English Essentials: Topic Sentences

As we continue our work this week revising and workshopping your papers on Chris Kyle, I thought it would be a good idea to review Topic Sentences.

Now, a lot of you know what a topic sentence is: it's the first sentence of each of your body paragraphs that says what your paragraph will discuss. Topic sentences, however, are not just that simple! They involve a very clear set of characteristics that we will discuss and check in our papers today.

For today, please watch the video above and in the comments section below write the topic sentence for one of your body paragraphs. Be sure to identify your important parts: Topic and Main Point. For example, if I looked at my first body paragraph in the paper I wrote in class, this is what I would post:

Topic Sentence 1: In order to understand how Kyle changes over the course of American Sniper, readers must first understand the Christian values instilled in him by his father and his mother: to help others and to protect members of their community.

Topic: how Kyle changes over the course of American Sniper.
Main Point: the Christian values instilled in him by his father and mother: to help others and to protect members of their community.

English Essentials: Writing Workshop

Writing Prompt:
All of last week, we participated in an intensive, collaborative writing workshop. Each of you put copies of your rough draft up on the projector and we discussed your thesis statements, topic sentences, evidence, and ideas.

For today, we will do something a little bit different.  I want you to spend 20 minutes doing the following:

1) Write down your answer to the question, "How does Chris Kyle change?"

Your answer should look like this: "Chris Kyle changes through ___, ___, and ___." Each blank will be one of the arguments you make your body paragraphs.

For example:

Chris Kyle changes through the lessons his father teaches him about protecting those who are weaker than himself, the lessons he learns as the number one sniper for the US military, and the discovery that he can still be a sheepdog protecting his family and military veterans at home.

2) Then, spend the next 15-20 minutes writing quietly. You should focus on making sure you explain how the evidence in each paragraph answers this question.

After your quiet writing, we'll pick a volunteer and put your answers on the board, workshopping for the rest of class.

Writing Workshop with Dr. B.: "A Mind at Work"

For today's class, we are going to do something a little bit different. Rather than have you do the writing, Dr. B. is going to show you how she would outline and write an essay on complex characterization.  Your job for today is to watch the process that unfolds as she

1) reads through the prompt,

2) identifies the question that needs to be answered,

3) breaks down the passages she selects, and

4) answers the question.

In the comments section below, comment on anything you notice or find important in Dr. Brigman's technique.  Some questions you might consider are the following: how does she break down the question? How does she jump into the writing task? What can you do during class tomorrow and all of this week exam that will involve the same strategies?

You might also consider Amanda Vickery's advice, "a mind at work." What does Dr. B. do that shows you (and readers) her mind is "at work" while answering the question?

For help with Live Commenting as a workshop strategy, please see previous examples from Dr. B's period 2 English class here.

Update 5/24/17: Here is the rough draft of the essay Dr. B. did in class yesterday.

Port Veritas: Day 1

Vinalhaven parents, families, and friends, today is an exciting day for us at the Vinalhaven School! In honor of National Poetry month, we begin with a five-day workshop featuring Robin Merrill and Nate Amadan of Port Veritas, a not-for-profit poetry group that works with young people to practice creative writing.  Both Mrs. Applegate and I are lucky to have Nate and Robin in the middle school and the high school working with students from ages 12—18.

This morning, Nate and Robin began by sharing poems they enjoy with students.  After reading, they asked each class, "Why is it important to learn to speak?" highlighting the oral nature of poetry: poetry is meant to be read out loud and for audiences.

After some discussion of the value of speaking skills, students learned about Persona Poems—poems written from someone (or something) else's point of view different from the writer's own.

Here's some of what we learned is great about Persona Poems:

1. Persona Poems give a voice to someone who doesn't necessarily have a voice.  For example, a person who is suffering under unfair circumstances can have a voice when written from someone else's perspective.
2. You can be sneaky! If you're mad at your husband, you aren't going to write about how you are mad at your husband.  Instead, you can write about a bird who is tired of her nest.
3. Another reason: you get to know someone better by stepping into their shoes.

Robin shared a poem by Cornelius Eady, "My Heart" from Brutal Imaginations and discussed emotional reactions to the piece.

Nate shared a poem about his grandparents' love written, interestingly, from the perspective of his grandmother.

Then, students were given the following writing prompt.

Writing Prompt:
Create a t-chart with objects on one side and adjectives (describing words) on the other side.

Then, pick a subject (place, thing, object) and write from its perspective, linking it with some kind of modifier or adjective from the list you created.

For example:
soldier          blind

teacher         cold

island           scared

Write four or five words that relate to that thing.  Nate: "Don't try to write a poem.  Just write."
He continued, "Try to be colorful and creative with your writing.  You don't have to have certain rhymes, line breaks.  Just write."