Practice Reading for Understanding

Read this article.  Make sure to complete the entire packet.  The purpose of this exercise is to make sure you are carefully reading articles for research.  The completion of this assignment is a required component of this unit on social networking and research.  Then you may go back to researching your topic culled from the "Occupy Wall Street" video and statements. 

Researching Your Topic

1) Find REPUTABLE articles online about your topic.  Use this sheet to know exactly how to search.  Be sure to use key words and vary your search terms.

2) You want to make sure you have two articles, one representing a "pro," and the other a "con" side of the issue. 

3) Use this Cornell Notes Sheet to take notes from each REPUTABLE article that you find.

What Controversial Issues Arise from "Occupy Wall Street"?

Participants in the "Occupy Wall Street" protests made the comments below.   They are topics that you can research online.  Pick a phrase below.  Translate the phrase into your own words. Then RESEARCH the topic. 

2. Identify the KEY WORDS in the phrase that you have chosen. 

3. Do a KEY WORD search in GOOGLE.  Click the links, and look for explanations of the issue or topic.

4. Take notes using the Cornell Notes sheet for each article that you find.  Be sure to list the key points of the article, and state whether you agree or disagree with the author on the topic.

5. Write an essay describing your opinion on the topic, based on your research.

1. Corporations are influencing our politics. End the influence of corporations in politics.

2. End corporate personhood.

3. Corporate greed is wrecking our planet.

4. Protesters practice non-hierarchical consensus-based decision- making.

5. There’s a huge inequality gap between Americans.

6. Politicians are creating bad legislation because they’re influenced by corporations.

7. Corporations in our politics have created the war on drugs and stopped us from nationalizing health care.

8. Fight, fight!  Housing is a human right.  Make Wall Street pay for the Depression that they caused.

9. There should be a 1% tax on all Wall Street Transactions.

10. We need student debt amnesty!

11. Stop all foreclosures.  Stop throwing hard-working Americans on the street because they can’t pay these fraudulent mortgages.

12. The government has to stop cutting funding for education, which will mean that they will have to cut the defense budget.  It's a tough choice, but they have to do it!

13. Tax the rich!  Make more education programs for the poor, make more programs for cleaning up the environment.

14. Enforce campaign finance limits.

15. Have only individuals be able to contribute to political campaigns.

Welcome to Camilla's College Writing for Cycle 2, Fall 2011

Hi, everyone!  We're starting this cycle off with a unit about Social Networking.  How do we use social media, and how are we affected by it?  Social media has the power to influence our lives socially, academically and politically.  In exploring this topic, we begin with an examination of the Occupy Wall Street protests.  Is social media a force for good or ill when it comes to politics?  Are we a better nation for having Facebook, Twitter and the like?

In preparation for our work on this unit, do the following, if you have missed our activities in class so far:
To find out more about "Occupy Wall Street," watch this video made by NYC public high school teenagers like yourselves.  Here's the link for the video.

To understand some of the effects of social media, do this worksheet.

Assignments Due for Cycle 1

In order to be eligible for a grade for Cycle 1, these assignments must be completed and in your folder: 1. The Road Not Taken Essay

2. “The Three Little Pigs” analysis worksheet

3. Tell Your Own Story Assignment

4. Read “Only Partly Here”

5. Character descriptions worksheet for Only Partly Here

6. Graphic organizer for "Only Partly Here”

7. Essay: “Only Partly Here”

Writing Your "Only Partly Here" Essay

Guiding Considerations For Your “Only Partly Here” Essay

Introduction:

1) What is the moral, meaning or message of this story?  Develop a thesis statement. Make your THESIS STATEMENT the "main idea" of your introductory paragraph.


In your body paragraphs:

2) Show EVIDENCE from the text to substantiate your argument.  

3) Give SPECIFIC EXAMPLES from the story that show the development of the moral, meaning or message throughout the story.

4) Give SPECIFIC EXAMPLES from the story that show the development of the relationship between Bobby and Alicia, and how it changes over the course of the story.


5) Give SPECIFIC EXAMPLES from the story that show how the author, Lucius Sheppard, uses foreshadowing, setting, imagery, characterization and voice to make the story "come alive" for the reader.

Conclusion:

6) Conclude your essay by re-establishing your thesis statement and briefly substantiating it with the evidence you've enumerated in your essay.