Class Nine

25Jun09

In-Class Journal:

Over the next fifteen minutes, I want you to explain to me exactly why this draft is better than the previous draft. What have you done differently? Did you change when and where you wrote it? Did you use the writing center? Did you take on any of the basic writing issues we addressed last time? Provide specific examples from the writing to back up your claims.

Group Work:

(15 – 20 mins)

Major issues from the last draft:

Consistent Tense
Run-on sentences and comma splices
Cultural Categories

Let’s begin our group work by taking up the Cultural Categories. You will consider two papers.

Step One:

Can you find a page-and-a-half to two pages on cultural categories?

Step Two:

Has the author gone into specific detail about exactly how a category or categories are represented in his or her story?

Step Three:

Has the author made an obvious effort to transition smoothly from his or her story into his or her categories?

When you finish looking at a paper, write a paragraph on the back of the last page explaining in detail whether or not the author has sufficiently explored a cultural category or categories.

Step Four:

Proofread until you find either an unwarranted tense shift or a combination of three run-on sentences and comma splices.

Pass back the papers to the people they belong to.

How many of you used the Learning Center for assistance with this draft?

Pass in papers

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Let’s shift over to the reading now. For today, you were to complete Ancient Futures.

In-Class Journal:

What is the argument of this book? How is the argument supported by the author? Does she make a convincing case? If so, why? If not, why not? (10 mins)

Group Work:

Identify three different arguments in the book. How does the author support them? Does she support them? What is convincing? What is not? You will be compiling your findings into a two paragraph statement that one of you in each group will be presenting to the class. (15 mins)

Group Presentations

Class Discussions of arguments and cultural awareness.