English III--Reading assignments/annotated documents with due dates. Also: group presentations--Analysis Activity of the readings. The due dates for reading and annotating the different selections (all students) are listed within the post. You get a zero if you do not have the annotated document in your binder whenever I ask for it. The major group Analysis Activity will be due in the future (due date and names of group members to come).

 

Rhetoric--the skillful use of literary elements to enrich the understanding, reading, and power of a text (communicated orally or in writing).

Important Goals:

• Identify Critical Content and Explain Why Important.
• Examine Similarities and Differences Among Texts or Parts of a Text.

All students are responsible for reading and annotating every text. See the due dates below. 

(Names of group members and due date for the Analysis Assignment will be listed soon.)

 

• "The World on the Turtle's Back" (All students must annotate this text by January 24, 2024. You should print out the text and write your annotations on the document. File this document in your binder. All documents may be collected at any time during the semester: https://scholarmulhern.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-world-on-turtles-back-text.html#more.) Students responsible for the Analysis Assignment and presentation/class discussion of this selection: _______
• "Of Plymouth Plantation" (This annotated document is due January 25: https://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/terri%20delebo/ALLHONORS10/William_Bradford-OF_PLYMOUTH_PLANTATIONL.pdf.) Students responsible for the Analysis Assignment and presentation/class discussion of this selection: ________
  
• "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (This annotated document is due January 26: https://www.oregonsd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=470&dataid=2251&FileName=sinners%20in%20the%20hands%20of%20an%20angry%20god.pdf.) Students responsible for the Analysis Assignment and presentation/class discussion of this selection: ________
• "Balboa" (This selection is in Unit One of the electronic textbook. You may make copies of this selection and then annotate, or you can write your annotations by listing paragraph or line number followed by your annotation on a lined paper kept in your binder for the entirety of the semester. This annotated selection is due January 29.) Students responsible for Analysis Assignment and presentation/class discussion of this selection: ________
• "Speech in the Virginia Convention" (This annotated document is due January 30: https://ride.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur806/files/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Common-Core/Hand-out-3-2-Patrick-Henry-Speech.pdf.) Students responsible for Analysis Assignment and presentation/class discussion of this selection: ________

How to Annotate a Text 

http://schoolhabits.com/annotate-text-reading/ 
https://scholarmulhern.blogspot.com/2014/01/english-i-how-to-take-notes-on-fiction.html#more
https://prezi.com/ctwiszjrqb7h/why-how-to-annotate-a-text/
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/handouts/the-writing-process-1/invention/Annotating-a-Text

Additional Ways to Take Notes 

https://scholarmulhern.blogspot.com/2019/11/analyzing-text-paragraph-by-paragraph.html 

Taking Notes if the Reading Assignment is Fiction

https://scholarmulhern.blogspot.com/2020/01/analyzing-short-storiesfiction.html 

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You will use the following writing assignment as a basis for your group presentation. In your groups, decide which of you will be responsible for the different elements listed below. When you present in class, you should be able to share all of the information. Be sure that each group member has a copy of the final document, which you will turn in to me on____________. Create the document in Google Docs.

Elements to Analyze in an English III text: Explain how the author's use of tone, mood, imagery, figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification), structure, plot, theme(s), characterization, and shifts (any change in mood, subject, tone, etc.), the climax, beginning, middle, and ending are effective. Always define your literary terms as well. For example: A simile compares two things using like or as. Always provide textual support (quoted examples) for the literary items you discuss. (See the link to literary devices below for other ideas.)

Be able to state the genre of the work and explain what types of writing fit into that genre.

Use MLA format as always. Each of you must submit your own copy of this document with each member of your group listed in the heading. Choose a lead presenter for each group. This individual will organize the presentation and check in with group members to make sure all work is completed on time. You all need to submit a copy of the document in case a group member is absent, and you need to present that individual's part of the assignment. All of you should also have an electronic copy of the document on your laptop computer. Always be prepared!

Work on this assignment as homework, although I will give you some time during class. You might consider using Google Chat or Face Time to meet and discuss the presentation as a group. Your facilitator should create and coordinate the writing of this Google document, checking in with peers regularly. Exchange phone numbers and emails.

Heading Example:

Smith, Russell, Johans, Cennamo, McCarthy

Mr. Mulhern

English III, Period 3

1 February 2024

Analysis of "The World on the Turtle's Back"

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Based on the pointers below, you decide how to organize and subtitle different sections in the final document.

1. Write a short background about the author--major accomplishments, when lived, etc. (one paragraph). You should use Google to research the writer/speaker. Choose the most important points about the author's life and contributions to literature. You will share this information with the class when you present.

2. Write a short summary of the text--main ideas. (at least one paragraph, seven sentences)

3. Identify critical parts/content of the text and explain why they are important.

4. Cite five examples of effective writing (see list of literary devices for ideas: https://literary-devices.com/). Elaborate on why the literary elements are so effective (one to two sentences for each element). Include a quote for each literary device (element) and a page citation. You will be asked to read and explain why you think the different literary elements are effective and how they support the author's theme(s), mood(s), or purpose(s). Remember to use SOAPSTone as a way to explain your ideas. Be specific and clear. Pay attention to the meaning of the words. For example, saying, "The author uses imagery to paint a picture and draw the reader in" is ineffective. What particular descriptive words are effective, and how are they effective when you consider one of the larger elements of the text--theme, mood, or purpose? In other words, how do the parts (the elements) support the whole (theme, mood, purpose)?

5. Connect ideas in the text to three other things: texts, current events, history, or another course. Explain in one sentence the connection you make Remember, "The more you link, the better you think, the smarter you become."

6. Compare and contrast texts read in this class and explain their similarities or differences. Your commentary could be based on any element. For example, the elements listed in item 7 below.

7. Explain how the text itself is organized. What is the genre of the text? Where are the shifts (tone, mood, subject, theme, rhetorical modes)? How are the shifts effective? What are the strongest parts/highlights of the text, and why? What are the major arguments, themes, ideas, etc.? Where in the text can you support your claim? Why did the author place certain information/scenes at different points in the text? Comment on the overall effectiveness of how the text is structured and organized? Would you have changed anything? (at least one paragraph, seven sentences)

8. Create important reading question types with answers and textual support. (Link for Important Reading Questions Checklist. Do Exercise Two: https://scholarmulhern.blogspot.com/2022/08/important-reading-question-types_17.html) Use some of these questions in your class discussion. Help your peers when you ask your questions in discussion. Validate their responses and elaborate on what they say.  Adjust the discussion as it proceeds based on the needs of your listeners. 

You may not get to everything you have written for the presentation. As always, it is quality, not quantity, that matters most. Good luck! I know you will be masters of analysis. 

                 
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Information about MLA format is on this website. 

Please note: You must have electronic versions on your laptop computer and printed-out versions (in your binder) for the entirety of the semester (Important Reading Questions, Annotations). Any of these assignments could be collected at any time (even beyond the due date) If you do not have the assignments when I collect them, you earn a grade of zero. For the annotations, indicate the paragraph by beginning with the first three or four words in quotes, followed by your annotation. For the annotations, you can write on a printed-out text and upload a picture to your laptop. I could ask you to upload any document on the due date, or I could collect the hard copy. Always save your work. 

Look up and memorize all the words you do not know. Write the definitions down.