Essays!

A reminder that our Silent Film Festival will take place on Wednesday evening, from 7-8 pm. There will be a concession and music in the foyer, and the films will show in nearby classrooms.

Silent Film Essays:
Today we started work on our first five-paragraph essays! Students have been asked to address changes that have occurred in Canada since Confederation, including social, political, economic and demographic changes. In order to be eligible for a 4, an essay must include at least two historical events. 

We compared basic essay structure to paragraph structure, as follows:

Paragraph Structure:
Sentence 1: topic/introductory sentence
Sentences 2-4: supporting details (facts, ideas, examples, etc.)
Sentence 5: concluding sentence

Essay Structure:
Paragraph 1: introduction (includes thesis)
Paragraphs 2-4: body (supporting ideas, facts, examples, evidence, etc.)
Paragraph 5: conclusion

As a class, we brainstormed several possible arguments. You may choose one of these, word for word, for your thesis. You are also welcome to create your own thesis, or to reword one of these.

- Event is historically significant because it changed Canada dramatically. (This is the simplest thesis)

- Event is historically significant because it caused other events that changed our country.

- Event is more historically significant than event because it caused greater change.

- The economy/politics/social conditions/demographics has been the driver of change in Canada since Confederation. (This argument needs more than one event to support it)

All students need to complete the graphic organizer we started in class today before beginning work on their essays. I will review the organizers before we begin writing so I can make sure everyone's on the right track.