Learning to write an essay is not fun or easy. Believe me, I know. However, learning how to write an effective essay is a necessary evil–especially if you want to be prepared for college English composition. Here are a couple of sites to guide you and help you write more effective essays.

Click here for “How to Write an Essay–10 Easy Steps”

Click here for “Basic Guide to Essay Writing”

Sometimes other school life interferes with class time. We have two choices: complain or go with the flow. This time I’ve chosen for us to go with the flow—Fall Fest flow, that is. (Notice the alliteration?)

Here is your assignment. You will begin working on it in class. For those of you not on Student Council, you will also work on it tomorrow. The assignment is due Monday, October 29, 2007, at the beginning of class.

Assignment:

· Read “The Coming of Beowulf” pp 51—55 and “The Battle with Grendel” pp. 56—59.

· Found poem: A found poem is a list of images or descriptive phrases found a written selection. These phrases are then arranged in the format of a free verse poem, usually in the order they appear in the original text. However, sometimes the writer of a found poem chooses to place certain images together to create a more profound effect. There are a few rules for writing found poetry:

§ Use only words, phrases, sentences from your source

§ Don’t add any words except articles (a, an, and the)

§ Delete words where necessary to create a new image

In addition you may change the tense of a word, and repeat words, phrases, or sentences.

Here are step-by-step directions for writing a found poem:

§ Select a particularly descriptive passage

§ Identify significant words, phrases, and sentences in the passage

§ Arrange the excerpts into a found poem

· Now, write three found poems—one from each section beginning with “Grendel Attacks the Danes” pp. 48—51 and including Read “The Coming of Beowulf” pp 51—55 and “The Battle with Grendel” pp. 56—59.

· Your found poems must be written in ink or typed.

· Distinguish poems by using the titles of each section.

· Use MLA format for name, etc., on first page of your found poem assignment.

Due Date: Monday October 29, 2007—at beginning of class

If you are having trouble with your bibliography entries, click here to go to NoodleBib Express. Select MLA and follow the directions.

If the link takes you to the NoodleTools Sign In page, just click on Home.  NoodleBib Express is the last entry in the Free Software Tools column. Click on that link, then MLA, and you are ready to make your bibliography entry.

Please click here to visit Ramblings of Like Minds, our class Wikispace site and respond to the questions I have posted about man and monsters. I know you have something thought-provoking to add to our discussion.

Click here to visit Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab’s MLA Formatting and Style Guide.

Check this category often because here you will find student friendly links to sites such as how to format using MLA and online writing labs plus much, much more.

I know most of you have experience with personal blogs like MySpace and Xanga. This year we are going to use our new classroom blog to post assignments, classroom discussions, classroom updates, pictures, and basically anything else we can think of. The sky is the limit. I hope you are as excited as I am about the possibilities.