Estimated Time: 45 - 60 minutes

One way to become a better writer is to read good writing.

Read:

This week read "Orange Crush" by Yiyun Li in The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition on page 110.

6 Traits of Writing

This month, we will focus on the trait Sentence Structure and Variety, which is shown in the fourth row in the following rubric. Print it out by clicking the black arrow in the top right corner and read over all the bullet points that help to build strong writing.

Writing Project

Your writing project for this month will be to complete a theme essay from A Tale of Two Cities. This week is all about laying the groundwork for that essay by honing our detective skills to uncover the themes hidden within the pages.

First things first: what exactly is a theme? It is the big idea or the underlying message that the author wants to convey through the story. It's more than just a single word like "love" or "war"; it's a statement about what the story says about those topics. For example, a theme might be "Love can overcome the barriers of societal class and personal struggle."

This week, you'll start by watching a video on how to find the theme in a story.

This week, pay close attention to the primary characters—what they say, what they do, and what they learn. All of these elements are clues that will lead you to the story's themes.

As you make your way through the chapters, jot down notes about these moments and what you think they signify. Remember, we're looking for complete sentences that capture a big idea, and we're not just focusing on a character's actions but on what those actions say about life, society, or human nature.

Once you've gathered your thoughts and identified some possible themes, share your ideas in the comments below. This is a chance to bounce ideas off each other, see different perspectives, and refine our understanding of the novel's themes.

We're excited to see the themes you uncover and to discuss how these themes deepen our understanding of "A Tale of Two Cities." Remember, there's no single "right" theme, so don't be afraid to explore and share your unique insights!