Meeting 2: Tosspon’s English 105Review of thesisBody ParagraphsNarrativePre-Writing our own narrative

Guidelines for a good thesis(pg 33)

• States the writer’s clearly defined opinion on some subject/topic

• Assert ONE main idea• Have something worthwhile to say• Limit thesis to fit the assignment• State thesis clearly,

in specific terms• In first or second paragraph.

Thesis Statement off!

• (on a strip of paper I will provide)Each person create a thesis statement based on topics on Pg 40.

• I will read the thesis statements anonymously.

• Classmates comment on how to improve

• You will have a chance to rewrite the thesis statement until you get it right.

• Winning statement gets 1 HW exemption

Jeopardy Quiz!• http://jeopardylabs.com/play/heald-english-105-week-2

May get in groups of 4, may use notes/book/syllabus/handouts =D

Categories:• Syllabus• Chapter 1, Chapter 2• Pre-Writing Strategies• Classmates

Body Paragraphs (p 47)

• Chpt 3

• We will return to the ideas of Planning the body of your essay & Essay mapping.

• Turn to pg 50

Topic Sentence (pg 50)

• Supports the thesis by clearly stating a main point in the discussion

• Announces what the paragraphs will be about

• Controls the subject matter of the paragraph

Focusing & Placing (pg 53)

• Focusing – be specific(read examples pg 53)

• Placement – usually the first sentence in the body paragraph, but does not HAVE to be(read examples pg 54-55)

Paragraph Development (59)

• Include enough supporting info/evidence to make readers understand the topic sentence

• Make the information clear and specific

• Avoid vague generalities and repetitious ideas

Paragraph Length (pg 62)

• Long enough to accomplish its purpose and short enough to be interesting.

• Avoid one- or two-sentence paragraphs

• Divide long-ish paragraphs at a logical point.Use transitional phrases

Paragraph Unity

• Stick to the subject• Unify sentences around a

central or main idea- the topic sentence

• Unify paragraphs around a thesis

Paragraph Coherence• Use a recognizable order

– Time– Space– Deductive– Inductive

• Use transitional phrases• Use examples,

compare/contrast, sequence, results

• Avoid whiplash – maintain coherence!

Paragraphs

Sequence• Consider logic! Effect!

Transitions• Use to link

paragraphs/ideas• Vary the type and

placement to avoid sounding mechanical and boring

Paragraph Tournament

• Each person write a Paragraph about Job Interviews.

• These WILL be read aloud to the class

• Get peer feedback becauseYou could WIN a homeworkexemption!

1. In groups of 2 discuss whose paragraph is the best. Why? Why should it move on to the next round?

2. Take the “winner” of the partners to a group of 4 people. Discuss whose paragraph should move on to round 3.

3. Take the winner to a group of 8… Etc. 4. We will do this until we arrive at the top 4,

then the class will hear each one, vote for the top 2. Hear again and vote!

The class winner will earn a 1 HW exemption

Paragraph Tournament

Discuss – Sister Flowers (341)Salvation (352)• Group w/ someone who read your

story• Answer the questions that follow

(aloud)• Now exchange group

members• Come up with a definition of

“Narrative”

TYPES OF NARRATIVE• A narrative is a story with

characters and there is a definite plot line. A narrative normally has a beginning, a middle and an end.

• There are two types of narrative – fiction and non fiction

Narrative (Chpt 12)

• Pg 343 (new book)• Pg 333 (old book)

Telling a story- can be fact or fiction.

Writing the Narrative Essay

• Know your purpose• Make your main point clear• Follow a logical time

sequence• Use sensory details to hold

interest• Create authentic

characters• Use dialog realistically

Problems to avoid

• Choose your subject carefully

• Limit your scope • Don’t let your story lag

with insignificant detail

Practice (336 old OR 346 new)

• Look at a painting (in book or handed out)• List as many specific details as you can

– Describe the setting and character’s appearance

– What unusual noises, colors, smells– What does facial expression show?– What might each person SAY– What mood/tone do the

colors create?– Ask yourself MORE questions

Narrative essay assignment

• Can base it on your painting OR one of the topics on pg 347 (new book)/pg 337 (old book), OR propose a topic to me

• Worth 100 points• Pre-Write is due next week• Rough Draft due 10/28• Final draft due 11/04/2010• Rubric in Syllabus

Homework

• Journal 2: Narrative • Read “The Talkies” (pg 646, old

book) OR “Arrival at Manzanar” (pg 684, new book)

• Pre-Write of Narrative Essay (only that sheet) due next week

• Vocab – choose 25 pairs ofof words from green handbook. Write the pairs/definitions/ and a sentence. Due week 6

FICTIONAL NARRATIVE• This includes novels, plays, short

stories and mini sagas.• In each instance the focus of the

writing is what the writer’s imagination has created, the world and the situations and the characters he/she has conceived of and written about.

• Scripts (film, TV and radio) also belong in the fiction narrative category. They are so different though in presentation and the demands they make on the writer, that they have their own section.

NON-FICTION NARRATIVE• This includes personal narratives

(i.e. Real life stories about yourself or someone else), bibliographies and autobiographies, as well as feature stories in magazines and newspapers, and travel articles.

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE AND VOICE

ONCE A WRITER HAS A CHARACTER AND A PLOT THEY NEED TO DECIDE HOW THE STORY WILL BE TOLD.

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:(1) Some stories are told in chronological fashion (in order of

time)

ie. EVENT A EVENT B EVENT C …

Tony and Will get a band together from the musicians cast off by the school’s music department. They call the band Frizzard, and with effort and determination manage to transform this motley group into a band with grunt and stage presence. Determined to show that they are not losers, Frizzard tries out for the end of year school concert but are turned down. Disappointed but unfazed, the band decides they have just one option; gate crash the concert!....

(2) Some stories are told in flashback, i.e

H A B C D E F G H

Tony and Will are sitting outside the Principal’s office, wondering where they went wrong with their band, Frizzard. It is the day after the big end of year school concert where Frizzard gate-crashed the event. As they sit and wait, Tony remembers how getting a band together using rejects from the school’s music department seemed like such a good idea at the time…. Tony meets Will after both have been told they haven’t made it onto the school’s big band list, and they share their frustration and hatch the idea for Frizzard…..(and on to the story of how the ban got together, through to gats-crashing the concert, and back to Tony and Will outside the Principal’s office).

Flashback

Flashback

With the previous passage, the telling of the tale begins at the end, after the problem has been resolved (by the Principal, anyway). The narrator then relives how they got to that point. The reader knows the end but is made curious about how it came about.

CHARACTER, SETTING AND PLOT

• Telling a story is not something that happens by accident. Even a true- life story has to be ‘shaped’ with an interesting beginning, a ‘page-turning’ development, and a clear and satisfying ending.

• It is important to bring out character, to sketch in the setting, and to create energy of some kind – whether by structuring the piece around what amounts to a plot or at least adding a strong dramatic element (tension between characters). An interesting tone, like humour or satire, can add flavour.

• Compare the two stories that follow. Which one is more effective?

STORY 1 When I was at

school I used to sit at the back of the class. I sat there so I could do stuff. I got away with lots of stuff by sitting at the back of the class where the teacher couldn’t see me properly. I liked to make people laugh when I felt like it. A lot of people did laugh.

STORY 2 The back desk at

school was the best. Why? Because that’s where I could sit and plan my plots of mischief. It was so cool. I remember sitting behind Wayne, this huge kid with a really big head and broad shoulders. He was the best shield a guy like me could have wished for. There was no way the teacher could see past him to me. Perfect. I used to lob water balloons and itchy-itchy balls into the laps of the girls from my desk and they would think it was Wayne! It was a scream to see Wayne look up from his books and just say, ‘What? What did I do?

One day, I…….

FICTIONAL STORIES

Have you ever read a story that stays with you long after you finished reading it? Or where you can’t wait to find out what

happens next?....... The light faded slowly from the

screen even as Santron tried frantically to reset the controls. It was no good. Something was jamming the signal. At this rate, the entire ship would be blacked out within….Santron checked the time dial. Three minutes at most. Santron frowned. Three minutes to fix the problem or face obliteration! When the sensor buzzed overhead, Santron swallowed. If ever she needed to call on her Frontline Trooper skills to get her out of trouble it was now……

This is only one type of story, - a ‘cliffhanger’ or thriller style of narrative. But all successful stories ‘hook’ the reader.

Think back to the novels/short stories you have read and try to determine why you enjoyed reading some as opposed to others. What was it about the character/s, the story itself, or the imaginative world the author created?

CHARACTERSIt is impossible to have a successful story

without characters• Here is an example of how

central characters are.

Trev has a disgusting habit. He collects cockroaches. He calls them his ‘Pet Dinosaurs’ and he loves them. He stores them in little plastic bottles and feeds them food scraps. Now that wouldn’t be a problem, except for one thing – Trev doesn’t do this in the safety of his own home – he does it at school.

One day, when……

Character development

• Your characters must look and sound ‘real’ or credible

• Characters should move a story along – they need to have a specific role

• Interactions between characters should be believable

• There needs to be a purpose to any character traits given

TRY THIS…MOTIVATION IS WHAT DRIVES

A CHARACTER TO ACT THE WAYS HE /SHE DOES.

Choose 2 of the characters and give them names.

Draw up a comprehensive list of the sorts of things that could motivate such a character eg….

…JEALOUSY, FEAR, A PAINFUL PAST, GREED, HUNGER, A QUEST, POWER…etc.

Select one of those motives for each character and write a brief outline of the sorts of actions and responses which might be a result of that motive.

….NOW THIS…

• Choose one of the following ‘PLOT STARTERS’ and organise a series of events and character interaction/response suitable to the plot.

• This is story-boarding – arranging a PLOT into SCENES

He sat there,….

1. A farmer confronts the fact that the drought is destroying him and sets out to salvage the last of his cattle, but …..

2)A boy is waiting for his friend on a park bench. An old lady goes by. She stops to blow her nose. Without noticing, she drops something. She walks on. After a while, the boy picks up what she’s dropped. It’s an envelope containing two thousand dollars. He looks around but the old lady has mysteriously disappeared…..

3)A platoon of young soldiers is caught behind enemy lines. They have to find a way out within 24 hours or they will be left stranded by their battalion……

4)A boy has just arrived at a new school. At the first recess, he is confronted by a group of buff guys warning him out of their ‘turf’. He remains and unpacks his lunch….