1. Graded essays were returned to students for perusing and/or revision.
2. Review of STAAR packets E&F and G&H, analyzing why some of the responses are incorrect. Explanation of misplaced adjective clauses and the correct way to punctuate two independent clauses.
3. Two new Essay Prompts: Opportunity to replace zeros or missed essays. DUE TOMORROW (FRIDAY). Former essays will no longer be accepted.
CP: Model score 4 essay packets were read.
1. A Right or a Privilege
Read and think about the following quotes:
·
When kids grow up with a false sense of
entitlement, you'll see them thinking they're entitled to expensive toys,
electronic gadgets, trips and cars without having to earn them. They will do
poorly in school and still want that car when they turn 16—and expect to get
it.
James Lehman
·
If you child makes good grades, then he can enjoy
the privileges he loves.
Dr.
Phil McGraw
·
Regardless of what the
law or your teachers have to say about this, you are as human as anyone over
the age of 18 or 21, yet, ‘minors’ are one of the most oppressed groups of
people in the world, and certainly the most discriminated against legally.
Grace Lewellyn
Does everyone who reaches the age of 16
and is able to pass a driving test automatically have the right to a driver’s
license? Or should driving be considered
a privilege for those teens who are handling all other aspects of their lives
properly?
For example, if a student is not passing
in school, should he be allowed to drive?
The time spent out driving could be better spent at home studying. The motivation to regain driving privileges
could serve as a strong motivation for a student to work hard in school and
maintain passing grades.
High school students may claim that they
need to drive in order to get to the library to study, or to go purchase
supplies needed for a school project.
But these educational needs were met for the first 15 years of their
non-driving lives.
You decide:
Should students failing their classes in
high school have their driver's license temporarily taken away?
Write a persuasive essay addressing this
question.
·
Choose your position and make a strong argument for
your case.
·
Your essay should have a strong introduction which
gets the reader’s attention.
·
Be sure to give personal experiences.
·
Make sure you include a counter-argument.
·
Write a conclusion that reinforces your thesis.
2. To Dream or not to Dream
Read and think about the following quotes:
·
He was a
dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as his wife would have it,
an idiot.
·
It is better to have a permanent income
than to be fascinating.
Oscar
Wilde
We
are often told about the importance of “following a dream”. To “think outside the box” has become a great
cliché in our modern world. The people
who will change the world are the ones who can gaze beyond the paradigm that
guides, as well as restricts, our current culture.
But
what about the rest of us . . . the ordinary people who probably will never
change the world? Will practical,
everyday life skills contribute more to our chance of success than some
pie-in-the-sky dream?
So
where do you stand on the question: to
dream or not to dream?
Write a persuasive essay addressing the following question:
Is
it better to be a dreamer or a practical person?
·
Choose your position and make a strong argument for
your case.
·
Your essay should have a strong introduction which
gets the reader’s attention.
·
Be sure to give personal experiences.
·
Make sure you include a counter-argument.
·
Write a conclusion that reinforces your thesis.
