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23 May 2016

Essay: English II Spring 2016 Semester Exam Study Guide

Prompt: Compare the Brutus' murder of his friend Julius Caesar in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Williams Shakespeare to the murder to Lennie Smalls by George Milton in Of Mice and Men by George Steinbeck.  

Directions: 

1. You must create a simple outline. 

Working Title:                                                   

I.                    Introduction

II.                  Body Paragraph/Section:                                                     

III.                Body Paragraph/Section:                                                     

IV.                Body Paragraph/Section:                                                     

 
V.                  Conclusion

2. Creating source  and note cards
  • One will be for the citation for Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The second one will before The Tragedy of Julius Caesar in Elements of Literature Fourth Course.
  • Any additional sources will need to have a citation card, as well. 


3. You must create a detailed outline. Copy the format below, including the bold/underlined and bold labels and the Roman Numerals (Remember to begin using MLA format at this point in the process):

Starshine Supernova

Ms. Hatfield

Mythology

25 May 2016 
 

Detailed Outline

 
 
Prompt: Compare the Brutus' murder of his friend Julius Caesar in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Williams Shakespeare to the murder to Lennie Smalls by George Milton in Of Mice and Men by George Steinbeck (direct quotes with in-text citations).

Title:                                       

I.                    Purpose of Mythology

a.      Grabber/Attention Getter: Create a sentence or use a quote that grabs the reader’s attention.

                                                              i.      DO NOT write things like:
·   Have you ever heard of…?
·   Today, I am going to tell you about….?
·   Do you want to know about….? 

b.      Focus Statement: This section is designed for the writer to introduce their topic. For example, a writer may choose to create a few sentences discuss the friendships of both sets of characters.

c.       Thesis/Claim Statement:  Thesis/Claim Formula = Topic + Your Opinion (without using first person) + 3 claims of proof.

                                                                       Example: Greek mythology is relevant in today’s society because
                     (Topic)                    (Opinion)                  (Topic)  

mythological stories provide insight to the past, support cultural
                                             (Claim #1)                                   (Claim #2)

 understanding, and supply inspiration for entertainment.
                                                      (Claim #3)

II.                  Body Paragraph/Section 

a.      Topic Sentence: Introduce the topic of this paragraph/section
b.      Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).
c.       Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).
d.      Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).

III.                Body Paragraph/Section 

a.      Topic Sentence: Introduce the topic of this paragraph/section
b.      Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).
c.       Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).
d.      Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).

IV.                Body Paragraph/Section

a.      Topic Sentence: Introduce the topic of this paragraph/section
b.      Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).
c.       Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).
d.      Details: Evidence with an explanation of connection (the order is not important, as long as the two items are present).

V.                  Conclusion (Note: You CAN NOT copy your thesis and focus statement verbatim; you must reword the sentences in a manner that provides a sense of closure). 
 
a.      Modified Focus Statement: a restated focus statement in the concluding paragraph; should remind readers of the original topic (Bowers, 2006).
b.      Modified Thesis Statement: a restated thesis statement; should remind readers of your position/opinion on the topic (Bowers, 2006).
c.       Challenge: an interesting question, quotation, vivid image, call for action, warning,or suggestion to the reader; leaves reader thinking about your essay (Bowers, 2006).

4. Using your detailed outline, create a rough draft. 
5. Edit and revise your paper. I will provide you a check list, but here is additional support for understanding: 



5. Your final draft will be typed in MLA format and submitted through Gaggle by the end of your testing time. 


Rubric: 9 Point Rubric for Writing about Literature


  •          An 8-9 essay responds to the prompt clearly, directly, and fully. This paper approaches the text analytically, supports a coherent thesis with evidence from the text, and explains how the evidence illustrates and reinforces its thesis. The essay employs subtlety in its use of the text and the writer’s style is fluent and flexible. It is also free of mechanical and grammatical errors. 

  •             A 6-7 essay responds to the assignment clearly and directly but with less development than an 8-9 paper. It demonstrates a good understanding of the text and supports its thesis with appropriate textual evidence. While its approach is analytical, the analysis is less precise than in the 8-9 essay, and its use of the text is competent but not subtle. The writing in this paper is forceful and clear with few if any grammatical and mechanical errors. 

  •                A 5 essay addresses the assigned topic intelligently but does not answer it fully and specifically. It is characterized by a good but general grasp of the text using the text to frame an apt response to the prompt. It may employ textual evidence sparingly or offer evidence without attaching it to the thesis. The essay is clear and organized but may be somewhat mechanical. The paper may also be marred by grammatical and mechanical errors. 

  •              A 3-4 essay fails in some important way to fulfill the demands of the prompt. It may not address part of the assignment, fail to provide minimal textual support for its thesis, or base its analysis on a misreading of some part of the text. This essay may present one or more incisive insights among others of less value. The writing may be similarly uneven in development with lapses in organization, clarity, grammar, and mechanics. 

  •                 A 1-2 essay commonly combines two or more serious failures. It may not address the actual assignment; it may indicate a serious misreading of the text; it may not offer textual evidence or may use it in a way that suggests a failure to understand the text; it may be unclear, badly written, or unacceptably brief. The style of this paper is usually marked by egregious errors. Occasionally a paper in this range is smoothly written but devoid of content. 

          Grade Conversion: 
                    9 = A+  
                    8 = A 
                    7 = A- 
                    6 = B + 
                    5 = B 
                    4 = B- 
                    3 = C 
                    2 = D 
                    1 = F



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