English 9 OMM and The Depression

1. English 9 OMM and The Depression Week 5: Review, Argument Essay

2. 10/21-10/25English 9: OMM & The Depression

3. OMM Essay “’Tell me like you done before’” (104).

4. “The best laid schemes of mice and menGo often awry,And leave us nothing but grief and pain,For promised joy!” • Robert Burns

5. Of Mice and Men Argument Essay • Topic: Should Lennie be held accountable for his actions? • or • Should George have shot Lennie, and should he be punished?

6. Description • Objective: Successfully apply standard W1: Write arguments to support claims, using reasoning and evidence. • Assignment: Write a 650+ word argument essay supporting your position on one of the above topics. • Introduce a claim • Develop claim and counterclaim through evidence • Use, punctuate, and cite three quotes accurately and effectively • Use transitions effectively • Use a formal style and tone • Apply formal essay structure with an engaging introduction, supportive body, and summative conclusion. • Include an MLA-formatted Works Cited page

7. Grammar Goals: I will edit and grade your paper for the stated requirements, as well as the grammar rules below. • Capitalize proper nouns • A pronoun must agree with its antecedent • Use a comma after an introductory phrase (like a prepositional phrase) • Punctuate clauses appropriately: an independent clause requires a period; a dependent clause should be set off with a comma.

8. Steps: We will complete the following steps in the course of this essay • Day 1: Support—take notes on the assignment requirements so you can better fulfill them • Day 2: Prewriting—brainstorm ideas for your topic and develop a thesis • Day 3: Outlining—gather and organize evidence, support, and a counterclaim. Learn how to use and punctuate quotes; learn transition words and phrases. • Day 4: Developing—work on an effective introduction and conclusion • Once all steps are complete, we will go into the computer lab to type the essay. You will have two days in the lab to type, so you should have the goal of 325+ words a day (roughly three paragraphs).

9. The Thesis: the mostimportant sentence in your paper • Statement, not a question (one or two sentences) • Sums up the “point” of your essay • Something that can be argued/proven, not a simple fact • Organizing sentence for the whole essay (mini-roadmap) • Appears at end of introduction (last sentence in intro)

10. Example • Lennie should not be held accountable for his actions because • his IQ is too low for him to understand the consequences • it is George’s responsibility to look after him • and the guys should have known never to leave him alone when Curley’s wife is wandering around.

11. Counterclaim: acknowledge The other guy • An argument the opposing side would uphold • Imagine your opposition • Imagine its support • Argue against it!

12. Example • Some people would say Lennie is responsible for his actions • because he is an adult • but they don’t realize that mentally, he is only as aware as a young child.

13. Evidence: everyone needs support • You must support your ideas with evidence from the text (or other texts) • Evidence is: • Specific examples • Quotes(dialogue or narration) • Evidence is NOT: • Generalizations (general or vague statements)

14. examples Good Evidence Bad Evidence Lennie is not a violent person by nature He is always nice to everybody • Lennie is not a violent person by nature • For example, when Curley beats him up, he only fights back when George tells him to. How do you know???

15. Transitions: Tell the Reader where you’re going • A transition can be a simple word or phrase • First, next, finally • Conjunctions are transition words • However, furthermore, therefore, and, but, ultimately, etc. • Use at the beginning of each paragraph, and within paragraphs to indicate added information or a change in flow

16. example • The first major reason Lennie should not be held accountable for his actions is… • Furthermore,…. • Some may say he should be punished because he is an adult; however, they don’t realize he truly has the mind of a child. • In summation,…

17. Formal Style and Tone: Writing an academic essay Avoid Do Do talk about the events in the story in the present tense unless the action takes place before the story begins (like the events in Weed, or George and Lennie’s childhood) Maintain academic, formal word choice (diction) • Avoid using the 1st person (I, me, I think, in my opinion) • Avoid using the 2nd person (you) • Avoid referring to the essay itself (in this essay, in this paragraph, etc.) • Avoid fillers and casual language (“like,” slang words)

18. Examples Present Tense Past Tense Because of what happened in Weed, the guys should know not to leave Lennie alone with Curley’s wife. • In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck describes Lennie using animal imagery to show that he is less mentally developed than George.

19. OMM Essay Prewriting Write the above title on a piece of binder paper. Then, respond to the prompts: • Journal/Quickwrite • Write a one-paragraph response to one of the essay prompts • Brainstorm • Now that you have an idea of what you want to write about, brainstorm three to five specific reasons you feel and think the way you do.