Week 107: College Reading and Writing Rebecca Morgan Frank and Lt. Brian Thiem

Week 107: College Reading and Writing

Rebecca Morgan Frank and Lt. Brian Thiem: Annotating, Summarizing, Analyzing, Imitating

to annotate: to make notes on something to help you understand it better

to summarize: to put something in your own words

to analyze: to consider a question on the text, providing supporting examples from the text

to imitate: to create an original piece of writing based on something you have read

We are doing the twentieth poem and response today, starting on page 66.

Exercise: Read and annotate

1. Read the poem and response out loud and underline any words you need to look up

2. Write any questions you have in the margins or in your notebook

3. Put tricky parts into your own words in notes in the margins or in your notebook

Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the poem

1.     What does the speaker mean, “the numbers are gunning for you”?

2.     What does the speaker mean by “violence rests”?

3.     What kind of effect do the questions have on the reader?

Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the response

1. According to Thiem, what is the problem with the emphasis on “the gun part of violence”?
2. What is targeting guns “easier than”?
3. According to Thiem, what is the only thing that will solve the problem of gun violence?

Homework Assignment: Summarize the Poem

Write a 7-9 sentence paragraph summarizing the poem with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.

example too-short summary, incorporating quotation and in-text citation:

Rebecca Morgan Frank’s poem, “Gunning for it,” grapples with gun violence through the use of many questions. The question “how do you explain a history…” (Frank 66) is asked, referring to the harm done to two men by the same person, one mass murderer shot and an innocent man hit over the head and left for dead. The poem ends with a focus on the gun, and how “…it breathes in, breathes out” (Frank 66).

Work Cited Page (for today’s poem)

Frank, Rebecca Morgan. “Gunning for It.” Bullets Into Bells: Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence. Ed. Brian Clements et al. Beacon Press, 2017.

Homework Assignment: Summarize the Response

Write a 7-9 sentence paragraph summarizing the response with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.

Homework Assignment: Analysis

Question for analysis: In Thiem’s response to Frank’s poem, he writes, “Neighborhood residents know who they are, but they look the other way. During political protests, black-masked anarchists shoot guns and throw firebombs, and then meld back into the crowd, while the ‘peaceful’ protestors look the other way” (67). How do you see this statement at work in Frank’s poem? Write a 7-9 sentence analysis where you answer Thiem’s implicit question about who or what’s to blame for the problem of gun violence by examining who is being indicted in Frank’s poem. Use quotations from both pieces and in-text citation.

Homework Assignment: Imitation

Write a poem where you question a family story or history that’s been told to you.

Homework:

1. Summary of Poem
2. Summary of Response
3. Analysis of Poem and Response
4. Imitation of Poem

About this class:

In this class, you are welcome to submit homework for a grade.  If it’s not strong enough to earn an A, I’ll give you some comments to help you revise it, and let you do it over again. You have as many chances as you want to complete and perfect the work in this class, and you are welcome to do more than one week’s worksheet for homework at a time; ask me for sheets you’ve missed.  Students who complete 15 weeks of graded assignments and a longer paper can qualify for college credit.  When you get close to completing 15 weeks, I’ll help you get started on your longer paper.