Essay #1: guidelines and advice

Essay #1—“The Timeline”—McFarland—Fall--2014

(Please read ALL of this post. It has a LOT of information about this first essay, including home work for Monday, September 8.)

Below is a set of questions that you will choose from to do your first essay.  You don’t need to answer them all, and you may even want to explore a few of your own questions. The goal is to explore 3-4 questions and do Rule of 3 for each question. That will give you 9-12 body paragraphs. (Introduction paragraphs will also be added in later.) Link to Rule of 3 guidelines. 

HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY, September 8: Please pick any 2 of the questions below and answer them. You will do Rule of 3, which means you will generate 3 Paragraphs for each question. Each paragraph should feature a different concept. SO, you will be bringing 6 (SIX) typed paras on next Monday. These 6 paragraphs are actually the START of your essay, so it is very important that you do them. To get some guidance on building academic paragraphs, link to this page:   Link to Paragraph Template.

Here are the possible essay questions:

Where are you on the Passion timeline? (Passion Timeline is at the bottom of this post. You may not be able to do Rule of 3 with this question.) 

How do you feel about where you are?
What, if anything, keeps you from moving further along the timeline?

What strategies do you have for moving further down the timeline?

How do we stay on the Passion Timeline?

Why do we sometimes fall off?

What is the relationship between individual passion and the larger community?
What is the relationship between individual passion and larger issues, like climate change?

What role, if any, should education play in helping students explore their passion?

Why do you think the Passion and Purpose Project at Chabot has students creating a garden, doing initiatives, transforming a classroom?

You must integrate “The Passion Project” into this paper; quotes from the movie need to be included in your paper, as well as a consideration of concepts that are found in it.
Here is link to Passion and Purpose written transcript.
You must integrate “Recycling the Gift” into this paper; quotes from the movie need to be included in your paper, as well as a consideration of concepts that are found in it. 
We are preparing the transcript for Recycling the Gift, and should have it soon. 

Another source for you to draw from is Krishnamurti’s “The Function of Education.” You should link to it and read it a couple times.
You will also want to integrate the homework you have been doing these first weeks of class, where you think it fits. 

You must average a minimum of 1-2 short quotes per paragraph. You should include more than one quote per paragraph whenever possible. Quote length in a paper of this length should be no more than 1-2 lines. Remember that the video prompts you have watched are a great source of quote support. Link to Paragraph Template.

The essay’s page minimum is 6 full pages…(BNDJTM…)

Paragraph topic sentences should start with concepts. Paragraph topic sentences should also feature KEYWORDS, which are taken from the questions/prompts that you have been exploring.

The paper is due Wednesday, September 24^t. Peer Review Draft day is Monday, Septmember 21st.  On Peer Review Draft day  you should bring 2 copies of your paper.

Best of Luck!!

Passion Timeline:

I didnt know I could have a passion.

My passion is a secret.

People tell me what to do--I'm lost.

I'm afraid to explore my passion.

I am exploring several different passions.

I am afraid my passion won't make me money.

School is getting in the way of my passion.

School is helping me get to my passion.

I know what my passion  is, but don't know how to get it.

I know what passion is, and I know how to get it. 

I am living my passion everyday.

I am taking my passion out to the community.