Thursday, September 18 2008

Today’s Agenda

1) Let’s begin today by getting out our copies of Tuesday’s With Morrie. Turn to page 40. On this page, Morrie and Mitch talk about the “tension of opposites.” What is this all about?

2) General Discussion of “Tension of Opposites”

3) Okay, now that we have talked about the tension of opposites, I want you to get out your journal and open to a new journal entry. For the next 10 -15 minutes, we are going to write an entry on the following topic:

Whether you know it or not, as you were writing you were beginning to describe something that is similar to the “tension of opposites” that is described in Tuesdays with Morrie. That is to say, you are writing about how you transitioned from one understanding of yourself and your world to a different understanding of yourself and your world, and how that transition “pulled” or changed you.

I want you to write a full page in which you describe what this “tension of opposites” was like for you. Describe what life was like for you before this person had a major impact on you, and what life was life afterwards.

2) Let’s get into groups of three. I want you to begin today by discussing how the writing you just did could be incorporated effectively into your literacy autobiography WITHOUT taking it on as a “moral to the story.” In other words, how can you “show” this transition to the reader and not “tell it” to him or her?

3) Class Discussion.

3) Now I want you to begin editing your groupmates’ work:

a. Basic grammar: Sentence fragments and run-on sentences

b. Proper punctuation

c. Capitalization

d. Opportunities to move from GENERAL Details to SPECIFIC DETAILS

Homework:  Re-draft your essay to reflect the changes suggested by the people in your group, and also incorporate your “tension of opposites” writing into the draft. Bring three copies with you to class on TUESDAY. Also, read and annotate 89-122.

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