Homework for week of March 3

I am not going to check independent reading, but certainly keep track of any books you finish. We'll return to them at the end of the month.

This week is focused on getting a complete draft of your biography paper. In order to receive full credit each day, your draft must contain direct citation and have an arc, although you may choose to write in sections. In other words, no writing the big ideas and saying, "I'll fill in the quotes later."


Also, make sure you have your BIG idea question as your guide written at the beginning of the paper. I think you will find the mentor texts, both from The New Yorker and the student exemplars, as helpful guides. Return to them and see what the "literary moves" were and what allowed the writer to convey a complex idea about the character. We'll spend time in class writing, but you should expect to block out a significant amount of time at home as well over the next week and a half.

Sources: Remember to meet the standards, you must have a minimum of four sources: three people and one reliable secondary source. These must be cited in the text AND the transcriptions must be included in the final product. Students who exceed this standard will have more than four reliable sources.

Here is the rubric for the final product. Keep the indicators in mind as you draft: Biography rubric

Here are the specifics for benchmarks this week. I have included minimums, but I would encourage you to write when you have time, so you don't leave everything to the end.
ALSO, many of you have not completed the additional 30 minutes of interviews. You may want to take some time to fill in gaps and complete this work.

Monday: Draft biography. 1,000 words due Tuesday.
Tuesday: Draft biography. 1,800 words due block day.
Block day: Draft biography: 2,300 words due Friday.
Friday: Draft biography. 3,000 words due Monday
Block day of week of 3/10: full draft due (4,800 to 7,500 words)

Eventually, you will need transitions in your draft. Here are some suggestions for examples and when you might use them:
http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/qwrtcntr/resources/handouts/transitions.htm

Biography samples and reminder of timeline and requirements

As we get ready to write, I thought I would post some exemplars here. If you need the overview of the project, as well as the timeline, here it is: Overview and Timeline

Here is a sample from a college course on Feature Writing:
Short sample mentor text

Here are samples from last year of students who exceeded the standard in both research and writing:
Biography Exemplar A
Biography Exemplar B
Biography Exemplar C

Before you write, you will generate a question which will frame your biography. It may be centered around an event or it could focus on the role that person played in the family. Usually the question begins with "How" or "Why". Here are a few examples:

How does a person overcome addiction?
How does tragedy impact a person's relationships with others?
How does a close-knit family affect a person's response to life's challenges?
 

Then, you will write a detailed outline, thinking about the sections of your paper and then what key points or ideas you will cover. The more detailed this outline is (specific quotes and evidence), the easier the drafting will become.

Biography journals

Journal #1: Think about the subject of your biography. Describe that "character" in terms of physical appearance and "essence". Try to think of small details that will bring that person into focus. It could be facial expressions, gestures when they are particularly angry, sad or excited. It could be based on a memory too, especially if that person has died. It may include a description of that person in a particular place (a lazy boy recliner or tree stand, the mini-van covered in trash, the back porch of a cottage). Think about the exemplars I read and try to make this person come to life for us. For now, don't worry about weaving in dialogue; that will come later.

Journal #2:

What strikes you about these initial interviews? What can we tell about the subject through them? What surprised you about the interview(s)? What follow up questions can you think to ask which would give more detailed information? (A good beginning to a follow up question: Can you tell me more about...) Can you find a snippet which shows personality? Write the actual section of the transcription here and then your brief reflection about what it could eventually show us.

Journal #3:
What big idea questions do you think will guide your biography? Brainstorm at least three. Perhaps from these questions, what do you see as the "themes" of this person's life so far? Which themes or questions are most interesting to you? Why? Do they interconnect? In what way? What thoughts do you have about the "arc" of your paper? How will you shape the transcriptions you have to make it a story? In other words, how will you avoid just writing the "facts" of your subject's life and instead, transform it into a narrative that paints a complex portrait of the person? What possibilities do you see for structure? This should be a journal where you might not have any definite answers yet, but you are exploring possibilities. One page, at least, double-spaced.

Journal #4:
Like we did with Lebron James, I would like you to notice what the writer is doing in your profile that you chose to read this week. (See weekly blog for choices). In addition to annotating, I would like you to identify the following types of sentences and paste them into your journal:
Part One:
1. A sentence which describes the subject physically.
2. A quote, either from the subject or a secondary source, which tells us something about the subject's character.
3. A sentence that uses facts to add to the profile of the character.
4. A snippet from an anecdote the author has included (a partial excerpt is fine)
5. A reflection from the writer which gives the reader a sense of the writer's point of view or opinion.

Part Two:
How does the writer portray this subject? What are the writer's most effective literary moves from the above five. Choose no more than two and then write an analytical paragraph which explains HOW the writer portrays the subject. Think about the analytical paragraph you wrote on Lebron James and review my comments and then build on the work and thinking you did in that paragraph.




 

Welcome to second semester!

Can you believe it is here already? I am excited to have a few more months to work together before you go off into the great unknown. As I said in class, this quarter will combine some choice reading and will also involve the drafting and revising of your biography research paper. It's going to be excellent. Trust me.

Here is your homework for reading:
You must read for 2 hours per week. You decide what you read. Three times a week, I'll ask you to record what you have read on a sheet I'll pass around class. You must determine your reading rate for each book. Assessment will happen in weekly conferences, but may not happen on every book you read. I'll ask you to write a letter about a book every two weeks.The key is to read, not fake read, or spark note. You'll need to keep track of the books you complete. We'll follow this format through the end of March.

Your writing work will consist of biography work and some short analysis on shared texts.

For this week, here are your specific deadlines:

Read two hours by next block day, February 5 or 6.
Due block day: Select book you would like to read.
Due Friday: Complete two interviews and transcriptions. Minimum of 60 minutes. (The other two interviews and transcriptions are due next Friday, February 7.)

Here is the overview and timeline for the biography, in case you lost your paper copy: Overview and Timeline