tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29432616565431300422024-03-14T01:56:48.352-07:00From the Classroom of Mrs. MendelisA collection of reflection about our work in ELA 8.MrsMendelishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00168314506219894748noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943261656543130042.post-43063291245211351452012-10-29T07:46:00.000-07:002012-10-29T07:46:00.371-07:00Central and Support: How are they related?<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Writers use a central idea to drive <u>all</u> decisions made about a piece of writing.</strong></div>
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We've been thinking through the ways the ideas of "central" and "support" are related. Students have sketched the idea, and we've ended up with pictures of the earth, the heart and brain, race tracks, basketball courts, and solar systems. From these sketches, some great quotes have emerged about the relationship between "center" and "support":</div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"All the attention goes to the center." ~ Lindsay</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New;">"Everything leads to the center." ~Jake W.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New;">"The center is the main attraction." ~Samantha</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New;">"The center is the piece everyone looks at." ~Alexia</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New;">"The center controls the other parts." ~Patrick & Melissa</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New;">"Without support, the center can't exist." ~RJ</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New;">"The center controls the support." ~Erin</span></strong></div>
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When this thinking is applied to writing, it's much easier to look at our <a href="http://jmendelis.blogspot.com/p/sample-character-analysis-essay.html" target="_blank">mentor text</a> to notice how the central idea is supported. The purpose of a Character Analysis essay is to analyze a character, not to retell the story. With this purpose in mind, create a central idea for your essay and base all other writing decisions around it. As writers, this central idea is what makes meaning for your readers!</div>
MrsMendelishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00168314506219894748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943261656543130042.post-80047830939821053632012-10-24T09:30:00.003-07:002012-10-24T18:16:12.398-07:00Writing Character Analysis EssaysWow, I am noticing some really great things happening as we draft our Character Analysis Essays. As I conference with you, I'm really noticing how well you know the plot of your independent book or short story. When I ask questions about your main character and the events that he/she went through, I always get a detailed answer. I haven't had one person tell me "I'm not done reading," and what a smile it puts on my face to see you feeling like readers!<br />
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Something I am noticing though that I feel I need to address is the "Plot Summary Trap," I see many writers falling into. . . <br />
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<strong>As writers, it's important to remember the purpose of the genre in which you are writing.</strong> <br />
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As you write your Character Analysis Essay, you should remember <em>why</em> you are writing it and what purpose Character Analysis serves as a piece of writing. This might mean you read through the mentor text (<a href="http://jmendelis.blogspot.com/p/sample-character-analysis-essay.html" target="_blank">here)</a> a few times to get a feel for what a Character Analysis Essay is for. The purpose is <em>not</em> to retell the plot of the text you've read. It's to analyze a character's significant change over the course of a text. <br />
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If you aren't sure what significant change your character made, use some of the sharing we did in class about it (also in your Reading Journal). Did your character realize any of these lessons?<br />
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