Sir Charles G.D. Roberts Award

To the Teacher:

This PowerPoint presentation is designed to introduce you and your students to the Sir Charles GD Roberts Award which recognizes excellence in student essay writing. It includes information about the award itself (slides #3 – 7), Sir Charles GD Roberts (slides #8 – 11), and the process of writing a literary essay (slides #11 – 28).

Rationale

• to highlight and recognize excellence in essay writing in English 122/121

• to provide every District 18 student enrolled in English 122/121 with a consistent approach to the critical analysis of a literary work

• to help motivate students to become actively engaged in the critical analysis of a literary work

• to provide a venue for students to strive for excellence in English Language Arts

• to raise the public profile of good essay writing

• to provide a culminating academic experience that draws on all previous knowledge

Award Guidelines

• Each contestant must compose an original essay and must reflect the student’s own writing and original thinking. Each entry will be checked for plagiarism.

• Works of fiction or poetry will not be accepted.

• The award is open to all potential graduates enrolled in English 122/121 in District 18.

Guidelines Continued

• 1200 – 1600 words– Word count should not include the title or

reference pages. Use MS Word or similar word count tools.

• 12pt font

• 2.5cm or 1 inch margin

• double spaced

Guidelines Continued

• Include on a submission page to District Office - student name, school, staff contact (SPR or teacher designate), school phone number.

• Submit both a written and electronic copy to the district.

• Winning submissions will be published in a ‘District 18 Journal of Student Writing’

Who is Sir Charles?

• Known as the Father of Canadian Poetry, Charles G.D. Roberts was a poet and prose writer who inspired creativity in other poets of his generation, including Bliss Carman (his cousin).

• Roberts was born in Douglas, New Brunswick, in 1860 and was raised in Westcock, near the Tantramar marshes. The beautiful landscape of his childhood was to dominate and inspire his work for a lifetime. He graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1879, and the following year, at the age of 20, he published his first book of poems, Orion, and Other Poems (1880).

• From 1879 to 1895, Roberts worked as a teacher in Chatham and Frederiction, New Brunswick, as editor of the literary magazine, the Week, and as a professor at King's College, Windsor, Nova Scotia.

• Roberts is remembered as a prolific and versatile writer whose early works inspired a generation of writers and laid the foundation for future achievements in Canadian literature.

Biography by:Nina MilnerCanadian Literature Research Service

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/canvers/t16-205-e.html

Literary Essay

A Literary Essay Is...

• an original, insightful and exclusive interpretation of a literary work presented in a properly structured format

• not a summary of plot, character or other elements of fiction in any given literary work

• not a research paper

• not a creative writing piece

This Means that...

you provide your own interpretation and/or analysis of the topic

you use the literary work to prove or defend your understanding of the topic

You Do...

• ...provide an interpretation of an element of the work such as the plot, setting, character, conflict, and/or themes as they relate to the topic you are discussing

• ...validate your interpretation with textual support

You Do Not...

• ...not summarize / retell the plot - understanding of the plot should emerge through your interpretation/ analysis

• ...not prove that the characters, setting, or themes exist in the literary work – focus must remain on the literary value of the work

• ...not use additional sources to research your topic

The Structure of the Essay

The literary essay should include an introduction, body and conclusion.

The Introduction

The introductory paragraph should give important details.

Clearly introduce the general topic. Identify the literary work and author. Provide direction for the essay through a strong

thesis statement.

Example of Topic and Thesis

Example of a general topic:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee presents

discrimination against black people. Example of a thesis statement:

The persecution of Tom Robinson by the residents of Maycomb County demonstrates how an innocent man can be destroyed through racism.

The Thesis

The thesis is a powerfully worded declaration of the intent of your essay.

• It states the purpose of the essay and establishes the focus and direction of the essay which will be proven in the body.

• It is often stated in the last sentence of your introduction.

The Body

The content of the body provides facts and evidence to prove and support your thesis.

• Divide the facts and evidence into paragraphs, each of which begins with a topic sentence.

• Connect the paragraphs through the use of transitional expressions.

The Body Continued

• Develop and expand on the topic using examples/facts/evidence and citations (quotations) from the literary work to substantiate your statements and to prove your thesis.

• Provide an interpretation, not a summary, of each cited quotation and demonstrate how it is relevant to the development of the topic and thesis.

A Body Paragraph Template

• The topic sentence is a statement which introduces the main idea in the paragraph and supports the thesis.

• Supportive Details/Examples relate to the main idea of the topic sentence.– Include 1 – 2 quotations from the literary work which will

develop/support this topic and establish a connection to topic/thesis.– Provide an interpretation of the quotation(s) as it relates to the main

idea of the paragraph.

• A linking sentence will reinforce what was stated in this paragraph and connect it to the following argument.

The Conclusion

The conclusion is your last chance to prove your opinion to the reader!

• A restatement of your THESIS recaps your purpose.

• No new information should appear in the conclusion.

• The restatement of important points proves your thesis.

• Avoid personal comments about your essay.

Citations

• The MLA format should be used to cite quotations.

• It is important that students check with individual instructors in order to determine the specific requirements for an assignment.

How to Use Quotations in Your Essay

Quotations of four lines or less are included in the body of your essay using quotation marks.

Example:

“He stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I saw he had been crying; his face was dirty” (Lee 63).

author’s last name and page number

Citations that are MORE than 4 lines long are indented and double spaced as shown in the quotation below.

For reasons unfathomable

to the most experienced

prophets in Maycomb County,

autumn turned to winter that year.

We had two weeks of the coldest

weather since 1885. (Lee 63)

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Warner Books, 1960.