Wednesday

Today we will take notes on "dashes", discuss parallelism, and look at the Syntax Primer again, before returning to work on your essays. 

Tuesday

Today, we will take notes on colons and look at a syntax primer. We will also work on essays. 

Monday

 I do want to see where most of your are on your essays. Remember you should have in-text citations and a works cited page on your essays. I will have you check these at the end of the class. 

What we will be doing first today is taking a little quiz. I want to say you a speech and I want you to write down 1) The hook 2) Thesis 3) Order of Development 4) Personal Connection 5) Any other type of evidence he uses other than personal connections 5) Discuss his conclusion.

Thursday

 Today we are going to take notes on semi-colons and look at the essay "Pain". You will also have some time to work on writing.

Wednesday

 Today we are going to take some grammar notes about commas, and then work on essays.

Tomorrow we will look at semi-colons and read "Pain" by Diane Ackerman.

Please remember that you need to cite in MLA format.

EXPOSITORY ESSAYS 

Unit Learning goal: Students will be able to research, write and perform an original expository essay that informs or explains some idea, task, or problem of the student’s choice.  

 

Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:

4 – The student can write and perform an original expository speech that both informs/explains and persuades some idea or problem of that the student is interested in.  The writing and performance are both exemplarily effective. 

3 – The student is able to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student is able to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

Students will be able to

1) Write a hook, thesis statement, and order of development

2) Organize an essay according to introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and conclusion

3) Write a proper conclusion

4) Use specifics to back up ideas

5) Use the order of development as a map for the essay

6) Cite sources according to proper MLA format

7) Deliver a speech by making eye contact, using proper pronunciation and effective enunciation, and avoiding the use of “uhms” or other filler words or sounds.

MLA

1) Last Name/First Name of Author
2) Title of article or title of webpage
3) Title of book or website
4) Place of publication
5) Publisher
6) Date of publication
7) Page number
8) Source of publication (example: Web, Print, DVD, etc)
9) (Internet) Date of access.

go here for sample MLA Citation pages or in-text citations.

Here are two short - but decent - videos are in-text citations and works cited page

Go HERE and Also go here for an additional video on WORKS CITED PAGE 

The best place to go for help with MLA structure or any other essay question is Purdue OWL online.

For Parallel Structure go HERE

	Thesis	Organization	Evidence (Concrete Details)	Analysis (Commentary)	Style/Audience	Conventions
5	The thesis statement is clear, well-developed and relevant to the topic.	Transitions within and between paragraphs flow smoothly.	There are four well chosen, concrete details or examples of evidence in each paragraph.  **The concrete details support the thesis.	All commentary synthesizes concrete details and supports the thesis statement.**	The style is engaging and effective.	The essay contains few if any errors in the conventions* of the English language.  (Errors are generally first-draft in nature.)
4	The thesis statement is clear and relevant to the topic.	The structure within paragraphs is clear and easy to follow.	There are three concrete details or examples of evidence in each paragraph.  The concrete details support the thesis.	All commentary explains concrete details and supports the thesis statement.	The style is appropriate for an academic paper.	The essay contain some errors in the conventions* of the English language.  (Errors do not interfere with the reader’s understanding of the essay.)
3	The thesis statement is somewhat relevant to the topic and/or somewhat clear.	There are clear introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs.	There are two  concrete details or examples of evidence. AND/OR Some concrete details from the text support the thesis.	Some or most commentary explains the concrete details and supports the thesis statement. AND/OR Commentary re-states concrete detail.	The style is sometimes appropriate for an academic paper.	The essay contains several errors in the conventions* of the English language.  (Errors may interfere with the reader’s understanding of the essay.)
2	The thesis statement is not clear.	The essay is missing an introduction, body or concluding paragraph.	There are some concrete details.	Some or all commentary is unclear or irrelevant and does not support the thesis statement.	The style is rarely appropriate for an academic paper.	The essay contains serious errors in the conventions* of the English language.  (Errors interfere with the reader’s understanding of the essay.)
1	The thesis statement is missing or off topic.	There is no organization to the essay.	There are no concrete details.	The writer does not include commentary.	The style is never appropriate for an academic paper.	The paper is incomprehensible because of the number of convention* errors.

* Conventions of the English language refer to grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization and usage.

** Details from text must be cited appropriately and all commentary must be of the writer’s own views and thoughts.  Plagiarism is not tolerated and will result in a zero for the assignment.

 

 

Tuesday

 Today we will discuss briefly MLA works cited page and then you will have time to write. Please note that I will be looking at and commenting on your essays as you write.

Monday

 Today we are going to look at an essay - either "The Truth About Lying" or "I Want A Wife" - and discuss what is success with each. We will look at a National speech and discuss hook, intro, and conclusion. And I will give you some time to write.

Friday

 Today, I want you to continue working on your expository essays, but I do want to talk briefly about hooks.

Tuesday

 Today, we will be reading “Campus Racism 101” – by Nikki Giovanni and discussing what makes a good expository essay. We will also be looking at an essay by Al Weber.

Work Cited

Diyanni, Robert. One Hundred Great Essays. 4^th ed. New York: Pearson. Print.

Dylan, Bob. Perf., “Forever young”. Planet Waves. Asylum Records 1974. CD.

Fielding, Kent. “DDF Performance Showcase 2008” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

Kennedy, M. David and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant. 15^th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. Print.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993.

Print.

Lippman, Walter. The Cold War. Primary Sources Workshops in American History. Learner.org, n.d. Web. 28 April 2015.

Roosevelt, Franklin. Day of Infamy. 7 Dec. 1941. Radio clip.

Star Wars. Disney.com, n.d. Web.28 April 2015.

X, Malcolm. The Ballot or the Bullet, 1964. Social Justice Speeches. Web. 28 April 2015.

 

How to be a Successful Salesperson

There are two types of people in this world: followers and leaders. As a salesperson it is your job to be a leader. If you are a master at sales you should be able to read your customer and weave a story about your product to fit their amusement so enticing that they believe it was their personal idea and they cannot live without that product. As Lau Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher of Taoism, stated “The best leaders are those their people hardly know exist.”.

            To bring the sale to a close and have a enjoyable experience for both you and your customer you must do five simple steps.

Dress Appropriately. This is common sense for most people, but others will struggle with this idea. Here is some motivation: according to Business Insider first impressions are formed within seven to seventeen seconds of meeting someone and fifty five percent of a person’s opinion is determined by physical appearance. The way you dress could well be the deal breaker between the two thousand dollar sale and a walk out the door.

Have good body posture. If you are slouching over a display case or slinking around the floor you will not exude confidence. Customers will catch onto this and will be less likely to follow you or trust you. During face to face meetings, 93% of people's judgments of others are based on non-verbal input like body language. How you stand, sit, and shake hands communicates a lot more than what you say. Eye contact is included in this. To build a trusting relationship with another person your eyes should connect about 70 to 80% of the time. This shows your customer two things. First: that you are listening to their story and what they wish. Second: that you like them. While you should make eye contact, do not stare, or excessively blink. Too much blinking is suspicious. Adults normally blink around 15 to 20 times per minute. When under pressure, or stressed, blinking increases (Bill Clinton’s blink rate during his deposition was at 92 blinks per minute)

Greet and read the customer. In order to welcome the client a general “Hello” or “Welcome to (enter store name here)” will suffice. This instantly tells the purchaser that you are there to help them. You are essentially their waiter/host while they are in the gallery. Next, figure out for whom they are shopping for by asking leading questions such as “what brings you to Kirmse’s?” or more directly “Who are you shopping for and how can I help?” By asking questions such as these you learn what type of customer they are. There are essentially four different types of purchasers.

The first, buys for others. If they are shopping for their ten year old daughter who is likely to lose her bracelet in a couple of weeks then gain their trust by steering them to a less expensive item so that they are more willing to buy it. If a customer is shopping for their significant other you can deliver your own expert advice about pricier pieces: this added knowledge will often sway their opinions about the product. There has been many a time that I have been forced to choose a necklace to surprise someone’s fiancé.

The second, buys for themselves. These people are some of the easiest to sell to because they know their taste and they know their budget. All you have to do is wait it out, present all of the pieces, listen, and be pleasant. Remember though that customers usually lie about their budget and will typically spend a bit more than they state if they are taken by the piece.

The third, waits for others who are shopping. If you get stuck with the elderly gentleman that simply wants to know your life story as his wife shops find him a stool and like an ex-couple politely, but firmly, move on. You do not need to babysit him. In fact he will probably be happier now that he can simply sit and wait rather than have to maintain conversation. UNLESS you have no other customers to attend to…..  then keep him happy so his wife is comfortable shopping for a long time, knowing that he is engaged and content) It’s a truly skilled saleswoman who manages to take coin from the waiting husband.   

The fourth, “just looking”. There is no “just looking” person. They entered your store for a reason. Subconsciously they are there to buy something. It is your job to continue to ask leading questions until you find that one person they forgot to get a gift for, or the birthday that they forgot.

Present the product. In order to give off all of the superb qualities of your product you must truly believe in it. Make sure that you believe 100% in your product. People either follow leaders or are leaders. Make sure that they are following you. If there is any hesitancy or dishonesty in your sales pitch customers will sniff it out like a dog to meat and will instantly jump off your bandwagon. Furthermore, The customer is NOT always right. Often times customers will tell you that they know everything there is to know about your product and that you are selling something fake or too expensive. Although they may be an expert on that type of thing; you are an expert on your merchandise. One time I was taking care of a lady who was trying on a pair of Amber earrings. She clearly adored them, and also clearly wished for a discount. After several hours of requesting for a cut in the price I finally gave her the last NO. She went on to say that, as an avid Amber collector, she recognized these earrings as pseudo-Amber and again demanded a discount. I remained calm and professional, and held my ground that they were true Amber, and eventually she bought them at full price. 

Take it to the cash register. Once your client has found a couple of items that they like begin to lead them to a “close”. You might say “would you like me to set these over by the counter as you continue to look around?” or “Will you be paying cash or using a credit card?” this brings up the idea that they will actually be making the purchase rather than just ogling and drooling over the items.  

            If done correctly, you and the customer should have an enjoyable experience. No one should have to feel bullied or bullied into a sale. In the end customers  will be appreciative of your expert guidance and the knowledge they’ve gained. They will then leave your store with their purchase, and good words on their lips to spread your excellent reputation 

-- Al Weber 

 

Monday

 Today we are going to begin/continue informative essays. We will be looking at a national informative speech and reading the essay "Campus Racism 101". I will also be giving you a handout on “The Elements of Effective Expository Writing”.

Unit Learning goal: Students will be able to research, write and perform an original expository essay that informs or explains some idea, task, or problem of the student’s choice.  

 

Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:

4 – The student can write and perform an original expository speech that both informs/explains and persuades some idea or problem of that the student is interested in.  The writing and performance are both exemplarily effective. 

3 – The student is able to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student is able to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

Students will be able to

1) Write a hook, thesis statement, and order of development

2) Organize an essay according to introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and conclusion

3) Write a proper conclusion

4) Use specifics to back up ideas

5) Use the order of development as a map for the essay

6) Cite sources according to proper MLA format

7) Deliver a speech by making eye contact, using proper pronunciation and effective enunciation, and avoiding the use of “uhms” or other filler words or sounds.

 

Anchor Text(s)/Additional Instructional Resources:

 

Handout – “The elements of effective expository writing”

Sample Essays: “Campus Racism 101” – Nikki Giovanni; “The Truth About Lying” – Judith Viorst; “Pain” – Diane Ackerman.

ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS:

 

How do you inform someone about an issue, or explain to someone how to do something?  What makes a speech effective?  What are you passionate about?   How can you show that to someone?  

 

Essential Questions:

 

What makes a good hook?  What makes a strong thesis statement or conclusion?  What makes a memorable essay or speech? 

MLA

1) Last Name/First Name of Author
2) Title of article or title of webpage
3) Title of book or website
4) Place of publication
5) Publisher
6) Date of publication
7) Page number
8) Source of publication (example: Web, Print, DVD, etc)
9) (Internet) Date of access.

go here for sample MLA Citation pages or in-text citations.

Here are two short - but decent - videos are in-text citations and works cited page

Go HERE and Also go here for an additional video on WORKS CITED PAGE 

The best place to go for help with MLA structure or any other essay question is Purdue OWL online.

For Parallel Structure go HERE

Intro:

*Immediately engage reader (attention getter)

·       get the reader “in the ballpark”

          *Establish context (topic of essay)

·       usually 2-3 sentences narrowing down to the point of the paper

·       cite your source with title and author (if using one source)

          *Strong & complete thesis statement

Body:

*Begin paragraphs with a clear, concise topic sentence

·       *Use concrete details (CD)

·       these include facts or quotes

·       cite sources when necessary (simplified: such as author’s last name & pg #)

·       *Create insightful commentary to support concrete details (2-3 comments per CD)

·       shoot for at least 2 CD per paragraph (+ commentary)

        

                    

Conclusion:
       *Transition into summary of key points

*Restate thesis (say it another way!)

*Refer back to the attention getter and tie things up

       *Answer “So what?”

·       Leave reader feeling persuaded or at least challenged

·       This personal comment can include a universal observation
(a prediction), a call to action (a recommendation) or a scare
(a veiled threat)

Suggested sentence starter for commentary:

        “This shows that…” (eventually teach kids to eliminate it)

        “This proves that…”

“This demonstrates that…”

 

Suggested sentence starters for conclusion:

        “We need to…”

        “It’s our responsibility to …”

        “It’s important to…”

        “In order to______, we must…”

        “It would be to our benefit to…”

Encourage:
        Incorporate transitions           
        Use high-level vocab

Vary sentence patterns          
Create a strong “voice”

   

*The number of paragraphs and the organization of the essay will vary.

 

 

Expository Essay Rubric

	Thesis	Organization	Evidence (Concrete Details)	Analysis (Commentary)	Style/Audience	Conventions
4	The thesis statement is clear, well-developed and relevant to the topic.  It is engaging.	Transitions within and between paragraphs flow smoothly	There are three well chosen, concrete details/evidence from the text in each paragraph. ** The concrete details support the thesis	All commentary synthesizes and supports the thesis statement. **	The style is engaging and effective	The essay contains few if any errors in the conventions* of the English language
3	The thesis statement is clear and relevant to the topic	There structure within paragraphs is easy to follow	There are two to three details from the text.  The details support the thesis.	Some or most of the commentary explains concrete details and supports the thesis	The style is appropriate for an academic paper	The essay contains some errors in the conventions of the English language.  Errors do not interfere with the reader’s understanding of the essay.
2	The thesis is not relevant to topic or is not clear	The essay is missing an introduction, body or concluding paragraph	There are some concrete details.	Commentary is either unclear or irrelevant and does not support the thesis	They style is sometimes appropriate for an academic paper.	The essay contains several errors in the conventions of the English language.
1	No Thesis	Little organization.	No concrete details	No commentary	Style is not appropriate for an academic paper.

 

Thursday

 Today, you have about 20-25 minutes to finish your review guides and then we will go over them.

We might get to expository writing by the end of the class. 

EXPOSITORY ESSAYS 

Unit Learning goal: Students will be able to research, write and perform an original expository essay that informs or explains some idea, task, or problem of the student’s choice.  

 

Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:

4 – The student can write and perform an original expository speech that both informs/explains and persuades some idea or problem of that the student is interested in.  The writing and performance are both exemplarily effective. 

3 – The student is able to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student is able to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to write an original expository speech that informs or explains something that the student is interested in.

Students will be able to

1) Write a hook, thesis statement, and order of development

2) Organize an essay according to introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and conclusion

3) Write a proper conclusion

4) Use specifics to back up ideas

5) Use the order of development as a map for the essay

6) Cite sources according to proper MLA format

7) Deliver a speech by making eye contact, using proper pronunciation and effective enunciation, and avoiding the use of “uhms” or other filler words or sounds.

MLA

1) Last Name/First Name of Author
2) Title of article or title of webpage
3) Title of book or website
4) Place of publication
5) Publisher
6) Date of publication
7) Page number
8) Source of publication (example: Web, Print, DVD, etc)
9) (Internet) Date of access.

go here for sample MLA Citation pages or in-text citations.

Here are two short - but decent - videos are in-text citations and works cited page

Go HERE and Also go here for an additional video on WORKS CITED PAGE 

The best place to go for help with MLA structure or any other essay question is Purdue OWL online.

For Parallel Structure go HERE

	Thesis	Organization	Evidence (Concrete Details)	Analysis (Commentary)	Style/Audience	Conventions
5	The thesis statement is clear, well-developed and relevant to the topic.	Transitions within and between paragraphs flow smoothly.	There are four well chosen, concrete details or examples of evidence in each paragraph.  **The concrete details support the thesis.	All commentary synthesizes concrete details and supports the thesis statement.**	The style is engaging and effective.	The essay contains few if any errors in the conventions* of the English language.  (Errors are generally first-draft in nature.)
4	The thesis statement is clear and relevant to the topic.	The structure within paragraphs is clear and easy to follow.	There are three concrete details or examples of evidence in each paragraph.  The concrete details support the thesis.	All commentary explains concrete details and supports the thesis statement.	The style is appropriate for an academic paper.	The essay contain some errors in the conventions* of the English language.  (Errors do not interfere with the reader’s understanding of the essay.)
3	The thesis statement is somewhat relevant to the topic and/or somewhat clear.	There are clear introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs.	There are two  concrete details or examples of evidence. AND/OR Some concrete details from the text support the thesis.	Some or most commentary explains the concrete details and supports the thesis statement. AND/OR Commentary re-states concrete detail.	The style is sometimes appropriate for an academic paper.	The essay contains several errors in the conventions* of the English language.  (Errors may interfere with the reader’s understanding of the essay.)
2	The thesis statement is not clear.	The essay is missing an introduction, body or concluding paragraph.	There are some concrete details.	Some or all commentary is unclear or irrelevant and does not support the thesis statement.	The style is rarely appropriate for an academic paper.	The essay contains serious errors in the conventions* of the English language.  (Errors interfere with the reader’s understanding of the essay.)
1	The thesis statement is missing or off topic.	There is no organization to the essay.	There are no concrete details.	The writer does not include commentary.	The style is never appropriate for an academic paper.	The paper is incomprehensible because of the number of convention* errors.

* Conventions of the English language refer to grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization and usage.

** Details from text must be cited appropriately and all commentary must be of the writer’s own views and thoughts.  Plagiarism is not tolerated and will result in a zero for the assignment.