WEEK 5: REVIEW, ARGUMENT ESSAY ENGLISH 9 OMM AND THE DEPRESSION

10/21-10/25 ENGLISH 9: OMM & THE DEPRESSION ObjectiveAssignmentsHW MonWI: Write arguments to support claims RI3: Analyze how author unfolds series of ideas SL3: Evaluate speaker’s POV, reasoning, evidence WU: Roots “To a Mouse” OMM Literary Analysis Exercise TuesWU: Roots OMM Plot analysis Argument Essay prompt & Notes Prewriting Thesis due Thursday WedWU: Roots Notes: Persuasive Techniques & Rhetoric Vocab for “First Inaugural Address” pg. 550 Read “Inaugural Address” Read & Respond to Informational Texts pgs by Fri. ThursWU: Roots Outline Essay Worksheet: Literary Analysis: Persuasive Speech & Reading: Analyzing Persuasive Techniques Read & Respond to Informational Texts pgs by Fri. Outline due Monday FriTurn in HW Critical Thinking for “First Inaugural Address” Outline due Monday

OMM ESSAY “’Tell me like you done before’” (104).

“The best laid schemes of mice and men Go often awry, And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy!” Robert Burns

Of Mice and Men Argument Essay Topic: Should Lennie be held accountable for his actions? or Should George have shot Lennie, and should he be punished?

DESCRIPTION Objective: Successfully apply standard W1: Write arguments to support claims, using reasoning and evidence. Assignment: Write a 650+ word argument essay supporting your position on one of the above topics. Introduce a claim Develop claim and counterclaim through evidence Use, punctuate, and cite three quotes accurately and effectively Use transitions effectively Use a formal style and tone Apply formal essay structure with an engaging introduction, supportive body, and summative conclusion. Include an MLA-formatted Works Cited page

Grammar Goals: I will edit and grade your paper for the stated requirements, as well as the grammar rules below. Capitalize proper nouns A pronoun must agree with its antecedent Use a comma after an introductory phrase (like a prepositional phrase) Punctuate clauses appropriately: an independent clause requires a period; a dependent clause should be set off with a comma.

Steps: We will complete the following steps in the course of this essay Day 1: Support—take notes on the assignment requirements so you can better fulfill them Day 2: Prewriting—brainstorm ideas for your topic and develop a thesis Day 3: Outlining—gather and organize evidence, support, and a counterclaim. Learn how to use and punctuate quotes; learn transition words and phrases. Day 4: Developing—work on an effective introduction and conclusion Once all steps are complete, we will go into the computer lab to type the essay. You will have two days in the lab to type, so you should have the goal of 325+ words a day (roughly three paragraphs).

THE THESIS: THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN YOUR PAPER  Statement, not a question (one or two sentences)  Sums up the “point” of your essay  Something that can be argued/proven, not a simple fact  Organizing sentence for the whole essay (mini- roadmap)  Appears at end of introduction (last sentence in intro)

EXAMPLE Lennie should not be held accountable for his actions because his IQ is too low for him to understand the consequences it is George’s responsibility to look after him and the guys should have known never to leave him alone when Curley’s wife is wandering around.

COUNTERCLAIM: ACKNOWLEDGE THE OTHER GUY An argument the opposing side would uphold Imagine your opposition Imagine its support Argue against it!

EXAMPLE Some people would say Lennie is responsible for his actions because he is an adult but they don’t realize that mentally, he is only as aware as a young child.

EVIDENCE: EVERYONE NEEDS SUPPORT You must support your ideas with evidence from the text (or other texts) Evidence is: Specific examples Quotes (dialogue or narration) Evidence is NOT: Generalizations (general or vague statements)

EXAMPLES Good Evidence Lennie is not a violent person by nature For example, when Curley beats him up, he only fights back when George tells him to. Bad Evidence Lennie is not a violent person by nature He is always nice to everybody

TRANSITIONS: TELL THE READER WHERE YOU’RE GOING A transition can be a simple word or phrase First, next, finally Conjunctions are transition words However, furthermore, therefore, and, but, ultimately, etc. Use at the beginning of each paragraph, and within paragraphs to indicate added information or a change in flow

EXAMPLE The first major reason Lennie should not be held accountable for his actions is… Furthermore,…. Some may say he should be punished because he is an adult; however, they don’t realize he truly has the mind of a child. In summation,…

FORMAL STYLE AND TONE: WRITING AN ACADEMIC ESSAY Avoid Avoid using the 1 st person (I, me, I think, in my opinion) Avoid using the 2 nd person (you) Avoid referring to the essay itself (in this essay, in this paragraph, etc.) Avoid fillers and casual language (“like,” slang words) Do Do talk about the events in the story in the present tense unless the action takes place before the story begins (like the events in Weed, or George and Lennie’s childhood) Maintain academic, formal word choice (diction)

EXAMPLES Present Tense In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck describes Lennie using animal imagery to show that he is less mentally developed than George. Past Tense Because of what happened in Weed, the guys should know not to leave Lennie alone with Curley’s wife.

OMM ESSAY PREWRITING Write the above title on a piece of binder paper. Then, respond to the prompts: 1.Journal/Quickwrite  Write a one-paragraph response to one of the essay prompts 2.Brainstorm  Now that you have an idea of what you want to write about, brainstorm three to five specific reasons you feel and think the way you do.