W E E K 5 : R E V I E W , A R G U M E N T E S S AY

ENGLISH 9 OMM AND THE DEPRESSION

10/21-10/25ENGLISH 9: OMM & THE DEPRESSION

Objective Assignments HW

Mon WI: Write arguments to support claims

RI3: Analyze how author unfolds series of ideas

SL3: Evaluate speaker’s POV, reasoning, evidence

WU: Roots“To a Mouse”OMM Literary Analysis Exercise

Tues WU: RootsOMM Plot analysisArgument Essay prompt & NotesPrewriting

Thesis due Thursday

Wed WU: RootsNotes: Persuasive Techniques & RhetoricVocab for “First Inaugural Address” pg. 550Read “Inaugural Address”

Read & Respond to Informational Texts pgs. 285-288 by Fri.

Thurs

WU: RootsOutline EssayWorksheet: Literary Analysis: Persuasive Speech & Reading: Analyzing Persuasive Techniques

Read & Respond to Informational Texts pgs. 285-288 by Fri.Outline due Monday

Fri Turn in HWCritical Thinking for “First Inaugural Address”

Outline due Monday

OMM ESSAY

“’Tell me like you done before’” (104).

• “The best laid schemes of mice and menGo often awry,And leave us nothing but grief and pain,For promised joy!” • Robert Burns

• Of Mice and Men Argument Essay• Topic: Should Lennie be held accountable for his

actions?• or

• Should George have shot Lennie, and should he be punished?

DESCRIPTION

• Objective: Successfully apply standard W1: Write arguments to support claims, using reasoning and evidence.

• Assignment: Write a 650+ word argument essay supporting your position on one of the above topics. • Introduce a claim • Develop claim and counterclaim through evidence• Use, punctuate, and cite three quotes accurately and effectively

• Use transitions effectively• Use a formal style and tone• Apply formal essay structure with an engaging introduction,

supportive body, and summative conclusion.• Include an MLA-formatted Works Cited page

• Grammar Goals: I will edit and grade your paper for the stated requirements, as well as the grammar rules below.• Capitalize proper nouns• A pronoun must agree with its antecedent• Use a comma after an introductory phrase (like a

prepositional phrase)• Punctuate clauses appropriately: an independent clause

requires a period; a dependent clause should be set off with a comma.

• Steps: We will complete the following steps in the course of this essay• Day 1: Support—take notes on the assignment requirements so you

can better fulfill them• Day 2: Prewriting—brainstorm ideas for your topic and develop a

thesis• Day 3: Outlining—gather and organize evidence, support, and a

counterclaim. Learn how to use and punctuate quotes; learn transition words and phrases.

• Day 4: Developing—work on an effective introduction and conclusion

• Once all steps are complete, we will go into the computer lab to type the essay. You will have two days in the lab to type, so you should have the goal of 325+ words a day (roughly three paragraphs).

THE THESIS: THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN YOUR PAPER

Statement, not a question (one or two sentences)Sums up the “point” of your essaySomething that can be argued/proven, not a

simple factOrganizing sentence for the whole essay

(mini-roadmap)Appears at end of introduction (last sentence in

intro)

EXAMPLE

• Lennie should not be held accountable for his actions because • his IQ is too low for him to understand the consequences• it is George’s responsibility to look after him• and the guys should have known never to leave him

alone when Curley’s wife is wandering around.

COUNTERCLAIM: ACKNOWLEDGE THE OTHER GUY

• An argument the opposing side would uphold• Imagine your opposition• Imagine its support• Argue against it!

EXAMPLE

• Some people would say Lennie is responsible for his actions• because he is an adult

• but they don’t realize that mentally, he is only as aware as a young child.

EVIDENCE: EVERYONE NEEDS SUPPORT

• You must support your ideas with evidence from the text (or other texts)• Evidence is:• Specific examples• Quotes (dialogue or narration)

• Evidence is NOT:• Generalizations (general or vague statements)

EXAMPLES

Good Evidence

• Lennie is not a violent person by nature• For example, when

Curley beats him up, he only fights back when George tells him to.

Bad Evidence

• Lennie is not a violent person by nature• He is always nice to

everybody

How do you know???

TRANSITIONS: TELL THE READER WHERE YOU’RE GOING

• A transition can be a simple word or phrase• First, next, finally

• Conjunctions are transition words• However, furthermore, therefore, and, but, ultimately,

etc.

• Use at the beginning of each paragraph, and within paragraphs to indicate added information or a change in flow

EXAMPLE

• The first major reason Lennie should not be held accountable for his actions is…• Furthermore,….• Some may say he should be punished because he

is an adult; however, they don’t realize he truly has the mind of a child.• In summation,…

FORMAL STYLE AND TONE: WRITING AN ACADEMIC ESSAY

Avoid

• Avoid using the 1st person (I, me, I think, in my opinion)

• Avoid using the 2nd person (you)

• Avoid referring to the essay itself (in this essay, in this paragraph, etc.)

• Avoid fillers and casual language (“like,” slang words)

Do

• Do talk about the events in the story in the present tense• unless the action takes

place before the story begins (like the events in Weed, or George and Lennie’s childhood)

• Maintain academic, formal word choice (diction)

EXAMPLES

Present Tense

• In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck describes Lennie using animal imagery to show that he is less mentally developed than George.

Past Tense

• Because of what happened in Weed, the guys should know not to leave Lennie alone with Curley’s wife.

OMM ESSAY PREWRITING

Write the above title on a piece of binder paper. Then, respond to the prompts:

1. Journal/QuickwriteWrite a one-paragraph response to one of the essay

prompts

2. BrainstormNow that you have an idea of what you want to write

about, brainstorm three to five specific reasons you feel and think the way you do.