2nd and 6th - 15 September 2008

Agenda:

1. Journal
2. The Human Condition notes - 6th period only
3. Plagiarism and MLA notes
4. Vocabulary
5. Article - 2nd period received this article. We will read it Wednesday.

Journal "Staying Positive": Create a “Top 10” list of ways students can stay positive when things get tough.

6th period only: Students were introduced to the "human condition" and how English class and literature help us to better understand the human condition. Students took a few notes and described various pictures using a list of feeling words. These notes were turned in along with the notes over Myths and Folktales that were taken last week. In groups, students described various pictures using a list of feeling words.

Plagiarism and MLA notes. Students made notes on the following information:

What is MLA?

• See syllabus for explanation from the MLA (Modern Language Association)
• A documentation style used when writing in humanities, including English language and literature.
• You don’t get to document any way you want.
• You must follow this style in English class.
• There is no other option.

What does it mean to "document"?

• To give proof of where a writer/researcher got his/her information. This prevents plagiarism. Some forms of plagiarism can be considered STEALING.
• Imagine that you wrote a story or article that was published in a magazine. It took you 6 weeks to write. You worked on it two hours a day. You lost sleep over it.
• How would you feel if someone took that story, copied it, and turned it in as their own?
• Not a big deal?
• What if that the story was made into a successful movie and all that money went to the person who “stole” YOUR STORY?
  

Videos about plagiarism. Students watched the videos at the following link
http://library.camden.rutgers.edu/EducationalModule/Plagiarism/odule/Plagiarism/
After watching each video, they wrote a few notes about what they remembered, what they learned. This video is from Rutgers University. Don’t let it intimidate you – plagiarism is the same whether you’re in middle school, high school, college, or beyond.

2nd peirod only: MLA Formatting Notes.

Students copied the format for an online article's works cited entry.

They then created an entry for the article "Sharing Philosophy with Children"

These MLA notes were turned in at the end of class.

HOMEWORK due Wednesday: For each vocabulary word, complete 1 vocabulary activity from the green vocabulary packet. You may NOT choose the etymology & root word activities.

6th period: If you did not finish copying definitions at your tables, you will need to go to dictionary.com or use another dictionary to define the words.