During today's session Joshua worked on on preparing source cards based on his internet research. We together reviewed MLA format for his sources and later discussed areas to note on his "note cards" after the sources are culled: background/history, controversies surrounding the topic, and last for a conclusion , a possible solution. I suggested that one of the sources offer a view contrary to his thesis as absent a controversy, there can be no valid thesis statement. Joshua will begin to read sources this week while making note cards that contain evidence, quotes, and paraphrases.
As Joshua encountered difficulty with the second essay question on the "Daisy Miller" test, today we worked on essay organization, and analysis. After I distributed my comments , we examined Joshua' s work ,sentence by sentence. I first explained that the essay sought an analysis of the novel's conflict, Man v Society ,and noted the lack of a topic sentence and lack of a conclusion paragraph. I provided a model topic sentence to begin the essay and explained the need to postpone particulars until the body of the paragraph. I further reviewed the prompt to explain how the prompt focuses on the Man v Society theme and the essay therefore should provide examples. We then rewrote the second paragraph per my comments which essentially reordered all of the sentences to create a coherent discussion about Daisy Miller's perhaps disingenuous rejection of societal norms that apply to women (only). I further provided instruction on forming a new paragraph to address conflict resolution as well as a final paragraph that offers some comment on how society treats the non-conformist, especially if she is a woman. Joshua will rewrite the essay -due Tuesday.
During todays' session ,Joshua searched the card catalogue of the public library to locate possible research sources. As he located possible sources, we created source cards in MLA format and discussed how to determine the source's reliability. Joshua further researched academic studies and articles on the internet and read through their conclusions to determine their potential relevance. We reviewed how to make and create notes once the sources are culled including the need to include in the research paper at least two short direct quotes or paraphrases as well as a number of longer quotes. I further reviewed how the thesis statement will be refined after the research is summarized on the note cards to ensure that there will be sources to support the thesis,
For the remainder of the school year, we will be working on the Junior Research Paper. Today, we first addressed narrowing Joshua's topic to make research more focused and practical. I then provided instruction on the MLA citation system for books, magazines, encyclopedias, and web sites. Joshua then practiced writing proper MLA citations for a Works Cited page referencing the novels we have read. Next, I discussed the need to assess a source's reliability before relying on it for the paper. We discussed methods to implement to test reliability including making sure the source is not outdated even if the source was originally deemed reliable.
As Joshua completed reading the novel and his final essay, during the first segment of the session I distributed a Robert Browning poem as an enrichment exercise. We studied Browning's use of the dramatic monologue as a poetic technique but more importantly analyzed thematic similarities between the novel and the poem, specifically a male dominated society's view of female flirtation and of socially unacceptable interaction with men. As we did in our study of the novel, we considered whether the female subject of the poem was immoral or simply misconstrued as in both cases the interpretation of their actions was fatal. During the second half of the session, I introduced our next and final unit-the Junior research paper. After I distributed a detailed description of the paper's requirements and objects, we began to read through the required steps . Joshua discussed the topic he chose: mental harm suffered by teens due to social media . We will focus tomorrow on citation format , required number of sources, and next research steps.
We analyzed how the author employs the Christian symbols and images of the Colosseum and the cross in relation to Daisy's tragic death in the final pages of the novel. I explained the historical background of the Christian martyrs in Ancient Rome who died for their religious beliefs that were unorthodox at the time. Joshua then astutely discussed how Daisy too is a sacrificial lamb but in contrast to the martyrs ,Daisy is sacrificed to a societal culture she neither understands nor embraces. From this perspective, we explored why James aptly described the novella as a tragic story, especially given Winterborne's license as a man to behave worse without repercussions. We examined the novel in terms of a Man v Society conflict after which Joshua drafted a written statement of the theme of the novel. We further reviewed Joshua's homework on Christian sybolism. We will have our final test on the novel on Monday.
