Directions:

1. Read the anchor texts, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Make a copy of the notes organizer to capture important information from this text. It is recommended for you to use a new note organizer per text.

2. Then, choose at least 3 text options from the provided list of "Supplemental Texts" to read in order to enrich your experience with this novel. Vary your selections by choosing one from each category/genre: Informational Texts, Poetry, Podcasts, Visual Texts, and Music Videos. All supplemental texts should not be from the same category/genre.

3. You must construct a synthesis argumentative essay, not a summarized narrative. Formulate a clear thesis statement. You will use the anchor text and supplemental texts to prove your thesis. Your essay must be 2-4 pages in length and follow MLA format. A title page, work cited page, and in-text citations are required and are not included in page length for essay. 

Writing Prompt(s)

As you read the book, what were your reactions to descriptions of the criminal justice system in America? Why does the author compare his own brokenness to the brokenness of the crimal justice system in America? Do you believe that those most affected by the criminal justice system in America can be healed? What does it mean to show mercy within a broken system like the criminal justice system in America?

In this essay, you will synthesize 3 sources, one source must be Just Mercy, to construct an argument over the prompt(s) above.  

4. The reading, notes, and essay must be completed and ready to share and submit on the first day of school.

Visual analysis is the basic unit of art historical writing. Sources as varied as art magazines, scholarly books, and undergraduate research papers rely on concise and detailed visual analyses. You may encounter a visual analysis as an assignment itself; or you may write one as part of a longer research paper. 

The purpose of a visual analysis is to recognize and understand the visual choices the artist made in creating the artwork. By observing and writing about separate parts of the art object, you will come to a better understanding of the art object as a whole. 

A visual analysis addresses an artwork’s formal elements—visual attributes such as color, line, texture, and size; and should also include historical context or interpretations of meaning. 

Be sure to read the assignment carefully to decide which elements of visual analysis to include in your writing. Some teachers will look for a formal analysis alone; others will expect you to frame your formal description in terms of historical information. You may be asked to offer one or more interpretations of the possible meanings of the work. 

https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/visual-analysis.original.pdf