Sept 5

It has been POURING today!  Good for the fires and for the ground, but bad for flooding. Do you enjoy the rain storms?



Warm-up:
Define what you think a hero is.  What kind a characteristics do they have? What things do you look for in a hero?  Do you know one? Who are they and why are they a hero?  Shared in class.

Turned in dialectical journals

Test handed back.  Read the story!  Many of you didn't...
You have the opportunity to redo or fix any assignment for 1 week after you get it back...this test is due by next Friday.  You can receive partial credit for the things you fix, but you must include a sentence about why it is now correct. Make sure you write REDO across the top of the assignment!

For example:
D (wrong answer) A is the correct answer because Rainsford classified people into two different groups: the hunter and the hunted.


Worked on the non-fiction texts about the Value of Life.  Take homw the second close-reading worksheet and complete it.  Introduction to SOAPStonE--a way to look at texts.  Get familiar with this--you will know it well.

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What in the world is SOAPStonE?
This composition has integral parts that work together in a complex and subtle arrangement to produce meaning. Originally conceived as a method for dissecting the work of professional writers, SOAPSTone provides a concrete strategy to help students identify and use these central components as a basis for their own writing. 

Who is the Speaker?
The voice that tells the story. Before students begin to write, they must decide whose voice is going to be heard. Whether this voice belongs to a fictional character or to the writers themselves, students should determine how to insert and develop those attributes of the speaker that will influence the perceived meaning of the piece. 

What is the Occasion?
The time and the place of the piece; the context that prompted the writing. Writing does not occur in a vacuum. All writers are influenced by the larger occasion: an environment of ideas, attitudes, and emotions that swirl around a broad issue. Then there is the immediate occasion: an event or situation that catches the writer's attention and triggers a response. 

Who is the Audience? 
The group of readers to whom this piece is directed. As they begin to write, students must determine who the audience is that they intend to address. It may be one person or a specific group. This choice of audience will affect how and why students write a particular text. 

What is the Purpose?
The reason behind the text. Students need to consider the purpose of the text in order to develop the thesis or the argument and its logic. They should ask themselves, "What do I want my audience to think or do as a result of reading my text?" 

What is the Subject? 
Students should be able to state the subject in a few words or phrases. This step helps them to focus on the intended task throughout the writing process. 

What is the Tone?
The attitude of the author. The spoken word can convey the speaker's attitude and thus help to impart meaning through tone of voice. With the written word, it is tone that extends meaning beyond the literal, and students must learn to convey this tone in their diction (choice of words), syntax (sentence construction), and imagery (metaphors, similes, and other types of figurative language). The ability to manage tone is one of the best indicators of a sophisticated writer. 

Leading Questions:
Who is the Speaker? 
(Who are you? What details will you reveal? Why is it important that the audience know who you are?) 


What is the Occasion?
(How does your knowledge of the larger occasion and the immediate occasion affect what you are writing about?)



Who is the Audience?
(What are the characteristics of this group? How are they related to you? Why are you addressing them?)


What is the Purpose?
(Explain to yourself what you hope to accomplish by this expression of opinion. How would you like your audience to respond?)


What is the Subject?
(Just a few words. What are you talking about?)


What is the Tone?)
(What attitude[s] do you want your audience to feel? How will your attitude[s] enhance the effectiveness of your piece? Choose a few words or phrases that will reflect a particular attitude.) 

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