9.8 Paragraph Writing Practice

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4 questions

Use the following text for questions #1 and #2.

Source 1
Jay-Z Explains Why Rap Should Be Considered Poetry
June 14, 2011
By Steven Horowitz

With the release of his latest book Decoded, Jay-Z hopes that readers will learn some
lessons from reading his lyrics. Jay-Z explains that there is more to rap than what is on the
surface. He believes that if listeners took the time to decipher rap lyrics, they would
appreciate it more.

“I hope readers take away from this book that rap, or hip hop, is poetry. It’s thought-
provoking; there’s thought behind it,” he said. “There’s great writing in rap as well. I mean, if you listen to some of the things Biggie wrote, if you take those lyrics and you pull them
away from the music and put ‘em up on the wall somewhere and someone had to look at
them, they would say, ‘This is genius! This is genius work!’ I want people to take that away.”
Jay-Z also says that listeners tend to make quick judgments about hip-hop. He hopes that
the book will change that.

“I want people to also take away the quick judgments. Listen to the song, listen to its
message. On the surface, a lot of rap songs seem just fun and party music, but there’s a
message behind the songs as well,” he continued.

Jay-Z believes that a lot of rap songs have intelligence and reason and logic behind them,
just like more traditional poems from around the world.

Source 2
Hip-hop Is Alive and Well at Wellesley

Michael Jeffries is a Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College. This year, he is
teaching a class about hip hop music. His class on hip-hop is designed to do a couple of
things. First, Jeffries aims to give students a solid foundation in the history of hip-hop. He
believes that hip hop artists and rappers are misunderstood by people outside of the “hip
hop community. Students discuss the different hip hop trends that have emerged over the years, like DJing, graffiti writing, and b-boying (sometimes called break dancing).

The second major goal of the course is to use hip-hop lyrics to help students discuss
important issues in American culture. Students ask questions about race, gender, and
class. They argue about whether or not rap is poetry. "When we talk about hip hop, we
approach the material as scholars," Jeffries says. "The class changes every year, because
we’re learning from each other. We are inspired by the latest hip-hop happenings, and we
want to keep up with this important movement."

Required

1. Some people believe that rappers and rap music are misunderstood. Support your opinion on this topic. Use details from Source 1 and Source 2 to support this idea.

Required

2. Which of the following sentences more correctly shows information from both sources?

Required

A student is writing a story for class about a ball getting stuck in a
tree. Read the paragraph from the story and complete the task that
follows.

I remember that day as if it were yesterday. I had just kicked a ball
into the tallest tree in the yard and was trying to decide what to do
next. The ball belonged to my brother Bobby and had been a present
from our grandfather. Did I really want to admit that I had been the
one to send it to the top of the tree? Should I wait and ask someone
else for help, or should I get the ball myself? I didn't want to
disappoint Bobby, but I certainly didn't want to get hurt. Making a
decision was not going to be easy.

In one or two paragraphs, write an ending for the narrative that solves
the problem using details and description.

Required

Tiffany is writing a letter to the mayor about a new skateboard law.
Read the draft of the letter with the student's notes and complete the
task that follows.

Dear Mayor,
I recently heard that you are considering introducing a law that would
keep all children from skateboarding in our new park. I understand
that you have received complaints from parents of younger children
who have gotten hurt while skateboarding at the new park. While I
agree that safety must come first, I also believe that older children
should not be punished because younger children have been hurt.
Please consider allowing all children who are at least ten years old to
keep their skateboarding rights at the park. There are many good
reasons to allow older children to skateboard in the new park.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Tiffany

Reasons for using skateboards:
• great exercise
• great way to meet and make friends
• important for kids to spend time outdoors in nature
• great way to build confidence and healthy attitude and mood

Write one or two paragraphs adding evidence to support the student's
opinion that older children should be allowed to skateboard in the new
park. Use information from the student's notes in your paragraphs.