English 1A Homework Assignment
The Thich Nhat Hanh essay is not in the sixth edition of Dreams and Inward Journeys. I made a copy of the essay and left in an envelop outside my office. Do not take the last copy, either read there or make a copy in the library and return. (I'm looking into a way to upload essays and other documents to do away with so much paper. I'll keep you posted.)

This weekend there is a free event Saturday at Golden Gate Park Speedway Meadows you might enjoy. Visit http://www.powertothepeaceful.org. It begins at 9 with yoga. The day features entertainers such as Michael Franti and Spearhead, Blackalicious, Sila and the Afro-Funk Experience, T-KASH, many DJs and lots of speakers, like Rabbi Michael Learner. If you go and write about it, 1 page, typed, you can have extra credit.

Also this weekend at the Laney College Theatre, Donald Lacy is appearing in "Colorstruck," a one-man show, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Be sure to show your student ID for a discount.

English 201A/B MWF don't forget your chapter logs.

English 251

We have had a successful week. The essay responses to the Hurricane Katrina prompt are great!The discussion in class today about the three doctors is the kind of dialogue I'd like to see happening in the literature circles as well as between each of you and the text.

To keep from being confused you might want to have a separate sheet in your notebook for each character: Sam, George and Rameck. Note important or significant events, scenes and people who impact their lives collectively and individually. What values do the men share? How do they define friendship?

Be descriptive here and don't forget to indicate the page number where you read the citation. All three men spoke of why they wanted to write this book. What were the reasons? How has reading this book impacted you and your views on higher education?

Are you the intended audience?

Today we visited the Writing Center and used the Lab Manual to accompany The Master Reader. There are 68 activities. For each activity completed, note the number correct and the number missed for me on the handout I gave each of you.

Visit http://www.ablongman.com/henry. Click on The Master Reader. Feel free to look at the other two books. I think TMR is the most comprehensive. When I get an extra copy; I will leave a copy of TMR in the Writing Center. You might want to do other activities in the textbook.

Another web based program you might enjoy is The Reading Road Trip and Townsend Reader.

Ask the teacher in the Writing Center to show it to you. Keep track of your time in the lab, and what you are doing while there in your journal. You can augment your work in The Master Reader with Reading Road Trip and Townsend. Ask a teacher in the lab to show you how. We will be visiting the lab a few times a month to work.

Week Three
There are quite a few new students in many sections: English 251, English 1A, and English 201. For those of you just joining us, welcome. I keep copies of all the assignment handouts in the bin outside my office L-236. You have to enter the Writing Center and then L-235, to find me.

If you have essays to leave for me, leave them in my mailbox, which is in the Division II Office, C-201. You can give the work to one of the secretaries. Please put the section number or meeting time on your essay.

In English 201 we are up to Chapter 6 in the Pact. This week we watched the interview with Barry Kirbick. If you missed it, make arrangements to watch it during my office hours.
We have also been looking at the parts of an essay: Introductions, Conclusions and Thesis Statements. There was a two-sided handout.

I am really pleased with the essays I have read so far in all classes. Many of you are skilled writers already, so all we have to do is strengthen what you already know. Be aware that all essays which are grammatically and structurally sound are not A papers. Also, all essays which receive passing grades do not need revision. For the heavily weighted papers such as the essays based on books and the research essay, you can revise once for a higher grade. The rest should be looked at as practice exercises. For those who want to know how they can improve, wait until you have written three essays, then come talk to me. At the present time, I don't know you well enough as writers. My comments will be minimal. However, I will note strengths and errors, if necessary, on all essays with the exception of exams.

An A paper addresses the assignment thoughtfully and analytically, setting a challenging task. This paper establishes a clearly-focused controlling idea and demonstrates strong sense of purpose and audience awareness. It cites and analyzes relevant sources and evaluates their validity, effectively integrating them into text when appropriate. The paper demonstrates coherent and rhetorically sophisticated organization; makes effective connections between ideas, and provides clear generalizations with specific detail and compelling support. It also demonstrates superior control of grammar, sentence variety, word choice and conventions of standard written English.

ESL/Dialect Guideline: Grammatical errors are rare and do not interfere with overall effectiveness of paper; occasional imprecision in word choice or usage may occur.

The rubric is in a folder at my office as of Friday, Sept. 8. Pick up a copy to see the range between A-F. As are 4 points, Bs 3, Cs 2, Ds 1, F 0. If you want to know how you're doing, take three papers, add the points, divide by the total number of essays (in this case 3) and the answer is your average.

Check pluses means you did the assignment. It is an acknowlegement. It is a C.

Homework this week was to begin reading and doing the exercises in Hacker: Chapter 1, The Writing Process. I also suggest that you skim Document Design, the following chapter. Complete all the exercises in the book. You can write in the book. For the online activities, if you don't understand the assignment or need help, do the assignment in the Writing Center or email it to me.

We will look at The Writing Process Sept. 11-15; The Basics Sept. 18-22; Clarity Sept. 25-29; Grammar Oct. 2-6.; Argument Oct. 9-13; Research Guide oct. 16-20; Punctuation Oct. 23-27; Mechanics Oct. 30-Nov. 3. Individuals might need to spend more time in certain areas.

Begin to think about topics you might like to consider for your essay which will be due in the next few weeks. In English 201, the book you will be writing about is The Pact. In English 1A the text is My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. (I believe we're up to page 118.)

Essay plans for all writing classes will due September 27/28. Outlines will be due Oct. 2/3. First drafts will be due Oct. 5/6.

Visit http://dianahacker.com/rules/guidelines-peer_review.html for tips on how to be a good peer reviewer.

Also look at http://dianahacker.com/rules/subpages/wr_flash/hackwr03.asp?session=6235122999514586&name=wanda&group= This is an exercise in responding to essays.

At Laney college tonight, Friday, Sept. 1, 6-9 p.m., there is a forum at Laney College: Rebuilding America's Lower Ninth: Taking Action to End Poverty in Every Community. Visit http://www.peralta.edu/poverty/ for the specifics.

However, one of the presenters is Van Jones, Executive Director, of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. He is an attorney and a great speaker. Joining him on the panel is Frank Chong, Ed.D., President of Laney College, Sharon Cornu, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Central Labor Council of Alameda County, Bernita Reagon, Director of Social responsibility, for the Port of Oakland and founding director of the Community Law Center, and Nicky Gonzalez Yuen, Ph.D., JD, who is a Peralta Community College Board member. The event is free.

The website for Rebuilding America's Lower Ninth campaign is: http://rebuildingamerica.povertylaw.org.