(Foundations): In Depth Response to Christopher Columbus and Film on Christopher Columbus
Having watched the video, please now read the rest of Columbus’s Letter, which is from paragraphs six to seventeen. ( Here is the link for the handout “Letter of Christopher Columbus”): http://www.oshermaps.org/special-map-exhibits/colu…
Task: Part One:
Annotate as you are reading the letter. Copy and paste what you find are the five most important paragraphs onto Microsoft Word or any format that will help you meet your purposes. For Part One, include your annotations for five paragraphs that you found especially meaningful. Please see my handout on how to annotate within this assignment.
As you are reading and annotating the rest of the letter, please make note of the way that Christopher Columbus is writing. Continue thinking about Columbus’s methods of persuasion and the assumptions he makes about his audience.
Please be thinking about these questions as you are annotating: What does Columbus want to say? How is he trying to persuade his audience to his point of view? What assumptions does he make about his audience? As you are actively reading, continue to pay attention to word choice, tone, attitude colors, situations, repetitions, objects mentioned, interactions with others, and other elements that jump at you.
Part Two:
For Part Two, please carefully reread your annotations. In two very focused paragraphs, discuss what you commented on in the annotations. Namely, discuss these questions: How is he trying to persuade his audience? What assumptions does he make about his audience? As you are actively reading, continue to pay attention to word choice, tone, attitude colors, situations, repetitions, objects mentioned, interactions with others, and other elements that jump at you.
Refer to paragraphs 6 and beyond. Indicate exactly which paragraphs you are quoting and summarizing from. Since you already wrote about the first five paragraphs, please concentrate now on the rest of the letter. Please do not just concentrate on a limited section of the letter.
Please do not drop quotes. Lead into them and comment on their meaning. Explain your thoughts by answering the questions for this assignment. Please keep in mind that it is important to support your viewpoint with specific evidence from the letter. You should quote specific lines and or phrases.
Please refer to the rubric for this particular assignment and the others. This in depth response should be between one to one and a half pages. It is not a formal essay that requires an introduction, body and conclusion. However, if you find yourself covering different subtopics, please divide them into separate paragraphs.
Part Three: In one focused paragraph, explain your response to this question: Why do you think the information in the film has tended to be left out of the educational system in certain junior high schools and high schools?
Please disregard this section below:
Before you submit, have you:
1. Included four annotated paragraphs for Part One?
2. answered these questions?
Does Columbus’ writing prove his guilt or does it not? Does his way of writing prove that he was heading toward leading his men to the violence you learned about from the video? Make sure you refer to the video in your annotations; it is important to engage the facts you learned from it in your discussion.
3. For Part Two, have you written two focused paragraphs that answer the questions? Have you properly led into the quotes, quoted carefully and commented on the quotes?
4. included a part three and answered the questions?
Please carefully look through the full directions once again before you submit.
