Use the information on this page to guide you in creating your Letter from Earth wiki page.

After you have read this info, go here to create your Letter from Earth wiki page.

Learning Goals

• Creating connections between literary works across time
• between the different periods covered in our reading
• between historical periods and the present
• Giving the appearance of having read and understood the literature we have read
• Being able to create a thesis statement that makes an arguable claim and support it with evidence:
• evidence from primary texts
• evidence from secondary sources
• evidence from colleagues
• Using literary terminology effectively
• Using Modern Language Association (MLA) format correctly to identify sources (quotes, paraphrases, examples, and so on)
• Creating clear letter, paragraph, and sentence structure
• Beginning to use the online medium effectively to communicate ideas

Purpose and Content

Imagine you are a visitor from another planet. Give your planet a name. Give yourself a name and a reason you are visiting Earth (work, vacation, invasion, or ?).  You are going to write a letter back to someone on your home planet.

The only information you have about North America is what you have learned from the readings and discussions in this class. (Fortunately, you have a "universal translator" device that allows you to read English.)

As seen through the literature, the information about the literature, and our discussions, explain one primary belief or set of beliefs of the inhabitants of North America during this early period of European colonization to someone on your planet.

Your thesis statement for this explanation might be something like one of these:

• The most important concept [or concepts] to North Americans is [are] _______ [and ______ ] because _____.
• North Americans believe most strongly in ______ [or maybe two blanks], and this has affected the development of their continent in [name specific ways].
• North Americans think ______ but also _____ which seems strange because ______ .
• The most fundamental concept in North American life is _______ because _______ .
• The primary debate in North America is _______   , and we can see the various sides of this debate through the writings of  ________ [name authors].

Audience

The audience for this writing includes the instructor (me), all of your classmates, and of course the individual or group on your home planet to whom you are writing

Format

The letter should be at least 1000 words long and will be posted on our wiki.  I will grade the letter based on how it achieves the "learning goals" listed above and conforms to the format below. Here is the specific grading rubric I will use. 

Be sure to include your real name somewhere on the wiki page so I will know to whom to give the grade.

The letter should use a structure that includes an introduction which explains the main point of the page (the thesis statement). The body of the webpage should be in an understandable order and include complete sentences and paragraphs. Include a closing to the letter as well.

For the body, use the same skills you have been using as you wrote your weekly discussion postings. The only difference here is that you are making connections across multiple writers and time periods.

To support your ideas please include the following:

• at least 1000 words,
• at least one specific example or quote from the work of three of the authors we have read (at least one of these must be a poet),
• at least one reference (i.e. quotes, paraphrases, examples, and a link) to websites I have directed you to visit,
• at least one reference (i.e. quotes, paraphrases, examples, and a link) to a credible website you have found yourself,
• at least two references (i.e. quotes, paraphrases, examples) to Discussion postings by your colleagues.
• multiple references (AT LEAST THREE) to specific literary devices, concepts, genres, or periods we have discussed -- the appropriate number of these references will change based on the main idea you are trying to explain. 
  Think about ideas like
• symbolism
• allusion
• metaphors
• imagery
• similies
• puritan
• pilgrim
• rhyme scheme
• conceit
• captivity narrative 
• and so many others

Additionally,

• bulleted lists and tables may be used, but are not mandatory;
• images may be used, but are not mandatory;
• audio and video files may be used, but are not mandatory.

In addition to the obvious work involved in creating this letter, you are also allowed to have fun with it.

Sample Letters from Earth

Sample 1: Number 2 to Number 1 - please don't smite me

Sample 2: Prymaat paging Beldar