for adv. comp. - research notebook notes

Students,
As you are plowing through your homework tonight, my advice is to keep it simple.  Take a deep breath, and remember all of the resources avail. to verify the quality of your research notbook site.  First, take a fresh look at my model page.  Then, take a few minutes to review the presentation I put together, outling all of the components.  Finally, pull out that handy, hot-pink page I gave you in class today.

If you have some extra time tonight, you should click through the sites you added to your "potential research topics" and read/skim the ACTUAL writing.  Don't be satisfied with merely adding the URLs and pages to your list.

Tomorrow in class you will post your research notebook URL to a Google Form in order to establish a course-wide data base of these sites for everyone.

As a final note, and I am sincere about this, these sites are lookin' GOOD!  Our classes should be proud of our progressive and "real-world" curriculum.

Dr. Jones

P.S. Remember to pack your book review/indie book for Friday when we will visit the "reading rainbow" again.

adv. comp. - image for use with editorial project

Students,
Below is a .png copy of the model flyer I created (with Pages for the iPad) for your next assignment.  Keep this post handy!  Also, remember that I have posted a Google Doc (linked from the day-to-day pres.) that provides a "key" to the requirements of the flyer.
Dr. Jones

for adv. comp. - an alternative to a trad. bio.

Students,
I urge you to spend some time looking around at creative examples of the "super short bio.",which is what you are writing for your research notebook site.  There are many good examples out there.  (And for some reason you can find them in the theater programs from high school plays?)

I have included a link to some good examples from the famous book, Best American Nonrequired Reading.

Dr. Jones

for adv. comp. - work for the weekend and into next week

Students,

Happy weekend!

Remember that you will need to read "Alicia's Story" Cha. 5 & 6 before Monday.  Also, you need to bring your independent reading/book review book to class on Monday.  Check-out, purchase, or download (Kindle, iPad, and EPUB formats are acceptable).

Finally, take a look over the weekend at a new presentation I put together regarding your "research notebook" site.  We will be working on these notebooks in class this coming week.

Dr. Jones

Eng. 3 - two links for Huck Finn study

Eng. 3 Students,

As you might imagine, the Internet is ripe with information regarding The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  For a full text copy of the book (which will be good to use as a reference when we need to write about the text, as you may search for specific quotations for support) look here -- the famous Project Gutenberg where you can find links to an EPUB, Kindle, or .txt version of the full text.

Also, many of you have mentioned the advantages of using an audio version, so I have decided to play parts of this audio version in class.  You may want to use it for your homework reading as well!

We will be proceeding a bit slower now; I want you to enjoy the language of this seminal American work!

Dr. Jones

Adv. Comp. - some help with the "selfie" (cross-posted from an email)

Dear Students,

So I've been thinking a lot about my request for you to bring a picture of yourself for your research website, and, well, I have mixed feelings about it.  I realize that you are really rather young (17 - 18), so I can understand your age-based (maybe its akward?) hesitation to want to share a photo openly on the internet.

But, having said that, I also think as writers developing a presence and online personality is something your generation must do.

Well ... let's keep talking about it ...

Here are some thoughts for tmrw.

1. these sites are avail. for ONLY those who have the link and are not searchable in any search engine

2. there are ways around the "ugly" "selfie" or really any picture that puts you in an unkind light ... for instance,

a. make a caricature of a photo

b. or take a selfie like one of these

(BTW - there are some really, really awesome self-portraits at the site above; I love the ones that are reflections.)

Dr. Jones

P.S. I also love that Photoshop-thing with the $5 bill ...

Adv. Comp. - the application essay assignment

At this point (Thur., Sept. 6), your second draft of the essay is due.  As I mentioned in class, you are, ostensibly, answering the first essay question on the Common Application while writing the "memory narrative" for this class.

As you continue to revise, you might consider the handy advice, provided by about.com regarding an effective answer to question #1.  Also, take a look at the sample essay for question #1, provided by about.com.  While this piece is about an "ethical dilemma," the tone and the details are appropriate to the task.

Continue to follow our Google Presentation for details regarding timelines, etc.