What To Do During the Week of

March 20-26, 2006

You should continue your work on Essay #2 during this week.  Pay particular attention to the following items:

1.) Work to improve your introduction.  Introductory paragraphs for essay #2 should have the following items:

• An attention-getting "opener" or "lead" sentence

• The author's full name and complete title of her book (underlined)

• The author's purpose/aim in writing her book -- what she attempted to do and/or discover

• Your thesis statement -- which might also contain your "forecast" for your essay

2.) Work to improve each of your body paragraphs.  Body paragraphs for essay #2 should have the following items:

• A topic sentence which states the main idea of the paragraph -- for example, whether a particular choice was good or bad

• Evidence/Support from the book -- using details and examples from the book (summaries, paraphrases, quotations)

• Explanation -- you need to explain "how" or "why" the particular choice was good or bad -- or, you need to answer the "so what?" question

3.) Work to improve your conclusion.  You conclusion might do one or more of the following things:

• Restate your thesis (but do not simply cut and paste your thesis from your introduction) and review your main points -- this is the most common conclusion strategy, so think about doing it a different way or doing something else entirely

• Evaluate the book -- quickly review its strengths and/or weaknesses -- and perhaps recommend the book (or not)

• Discuss whether or not it is a "useful" or "valuable" book for you and/or the American people

• Apply it to your own life -- do you relate to it in some way, or do you have a personal connection to it? If so, what does that do for you?

4.) Check and double-check all quotations to be sure you have copied them carefully and accurately.

5.) Check and double-check for any "quotations within a quotation."

6.) Check and double-check all summaries and paraphrases to be sure they are in your own words.

7.) Check and double-check to be sure that ALL summaries, paraphrases, and quotations have a parenthetical citation after it -- e.g. (124).

8.) Related to #7, know when you need to include a parenthetical citation and when you do not need to.

9.) Check to be sure all quotations are integrated smoothly into your own writing -- you lead up to (introduce) them smoothly, and you comment on (or do something with) them afterwards.  Do not simply "drop" quotations into your writing.

10.) Be sure you give the complete title of the book the first time you mention it (title and subtitle).  Thereafter, you only need to give the main title.

11.) Be sure you give the full name of the author the first time you mention her.

12.) Check for correct use of hyphens and dashes.

13.) Check for -- "should of" / "would of" / "could of" -- these are incorrect.  We hear "of," but we are really hearing --  should've / would've / could've -- which are contractions for -- should have / would have / could have.

14.) Check to be sure your paper is formatted correctly.

For other help and hints about writing and essay #2, please check out the links on these pages:

http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/stankey/Eng0950/Main0950/HO_Wrtg.htm

http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/stankey/Eng0950/Main0950/HO_Ess2.htm

We will meet again as a class on Monday, March 27, 2006.  By that time, please have read the following chapters of RFW (do not do the exercises):

• Chapter 19, pages 156-162

• Chapter 20, pages 164-172

We will discuss Fragments, Run-Ons, and Comma Splices that day.

On Wednesday, March 29, you will need one (1) copy of your "almost-final draft" of Essay #2 for the in-class Editing Session.

On Thursday, March 30, we will write our second required in-class essay during class time.

Your final draft and completed portfolio for Essay #2 is due on Friday, March 31, 2006.