Essay Writing - Exam Week

Let's get to essay writing! Today we are discussing some fine points of essay writing before I send you all to do it tomorrow. Tomorrow, you will be writing the entire period, refining and reworking your ideas INDEPENDENTLY.

After tomorrow's class, then we can rework what you have written and improve the writing for the final draft.

A few tips:

- Make sure you understand what the question is asking - read it through and reread it so that you answer it properly. There is nothing worse than writing an entire essay answering the question in the wrong way.

- Take your time. Even though sometimes we want to write everything all at once, take your time and really think about how you want to construct your idea. Don't take too much time though because then you will find it is the end of the period and you have nothing written. What ever you have at the end of the period on Tuesday is what you can work with from that point on, so make sure it is something substantial.

- Think. Think. Think. (as Pooh Bear says) Make sure you construct a good idea about what you are writing. Don't write what I expect, write about things that are "surprising" to you or that you think I will find interesting. Don't tell me what I know, tell me what you think.

- Most of all - do your best! That is all you can do, right? Your best may not be a five, but hopefully it is not a 1, but whatever it is, just do it!

Photo assignment

We are going to continue our discussion tomorrow about MEMORIES and the photographs and memories you guys have. Please bring in your pictures and your written down memories of them, so we can discuss them tomorrow.

I love pictures - don't you?

Color Blindness

Click on this and go to this cool web site that simulates color blindness!

Check out what you see. I almost feel like I might be color blind, but then I realize -- I can see all the differences, so that must mean that I am not color blind (duh). Try it out! Are any of you color blind? Do you know anyone who is? What is it like for them?

Reading and Thinking

I want you guys to read and think this weekend (I know - it takes a lot). Think about how what is going on in the novel fits together. We will be writing essays about the novel, so I need you guys to have some thoughts about what to write about when the time comes. We will be doing a practice essay this week, so prepare yourselves.

Make sure you have finished the novel by Tuesday! Also - report to the computer lab on Monday (Burak - you are responsible for getting everyone there).

AFTER POST: Reminder "NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY!" - have as much fun as you can!

PHOTOS

I need those photos! Please bring them in on Monday.

What do you guys think having photos in digital form vs. having photos in print form does for memories?

Auteur

Please tell me I didn't butcher the french word for author...is that it in the title?

Anyways -- if you were an author, what would your first book be about? It can be fiction or non-fiction and about anything you think you would write about. How many chapters would it have? What would it explore?

I would want to write a book about education analyzing the way kids learn and teaching teachers more effective ways of engaging students in learning. I would also want to write a book about my sister-in-law's experiences with breast cancer or my sister's experience with infertility and then giving birth to a premature baby. I also have dreams of writing about travel, but sometimes travel writing can get boring, so I am not sure about this one.

Memories... (you know this song too...I know you do)

Do you guys remember what you have learned about essay writing? What are some of the tips that you have gotten and retained or remembered over the years?

What are some things that make sense about essay writing and what are some things that you think you just don't get? (You need to be a humble learner for this one, so take off your coolness cloak and admit you don't know everything - okay?)