Body Art Research and Writing

Class Work
1. How did you do with the Overview module? Questions? I will grade this on Monday. How was the work load with this?
2. Rock Activity: Go outside and find a rock. Bring it back to class. This is now your rock for the remainder of the morning. You will be getting to know your rock and using your powers of descriptive writing to help you describe your rock in such a way that anybody in the room can identify it.

• Listen to the questions and respond in writing.
• Once finished with the questions, turn your answers into  smooth flowing paragraphs.
• Place your rock on the "rock" table.
• Swap paragraphs - locate the rock described.

3. Body Art...Who has body art? What is body art? What are the results? When is body art used? When did body art start? (What is the history of body art?  Where can one get body art? Why do people use body art? How is body art obtained? How do people respond to body art? (Discussion)

4. Discuss a personal body art experience  (Think/pair/share)
5. Learn to write about a personal experience by studying three examples:

• "If Only" by Paul Monahan (paper handout)
• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/narrative.htm
• "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan (paper handout)

6. Read either the "History of Body Piercings" or the "History of Tattoos".  (Paper copies in class.)
With the others at your table, discuss the who, what, when where, why, and how of the body art.
To what extent is comtemporary body art the same? How does it differ from ancient body art?
Create one report sheet to submit. (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How + a "same"/"different" chart) Be sure all names are on the paper

7. Overview of the homework. You must have access to MyCompLab.



Homework: MCL is short for MyCompLab.
Activity #1 (Post your answers in MCL)
Read: http://www.professorshouse.com/Family/Teens/Articles/Teenagers-and-Tattoos/
Make a bulleted list of important or interesting information from the article. Do you agree or disagree with the messages in this article? Explain.

What do you think? Was this information useful? Do you think teens or others would agree? Write a two - three paragraph response and post it in MyCompLab in the appropriate space.

Activity #2 (Post your answers in MCL)

Read "Under My Skin" by Jon Bowen
http://www.salon.com/1999/06/23/tattoo/

Answer the following questions for "Under My Skin."
1. How do the anecdotes about himself and his tattoo artist ("Flash Gordon") enrich this essay?

2. Bowen deliberately shifts from first person "I" to second person "you" as he describes the process of getting a tattoo and reconsidering the tattoo. Find three examples of the second person perspective as you evaluate this strategy.

3. Find three examples of Bowen's use of humor, catchy phrases or lively tone to keep this informative essay from becoming tedious or predictable.

4. The author uses allusions that may be familiar to many readers. Do you know the origin of "Flash Gordon", "tabula rasa" or "to undo or not to undo - that's the question?" How do references to familiar characters or phrases help or hinder an essay?

5. Evaluate Bowen's inclusion of direct quotations from tattoo technicians and medical specialists to describe the reasons for removal, the degree of pain, and the results. How does Bowen keep this research from making his essay too technical or inaccessible for the readers?

New thoughts . . .Why are tattoos, piercings, and unique hair designs so prevalent today? What has caused these forms of body art to enter mainstream American culture?

Activity #3 (Post your answers in MCL)

After reading "On Teenagers and Tattoos" by Andres Martin, answer questions 1-6 under Thinking About the Text. (Paper Handout from class)
Be sure that you number your answers and write complete sentences.

Activity #4 (Post your answers in MCL)

Read the information at http://www.enotes.com/topics/how-write-summary
This will explain how to write a summary.

1. Locate three additional articles related to the topic of Body Art.
2.Write and post a 50 word summary of each article.
3.In addition, include a brief personal reaction to the article. Was it useful? Was there new information? Do you agree with the author?
4. Include source information for each article.


Activity # 5 (Post your writing in MCL)

We have all had a personal experience with body art. Keep in mind that body art may be a simple as a new hair cut or selecting a special type of clothing for an event. Think back to your past. In writing, create that special moment when you had a personal experience with body art. Describe in detail. Description is the key.

Also, include dialogue when writing your personal experience. Remember to begin a new paragraph every time you change speakers.

Use this link to review the rules for punctuating dialogue: http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingexercises/qt/punctuation.htm

http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/punctuate-dialogue.html

Use this link to review the guidelines for writing an effective description that includes dialogue:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/narrative.htm

Activity #6 (Use the discussion board in MCL)
Post your thoughts about Body Art on the discussion board in MyCompLab. You must respond twice to earn 10 points. Each response must be at least three complete sentences and on-topic.