river oaks [english]

As you work on your memory books this week and next, you should also be working on the end-of-year writing assignments. I've given you a handout (if you were on class): A letter to your future self -- imagine yourself four years from now...where will you be, and what will you be doing? Is it what you planned? What do you hope to remember about NOW? What's important? Address your future self in a letter (standard form), and enclose it in a self-address envelope. I won't read it, but I do need to know you've done it, so don't seal it. A reflective poem or paragraph that will serve as the introduction to your memory book. What is your overall impression of your high school years? What do you want to remember most? Finally, write a poem about your senior class (or graduation). The form and tone of the poem is up to you: funny, serious or sad; rhyming couplets, ballad, or free verse. However you write it, though, please take it seriously. A copy of this poem s...

It's the assignment you've all been waiting for: the memory book. Your assignment is to gather material for a scrapbook that will cover the last four years of your life. Treat it as a document of your high school career. Please start with a LARGE book, not one of the wee little books that you can find some places. Get a BIG one (12 X 12). For each year of high school, you are required to have at least four pages organized into the following categories, but not limited to the examples provided: (1) Student Life -- school-related stuff, friends, sports, spirit groups (2) Personal Life -- family, faith and friends (3) News/Culture -- focus on what you personally were into or affected by CNN Time Magazine Infoplease NOTE: Two sheets front and back for every year = 16 total pages (8 sheets). You can certainly go over this minimum requirement. Although everyone is required to use these same basic categories, consider them as starting points. You can break each category into secti...

The time has come to turn in all of your stuff pertaining to the research paper.  Please include ALL of the following in your folder: Your final draft , in a report cover - MLA formatting, including a header on the first page, numbering, and a works cited page (NOT your annotated bib) Your rough drafts , including both the one I wrote on and the one you wrote in class Your sources , stapled with note cards, arranged in the order they appear on your works cited page A couple of all-purpose reminders:  You must USE all of your sources .  I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating.  It is not enough to simply SAY that you used them; I need to see evidence (in-text citations in the final draft corresponding to highlighted passages in your source). Make absolutely certain that you have cited everything that you've used and that all sources are included on your works cited page and in your folder . See you tomorrow.  I'll give you instructions on where to turn in l...

Your next assignment is to create an annotated bibliography .  Format according to MLA and include the following: CITATION - based on the forms on your sheet and covered in class ANNOTATION - brief statement relating the source to your topic (in other words, explain why you used the source) Both the  Purdue site  and the site at  UNC have explanations and examples ( that a re considerably longer than what I've required here). DUE Wednesday! Also bring a  printout of your latest draft.  Please do this at home if at all possible to avoid a traffic jam in the library.  Thanks.

Just a reminder to everyone that I will be at the ULM library from about 3:00 to 5:00 on Sunday to help you guys find sources.  Don't forget to bring your USB drive , and you might also want to bring some change for copies (there are books there too, you know).  If no one shows up at 3:00, then I'll probably be across the street grading papers.  See you then!

As discussed in class, MOST of your secondary sources need to come from “scholarly journals.” The best source for journal articles is a subscription database like the following: EBSCO – a collection of databases, including full-text articles Go to the Ouachita Parish Library (or website: http://www.oplib.org ) Click on “Other Links” in the left column Click on “CLICK HERE for our subscription database links” Click on EBSCO Enter your library card number (if not in library) Select a database (I suggest Literary Reference Center) Search using keywords (i.e. "frankenstein AND criticism") Save and/or print You can also access the State Library of Louisiana directly, but you still need an ID. JSTOR – full-text scholarly articles Go to the ULM Library's list of databases Choose JSTOR (or Literature Resource Center) enter user name and password (if off-campus) search using keywords (string together using “and”) click ...

Great Books Lists (just what it says)

Your assignment for tonight (and the rest of the week) is to gather sources from the Internet related to your topic. Remember to try a variety of keyword terms. If you cannot find something that is directly related to your topic, don't give up. You may to "browse" through titles and read some abstracts (summaries). This will take some time and some work, but if you follow my process, you will get it done. This week (and next) bring what you find. We will evaluate your sources and, if found reliable, we will discuss how to create a bibliographic citation for each. You will need your note cards for this, so please bring them to class. The 4X6 note cards work best. You will need a dozen or so, depending on how many sources you find. Please evaluate each source before printing: Relevance -- Is the source related directly to your topic? How long is the article, more than a page? Can you use the source more than once? Do you NEED the source? Reliability -- Is the source re...