Greetings...
I hope you are enjoying the Friday holiday and enjoy a wonderful and safe weekend as well.
A few students have asked about class next Friday, the 6th. Although there is not a specific item listed for Friday on the course outline, we do indeed have class on Friday. The course outline's preface reads: "...other class exercises and lectures may not be noted specifically." :)
However, while we are on the subject, you DO still have Friday, April 20th, off from class.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 26th, 2012
Greetings....
just one more reminder....
remember that you need to make a copy of the paper I attached to the front of your out of class essay 1 assignment when I returned it to you--the paper that summarizes the errors and things to work on. The copy of this needs to go into the envelope when submitting out of class essay 2 on Wednesday. See you then!
just one more reminder....
remember that you need to make a copy of the paper I attached to the front of your out of class essay 1 assignment when I returned it to you--the paper that summarizes the errors and things to work on. The copy of this needs to go into the envelope when submitting out of class essay 2 on Wednesday. See you then!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
Greetings.
I do hope you are thoroughly enjoying the spring recess.
As you already know, there is no class on Monday, March 26th.
This class cancellation means that out of class essay #2 is not due until Wednesday, March 28th.
BE SURE TO REVIEW YOUR NOTES ABOUT HOW TO SUBMIT THE ESSAY.
The assignment for Packet #6 is below. Remember, your last Q & C is due for this assignment. Due date is the same as on the course outline, Wednesday, the 28th.
PACKET #6: (two items)
"Becky Blanton: The Year I was Homeless"
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/becky_blanton_the_year_i_was_homeless.html
(this is a video which is a little over seven minutes)
"Homelessness and Hungry with No Excuses" by Rich Linberg
http://www.cdobs.com/archive/syndicated/homelessness-and-hungry-with-no-excuses/
I do hope you are thoroughly enjoying the spring recess.
As you already know, there is no class on Monday, March 26th.
This class cancellation means that out of class essay #2 is not due until Wednesday, March 28th.
BE SURE TO REVIEW YOUR NOTES ABOUT HOW TO SUBMIT THE ESSAY.
The assignment for Packet #6 is below. Remember, your last Q & C is due for this assignment. Due date is the same as on the course outline, Wednesday, the 28th.
PACKET #6: (two items)
"Becky Blanton: The Year I was Homeless"
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/becky_blanton_the_year_i_was_homeless.html
(this is a video which is a little over seven minutes)
"Homelessness and Hungry with No Excuses" by Rich Linberg
http://www.cdobs.com/archive/syndicated/homelessness-and-hungry-with-no-excuses/
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Thursday March 15, 2012--6 pm
Greetings,
A few things to make note of:
1. I will post the reading assignment for Packet #6 tomorrow evening, Friday, the 16th. Refer to your course outline for when that is due to be read. Also notice that a Q & C is due for Packet 6.
2. I assigned out of class essay 2 on Friday the 24th of February and the due date for the optional rough draft was yesterday, Wednesday, March 14. You have had over two weeks and three full weekends to get a rough draft together and submitted to me. I received only one rough draft out of my 50 students!? I realize it is optional, but it does cause me some concern since this has never happened before. I usually get a pretty huge "turn out" of rough drafts, especially for this essay, as it is worth 200 points.
3. I have a very important family issue I need to take care of on Monday, March 26th, the day we return to campus after Spring Break. Consequently, there will be no class held on March 26th. I truly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. This means that the due date for Out of Class Essay 2 is now moved to Wednesday, March 28th.
See you tomorrow, Friday, March 16th.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Saturday, March 10th, 2012
Greetings,
Below is the link to Reading Packet #5, due to be read by Friday. Please note on your course outline that there is a Q & C due for this packet.
"Down & Out in Fresno and San Francisco"
http://www.esquire.com/features/down-and-out-0709
REMINDERS...
1. Be sure to bring your book, Made for You and Me, on Monday. In fact, please carry it with you to class until we are finished with reading and discussing it.
2. Below you will find a handout that you need to PRINT OUT and bring to class on Wednesday.
How to Critically Read an Essay
Educated adults exist in a delusional state, thinking we can read.
In a most basic sense, we can.
However, odds are, some of us cannot read, at least not as well as we would like.
Too many college students are capable of only some types of reading and that becomes painfully clear when they read a difficult text and must respond critically about it.
Intelligence and a keen memory are excellent traits and most students have learned to read in a certain way that is only useful for extracting information. Thus, students are often fairly well skilled in providing summary.
However, the act of reading to extract information and to read critically are vastly different!
The current educational system in American primary schools (and many colleges) heavily emphasizes the first type of reading and de-emphasizes the latter.
In many ways, THIS MAKES SENSE.
Reading to extract information allows a student to absorb the raw materials of factual information as quickly as possible. It is a type of reading we all must engage in frequently. However, each type of reading calls for different mental habits. If we do not learn to adjust from one type of reading to another when necessary, we cripple our intellectual abilities to read critically.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN READING TO EXTRACT INFORMATION AND READING CRITICALLY.
1. They have different goals. When students read to extract information, usually they seek facts and presume the source is accurate. No argument is required. On the other hand, when students read critically, they try to determine the quality of the argument. The reader must be open-minded and skeptical all at once, constantly adjusting the degree of personal belief in relation to the quality of the essay’s argument.
2. They require different types of discipline. If students read to learn raw data, the most efficient way to learn is repetition. If students read critically, the most effective technique may be to break the essay up into logical subdivisions and analyze each section’s argument, to restate the argument in other words, and then to expand upon or question the findings.
3. They require different mental activity. If a student reads to gain information, a certain degree of absorption, memorization and passivity is necessary. If a student is engaged in reading critically, that student must be active!!! He or she must be prepared to pre-read the essay, then read it closely for content, and re-read it if it isn’t clear how the author is reaching the conclusion in the argument.
4. They create different results. Passive reading to absorb information can create a student who (if not precisely well read) has read a great many books. It creates what many call “book-smarts.” However, critical reading involves original, innovative thinking.
5. They differ in the degree of understanding they require. Reading for information is more basic, and reading critically is the more advanced of the two because only critical reading equates with full understanding.
ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE WANT IS THE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF OUR READING SKILLS, SO WE CAN MOVE BACK AND FORTH AMIDST THE VARIOUS TYPES OF READING.
FIVE GENERAL STAGES OF READING
1. Pre-Reading—examining the text and preparing to read it effectively (5 minutes)
2. Interpretive Reading—understanding what the author argues, what the author concludes, and exactly how he or she reached that conclusion.
3. Critical Reading—questioning, examining and expanding upon what the author says with your own arguments. Skeptical reading does not mean doubting everything your read.
4. Synoptic Reading—putting the author’s argument in a larger context by considering a synopsis of that reading or argument in conjunction with synopses of other readings or arguments.
5. Post-Reading—ensuring that you won’t forget your new insights.
*************************
Below is the link to Reading Packet #5, due to be read by Friday. Please note on your course outline that there is a Q & C due for this packet.
"Down & Out in Fresno and San Francisco"
http://www.esquire.com/features/down-and-out-0709
REMINDERS...
1. Be sure to bring your book, Made for You and Me, on Monday. In fact, please carry it with you to class until we are finished with reading and discussing it.
2. Below you will find a handout that you need to PRINT OUT and bring to class on Wednesday.
How to Critically Read an Essay
Educated adults exist in a delusional state, thinking we can read.
In a most basic sense, we can.
However, odds are, some of us cannot read, at least not as well as we would like.
Too many college students are capable of only some types of reading and that becomes painfully clear when they read a difficult text and must respond critically about it.
Intelligence and a keen memory are excellent traits and most students have learned to read in a certain way that is only useful for extracting information. Thus, students are often fairly well skilled in providing summary.
However, the act of reading to extract information and to read critically are vastly different!
The current educational system in American primary schools (and many colleges) heavily emphasizes the first type of reading and de-emphasizes the latter.
In many ways, THIS MAKES SENSE.
Reading to extract information allows a student to absorb the raw materials of factual information as quickly as possible. It is a type of reading we all must engage in frequently. However, each type of reading calls for different mental habits. If we do not learn to adjust from one type of reading to another when necessary, we cripple our intellectual abilities to read critically.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN READING TO EXTRACT INFORMATION AND READING CRITICALLY.
1. They have different goals. When students read to extract information, usually they seek facts and presume the source is accurate. No argument is required. On the other hand, when students read critically, they try to determine the quality of the argument. The reader must be open-minded and skeptical all at once, constantly adjusting the degree of personal belief in relation to the quality of the essay’s argument.
2. They require different types of discipline. If students read to learn raw data, the most efficient way to learn is repetition. If students read critically, the most effective technique may be to break the essay up into logical subdivisions and analyze each section’s argument, to restate the argument in other words, and then to expand upon or question the findings.
3. They require different mental activity. If a student reads to gain information, a certain degree of absorption, memorization and passivity is necessary. If a student is engaged in reading critically, that student must be active!!! He or she must be prepared to pre-read the essay, then read it closely for content, and re-read it if it isn’t clear how the author is reaching the conclusion in the argument.
4. They create different results. Passive reading to absorb information can create a student who (if not precisely well read) has read a great many books. It creates what many call “book-smarts.” However, critical reading involves original, innovative thinking.
5. They differ in the degree of understanding they require. Reading for information is more basic, and reading critically is the more advanced of the two because only critical reading equates with full understanding.
ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE WANT IS THE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF OUR READING SKILLS, SO WE CAN MOVE BACK AND FORTH AMIDST THE VARIOUS TYPES OF READING.
FIVE GENERAL STAGES OF READING
1. Pre-Reading—examining the text and preparing to read it effectively (5 minutes)
2. Interpretive Reading—understanding what the author argues, what the author concludes, and exactly how he or she reached that conclusion.
3. Critical Reading—questioning, examining and expanding upon what the author says with your own arguments. Skeptical reading does not mean doubting everything your read.
4. Synoptic Reading—putting the author’s argument in a larger context by considering a synopsis of that reading or argument in conjunction with synopses of other readings or arguments.
5. Post-Reading—ensuring that you won’t forget your new insights.
*************************
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Greetings,
below you will find copies of two handouts from this week's classes.
1. From Source to Essay
2. Sample paragraph with in text citations
*************************
English 1A
FROM SOURCE TO ESSAY
Topic: Joining a Girl Gang as a Rite of Passage
Thesis Statement: In the past, as a rite of passage, young girls joined gangs in order to develop self-esteem; however, most girl gangs today are less friendly and more competitive among members.
Bibliography Card (3”x5”):
Vida, Vendela. Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Drive-bys, and Other Initiations.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999. Print.
Note Card (4”x6”):
Vida 89
Initiation into the Bentral Valley Bloods(B.V.B.), a girl gang in Central Valley of CA:
initiate gets “jumped in”
• has to walk down a line with sixteen girls on each side of her, beating her
• has to sleep with a male gang member
In Text Citation
In the Central Valley of California, there are several girl gangs, including the Bentral Valley Bloods (B.V.B.). In order to become a member, each initiate must be “jumped in.” This rite of passage initiation requires the girl to walk down a line with sixteen girls on each side of her, who beat her continuously. She must also sleep with a male gang member (Vida 89).
*******************************
MLA In-text citations
Sample paragraph from an English 1A research essay:
The history of the debutante ball and a young girl’s coming out to society dates back as far as the early 1800s (McCormick 18). Daughters of very wealthy parents who were between the ages of sixteen and eighteen were introduced into the world of dating when their parents planned a party focused just on their daughter. It was a way to inform everyone in their circle of socially ‘acceptable’ people that their daughters were eligible to be courted (Samson 21-22). Daughters had no choice; they were obligated to go along with their parents’ wishes for a coming out party, even if they had no interest or desire (McCormick 42). According to a journal entry published in the book, The Journals of Emily St. Clare, 1875 – 1899, and edited by Rosemary Sparks, many girls begged their parents not to put them through such a social ordeal: “For weeks, I pleaded with father not to spend the time or money on such a frivolous event. I would much rather he spent more money on books for my personal library” (64). Certainly the ritual of coming out has a long tradition, yet in the past as well as currently, some young women gravitate towards the celebration and some despise it.
below you will find copies of two handouts from this week's classes.
1. From Source to Essay
2. Sample paragraph with in text citations
*************************
English 1A
FROM SOURCE TO ESSAY
Topic: Joining a Girl Gang as a Rite of Passage
Thesis Statement: In the past, as a rite of passage, young girls joined gangs in order to develop self-esteem; however, most girl gangs today are less friendly and more competitive among members.
Bibliography Card (3”x5”):
Vida, Vendela. Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Drive-bys, and Other Initiations.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999. Print.
Note Card (4”x6”):
Vida 89
Initiation into the Bentral Valley Bloods(B.V.B.), a girl gang in Central Valley of CA:
initiate gets “jumped in”
• has to walk down a line with sixteen girls on each side of her, beating her
• has to sleep with a male gang member
In Text Citation
In the Central Valley of California, there are several girl gangs, including the Bentral Valley Bloods (B.V.B.). In order to become a member, each initiate must be “jumped in.” This rite of passage initiation requires the girl to walk down a line with sixteen girls on each side of her, who beat her continuously. She must also sleep with a male gang member (Vida 89).
*******************************
MLA In-text citations
Sample paragraph from an English 1A research essay:
The history of the debutante ball and a young girl’s coming out to society dates back as far as the early 1800s (McCormick 18). Daughters of very wealthy parents who were between the ages of sixteen and eighteen were introduced into the world of dating when their parents planned a party focused just on their daughter. It was a way to inform everyone in their circle of socially ‘acceptable’ people that their daughters were eligible to be courted (Samson 21-22). Daughters had no choice; they were obligated to go along with their parents’ wishes for a coming out party, even if they had no interest or desire (McCormick 42). According to a journal entry published in the book, The Journals of Emily St. Clare, 1875 – 1899, and edited by Rosemary Sparks, many girls begged their parents not to put them through such a social ordeal: “For weeks, I pleaded with father not to spend the time or money on such a frivolous event. I would much rather he spent more money on books for my personal library” (64). Certainly the ritual of coming out has a long tradition, yet in the past as well as currently, some young women gravitate towards the celebration and some despise it.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Greetings,
a few reminders...
1. You may only revise ONE of your three out of class essays. If you plan to revise out of class essay 1, the first revision is due on Monday, March 5.
2. Please come prepared to take the 3rd quiz on Rules of Thumb on Monday, the 5th. Bring your text! I will be giving you details about what to expect on the quiz in class tomorrow, Friday, March 2.
a few reminders...
1. You may only revise ONE of your three out of class essays. If you plan to revise out of class essay 1, the first revision is due on Monday, March 5.
2. Please come prepared to take the 3rd quiz on Rules of Thumb on Monday, the 5th. Bring your text! I will be giving you details about what to expect on the quiz in class tomorrow, Friday, March 2.
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