Sunday, April 29th, 930 am

Good morning,

Most of you already know that I made an error on the course outline by indicating Journal 4 would be tomorrow. However, we have already completed Journal 4. :)
I apologize for any confusion.
Since I did not realize that error when I was originally putting the outline together, I do not have anything else planned for tomorrow. So please use the time to complete the take home on The Unwanted. I will see all of you on Wednesday. No class tomorrow.

P.S. Just a "heads up"...you will not be able to revise the take home exam on The Unwanted, so please edit and proofread carefully. I have spent the weekend reading your marriage essays and there have been FAR too many sentence level errors as well as unacceptable errors present in the essays.

In addition, a reminder that you will also not be able to revise your oral presentation paper. Again, proofread carefully.

Saturday, 130 pm, April 28th

English 1A, Spring 2012, Professor Fraga

TAKE HOME TEST ON THE UNWANTED (200 POINTS)

DIRECTIONS:  Please respond to the following questions in essay format. All questions must be numbered and typed, double-spaced. There is no minimum length requirement. As usual, please address each question fully and thoughtfully. This test is due on Wednesday, May 2.

1.  SELECT A ‘CHARACTER’ FROM THE MEMOIR, THE UNWANTED. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT CHARACTERISTICS (at least two) ACCURATELY DESCRIBE THIS PERSON? FOR EVERY ASSERTION YOU MAKE ABOUT THIS PERSON, YOU MUST SUPPORT IT WITH AT LEAST THREE VERY SPECIFIC SUPPORTS FROM THE BOOK. THIS RESPONSE WILL BE EVALUATED ON YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE AN ASSERTION AND SUPPORT IT LOGICALLY AND ARTICULATELY. (100 POINTS)

2.  WHICH SCENE IN THE BOOK AFFECTED YOU MOST DEEPLY?  EXPLAIN HOW IT AFFECTED YOU AND WHY. (40 POINTS)

3.  THIS MEMOIR REFLECTS A WEALTH OF VARIOUS THEMES/TOPICS, INCLUDING OUR SEMESTER-LONG THEME OF HOME. SELECT ONE THEME THAT THE MEMOIR SUGGESTS TO YOU AND OFFER EXAMPLES FROM THE BOOK TO SUPPORT YOUR ASSERTION. (6O POINTS)

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Hello,
a quick note to let you know about a change to the course outline for this week.
We will be discussing The Unwanted tomorrow as well as completing Group Work #4.
There will be no class on Friday.
I will post the take home on The Unwanted right on the blog on Friday.
See you tomorrow!

Sunday, April 22, 2010--3 pm

Greetings,
I hope you have been able to enjoy this amazing spring weather weekend.
A few things:
1. Below is an updated Grade Worksheet Form. You will note that points possible has been changed from 1975 to 2025. This is due to another quiz being added. You will want to print out this newest Grade Worksheet Form.
2. Sign ups for the Oral Presentations on May 7 and 9 will take place tomorrow in class. If you are absent, it is your responsibility, as usual, for everything that occurs in class, whether you are present or not.
3. If you have not re-visited the Oral Presentation assignment, you may want to do that soon. For your convenience, I am including a copy of that assignment below. You should have a hard copy as well. It was assigned the first week of classes.


English 1A, Spring 2012, Prof. Fraga
GRADE WORKSHEET-----2025 POINTS POSSIBLE

Stapler Check (25 pts.)
Monday, January 30—stapler in your possession!______

Oral Presentation=(100 pts.)

Oral Pres._____(100)

Out of Class Essays (400 points)
Out of Class Essay 1_____(100 pts.) Out of Class Essay 2_____(200 pts.) Out of Class Essay 3_____(100 pts.)

Rules of Thumb Quizzes (300 points)
Pgs. 1-60 (100)_____ Pgs. 112-134 (100)_____ Pgs 136-147 (100)_____

Unannounced Quizzes (300) (50 points each)
Quiz 1____Quiz 2_____Quiz 3_____Quiz 4_____Quiz 5_____Quiz 6_______

Journals=(100 pts.)
Journal 1 (25) _____Journal 2 (25)_____Journal 3 (25)_____Journal 4 (25)_____

Homework=(200 pts.)
Q and C #1 (50)_____Q and C #2 (50)_____Q and C #3 (50)_____Q and C #4 (50)_____

In Class Group Work (200 pts.)
Group Work 1 (50 pts)_____Group Work 2 (50 pts)_____Group Work 3 (50 pts)_____Group Work 4 (50 pts)_____

In Class Essays (200 pts.)
In class essay #1 (100)_____In class essay #2 (100) _____

Take home essay on The Unwanted (200)_____
**************************************************************************************
How to assess your grade earned: Divide the points you earn by 2025 to find the percentage. Then see chart below.

100-94=A 63-60=C-
93-90=A- 59-54=D
89-84=B+ 53-0=F
83-80=B
79-74=B-
73-70=C+
69-64=C
********************************

English 1A, College Composition I
Spring 2012
Instructor: Catherine Fraga

Oral Presentation Assignment

The Significance of Home
Assigned: First week of semester

Due: May 7 or 9 (Monday or Wednesday)

For this assignment, please select an article, observation, photograph, painting, collage, film, song, poem, essay or anything else that offers some message or reflection on the theme of home. It could have a personal meaning for you, but it does not have to.
After you have selected your “item,” write a minimum of one page about the item. Include a brief description of the item and a detailed explanation of why you chose this item; include a thoughtful commentary. Proofread carefully for unacceptable errors as well as other proofreading mistakes.
On the day of presentations, please do not read your essay to the class, but simply summarize the main points aloud to the class. The presentation usually takes only a few moments. You will submit a copy of the essay only to me.
As the semester progresses, you may get ideas for your presentation from our readings, the films we will be viewing, or from class discussions.
Remember that you will not receive this short essay back nor will you receive any credit for the assignment if there are ANY unacceptable errors present.
Please do not take this assignment lightly. It is worth 100 points.

Thursday evening, April 19, 2012, 820 pm

Greetings,
just a quick note to remind you that there is no class tomorrow, Friday, April 20th. That is the day that I promised you off from class when I first explained the course outline. I do believe most if not all of you are fully aware of this...:-)....but I did have a student email me and ask me what "A Reading Day" meant...so then I became concerned. Have a wonderful weekend, enjoy this lovely spring weather, and I will see you on Monday.

Tuesday, April 17th, 230 pm

Greetings,
just a very quick reminder...
cell phone usage during class has become a recent problem.
GENTLE REMINDER:
please refrain from texting in class. I do not want to embarrass anyone, but it is becoming very clear that several students are ignoring my request for dedicating 50 minutes of time, three days a week, to focus only on English 1A.
Thank you!

Wednesday evening, April 11

Greetings...

A few reminders...

1. Remember to bring a green or blue book to class on Friday for In Class Essay #2 on the film, Arranged.

2. Due to technical difficulties on Monday, section 9 was unable to view the last few moments of the film. I informed both sections in class today that the film could be viewed on line via youtube. And it used to be available! I did just check and unfortunately it is not available anymore; there are just excerpts to view. I do know that if you have a Netflix account, you can view it immediately. Just so you know, the only things you missed in the last few moments are both women getting married and then later sitting together in the park with their first born children.

3. Packet 7 Assignment (two readings):

"The Magic of the Family Meal"
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760,00.html

"The Good Marriage" (this is an introduction to a full length book)
http://www.ofspirit.com/tw-thegoodmarriage.htm

Tuesday afternoon, April 3, 2012

Greetings,
below you will find a copy of the Out of Class Essay Assignment #3 that was assigned in class on Monday. You will also find the sample paragraphs we read and discussed regarding Essay 3. See you tomorrow.


English 1A, Spring 2012
C. Fraga, Instructor
Course Theme: The Significance of Home

Out of Class Essay Assignment #3

Assigned: Monday, April 2
Rough Draft due (optional) no later than Wednesday, April 18
Due: Wednesday, April 25

TOPIC: What are the ‘ingredients’ for a successful marriage?


A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. (Mignon Mclaughlin)

Marriage is not just spiritual communion, it is also remembering to take out the trash. (Joyce Brothers)

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you're wrong admit it;
Whenever you're right shut up. (Ogden Nash)

Assignment: Even with the current high divorce rate in the United States, couples continue to choose marriage as a way of life. Most couples marry with the intention and confidence that their marriage will be successful and will last forever.

Write an essay in which you explore the ingredients (or elements) required for a marriage to be successful and long lasting. Focus on a minimum of four ingredients/elements.

Conduct research and talk/interview those who you feel might have some helpful, interesting and relevant opinions and experience with this topic.

The most important thing to remember about this essay is that you will need to be very SPECIFIC. Avoid rambling and using mostly vague terms. Your essay will benefit from specific examples from professionals as well as interviewees.

Suggestions for people to interview: your parents; your grandparents; relatives; siblings; teachers; neighbors; marriage counselors, etc.

Information/opinions about what constitutes a successful marriage is quite simple to locate. I spent only 20 minutes doing a cursory search on the Internet and found many intriguing articles.

Your Game Plan:
1. Research and read read read as much as you can about the topic.
2. Interview at least three people about this topic.
3. From your research, reading and interviews select the four elements YOU feel are the MOST ideal and necessary ingredients for a successful, lasting marriage.
4. Write your thesis statement—an assertion based on your findings.
5. Plan the organization of your essay.
6. Write your essay.
7. Proofread and edit very carefully and thoroughly.


Reminders:
• Follow MLA format.
• Double space entire essay.
• Must have in text citations and a Works Cited page.
• Use 12 pt., Times New Roman
• Use at LEAST three outside resources and at LEAST information from three interviews. In other words, these six minimum resources will be found on your Works Cited page as well as cited within your essay.


**************************************

English 1A
C. Fraga

Sample introduction paragraph based on the prompt for Out of Class Essay #3


My Uncle Bill was a very formidable man with a rather booming voice and a lust for life. The thing I remember most about him is the way he acted whenever he was near his wife, my Aunt Vangie. Although I was only a child, I could still see how much he adored her; everyone noticed it. When he told a joke, he always looked at her first to be sure she was laughing. He brought her a glass of lemonade before he served anyone else. He complimented her about what she wore and he held her hand when they walked together. When my oldest sister got married, Uncle Bill toasted the couple at the wedding reception and announced that the key to a lasting and happy marriage entailed just being nice to each other.
Although my Uncle Bill’s seemingly simple advice might appear too obvious, many couples today might benefit from his instructive words. Currently, nearly half the marriages in the United States end in divorce (Donaldson 2). Marriage counselors, TV talk show hosts, married couples, divorced couples and religious leaders all seem to have an opinion about what constitutes a successful marriage. After researching the apparent secret to a successful marriage, four main ingredients, or elements, seemed the most logical and sensible. The most important elements of a lasting marriage are: respect, kindness, communication, and devotion.