Welcome to the English 11B Writing Folder Page!
This page includes all of the directions you need for the Writing Folder in English 11B. They are available to you at any time in case you need them. If there is anything that cannot be answered here, you can contact me and I can help clear anything up. My e-mail is listed at the top of the page.
If at any time, the directions are changed, adjusted, or revised, I will note it below.
Last Revision: July 17, 2014
If at any time, the directions are changed, adjusted, or revised, I will note it below.
Last Revision: July 17, 2014
Writing Project Descriptions
Below are the writing project direction. You must write a five paragraph essay for each, EXCEPT for the descriptive essay, that is a series of three, two paragraph essays.
After turning in a rough draft, please continue on to the next essay. DO NOT WAIT FOR THE ROUGH DRAFT TO BE RETURNED. Begin the next essay and the rough draft will be returned to you, at which point you may revise that draft and send it in for a final grade. The directions to your next essays are all included on this page.
If you have a Gmail account, I would prefer that you send your essays to me that way rather than using Odyssey Writer.
After turning in a rough draft, please continue on to the next essay. DO NOT WAIT FOR THE ROUGH DRAFT TO BE RETURNED. Begin the next essay and the rough draft will be returned to you, at which point you may revise that draft and send it in for a final grade. The directions to your next essays are all included on this page.
If you have a Gmail account, I would prefer that you send your essays to me that way rather than using Odyssey Writer.
Persuasive Essay
For this project, you’ll be writing a persuasive essay. A persuasive essay is as the name implies: an essay that aims to persuade. Your primary goal is to convince the reader to agree with your stance on an issue.
Persuasive essays can be on a variety of topics. I will let you write on any topic you’d like, but I must approve it first. I encourage you to choose school topics, but that is not required. You may write about why you think the American colonies should have stayed with Great Britain, or you may write about why you think The Eagles are the greatest thing to happen to music. Politics often makes a good topic. Like Barack Obama? Tell me why he’s a great President. Think he’s garbage? Let me know why.
The choice is yours, but remember, I have the final say. You won’t be able to write an essay about why blue is better than green. Your topic must be a complex issue that has two or more sides and be controversial enough to afford an argument (you can’t argue that gravity doesn’t exist).
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Persuasive essays can be on a variety of topics. I will let you write on any topic you’d like, but I must approve it first. I encourage you to choose school topics, but that is not required. You may write about why you think the American colonies should have stayed with Great Britain, or you may write about why you think The Eagles are the greatest thing to happen to music. Politics often makes a good topic. Like Barack Obama? Tell me why he’s a great President. Think he’s garbage? Let me know why.
The choice is yours, but remember, I have the final say. You won’t be able to write an essay about why blue is better than green. Your topic must be a complex issue that has two or more sides and be controversial enough to afford an argument (you can’t argue that gravity doesn’t exist).
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Descriptive Essay
For this next project, you will be writing a descriptive essay. A descriptive essay, as the name implies, describes something in detail. The author is trying to get the reader to understand or visualize something without any imagery.
Imagine a thunderstorm, a massive thunderstorm. You’re standing in a dank parking lot, void of cars, or any life for that matter. A lone lamppost gleams down. The sky is filled with dark grey clouds, nearest to black as grey can get. The wind begins to kick up, leaves whipping past you. The trees twirl in the distance, the strong wood submitting to the strength of the gusts and implore it downward. Then the rain begins. It begins as a trickle, then raindrops form, and then globs of water fall from the sky, thousands of them each moment hitting the pavement that surrounds you. A lightning strike clamors down and hits the tall lamp post. From a fiery explosion sprout hundreds of sparks, joining the water as they rain down upon you. The lamppost moves and the metal twists, as the top begins to fall. A tiny strand holds the two together, but as the wind pushes it about, the post splits and two and the light slams to the ground, the sound of the metallic clang muffled by the roar of thunder.
That is a descriptive essay. It is setting the scene and creating an image. In your mind, you can see what I am seeing.
You will write three essays, each of them two paragraphs in length. You must describe a place, a person, and an event, all of which may be real or fictional. If you need inspiration, a picture could help. Feel free to use any visual resources to help you along. The descriptions must be your work, but it is okay to use an image to help you. If you need, I can provide plenty of landscape material.
Imagine a thunderstorm, a massive thunderstorm. You’re standing in a dank parking lot, void of cars, or any life for that matter. A lone lamppost gleams down. The sky is filled with dark grey clouds, nearest to black as grey can get. The wind begins to kick up, leaves whipping past you. The trees twirl in the distance, the strong wood submitting to the strength of the gusts and implore it downward. Then the rain begins. It begins as a trickle, then raindrops form, and then globs of water fall from the sky, thousands of them each moment hitting the pavement that surrounds you. A lightning strike clamors down and hits the tall lamp post. From a fiery explosion sprout hundreds of sparks, joining the water as they rain down upon you. The lamppost moves and the metal twists, as the top begins to fall. A tiny strand holds the two together, but as the wind pushes it about, the post splits and two and the light slams to the ground, the sound of the metallic clang muffled by the roar of thunder.
That is a descriptive essay. It is setting the scene and creating an image. In your mind, you can see what I am seeing.
You will write three essays, each of them two paragraphs in length. You must describe a place, a person, and an event, all of which may be real or fictional. If you need inspiration, a picture could help. Feel free to use any visual resources to help you along. The descriptions must be your work, but it is okay to use an image to help you. If you need, I can provide plenty of landscape material.
Narrative Essay
For this project, you will be writing a narrative essay. A narrative essay is a story that follows a strict “this leads to this, and then this leads to that, and so on” structure. You are basically telling a story about yourself with all of the events in chronological order. Here is a crappy example:
I woke up at 5 AM and had breakfast, then I got dressed. Then I brushed my teeth. I put on my coat and walked out the door . I got in my car and turned it on and then I drove to school. When I got to school, I sat at my desk and started checking my e-mails. Then, some students came into my classroom and got some computers. I had them sign them out. And then I…”
That is a narrative essay, but it is a boring one. You will be writing an exciting one! Narrative essays should be about a particular time that was important to you and made a lasting memory. They can take place over any span of time. You can write about a single day, a week, a month, a year, or your entire life. All I ask is that is be something important.
You’d like some example stories? Okay! You can write about…
-that one time I went to the mall and ate a bunch of jelly beans, and then threw them up all over some lady.
-that week you went to summer camp and had a great time with your friends.
-that month when your mom was in the hospital.
-that year you lived in Australia and fought a kangaroo.
The requirements I have are simple: write a story that is true and about you. Before you write, you must tell me your topic. I just need to know before you start, and I likely won’t turn you down.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
I woke up at 5 AM and had breakfast, then I got dressed. Then I brushed my teeth. I put on my coat and walked out the door . I got in my car and turned it on and then I drove to school. When I got to school, I sat at my desk and started checking my e-mails. Then, some students came into my classroom and got some computers. I had them sign them out. And then I…”
That is a narrative essay, but it is a boring one. You will be writing an exciting one! Narrative essays should be about a particular time that was important to you and made a lasting memory. They can take place over any span of time. You can write about a single day, a week, a month, a year, or your entire life. All I ask is that is be something important.
You’d like some example stories? Okay! You can write about…
-that one time I went to the mall and ate a bunch of jelly beans, and then threw them up all over some lady.
-that week you went to summer camp and had a great time with your friends.
-that month when your mom was in the hospital.
-that year you lived in Australia and fought a kangaroo.
The requirements I have are simple: write a story that is true and about you. Before you write, you must tell me your topic. I just need to know before you start, and I likely won’t turn you down.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Reflective Essay
For this project, you’ll be writing a reflective essay. A reflective essay is about personal reflection and discovery; you are thinking about yourself and an experience you had and how it shaped you or provides a commentary on society. Often, some life lesson is gained from the experience, which must be identified in the essay.
Reflective essays are more serious in tone than narrative essays. Narrative essays only seek to tell a story. Reflective essays have some moral or life lesson to tell. You are still talking about yourself, but your paper has purpose and meaning, rather than being for entertainment. The purpose should always be made clear early on.
Despite being more serious, reflective essay should still be fun and personal. You can write about a sad topic if you would like, and they often produce very strong life lessons, but you can also have a happier topic.
I have a best friend named Mike. Mike was a great guy, but he could often get on my nerves. We had many great moments and stories, but plenty of stories about him doing something I just didn’t like. Mike helped me through a lot of difficult times, and even though I got fed up with him from time to time, he was always a good friend to me and supportive when I needed someone to talk to. Mike taught me that you don’t have to like everything someone does for them to be one of your best friends. We had our differences, but we were always there for each other as friends. Friendship isn’t about having the same interests and opinions. Friendship is about being there for someone and having a legitimate interest in their well-being.
That is a brief reflective essay. I talk about Mike and our friendship, so it is anecdotal, but I also have a clear message, that friendship is a bond based care and compassion, not just mutual interest and always getting along. I look back on my friendship with Mike, and from it I have learned something about life.
That is the kind of essay you will write about. Before starting, you must clear your topic with me. I likely will not deny you your topic choice. I only want to know so I can better help and guide you.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Reflective essays are more serious in tone than narrative essays. Narrative essays only seek to tell a story. Reflective essays have some moral or life lesson to tell. You are still talking about yourself, but your paper has purpose and meaning, rather than being for entertainment. The purpose should always be made clear early on.
Despite being more serious, reflective essay should still be fun and personal. You can write about a sad topic if you would like, and they often produce very strong life lessons, but you can also have a happier topic.
I have a best friend named Mike. Mike was a great guy, but he could often get on my nerves. We had many great moments and stories, but plenty of stories about him doing something I just didn’t like. Mike helped me through a lot of difficult times, and even though I got fed up with him from time to time, he was always a good friend to me and supportive when I needed someone to talk to. Mike taught me that you don’t have to like everything someone does for them to be one of your best friends. We had our differences, but we were always there for each other as friends. Friendship isn’t about having the same interests and opinions. Friendship is about being there for someone and having a legitimate interest in their well-being.
That is a brief reflective essay. I talk about Mike and our friendship, so it is anecdotal, but I also have a clear message, that friendship is a bond based care and compassion, not just mutual interest and always getting along. I look back on my friendship with Mike, and from it I have learned something about life.
That is the kind of essay you will write about. Before starting, you must clear your topic with me. I likely will not deny you your topic choice. I only want to know so I can better help and guide you.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Analytical Essay
Now we’re going to start you on something you’ve already done before: writing an analytical essay.
Many of the English writing assignments are analytical in nature. Compare and contrast, cause and effect, argumentative writing; all are forms of analytical essays, and all of them have appeared as assignments for you at some point.
Literary analysis often seeks to explain how and why a piece of literature was written, focusing on how the author developed the story (usually connecting to their own life), or what message they wanted to send to the world with their story. Henry David Thoreau advocated in his book Walden that you don't have to support a government if you don't agree with it, even going as far as to refuse to pay taxes. He called it "civil disobedience." Perhaps a literary analysis topic could be how Thoreau's message was shown in his story.
Compare and contrast is a possible option. You can compare and contrast two stories and tell how they are similar and how they are different.
You could analyze the use of cause and effect in a story. How do events cause other events to happen? How does a character's actions advance the conflict and plot?
Argumentative writing is also an option. Produce an argument relating to a piece of literature and back it up with facts from the essay. One possible argument you could make is that Romeo and Juliet is not a love story, but a cautionary tale regarding youthful inexperience and impulsiveness. Romeo and Juliet does not argue for people to pursue love regardless of what other people may think; it tells you that running off with a person you only met a few days ago could have dire consequences.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517) 667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Many of the English writing assignments are analytical in nature. Compare and contrast, cause and effect, argumentative writing; all are forms of analytical essays, and all of them have appeared as assignments for you at some point.
Literary analysis often seeks to explain how and why a piece of literature was written, focusing on how the author developed the story (usually connecting to their own life), or what message they wanted to send to the world with their story. Henry David Thoreau advocated in his book Walden that you don't have to support a government if you don't agree with it, even going as far as to refuse to pay taxes. He called it "civil disobedience." Perhaps a literary analysis topic could be how Thoreau's message was shown in his story.
Compare and contrast is a possible option. You can compare and contrast two stories and tell how they are similar and how they are different.
You could analyze the use of cause and effect in a story. How do events cause other events to happen? How does a character's actions advance the conflict and plot?
Argumentative writing is also an option. Produce an argument relating to a piece of literature and back it up with facts from the essay. One possible argument you could make is that Romeo and Juliet is not a love story, but a cautionary tale regarding youthful inexperience and impulsiveness. Romeo and Juliet does not argue for people to pursue love regardless of what other people may think; it tells you that running off with a person you only met a few days ago could have dire consequences.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517) 667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Response to Literature
Your last essay is going to be a response to literature essay. A response to literature essay is an essay in which you explain the meaning of a book or story, and is often one of the most difficult essays to successfully write. It requires you to use information and examples from the book to prove your thesis, and the thesis is often not easy to find.
This essay will read much like a persuasive essay. You are persuading the reader on an observation you have made in a piece of literature.
There are three types of response to literature essays, and for this assignment you’ll be choosing only one. What you write about is totally up to you, but it should fit into one of these three categories.
1. Critical overview – An analysis of a particular author’s writing, common traits, and what they tend to write about. For instance, George Orwell often wrote about politics and dystopian futures, futures where things get worse instead of improving.
2. Analysis of one particular work – An analysis of one particular story. Instead of writing about George Lucas, you could write about a single movie in the Star Wars series. A possible thesis could be "George Lucas' Star Wars is an example of 'the hero's journey' genre of literature.
3. Analysis of a specific literary element – An analysis of one literary element within a story. For example, John Green in The Fault in Our Stars references many other stories (allusion). You could write about how those references are used as well as the overall effectiveness of those references or the effect it had on the story as a whole.
It does sound tricky, I know, but I’m here to help you. Before starting your essay, you must conference with me. Let me repeat that, YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. Finding a topic is hard, and I’m here to help you. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
This essay will read much like a persuasive essay. You are persuading the reader on an observation you have made in a piece of literature.
There are three types of response to literature essays, and for this assignment you’ll be choosing only one. What you write about is totally up to you, but it should fit into one of these three categories.
1. Critical overview – An analysis of a particular author’s writing, common traits, and what they tend to write about. For instance, George Orwell often wrote about politics and dystopian futures, futures where things get worse instead of improving.
2. Analysis of one particular work – An analysis of one particular story. Instead of writing about George Lucas, you could write about a single movie in the Star Wars series. A possible thesis could be "George Lucas' Star Wars is an example of 'the hero's journey' genre of literature.
3. Analysis of a specific literary element – An analysis of one literary element within a story. For example, John Green in The Fault in Our Stars references many other stories (allusion). You could write about how those references are used as well as the overall effectiveness of those references or the effect it had on the story as a whole.
It does sound tricky, I know, but I’m here to help you. Before starting your essay, you must conference with me. Let me repeat that, YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. Finding a topic is hard, and I’m here to help you. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.