Tuesday, February 5th

 Agenda:

Before launching in to the Mice and Men Unit, student were to consider the following key points in class today:

1. What are qualities you find central to sustaining friendship in your relationships you have now?
2. How does A.A. Milne describe the necessity of friendship?
3. How does Paul Simon conversely describe the necessity of isolation?

After considering the two positions when considering the necessity of relationship, students were to consider their own take where they stand between voluntary isolation, engaging in friendship and in addition what factors are involved in their arrival of their position.

Homework:

Students are to compile a paragraph of 100 - 150 words of research on the following topics. Be sure to leave the website where you found your information, your name and section. If the slot to research has been filled, you must research another section:

     -----Great Depression

     -----Okies / Migrant Farmers

     -----Dust Bowl

     -----Economic hardship in the U.S. in the 1930's

     -----John Steinbeck

Grade 10 - section 3 use the link for the online doc HERE.

Grade 10 - section 4 use the link for the online doc HERE.

Friday, January 25

Dear Students,

After much deliberation, and as you already know, I have decided to not collect your SSA's today, Monday, January 28th. However, if you are prepared to do so, please come ready to turn in your essay with all your rough drafts included to class. Only if you hand in your essay today, you do not have to read the below and can skip down to the *** at the bottom of the page. Also, you do not have to do the assignment listed below.


After our in-class meeting on Thursday, I must admit that I was quite crestfallen after noting the lack of progress and polished quality of your work, but your lack of progress also indicated to me that perhaps you needed more time. Thus, I'd rather give you an extension than get back papers that were rushed and do not reflect instruction.

It is essential that you recognize the manner in which your class and yourself have not worked within the time allotment and must identify this misappropriation of time as something
utterly un-dismissible. In fact, it was an egregious error on the part of your class collectively to be
unprepared to turn in a summative piece. If there were any deficits in your understanding of how to write an analytical essay, the obligation to seek instruction beyond what was offered in class belongs to the student. However, requests for appointments have only recently flooded my inbox.


This isn't a hand slap. This does not change the way I believe in all of you as talented, kind and warm-hearted young people who I intensely believe in and am proud to teach. I want to celebrate your learning with you. However, I must react to your actions because I would not be a good teacher, mentor, fellow human if I did not hold you to a certain level of expectation. So, please take responsibility by completing the following assignments.


Homework: 


1. Please reflect on the above and respond on this blog no later than Wednesday, January 30th. A suggestion would be not to make excuses or assign blame. Instead, demonstrate that you have understood in 75 - 100 words by summarizing the key points above.

2. Also include in your comments your due date assigned by Mrs. Lee for your individual paper and list three areas of your essay you intend to fix and how. You may want to refer back to your outline or ask Mrs. Lee to see your midterm to help you articulate your needs.


3. In reflection of the way you used your time, indicate 3 or more concrete method you intend to use going forward to make sure you meet your due dates (e.g. allot 2 hours a weekend just for editing, journal about my topic before attacking the conclusion or introduction, keep my lecture notes out while writing my essay so I know I am fulfilling the writing expectations of an analytical essay, hold myself accountable for my actions, ask a peer to be my partner so that we would both keep each other on track, set my own due dates for myself for preliminary steps, etc.)

*** Some of you have been asking how to write a Conclusion Paragraph. Please take note of additional instruction indicated below, a review of our lectures and adapted from http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/concl.html

Conclusions vary widely in structure, and no prescription can guarantee that your essay has ended well. If the introduction and body of your essay have a clear trajectory, your readers should already expect you to conclude when the final paragraph arrives, so don’t overload it with words or phrases that indicate its status.

Below is an outline for a hypothetical, abstract essay with five main sections:

V: Conclusion

1. Transition from last body paragraph
2. Sentences explaining how paper has fit together and leads to a stronger, more emphatic and more detailed version of your thesis
3. Brief mention of the counter argument, to be dismissed by (e.g. Although Mr. Kapasi's actions may suggest he struggled to maintain emotional fidelity, under close inspection Lahiri rather presents a man whose central motivation was [reinsert observation in thesis]).

4. Final comment or BIG SO WHAT

1. Why is the essay important or may be interesting to a wider audience?
2. What are areas your essay highlights? An ethical dilemma that is universal?  A practical applications that was overshot? Mores or scruples that were overlooked? A political/moral stronghold?

Monday, Jan. 14th

EXAM DETAILS:

Place: Robb Hall (NOT Black Box Theater!)
Time: 8:15 - 10:15
Bring: Black or Blue pen, notes on writing process and Gryphon annotations.
Note: I will be available at 8:00 on exam day outside Robb Hall so feel free to ask questions. Also, be sure to check out the exam study guide on Edline.

Monday, Dec. 10

Attention ALL students!

My primary email is youngen.lee@seoulforeign.org and not .com, as told to you since the beginning of the year. If you have emailed me at the .com email address, you have not received an email reply.

This may be a good time to review my email policy.

1. It's better to ask your questions in class, if you can. Sometimes I get emailed several questions in a row as if emailing can be used like chatting. This is not professional behavior. Please resist writing emails that ask one question only to be spurred by more. We would both be better served to have the conversation in person. Moreover, you might have the same questions other students have. You would do everyone a favor by being vocal and seeking clarification so your peers can benefit from your inquiry.

2. If you have a question, will be absent, or are frustrated with something, you SHOULD email me. It might be just to ask for a date and time I'm available to meet (as some conversations should be done in person), or to inform me of your absence, but just not getting your questions addressed, not showing up, or burning with frustration about something is NOT behavior conducive to a healthy learning environment. Consider it your obligation to make yourself comfortable and accommodated. Remember that I did not become a teacher for the pay or prestige. I became a teacher because I am passionate about my subject area and I'm passionate about being there for students like yourself. You wear your thoughts on your faces. Please let me help you in any way I can. That starts with communication on your part.

3. Your emergency is not my emergency. I state this mostly to deter those that send communication with the expectation that my email is a medium for me to be at a student's beckoned call, which of course is not the case. That means that you should email me with the expectation that emailing you is a courtesy not required of me, but is something I extend to you because your learning is important but still should not be abused. Thus, email only with it in mind that NO ONE is required to reply within 24-48 hours, excluding the weekend entirely. If you are entirely unsure, ask THREE BEFORE ME. What that means is, ask your peers and if at least three other students do not know, then please email for clarification.

**there seems to be a rumor spreading that I do not check emails over the weekend. This is not true. To further desist more rumors from spreading, I will now require that I be added to your class facebook pages. To whomever is the admin on the page, please do so ASAP.

Homework: 

1. Please leave a 50 word comment below indicating that you have read and understood the above.
2. Complete 1000 words of your SSA analysis for Wednesday for peer-editing.
3. Bring back your copy of the Gryphon and Gryphon worksheet.
4. Class FB page admins, send me the link to your page so that I may be added.

Thursday, Dec. 6th

Agenda: 

1. Students used the first 15 minutes of class completing the last of their quiz.

2. Students read and annotated Gryphon together as a class.

Homework: 

1. Finish annotating the short story, Gryphon.

2. Complete outline based on proposal. (Edline -> Contents -> Writing Help -> Outline Extended) Check Powerschool for additional comments. (Section 4).

3. Complete 1/5 of Gryphon worksheet based on the letter assigned in class (a, b, c, d, or e). This worksheet can be found on Edline ((Edline -> Contents -> Short Story -> Gryphon Worksheet).

4. See Previous Post for SSA deadlines coming up.

Tuesday, Dec. 4th

Agenda: 

Today students took a comprehensive quiz covering the Introduction and Body Paragraphs of an analytical essay and the short story, Interpreter of Maladies. Students will be given an extra 15 minutes of the next class to complete the assignment. Additionally, only the notes that were handed in with the quiz today are available for use during the second round with the assignment.

Proposals were also handed in for the SSA. I read them over and returned them to you with a written response. If you have questions regarding my suggestions, please make an appointment to see me.

Homework: 

1. Bring back your annotations for Chapter 5 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor. I will check them next class and we will discuss your annotations for both 1, 2 and 5 altogether. We will also start reading Gryphon, by Charles Baxter for a last and final --- of our short story unit.

2. Prepare an outline for your analytical essay by reprinting the worksheet found on Edline (Edline -> Contents -> Short Story Unit -> Outline Extended). Complete the outline for class on Monday, Dec. 9.

3. Include the following due dates for your SSA:
          a. Peer-Edit Rough Draft due Wednesday, Dec. 11
          b. Self-Edit Rough Draft due Friday, Dec. 13
          c. Final Draft due Thursday, January 10.

Writing Contest Opportunity

Students from SFS have won up to $1,000 USD!

Writing Categories

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL WRITING CATEGORIES
• Font: 12 pt. Times New Roman or Arial
• Titles: Titles at the top of the first page only. Do not use a separate title page. Poems should be titled individually.
• Do Not Use Real Names: Real names should not be used. Winning work is displayed publicly and the identities of real people must be protected.
• No Name: The student’s name should NOT appear anywhere on the manuscript.
• No Images: No illustrations, photographs or graphics.
• Sources: Sources must be cited. Footnotes/works cited are not considered part of the word count.
• Collaboration: Collaborative works are not allowed in any writing categories

Short Story

Category Description
A fictional narrative written in prose.

Special Instructions
1,300–3,000 words.
Please note word length limits for Flash Fiction compared to Short Story.
Short Stories in which humor or science fiction/fantasy are key elements should be submitted in those respective categories.

Personal Essay / Memoir

Category Description
A self-revelatory work dealing with individual experience.
Special Instructions
Grades 7–8: 500–3,000 words.
Grades 9–12: 750–3,000 words.
This category includes nonfiction work only. Fictional essays should be submitted in the Short Story or Flash Fiction categories.

Humor

Category Description
Writing that uses satire, parody or humorous anecdote.
600 – 3,000 words.
Work in any genre in which humor is the key element should be submitted in this category.

Details on how to submit can be found here.  If you are interested in submitting work, please see Mrs. Lee to continue the editing process. You must be entered by January (exact date TBA). 

Also, DEC. 5 is the last day to submit work to Magpie, the school's literary magazine. If you wish to submit your memoir, please email Mrs. Lee at youngen.lee@seoulforeign.org an electronic copy of your work.