Category: Writing

In the article “The Cognition of discovery: Defining a Rhetorical Problem,” Flower and Hayes declare that “problem-finding” inspires creative thinking.
They also claim that better writers consider more aspects of the rhetorical situation when setting their goals for the writing task and thinking about their purpose than novice writers. They suggest that this creativity happens because “people will solve only the problem they give themselves to solve”;
in fact, they predict that while “an audience and exigency can jolt a writer into action,..the force which drives composing is the writer’s own set of goals, purposes, or intentions. [And] a major part of defining the rhetorical problem then is representing one’s own goals”
?What are “rhetorical problems” that good writers will think about before launching into a writing task? How do you prepare for a writing task?

Comprehension In his parenthetical statements, how does the speaker in “The Widow at Windsor” repeatedly identify himself and other members of the British military? What does the speaker in “From Lucy: Englan’ Lady” say everybody expects from the queen? Analysis and Discussion Who is the “Widow at Windsor”? What is surprising about the speaker’s decision to refer to this person in this way? Explain. How would “The Widow at Windsor” be different if the remarks in parentheses were not in the poem? Why? In “From Lucy: Englan’ Lady,” what challenges does Lucy think the Queen faces as a result of her position? How do Lucy’s perceptions humanize the Queen? Explain. Choose a passage from each poem that you find especially interesting or important. Discuss what you notice, the questions you have, and the conclusions you reach. For example, you might focus on the following passages: “The Widow at Windsor,” lines 31-45: Discuss the speaker’s attitude toward both the British Empire and her “sentries.” What is the speaker suggesting about power and powerlessness? “From Lucy: England’ Lady,” lines 28-30: Discuss the poet’s use of a Jamaican proverb to end the poem. What is the effect? What ideas does this choice reinforce?

SELECTION TEST. “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare” FIRST READ: Comprehension Identify the choice that best answers the question.
According to “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare,” what is sleep paralysis?
a. a condition in which a sleeper is incapable of dreaming
b. a condition in which a sleeper walks and talks while asleep
c. a condition in which a sleeper feels awake but cannot move
d. a condition in which a sleeper thrashes about while sleeping
What does the author of “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare” mean by describing sleep paralysis as a “waking nightmare”?
a. The sleeper wakes up screaming and flailing around in bed but does not know why.
b. The sleeper gains awareness but remains unable to move and experiences terror.
c. The sleeper cannot awaken normally and must be shaken awake or slapped by someone.
d. The sleeper has the same bad dream night after night until he or she is afraid to go to sleep.
In the following excerpt from “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare,” what is the most likely meaning of hallucination? Choose based on context clues in the passage. Taken together, the symptoms of sleep paralysis may explain stories of “alien abduction” in recent years, or being harassed by demons in ages past. (The hallucination of an intruder would account for the presence of an “alien” or “demon.”)
a. a reenactment of a real event
b. a memory of a real-life experience
c. a vision of something that is not real
d. a story about people who are not real
The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
Part A What does the context suggest is the most likely meaning used in this excerpt from “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare”? Sleep paralysis is also sometimes called “Old Hag syndrome,” for an evil creature that suffocates people in their sleep by sitting on their chests.
a. prevent sleeping
b. prevent breathing
c. prevent dreaming
d. prevent awakening
Part B Which group of words from the excerpt is a context clue that most clearly supports the answer to Part A?
a. called “Old Hag syndrome”
b. sitting on their chests
c. an evil creature
d. in their sleep
CLOSE READ: Analyze the Text Identify the choice that best answers the question. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
Part A Based on “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare,” choose the words that best describe how someone might feel during an episode of sleep paralysis.
a. annoyed; impatient
b. anxious; hurried
c. terrified; trapped
d. weak; exhausted
Part B Which excerpt from “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare” best supports the answer to Part A?
a. It’s believed to be an unintended side effect of dreaming; when you dream, your brain sends a signal to your muscles to go limp… “It is a feeling of panic, entrapment and desperation so horrifying that I have difficulty describing its magnitude.”
b. “One cannot simply tell me to ‘wake up’ and tap me on the arm.”
c. “Often I need to be shaken somewhat to be fully present.”
Read this excerpt from “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare.” Cultures around the world have different words for these terrifying nocturnal experiences- the Japanese call it kanashibari, which means “bound up with metal.” Which excerpt from the selection best explains why kanashibari is a good name for sleep paralysis?
a. But people who suffer from sleep paralysis find themselves paralyzed and fully aware of their predicament.
b. “Knowing that it will end eventually is of no comfort. Every second is hell.”
c. Because sleep paralysis affects about 5 percent of the population, it could happen to you someday.
d. Taken together, the symptoms of sleep paralysis may explain stories of “alien abduction” in recent years.
In “Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare,” what is the author’s purpose for including quotations from Lori Ball, the woman from Ohio who suffers from sleep paralysis?
a. to show that sleep paralysis can be managed if the condition is diagnosed
b. to show that people react differently to the symptoms of sleep paralysis
c. to show that very few people actually suffer from sleep paralysis
d. to show that sleep paralysis is a real and terrifying condition
Near the end of “The Orphan Boy and the Elk Dog,” Long Arrow decides to share his Elk Dogs with Good Running. What does this decision reveal most clearly about Long Arrow?
a. He is considerate and generous as well as strong and brave.
b. His main concern is making the other villagers feel envious.
c. He is fearful that Good Running will reject him if he does not do so.
d. The Elk Dogs are not really important to him.

Award-winning author Sonia Nazario is best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Enrique’s Journey. The book brings to life the very real and dangerous journey of a Honduran boy fleeing his home in hopes of finding his mother in America. In addition to the biography, Nazario has written countless articles informing readers of the dangers children like Enrique face. While the biography and the articles serve the same purpose and present the same ideas, they do so in different ways. You will be comparing and contrasting how Nazario informs her audience through a biography and an editorial. You may access the editorial here and the biography here.
Write a comparative essay in which you compare and contrast the way Sonia Nazario presents similar ideas in a biography and an editorial. Support your comparison with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient evidence from both texts. Apply MLA guidelines to properly cite the evidence used in your essay. Be sure your essay uses formal and objective language.

Read this sentence, and then answer the question that follows: As she opened the text, she noticed her part of the book had been omitted, so she contacted the publisher. Which word in the sentence should be replaced with domain-specific language? Part
Omitted
Contacted
Publisher

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COMMONLY – CURRICO Activity 3: Fill-in-the-Blank Scenarios Directions: Fill in the blanks using the correct vocabulary word to complete each scenario. Then, explain why that vocabulary word fits best based on context clues provided in the scenario. You may have to change the form of the word (ex: go, going, gone). For Example: Every single day, Bryan wakes up at 5 o’clock in the morning to take a 10-mile jog. Then, he goes to the gym to lift weights. Afterwards he does 20 laps in the pool. And this is before he goes to practice with the team every afternoon! Bryan is _ _about training because My Answer My Reason relentless He is extremely dedicated and exercises all of the time. He runs 10 miles, lifts weights, swims, and attends practice every day. Abolished Corrupt Ignominious Manifest Manipulate Obstinate Ignorant Procure Aloof Regime Repose 1. When Pauline trained for her first marathon, she refused to give up or take days off even when she was sore and tired. obstinany Pauline is _ because She wouldnot Sosiation of letter Tool. My Answer My Reason She is an fleet becube #bing obstinant When Graciela tried her aunt’s cooking she made a face and turned her head away just at the smell of it. Graciela’s feelings about her aunt’s cooking were #3 because She humilated her aunt abal manifest the cooking My Answer My Reason She is GHIgamous because she was humiliated and shameful, very obvious Manifest
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COMMONLIT 360 – CURRICULUM 3. Voters knew that life in their city had gotten worse under their mayor, who was selfish and out of touch. He never spoke with or listened to the people of the city and only made decisions for himself. he would listen and he was stubdoom. 1 Obstinate Voters thought their mayor was _ because My Answer My Reason wont . obstinak tHE ISTHE He was stubborn unwilling 4. The courts decided it was time to put an end to the unfair rule. regimed The rule had to be because It was unfair My Answer My Reason The Power was gained unfairly regired 5. After being booed off stage for the terrible joke, the comedian hung his head and walked slowly to his car. The comedian’s performance was Ignominas because they were embarrassed My Answer My Reason Ignominous She was humiliated and sharefu). 6. Everyone shouted with excitement when Malcolm walked through the door after a long trip away – everyone except for his sister, who didn’t even look up and continued to scroll through her phone. Malcolm’s sister was Alcof because Because she didn’t seem to care My Answer My Reason Aloof The wasn’t interested and involved aming? Init 3: Animal Farm
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COMMONLIT CURRICUL Tyana wanted to be prom queen, but she knew a lot of kids would vote for Krista. So she told her friends that Krista was 7. making fun of others behind their backs. It wasn’t true, but it convinced a lot of kids to vote for Tyana. Tyana tried to Manipulate people because _ She lied . My Reason My Answer to influence the way people think Manipulate . In the middle of baking her homemade cookies, Claire realized she was short one stick of butter. She called all of her neighbors in an attempt to see if anyone could give her some. Claire needed to procure a stick of butter because She needed to make her cookies My Answer My Reason obtain something that is difficult Procure 9. After several weeks of hard work, Dennis finally turned in his research paper and received an A on it. He now could sleep more peacefully at night knowing his hard work was a success! Dennis found repase after weeks of hard work because. he succeeded peace My Answer My Reason repose the had peace, And calmness 10. Mao Zedong led China from 1949 to 1976. Several key events occurred under his rule, including the establishment of a new government. government, the Korean War and the Cultural Revolution. More than 40 years later, Mao’s ideas still influence the Chinese The Mao regime was influential in China because _ It was unfair My Answer My Reason regime He created a rule Unit 3: Animal Farm Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
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COWWOW COMMONLIT S CURRICULUM Activity 5: Application of Vocabulary Directions: Answer each question in 1-2 complete sentences. Make sure that you use the underlined WORK vocabulary word in your answer. 1. What is a rule that you think should be abolished? Why? 2. What do you think should happen when a government official is proven to be corrupt? 3. Is ignorance avoidable? Explain your answer. 4. Name a celebrity or historical figure with an ignominious reputation. Why did you pick this person? 5. What person in your life would you consider “manifestly cleverer” than anyone else? Why? 6. Why is it important to be aware of manipulation tactics that people use? Unit 3: Animal Farm Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 li

State the line of interpretation of To Kill A Mockingbird that you wish to defend in an essay. You may choose one of the four quotes given below or one of your own. Keep in mind that your interpretation will be from a Biblical perspective.
?      “I thought Jem and I would get grown, but there wasn’t much else for us to learn. . .” (Scout, Chapter 31)
?      “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Atticus, Chapter 10)
?      “Trash and fine folks . . .”
?      “You never really understand a person . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Atticus, Chapter 3)
Based on this line of interpretation, write out the thesis statement of your essay in one sentence. This essay will be assigned in your next project. The thesis statement should be properly restricted, precise, and unified. It does not need to include the exact quote, just the idea of it. If necessary, refer to the lesson material on thesis statements.
Remember that your thesis should be a way of interpreting the complete novel, not just a portion of it. Your perspective must be Biblical and should be reflected in the wording of your thesis.
Develop and type  outline for the essay. The outline must be in standard form with the correct usage of Roman numerals, Arabic numerals and capital letters, spacing, punctuation, indentation, and capitalization. This outline must contain at least three main headings (I, II, III) with at least two subheadings (A, B) under each. The outline must be constructed in either sentence or topic format and must be consistent throughout, with each subheading relating in concept to the corresponding heading and each heading in turn supporting the thesis statement.
Your project will be graded based on the following:
?      your attention to the instructions given above
?      inclusion of a thesis statement, as presented in the directions, that is sufficiently restricted, precise, and unified
?      correct development and formatting of an outline, as stated in the instructions
?      use of proper punctuation, spelling, grammar, and sentence construction (commonly called “conventions”)