Showed Vlad how to incorporate a quote from Cathy Meyer, add additional statement following quote from Gabbi Shaw, and find another reliable source for a final quote from Sam Marguiles. Went over all Vlad's use of "The Sandwich" to see of all three parts of the Sandwich were used every time Vlad block quoted. Thought through the final argument: Vlad personal opinion that all divorces happen because of one or both partners feeling unhappy, when one partner says, "I'm unhappy" (or words to that effect), and the spouse asks, "How unhappy are you?" Vlad's thesis: The couple at that point have already decided their marriage is over. Worked on concluding paragraph. Reminded Vlad of the superstructure we used for this paper: Some people believe... Other people argue....Still other people claim.... I would suggest.... Give credit first to what other people have said (the "conversation") that was ongoing before you arrive. Then you can give your opinion, having shown respect to other people. Last, checked Vlad's Works Cited page and corrected errors.

We first discussed the textual evidence that Alexa had found for homework for her essay. We looked at the graphic organizer, and Alexa had filled in some of the required textual evidence that she needed to support her thesis. We continued to search for the other evidence that she needed. Once that was complete, we began drafting her first body paragraph. I reviewed the requirement for MLA citations. Alexa doesn't know how to correctly place a block quote, so I will provide information on that for our next class. Alexa is doing a good job with her literary analysis.

Looked at the first thing a reader reads: the Title. Discussed how a title could be a turnoff, or it could prompt the reader to read on. Katya took her working title -- The Causes of Divorce -- and changed it to Who Pulled the Plug? We agreed that was a much better title. We moved on to restructing Katya's introductory paragraph. Her opening sentence was great. Complimenting Katya. We looked at what should happen next. We agreed that the statements should now focus on what researcher are saying. Observation: Researchers have come up with lists of why people get divorced. But the problem is: not all these researchers list the same reasons. Complicating the issue is that some researchers are a lot more reliable than others. Those two statements, I said, could be the theme of the paper. We added: those two statements set up where the paper goes from here. Next, we used the phrase "According to" to identify the first source the paper will quote. We researched Scott Stanley's credentials and found he is a marriage counselor and the author of the book Fighting for Your Marriage. We added his credentials after his name. Then we block quoted the words we needede from an article he wrote. After that, we said Katya needs to comment on the quote -- which she did. Noted that this part 3 of "The Sandwich" could be expanded further before going on to a new paragraph and a new block quote.

Alexa has finished reading the 400 page novel which is wonderful. We discussed in detail the ending of the book. We discussed the characters. Alexa chose her literary essay topic. I created a graphic organizer for her to begin her pre-writing for her essay. Today we created the thesis statement, and we wrote the introduction. For homework, Alexa will begin looking for the best textual evidence within the novel to support her thesis

Spent an hour and a half building vocabulary. Completed Unit 12 and Unit 10 - 12 Review. Shifted over to Personal Opinion Persuasive Essay. Focussed on the design of each of his paper's three core paragraphs: Topic sentences; example(s); citing of research; followed by part 3 of "The Sandwich" (Vlad's discussion of the quote, chart, or graph). Discussed the term "tipping point" and how a paragraph on "tipping point" could be used to discuss how a decisive moment of being deeply unhappy can be the final moment when for any number of reasons when one partner who has "fallen out of love" says to her or his partner "I'm unhappy" and the answer is "How unhappy are you?" Ran through the requirements of an introductory paragraph, a concluding paragraph, and a title. Tested some "working" titles to see how close they came to reflecting the shape the paper is taking and, importantly, how provocative each of these "working" titles really is.

Alexa and I discussed in great detail the section of the novel she had read for homework. We discussed the similarities in this novel and her last novel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. The time periods are similar and so are some of the beliefs of the time. Alexa and I then answered in detail the discussion questions from which Alexa will choose her topic for her essay. The answers are serving as Alexa's pre-writing. She does a nice job answering them. Alexa will finish reading the novel for homework.

Started the lesson with a lesson on the required format for page one of any research paper. (A bit surprised Katya was not familiar with the required format.) Went through two of my own handouts: "Writing a Rearch Paper" and "Setting Up the Rearch Paper: the Order of Events." Focused for a moment on my image of the upside down pyramid to describe how the introductory paragragh starts off with broad statements that then get narrower and narrower to end with a thesis. Gave Katya a sample of that progression. Focused next on the AARP bar graph and Katya's commentary on the graph. Noted with her that her commentary drifted away from the graph. Found out that part of her commentary was really taken from another source, and that source was a blog. We went to that blog and found the source was sensationalizing, biased, and written to appeal to a radical audience. While Katya thought the articles in the Grim Beeper were "fun," I tried to emphasize the importance of choosing credentialed sources that are reliable. Response from Katya: So, I shouldn't use a Grim Beeper articles. (Her reluctance to give up the "fun" and give up Grim Beeper articles surprised me.) Focused next on applying the principles of "The Sandwich" when block quoting. Focused next on how to block quote. (I was very surprised to find out that Katya did not have even the basics of block quoting.) Went on to focus on setting up the Works Cited page. (And again I was surprised to find out that Katya did not have even a very basic understanding of how to set up a Works Cited page.) Noted for myself that we will need several lessons on block quoting, applying The Sandwich," and how to add entries to the Works Cited page.

Alexa and I discussed in detail the part of the novel that she had read for homework. We then moved to the discussion/study guide questions. Alexa is doing a great job answering these questions in preparation for composing an essay as her cumulative project for the novel. We looked for textual evidence to support her answers. We also began discussing possible essay topics based on the questions.

Looked again at the graphs and charts Katya found online. We noted that one such bar graph was taken from a survey published by AARP. The intriguing part of the graph was the fact that each bar was composed of three parts: "most significant reason," "next reason," "third reason." The reasons were listed on the vertical side of the chart: money problems; control freak; alcohol/drugs; fell out of love; cheating; different lifestyles; abuse. The most frequently cited cause of divorce was abuse, but equal in frequency cited was cheating.Standing out was the next reason and also the third reason most frequently cited cause was abuse. Katya needs to find the full AARP article. What Katya found, instead, was a poorly written commentary on the graph written by a blogger. We discussed the unreliability of many sites online and how to sift the reliable from the unreliable. We discussed anecdotal "evidence" versus statistical evidence and articles that have been peer reviewed or found in reputible journals known for publishing well-documented articles. Turned next to the three parts of "The Sandwich." In the first part (which must always be there), the source of the quote to follow is identified. If the source is a person, then that person's credentials need to be cited. In the second part of The Sandwich, the quote is presented. In the third and most important part of The Sandwich, the writer comments on the quote. We discussed the various ways of commenting on the quote and the importance of using this third part of the paragraph to reassert the writer's control over the paragraph and provide the reader with the key takeaways from the quote. Commenting on, analyzing, elaborating on, or criticizing are not the same as repeating the words of the quote. Simply summarizing the quote is just a dumbing down of the quote. Good commentary is what makes part three of The Sandwich outstanding and appreciated. Shared with Katya my own essay "Writing a Research Paper."

Spent the time to review the "triangle" of topic, writer, and audience. Used the example of Stop Question Frisk as a practice of the NYC policy department. Discussed the difference of a speech describing SQF delivered to a good group of policy officers versus a black audience. What happens within the minds of the black community when they see a police officer (especially a white police office) giving a speech to them? Discussed the question in terms of the audience's personal experience, personal knowledge, beliefs, assumptions, positions, and warrants. Went on to discuss the importance of acknowledging the beliefs, assumptions, and positions already in play, before the writer or speaker transitions to his or her contribution to the conversation. Reviewed two formulas: "Some people say....Other people would argue...Still others claim....I would suggest...." or "It might be argued that....It might be argued that....It might be argued.... Recent research suggests..... Discussed fleshing out Vlad's discussions of (1) financial disagreements, (2) cheating, and (3) falling out of love as three major reasons for divorce -- to be followed by Vlad's overriding cause of divorce: being unhappy. Discussed the place and risks of supporting a claim using examples. Discussed the need to break down and analyze reasons for people "falling out of love." Discussed how "unhappy" cause could be the underlying reason for (1), (2), and (3). Discussed the concept of "tipping point" and how "I'm not happy" or "Are you that unhappy?" could be the perfect tipping point. Discussed what would have to go into an introductory paragraph, what would have to go into a concluding paragraph. Tried out sample titles and discussed why some are much better than others.