Foundations of
English I
Mr. Asciutto/Mrs. Ketover
Room 103
12/8/2015
Calendar
http://goo.gl/forms/0C7wE8HBbB
Agenda
1) Vocabulary (35 minutes)
1) Flash Card Check/Studying (15)
2) Morpheme Test 4 (20 minutes)
2) Thinking Reading (15 minutes)
1) A Christmas Carol – finishing Stave 1
3) Writing (40 minutes)
1)
2)
3)
4)
The structure of an introductory paragraph (2 minutes)
Writing your hooks (14 minutes)
Summarizing the issue (10 minutes)
Writing the thesis/revising your arguments (15 minutes)
Morphemes
• MAL: Dismal
• VENER: Venerate
• PALP: Palpable
• OUS: Covetous
• RAPT: Rapture
• ONYM: Anonymous
• TRACT: Extract
• MORT: Mortal
A Christmas Carol
Where did we leave off ?
What could possibly be a motivation of Marley to visit Scrooge in the
afterlife?
Do we believe that this visit will profoundly impact Scrooge’s outlook
on life/cause him to change his ways?
Persuasive writing
Support
Good example for Immigration: All humans deserve the
same access to education.
Bad example for Immigration: Immigrants just want to
teach their kids.
Good example for Immigration: Immigrants help the
United States’ economy by taking unpopular, but
necessary, jobs.
Bad example for Immigration: Immigrants work hard.
Support
Good example for Marijuana: The legalization of marijuana
would reduce the prison population size, allowing law
enforcement to rehabilitate more violent offenders instead.
Bad example for Marijuana: Marijuana gets people into
trouble.
Good example for Marijuana: Legalized marijuana could be
used as a healthier alternative to over-the-counter painkillers.
Bad example for Immigration: Marijuana is good medicine.
Project Overview
Monday: Stance-taking/research
Tuesday: Writing a thesis and strong introductory paragraph
Wednesday: Writing a thesis and strong introductory
paragraph/research
Thursday: Making a paper outline/writing topic sentences
Friday: Using evidence to support opinions/citation
Project Overview
Monday: Finalizing the body paragraphs
Tuesday: Finalizing the body paragraphs
Wednesday: Writing an effective conclusion/typing
Thursday: Writing a bibliography/typing
Friday: Papers are due/End Diagnostic/Study Guide
The Introduction
The Introduction
Sets up the author’s purpose (to persuade) by writing:
1) A catchy “hook” that grabs attention
2) Statement of the issue – identifying both sides of the
argument
3) Thesis statement that includes a brief description of
your argument’s main points
The Hook
The first sentence (or
two) of your essay that
immediately grabs the
reader’s attention — it
makes your work
memorable.
Remember: It has to help
the readers believe
YOUR opinion on the
issue!
The Hook
Can be a:
- brief story (anecdote)
- quote
- question
- scene
- shocking fact or
statistic
The Hook
Each year, more than 40,000 undocumented immigrants
live in fear of being deported back to countries from
which they fled in search of better lives.
What type of hook is this?
The Hook
When he was just 18 years old, my father was sentenced
to 10 years for felony possession and distribution of
marijuana.
What type of hook is this?
Stating the issue
After you get the readers passed
those first few lines, tell them
the issue you’re writing about —
and be honest.
Recognize that some people
believe X, and some people
believe Y. You’re not here to
pretend that your opinion is the
only one around — you’re
saying that your opinion is so
good, it is better than the rest!
Stating the issue
- Must be two sentences
- Must be FREE OF OPINION!
• Example: The legalization of
recreational marijuana in the United
States is incredibly controversial.
While some people believe that
marijuana should be legalized for
recreational use in all 50 states,
others say that the drug should
continue to be regulated as illegal by
the federal government.
The Thesis Statement
The Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is the heart of your paper, pumping
life into all other sections. Quite simply, it is your answer
to the question or prompt.
Needs to:
- Be one-to-two sentences long (preferably one sentence)
- Give your position (From 12.7.15 Handout – what you
circled in Step 2) and Explain why (What you wrote
for a, b and c for Step 4 in 12.7.15 Handout)
The Thesis Statement
First needs to be mapped out.
YOUR
POSITION
Reason for
believing
Reason for
believing
Reason for
believing (strongest
reason)
The Thesis Statement
Schools around the
country should shorten
their weeks to four days
Families need
more time together
Four-day weeks
model college
schedules
Students would be able
to pursue their own
interests outside of the
classroom
The Thesis Statement
Ex. Should the school week be reduced to four days?
Schools around the country should shorten their weeks
to four days. Such a change would allow families to
spend more time together, prepare students for college by
modeling university schedules and give students the
opportunity to find jobs or internships.