WRITING STATIONS Use this folder and your notes as guides to SUCCESS!
Task #1: Rate Your Essay -
Take a moment and silently rate your essay. This document can be found on my Website.
Task #2: Writing Process -
Take your paper through the writing process! Take your time, but stay productive! Remember to finish at least 3 stations a day!
Task #3: Turnitin.com -
Follow instructions in this guide in order to turn your paper in properly.
Station 1: Contractions and Pronouns How formal is your writing? Check through your paper for the following contractions and pronouns. If you see ANY, you need to change them! Contractions
Pronouns
aren’t
I, me, my, mine
can’t
you, your, yours
couldn’t
we, us, our, ours
doesn’t it’s isn’t shouldn’t they’re won’t wouldn’t
Station 2: Sentence Structure Please check ALL of your sentences for proper structure. Simple Sentence
John Steinbeck demonstrates repetition in chapter one. Subject
Predicate
Complex Sentence
If Lennie gets in trouble at the new ranch, he has been instructed to return to the river. Subordinate Clause
Independent Clause
Compound Sentence
conjunction
George realizes Lennie must die, and he decides that he must be the person to do it. Subject
Predicate
Subject
Predicate
Compound-Complex Sentence conjunction
When George realizes Curley’s wife is dead, he knows it was Lennie, and he is sad. Subordinate Clause
Subject
Predicate
Subject Predicate
Station 3: Punctuation Titles: When you type the title of a novel, you must italicize it: Titles of articles have quotation marks around them: Titles of poems have quotation marks around them:
Of Mice and Men “Death With Dignity at 29” “If”
Commas: • Use a comma to separate subordinate clauses and independent clauses. If Lennie doesn’t listen to George, George becomes angry with him. • Use a comma to separate sentences in a compound sentence. George struggles with taking care of Lennie, and Lennie does not help the situation. • Use a comma to separate an appositive that is less detailed than the noun it is modifying. George, the brains of the duo, is expected to take care of Lennie. • Use a comma to signify the presence of parallel structure in a series. Lennie ended up killing mice, a puppy, and a woman. Direct Quotes Punctuation Quotation marks:
These are placed only around the AUTHOR’S exact words. An extra SINGLE quotation mark is placed on the inside of the quote when a character is saying the direct quote.
When typed, make sure the quotation marks face the direction of the dialogue or quote. YES “ ‘Today is a beautiful day.’ ” NO ’ “Today is a beautiful day.’ “ End Punctuation:
-Periods are only placed after the internal citation. -If the direct quote includes a question mark or an exclamation mark, leave it, but you still place a period after the internal citation.
Ellipses:
Only three periods. Used in place of missing parts of quote. They are placed inside of the quotation marks with a single space between each. Look like this [ ]. ONLY USED when part of the quote has been changed. Only place around the changed part. THIS NO LONGER INCLUDES ELLIPSES UNLESS the author has used an ellipses within the directly quoted material.
Brackets:
Station 4: Direct Quotes Direct Quote from the narration with an introduction to the quote: In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck describes the character Lennie as a bear in which “[h]is arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely” (Steinbeck 2). Direct Quote from a character’s dialogue with an introduction to the quote: In Of Mice and Men, the character George demonstrates his responsibility of caring for Lennie when he says “ ‘Lennie, for God’ sakes don’t drink so much’ ” (Steinbeck 3). Direct Quote in which part of the quote was changed and removed: Original quote:
“Lennie, for God’ sakes don’t drink so much.” Lennie continued to snort into the pool. The small man leaned over and shook him be the shoulder. “Lennie, You gonna be sick like you was last night.”
Changed text:
In Of Mice and Men, the character George demonstrates his responsibility of caring for Lennie when he says “ ‘Lennie, for God’ sakes don’t drink so much... [y]ou gonna be sick like you was last night’ ” (Steinbeck 3).
Direct Quote from a poem: • Use slashes (/) to indicate line breaks within the poem • Keep all punctuation intact as it appears in the poem Maya Angelou speaks of an oppressed people in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” when she writes about a bird who “can seldom see through/his bars of rage” (Angelou).
Paraphrasing:
You should not be paraphrasing in this essay!
Internal Citations for each source: Novel: Of Mice and Men Author: John Steinbeck Citation: (Steinbeck 2). Articles: “The Downsizing of the American Dream” Author: Marianna Cooper Citation: (Cooper 1). “White man in the photo is the ‘third hero’ that night in 1968” Author: Jing Chen Citation: (Chen 1). “Why some 13-year-olds check social media 100 times a day” Author: Chuck Hadad Citation: (Hadad 1). “My right to death with dignity at 29” Author: Brittany Maynard Citation: (Maynard 1). Poems: “If” Author: Rudyard Kipling Citation: (Kipling). “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Author: Maya Angelou Citation: (Angelou). “To A Mouse” Author: Robert Burns Citation: (Burns). Speech: Field of Dreams monologue of Terrance Mann Author: Phil Alden Robinson Citation: (Robinson).
Station 5: Thesis, Topic, Background & Transitions Thesis Statement (Claim)• The most important statement in your essay • Last sentence in the introduction paragraph • Is the FATt sentence EXAMPLE: Authors John Steinbeck, Maya Angelou, and Rudyard Kipling understood the reality behind achieving a dream and considered life experiences when discussing the American Dream through the rhetorical style of paradox.
Topic Sentence• • • •
The most important sentence in your paragraph The first sentence in each body paragraph Is the smaller FATt sentence Should not be a question!
EXAMPLE: John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men reveals the paradox found in the belief of a dream and the reality of life.
Background Sentence• States the rhetorical device and the text in order to introduce the evidence EXAMPLE: Set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Of Mice and Men tells of the unlikely friendship between the main characters George and Lennie, two characters in paradox with each other and with the setting of the novel.
Transition Sentence• • • •
The final sentence of the paragraph Allows the writer to connect the evidence or analyze the evidence Is the FATt sentence reworded + the analysis Should not be a question
EXAMPLE: Through the rhetorical device of a paradox, John Steinbeck uncovers the truth about life experiences shaping a person’s dream; often times, these experiences will lead to the demise of any dream before it ever has a chance to become a reality.
Station 6: Introduction and Conclusion Introduction: 1.
Hook - Draw your reader into the topic. Try NOT to use a question!
2.
Background- What will the reader need to know in order to understand the purpose of your paper?
3. Thesis Statement- Your Thesis or Purpose Statement
The American Dream is a belief in the opportunity of prosperity and success in all avenues of a person’s life. Life has a way of shaping or destroying the reality of these dreams. Authors John Steinbeck, Maya Angelou, and Rudyard Kipling understood the reality behind achieving a dream and considered life experiences when discussing the American Dream through the rhetorical style of paradox.
Conclusion: 1. Thesis Statement- Restate your claim or purpose statement. 2. Background- Mention the essential question, the rhetorical device or the power of words. 3. Hook - Leave one lasting thought about the analysis of your topic. DO NOT USE A QUESTION!
!
The extreme opposite perspective delivered through the use of a paradox allowed Steinbeck, Angelou,
and Kipling to express the reality of life events and the dreams people experience in a lifetime. Often times the very dream that keeps a person’s hope alive is stifled by the reality of this person’s social status, society’s expected norms of this person, and/or the very grit that this person possesses. It seems, though, that the amount of grit a person has is in direct correlation to the amount of hope and endurance necessary in making dreams become reality, no matter what life has in store for them.
Station 7: Evidence & Analysis EVIDENCE: • You must have a lead in to your quote • You must have directly quoted evidence • You must have internal citations • Make sure that you follow the rules of Quotation Marks, Brackets, and Ellipses (Station 4)
At the beginning of the novel, Steinbeck is quick to compare Lennie to an animal who “...dabble[s] his big paw in the water...” and “...trie[s] not to forget” things that his companion George tells him (Steinbeck 3-4). In contrast, George is describe as a man “...with restless eyes” who “step[s] nervously...” into any situation (Steinbeck 2-3). Double Check: Do you have enough evidence to demonstrate the rhetorical device? Does your evidence show the rhetorical device?
ANALYSIS: • Does your analysis show how the author uses the rhetorical device to convey to the reader the essential question? This paradox between the characters represents the larger difference between George, who understands the reality of their existence as migrant workers during the Great Depression, and Lennie, who’s mental disability inhibits his understanding of the harsh world around him. Steinbeck paints this paradox between the characters in order for the readers to ponder the deeper message of life experiences shaping and/or destroying a person’s reality. George is charged with taking care of Lennie, and this charge is exacerbated by the extreme conditions of this time period, which ultimately destroys George’s chances of ever achieving his dreams.
Station 8: Proofreading 1.
Read through your own essay and fix mistakes in your paper. Read your paper quietly to yourself, but read it out loud!
2.
Read through each one of your group member’s essays. If you need to, SAY the paper aloud to catch the mistakes.
Station 9: MLA Formatting PAGE NUMBERS
1.
a. Place this in the heading with your last name and number. The first page should be your last
name with a 1. In your Google Doc, you will find this under INSERT, PAGE NUMBER.
TITLE
2.
a. Center this title and bold it. This should be labeled:
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Works Cited Page
3. a. b.
Works Cited pages are a SEPARATE PAGE in your essay The title of this page is Works Cited in the center like: Works Cited
c. d.
Your source information should be organized in alphabetical order If you have questions, look first to my example included in this folder!
Station 10: TURN IT IN
How to Upload Your Paper to Turnitin.com 1. Under the Class Portfolio Tab, find the assignment titled Rhetorical Analysis Essay 2. Press Submit 3. Type Rhetorical Analysis Essay in Submission Title 4. Click Google Drive to find your Rhetorical Analysis Essay 5. Press Upload
