Category Archives: Homework

Have a specific topic ready in class on Wednesday for your research paper. Be sure it’s specific, and I would suggest doing a little browsing before class to be sure you can find information on this topic and that it’s neither too broad nor too narrow.

Look at pages 569-579 in The River Reader. This is important information about research paper writing.

Rewrite your descriptive essay – this is due Monday. In the “Douments” section at the top, I have included some information on the difference between a narrative and a descriptive essay. Remember, in a narrative you tell the story of what happened to you. In a description, you describe steps to complete a process or a specific place, event, or person.

Read “The Order of Things” on pages 223-250 in The River Reader and be prepared to discuss on Monday.

Think of something you are very familiar with, such as different brands of a similar product or different companies providing similar services and rank them. Include reasons for your rankings and be prepared to share in class on Monday. Your reasons should be based on logic or performance rather than emotion or guesses.

Read the essay “Five Myths about Immigration” on pages 227-232 in The River Reader and be prepared to discuss it in class.

Continue studying pages 1-12 in Rules of Thumb.

Read Rules of Thumb pages 83-84.

Study Rules of Thumb pages 3-12. (You should not need to study every word, just focus on the ones that give you trouble.)

You descriptive essay is due in class on Monday.

Read “Third World Driving Hints and Tips” on pages 133-137 in The River Reader.

As a comment on this post, answer these questions before class on Wednesday:

What do you think the purpose of this essay is?
Who is the intended audience for this essay?
How do you think an unintended audience (for instance, the “natives” mentioned in the essay) would feel reading this author’s description of driving behavior in their country?

NOTE: Descriptive essay due on Monday.

Read Rules of Thumb, pages 90-92
You may also want to review pages 98-100 if you had issues with formatting.

Rewrite your narrative essay to be turned in at the beginning of class on Monday.

For class on Wednesday, I want you to have an outline of a descriptive essay completed. Your outline should answer these criteria:

Subject:

Audience (NOT your teacher or classmates, be specific):

Dominant details:

How it will be organized:

What descriptive words or figurative language you might use (show don’t tell):

Purpose of writing on this topic:

Do not write out a whole essay. Bring this outline to class on Wednesday.

—

Below is the example we did in class. Do not write on this topic and do not think you have to match this example exactly. It is only here for a guide.

Subject:
Packing for a big trip

Audience (NOT your teacher or classmates, be specific):
Anyone taking a big trip who doesn’t travel often

Dominant details:
Asses your space
Saving space
Assess your needs
– What’s the climate?
Decide when to pack

How it will be organized:
Decide what you need
– Check the climate, weather
Assess your space
– How much can you reasonably bring
Space saving techniques
Pack at the right time
– Not too early, not too late

What descriptive words or figurative language you might use (show don’t tell):
Fresh clothes, smell of laundry
Packing can be like a race or like a leisurely stroll (simile)
Sounds: Alarm clock the day off, wheels of luggage rolling,
Feeling: The weight of the bag
Emotion: Anxiety, excitement

Purpose of writing on this topic:
Helping people get the most enjoyment out of their trips as possible (packing the right things is the first and a very important step in enjoying a stress free trip)

Read “When You Camp Out, Do it Right” by Ernest Hemingway (pgs 121-125 in The River Reader).  Be prepared to discuss this on Monday.

In class on Wednesday, we went over page 3 of The River Reader and practiced answering the questions asked in the bullet points there. For the second part of your homework, answer those questions in the bullet points about “When You Camp Out, Do it Right,” and be prepared to turn them in on Monday.

Finally, as a comment on this post, write a short response to “When You Camp Out, Do it Right,” as suggested in the introduction of your book. Read back over page 2 where it says “Step 3” and explains what things you may want to focus on in a response if you need ideas or explanation.

NOTE: If you did not turn in your essay today, you will lose a letter grade for each day it is late. E-mail me a copy ASAP in order to lose as few points as possible, but you are still required to turn in a hard (printed) copy on Monday if you did not turn one in today. You will stop losing points for lateness as soon as I receive a readable copy of your work in an e-mail.

Write a narrative essay based on what we worked on in class. Remember the structure we discussed and look at “Learning to Swim” as an example if you need. This essay is due Wednesday at the beginning of class. Late essays will lose a letter grade for each day they are late.

Your essay should be typed. Page 98 in Rules of Thumb explains how to format your paper. Pages 93-97 can help you with shortcuts and tips.

Read “My Daily Dives in the Dumpster” by Lars Eighner on page 114 of The River Reader and be prepared to discuss in class Wednesday.

Remember: NO CLASS MONDAY

Come up with a narrative essay topic, make a brief plan of what you will write, and determine what your thesis/moral will be. Come to class prepared with all these things on Wednesday.

Additionally, read Rules of Thumb pages 75-77 before class Wednesday.