Today’sAgenda Review Homework: First

Response Papers (4)

Chapter 2: Writing a Response Essay

In-class viewing: “Four Little Girls,” a documentary by Spike Lee

Homework Assignment: Due Wednesday, February 3, 2010

8:00 AM: Class Begins

9:30-9:45 AM: Break

10:55 AM: Class Ends

Homework Due 1/27/2010

Assignment One:

Read the New York Times article "Birmingham Bomb Kills 4 Negro Girls in Church; Riots Flare; 2 Boys Slain" (Birmingham, Alabama; September 15, 1963) (pages 15-17)

Look at the article as it appeared on the front page of the "New York Times" on Monday, September 16, 1963:http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0915.html

Prepare a first response to the newspaper articleFirst Response: “Birmingham Bomb Kills 4 Negro Girls”

Homework Due 1/27/2010

Assignment Two:

Read the poem "Ballad of Birmingham," by Dudley Randall (pages 17-18)

Prepare a first response to the poemFirst Response: “Ballad of Birmingham”

Homework Due 1/27/2010

Assignment Three:

Read the lyrics to the song "Birmingham Sunday," and watch the video of the song performed by Joan Baez:

Lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/j/joanbae

z2038/birminghamsunday96500.html

Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shgS

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Write a first response to the lyrics/ songFirst Response: Birmingham Sunday

Homework Due 1/27/2010

Assignment Four:

Read "Oral History: Claude Sitton" Interview: http://civilrightsandthepress.syr.edu/pdfs/Claude%20Sitton.pdf

Write a first response to the interviewFirst Response: “Claude Sitton Interview”

First Response Paper:Guidelines

8.5x11-inch paper

1-inch margins

typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

IMPORTANT NOTE: Papers that do not meet these guidelines will not be accepted. See your syllabus for further specific details.

First Response Paper:Guidelines

Upper left-hand corner of the paper, single-spaced:FIRST AND LAST NAMEJanuary 8, 2010Professor Melinda RobertsEnglish 101 (Wednesdays): Spring 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):RESPONSE PAPER: ”BIRMINGHAM BOMB KILLS 4 NEGRO GIRLS”

RESPONSE PAPER: “BALLAD OF BIRMINGHAM”RESPONSE PAPER: “BIRMINGHAM SUNDAY”

RESPONSE PAPER: CLAUDE SITTON INTERVIEW

IMPORTANT NOTE: Papers that do not meet these guidelines will not be accepted. See your syllabus for further specific details.

First Response Paper:Guidelines

First Response is not a summary – do not summarize what you have read

First Response is a minimum of one (1) page and a maximum of two (2) pages. If the First Response is two pages, it must be stapled together.

First Response should have a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) direct quotes from the literature.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Papers that do not meet these guidelines will not be accepted. See your syllabus for further specific details.

Connecting Through Collaboration (page 19)

Get into groups of 3-4 (no more; no less)

Turn to page 19 of your text

Discuss questions 1-4

You will have 20 minutes to complete the activity. Be prepared to share your answers with the class.

Chapter 2:Writing a Response Essay (p. 21)

Turn first response papers into an essay about literature

find our writing voices

develop a clear thesis statement

show what we mean through detail, illustration, and comparison

cite evidence from the text

What is the purpose of a response essay?

to share our experience with literature

Chapter 2:Writing a Response Essay (p. 21)

Work with a partner. Simply by changing the tone of your voice and/or your body language, how many different “meanings” can you find for the word “what”?

Chapter 2:Writing a Response Essay (p. 21)

Voice and Writing

Speech and writing are different

With whom am I communicating?

Text to a friend

Facebook / blog entry

E-mail to your professor

Memo to your manager

Letter of introduction to a college or university

About what am I writing?

Who will read it?

Chapter 2:Writing a Response Essay (p. 21)

Voice and Response to Literature

Stay Anchored in the Literature

don’t use literature as a prompt to tell your own stories

balance references to personal experience with references to the literature itself

(20-25% personal / 75-80% the literature itself)

Chapter 2:Writing a Response Essay (p. 21)

Voice and Response to Literature

Showing and Telling

Wrong: The bombing in Birmingham was a tragic event.

Right: The brutal murder of four little girls, killed in an explosion of dynamite planted by hateful, racist whites intent on keeping “Negroes” “in their place,” was a horrific and tragic event.

Don’t simply tellme to convince me, show me what you want me to feel.

Chapter 2:Writing a Response Essay (p. 21)

Writing to Describe

Write about what moves you

your strongest response or impression may provide the best topic to write about

describe not only how you felt, but what prompted you to feel this way

An effective, engaging description is more than a summary

has your own voice

has your impressions

has your feelings

has relevant details from the literature to support your voice, impressions, and feelings

Chapter 2:Writing a Response Essay (p. 21)

Writing to Describe: Choosing Details

Tanya makes me feel comfortable.

She is soft-spoken, smiles a lot, and is a good listener.

Don’t dilute the impact of important details by adding unimportant details.

She wants to graduate next year.

From First Response to Final Draft (p. 37)

Using Your First Response

First Response written in first person (“I”)

Essay Response written in third person (“he,” “she”, “it,” “they”)

go back and underline or circle what you believe are your strongest impressions

Step 1: Choose a Topic (pages 39-43)

Do I care enough about this idea to pursue it further?

Is it do-able? Can you write an essay about it?

From First Response to Final Draft (p. 37)

Step 2: Composing a Draft (pages 43-47)

avoid following an inflexible outline

allow your essay to take shape “organically”

be reflective

read it out loud

are the ideas complete and clear?

develop a thesis statement

From First Response to Final Draft (p. 37)

Thesis Statement Checklist (page 44)

Is the central thesis of the essay clearly stated?

Does the title of your essay account for your thesis?

Have you accounted for all parts of your thesis statement?

Is the thesis in your essay fully developed?

From First Response to Final Draft (p. 37)

Step 3: Revising the Essay (pages 48-54)

Are you summarizing or analyzing?

Organization and Unity

Do all the paragraphs relate to the central thesis?

Is the organization of those paragraphs within the essay clear?

Do each of the sentences within the paragraphs relate to the central idea of the paragraphs?

From First Response to Final Draft (p. 37)

Step 3: Revising the Essay (pages 48-54)

Support

Are there enough details to support or clarify your assertions? Have you “shown” what you’ve told?

Are there enough quotes from the work of literature to support your assertions?

quotes should not exceed 20% of your paper

Clarity

Voice

“Four Little Girls”

Documentary film by Spike Lee

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1957; family moved to Brooklyn when he was a small child

Premiered Wednesday, June 25, 1997, in Manhattan

available online at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3302971953362876297#

Homework Due Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Prepare a response essay to the bombing of the

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963.

Discuss your feelings and thoughts about each of the pieces we have worked with:

“Birmingham Bomb Kills 4 Negro Girls in Church; Riots Flare; 2 Boys Slain,” New York Times article by Claude Sitton

“Birmingham Sunday,” a song sung by Joan Baez

“Ballad of Birmingham,” a poem by Dudley Randall

“Four Little Girls,” a documentary film by Spike Lee

Homework Due Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Remember – do not summarize the works

Remember – do discuss how the works affected you

Remember – do include a thesis statement

Remember – do connect 20% of your essay to personal experience

Remember – do check your syllabus and the class blog/website for essay paper guidelines. Remember: papers that do not meet the guidelines will not be accepted.

Homework Due Wednesday, February 3, 2010 If you have questions, or would like to me look at

your outline and/or first draft to see if you are “on the right track,” send me an e-mail at: english101wcc@gmail.com. DO NOT ATTACH THE OUTLINE AND/OR FIRST DRAFT TO THE E-MAIL. Cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail, or I will not be able to review it.

I will accept your outline and/or first draft until Monday, February 2, 2010, at noon. After that, I will not be available to give you my feedback.