Short Story Unit Project: Literary Analysis Essay & Poster

Take out a piece of paper and write down any questions you have as we go through this presentation. We’ll answer questions at the end.

Manage your Time!

• This project contains two elements: the Literary Analysis Essay and the Poster Project
• Each part counts as a Major Assessment grade
• You will have 6 workdays to complete the required elements (essay planning handout, outline, rough draft, self-edit, poster planning, poster creation).
• Each element is graded
• You will have a substitute for two of those days
• USE YOUR TIME WISELY! You can move ahead, but do not fall behind
• Due Dates are posted in advance.
• Extensions will not be given.
• Follow the steps and models that I provide; it becomes a train wreck when students veer off course
• You MUST complete each required element before moving to the next component!
• Planning Handout
• Outline
• Paper

The Literary Analysis Essay

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• It is a way of thinking that involves taking apart, breaking down, examining, and explaining a subject or idea
• Think of your text as a Thanksgiving Turkey; pull it apart and find the wishbone
• NOT simply retelling or summarizing the story (you may need to summarize parts of the story to make or clarify a point)
• This is NOT a book report
• This is not an evaluation; you are NOT offering your opinion about whether or not you liked the story, the, plot, characters, etc.
• It shows critical, in-depth thinking

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“Your job is to remind your audience of passages in the text that provide evidence for the argument you want to create about your text, not to describe the plot to someone who has never read the text”-Celia Easton

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TedEd Video: Mining Literature for Deeper Meaning

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• Do not Google the prompt or seek outside sources (parents/guardians, teachers, tutors, peers, any other reference source).
• We have read and analyzed the selected text(s)/topic in depth; it is your turn to demonstrate your knowledge on the subject.
• Essays will be submitted to Turnitin when completed (must be under 20%)
• Parents/Guardians/Tutors/Friends, etc. can edit your paper. However, no one person should edit/change your paper more than 15%. Failure to follow this can result in Honor Code Violation (a zero).
• I cannot help you improve your writing if I don’t see your “real” writing

Essay Writing in Mrs. Spriggs’ Class

• We use a very “formulaic” approach throughout the year. By the end of the year the “shell” should come to you automatically.
• The “Shell” works!
• Created it with co-teachers when 10th graders had a 10th Grade Writing Test that determined whether or not students graduated (high stakes test)
• Students had a prompt and 2 hours to create and revise a fully polished essay with a clear thesis, clear evidence, and strong stylistic elements (organization, coherence, grammar, etc.)
• Needed a fast, clear easy approach to move students from thoughts to essay in limited time

Did the “Shell” work? …Absolutely!

• Consistently highest writing test scores in that county
• When adapted for my AP Language students, those students had the highest AP essay scores (even when moving to new school district)
• Many students communicated that they continued to use the shell in college and received high grades and positive feedback from professors on their essay writing skills
• Students who used the “shell” in other classes were actually accused of plagiarism because the teacher didn’t believe the student could write that well. Please feel free to use it in your other classes.
• The “Shell” models what college professors consistently say that they desire to see in student writing
• By the time you graduate CDS, you’ll have a variety of essay writing tools, techniques, and styles from your various teacher. Use a blend of what works best for you!

Essay Grading Criteria from a college professor:

• Your essay must address and respond to the assignment description/prompt. Most students fail or get low grades because they fail to read the entire assignment/prompt
• Make sure you develop an argumentative analytical essay (i.e., your essay must include an arguable THESIS at the end of your introduction, which you should later develop in the body of your essay through an ANALYSIS of the selected text with SPECIFIC EVIDENCE). Consider the following formula to help you develop a working thesis for your essay: “In [title of text], the author challenges/reinforces traditional notions of gender/female roles/standards of masculinity/etc. by [doing blah, blah, blah].”
• Your essay must contain INTRODUCTION + BODY + CONCLUSION
• All your paragraphs should be fully developed and include transitions. The paragraphs in the body of your essay should contain a topic sentence introducing the topic to be discussed and relating back to the thesis.

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Steps for Success

Each step MUST be completed before you may turn in the following step! Honor Code Reminder: All work and all steps must be completed by you (not parents, tutors, peers, or any other individual). Violation of the honor code will result in a zero that cannot be made up.

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Step One: Choose a Topic

*Before you begin your essay, look at the topic choices. Choose the one for which you can provide best evidence/support.

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• Required Length (not including Works Cited): CP 3 Pages/Honors 4
• Choose a story/stories that you enjoyed. Choose literary terms you understand. Choose a topic that seems interesting to you. Honors- choose a topic that is a “stretch” for you.

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Step Two: Complete Your Planning Handout

• The top “Pre-writing” section is for quick brainstorming- not fully formed sentences or evidence
• The order of your ideas can change as you find your evidence. We’ll fix this when you make your outline.

Thesis Creation

Think of your essay as a tree. Your thesis is the trunk (main idea), the branches are your big ideas, & your specific examples & analysis represent the limbs. All elements connect!

Figuring out Your 3 Big Ideas/Claims for your Thesis

• Do NOT use small, specific details (limbs/twigs) events for your thesis
• Bad Thesis Ideas: the Grinch steals presents, takes the tree, and poisons the cookies
• Use Big Ideas that represent your specific examples (branches)
• Good: “...shown through the Grinch’s greed, deception, and callousness
• Thesis ideas need to be brief, concise, and parallel
• “3 Big Idea” End of Thesis Examples -
• determination, faith, and perseverance
• serves as a foil, delights the reader with her warmth, and unfolds the tragedy
• tradition, adaption, and identity
• language, institutions, gender stereotypes
• life experiences as a mother, writer, and educator
• identity, purpose, and closure
• foreshadowing, imagery, and conflict
• through their pride, greed, and ambition
• through his use of sound devices, figurative language, and imagery.

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Pre-Writing Sample

Essay Prompt: Analyze how The Lion King functions as a bildungsroman film( character growth).

-You can brainstorm specific examples/evidence first to figure out your “big ideas/claims,” or you can decide on your characteristics/big ideas first and then find examples that fit under each category. The top “Pre-writing” section is for quick brainstorming- not fully formed sentences or evidence.

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Create Your Thesis

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• Thesis Hints & Tips
• Your Thesis must
• Reference the text & author
• Utilize a Strong Verb
• Address ALL parts of the prompt
• List Three Claims/Big Ideas that will be analyzed (in the order of strong, stronger, strongest)
• Do not use specific incidents or characters (you’ll use these within the essay).
• Have parallel structure
• Aim for one sentence

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*Your thesis is the heart of your essay. Make sure it is clear, concise, and lists the three main ideas/claims

Sample Thesis Statements

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• In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein she demonstrates the following elements of Romanticism: the importance of individualism, an awe of nature, and the depths of mankind’s emotions.
• Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein displays the theme that isolation can lead to depression, poor decision making, and ultimately violence.
• In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, she demonstrates the elements of gothic literature through her use of the setting, the display of strong emotion, and the use of supernatural elements
• In both Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the metaphor of imprisonment is prevalent throughout several characters’ lives by demonstrating the imprisonment of guilt, heartbreak, and discontentment.

Hints for Finding Textual Evidence using the PDF’s of the texts

PDF Search Trick: View the document, click "Command or Control F," enter the word/topic you are searching for (“trowel”), all the results will be highlighted.

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Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”

• Step 3: Create your Outline- “The Shell”

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• Our outlines for this class will be LONG & Wordy; this is okay
• Finalize (and fix) the order of your 3 “Big ideas/claims” in your thesis. It must go from strong to stronger to strongest!
• Finalize the order of your evidence within each claim. Don’t copy and move the material around; simply mark the evidence with letters or numbers indicating the order you’ll use on your outline.
• Use the assigned “Shell” outline
• This will take the most amount of time, but the essay writing will be less than 15 minutes.
• Keep the Roman Numerals, letters, and numbers- never delete them on the outline
• Keep the transitions and topic sentence stems
• Copy (don’t cut) your information from your planning handout onto your outline.
• It’s okay to “unsubmit” your document from Google Classroom; I can always see when it was originally completed.

The Introduction

• Inverse Pyramid Structure (Broad to Narrow)
• Create a captivating and relevant Attention Getter/Narrative Hook
• Create a “bridge” between your hook and your essay.
• The last sentence of your introduction is always your Thesis Sentence: Copy thesis from your pre-writing sheet.
• Now that you have finished your evidence collection, make sure your 3 “Big Ideas” are in the correct order from strong, stronger, and strongest.
• Thesis Example: In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe uses dialect, figurative language, and dialogue to create a mood of joy.

Regurgitate Throughout Your Essay

• Your thesis should restate the prompt and include your three big ideas.
• Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence that regurgitates that section of your thesis!
• Think of yourself as a “mama bird” and continually regurgitate the prompt back to the reader. This will make sure your essay & analysis remain focused on the topic.
• Introduction: Thesis w/ 3 Big Ideas
• Topic Sentences (Body Paragraphs: Big Idea 1, Big Idea 2, & Big Idea 3)
• Conclusion: Restate thesis

Body Paragraphs

• Topic Sentence Begins with INITIALLY, and first idea in thesis statement ,
1. (Example) Initially, Poe creates a mood of joy through the character’s dialects.
2. Initially,
• Support & Elaboration: T.E.A. (Transition, Evidence, Analysis) Avoid Plot Summary!
• For example, integrate quote (make a bridge to the quote), provide quote (w/ MLA Citation), provide analysis.
• Additionally, integrate quote, provide quote (w/ MLA Citation), provide analysis.
• Third Example: Transition,integrate quote, provide quote (w/ MLA Citation), provide analysis
• Concluding Sentence-Reconnect with your thesis and/or overall topic of this paragraph. The So What? How does this evidence in this paragraph support your thesis?
• To summarize,

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Core Body Paragraph Transitions

• Initially,
• Furthermore,
• Ultimately,
• In Conclusion,

Cite the Evidence (The Peanut Butter)

• Cite evidence from the text (provide 3-4 strong examples from the text that support your paragraph’s topic sentence/Big Idea).
• Use specific, relevant examples
• Use the provided transitions on the outline
• For example.
• For instance,
• Additionally,
• Use the peanut butter/jelly approach (Evidence, Analysis, Evidence, Analysis)
• For your MLA Citations, you only need to include the author’s last name because we used the digital formats of the texts.
• Use the T.E.A. Format (Transition, Evidence, Analysis)

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Explain,

Elaborate,

Analyze the Evidence (The Jelly)

• Explain how the text evidence supports your answer (Jelly)
• Avoid Plot Summary! The reader is already familiar with the text.
• Analyze the evidence you provided and use it to prove your point.
• You always need double the commentary/analysis compared to the textual evidence.
• 1 Quote= 2 Sentences of Commentary
• Make sure your analysis points back to the focus of that body paragraph & the prompt. Stay on Topic!
• Remember to use the T.E.A. Format (Transition, Evidence, Analysis)

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Conclusion

Closing Paragraph/Conclusion (Pyramid Structure: Narrow to Broad)

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• Begins with IN CONCLUSION, and restate THESIS in fresh way
• In conclusion, Edgar Allan Poe creates a mood of elation and cheerfulness in “The Cask of Amontillado” through his use of dialect, figurative language, and dialogue.
• Power Closing (Ask a Question, Challenge the Reader, Provide a Powerful Summary Statement, Discuss the Importance of the theme, etc.)

i. Power Conclusion:

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Step 4: The Essay

• You will use the Short Story Literary Analysis Essay MLA Paper to create your Essay (assigned to you under Google Classroom).
• Copy and paste the information from your outline onto it.
• Delete the outline material (Roman Numerals, Letters, explanations, etc.).
• Your paper should look like a MLA paper with an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion, and a Works Cited.
• Make sure you include the parenthetical citations!
• First draft is due @ the start of class on Thursday Oct. 13th or Friday, Oct. 14th- depending on your class.
• Check your paper for errors. Check your paper against the rubric.
• The Final Draft of the essay is a Major Assessment Grade (due @ the start of class depending on your class meeting time on either Wednesday, Oct. 19th Thursday, Oct. 20th).
• Literary Analysis Peer/Self Editing Checklist
• Literary Analysis Final Draft Rubric

Final Notes

• Avoid Summarizing the plot. Choose specific examples and details that support your topic sentences and your thesis.
• Make sure that your evidence backs up your claim!
• Use the provided transitions between paragraphs (initially, furthermore, ultimately, in conclusion) and use transitions within your paragraphs to introduce your evidence (for example, for instance, to illustrate, as seen in the text, etc.)
• Use complete sentences! Check for grammatical errors!
• Check the rubric while reading your essay

Diction, Tone, & Style

• Writing must demonstrate a Formal, Academic Tone
• Avoids Conversational Words & Phrasing
• Kind of, a lot, sort of, to be honest
• Avoids the “Language of Public Speaking”
• “Let us..”
• “First we will consider”
• Avoids Generalizations and Cliches
• Throughout history…
• Since the beginning of time…
• All men think…
• Avoids Personal Pronouns
• Me, I, we, our, you, your, mine
• Avoids Words that Express Value Judgments
• Insane, crazy, ridiculous
• Avoids Flowery Adjectives
• Cool, amazing, wonderful
• Writing uses Literary Present Tense
• Check for Grammar Errors (Run-ons, Fragments, usage errors, capitalization, etc.)
• Remove all Contractions
• Utilizes strong, power verbs
• Uses Active Voice instead of Passive Voice
• Demonstrates Concise Writing & Avoids Wordiness

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MLA Format & Google Docs

• Use the correct MLA Parenthetical/In-text Citations Overview (link provided on Shell Outline; find the appropriate text)
• A Sample MLA document will already be created for you with the Works Cited completed. Delete the short stories that you do not need.
• With Google docs, you do not need to worry about whether the document is submitted or not. I can always see it (as long as you use the document assigned in Google Classroom). At times you will need to “unsubmit” your planning or outline to make changes/copy & paste. This is OKAY; it won’t make that part late or missing.

Short Story Poster Project

• You do not have to use the same text for your essay and poster
• We won’t start the pre-planning for this until the end of the workdays.
• However, if you have available time, the project is self-explanatory.
• You can complete it at any time during these last three weeks.
• Step 1: Complete the Short Story Poster Project Planning Handout
• Step 2: Create your poster using the "Poster Project" option under Adobe Express (sign up with your CDS email for full access). Download (or "send to Google Drive") when your poster is finished.
• Step 3: Check your poster against the Short Story Poster Project Rubric

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Confused at any point?

• This Google Slide is meant to guide you through the steps if you are ever confused about which steps comes next.
• Use this presentation (especially when you have a sub) if you don’t remember what occurs next.
• You can move at your own pace and can turn items in early.
• Watch your overall schedule these last three weeks; do not waste the work time provided to you!
• Pay attention to the weekly agenda and the due dates for your class. Because of fall break and PSAT, the schedules are wonky. Your due dates will NOT be the same as other class periods.

Now that we have finished this overview, you need to complete the Literary Analysis Acknowledgement Form