Your first working draft is due this Monday. Make sure to bring to copies of your paper and upload your paper to turnitin.com in the appropriate folder. This working draft should not be the first thing that you've written. It should be properly edited and spellchecked and it should have undergone at least some revision before I read it. The less work you do on the draft the more work you will have to do to revise it. The less complete your draft is the less I can do to advise you.
We will continue to read Outliers this week. Chapter nine is the last chapter that we will be reading for our first paper and is the chapter that most concerns education. Again, as you read this chapter think about how you could apply Gladwell's observations to your own ideal learning environment. What does KIPP Academy provide for Marita? How does Marita have to respond to get the most out of this environment?
Wednesday's reading from Outliers, "The Trouble with Geniuses, Part I" will be part of the basis for your in-class midterm exam. The following chapter will also play a part in the exam. This midterm exam will be open book and open note. I will ask you a question that looks just like this: "What does Gladwell mean when he writes (X)? To what degree is this assertion valid? Write a three page (minimum) essay that responds to these two questions. To develop your position, be sure to discuss specific examples; those examples can be drawn from anything you've read as well as your own observations and experiences. Remember to read the quotation within the context in which Gladwell wrote it." Our final will follow the same format. You will have one hour to respond to the question, and twenty minutes to revise.
Monday:
Read/View:
Gladwell, Outliers, 250-69
Rules for Writers, 50-66
This video on MLA formatting
Due:
- Polished Working Draft x2 hard copies. An electronic copy must be uploaded to turnitin.com. The password is "Waxon!" not "Wax on!" as stated in the website.
- Study Question: What is Marita's bargain? Remember your study question should have a paragraph long response.
Read:
Gladwell, Outliers, 69-90
Double Entry Reflection Journal
Note: On Wednesday, we will not meet in class. Nonetheless, you will have work to do. Your "attendance" for the day will be recorded by your completion of the MLA Boot Camp handout. I am also asking you to complete the abstract revision sheet as this is what we would have done in class. These were handed out in class on Monday. Your homework credit will be determined by the completing of a double entry reflection journal. I will collect these on next Monday in addition to the homework due on that day.
