Each presenter was in attendance, knew their “stuff” and spoke with the audience, not at them. Although they understood the content, it didn’t sound rehearsed or forced: they were not reading directly off of index cards. The group spoke with clarity, volume, and made appropriate eye contact. Their positioning was appropriate and used movement while presenting.

 ______Physical Appearance: They “sold” their image as well as their words. They were dressed professionally (no jeans, sneakers, sweats, etc). If Costumes were used, they were appropriate and relevant.

Grade 12: Research Paper Book Club

Senior Research Paper 2009: Book Club Groups

Well, I did my best to accommodate you. It was difficult to place you with your top book choice AND with the people you requested. You, hopefully, have the best of both: a book you wanted to read and at least one person with whom you wanted to work.

If you have ANY discrepancies, please see me ASAP and we can work out something. I want this to be a good experience for you and I want you to create something you are proud of.

*You must confrim a book club meeting time by Oct. 19^th!! Use the class time on Friday (about 15 min) to plan your first time/location and indicate what you should have read by that time.

 **If you would like to purchase your own book (which is recommended), I have coupons for 40% off a book at borders. See me if you would like a coupon!

A Handmaid’s Tale

Deyon	Leticia	Sean
Franky	Egeria	Liana

A Prayer for Owen Meany

Anthony	Dario	Vlad
Dan	Brian	Joe

 Crime and Punishment

Anna	Kevin	Tania
Nancy T	Petah	Ky

 Ethan Frome

Jazzmyn	Jessica H.	Tony
Linda	Nancy N.	Tiny
Hector

 The Fountainhead

Demi	Jessica M.	Jefferson
Davide	Jorgelina	Frayden

Grade 12: Research Paper Requirements and Due Dates

Essay Topic: Your essay must write an expository essay and it must focus around some idea of Utopia (or lack thereof) from the novel you have chosen to read. Things to think about: what message is the author trying to say about society and its quest for perfection? How do the themes infer something about utopia/dystopia and what do you want to say about them. You aren’t writing about the structural elements literature per se, but about an idea presented in the literature and using the text to prove it to be true. You have to create your own individual thesis and write your own individual paper.

You will be working in book groups, so that you can better understand the books, have in depth discussions about the themes, and help each other focus and edit the essay.

Book Club: You will pick your top choices and I will place you into the group that I think will have the best dynamic and most productive match of students. No more than 6 and no less than 3. You will have to create a meeting calendar, record your minutes and tasks, and meet outside of school (at least three times for 45 min each, but will most likely meet more than 3), correspond via email, phone FB, etc, to review what you are reading and what you will be presenting. You are always welcome to meet in my room after school. Just let me know if you need the space (GSA is starting).

Presentation: Then, as a group you will have to create a 30 – 35 min. presentation on your novel. You must include basic information so your peers can grasp the plot and themes of the book. You also need to explain the “SO WHAT” of the book, why we need to read it, the message, the connection to society and what you found the novel to say about the idea of perfection and/or imperfection. Everyone will need to participate, each having a vital role in planning and presenting. You can also use any form of media (as long as you check it with me to approve prior to your presentation) you would like in order to creatively engage the class and teach us something about this novel.

Book Choices: I have some copies of these books and they are available at the library. However, I suggest you purchase these books so that you can annotate on the pages. If you would like me to purchase them on Amazon, let me know. If you are having difficulty getting the book, see me at least a week before you have to have your reading completed. The day before is unacceptable!! You are not working “smart” but are creating more work for yourself and holding back the group and their grade.

You will have a “book look” where you can pick your top three choices. I will have information and the books for you to look at so you make the best choice for yourself. If you are absent on this day, you MUST see me during a study hall the following day so you can make your choices. If you don’t, you will be randomly placed in a group.

 

DUE DATES:

Assignment:	Due Date:
Initial Proposal and Book Look (CW)	Monday 10/12
Reading Check points, planning times and content and scheduled meetings: (Q)	First Meeting by Monday 10/19 ALL meeting sheets, notes, etc: due at the time of Presentation
Working Individual Thesis Outline: (HW)	Monday 11/9
Final Thesis Outline: (Q)	Thursday 11/12
Research: (N/C)	On Going
Annotated Works Cited Page with Novel sources and Outside sources: (Q)	Wednesday 11/18
First 500 words: (Q)	During your conference time
Conference: (HW)	Monday 11/30 to 12/4
Rough Draft (at least 5 pages) (HW)	Tuesday 12/7
Turn-it-in (CW)	Sunday Night 11:59 am 12/13
FINAL DRAFT! (T)	Monday 12/14 beginning of class
Group Conference about presentation (CW)	Tuesday 12/15 -12/16
30 – 35 min Presentation (T)	Monday 1/11/10 to Friday 1/15/10
Presentation/Research Paper Reflection (HW)	Monday 1/18/10

Grade 12: Research Paper

Essay Topic: You must write an expository essay and it must focus around some idea of Utopia (or lack thereof) from the novel you have chosen to read. Things to think about: what message is the author trying to say about society and its quest for perfection? How do the themes infer something about utopia/dystopia and what do you want to say about them. You aren’t writing about the structural elements literature per se, but about an idea presented in the literature and using the text to prove it to be true. You have to create your own individual thesis and write your own individual paper.

You will also be working in groups to help you process the novels and their content, but in this group, you will be presenting your novel, themes, etc. More to come about this on Monday.

BOOK LOOK:

Research the following books and choose your TOP THREE. 

I have some copies of these books and they are available at the library. However, I suggest you purchase these books so that you can annotate on the pages. If you would like me to purchase them on Amazon, let me know. If you are having difficulty getting the book, see me at least a week before you have to have your reading completed. The day before is unacceptable!! You are not working “smart” but are creating more work for yourself and holding back the group and their grade.

These are your choices for your reseach paper.

• A Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
• A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
• Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
• The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand

DUE MONDAY: Top three choices, who you would like/not like to work with, any additional comments or questions. Please answer the above questions (which were also a handout in class on Thursday) and return them to me on Monday. If you don’t you will be randomly chosen for a group.