The Outsiders Chapter 1 Micro CERS Question

Chapter 1

*Spoiler Alert*

PROMPT – Darry scolds Ponyboy, saying, “And if you did have to go by yourself, you should have carried a blade,” (13).  Write a Micro C.E.R.S. on whether you believe that Ponyboy would have been safer or less safe if he had been carrying a switchblade to the movies.

CLAIM – Mention the title, author and type of media.  Turn the prompt into a clear position.  (1 sentence)

EVIDENCE – State the best evidence to support your claim.  It may be a quotation from the text, or the best single point to prove your argument.  (1 sentence)

REASONING – Explain and elaborate how your evidence proves your claim.  You can restate what the evidence says in your own words.  You can fill in the gaps or provide details that aren't clear.   Use logic and simple cause-and-effect thinking to break down how the evidence proves the claim. (2 – 4 sentences).

SYNTHESIS - Provide a short summary of your claim to wrap up. (1 sentence) 

Model Version 1

In the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, if Ponyboy had gone to the movies carrying a switchblade he would have been even less safe.

“… It ain’t his fault that he likes to go the movies, and it ain’t his fault that Socs like to jump us, and if he’d been carrying a blade it would have been a good excuse to cut him to ribbons,” (13).

Sodapop, Pony’s brother, points out that if Ponyboy had a blade when he was jumped, it would have been a good excuse for the Socs to slice him up even worse.  The idea here is that Pony was outnumbered (five to one) and the Socs were looking for a fight (they had stalked him in their car).  He wouldn’t have stood a chance, and the blade would have been an excuse for the Socs to be even more violent than they were.  Remember, he was grabbed from behind and therefore wouldn't have had a chance to slash out to defend himself.

It's obvious that Ponyboy would have been asking for even more trouble if he’d had a blade on him.


Model Version 2

Ponyboy, the main character in S. E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, would have made a good choice if he had carried a blade to go to the movies by himself.

“. . . Steve Randle, Soda’s best buddy, had once held off four guys with a busted pop bottle,” (4).

Based upon Pony’s prior knowledge of real world gang fights, a friend had demonstrated the ability to protect himself from Socs with a sharp object, in this case a broken bottle.  A knife would have been either the equivalent, or better.  The Socs would be less likely to be “the first man in” on a grappling attack if they believed they might be stabbed.  Ponyboy would essentially be like a lion tamer with a whip, holding back the first attack by creating fear in the attackers.

Therefore, Ponyboy should definitely have taken the knife to see the film.

Approaching Due Dates

Just a friendly reminder as we enter the final week of the first quarter.  Here are our approaching due dates for 8th grade ELA

Monday 10/29/18 Sentence Composing Test on Complex Sentences

Thursday 11/1/18  Creative Paragraph 01 due in Powerschool before 8:15 AM.

Friday 11/2/18  Sentence Composing (Original Sentences #001 - #040) due in Turnitin.com before 3:15 PM.

Friday 11/2/18  All submissions to Turnitin.com (including any late submissions due in Turnitin.com) before 3:15 PM.

Check your Powerschoool and either email or speak to Mr. Chappell directly to notify him if you are turning in any late work currently not credited.

Monday 11/5/18  The Outsiders Vocabulary Test for Slang / Cultural References.  Use Quizlet to study.  (link below on blog)

Tuesday 11/6/18  The Outsiders Chapter 1 Micro CERS before 8:15 AM.

This Week's Agenda

Submitting Original Sentences #001 - #040

Submitting Sentences #001 - #040 for End of the Quarter Credit  (Worth 40 points)

Due in Turnitin.com by Friday 11/2/18 by 3:15 pm.  You may work on these during Flex Friday

Copy your current Sentence Composing Journal entries #001 - #040 into a separate Google Document.


FORMATTING

Delete all of the Mentor Sentences, as you will not be submitting them.

Delete any extra, unnecessary words such as “My Original Sentence”

Number each sentence as #001, #002, #003… etc.

Make sure that there a spacing between each sentence.



Example:

#001  This would be your first sentence.

#002  This would be your second sentence.

#003  Your third sentence would go here.

#004  And so on, and so on, and so on…

Creative Paragraph 01 (derived from #031 - #040)

Creative Paragraph #01

Directions:

1. Choose your favorite Original Sentence that you wrote over the last two weeks from imitating Mentor Sentences #031 - #040.   

2.  Copy both the Mentor Sentence and your Original Sentence into a new Google Doc.  Name the Doc "Creative Paragraph 01."

3.  Copy the Original Sentence into the beginning of what will be your Creative Paragraph.

4. Then “free write” a fun, Creative Paragraph of at least 150 words continuing the story you started in your Original Sentence. Imagine that your paragraph is in the middle of a larger story and you are jumping in midway.  Let it rip.  You may take the characters, plot, or story anywhere you want (as long as it’s school appropriate.)  As you see fit you may be descriptive, add dialogue, and plot twists.  Most importantly, have fun!  This is a free writing exercise, so let your imagination run wild. You may write about any topic that you want.

5.  Tally the total number of words for the paragraph only using Google Docs .  Remember not to include the words from the copies of your Mentor Sentence or Original Sentence not connected to your paragraph.  The Word Count should be for your PARAGRAPH ONLY.

To do this, highlight your paragraph only, then click on "Tools" and then "Word Count" to get your total words.  It will tell you what the word count is for the paragraph "out of" the total for the document.

6.  Write down the paragraph word count in parenthesis at the end of your paragraph as shown.

Example:

Mentor Sentence #037.   

They all saw it this time, a whiskered furry face which had looked out at them from behind a tree.

My Original Sentence #037:  

He wondered about her every year, the cocoa brown eyes which had sparkled at him from behind curly ebony tresses.

My Creative Paragraph 01: 

He wondered about her every year, the cocoa brown eyes which had sparkled at him from behind curly ebony tresses.  Although he had been overseas serving his country, ever the dutiful soldier serving his rotation in Afghanistan, her mark upon his soul did not leave him.  Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks.  Still, unbeknownst to him, she too had felt the indelible mark left upon her person.  There were days that a certain song on the radio, or the similar dimples in a stranger’s smile would catch her in a moment, pull her out of whatever she was doing, and bring her back to him.  To say that they were both haunted by each other, both somehow left incomplete without the warmth of each other’s presence, would be to tell an absolute lie.  Love has a way of cutting across time, and place, and memory.  It’s the deeply rooted song that resonates in our dreams and blooms in our hearts.  (163 words)

DUE DATE:  Turn your Creative Paragraph 01 into Turnitin.com before Thursday, November 1st at 8:15 AM.  Your Creative Paragraph is worth 20 points. 

Complex Sentences and Comma Usage Tip

When you have a dependent clause followed by an independent clause, you will almost always have a comma between them.

DC, IC
Before I went fishing, my dad bought pizza.

But when you have an independent clause followed by a dependent clause, you will almost always NOT have a comma between them.

IC, DC
My dad bought pizza before I went fishing.

Sentence Composing #031 - #039 (Complex Sentences)

Review these sentences as a study guide for Monday's Quiz.

This Week's Agenda

Quizlet Vocabulary Study - The Outsiders Slang and References

Our next set of vocabulary study will also be from S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders, only this time instead of focusing on SAT/ACT type of vocabulary, the focus will be on pop culture references and slang from the 1960s.  By front loading this material, students will feel more fully immersed in the setting of the story and will have a deeper understanding of the dialogue.

Link:  https://quizlet.com/_1gpu3f

The tentative test date is on Monday, November 5th, allowing students over two weeks to prepare.

This Week's Agenda

Sentence Composing Slides #021 - #029 (Compound Sentences)

Use these slides to study for the Compound Sentences Quiz on Monday.

This Week's Agenda

Quizlet Vocabulary Study Techniques

Quizlet Vocabulary Study Techniques

Frequent Short Burst Study Sessions – Study two times or three times a day for no more ten or fifteen minutes each study session for the four days leading up to the test.   This is far superior to trying to cram at the kitchen table for three hours the night before.  Repeated exposure builds long term memory.

Read it, Say it, Gesture It – Hearing the words spoken out loud will help to lock it in.  Better yet, invent a sentence ant attempt to use the word properly in the sentence.  Then, create a physical gesture or movement that ties to the word.  For example, if the words was “Narcisism” you could pretend to hold a mirror and brush your hair.

Visual Thinking Anchor – Create a picture in your mind, or even draw it out, for each item on the list.  This visual representation becomes like an anchor that helps lock in the concept.

Hand Write the Words & Definitions – The act of physically copying and saying the words out loud helps many students to get the ideas into their brains.

Divide and Conquer – Break the list into two piles:  the words you already know and are comfortable with, and the words that you don’t know.  Spend the majority of your time focusing on the words you don’t know.  This is a much more efficient use of your time.  Study smart, don’t study hard.

Play Quizlet Video Games – Quizlet has a number of games to help you learn the words and definitions.  Use them all.  Some students will even SKYPE with their friends and compete online together to get high scores.

Use the “Incremental Rehearsal” Method - Incremental Rehearsal is a very effective step-by-step system that helps students use Flash Cards to study information (Google it)

Study with a Friend or Family Member – Being socially engaged with your work can help make studying more enjoyable and fun!  Plus, having another set of eyes on the material can provide for spontaneous advice or insights.

Pneumonic Devices – Make word associations can help to organize and remember complex information. 

Pick Out Similar Words – Some definitions may be very similar.  Try to identify which words are similar and figure out a way to remember how they are different.  This is a strategy that

Create Your Own Practice Tests – Quizlet has the ability to create tests in different formats at home.  You can even print out multiple versions of the exact same format of the test we use in class and take practice tests at home.  This will help eliminate confusion about the structure of the test so that you can focus on the ideas and not the method of assessment itself.

Process of Elimination – If you have to guess, eliminate all of the obvious wrong answers in order to narrow the field to the best possible options.  For the matching test, this can mean crossing off each definition or word after you use it as an answer.  This may seem obvious, but a surprising number of students don’t use this technique.

Sentence Composing #021 - 024 (Compound Sentences)

Independent Reading - Close Reader #02

Assignment is due on or before Friday, 10/5/18 at 8:15 AM (before school)

This Week's Agenda