Perfect Paper
Turn-in link for this assignment: http://bit.ly/perfectpaperturnin
Even though this assignment isn't counted as a grade until the end of the first semester (more on that later), students are expected to work on it beginning at the start of the semester (and then consistently so in the months that follow).
In a nutshell, here's how the assignment works: Students attempt to clear an essay of all errors related to grammar and mechanics by editing and revising their writing over time. This assignment is designed to be turned in multiple times throughout the semester as the student’s work approaches perfection (from a technical perspective).
Upon each submission, the student’s work will be checked for errors. If the essay is found to be free of errors, then a score of 40 will be awarded and the student will be finished with the assignment for the semester at that point. Should an error be detected, though, it will be highlighted and the paper will be returned to the student (electronically) so that the error can be corrected, the rest of the paper can be checked for any other revisions that are needed, and the paper can be resubmitted for consideration (using the turn-in form found at the top of this page). It is important that the student not remove any of Mr. Lochamy’s highlights or marks/comments on the paper during the revision process, even after errors have been corrected by the student. Should the student’s revision of the paper require the deletion of a section containing a highlight (which might also then delete Mr. Lochamy’s comment), the student should highlight the new section that replaced the deleted material and make a comment out to the side clarifying why Mr. Lochamy’s highlight and comment are no longer visible.
The Nineteen Eighty-Four essay will serve as the Perfect Paper, and final submissions will be due by December 1st.
At the end of the semester, the Perfect Paper will be assessed in the following manner:
A score of 40 will be awarded for a paper that has reached technical perfection by the deadline.
A score of 30 will be given to a paper that, while not technically perfect, is free of technical errors in the first 700 words by the deadline.
A score of 20 will be assigned to a paper that has one or more technical errors in the opening 700 words by the deadline.
A score of 0 will be assigned to a student who fails to produce a paper that meets the length requirement of 750 words.
Grades for the Perfect Paper will be entered at the beginning of the 2nd nine weeks (with grades being updated if necessary between that time and the final submission deadline). Students are guaranteed one checked submission during each half of any nine-week grading period, and while it’s possible that Mr. Lochamy’s schedule will allow for more frequent checks, students are not entitled to (nor should they expect) more checks than those four. Therefore, it is important for students to stay on top of this assignment and to be sure to have their paper revised and submitted in a timely manner so as to allow them to take full advantage of Mr. Lochamy’s guidance on this assignment. If Mr. Lochamy conducts a check during one of the four windows and finds that a student has not submitted a paper in time for that particular review, that student can not later claim that they are owed an extra opportunity to make corrections. So to be clear, students are expected--at the very least--to have submitted their paper for review at the beginning and midway point of each nine-week grading period during the first semester.