Do you have the answer key for the study guide that you created for the book Night? If so can you email it to me? kjboynton@gmail.com

There was not an answer key included with your Caged Bird test. Can you please send me the key. In the future, I think you should include keys with your products.

So I purchased The stranger unit pack before the holiday break and I did not download it. I went back today to try and get the material and the time has expired. Can you email another copy of the material? jhemken@ecusd7.org or jamiehemken@hotmail.com

Has the Into the Wild Unit Plan updated since October 2007. The feedback wasn't so positive, but if you've updated since then, then maybe it's improved. Let me know! Also, I am unable to download the free preview of the powerpoint to go with the unit. Is it still up and running? My powerpoint is working well, so I don't know what the problem is?!? Thanks! Julie

I understand that this is a public forum. And wont want to clutter this page. For further discussion, please use support at proprofs.com email id. Thanks

Thanks for your response. I am interested in the "32 SAT Word Lists and Quizzes (480 words)" . I would like to post this to the premium section of the upcoming free SAT school at ProProfs. Visit proprofs.com/sat The premium section is at: http://www.proprofs.com/forums/index.php?showforum=105 All resources at proprofs are free to all students. The premium section is accessible to all teachers/students who do atleast 2 post on the forum . Its free to join and post. Its just to encourage participation and students helping each other. The sat school is not yet available to public and is under contruction. Should be publicly available in 2-3 weeks and much like other ProProfs school should become a leader in free education for that exam. Your resource will help many. I'll be glad to include your bio /link to your website for your contribution. Please let me know if this is of interest and if so, would you like to charge for the same? If so, please let me know the cost for the same.

Dear rohtegan03, What is it you want to buy? Your post didn't say. What is the SAT site that you are connected with? I'd be happy to talk with you about selling my product once I know which one it is. Best, Connie

Hello, I am associated with a SAT website. wanted to buy this and post it to premium section of my website where members with more than 2 posts to the forum can download it free. What will be the cost for doing this? We do not charge our members so I am hoping to pay you and then post to website. You could continue to sell/share/use as you like Please let me know

Hi, I found your site online and it is great . I am just starting Friday Night Lights and your information is so helpful. I was wondering what you used for individual writings. On your syllabus it says on Day 2: individual writing #8 and then on Day 3: character motivation #16 but I could not find that information online. Thanks for the information. Sue Steciak

Dear Sue Steciak, When any of my plans refer to #8 or #16, etc, that refers to writing and teaching ideas in my Literature Lives chapter which I have posted for sale under Teacher Manuals. It is a compilation of over 50 ideas for teaching literature as well as offering worksheets for elements of fiction, novel assignments (when students pick a book to read), and short story discussion topics and projects. The latter two compilations can also be used for longer fiction. I continually use this chapter when teaching various novels. For example, today I used one of the thematic ideas (I don't have ithe file open so I can't give you the number) when teaching The Stranger with my seniors. I wrote eight topics on the board, ranging from Alienation to Physical Response vs. Introspective Response to Restless Sundays and students had to come up and write examples (with their names by their examples- up to 3 for one point credit each) which we then discussed. This method not only showed what the students knew, it served as a jumping off point for discussions and offered them ideas for longer essays they have to write. I like for them to choose their essay topics because they will write better if they are discussing something which ignites their passion. When the example was more of an analytic idea instead of a fact, I said, "This has a lot of meat to it; maybe you could develop it in the essay you'll be writing." Also, it was a good assessment tool for me to see who is keeping up with the reading (and who isn't) and what they understand and don't understand. By the time we were finished, we had 75 examples to develop, a number of which (15 maybe?) could be expanded into full-length essays. I find this to be an invaluable resource for absolutely every novel we read in class. Do look under Teacher Manuals on this site. For more information, feel free to contact me. Best, Connie Casserly

Thank You so much for sharing your insight. I will use it well! Jamie

Jamie, I accidently hit that little dohickey symbol at the right of your message. I'm sorry. Ignore my doing this. Connie

Hello, Thank you for your interest in this unit. It's a terrific way to start the school year since that is the high point of the high school football season, too. I used the Openers in the unit plan for daily short essays. As far as a longer analytic essay, you can just change up the short answer section of the test and have the students choose one of those topics for a long essay and just give the objective part as a short test. Another possibility is to use the test as is, and use numbers 32, 33 and 34 of the Discussion Questions for your essay topics as each of these do require a lengthier discussion. Doing this will also show how well the kids read the book. As for my Write Right method; I haven't posted it on-line yet, but I will cut and paste it for you. Basically, I do NOT believe in the 5-paragraph essay as I feel this really constricts student thinking and is just too formulaic. I realize AP teachers have to instruct students to write for the AP exams, but my major goal in the regular classes is to get the kids to THINK for themselves and to fully develop their thoughts in writing. The paper I will cut and paste for you is what I give the kids the first day of school. It summarizes the major parts of an essay. I tell them that the body of the paper is what forms their elasticity and can be as many paragraphs as they need to fully explain and develop their thesis statement. All of this material is from a book I wrote that I am now putting on this site in sections, ergo the chapter headings. CHAPTER 5 WRITE RIGHT! No matter what career path students choose to follow, the one factor that will follow them anywhere is the ability to express themselves coherently and logically in writing. As I tell my students the first day of school in September, even if they are not planning to attend college or to obtain a post high school education directly after graduation, they will still be expected to show literacy when they put pen to paper, or press that keyboard. Therefore, a strong focus in my classes is writing, and not just what they say, but how they say it. Because of this, many of the lessons offered in the Write Right! and the Grammar Grapplers chapters of this book are closely connected. Although this chapter basically deals with analytic writing, the same concepts, when applicable, are used with writing that takes a more creative and looser approach. After all, I often tell them, they can’t break the rules until they know them and show their understanding in their pieces. The basic difference in my approach and that of some of my colleagues is that I don’t adhere to a strict five paragraph essay. Instead, I focus on the function of the three parts of a composition: the introduction, the body and the conclusion, with the body offering the area for expansion of their ideas. A strong component of this strand is the reliance on individual and peer critiquing. Common knowledge allows that writers will never, ever catch all of their content and mechanical errors as so many ideas remain in their heads, never reaching the paper. Therefore, if the point of the piece is to show clarity, focus and development, other, more objective readers are needed to find the weak points. Also, once writers are done with a piece, they are so used to what they said that they often glide over mechanical and spelling errors. This, too, raises the necessity for peer critiquing. Note: all of the forms in this chapter, up to the list of opener topics, are handed out to students the first week of school and are referred to any time the writing process is the focus of the lesson. Students are expected to use them with every piece that they write. Quizzes on these sheets are given periodically to check their understanding of the terms and concepts (See sample p. 309). Write Right! Analytic Writing Made easy All essays have three core parts: an introduction, a body and a conclusion. A well-developed essay will include as many body paragraphs as needed to fully explain or flesh out the THESIS STATEMENT. Therefore, the minimum number of paragraphs is three; the maximum is unlimited as long as all body paragraphs stem from the THESIS STATEMENT and work together to form a unified and coherent whole. A Paragraph: • A group of sentences that presents and develops one MAIN IDEA about a topic. • These sentences work together (coherence & unity) to communicate one MAIN IDEA. An Essay • A group of paragraphs that presents and develops one topic. • These paragraphs work together (coherence & unity) to communicate and develop one MAIN IDEA which expresses the author’s POINT OF VIEW. INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH • HOOK: statement that catches the reader’s attention (1-3 sentences). • OVERVIEW: relates what the author plans to discuss. This will include the title/author if applicable. • THESIS STATEMENT: a focused, clearly stated sentence that explains the PURPOSE of the paper. All body paragraphs will develop and prove this VIEWPOINT. • TRANSITION SENTENCE: a statement that smoothly leads to the next paragraph. This should be the last sentence in the INTRODUCTION and in each BODY PARAGRAPH. TYPES OF 3 PART THESIS STATEMENTS • Opinion & Fact: Gladiator was one of the more exciting films this summer because of its setting, action and philosophy. • Consequence: Arthur Ashe’s life reflected his strong commitment to overcoming hurdles in the arenas of sports, political activism and education. • Comparison/Contrast: The challenges faced by Anne Bradstreet and Sylvia Plath as female poets were similar, but the themes, tones and beliefs revealed in their poetry show the differences of their worlds. • Autobiographical: My life as an admitted bookaholic is richer because of the places I’ve visited, the people I’ve met and the beliefs I’ve encountered through the written word. Body paragraphs Note: Each body paragraph will contain the following elements. • MAIN IDEA: this reveals the overall POINT of the PARAGRAPH and is related in the first sentence. • It covers one part of the thesis statement. • Each MAIN IDEA is an idea rather than a fact • It controls the entire PARAGRAPH by showing the reader what the rest of the paragraph will cover. • This allows the writer to FOCUS on one particular point. • SUPPORTING DETAILS • Other sentences in the PARAGRAPH that give information that supports the MAIN IDEA of the paragraph. • At least three SUPPORTING DETAILS are necessary for an effective and well-developed PARAGRAPH. • Types of SUPPORTING DETAILS: see Essay Development sheet. • SUPPORTING DETAILS should be fully explained. Never leave the reader questioning the purpose of a sentence. NOTE: ALWAYS explain how a quote develops the MAIN IDEA. • TRANSITION SENTENCE: see INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH. • This sentence should reflect what has just been discussed. • It should also signal a change to the topic of the next paragraph. • ORDER OF IDEAS FOR BODY PARAGRAPHS • Chronological • Logical • Order of importance • Spatial CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH • SUMMARY STATEMENT: briefly relate the MAIN IDEAS covered. • Restate/paraphrase the THESIS STATEMENT. • KICKER: a strong, clear final thought that reveals what the paper has proven. AVOID AVOID AVOID!! • Don’t write sentences that tell, i.e. “The purpose of this paper is…” or “In this paragraph I will tell you…” • NEVER USE FIRST OR SECOND PERSON IN A FORMAL ESSAY!! • Don’t present new ideas or raise new issues in the conclusion that should be in another paper. • Don’t include meaningless or irrelevant information to fill up space. • Beware awkward or repetitive words and phrasing (use various sentence structures). Sentences that do not support the THESIS STATEMENT destroy the UNITY of the PARAGRAPH. Essay Development Handout *Collated from the Elements of Writing, Complete Course Types of Hooks • Anecdote • Description of person, place, object, idea • Example • Question • Stance on an issue • Startling fact/statement Types of Elaboration/Development • Facts: statements that can be proven • Statistics: facts that involve numbers • Sensory Details: details that describe how something looks, tastes, sounds, smells or feels. • Incidents: specific events that support your thesis • Examples: instances that represent your thesis • Quotations: statements that illustrate and add force to your thesis. These can be actual statements that a character makes (in quotation marks in the text), or can be prose statements that you choose to cite. You must put the latter in quotations. • Parenthetical Documentation Example: “Put the example you are using in quotation marks” (Casserly, 16). Note, use no punctuation before last quotation mark; put the period after final parenthesis. Use no p for page number within the parenthesis; just the (author’s last name, page number). • Anecdotes: an extended example or brief story • Verification from reliable source: a statement from an outside source • Personal Experience: an example from your life that supports the thesis Transitional Devices • To show time: then, while, meanwhile, after, afterward, soon, later, eventually, finally, at last, by this time, at first, at this point, presently, next • To show number/order: first, second, in the first place, secondly • To continue the same line of thought: also, furthermore, moreover, likewise, besides, similarly, for example, in fact, for instance, again, then, on the contrary • To state degree of certainty: certainly, undoubtedly, presumably, indeed, perhaps, possible, anyhow, anyway • To show summary or consequence: therefore, consequently, accordingly, hence, thus, as a result, finally, for this reason, in other words, in fact • To show place: here, there, opposite, adjacent to, nearby, close to, farther • Narrative transitions: first, then, finally, soon, later, at the beginning, in the middle, by the time • Descriptive transitions: above, alongside, at the end of, around, behind, below, down, low, near, next, along the bottom, throughout • Explanatory transitions: afterwards, later, next, then, while, following that, the next step, the last step Types of Conclusions (Kickers) • Generalization about the information given • Making a prediction • Asking a question • Making a recommendation • Showing consequences • Call to action • Appropriate quotation • Startling statement Most of this information was culled from various manuals and years of what I felt has been important. It has served me well as kids email me from college to exclaim how well they are doing because of learning to write this way. I developed a peer critique sheet from it, too, and students are required to have 2 peer critiques per paper. I hope this helps. Feel free to email me with any more questions. I have put more plans on this site and will be getting more up this week. I also have an SAT vocabulary program I will be adding. MAybe you will be interested in them, too. Best, Connie

I found your unit on FNL today and I am so grateful for all of its contents. I was wondering if you could share with me the list of essay topics that you used for the essay. Also, you mention the Write Right method and I am curious if you could describe it's method. Much thanks, Jamie Hemken

Thank you for your interest. Check out my other units, too. I'll be getting others up soon. Let me know if you have a specific book you're interested in. I might have a unit and I'll put it up before the others. Best, Connie