This essay is a bit different from those we have written before. You are asked to defend or attack the importance of The Island as a piece of cinema. Keeping your personal reactions out of this paper will be difficult, but you should be able to do it. Frame your argument around what it means for a movie to be “quality”; does it mean that it is possible to discuss? Should a quality movie reflect the culture in which it is written? Should it receive excellent reviews and do well in ticket sales? This is where your opinion comes in.

After you decide how you would like to argue your point, begin writing your thesis. Here’s an example: Although The Island was not a critical success, the movie’s representation of popular culture (for better or worse) makes this movie important as a reflection of the contemporary zeitgeist.

We will work on this a bit on Wednesday, but come to class with an outline and be prepared to discuss.

Your rough drafts are due tomorrow (Wednesday). We will devote time in class to trading quotations and making sure everyone’s paper makes sense. You will type it at home on Wednesday, using your handy-dandy spell check to eliminate errors. The format is the same as always: 12pt Times New Roman, one inch margins, double-spaced, header (top left), title, page number (top right). Ask someone if you are unsure how to do this.

As always, if you have any questions please let me know.

I have received several messages from you guys about the essay we are currently writing. Here is a quick overview of what we went over in class:

An essay has three parts:
An Introduction
A Body
and a Conclusion

The introduction should be one paragraph long and contain several elements:
An introductory sentence containing the author’s name and the name of the work you are discussing.
Your thesis statement, or the point you are trying to make with your essay. This is the most vital part of your writing. Present a solid thesis statement and back it with the body paragraphs and you will have an amazing essay. This should be the final sentence of your opening paragraph.
Example thesis: Hornby’s characters explore what it means to be “cool” by adopting the actions of one another, though they soon realize that they are looking for connections, not cool in their lives.

The body of your essay is made up of all the paragraphs between the introduction and the conclusion.
Each paragraph of the body should contain:
A topic sentence. What is this paragraph going to be about? As you did with your thesis statement, sum up the point of this paragraph in the first sentence, then include your ideas/explanations. Your ideas and explanations should be backed with examples or quotations from the text.
Example topic sentence: The bullying Marcus endures at school highlights his outsider status.

Example quotation: Marcus’s relationship with Ellie was a matter of surprise for everyone. “Just about every kid in the room stopped . . . and turned around” when Ellie called to Marcus in the busy cafeteria (Hornby 170).

If you find yourself writing about several different topics in the same paragraph, break it into several pieces, making sure each new paragraph applies to your thesis. If it does not apply, chuck it or change your thesis. (This is why the outline is an important step; it is easier to throw out a bullet than a paragraph.)

The conclusion wraps up your essay. Briefly describe the points you made (without adding new information), and reflect on the point you’ve made.

Keep in mind the basic rules of academic writing:
Keep a formal tone (no slang, text jargon, personal anecdotes)
No personal pronouns
No contractions
12 point Times New Roman font
One inch margins all around
Header on the left
Page number top right

That’s it! Well done.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please email me.

[This page was WinsomeWiki’d on 4 Jul. 2009]

Just following up on an announcement on Friday. I spoke with my friend again today about setting up a pen pal program between you guys and her elementary students. She said her students are really excited about the opportunity, and have already begun writing letters. Let me know if you would be interested in this. It will certainly not be graded, but it would be a great way to help them with their spelling, etc.

Also, for those of you who are fairly proficient or fluent in Spanish, she is looking for some high school students who would be willing to read to them on Tuesdays or Thursdays. The kids love this, but often are not read to at home; many of the students who speak Spanish cannot read it. I can get the information to anyone interested in this.

Oh, speaking of volunteer work, how did the race go? Were any of you able to attend? I want stories when we get back.

We will be watching The Island on Monday and Tuesday. I did not realize how perfect this movie would be as a blend of our two very different books. It is by no means great cinema, but the ideas and concepts are there for us to discuss. If you miss class, rent the movie and watch it at home. It is PG-13, so watch it with your parents permission. I will be monitoring the unnecessary parts in class.

We will begin working on creating our own commercials for the next unit.

But first—

this week we will finish up our About a Boy essays. We will work on our essays on Monday, so be sure your outlines are chock full of quotations. This will make it simple to write a draft in class, since you know what you will write; you just have to concentrate on keeping a formal tone and communicating your ideas clearly. If you are stuck, email me or come talk to me before school on Monday. This is the longest essay we’ve written, but Hornby gives us plenty to write about. We are taking it slow to make sure each step is perfect before we move on. Plus, this assignment will be graded several times. Some of you are falling behind; this is a good chance to catch up. As always, you can raise your grade on a paper if you come talk with me about it and turn in a revised copy. If you don’t finish the draft in class, take it home so we can edit them in class on Tuesday.

The advertising unit will begin late this week or early next week, depending on when we wrap up the essays. Be thinking about a product you would like to sell, while finding commercials and advertisements that employ the rhetorical devices we discussed last week.