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Students must complete two pieces of summary-and-response writing (total) for the semester, one piece of writing for short fiction and one for drama, per deadlines on the syllabus-schedule.
The syllabus-schedule will help you set deadlines, including the dates we’ll go over each genre.
You may write on any of the works we cover for each genre. Bring the finished, typed-up product to class.
SPECIFICATIONS: 10- or 12-point typeface, 1” margin all around, name/date/class clearly identified, DOUBLE-SPACED.
For each assignment, choose one literary item:
FICTION = one full story
DRAMA = one full section from a play
FOR
WRITING:
Draft and develop a brief (two to three page) paper in response to your chosen literary item. Follow this sequence to organize your ideas:
PARAGRAPH #1 = INTRODUCTION that clearly identifies your item and establishes an interpretive thesis
3 PARAGRAPHS = detailed SUMMARY of the item, with quotes and specifics that advance your thesis
3 to 4 PARAGRAPHS = RESPONSE, playing off of the SUMMARY to prove your interpretive thesis
closing PARAGRAPH = CONCLUSION, with strong and convincing thesis re-statement
(NOTE: A full paragraph consists of at least three sentences — one to introduce the topic, one to develop it, and one to conclude the paragraph.)
Overall, craft your paper to present your own ideas on the meaning and value of the literary item.
EVALUATION: The teacher will grade each assignment on a zero-to-ten point scale, from unacceptable to excellent, based on 5 criteria (two points each):
DEMONSTRATED CLOSE READING (Do you show careful textual review?)
ANALYTIC VALUE (Is your summary complete, coherent, and insightful?)
INTERPRETIVE VALUE (How convincing is your interpretive thesis and response?)
WRITING MECHANICS (sentence structure, paragraph structure, essay structure)
GRAMMAR (correctness of English)