Class notes for January 8, 2010

__ Return Essay Contest writing project
__ Return Essay Contest essay commentary writing

At the end of a year and the beginning of a new year, people often look back and reflect on the year gone by. They also look ahead to the coming year. This year is special as we start a new decade which will probably be called The Teens. We will also look at 2009 and 2010 as part of today's test of your writing ability.

Timed In-class Essay Writing

Topics: 2009, 2010, or 2009 and 2010.

You can decide how to interpret the topic, within reason. This could be about your life, OR your experiences at university, OR a part of the year, OR major personal or world or national events of the year, and you could look back, OR forward, or BOTH back and forward. Try to have a unified and coherent essay, however. Don't do all of those things.

Use some time to plan. Use some time to edit. You must be finished after 45 minutes. It's an essay. Give it a title. Use Title Case. As usual, have a thesis statement. Keep it organized around a few main ideas, one for each paragraph. Remember to use paragraph structure and sentence grammar. Strive for accuracy over quantity. You can use a computer or paper.

Have you done a Chat Lounge composition or written a blog for extra credit?