I am very excited about the essays you all are working on. Most of you seemed comfortable with the outline overview I gave in class, but if you were absent or still have questions, here is an overview:

You will need to have at least four sources for this paper. Two of these will be from your previous presentation to the class, while the remaining two were collected earlier this week.

I have spoken to each of you about a part of your topic on which to concentrate, but if you are still undecided, please email me.

The outlines are due tomorrow. Here is the format:

Thesis statement. What are you arguing?

1. Topic phrase for first body paragraph.
   
   1. Location of support (must be page number, song name, time during movie, etc) for topic phrase
      
   2. Location of support for topic phrase
      
   3. Location of support for topic phrase
      
2. Topic phrase for second body paragraph.
   
   1. Etc.
      

Basically, I am looking for your thesis statement, the topic for each body paragraph, and the support (quotation) for each paragraph. Before turning in your outline tomorrow, make sure of a few things:

• Your thesis statement argues a position. "The Beatles and the Rolling Stones are both from different parts of England. These parts are…" Is not an argument. "The musical styles of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were heavily influenced by the social status of the members of each band. While the Fab Four came from a predominantly blue collar section…" Is an argument. The author is arguing that the history of each band heavily influenced the later sound of each band.
  
• Your topic phrases and support relate to your thesis and support your argument. This is why we write outlines before writing essays. If your argument is not supported, no matter how well you craft your words, the essay will not be a good one.
  

So, compile your notes from the past two days and write your thesis. The outlines will be graded in class tomorrow, and I will give you suggestions at that time. If you have any questions tonight, please email me or comment on this post.

Hope the source search is going well for all of you. If not, drop me an email or comment on this post and I'll see what I can drum up.

Here are a few ideas/sources I've come up with.

The sooner you find your sources, the sooner you can begin working on your outlines and get most of the work done before the break. Happy hunting!

Woot. School's been cancelled for tomorrow, so brew a cuppa chai, curl up by the fire (or space heater), grab Dracula or War of the Worlds and scare yourself silly.

On a separate note, I've noticed that my site banner's getting a bit old. For those of you who are graphically inclined, I am posting a request for a new design. I have only two specifications:

It must be original, drawn by you (either on paper or on the computer).

It should contain the words "Winter's Night" or "Winter's Night Blog," and not contain the name of our school.

From there, it is up to you. I will give 10 bonus points for each submission.

Edit: Due to the inclement weather, and the fact that trees are exploding all around my house [Come to think of it, it's kind of like the Seige of Bastogne, except I was inside, and there were no Nazis. Okay, it was nothing like Bastogne. More like Brian's Winter, except...], I have no electricity and thus no internet access. If you have any questions, please email me, but my responses will be held until I can get to Starbucks again. Or until I figure out how to re-wire the blown transformer outside of my window.

Classes reading Dracula or War of the Worlds should read through chapter 12 before Monday, December 10.

I have been extremely impressed with your MGRP presentations so far. After we finish the presentations on Monday, we will continue our discussion of Dracula or War of the Worlds. Our calendar for next week looks like this:

As you can see, we will be writing our first MGRP essay next weekend. This week will be devoted to discussing and taking notes over your sources (the book and "other" source you presented last week, and two "other" sources to be found before Wednesday and Thursday) in small groups. Each group member will write a different essay over his or her topic, but the group will work together to create the outlines and ideas for each essay. This is a good chance for each of you to get "outside" of your topic and find new ideas and ways to look at it.

You must submit a completed outline to me on Friday. You will have some time in class to work on it, but I will ask to see them before the end of the hour so I can make suggestions or just be impressed.

As always, post your questions for the good of the community.

Before presenting, you should read one book over your topic and at least one source from Internet, printed, audio, or visual material.

This presentation is like the opening paragraph of an essay. Just like in an essay, you will be describing your topic, your two sources, what you plan to study, why, and how. Your presentation should be at least five minutes long, and inform your peers about your topic. Remember, your audience is most likely unfamiliar with your subject material, so provide any necessary background information.

Below is a possible outline for your presentation. Visual materials are not required, but could be helpful.

1. Opening
   
   1. Introduce yourself
      
   2. Introduce your topic
      
      1. Why did you choose this topic?
         
      2. Do you have any past experience with it?
         
   3. Introduce your materials
      
      1. Where did you find your materials?
         
      2. Why did you choose these materials?
         
      3. What background information do you have on your material?
         
2. Body
   
   1. Explain your material
      
      1. What did you learn from your materials?
         
      2. Describe/explain your book
         
      3. Describe/explain your other source
         
      4. Explain why the book and other source are important in studying your topic
         
   2. Describe your future study plans
      
      1. What other aspects of your topic are you interested in?
         
      2. What other sources will you look at in order to learn more about your topic?
         
3. Conclusion
   
   1. Sum up your presentation
      
   2. Include any additional information or cool things you've discovered about your topic
      
4. Ask for questions.