Vocabulary Quiz Tomorrow

Study the words with:   FLASHCARDS  on Quizlet.  I don't want to hear any excuses about why you can't pass this quiz.  STUDY!

 

Presidential Campaign Project

Today you should have randomly picked a candidate and issue that you will have to research.  Your job this week is to find out everything you possibly can about your assigned candidate's position on that issue.  What does he have to say about it?  What does he believe?  Does he think it requires reform?  What are the specifics claims he's made about that issue?  What are the specific points he has delineated about the issue?

Think about the LOGIC behind what your candidate has to say about the issue?

In what way do the public's EMOTIONS drive this issue?

What are the ETHICS involved in shaping policies related to this issue?

Has your candidate made his position on this issue CLEARLY or VAGUELY?

What persuasive techniques or rhetorical strategies has your candidate used to communicate his position on this issue?

Next, you'll need to find out how your candidate's OPPONENT has attempted to REFUTE your candidate's argument.

Get to know your candidate.  Your primary source will be his website:

Obama         Romney

Secondary sources should be reputable news sites.  Watch out for bias in the news.  Don't forget that you also need to remain objective and unbiased as you prepare to discuss these issues.

Election Day Campaign

Due date:  Tuesday, November 6th

Here are some ideas for your project.  I am open to creative ideas and presentations that will depict your knowledge of the candidate and his position on the issue you have researched.

Individual Project

Create a POSTER that promotes your candidate and his position on the issue.

Develop a POWER POINT presentation that explains your candidates position on the issue.

Individual or Group

Film a COMMERCIAL campaign ad of your candidate including his position on the issue.

Group Project

Stage a MOCK DEBATE of your candidate on the issue.

Create a NEWS CLIP featuring a discussion of your candidate's issue.

Today we analyzed the development of Putnam's character as presented on page 1040 in your textbook.

What does the writer's use of stage directions and dialogue reveal about Putnam?  What is Putnam's purpose/message?  What rhetorical strategies does Miller use in this interchange to further enhance his characterization of Putnam?

Carefully read Tituba's speech toward the end of Act One.  Consider her audience, and then apply the same questions to her speech:

What is her purpose?    What is her message?   What appeal does she rely on most?
What rhetorical strategies does the writer use to make her speech effective?

..........................................................

Add the following logical fallacies to your list:

Card stacking
Plain Folks

Prepare a list of Logical and Rhetorical Fallacies as found in your literature book online on p. R 76 in the Logic and Persuasion Handbook.

Add the following four fallacies to your list:

Slippery Slope
Red Herring
Either/Or  (Black or White)
Straw Man

We watched the following presentation for examples of some of the fallacies:

Logical Fallacies found in Advertising, Politics, and Pop Culture

We analyzed Abigail's speech to the girls found at the bottom of the second column of page 1042 in your literature book.  Abigail is the speaker and the girls are her audience.

What is the purpose of her speech?
What is her message to them?
Why is her speech effective?  Identify the rhetorical appeal she uses most and how.
How does the writer (Miller) use rhetorical strategies to make her speech effective?

Be prepared to answer questions like the above about other characters' speeches.

Today we analyzed the language of Act One of The Crucible with an emphasis on the following terms:

euphemism....about Tituba:   "trouble in this house lands on her back"
hyperbole...about Abigail:   "an endless capacity for dissembling"
polysyndeton....about Abigail:   "Now she is all worry and apprehension and propriety."
repetition....about Parris:   "My enemies..."
diction...about the doctor:   "look to unnatural things for the cause of it."

We took notes on the effect created by these devices.

You should be reading/re-reading Act One and paying closer attention to the rhetorical devices, appeals, and/or strategies.  Be ready for an analysis quiz on excerpts from Act One.

Today you should have received your username, password, and instructions to access the online version of your literature book.

Here is the link to the website to access your book: ConnectED

If you have been absent this week and have not read Act One of The Crucible, it is your responsibility to read what you missed on your own.

The Crucible Act One Quiz today.

Rhetorical Analysis assignments are due today.

Don't forget that The Crucible will be performed at The Camille Playhouse this weekend and next.  You can receive extra credit this six weeks if you show me proof of your attendance (have someone take a picture of you in the theater before or after).  Here's the link to the website:  http://www.camilleplayhouse.org/

Don't forget to work on your dialectical journals for your Nonfiction selection.  These are due November 7th.

Today you should have read through more of Act I of The Crucible.

You should already be familiar with Abigail, the Reverend Parris, the other girls (Betty, Mercy Lewis, Mary Warren), the Putnams, and John Proctor.

You will receive your new vocabulary list on Thursday.  Expect a vocabulary quiz next Thursday on those 15 words.

Your Rhetorical Analysis Assignments are due tomorrow (Wednesday).

I will be out of class both Monday and Tuesday due to TAKS re-testing.

I have left the assignments with the sub, but I'm posting them here:

Begin reading The Crucible in class today.  Volunteer to read for a character so that the play can be read orally.  Be ready for a reading check quiz on Wednesday.

Rhetorical Analysis Assignments won't be due until Wednesday.

Vocabulary Test Today.  If you were absent, it is your responsibility to make up the test.

You will need to complete a Rhetorical Analysis Assignment for each of the speeches.  You will need to look at the speech transcripts online for specific rhetorical devices/strategies.

Ann Romney's Speech

Michelle Obama's Speech

Three Rhetorical Analysis assignments are due on Tuesday (the two speeches and the Amy Tan essay you read a while back)

Try this online quiz to find out which party/candidate you side with:   http://www.isidewith.com/

Nonfiction Dialectical Journals

Today I distributed the instruction page.  The journals are due on the Wednesday, November 7th.  I will follow the policy found in your syllabus for late work for major assignments (test grade).

Today we listened to Ann Romney's speech.  You can follow this link to listen to it:  Ann Romney's Speech

Don't forget about tomorrow's vocabulary test.

Also, make sure to finish reading Chapter 2 of your textbook.

PSAT Today

Don't forget about Friday's Vocabulary Test.

You have two more days left to show me your Nonfiction selection for this six weeks.

Today we finished listening to Michelle Obama's speech.  We discussed and took notes about her purpose/message and specific rhetorical strategies.  Go here to read and/or listen to it: Michelle Obama's Speech

Begin reading Chapter 2 of The Language of Composition.  You are responsible for all of the terms in bold found throughout this chapter.  Many of these terms already belong to the "non-negotiable" list of terms, so you should already be very familiar with them.  You will not be quizzed this week on any new terms; however, any non-negotiable terms and any from Chapter 1 might be on a quiz or two this week or next.  Always be prepared.

Good luck on the PSAT tomorrow!  Report to the gym at 8:40 a.m.  
Don't be late.

I have moved your vocabulary test to Friday.

Attending The Camille Playhouse's production of The Crucible will be for extra credit.  Here's the link to the website with dates, times, & cost:
http://www.camilleplayhouse.org/
I will let you know next week what you'll need to do to earn the credit if you want it.

Watch the 2nd Presidential Debate tonight if you can.

The PSAT is this Wednesday!  You should have already started reviewing the practice packet you received  from the counseling center.

Here is a link to the College Board's PSAT practice site:

PSAT Prep

Tonight is Open House.  I will only be available between 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm.  If your parents plan to attend, please let them know.

Arrangement quiz today.

We took notes on "chunk" writing:

Topic sentence
Concrete detail
Commentary
Commentary

We worked on an example using the opening of Michelle Obama's speech.

Don't forgot about your Non-Fiction selection for 2nd Six Weeks.  I'm checking these Monday.

Today we focused on the rhetorical appeals:  ethical, logical, and emotional.  Read pages 3-6 carefully in The Language of Composition.

We listened to Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention and took some notes about the appeals she uses.  We are looking for her purpose, use of appeals, and rhetorical strategies.

You can follow this link to listen to and view her speech here:  Michelle Obama's Speech - ABC News

Terms Quiz today.

Typed drafts due today with your two pre-conference questions/concerns.

Don't forget that the Vice-Presidential Debate is TOMORROW night. :)

Tomorrow we will be in F235 again.  Don't be late.  1st Period:  Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria.

Before we begin applying what you have learned about rhetoric to recent political speeches, you need to have at least a basic understanding of American politics.  I've attached a link at the end of this post to a website that offers a fairly simply comparison between the two parties.  I've copied the chart that was on that website below so that you don't have to go directly to the site.


This is an unbiased overview of the differences between the policies and political positions of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. These two parties dominate America's political landscape but differ greatly in their philosophies and ideals.

Comparison chart

	Democrat	Republican
Philosophy:	Liberal	Conservative
Economic Ideas:	Favor minimum wages and progressive taxation i.e. higher tax rates for higher income brackets.	Believe taxes shouldn't be increased for anyone (including the wealthy) and that wages should be set by the free market.
Stand on Military issues:	Decreased spending	Increased spending
Stand on gay marriage:	Support (some Democrats disagree)	Oppose (some Republicans disagree)
Stand on abortion:	Should not be made illegal; support Roe v. Wade (some Democrats disagree)	Should not be legal; oppose Roe v. Wade (some Republicans disagree)
Stand on Death penalty:	While support for the death penalty is strong among Democrats, opponents of the death penalty are a substantial fraction of the Democratic base.	A large majority of Republicans support the death penalty.
Social and human ideas:	Based on community and social responsibility	Based on individual rights and justice
Traditionally strong in states:	California, Massachusetts	Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas
Symbol:	Donkey	Elephant
Color:	Blue	Red
Founded in:	1824	1854
Website:	www.democrats.org	www.gop.com
Senate Leader:	Harry Reid	Mitch McConnell
Chairperson:	Debbie Wasserman Schultz	Reince Priebus
Famous Presidents:	Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter	Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon

Chart taken from: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican

Typed drafts are due tomorrow.  Anything turned in after the class period in which you are enrolled is considered late.

We have been relocated to F235 for the next two days due to Benchmarks.  We will be back in our classroom on Friday.

Literary and Rhetorical Terms Quiz tomorrow.

Arrangement:  The Classical Model & Patterns of Development Quiz Friday.

You should already be looking for a book for Independent Reading this six weeks:  History, Politics, or Biography/Autobiography of a world leader.

Today you will finish reading and taking notes from Chapter 1 of The Language of Composition.  We are taking a close look at pages 13-24.  Focus on both the Classical Model and the 8 Patterns of Development. I expect you to be very familiar with these two sections as well as the terms in bold found on pages 1-10.

Expect a quiz on Wednesday.

Reminder:  Typed drafts are due Wednesday.

Read Chapter 1 of The Language of Composition.

You are responsible for knowing all of the words in bold.  There is a glossary of terms beginning on page 1009.

Bring your drafts on Monday for your conference with me.  If you haven't already started typing your 2nd draft, you should do so.

Typed drafts will be due starting Wednesday.

Today you should have completed the Peer Response as Reader.  You will be turning in both Writer & Reader responses tomorrow as part of your overall grade for your essay.

Tomorrow you will also turn in Writing Exercises (Vocabulary & Sentence Combining)

You will take a Six Weeks Test tomorrow.  Please study.  You should have notes on everything we've covered.

Peer Response
Today you should complete the Peer Response as Writer.  The instructions are found on p. 139 in The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers.  Be ready to exchange drafts and complete a peer response as reader tomorrow.

Writing Exercise:  Sentence Combining

Combine each of the following sets into one correctly combined sentence.
Writing Exercises are due Thursday.

I need butter to make the cookie batter.

I couldn’t find any.

I used vegetable oil instead.

Gina had worn glasses for fifteen years.

She decided to get contact lenses.

She would be able to see better.

She would look more glamorous.

The children at the day care center took their naps.

They unrolled their sleeping mats.

They piled their shoes and sneakers in a corner.

Jack dialed the police emergency number.

He received a busy signal.

He dropped the phone and ran.

He didn’t have time to call back.

Louise disliked walking home from the bus stop.

The street had no overhead lights.

It was lined with abandoned buildings.

You may use today's class period to finish Rhetorical Analysis Assignment of "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan found on page 542 in The Language of Composition.

Writing Exercises will be due Thursday instead of Wednesday.

Peer Response of your drafts will be done on Tuesday & Wednesday during class.