8th Grade Composition Curriculum Aligned with Common Core
Write routinely over extended time frames with time for research,
reflection and revision and shorter time frames a single sitting or a
day or two for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes and
audiences.
August 20 – August 24
Writing narratives to develop or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and wellstructured event sequences.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Parts of Speech – Nouns pg. 5-8 Due on Friday.
Day 1
1. Distribute the Hands, Hands, Hands sheet to students. (See
attachment)
2. Ask students to brainstorm stories from their lives for each of the six
hands.
3. Have students share responses with one another. This will help
students think about the hand circumstance in which they would most
like to write.
4. Quickly review the narrative writing criteria and share the rubric for
the essay with students. (See attachment)
5. Students will write a two-page rough draft. The teacher should
circulate in the classroom reading student's work and offering
suggestions and assistance. Rough drafts should be completed before
the class the next day.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Type up the paper. Remind students to do the following:
Give these 3 worksheets to help students understand the introduction.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/profbooks/ActiveBe
ginnings.pdf
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Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view
and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence
that unfolds naturally and logically.
 Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and
reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
Wednesday, August 22
Show the following website showing sequence vocabulary.
http://www.msgarrettonline.com/descripwords.html
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Use a variety of transitions words, phrases, and clauses to convey
sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and
show the relationships among experiences and events.
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details and
sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and
events.
Thursday, August 24, 2012
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Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated
experiences or events.
Friday, August 25, 2012
Complete Sentence Presentation and poster.
Monday, August 27
Parts of speech – Pronouns pg. 9-15 Due on Friday.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization
and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
Noun pg. 35 – 49 A skit will be performed on Friday. Shwoing:
Common Nouns, Concrete and Abstract Nouns, Collective nouns, the
difference between singular and plural nouns, Possessive nouns, compound
nouns, nouns as subjects and complements, nouns in phrases
Tuesday, August 28
http://alex.state.al.us/uploads/29877/PeerReviewGuide.pdf
1. Students should be assigned a Peer Reviewer. Students should read
each other's essays and offer suggestions. Corrections should be
made to essays.
2. While Peer Review teams are working on essays, the teacher should
approve student essays for typing. As students are approved, essays
can be typed, printed and turned in to the teacher.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Students will finish working on their paper.
Grade essays using the rubric (See attachment)
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Work on skits
Friday, August 31, 2012
Presentation of skits.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
Students will be writing a 5 paragraph essay about one of the following
topics. Students will need to pick one of these 15 topics. They will be
taking notes, organizing, analyzing, information as well as working on a
video or a powepoint of sorts, and giving a speech.
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Explain why it's important to learn how to read.
2Your cousin will be moving to your town soon. Write him or her a
letter explaining why your town is a great place to live.
3Explain how disappointments can sometimes have a positive
outcome.
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4Think about your favorite year of school. Explain why it was your
favorite year.
5Explain in your opinion what it means to be a good friend.
6Each child has a unique place in their family. Explain the advantages
and disadvantages of the position you hold in your family (youngest
child, only child, middle child etc.).
7In your opinion what is best invention of all time? Explain why it is so
awesome.
8A home in your neighborhood has burned. The family lost everything
in the fire, but everyone came out safely. Inform your reader how you
plan to help the family recover from the loss.
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9It's "Career Day" at your school. Choose a job that interests you and
write a report about it.
10Your school did a special project. Write a letter to a newspaper
telling what you did.
11Write an essay about your favorite tv show and explain why it's
your favorite.
12The phrase "dress for success" can mean something different to
different people. Write an essay explaining what "dress for success"
means to you.
13Explain why honesty is important in a friendship.
14Compare and contrast your home in the day vs the night. Think not
only about how it looks different, but also how it sounds different, as
well as how your home serves a difference purpose in the day than it
does at night.
15Compare and contrast your two favorite actors.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Students will go around room and brainstorm what each of these
quotes mean, coming up with either a personal story, or a thought
about each of the following.
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“Books do not make life easier or more simple, but harder and more
interesting.” Harry Golden, So What Else Is New [G.P. Putnams
Sons,1964]
“If everybody could read all the books that have ever been published
and still have time left over to lead a normal life devoted to other
interests, there would be little need for universities.” Lyman Abbott,
The Guide to Reading [Nelson Doubleday,Inc., 1924]
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to
be chewed and digested." Francis Bacon, “On Studies,” 1625
“Books are messengers of freedom. They can be hidden under a
mattress or smuggled into slave nations.” Daniel J. Boorstin, Books in
Our Future [U.S. Government Printing Office,1984]
“We are often told that we are what we eat. In our world since the
printing press it might be more accurate to say we are what we read.
How each of us digests what we read is a mystery. And what people
really read is sometimes as puzzling as what they really think.” Daniel
J. Boorstin, Introduction to A Memoir by Louis L’Amour [Bantam,
1989]
“The purpose of fiction is still […] to make the reader see.” Peter
DeVries, quoted in Without a Stitch in Time [Popular Library, 1972]
“I like rereading books, too. I don’t trust folk who don’t reread . . . .
What you’ve got to teach people is to read slowly.” Robert Frost,
quoted by Ocavio Paz in On Poets and Others [Arcade Publishing,
1991]
“Browse through the library of any writer or exemplary teacher and
you will find the leaves of the book dog-eared and scribbled notations
in all the margins. No one interested in what an author is saying
should read without pencil in hand.” Harry Golden, So What Else Is
New, 1964
Then we will talk about the importance of brainstorming. They will then
brainstorm about their own topic. They will utilize the gathering grid to help
them organize their thoughts.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Students will look at the purpose of the introduction. They will utilize the
worksheet, “Structure of a General Expository Essay.”
We will then discuss the importance of a thesis and how you make a thesis
statement.
How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned
Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis
statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to
explore. In this situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to
write about.
A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes:
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take on a subject upon which reasonable people
could disagree
deal with a subject that can be adequately
treated given the nature of the assignment
express one main idea
assert your conclusions about a subject
Let’s see how to generate a thesis statement for a social policy paper.
Brainstorm the topic.
Let’s say that your class focuses upon the problems posed by changes in the
dietary habits of Americans. You find that you are interested in the amount
of sugar Americans consume.
You start out with a thesis statement like this:
Sugar consumption.
This fragment isn’t a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general
subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn’t know what you want to say about
sugar consumption.
Narrow the topic.
Your readings about the topic, however, have led you to the conclusion that
elementary school children are consuming far more sugar than is healthy.
You change your thesis to look like this:
Reducing sugar consumption by elementary school children.
This fragment not only announces your subject, but it focuses on one
segment of the population: elementary school children. Furthermore, it
raises a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree, because while
most people might agree that children consume more sugar than they used
to, not everyone would agree on what should be done or who should do it.
You should note that this fragment is not a thesis statement because your
reader doesn’t know your conclusions on the topic.
Take a position on the topic.
After reflecting on the topic a little while longer, you decide that what you
really want to say about this topic is that something should be done to
reduce the amount of sugar these children consume.
You revise your thesis statement to look like this:
More attention should be paid to the food and beverage choices
available to elementary school children.
This statement asserts your position, but the terms more attention and food
and beverage choices are vague.
Use specific language.
You decide to explain what you mean about food and beverage choices, so
you write:
Experts estimate that half of elementary school children consume
nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar.
This statement is specific, but it isn’t a thesis. It merely reports a statistic
instead of making an assertion.
Make an assertion based on clearly stated support.
You finally revise your thesis statement one more time to look like this:
Because half of all American elementary school children consume
nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar, schools
should be required to replace the beverages in soda machines with
healthy alternatives.
Notice how the thesis answers the question, “What should be done to reduce
sugar consumption by children, and who should do it?” When you started
thinking about the paper, you may not have had a specific question in mind,
but as you became more involved in the topic, your ideas became more
specific. Your thesis changed to reflect your new insights.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Students will begin working on their introduction and thesis statements.
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Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas,
concepts and information into broader categories, include formatting
e.g. heading, graphics such as charts and tables and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
Monday - Wednesday, September 10 -12
Parts of Speech Verbs pg. 17 – 25 Due Friday Sept. 21.
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Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions,
concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples.
Note taking for Expository topic. They will need 50 notes will be expected.
Monday, September 17, 2012
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Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and
clarify the relationships amount ideas and concepts.
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform
about or explain the topic.
Establish and maintain a formal style
We will visit this website to discuss the importance of transitional words.
We will then work on adding transitions to our current paper.
http://www.smart-words.org/transition-words.html
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Provide a conclusion statement or section that follows from and supports the
Writing workshop mini lesson Types of conclusions
We will be working on our conclusion paragraph.
Discussing these points.
The conclusion (ending or closing) of your writing is what wraps it all up for
the reader. Stop writing when you have said it all, but the conclusion should
tie up all loose ends. Do not leave the reader hanging. Leave him/her with
something to think about. Do not insult the reader by telling him/her what
you have written about. Also, do not use the lead as the conclusion; you can
restate what you wrote in the lead, but do not just repeat it. NEVER end with
"...and it was all a dream." That has been overdone. Below are some ideas
on how to write a good conclusion. Remember that not every type of lead
will work for every writer or for every piece of writing. You'll have to
experiment. Be sure to have a least three sentences in your conclusion,
whatever type it may be.
Question: Close with a question that involves the reader. You can answer
the question, or leave it for the reader to decide based on what you wrote.
The question must relate to the main idea. Example: It was the worst
experience of his life. Andrew decided that it was the last time he would ever
go on a roller coaster. Who can blame him?
Strong Statement Close with a statement that forcefully states your opinion.
Example: A criminal, no matter his/her age, should be dealt with according
to the crime. The legal system is too lenient when it comes to juvenile
offenders. Laws need to be rewritten immediately so that no more hard core
criminals go free just because they are juveniles.
Summary Close with a summary of your main ideas. However, do not repeat
yourself word for word; say it in a different way. Also, remember not to
insult the reader by saying, "I wrote about..." The reader is smart enough to
know what he/she just read. Example: As you can see, it is not important to
know everything, but it is important to know how to find the answer. There
will not always be a teacher nearby with the answer. You have to learn how
to research, how to dig through sources to find what you need to know.
Personal Comment Close with a personal comment or response to what you
have written. It is not the same thing as an opinion. It is more like a
personal conclusion you have reached or a lesson you have learned because
of the experience you wrote about in your paper. Example: Riding a roller
coaster with someone who is a "chicken" is something I will certainly never
do again. I should have listened when Sheila told me she did not want to
ride it. I should have let her take the "chicken exit." Next time I will know
better.
Mystery Close with a statement that shows some things will never be
resolved. However, be sure to do this in a way that the reader does not
think you just forgot to end your story or paper. Example: We watched
Adam walk down the road until he became just a tiny speck and then
disappeared altogether into the dust of twilight. Just as he appeared, he was
gone. That was the last time any of us ever saw him.
Beginning of New Story When writing a story or personal narrative, you can
close with a hint of things to come, or the beginning of a new story--a
sequel of sorts. Example: He was exhausted. It had been a long and difficult
week. Javier closed his eyes and thought of the many other adventures that
lie ahead.
Well Known Quotation or Quotation from a Famous Person Close with a
quotation that is well known or from a famous person. Be sure to put
quotations around the quotation and give credit to the person who said it if
you write it word for word. Of course, the quotation must be directly related
to your topic. A good source is a book of quotations. Look in the library or
ask your teacher. Example: According to Senator Bob Dole, in order to be a
citizen, all Americans must be able to speak English. In theory this seems
like a good policy. However, what will become of the citizens who never
learn to speak English?
Quotation Not from a Famous Person Close with a quotation from a person
that is not famous. It could be a character from the story or someone you
know personally. You still must put it in quotation marks and give credit to
the person who said it if you write it word for word. Example: "You're going
to regret this." Those were Sheila's last words as I pulled her into the roller
coaster seat. I now know she was not kidding.
Open Conclusion Close with an ending or statement that lets the reader draw
his/her own conclusion. It is like a "fill in the blank" type of conclusion.
Remember to give the reader enough information in the body of your paper
that he/she can draw a conclusion. Example: Some statistics show that
drivers under the age of 16 are more dangerous. On the other hand, some
statistics show that they are no more dangerous than drivers 16 to 25.
Therefore, whether drivers under the age of 16 are more dangerous than
those over 16 is still debatable.
Wednesday - Friday, September 19-21, 2012
Conduct short research project to answer a question including a selfgenerated question drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues
of exploration.
Students will be working on taking notes they will need to come up with
different questions and thoughts.
Students will work on writing their paper.
Monday –Wednesday, September 24 -26, 2012
Parts of Speech Direct Objects Pg. 26 – 31 Due Friday
Present claims and findings emphasizing salient points in a focused
coherent manner with relevant evidence sound valid reasoning, and
well chosen details, use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume
and clear pronunciation.
Speech will need to include:
Integrate multimedia and displays into presentations to clarify
information strengthen claims and evidence and adding interest.
How this will look is up to the student.
Begin working on their speech. Looking at Rubric. Expository Speech.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Speeches
Friday, September 28, 2012
Grammar Project
Monday - Wednesday, October 1-3, 2012
Parts of Speech: Adjectives, pg. 32 – 38. Due Friday.
Students will pick a “Read America” book this is a short story of Historical
Fiction. They will have until Wednesday to read the book. While they are
reading they need to be taking notes of important aspects they could
research to compare and contrast between real history vs. the book in which
they are reading.
Show powerpoint literary analysis.
Thursday - Monday, October 4 - 8, 2012
Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support
analysis, reflection, and research. Analyze how a modern work of
fiction draws on themes, patterns of events or character types from
myths, traditional short stories or religious works such as the Bible,
including describing how the material is rendered new.
Students will then begin looking at and writing an analysis of the work in
which they read. What is real, what is not, what is fiction what is not. This
will be done through research that they complete. Sources need to be
documented. Students will conduct research on Thursday - Monday.
Tuesday - Thursday, October 9-11, 2012
An analysis will be written, Focusing on themes, and patterns of events
along with myths within the story.
Tuesday – Wednesday , October 16, 2012
Integrate multimedia and displays into presentations to clarify
information strengthen claims and evidence and adding interest.
Students will create a short presentation of their analysis. Due on Thursday
October19, 2012. See Rubric for grading
http://lilt.ilstu.edu/cslaml/PDFs/JR_intermediate_rubric.pdf
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks demonstrating
command of formal English when indicated or appropriate
Speeches while utilizing the Rubric.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012 – October 31
Parts of Speech Adverbs: pgs. 39-42 Due on Friday.
We will be focusing on I-Books for a week and a half completing the I-Book
during this time. This is the ONLY time we will have to work on this project.
Thursday – Friday, November 1 & 2, 2012
Verbs pg. 92 – 117.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Parts of Speech Prepositions: pg. 43-47. Due Friday.
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant
evidence.
Students will have the opportunity to pick one of the below for a persuasive
essay.
Corporal punishment of children should be illegal.
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The influence of corporal punishment on crime
http://www.naturalchild.com/research/corporal_punishment.html
The proposition can use this paper to create a case. Adah Maurer,
Ph.D. and James S. Wallerstein use research to explain how corporal
punishment is linked to violent behavior in children.
Experts: Spanking Harms Children, Especially Girls
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/662/context/archiv
e
This article is useful to the proposition. Melinda Rice explains the
dangers of corporal punishment to women's rights.
Voluntary Corporal Punishment Reduces Suspension Rates
http://www.secondaryenglish.com/voluntary.html
The opposition can use this article to prepare arguments. Tim Yancey
explains how a voluntary corporal punishment program has reduced
tardiness in schools.
Banning Corporal Punishment of Children: A Position Paper
http://www.stophitting.com/disathome/sureshrani.php
The proposition can use this article to prepare a case. Sureshrani
Paintal outlines reasons why corporal punishment does more harm
than good. Alternative modes of punishment are explained.
The United States should close its Guantanamo prison.
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Close Guantanamo Prison
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/052305B.shtml
Law professor Marjorie Cohn argues that the United States should
close its Guantanamo prison in this editorial. The article is most useful
for the proposition side, as it lays out the basic arguments for closing
the prison.
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Don't Close Guantanamo Without Protecting the Rights of the
Detainees
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2005/07/guantanamooped.html
This article, which is primarily for the opposition, argues that it is a
bad idea to close the prison because the alternatives for prisoners will
be worse. To read the article, it will be helpful to understand what the
policy of "rendition" is. To learn more about rendition, visit this link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04/60minutes/main678155
.shtml .
Close Camp Delta
http://www.alternet.org/rights/22185/
Michael Posner, the executive director of Human Rights First, argues
for closing the prison at Guantanamo. The article is mainly useful for
the proposition side. The author argues that closing the prison would
reduce torture by the United States and other countries.
Fact sheet on detainees at Guantanamo
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/2002020713.html
This fact sheet, which will be helpful to both sides in the debate, is
provided by the White House to show policies related to treatment of
detainees at Guantanamo.
Guantanamo regime defended by US
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3487543.stm
This article, from the British Broadcasting Corporation, will primarily
help the opposition. It lays out the case for keeping the prison, and
shows what the major arguments are for the necessity of the prison.
Middle schools should have mandatory drug testing for participation
in extracurricular activities.
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"The Effectiveness and Legality of Random Drug Testing Policies"
http://www.sportsafe.com/IN%20survey.PDF
This article is for the proposition. Author Joseph R. McKinney discusses
the results of a study he conducted that revealed that random drug
testing was effective in reducing drug use in schools.
"Relationship Between Student Illicit Drug Use and School DrugTesting Policies"
http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/text/ryldjpom03.pdf
This article is for the opposition. It is a study that shows drug testing
does not reduce drug use among students. The study is pretty hard to
read, but students can skip the data and examine the introduction and
the conclusion carefully.
"Why Drug Tests Flunk" by Janelle Brown
http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/2002/04/22/drug_testing/
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This article is for the opposition. It argues that random drug testing
does not keep students from using drugs. It simply causes them to
find ways to pass a drug test without actually giving up their drug
habit.
"Compensating Behavior and the Drug Testing of High School Athletes"
http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj16n3-5.html
This article is for the opposition. It explains how only testing student
athletes can actually lead to an increase in overall drug use. Robert
Taylor, the author, argues that these policies encourage athletes to
quit sports for fear of being drug tested. This causes former student
athletes to hang around non-athletes who have higher rates of drug
use than athletes, making them more likely to use drugs.
Drug Free America: Reasons for Student Drug Testing
http://www.dfaf.org/studentdrugtesting/
This site supports the proposition side. It outlines some basic
advantages of drug testing in schools. It also answers frequently asked
questions about this topic. Some of the information here is also
available on the Office of National Drug Control Policy's website:
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/drug_testing/ .
Food aid does more harm than good.
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Can aid do more harm than good?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4185550.stm
This article from the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) website
lays out the basic arguments for the proposition side, including
examples from several African countries. Note that "NGO" is an
abbreviation for "Non-Governmental Agency," which refers to charities
and other agencies distributing aid.
"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,363663,0
0.html
This article, published in the German newspaper Der Spiegel, is an
interview with an economist from Kenya. The article is mainly useful
for the proposition side, as it details the harms associated with food
aid in Kenya and other poor countries.
How We Use Food Aid
http://www.wfp.org/food_aid/introduction/index.asp?section=12&sub_
section=1
Here the World Food Programme (WFP) details the benefits of the food
aid it provides as part of the United Nations. This site will primarily
benefit the opposition on this topic. Other parts of the WFP's Web site
will also be helpful, as they contain interactive maps and information
about different countries.
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Fifty Years of U.S. Food Aid and Its Role in Reducing World Hunger
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/September04/Features/usfood
aid.htm
This article, published in the journal of the United States Department
of Agriculture, will help the opposition prepare. In it, the authors argue
for the benefits of food aid to many countries over 50 years.
Cell phones should be allowed in schools.
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Schools Try to Draw the Line for Wired Kids
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/3308900
This article, from the Houston Chronicle, is useful for both sides to
prepare. It explains the arguments for both sides of the debate about
cell phones in schools.
Hold the Phone
http://www.electronic-school.com/2000/09/0900sbot.html
This article will help both sides. The National School Boards Association
weighs both sides in the debate about cell phones in schools and
shows examples of different policies in different districts regarding cell
phone use in schools.
Schools Make Rules for Cell Phone No-Nos
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133208,00.html
This is another article that will help both sides in the debate. Reporter
Catherine Donaldson-Evans shows how schools are reacting to cell
phones in schools and what some of the consequences of restricting
phones might be. She also shows that regulations may be more
effective than a simple ban on phones.
High-tech cheating comes to high schools
http://www.detnews.com/2005/schools/0509/24/0scho-325779.htm
This article will mostly help the opposition. The author, reporting for
The Detroit News, shows that there is a concern that cell phones will
allow students to cheat more easily.
The United States of America should rely on alternative energy
sources instead of fossil fuels.
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Fossil Fuels
http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/fossil.htm
Both sides will find useful information on this page, designed by a
science teacher. The advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels are
explained.
Consumer Energy Council of America: Fossil Fuel Facts
http://www.cecarf.org/Programs/Fuels/Fuelfacts/FossilFuelFacts.html
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This site is useful for the opposition. In a question and answer format,
the council explains the pros and cons of different kinds of fossil fuels.
North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association: Renewable Energy
http://www.ncsustainableenergy.org/renewable/renewables_index.ht
ml
This site is especially helpful for the proposition. Five renewable
energy resources are explained and critiqued.
Alternative Energy: Problems and Solutions
http://library.thinkquest.org/15684/main.html
The proposition can use this site to build a case for renewable energy.
Arguments against fossil fuels and information promoting alternative
energy are present within the site.
Television is a bad influence on children.
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BBC News Health: Watching TV 'is Bad for Children'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3603235.stm
This article is especially helpful to the proposition. The article explains
new research that suggests that TV has bad impacts on child
development. There are also additional links to other articles about
how TV has been positively linked with learning disorders and obesity.
Kids Health: How TV Affects Your Child
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html
This website is helpful to the proposition. This article explains how TV
affects development, obesity, and other behaviors in children.
University of Michigan: Your Child and Television
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/tv.htm
This University of Michigan site is useful for the proposition. There are
research and statistics given about how television impacts the mental,
physical, and emotional health of children.
Children's Television Shows Have a New Healthy Message for Kids
http://kidstvmovies.about.com/od/childrenstvnewsinfo/a/tvhealth.htm
The opposition will find relevant information in this article. Carey
Bryson explains how television can help children learn healthy
behaviors.
Brain Candy
http://www.newyorker.com/critics/books/articles/050516crbo_books
In this article from the New Yorker, author Malcolm Gladwell reviews
Steven Johnson's book Everything Bad is Good for You . This article is
helpful for the opposition, as it outlines the benefits of watching
modern television.
All schools should provide students with music and art education.
Music Education Facts and Figures
http://www.menc.org/information/advocate/facts.html
This site is useful for the proposition. Research and statistics are given
to support arguments in favor of music education.
The federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina was
appropriate.

An Appropriate and Calculated Response to Hurricane Katrina
http://www.ezinearticles.com/?An-Appropriate-and-CalculatedResponse-to-Hurricane-Katrina&id=72134
Teacher (and firefighter) Ryan Murphy argues that the federal
government's response was appropriate to its role, and that local and
state governments were mostly responsible for the failed response.
This article will primarily help the proposition side.
American intervention in Iraq has done more good than harm.




War in Iraq: Not a Humanitarian Intervention
http://hrw.org/wr2k4/3.htm
The opposition can use this report to prepare. The Human Rights
Watch explains why US military intervention in Iraq is does more harm
than good in terms of humanitarian efforts.
Balanced Politics: War on Iraq
http://www.balancedpolitics.org/iraq_war.htm
Both sides can use this site. Balancedpolitics.org lists major arguments
for and against military intervention in Iraq.
ProCon.org: Should the US Attack Iraq With or Without the UN?
http://www.usiraqprocon.org/
Both the proposition and opposition will find this site useful. US/Iraq
ProCon goes into detail about issues surrounding the war including
history, oil, the cost of war, Saddam Hussein, global security, and
terrorism.
A Necessary War
http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.14385,filter.foreign/pub_detail.
asp
This article is useful to the opposition. Reuel Marc Gerecht looks past
obvious objections about military intervention and analyzes how
intervention make the world safer.
Congress should pass the "Clear Skies" initiative.

Clear Skies Initiative Clouds the Issue
http://www.alternet.org/story/16795



This article is helpful to the opposition. Kari Lydersen explains why the
"Clear Skies" Initiative does not help the environmental problems that
it sets out to solve.
Clearing the Air on Clear Skies
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?ContentID=2189
The opposition will find this useful. Environmental Defense Attourney
Vicki Patton exposes shortcomings of the initiative.
Partly Sunny: Bush's Clear Skies Initiative Isn't Half Bad
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0412.whitman.ht
ml
This article is helpful for the proposition. David Whitman cuts through
backlash against the initiative and explains why it is a step in the right
direction .
Clear Skies, No Lies
http://www.brook.edu/views/op-ed/easterbrook/20050216.htm
The proposition can use this article to prepare cases. Gregg
Easterbrook explains why the initiative is better than many
environmental groups, politicians, and the media would make it seem.
Homework should be banned.


Homework and Its Role in Constructive Pedagogy
http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/plato1/constructhome/index.html
The proposition and opposition can browse this site for information.
The site contains research and statistics on both sides of the
homework debate.
The Homework Ate My Family
http://www.time.com/time/2003/kids/homework.html
The proposition can use this article to prepare. Time Magazine explains
how homework is ebbing away at student health and family life.
California should raise the driving age to 18.



Raise the Driving Age to 18
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05030/449619.stm
Both sides can use this article to prepare. Teenagers weigh in on the
driving age debate.
Is 16 too Young to Drive a Car?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-03-02-teens-cars-mainusat_x.htm
The proposition can use this article to prepare. USA Today tries to
explain why 16 year olds have a high driving fatality rate.
Officials Hope to Curb Accidents by Raising Driving Age
http://www.ipromiseprogram.com/links/Officials%20hope%20to%20c


urb%20accidents%20-%20Herald%20-%20SC.htm
The proposition will find this useful. This brief article explains how
South Carolina is dealing with teen driving fatalities.
The Centers for Disease Control Factbook: Teens Behind the Wheel
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/fact_book/27_Teens_Behind_Wheel.htm
Both sides can use this site to prepare. The Centers for Disease
Control presents statistics about teenage driving.
Perplexed, Vexed by Teen Driving
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A490712005Jan5.html
This site is helpful to the opposition. Readers of the Washington Post
explain why raising the driving age will increase teen driving fatalities.
The legal system should have the option to charge juveniles as
adults in murder cases.



Youth Crime/Adult Time: Is Justice Served?
http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/ycat/ycat.html
The opposition can use this site to prepare. Jolanta Juszkiewicz uses
statistics and research to highlight the problems with charging
juveniles as adults.
The Wrong Answer to Littleton: A Few Teen Criminals Belong in
Prison, but Most do Not
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/1999/9906.twohey.little
ton.html
This article is useful to the opposition. The Washington Monthly
explores why charging
juveniles as adults is not the best remedy for juvenile crime.
Punishing Teen Criminals Like Criminals
http://www.ncpa.org/~ncpa/hotlines/juvcrm/sol3a.html
The proposition can use this site to prepare. The NCPA uses a fact
sheet format to explain the current status of the juvenile crime issue.
The United States should ban the death penalty.


Death Penalty Information Center: Issues
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/getcat.php?cid=3
The proposition and opposition can use this site to prepare cases.
Many issues concerning the death penalty are explained in depth.
Justice For All: Pro - Death Penalty
http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/
This site would be useful for the opposition. It provides answers to
many common arguments against the death penalty, has an extensive
database of death penalty cases, and contains statistical data.

The American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/DeathPenalty/DeathPenaltyMain.cfm
This site would be useful for the proposition. There are links to several
articles and excerpts from anti-death penalty publications.
Classrooms should have closed-circuit cameras.


Troxell Helps Closed-Circuit TV Surveillance in Schools
http://www.infocomm.org/Newsnetwork/index.cfm?objectID=0CB098F
2-0D63-4384-8D98466A2AC969FC
An article explaining how Troxell, a company, set up closed-circuit
cameras in schools. Mostly for the proposition side, this article is also
useful for explaining how such cameras work.
Protests Against Surveillance Cameras
http://www.notbored.org/camera-protests.html
Information for the opposition side, including many dozens of articles
about protests against surveillance cameras all over the world.
Also links to reports showing that cameras are abused and do not
prevent crime.
Russia is more an enemy than an ally of the United States.


U.S. - Russian Relations at the Turn of the Century: Report of the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
http://www.ceip.org/programs/ruseuras/usrus/usrepteng.htm
This report is useful for the opposition and proposition. They sections
entitled "Overview","Why Russia Matters", "Strategic and Security
Issues", and "Regional Issues" are paticularly useful in understanding
America's relationship with Russia.
The New Russia: Friend or Foe
http://www.milnet.com/afi/new-russia.htm
This site is useful to the proposition. MILNET provides an analysis of
current Russian domestic and foreign policy in order to gauge if Russia
is an ally or foe to the United States.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Parts of Speech: Sentences pg. 49 – 55. Due Friday.
Students will work on locating what topic they would like to write about.
Then they will need to pick one of the graphic organizers for their paper.
They will need to go to
https://www.google.com/search?q=Persuasive+Graphic+Organizer&hl=en&r
ls=com.microsoft:en-us:IESearchBox&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=wZviT5b
fDuHu2QWch-ncCw&ved=0CG0QsAQ&biw=1272&bih=550
Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Introduce claims acknowledge and distinguish the claims from
alternate or opposing claims and organize the reasons and
evidence logically.
We will discuss the MLA format etc. we will then talk about introducing
claims and looking at the opposing claims and organizing the reasons and
evidence logically.

Support claims with logical reasoning and relevant evidence
using accurate credible sources and demonstrating an
understanding of the topic or text.
Look at the website to see a set up of how this paper should look.
http://www.ebscohost.com/customerSuccess/uploads/topicFile-35.pdf
Discuss intro/conclusion
How to Write an Introduction. The introduction of a persuasive essay or
paper must be substantial. Having finished it, the reader ought to have a
very clear idea of the author's purpose in writing. To wit, after reading the
introduction, I tend to stop and ask myself where I think the rest of the
paper is headed, what the individual paragraphs in its body will address and
what the general nature of the conclusion will be. If I'm right, it's because
the introduction has laid out in clear and detailed fashion the theme and the
general facts which the author will use to support it.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. The following is an introduction
of what turned out to be a well-written paper, but the introduction was
severely lacking:
The role of women has changed over the centuries, and it has also differed
from civilization to civilization. Some societies have treated women much
like property, while others have allowed women to have great influence and
power.
Not a bad introduction really, but rather scant. I have no idea, for instance,
which societies will be discussed or what the theme of the paper will be.
That is, while I can see what the general topic is, I still don't know the way
the writer will draw the facts together, or even really what the paper is
arguing in favor of.
As it turned out, the author of this paper discussed women in ancient Egypt,
classical Greece, medieval France and early Islamic civilization and stressed
their variable treatment in these societies. This writer also focused on the
political, social and economic roles women have played in Western cultures
and the various ways they have found to assert themselves and circumvent
opposition based on gender.
Given that, I would rewrite the introduction this way:
The role of women <in Western society> has changed <dramatically> over
the centuries, <from the repression of ancient Greece to the relative
freedom of women living in Medieval France. The treatment of women> has
also differed from civilization to civilization <even at the same period in
history>. Some societies <such as Islamic ones> have treated women much
like property, while others <like ancient Egypt> have allowed women to
have great influence and power. <This paper will trace the development of
women's rights and powers from ancient Egypt to late medieval France and
explore their changing political, social and economic situation through time.
All the various means women have used to assert themselves show the
different ways they have fought against repression and established
themselves in authority.>
Now it is clear which societies will be discussed (Egypt, Greece, France,
Islam) and what the general theme of the paper will be (the variable paths
to empowerment women have found over time). Now I know where this
paper is going and what it's really about.
B. How to Write a Conclusion. In much the same way that the
introduction lays out the thesis for the reader, the conclusion of the paper
should reiterate the main points—it should never introduce new ideas or
things not discussed in the body of the paper!—and bring the argument
home. The force with which you express the theme here is especially
important, because if you're ever going to convince the reader that your
thesis has merit, it will be in the conclusion. In other words, just as lawyers
win their cases in the closing argument, this is the point where you'll
persuade others to adopt your thesis.
If the theme is clear and makes sense, the conclusion ought to be very easy
to write. Simply begin by restating the theme, then review the facts you
cited in the body of the paper in support of your ideas—and it's advisable to
rehearse them in some detail—and end with a final reiteration of the theme.
Try, however, not to repeat the exact language you used elsewhere in the
paper, especially the introduction, or it will look like you haven't explored all
aspects of the situation (see above, #7).
All in all, remember these are the last words your reader will hear from you
before passing judgment on your argument. Make them as focused and
forceful as possible.
We will discuss credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the
topic. Students will need at least 5 sources.
Thursday-Friday, November 8 & 9, 2012
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text,
assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is
relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is
introduced.
We will look at this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nK8sDYmJ-s&feature=related
another site:
http://www.hhs.helena.k12.mt.us/Teacherlinks/Oconnorj/evidence
chart.html
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources,
using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of
each source and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusion of
others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for
citation.
Note Taking – Research 40 notes will need to be taken over their topic.
Monday-Tuesday, November 12, 13, 2012
Parts of Speech: Conjunctions and Interjections pg. 56 – 62. Due Friday.


Use words phrases and clauses to create cohesion and clarify
the relationships among claims, counterclaims, reasons and
evidence.
Establish and maintain a formal style
Research & Writing Continues.
Wednesday, November, 14, 2012

Provide a conclusion statement or section that follows from an
supports the argument presented.
Students will work on a conclusion statement that supports the argument
presented.
Thursday/ Friday, November 15/16, 2012
With some guidance and support from peers, and adults, develop
and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose
and audience have been addressed. Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of language standards.
Students will begin proofreading their papers. Looking at conventions, ideas
and content. Thesis statement is strong, strong conclusion, opposing view is
stated with argument is clear.
Monday & Tuesday, November 19 & 20.
Parts of Speech: Clauses pg. 63 – 69 Due Friday.
Friendly Letters to those that deserve a friendly letter.
Monday & Tuesday, November 26 & 27
Use technology including the internet to produce and publish writing
and present the relationships between information and ideas
efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
Students will look at this for making sure students have all the information:
http://www.hhs.helena.k12.mt.us/Teacherlinks/Oconnorj/evidencechart.htm
l
Students will spend two days looking at each other’s paper and finding the
relationships between information and ideas.
Wednesday - Friday, November 28 - 30, 2012
Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and
formats such as visually, quantitatively, orally and evaluate the
motives such as social, commercial political behind its presentation.
While students are listening to the speeches they will look at these to see
what the students were using.
Begin developing a speech in which the students will give to a group of 4 or
5 other students. Students will be listening and debating the different topics
as students present. Students will be analyzing information, and evaluating
the motives for the information that is being given to the group.
http://www.hhs.helena.k12.mt.us/Teacherlinks/Oconnorj/Appeals.html
This is the other document they will have to fill out:
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/persuasion.pdf
There are 2 weeks left, however I believe those weeks will be full as we will
fall behind.
.