UNIT 4 Prompt for E401A Personal Narrative/Personal Essay BACKGROUND: In Act I, Macbeth has a decision to make and his

s wife applies some fairly strong pressure to persuade him to do as she wishes. PROMPT: Using this incident as your starting point, write about a time in your life when you bowed or didnt bow to pressure from someone else. FORM: Personal Narrative/Personal Essay LENGTH: 5 well-developed paragraphs PREWRITING GUIDELINES: Consider the following questions as you reflect on your autobiographical incident. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Describe which incident you wish to use and list it. Describe what happened in the incident in 6-8 sentences. Think about the conversation/dialogue which took place during the incident. Include 5 or 6 sentences from the dialogue. List what emotions and feelings you felt during the incident. Describe the feelings in a paragraph. Describe what the outcome to your decision was in a paragraph. Reflect and explore what the experience meant to you as you look back on it now. Answer these questions as you reflect: 8. 9. What have I learned about others or myself from the experience? How did the experience cause me to change or to think differently about things?

10. How have my goals changed as a result of this experience? STRUCTURE: Introduction: Paragraphs 1 & 2 Paragraph 1: Begin with describing the incident. This is the introductory paragraph and you may include a hint as to how the event has changed you. Paragraph 2: Include here any background information your reader may need to understand the incident. (The order of paragraphs 1 and 2 may be switched, and you may begin with paragraph 2 first.) Paragraph 3: Include a flashback from the incident which also includes some dialogue/conversation. Paragraph 4: Explain the outcome of the incident. What happened to others because of your decision? Conclusion: Paragraph 5 Paragraph 5: Explain to your reader what you learned. Include answers to your prewriting questions 710 here.

REVISION: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Is the tone friendly and informal? Does the writer use first-person pronouns? Are events, people, and places vividly portrayed? Does the writer show, rather than tell about, the experience? Are narrative and descriptive details in an order that makes sense? Does the writer give important background information? Does each event or section of the essay add to the meaning of the experience? Is the meaning of the experience clear by the end of the essay?

Complete this assignment using your word processor. When you have finished, save your writing to your hard drive. Then, go the the tab Submit Assignments Here. Locate your file on your hard drive and title it E401A - Personal Essay and click OK to send this assignment to your teacher.

UNIT 2

Literary Writing E401A- Writing a Ballad

RECALL the BACKGROUND: A ballad is a type of narrative poem which usually tells its story in song. Most ballads are either folk ballads or literary ballads. Folk ballads are stories passed down from one generation to another through rhymed lyrics that are recited or sung. Literary ballads are written imitations of folk ballads and have a known author. Typical topics for ballads include:

sudden disasters heroic deeds quests for honor jealous sweethearts unrequited (one-sided) love conflict between a lover and family conflict between love and duty treachery and betrayal acts of murder interference by supernatural forces (fairies, ghosts, witchcraft)

READING BACKGROUND: Before attempting the following assignment, watch the tutorial on Background of the Ballad and apply to the Ballad Reading Exercise. ASSIGNMENT: Using the ballad stanza form and the list of characteristics of a ballad (SEE BELOW), write a literary ballad.

You may use a famous person or a historical event as the subject of your ballad. (Some topics are: the death of Princess Diana, JFK,

Jr., Columbine, Colorado tragedy; Challenger explosion, the sinking of the Titanic, 9-1-1, the War in Iraq, President Obama. You may also consider WWI, WWII, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and other famous people and events.)

Research your event or person before writing your ballad. ELEMENTS OF A BALLAD Please include the following in your ballad:

FORM: The ballad stanza is a quatrain or four-line stanza. You should write between 8-12 stanzas. RHYME: Most ballads use one of three different types of rhyme: abac, aabb, or abcb. Use the abcb rhyme scheme since it is the most common type of rhyme. In this type, the second and fourth lines rhyme. METER: Meter is the rhythm of a ballad. It describes where the emphasis is placed; what words are emphasized, and what words arent. The first and third lines have four stressed syllables; the second and fourth lines have three. REPETITION: Often a refrain (or an entire verse) is repeated, or it could be only a line which repeats. There is also something else called "incremental repetition" which fulfills this requirement. See your tutorial for a definition. DIALOGUE: Ballads contain a lot of dialogue. Please include in your ballad. OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF A BALLAD:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Tells what happened rather than telling what people thought or felt Uses a strong, simple beat and an uncomplicated rhyme scheme, or pattern Uses a refrain (a regularly repeated line or phrase at the end of a stanza.) Dramatizes a single incident Uses language that suggests rather than directly states

Complete this assignment using your word processor. When you have finished, save your writing to your hard drive. Then, go the the tab "Submit Assignments Here." Locate your file on your hard drive and title it "E401A - Ballad" and click OK to send this assignment to your teacher. UNIT TWO ALTERNATE ASSIGNMENT
OK, for those of you who cannot write poetry because of some inability to create rhymes, determine meter, or write dialogue, here is an alternative assignment. Look up the lyrics to any song you like. I don't care which one. Explain in an essay why the song you picked is NOT a ballad. (Dont' worry; it won't be one. Almost no songs are.) 1. In your first paragraph, quote the lyrics and give me the title of the song. Your writing should be in complete sentences with proper grammar, so do not just quote the lyrics. Construct a proper paragraph that includes the lyrics as a quote. For the body of your paper, use these criteria: DIALOGUE: Ballads contain a lot of dialogue. Some songs have this requirement. METER: Meter is the rhythm of a ballad. It describes where the emphasis is placed; what words are emphasized, and what words arent. The first and third lines have four stressed syllables; the second and fourth lines have three. Very few songs meet this requirement. (You will need to figure out the meter of your song. Listen for the "beat" of the music.) RHYME: Most ballads use the abcb rhyme scheme. In this type, the second and fourth lines rhyme. Most songs use aabb or abab, which also works for ballads. FORM: The ballad stanza is a quatrain or four-line stanza. You should write between 8-12 stanzas. If the lyrics are not in sets of four short lines, it isn't in quatrains. REPETITION: A line or a whole stanza should be repeated. Almost all songs DO meet this requirement. Finally, your conclusion should be that the song you have chosen is not a ballad. Review your reasons. Overall, then, your paper should be seven paragraphs in length. Use proper citation when quoting your lyrics and any facts you may use. Good luck.

2. 3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

UNIT 6 Writing Prompt for Macbeth

BACKGROUND: There has been discussion among many students and educators during the last decade concerning the teaching of Shakespeare in high school. One of the main issues is that Shakespeares language is so difficult to understand although his themes continue to be universal. PROMPT: Write an editorial for your local newspaper explaining why Shakespeares plays and sonnets should be included in the English curriculum or should not be included in the English curriculum of your local high school. FORM: Editorial/Persuasive Essay Portfolio Entry LENGTH: 6-9 well-developed paragraphs PREWRITING GUIDELINES: Consider the following questions as you list your reasons for keeping Shakespeare in the curriculum or for not keeping Shakespeare in the curriculum. 1. 2. What can we learn from Shakespeares plays? Why do you think Shakespeares works have been included in the curriculum for decades? for deleting it. Citations required. 4. 5. 7. 9. Are Shakespeares themes relevant in todays world? Which teaching techniques were used to help you understand Shakespeares plays? Are the actions of his characters true to human nature? Why would you want your children to read or not read Shakespeare?

3. List at least three well developed reasons for either keeping Shakespeare in the curriculum or

6. Do his characters act realistically in his plays? 8. Are there any historical reasons why his plays/works should be read in the 21st century?
10. What artistic value does Shakespeare reveal? STRUCTURE: INTRODUCTION: Attention grabber, Background, Position Statement BODY: Logical appeal, reason with evidence, emotional appeals CONCLUSION: Repetition of position statement, call to action Writing Guidelines: Editorials or persuasive essays always: 1. 2. State the writers point of view, or opinion, about an important issue Provide convincing support (citations) for the writers stand, or position

3.

Answer the main opposing positions

4. Use logical and emotional appeals which include reasons and examples to support (citations) their opinions 5. REVISION: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. WRITING TIPS: Does the first paragraph grab the readers attention? Does a clear statement of the writers position appear early in the essay? Would background information (citations) help clarify the issue? Are logical appeals (reason and evidence) provided to convince the audience? Is the reasoning sound? Does the essay contain appropriate emotional or ethical appeals? Does the essay present and respond to opposing positions? Is the line of reasoning clear and easy for readers to follow? Is the conclusion effective? Use varying sentence structure

1. You may use contractions in your writing but avoid the use of I believe, I think, or in my
opinion since everything you write is YOUR OPINION. 2. 3. 4. 5. Use present tense. Follow the paragraph guidelines. Title your essay. Use transitions to "bridge" your thoughts.

Complete this assignment using your word processor. When you have finished, save your writing to your hard drive. Then, go the the tab - Deposit Your Writing Assignments Here. Locate your file on your hard drive and title it E401A - Macbeth and click OK to send this assignment to your teacher.