Juniors: Wednesday's COW Work

Well, hello there. I've left a few tasks for you to complete, all of which are due as a comment here by the end of the period. If you happen to finish early, proofread, then take a moment to reflect on the reality that you are either astonishingly efficient or a haphazard student-writer.

1. Click here to read a short essay on Steinbeck. Write a thesis statement that encapsulates the author's thesis statement. Yup, a thesis analyzing a thesis. (15 minutes)

2. Click here to build some context. In bullet form, submit 5 factoids that resonate after reading. Defend your selections. (12 minutes)

3. Visit the Poetry Foundation and browse the poems, searching strategically for a poem to pair with The Grapes of Wrath. If you prefer another message of searching, feel free to employ it. Avoid Googling "poem to pair with Grapes of Wrath;" any duplicates will not be considered for the grand prize (see below). Perhaps the poem may parallel the qualities of a character or contain Steinbeckian images of the Midwest. Compose a point-dense essay- yes, an essay- arguing the case for your poem as a parallel to the text. I will select the best pairing to use as an upcoming assessment and the winning essay writer will be exempt, receiving an automatic A. Be sure to post the poem with your essay. (50-60 minutes)

The Poetry of Song: COW work for Tuesday, 10-16

Complete the following work and submit responses as a comment here by the end of the block. 

Visit the 2 links below and read the album reviews. Then, find one of your own and answer the questions that follow. 

1. Fleet Foxes (great band, by the way)

2. Paul Simon 

3. Find one of your choice. 

As evidence of your perusal, post a comment response to the following questions:

1. List every adjective from the Fleet Foxes review.


2. For the review of your choice, select a passage ( to paste here and describe the literary and journalistic qualities that make it exemplary. 

3. Students tend to have difficulty integrating fluid quotations into their own writing. Copy and paste at least 3 excerpts from the 3 reviews that incorporate quoted song lyrics. After each sentence, create a grammatical map of the sentence structure. Example: David Fricke writes, "I wonder if I'll see/Any faces above me/Or just cracks in the ceiling," Pecknold sings in "Montezuma," imagining his deathbed.= Quote+Subject+Predicate+Preposition+Song Title+Participial Phrase. No, you can't use this one. 

4. Copy and paste Will Hermes' thesis statement here. Which of his sentences encapsulates his most profound analysis of the album? Where did you find it?

5. If you finish early, proofread your work. Use any remaining time to complete make up work or finish your homework for Thursday. 

See you all Thursday. Please be respectful of your substitute teacher as well as the computers. 

"Little Green" Analyses: POS

AP Analyses

AP Seniors: Friday's COW Work

Hello, seniors. Today you will use the COWs to complete several academic tasks.

1. You will find your high-stakes thesis poem here. I would like this thesis in hard copy form. Proofread, please.

2. Click here for a What is the What Readers' Guide. Use this as a resource. Save a digital copy or print any necessary pages. You may find the character and setting lists useful.

3. Click here to read an  interview with Eggers and Deng. Post a brief paragraph describing facets of the interview that may guide your experience as a reader.

4. If you have headphones, click here to listen to an NPR interview with Eggers. Offer a brief paragraph in the same spirit as prompt 3.

5. Below are links to photographic portfolios from "The Big Picture." Peruse them and offer 3 commentaries regarding 3 images that compel you to do so.

South Sudan Conflict
A New Nation
A Historic Vote
Scenes from Sudan

6. Select one of the works we have covered in class ("Otherwise," "Sonnet XXV," "The Flea," one of the Jigsaw poems, Chapter 1 of What is the What, or the excerpt from Gary Soto). Begin- and complete- a formal analysis of the selected work. You will type and submit it as  a comment to the appropriate post (above) by Friday, October 12. This analysis should represent your best effort toward AP-level writing; take advantage of the luxuries of time and revision while you have it. I will use the rigorous AP rubric to assess these as a test. Obviously, this can have significant pull on your average for term 1. Aim for mastery, which is a reasonable expectation considering the amount of time that you have. Take into consideration all of the analysis, thesis, sentence, and paragraph instruction we have covered. Get started now, and put forth your best effort. The rubric is not kind to strangers*.


*personification