Hey All,
Just returned from the doctor and I have strep throat. Since it's very contagious and I don't want to expose you till I've been on antibiotics, I'm going to cancel class tomorrow. NO CLASS TOMORROW, 10/2. Check your blog post tomorrow to view my comments on essay #1. Revisions will be due 10/4. Email me with questions.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
Thanks!
Best,
Kara
Monday, October 1, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Narrative Essay Rubric
The Story – 5 points
The writer has chosen a story that allows his or her
personality to come through.
·
The story is clearly significant and shaped the
writer’s attitude, personality or worldview in some way. (1 point)
·
The story feels like it belongs to this writer and not as if just anyone could have written
it. (2 points)
The story leaves the reader with a moral take-away or lesson
– it instructs is some way.
·
The reader understands why she has taken the
time to read the essay. (1 point)
·
The story uses a specific example to illustrate
a general principle or truth. (1 point)
Narrative Elements – 5 points
The writer balances dialogue, narration, and physical
description to maximize the story’s potential.
·
The dialogue sounds realistic, specific and
natural. (1 point)
·
The narration isn’t so straightforward as to
make the read feel like she’s being hammered over the head with the point nor
so ambiguous that the writer’s thoughts/feelings are unclear. (2 points)
·
The physical descriptions are not only clear and
vivid, but necessary to the story’s sense of place and character. (2 points)
Structure – 5 points
The structure of the story makes it more dramatic and
interesting.
·
The writer has chosen an organizational
structure (either chronological time or psychological time) that makes sense
for this story. (1 point)
The writer has chosen a start, middle and end that feels
right for the story.
·
The orientation, complication and resolution are
present. (3 points)
·
All the information needed to understand the
logistics of the story are provided – nothing unnecessary is included. (1
point)
Total Points Possible: 15
Copy and paste this template as a comment on your partner’s
blog post. Include your comments for each section on the rubric.
The Story: ___ out of
5
Comments: List one thing you think the writer did well and
AT LEAST one thing that needs improvement. Explain anything else that you
noticed in giving your score.
Narrative Elements:
___ out of 5
Comments: List one thing you think the writer did well and
AT LEAST one thing that needs improvement. Explain anything else that you
noticed in giving your score.
Structure: ___ out of
5
Comments: List one thing you think the writer did well and
AT LEAST one thing that needs improvement. Explain anything else that you
noticed in giving your score.
My favorite thing about this story was ….
The detail that stuck out to me most was ….
This story could be made more exciting and memorable if you ….
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Group Activity
Many of you have probably heard the rule "Don't just show, tell, too!" Telling refers to summarizing. Showing refers to giving the reader concrete details that make the story come alive for her. Showing can be a very challenging part of retelling a personal experience.
Working with a partner, flip through Ch. 7 & 8 of The Help and look for sensory details. These are almost always an example of showing. Copy and paste this chart to one of your blogs and fill it in with examples.
When you are finished, copy and paste the chart into a new blog entry and begin to fill in some of the sensory details that are part of the experience you're retelling in your own essay.
Working with a partner, flip through Ch. 7 & 8 of The Help and look for sensory details. These are almost always an example of showing. Copy and paste this chart to one of your blogs and fill it in with examples.
| Partner's Name: |
See | |
Hear | |
Smell | |
Taste | |
Feel |
When you are finished, copy and paste the chart into a new blog entry and begin to fill in some of the sensory details that are part of the experience you're retelling in your own essay.
Writing a Narrative Essay
Tips for Writing a Narrative Essay
1. Select details carefully. A good narrative is not burdened by endless details. Provide details that move the story forward, but leave out anything that might slow its progress. In a successful narrative, every detail is significant. Suppose you are telling about the time you locked yourself out of your house and had to convince a passing officer that you were not a burglar. Details about what you ate for breakfast, the décor of your house, or how you spent the hours or days leading up to the event do not matter. Focus instead on the incident itself.
2. Incorporate dialogue. Use dialogue for dramatic moments when you want to show your reader exactly what was said and done or when you want readers to draw their own conclusions about the events that took place. For the strongest effect, use dialogue sparingly.
3. Know your purpose. The purpose of the story is its reason for existence, the reason that you find it worth telling. If no change takes place, if no lesson is learned, if nothing happens, your reader will ask impatiently, "What is the point?" Before you tell a story, know your reasons for telling it.
4. Don’t just tell, show! Examples are one of the best ways to get appoint across because they provide a concrete illustration of your point. If you say your father is sentimental, your reader gets the general idea. If you show us that his office walls are plastered in pictures you drew as a child, you give specific support to the general idea. Examples are specific illustrations, exact instances. They may range in length from a single word to a single sentence to an entire paragraph.
5. Center on conflict. Most successful narratives center around conflict. It may be inner conflict, conflict with another person, or conflict with an outside force - a tornado, an economic recession, or something else beyond the individuals' control. When the conflict ends, the story ends, too.
5. Center on conflict. Most successful narratives center around conflict. It may be inner conflict, conflict with another person, or conflict with an outside force - a tornado, an economic recession, or something else beyond the individuals' control. When the conflict ends, the story ends, too.
In-Class Writing, 9/20
Read the Langston Hughes essay, "Salvation". On your own blog, make two lists: 1) a list of things you thought worked well in the essay and 2) a list of things that didn't work for you.
Answer these questions: Did this story keep you engaged? What was its purpose?
Answer these questions: Did this story keep you engaged? What was its purpose?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
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