Notes Allowance

For your in-class essay, you may have one page of notes, double-sided. These notes may be quotations from the book Frankenstein, and brief ideas, may not consist of elaborate ideas or analysis or arguments. You may type or hand write them, and you will turn them in with your essay. Please note that you may not share notes or use another person's notes.You will also not be allowed to use your book during the exam.

What should you cull quotes on?

I recommend culling quotes on the female companion for the monster. That is the only clue I can give you, but it's a big one!

Good luck.

In-Class Essay: Aim and Organization

AIM:

To successfully prove a clear, specific thesis. The thesis should, obviously, address the prompt given in class. Following directions here, as always, is crucial to receiving a passing grade.

ORGANIZATION:

An in-class essay is organized into five paragraphs. The first paragraph is the introduction, then comes three body paragraphs, then a concluding paragraph. No more—no less!

You will want to make a brief outline before you write your essay.* Make sure the body paragraphs appear in a logical order, not simply the order they came to your mind in. Build on the information as you go.

Introductory Paragraph: Make sure not to take too much time writing in introduction. This paragraph should be about five sentences long (give or take a sentence or two). Provide a clearly arguable, well-qualified, thesis.

Body Paragraph One: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well as a topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph.

Body Paragraph Two: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well as a topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph. And remember, Body Paragraph Two should follow Body Paragraph One in terms of building logically upon it.

Body Paragraph Three: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well a topic sentence as the beginning of the paragraph. And remember, Body Paragraph Three should follow Body Paragraph Two in terms of building logically upon it.

Concluding Paragraph: Re-state your thesis. Summarize what has been successfully argued in the essay. End with a thoughtful and strong statement. This paragraph, like your introductory paragraph, need not be longer than five sentences, but should also not be shorter.

Grammar and formatting: Make sure to check your grammar and spelling as you go along. There is a bit more room for error in an in-class essay, but your essay must be readable and legible (so make sure your handwriting is clear). Double-check your essay for errors before you turn it in. You may choose to double-space or single space an in-class essay (depending on what your teacher requests).

*You will be required to turn in your brief outline with your essay for your this class. See “Sample Outline” below for details.

SAMPLE OUTLINE FOR IN-CLASS ESSAY

Par. 1: THESIS: Write out thesis statement here.

Par. 2: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 1 here.

Par. 3: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 2 here.

Par. 4: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 3 here.

Par. 5: CONCLUSION: Final thought to leave reader with.

*Remember, this is just a sample outline—yours can differ slightly. Also, you obviously will want to fully develop your intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion—so while you are providing the main idea of these paragraphs here in the outline, you will flesh them out with evidence/support in your actual essay.

What is a "Murder Weapon" Example?

When supporting your ideas in a paper, when arguing a claim of any sort, you need to back up your claim with strong examples to support your claim.

Now, when you are writing about literature in particular, you need to support your claim with examples from the book in question. If you are writing about something else, then you may need examples from outside research or other sources. But in any and all cases, you need examples to prove your points. (And you need to support your examples with analysis, explaining to your reader how they fit your point).

How do you go about selecting the *best* examples? When there are many to choose from, it can be easy to be lazy and just pick the first example you see. However, not all examples are created equal.

I like to use an analogy to explain how to find the best evidence for your claim. Similarly to doing library-based research, it takes some time and effort--you cannot simply pick the first example that you see when you flip the book open. However, in the long run, choosing the best example will save you time, because it will do more work for you than if you picked a weaker example.

The analogy: The Murder Weapon

Say you are a prosecuting attorney for an infamous murder trial. You have three pieces of evidence with which to make your case against the murderer, but you are only permitted to share one piece in the courtroom.

Here are your three pieces of evidence:

The murder weapon itself, a gun that still have a finger attached to it from the person who shot the victim -- their finger just ripped off when they shot the gun.

A glove that fell on the ground with fingerprints from the murderer on it.

A cat, who witnessed it all.

Which piece of evidence should you use to win your case?

Debate Structure

Hi everyone, here is the order of events for the debate. If you have any questions about these, please email me and ask.

Note: You will need to turn in your group's paper with your three main arguments, your examples for those arguments, your three anticipated arguments that the other side may hold, your rebuttals to those arguments and your examples to support your rebuttals. It should be typed and double spaced, and should have each of the group members names at the top. Please use complete sentences.

Note: Each person on your team will need to speak at one point during the debate. Feel free to divide this up however you like, provided each person shares at least one full argument or one full rebuttal.

Debate Order

Side 1 presents its three main arguments, with examples - 5 minutes

Side 2 presents its three main arguments, with examples - 5 minutes

Teams have 3 minutes to prepare rebuttals

Side 1 presents its rebuttal to Side 2's arguments - 3 minutes or less *may not present new facts

Side 2 presents its rebuttal to Side 1's arguments - 3 minutes or less *may not present new facts

Teams have 3 minutes to prepare rebuttals

Side 1 final rebuttal and closing argument - 3 minutes or less *may not present new facts

Side 2 final rebuttal and closing argument - 3 minutes or less *may not present new facts

Winning team gets ten participation points extra! And there will be a food prize.

Also, please read through these logical fallacies to make sure you aren't committing any in your argument. They are *really* common, especially in politics!

The Jury will base their decision on the following:

1) Arguments

Are they logical? Are they the strongest arguments for the team's perspective?

2) Rebuttals

Did they successfully address the other team's POV?

3) Teamwork

Did they work together well as a team?

4) Use of Examples

Are they "murder weapon" examples?

Rough Draft Workshop

DIRECTIONS: Please answer in complete sentences and take time and care in responding, as you will be graded on your answers. You do not need to write down the questions. You should address all questions within a given section. Give the notes to the Paper Author when finished. They will hand it in to me next week at the beginning of class on the day your final paper is due, and you will both get credit for the assignment.

Important: please do not spend your time during workshop correcting grammar. If you note a problem with grammar, you can spend any extra time at the end of workshop (if you have it) correcting grammar. Otherwise, please just let them know they have an issue, and they can correct it later.

1) Is the essay's thesis clear? Point out any areas where it could be clearer. Is it arguable? (It should not simply be a statement of facts). Is it well-qualified (specific)? Even if the thesis seems to be specific enough, suggest a way for the writer to make it even more specific and narrow (i.e. do they list the topics they plan to discuss in the body paragraphs in as precise a language as possible?).

2) Does the writer incorporate research from three scholarly sources into the essay? Do the sources seem to be strong and relevant for the thesis at hand? Do not ask the writer to tell you about them, but judge them based solely on what is in the paper. Write what you know about the sources below and give any suggestions for what you need to know more about. Also please note if they seem to be forcing irrelevant sources onto their paper.

3) Does the writer incorporate plenty of examples from their fairy tale and the outside sources examples in the essay? They should! Are those examples on topic and support their thesis?

4) Does the writer provide convincing, sufficient analysis for each and every one of their examples? Remember, analysis is as important than the quote itself. Make suggestions for improvement below, and be specific. The analysis should of course connect back to the thesis.

5) Is the paper organized? Do the main topics of the body paragraphs seem to build logically upon one another? Give at least one suggestion for improvement.

6) What are some ways in which the author might expand their ideas further? Are there any logical connections they could be making that are missing from the essay? Is their critical thinking going deep enough, or are they staying at a surface level with their interpretations of the text? Give suggestions for at least two places in the essay where they can go deeper.