Kratz’s English 4: Q4 Agenda, Assignments and Resources

E4 Agenda: End of the Year

 

For the remainder of the year, we’re focused on finishing the year strong and going into next year knowing you’re prepared for the rigors of college writing.

Many of you are in a good place with your development and your grade, but there are still opportunities to improve in both areas:

1) Take the Final Exam. If you’re failing for the year, this is mandatory and a tremendous opportunity to boost your grade, as well as another chance to work on crafting a college-level on-demand expository essay.

2) Revise your Senior Thesis. Work on polishing up a long-form expository research essay and gain valuable test points. Submit to turnitin.com: “Re-Submission – Senior Thesis Final Copy” by Monday, 6/12, 11:59 am.

3) Grammar and vocabulary work: finish assignments and quizzes on noredink.com and vocabulary.com. When you complete assignments, email Mr. Kratz at akratz@kippnyccp.org.

4) Submit outstanding annotations: “The Power of Context”, “What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?” and “Welcome to Newburgh”.

 

Assignments (click to download work)

“State of Your Future City Project” (Test Credit!!!). Research, argument and presentation. Due: 5/17. Share Google Slides PPT with Mr. Kratz at akratz@kippnyccp.org for credit.

Crime Theory Reading Comprehension and Writing Quiz, due 5/8.

“Welcome to Newburgh” by Patrick Raden Keefe annotations and seminar (HW), due 5/5.

“What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?” annotations (HW) and Socratic Seminar (CW), due 5/1.

“What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?” vocabulary quiz (Quiz) on vocabulary.com. Due: 5/2, 11:59 pm. 

Appositives Phrases – Practice (CW), style practice on noredink.com.

Commas for Clarity – Quiz (Quiz), style quiz on noredink.com. Due, 5/9.

Commas for Clarity – Practice (CW), style practice on noredink.com. Due: 5/2.

“The Power of Context” writing quiz (Quiz), due 4/24.

“The Power of Context” vocab quiz (Quiz) on vocabulary.com.

“The Power of Context” annotations (HW) and Socratic Seminar (CW), due 4/21.

Senior Thesis Revision Submission (HW), due 4/16, via turnitin.com. You will lose 10% credit each day this is late and your Senior Thesis – Research Paper 2017 will become a zero (until it is submitted).

MLA Citations – Quiz (Quiz) on noredink.com, due 4/6; you can make up 25% of credit by completing the MLA Citations – Practice sessions.

Embedding Quotes – Quiz (Quiz) on noredink.com, due 4/17; you can make up 25% of credit by completing the Embedding Quotes Practice sessions.

Peer Editing (Classwork), due 4/5 ; no make-up. If you weren’t here, you will be exempt. (Unless you were skipping class!)

Texts

“The Power of Context” by Malcolm Gladwell

“What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?” by Charlie LeDuff

“Welcome to Newburgh, Murder Capital of New York” by Patrick Radden Keefe

Resources

Senior Thesis Research Materials and Guides:

— Click here for Research Paper – Guidelines and Rubric (this includes all requirements, a scoring breakdown and your criteria for success)

— EBSCO Research Guide and Requirements

— Research Paper Checklist 2017 (Everything you should be thinking about as you write and before your finalize and submit your research paper!)

— Works Cited Guide

— Click here more information on MLA style citation and Works Cited (from Purdue OWL – college writing lab)

— Quick Fix- Editing Checklist for Essays

English 4: Q3 Updates, Materials, Deadlines and Resources

Upcoming Agenda: 3/27-3/31

This week we’re focused on finalizing and submitting our expository research papers!!! Being able to turn in a quality final copy on Tuesday will go a long way toward showing your college readiness and building your confidence for the next level of academia.

A draft of your expository research essays are due on Monday, March 27, at the beginning of class. (Extra Credit – if completed will make up for missing Source Analysis sheets and/or low-scoring grades on previous assignments.)

The final copy of your expository research essays are due on Tuesday, March 28, at 11:59 pm. and must be submitted via turnitin.com. (Students will earn up to 50 Test points for submitting completed research papers that fulfill all of the requirements on-time and 10 points extra credit. Procrastinators, this is your chance to make up ground and prove you’re college ready!).

Note: If you don’t complete your research essay by the deadline, you will lose 10% off the top of your score each day it’s late. Final deadline for credit is Monday at 8:20 am.

Click here for Research Paper – Guidelines and Rubric (this includes all requirements, a scoring breakdown and your criteria for success)

After the deadline on Tuesday night, we’ll work on revising our Gopnik / De Botton essays, which must be submitted via turnitin.com by Monday, April 3, 8:20 am.

For those who maxed out their credit because of lateness will have the opportunity to make up some ground with a new assignment:

***Read and annotate “Live and Learn” by Louis Menand (download and print out 2-sided!), then write a complete 5-paragraph expository essay about it.

The Prompt: Why do we have college? Guidelines: Full heading (single-spaced), title, Times New Roman, 12-pt font, double-space the body.

“Live and Learn” Annotations = replacement scores for missing “Ravioli” annotations or up to 2 source analysis sheets

“Live and Learn” Essay = up to 20 extra credit Test points

Research Materials

Click here for Research Paper – Guidelines and Rubric (this includes all requirements, a scoring breakdown and your criteria for success)

Source Analysis Sheets (need 4 total; include more for extra credit!)

EBSCO Research Guide and Requirements

— Research Paper Checklist 2017 (Everything you should be thinking about as you write and before your finalize and submit your research paper!)

— Works Cited Guide

— Click here more information on MLA style citation and Works Cited

— Quick Fix- Editing Checklist for Essays

Texts

“On Habit” by Alain de Botton

“Bumping into Mr. Ravioli” by Adam Gopnik

Assignments/Prompts/Organizers

Gopnik/De Botton Essay Prompt (Due 2/13, 11:59 pm)

Detailed Outline Organizer for Essays

Vocabulary

(All of your vocabulary work this year will be on vocabulary.com. Each quiz will consist of you mastering the given set of words on this site through practice and repetition in using the words in a variety of ways. See quiz deadlines and instructions below.)

Quiz #1: “Bumping into Mr. Ravioli” Quiz (must be mastered by 3/24)

***

Vocabulary.com Instructions: Much of our vocabulary work this year will be done online on Vocabulary.com, either during or outside of class. Your goal when using this site is to practice using the given words in several different ways in order to lock it into your mind and make it a part of your writing toolbox.

In your KIPP gmail account, Mr. Kratz sent you an invitation to join our class on Vocabulary.com. You can easily find it by searching “vocabulary.com” in the search bar at the top of your gmail inbox. After clicking on the link to join the class, follow the instructions and get started!

You can also enroll by clicking on this link associated with your class:

2nd Period: http://vocab.com/join/16CEJQ2

3rd Period: http://vocab.com/join/32MSACH

6th Period: http://vocab.com/join/11QKHNY

8th Period: http://vocab.com/join/1YTWCVN

English 4: Q2 Materials, Resources, Assignments, Deadlines and More

Welcome to Q2, young writers! This quarter we’ll be focused on sharpening our skills in crafting different elements of a strong expository essay, starting at the beginning with writing quality introductory paragraphs that include a well-developed, clear and debatable thesis. We’ll move on to the presentation of your argument and evidence in your body paragraphs and finishing with a strong conclusion. Below you’ll find links to all the deadlines, materials and resources you’ll need to succeed this quarters. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Kratz!

Upcoming Schedule and Deadlines

*Mid-term is Wednesday and Thursday, 1/18 – 1/19

 

*First submissions for Introductory Paragraphs on Butler (“What Broke My Father’s Heart?”) and Chua (“Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”) will no longer be accepted. If you failed to submit either of these major assessments (test grades = 60% of overall grade), then you must write an Introduction on Lisa Belkin’s “Made-to-Order Savior” and submit it via turnitin.com. Click for the Belkin Intro prompt and guidelines. You can also submit the Belkin Intro for extra credit. The last day to submit Intros (revised Chua/Butler or Belkin) is Friday, Jan. 20 at 11:59 pm.

Texts

“Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” by Amy Chua

“What Broke My Father’s Heart” by Katy Butler

“Made-to-Order Savior” by Lisa Belkin

“Strange Creatures” by Susan Blackmore

“Dr. Daedalus” by Lauren Slater

“On Habit” by Alain de Botton

“Bumping into Mr. Ravioli” by Adam Gopnik

Assignments/Prompts

*De Botton/Gopnik Prompt

*”Dr. Daedalus” Essay – Thesis Options and Detailed Outline Included

*Belkin Expository Essay Introductory Paragraph “Made-to-Order Savior” (Alternative if you failed to submit Chua or Butler Intros or Extra Credit)

*Chua Expository Essay Introductory Paragraph “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”

*Butler Expository Essay Introductory Paragraph “What Broke My Father’s Heart?”

Note: All process-writing assignments must be submitted via turnitin.com. Click here for a step-by-step guide on submitting your work on turnitin.com as well as a sample introductory paragraph.

*Late writing assessment policy: Major writing assessments will be marked down 10% for each day it is submitted after the original deadline. After 5 business days (not including weekends or holidays), Mr. Kratz will not accept late writing assignments.

*Late text annotations: Text annotations make up almost the entirety of your homework grade in English 4 and are due on the final day of Socratic Seminar for any given text(s) we’re working through as a class. If you fail to turn in annotations by the end of seminar, you have until the start of the next seminar to submit annotations for up to 80% of full credit (basically, a 50/50 becomes a 40/50, a 40/50 becomes a 30/50, and so on).

 Vocabulary Work

*The 15 “Strange Creatures Vocab Quiz” words must be mastered by Tuesday, Jan. 3, for Quiz credit. Find the words in one of your class assignments on vocabulary.com. 

*Master the 22 on your “Dr. Daedalus” assignment for Extra Credit by Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. Find the words in one of your class assignments on vocabulary.com. 

*Your first vocabulary quiz will be based on your ability to “master” the words in the assignment labeled “What Broke My Father’s Heart? Quiz” on vocabulary.com. You have until Nov. 29 to “master” these words, which means you need to practice them until you answer the words multiple (probably 4 or more) times in a row. Mastering 20 words should take you between 45-60 minutes.

Instructions: 

Much of our vocabulary work this year will be done online on Vocabulary.com, either during or outside of class. Your goal when using this site is to practice using the given words in several different ways in order to lock it into your mind and make it a part of your writing toolbox.

In your KIPP gmail account, Mr. Kratz sent you an invitation to join our class on Vocabulary.com. You can easily find it by searching “vocabulary.com” in the search bar at the top of your gmail inbox. After clicking on the link to join the class, follow the instructions and get started!

You can also enroll by clicking on this link associated with your class:

2nd Period: http://vocab.com/join/16CEJQ2

3rd Period: http://vocab.com/join/32MSACH

6th Period: http://vocab.com/join/11QKHNY

8th Period: http://vocab.com/join/1YTWCVN

Short-Response Reading Quizzes

“Made-to-Order Savior”

“Strange Creatures”

“Dr. Daedalus”

Outside Resources

Purdue OWL Writing Lab (tips and help for any part of the writing process)

English 4: Q1 Assignments, Deadlines, Materials and More

Click on the links to download materials, assignments, prompts and handouts

 

Materials and Resources

English 4 Syllabus and Commitment to Excellence

“Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today” (Rose) and “In Praise of Chain Stores” (Postrel)

In The Strawberry Fields (Eric Schlosser)

“Toil and Temptation”(Kamber)

“Dogs Snarling Together” (Rivoli)

Vocabulary Work

Much of our vocabulary work this year will be done online on Vocabulary.com, either during or outside of class. Your goal when using this site is to practice using the given words in several different ways in order to lock it into your mind and make it a part of your writing toolbox.

In your KIPP gmail account, Mr. Kratz sent you an invitation to join our class on Vocabulary.com. You can easily find it by searching “vocabulary.com” in the search bar at the top of your gmail inbox. After clicking on the link to join the class, follow the instructions and get started!

You can also enroll by clicking on this link associated with your class:

2nd Period: http://vocab.com/join/16CEJQ2

3rd Period: http://vocab.com/join/32MSACH

6th Period: http://vocab.com/join/11QKHNY

8th Period: http://vocab.com/join/1YTWCVN

Upcoming Assignments and Deadlines

*Assignment #1 (HW grade): Summer Reading Responses (Due: Sept. 8)

*Socratic Seminar, Kamber/Schlosser (10/6 and 10/7 – SS notes due)

*Kamber and Schlosser annotations (Due: 10/7)

*Kamber/Schlosser/Cline Reading Quiz (10/11)

*Personal Statement Revisions (Due 10/21, printed, 5 pm))

Journalism: Q4 Materials, Resources and Deadlines

Hello Bulldog Reporters! Below you’ll find all of this final quarter’s graded assignments, materials, resources, interesting links and important upcoming deadlines. If you’re missing anything (remember: if you miss class you are responsible for making up any missed assignments), simply download the assignment by clicking on the link and print it out, either at home or at school (the library is open every day until 5 or 5:30!). Let me know if you have any questions or need any help with any assignment.

***Final Deadline for make-up work extended to Friday, 6/17!***

Q4 Graded Assignments (through 4/22):

Cloak of Silence Text (need this to answer “Cloak of Silence” Seminar Questions)

“Cloak of Silence” Seminar Questions 

Opinion Brief (response to “Cloak of Silence” and other 40th Precinct NY Times articles)

“Let’s Talk About Black on Black Violence” by Leonard Pitts (annotate the text, specifically focusing on Pitts’ use of tone and diction to determine fact vs. opinion)

“Black on Black Violence” Tweet (140-character response to Pitts’ column)

Humor Column (Your chance to rant about the absurdity of the world! Using vivid details and humor)

Final Project: Building Your Blog (Deadline: 6/17)

Building Your Blog (list and descriptions of all 6 posts you need to include on your blog)

“Man on the Street” questions for blog post (Instructions)

40th Precinct Murder Links Blog Post (Instructions)

 

 

English 4: 4th Quarter Resources and Assignments

[Updated 5/30]

Hello English 4 Writers! We’ve reached the 4th Quarter, the final chapter of our journey together toward preparing you to succeed with any writing task you encounter in college. At the same time, we’ll continue to develop our voice as writers, build our vocabularies and gain confidence in being able to complete a well-developed research paper! Below are all of the materials and resources you’ll need to access this quarter in order to complete your reading writing assignments. I’ll also also include due dates and other important information in this space as the quarter continues.

***Important Note: From now on, when you complete any essay or want to re-submit a revision, YOU MUST EMAIL ME at akratz@kippnyccp.org with the subject telling me the name of the essay you’re submitting for evaluation.

Important Dates and Deadlines:

*Final Examination: Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 3. You’ll write a fully-developed essay based on a short passage of non-fiction text over the course of two days or 100 minutes (longer for those with an IEP). One final test of your ability to decipher any text thrown your way and respond to it by crafting a compelling, well-developed argument. You’re ready!  (But we’ll do a little practice on Tuesday to make sure we’re in fighting shape.)

*Prose/Fallows Essay, Due Monday, June 6

*Gladwell/LeDuff revisions, Due Monday, June 6

*Research Paper revisions, Due Monday, June 6

*Extra Credit Research Paper, Due Monday, June 6

*#Hashtag Activism Essay, Due Monday, June 6

*Unit 5 and Unit 6 vocab quiz re-takes (Monday-Friday, after school in 408, through Friday, June 9; explore and build your writing tool set at vocabtest.com.)

*Q4 Calendar (updated 5/17) Includes our schedule, goals and deadlines, through the end of the year.

*Prose and Fallows Quizzes: Due June 6

*Annotated Texts: Due June 6

Materials for Gladwell/LeDuff Essay: “Diagnose Detroit” (Due: April 22, 4:30 pm)

— Text: “Power of Context” by Malcolm Gladwell

— Text: “What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?” by Charlie LeDuff

— Quiz: “What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?”

— Gladwell/LeDuff Essay Prompt: “Diagnose Detroit” (Due: April 22, 4:30 pm)

* Detailed Essay Outline and Organizer Tool

*****

Research Paper Resources (evolving, checking back for updates here):

— Research Paper Checklist (Everything you should be thinking about as write and finalize your research paper!)

— Works Cited Guide

— EBSCO address (check your gmail for log-in info): search.ebscohost.com.

— EBSCO Research Guide

— Alternative (or Extra Credit) Research Paper Seed Text Options (Plus Inquiry Question worksheet)

* Detailed Essay Outline and Organizer Tool

Note: Extra Credit (or alternative) Research Papers must include 4 valid source from EBSCO, including the seed text article.

*****

Materials for Prose/Fallows

— Text: Francine Prose’s “Voting Democracy Off the Island”

— Quiz: “Voting Democracy Off the Island”

— Text: James Fallows’ “Win in China”

— Quiz: “Win in China”

— Prose/Fallows Essay Topic and Assignment (Due June 6)

*Detailed Essay Outline and Organizer Tool

*****

Materials for Cobb/Gladwell (#hashtag activism)

— Text: Malcolm Gladwell’s “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”

— Text: Jelani Cobb’s “The Matter of Black Lives”

— Essay Topic: #hashtag activism (Will the Black Lives Matter movement succeed?)

*Detailed Essay Outline and Organizer ToolDetailed Essay Outline and Organizer Tool

English 4: Q3 Assignments, Materials and Resources

English 4 Writers! Below are all of the assignments, due dates and materials you’ll need to access in order to successfully complete your work the 3rd Quarter.

***ALL BACK WORK and ESSAY REVISIONS are DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 8 at 5:30 pm.*** 

Latest:

“Power of Context” by Malcolm Gladwell

“Power of Context” Quiz (extra credit)

***

— “Dr. Daedalus” by Lauren Slater

— “Dr. Daedalus” Essay (Body Paragraphs) Prompt and Introductions (must choose one and insert it into your essay) (Past Due; Complete ASAP)

— NY Times Video supplement for Dr. Daedalus reading:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/video/players/offsite/index.html?videoId=100000002531876&playerType=embed

***

— Extra Source Analysis Sheets (Past Due; Complete ASAP)

— Research Paper (Past Due; Complete ASAP)

— Research Paper Checklist

— Works Cited Guide

***

Malcolm Gladwell’s “Thresholds of Violence” (the first essay we read as a sample research essay)

***

— Adam Gopnik’s “Bumping Into Mr. Ravioli”

— “Ravioli” Quiz

— Alain de Botton’s “On Habit” 

— “On Habit” Quiz

— Gopnik/de Botton Essay Prompt  (Due Monday, March 21)

English 4: 2nd Quarter Assignments and Materials

Greetings English 4 Writers! As we enter winter break, we are also coming to the end of the 2nd Quarter. Essentially, we will have two weeks of class before midterms and the end of the grading period, so this is crunch time. The only work assigned for break is the “Dr. Daedalus” essay, which we’ll be discussing in Socratic Seminar on the Monday (1/4) and Tuesday (1/5) when we return. But many of you are still missing back work and this break is a tremendous opportunity to get caught up. I will have Belkin Intros and all Chua revisions graded by the time we come back on Jan. 4. You’ll be able to revise Butler and/or Belkin up until Jan. 15.

Below are all the materials and assignments that you can still make up and receive credit for (there are also a couple of supplemental videos at the bottom of the post). If you haven’t completed Chua revisions yet, it’s now too late, so you should focus on Butler and Belkin. I want to encourage everyone to revise their Intros. Nothing else will have a bigger impact on your grade this quarter than your scores on those assignments. If you do revise your work, all you need to do is email me — akratz@kippnyccp.org — with a simple: “Butler revisions are complete” or, after they’re graded, “Belkin revisions are complete”. And don’t hesitate to reach out to me during break. I’ll be checking email periodically, so have patience if I don’t respond right away. Good luck and happy writing!

— Extra Source Analysis Sheets (1, 2, 3 and 4 were due by 12/18; 5 and 6 will be due Friday, Jan. 8)

 

— “What Broke My Father’s Heart” by Katy Butler

Copy of the text for annotations

Introductory Paragraph Assignment and Prompt

 

— “The Made-to-Order Savior” by Lisa Belkin

Copy of the text for annotations

Introductory Paragraph Assignment and Prompt

 

— “Strange Creatures” by Susan Blackmore

Copy of the text for annotations

 

— “Dr. Daedalus” by Lauren Slater

Copy of the text for annotations

— “Dr. Daedalus” Essay (Body Paragraphs) Prompt and Introductions (must choose one and insert it into your essay) (Due Tuesday, Jan. 19, 5:30 pm)

NY Times Video supplement for Dr. Daedalus reading:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/video/players/offsite/index.html?videoId=100000002531876&playerType=embed

Learned Optimism Video:

Journalism: Q1 Assignments, Materials and Resources

Hello Young Reporters! We’ve come to the end of our first Unit, which also coincides with the end of Quarter 1. In this Unit we’ve focused on the foundations of good journalism and becoming news literate. You should now be able to take any article, video or any other type of information and be able to evaluate what it is, whether it’s newsworthy and how credible it is. This is an important skill that you will take with you as become an adult. It will be useful whenever you need to evaluate information in whatever profession you choose and as a productive and knowledgeable citizen of the world.

Below are links to the Q1 assignments and resources. If you’re missing anything, just click on the link, download the assignment and print it out. Then complete the work and place it in my turn-in box in Room 408 (near the door on the bookshelf).

— Reading and Writing Diagnostic

— Personal Academic Survey

— News Literacy Survey

— Info Zones Worksheet / Info Zones Examples

— Newsworthiness Paragraph (must be from NY Times)

— Newscast for an Audience

— 1st Amendment and Watchdog Quiz

— Credibility Worksheet (need to evaluate 3 articles)

— Unit 1 Assessment / Article for Unit 1 Assessment

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Kratz at akratz@kippnyc.org or 646-656-1706.

English 4: Rivoli’s “Dogs Snarling Together” Materials

English 4 Students, Pietra Rivoli’s “Dogs Snarling Together” was the most dense and complex text we’ve read this year (not to mention the longest). The quiz related to this was optional, but the annotations were required. The quiz will count toward extra credit wherever you need it to bring up your grade. Below, I’ve included the text and the quiz in case you need to access it. I will take Rivoli quizzes up until Friday at 5 pm. Please complete them and put them in my turn-in box in Room 408.

“Dogs Snarling Together” Text

“Dogs Snarling Together” Quiz

And in case you want a refresher or to include more Socratic Seminar notes, here are the SS prompts.