Why did Things Fall Apart?

Today we started our discussion of why "things fell apart" for Okonkwo through an analysis of Okonkwo as a tragic hero and our multi-flow map of culture falling apart. Thanks Katherine for making the map during our discussion today.

Remember that your own multi-flow map on culture falling apart should appear on p. 23 of your notebook.

The Thinking Maps software is easy to use, so I encourage you again to do multi-flow maps for your two research paper sources. If you synthesize ideas from your sources into big ideas for a multi-flow map, not only will you get to the deeper, analytical ideas, but also you'll be better able to avoid plagiarizing information from your sources.

If you don't believe me, check out Kayna's blog post to see the way that she expertly summarized a source on Rwanda in a multi-flow map. And she has a hot link right to the original source.

If you want to try a different map for notetaking, feel free. Check out Anna C.'s blog post to see how she summarized a source in a circle map to define the conflict in Kashmir.

Research Paper Coming Up

This month, students will be working with their base groups on a research paper about persecution or colonialism. Groups worked well for our debates last semester, so we will do the same type of procedure this quarter.

Start thinking about possible topics and read the following basic assignment plans.

Prewriting

Groups will select one specific historical or present-day example of a country or group of people that have faced or are currently facing the effects of persecution, colonization or imperialism.
For the paper’s prewriting, groups will use the Thinking Maps software to track ideas for their paper. Groups will analyze the causes and effects of the event in a multi-flow map with the frame listing the research and specific ideas. The multi-flow boxes will contain the big ideas that would appear in a thesis, paragraph topic sentences or as the points of the paper's PIEs. One student will post the group's Multi-Flow Map on his or her blog so that all group members can access the group's ideas through the Internet.

Blogs for Notetaking

Students will use their English 10 blogs to take notes on their research so that we can achieve the following two goals: 1) to reduce the use of paper to print Internet sources, and 2) to allow group members to review each other's research from the luxury of their own homes instead of getting together outside of class to work on the project.

Writing a group paper with the help of computer networking is not only 21st Century, but also will give you experience with how groups function in real-world work situations.

To take notes on a topic on your blog, you should make a new blog post for each Internet source that you use. Your blog posts should mainly be summaries and paraphrases of the information found on the web site that you're citing. Occasionally, you may wish to use a sentence or two exactly as it was written on the Internet, so you should copy and paste that sentence to your blog post. Immediately after pasting the quotation, be sure to enclose it in quotation marks and add a parenthetical citation after the quotation so that you protect yourself from plagiarism.

The blog post should include a hyperlink that takes you, your group members and your teacher directly to the website that is being summarized and paraphrased.

Basic Paper Outline

1. Introduction with an attention-getter that connects to Nectar in a Sieve, Things Fall Apart, or Night (the book we will read the week before spring break).
   
2. Body paragraph(s) on the causes of the persecution/colonization. For example, why did the British colonize India?
   
3. Body paragraph(s) on the effects of the persecution/colonization on the people being persecuted/taken over. For example, what were the effects of British colonization on the culture of India?
   
4. Conclusion that addresses what people can do about the situation (if it's a current world event) or what people can do to prevent a similar situation (if writing about a past historical event) from happening in the future.

The number of paragraphs devoted to causes compared to paragraphs devoted to effects will vary by the topic and the number of people in each group.

Individual Accountability

Each member of the group will write a separate portion of the paper; however, group members will discuss the paper's ideas as a whole and help each other with peer editing. The multi-flow map will help keep your group organized to achieve a cohesive paper.

Groups should split the actual writing of the paper as follows:

Author #1 writes the introduction and conclusion
Author #2, #3, #4 (and author #5 in one group) each write one body paragraph

Other tasks to split up:

1. Leader and motivator
2. Thinking Map Maker (must have functioning TM software at home)
3. Works Cited Creator and MLA expert
4. Paraphrase and fact checker who guards against plagiarism

If someone doesn't write his or her portion of the paper, groups will simply be able to jot down what portion of the paper that person would have written for the paper, and the missing section will only affect the grade of the student who did not live up to his or her responsibilities.

MLA Format

The research paper will be written in MLA format, complete with in-text citations and a works cited page.

Due Date

The final paper will be due on Friday, March 27. That's the day before spring break, so even if one or more students in the group will not be here that day, the paper is still due. In fact, the entire group may wish to finish the paper early because your group will need to present the paper on the last day of that week that all members are in attendance.

Paper Presentation

On Friday, March 27 groups will present their papers before turning them in. The presentation will involve showing your member's blogs so that you can discuss your multi-flow map and some of your key research cites. Your presentation will also involve reading the introduction with the connection to one of the books read by all English 10 students, one body paragraph, and the conclusion with the call to action on what people can do about the issue discussed in your paper.

Vocab Thinking Maps

A few students have been able to figure out how to install the Thinking Maps software and have published maps on their vocabulary words. The maps are awesome!! Check out these blogs to see Thinking Map Software maps that are easy to read and will really help you learn the words:

Anna
Adrienne
Molly
Kelly Jo
Ansley

If you are still unable to download the software from Edline, check out a disc from the Media Center so that you can get mapping electronically before the research paper.

Thinking Maps Software Available on Edline

EHS and Valley View recently received a campus community license for Thinking Maps software. This easy-to-use program will allow you to install the software on your home computer at no cost to you.

You can then create thinking maps that can be exported as PNG or JPEG file formats that can be uploaded to blogs, inserted in PowerPoints, and pasted into Word documents. In PowerPoints and Word the exported picture files appear in the same high quality that the files appear when viewed in the original Thinking Maps software. However, when the files are uploaded to blogger, much of the clear focus is lost when enlarged.



The easiest work-around for the clarity issue is to upload the picture files in "small" picture size in blogger. The "small" size allows blog readers to click on a picture to take it full screen. Then the Thinking Map is clear and easy-to-read.



To get your copy of Thinking Map software on your home computer, follow the directions below:

Log in to Edline.
Go to the Contents section of the main page.
Click on the folder marked Thinking Maps Software.
Go in to the XP install and install on your school and home computers.

You can also view a video about downloading the software by clicking here.

Odyssey Character Exploration

Each partnership selected one character from The Odyssey and created a bubble map to describe the character. Textual references from the epic poem and the film were included in the frame of the bubble map to support the selected adjectives.

To fully bring your character to life for the class, you will share your bubble map, a physical sketch of your character, and one of the following pieces of writing about your character:

Option 1
Write a letter of recommendation for your character who is applying to Greek Hero Idol, a new reality show modeled after American Idol. Your letter should be at least two paragraphs long and detail how your character best exemplifies the ideal of the Greek hero.

Option 2
Write a who, what, when, where and how song. Each line is composed in the four-beat framework, and you should make some attempt at rhyming. Here's the frame--

Who, What, When, Where and How
Who, What, When, Where and How
Who, ____ ____ ____ _____
What, ____ _____ _____ _____
When, _____ _____ _____ _____
Where _____ _____ ______ ______
and How _____ _____ _____ _____

Option 3
Write the I am Frame poem that goes like this--

I am ________________
I know ______________
I think ______________
I feel _______________
I believe _____________
I am ________________

I am ________________
I wonder _____________
I always ______________
I intend ______________
I never ______________
I am _________________

Writing Reflection

Since you were handed back your first English essay of high school today, you should stop and reflect on your writing and set a writing goal for the year. Most students also received their ninth grade writing portfolio piece to provide further reflection information.

To set your goal, create a multi-flow map in your notebook. Put the writing goal in the center box and list what items will cause you to reach the goal. The effects on the multi-flow map are the long-term results that will occur in high school and beyond if you meet this writing goal.

Errors on this first essay included the following:

Ideas
Too much plot summary and not enough analysis
Not focusing on the essay question and search for self
Quotations were chosen to show a plot point when they should have been chosen for analytical points on searching and finding yourself.

Organization
Attention-getters not included
Conclusion was just a recap of paper's ideas--you need to give a final lesson for your reader
Missing transitions
No clear paragraphing

Voice
Most students had strong word choice, the main problem here was that academic writing requires essays to be written in third person, so you cannot use you (second person) or I, we, etc. (first person).

Conventions
Very few students followed MLA format exactly. After a quotation the proper format is
. . . " (Kingsolver 34).
Commas with coordinating conjunctions and adverb clauses appear to be the most common punctuation error, so during peer review of the next essay, we will have a lesson on those punctuation rules. To review the coordinating conjunction and subordinating conjunction (adverb clause) rules, click here.

Bubble Map and Paragraph

After completing your bubble map, draft one paragraph that details one of your adjectives. Remember to concentrate on one adjective to give focus to the paragraph.


The typed paragraph is due on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 along with your completed bubble map. Your bubble map should include specific details that support the adjectives in the frame of reference.


Be sure to keep an electronic copy of the paragraph for posting eventually on your blog for English class. Since classmates will be reading your blog, be sure to keep this public audience in mind when writing your paragraph.

Here is the paragraph inspired by the green adjective on my bubble map.

Roehl Seeing Green

Having grown up on a farm in Medina, I have an affinity for rich, black soil laced with a little cow manure. Such a garden that yields the juiciest tomato or the tenderest ear of corn is a thing of beauty. However, my small yard in St. Louis Park doesn't afford me the space for a large vegetable garden, so I supplement my longing for my farming ancestry by belonging to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. My CSA farmer Richard delivers one box of fresh, organic vegetables each week for my family to enjoy. I make an awesome chocolate zucchini cake and a beans and greens dish sure to please the most sophisticated Italian palette. Richard also provides my family with organic fruit that he gets from his farming friends on the West Coast and in Mexico. For nine months out of the year my produce needs are met by this buying-locally, earth-friendly CSA method which allows my family to know we are being as green as possible where groceries are concerned. I have taken this green philosophy to other areas of my life. Two years ago I began mowing my lawn with a reel mower; that's the type of push mower that's powered only by humans. Although the reel mower might not leave the most manicured lawn, I enjoy the quiet, peaceful mowing experience that saves gas and carbon emissions. Speaking of emissions, I have also reduced my clothes dryer emissions by hanging most of my family's laundry on the line. While my family was in Spain for three weeks in 2007, I noticed that most, if not all, Spanish families hang their clothes on the line from their apartment windows. I figured that if they can do it without a backyard, then I was being wasteful of the planet's resources my using a machine to dry my clothes, a machine that also pumps emissions into the atmosphere. Although being green takes a lot of work, I am glad that I have taken a few simple steps to reduce my carbon footprint.