ENGLISH 9 OMM AND THE
DEPRESSION
WEEK 5: REVIEW, ARGUMENT ESSAY
10/28-11/1
ENGLISH 9: OMM & THE DEPRESSION
Objective
Mon
Tues
Assignments
WI: Write
WU: Types of Conflicts
arguments to
Writing Workshop: Intro and Thesis
support claims Notes: Clauses
Grammar Handbook
RI3: Analyze
WU: Grammar Practice
how author
Writing Workshop: Paragraphs (topic
unfolds series
sentences, evidence, transitions)
of ideas
Complete supporting paragraphs &
HW
Intro due tomorrow
Body paragraphs due
Friday
Grammar HB page
Wed
WU: Grammar Practice
OMM Vocab Quiz
Writing Workshop: Counterclaim & Rebuttal
Thurs
WU: Grammar Practice
Lit. Terms practice with The Simpsons
Fri
WU: Grammar Practice
Writing Workshop: Conclusions
Article and Response: School Bans
Halloween
Complete Outline
due Friday
ESSAY: INTRO
• Introduction provides background information
about the book
• Title: Of Mice and Men
• Author: John Steinbeck
• Year published: 1937
• Add information that you learned in notes, the
documentary, the speech, about
• The time period
• The setting
• The topics and themes of the novel
• Migrant workers
• Friendship
• End with your thesis
Unit 2 Week 5
EXAMPLE
Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, was
published in 1937. It takes place in Central California during the
depression, when migrant workers traveled around, looking for
work. The two main characters, George and Lennie, travel
together and find work on a ranch in Soledad. Throughout the
story, George takes care of Lennie, who is mentally disabled. In
the story’s climax, Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. Lennie
should not be held accountable for his actions because he has
the mental capacity of a small child, the murder was
unintentional; and finally, George neglects his own responsibility
to care for Lennie, which puts him in a dangerous situation.
Unit 2 Week 5
NOTES: CLAUSES
Clause
Independent
Clauses
a group of words with its own subject and
verb.
can stand by itself as a complete
sentence.
All complete sentences must contain at
least one independent clause.
EX: My aunt visited Africa.
subordinate
clause
cannot stand by itself as a
complete sentence; it can
only be part of a sentence.
Ex: We visited Kenya, which is
a country in Africa, for two
weeks.
Sub. Clause
Because he woke up late, he missed
the flight.
They have decided that you should
study more.
GRAMMAR HANDBOOK RULES
Please put an MLA heading on this page in your Grammar
Handbook (the first page of this grading period).
• Title: Clauses
1. A sentence must contain at least one
independent clause (subject and verb that can
stand alone).
2. A sentence without an independent clause is a
FRAG (fragment).
3. A sentence with more than one independent
clause that is not properly punctuated is a R/O
(run-on).
You’ll have to look for R/O
examples in grammar
worksheets or literature
STEP 2: TRANSITIONS & TOPIC
SENTENCES
• Each paragraph needs a topic sentence
• The topic sentence relates back to the thesis
• The topic sentence restates a supporting point from
your thesis
• NEVER SAY “In this paragraph,…”
• NEVER REFER TO YOURSELF OR THE ESSAY
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EXAMPLE
• Ex: If this is your thesis:
Lennie should not be held accountable for his actions because he
has the mental capacity of a small child, the murder was
unintentional; and finally, George neglects his own responsibility to
care for Lennie, which puts him in a dangerous situation.
• These might be topic sentences:
• Lennie should not be held accountable for his actions because
he has the mental capacity of a small child.
• Another reason Lennie should not be held accountable for his
actions is that the murder was unintentional.
• Finally, Lennie should not be held accountable because
George neglects his own responsibility to care for Lennie,
which puts Lennie in a dangerous situation.
•
Write your transitions & topic sentences!
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STEP 3: EVIDENCE
• Most of the paragraph will be made of textual
evidence that proves your thesis
• Evidence = examples from the book
• Quotes
• Dialogue or narration
• Action
• Anything from the book!!!
• Your opinion is NOT evidence
• You must support your opinion with evidence
10
OPINION VS. EVIDENCE
Opinion
• Carlson is mean
Evidence
• Carlson acts mean
when he pressures
Candy to shoot his dog
11
QUOTES: IUC!!!
• You need at least three quotes that support your
thesis.
• For quotes,
• Introduce the context:
• Use the quote:
• Comment on the quote (explain the meaning)
12
QUOTES: IUC!!!
• Introduce the context
• When George is talking to Slim, he tells him about Lennie’s
personality:
• Use the quote
• “’Sure, he’s jes’ like a kid. There ain’t no more harm in him
than a kid, neither, except that he’s so strong’” (43).
• Comment on the quote (explain the meaning)
• This explains Lennie’s behavior, and proves that he has the
mental capacity of a child.
13
PUNCTUATING QUOTES
• Page number in parentheses at the end of
the sentence.
• If the quotation is part of a sentence, put
the period at the end of the parentheses:
• Lennie is “’jes’ like a kid’” (58).
• If there’s a question mark in the quote,
include it inside the quotation marks:
• Lennie asks, “’Where we goin’, George?’” (5).
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• If you are quoting something that is already
in quotation marks in the book, use 3
quotation marks.
• Otherwise, use 2 quotation marks.
• Steinbeck writes, “he heard Lennie’s whimpering
and wheeled about” (9).
15
• If you introduce the quote with a complete
sentence, use a colon at the end of the sentence.
• After Carlson shoots his dog, Candy feels guilty: “’I ought to
of shot that dog, myself…’” (60).
• If you introduce the quote with a phrase
(fragment), use a comma.
• After the men find Lennie, Carlson says, “’Now what the hell
ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?’” (107).
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•
•
•
•
•
Find quotes that support your thesis
Remember to include context and page number
We’ll go over counterclaims Thursday
We’ll go over conclusions Friday
Your outline is due Friday
COUNTERCLAIM
• What would someone say who is arguing against
you?
• EX: Some might claim that Lennie should be held
accountable because he is a danger to others.
REFUTE: ARGUE AGAINST
• Use a transition and state why that claim is wrong.
• EX: However, Lennie will follow George’s direction no matter
what, which shows that he is not a real danger when
monitored.
• Support your argument with examples
• EX: When talking to Slim, George tells the story of the time
when Lennie jumped in a river because George told him to.
• Further, Lennie doesn’t even fight Curley when attacked,
until George tells him to.
ESSAY: CONCLUSION
•
•
•
•
Conclusions are not “throw away”
They wrap up your paper
They review what you talked about
They end with a statement that
• States an opinion
• Says something about the world
• Looks beyond the essay
Unit 2 Week 5
EXAMPLE
Lennie is a character who is misunderstood and
mistreated by other characters in the text. It is wrong
for George to shoot him, because George is
somewhat responsible for the death of Curley’s wife,
and ultimately, Lennie should not be held responsible
for his actions. Tragically, people like Lennie, who are
intellectually disabled, are still misunderstood today.
Perhaps if people knew and understood this disability,
terrible accidents like the one in the book wouldn’t
occur in real life.
Unit 2 Week 5
AWESOME TITLES
Awesome
Boring
• The Injustice in Of Mice
and Men
• The Tragic End of
Lennie Small
• An Eye for an Eye
Makes the Whole World
Blind
• George: Doling out
Justice
• Of Mice and Men
• Why Lennie Shouldn’t
Be Held Responsible
• Why George Shouldn’t
Shoot Lennie
• My Of Mice and Men
Essay
• Awesome Title