Today we plugged along on the research essay. No students in the early class had an introduction to submit. Many students are still doing the research paper. I am going to change the percentages on the final grade, giving the Obama, SE research essay and final portfolio more weight. Pidd is great, but if you pass all the Pidd essays and cannot reflect this skill in your work then you will not pass the class. I suggest those students who are rushing through Pidd, and/or skipping the grammar exercises and the other work in the Auxiliary section like pp. 302-312 (MLA), Titles (313-318), Quotation marks, in-text citations, pp. 319-325.

Once again, for homework start with pages 326-329, 347-366. We completed the paraphrasing sections between these two boundaries at the beginning of the semester. If you haven't done so, then work through the entire section 326-366.

Before the recess this Spring, I assigned the Be Verb Section 6 in Pidd. There is a handout, Questions and Answers for the Be-Verb Essay with Paraphrasing.

This is old homework. Start Possessives. We will write this essay in class on Wednesday, May 6. Bring your book, Stewart Pidd Hates English, paper and a pen. You only have 50 minutes to complete it. If you have questions on this chapter, ask me in advance on Tuesday, May 5.

Post your introductions and conclusions in the Research essay section below. Don't forget to comment on another student's essay with concrete suggestions on what works and where you need more information.

Many of you have not been to see me at all this semester. The successful student is one who checks in with the professor often during the semester. You cannot get everything in class, although class attendance is important. We didn't get to review all the assignments today. I'll give you the check-lists at the next meeting. I forgot to return papers to a few students. I will be in my office tomorrow for an hour (L-234), if you'd like to come by and pick up work.

Late work
I will not accept first drafts of any late Pidd assignments, I'm speaking of Essays: 1, 2, 3, and the midterm after 5/4. You have 1 week to get revisions into me. The in-class essays (we have two left, cannot be made up, even if we start in class and then complete them at home unless arranged in advance.)

Obama essays
I read some great essays today in class. I'd like Rebecca, Bianca, Hassan, Andre, and Anthony to post their essays, second graded drafts with a narrative as to what changed between the first and second draft. Include your outlines and planning sheets.

Oh, I forgot to emphasize this step in the revision process: reflection. Delineate what you did to justify a second read and new grade.

I was looking through Pidd and found a useful section on Signal Phrases on pages 347-366; 346-347, also Telling and then Showing 326-329. Complete and we can go over on Wednesday, April 29.

Freewrite
Respond to a classmate's planning sheet and outline. Comment on the research, whether or not it is thorough or not and give suggestions as to how the person can expand in areas of research not covered you think are important. Let the author know of any expertise you can share.

Don't forget to use the Bedford Handbook (desktop), to help you with the research and revision of your essays. If you need a handbook to take home with you, I can loan you one. Ask me today or on Thursday when I am in the Writing Center (L-234).

Outlines
Post your outline at the Social Entrepreneur entry below, the same place you posted your planning sheet and document search.

Homework
Bring Audacity of Hope to class tomorrow. We'll finish reading it this week and discuss next week.

Note: Look at the Bedford Handbook located on the desktop--Planning and Research.

Social Entreprenuer

Post your planning sheet, answers to these questions for your social entrepreneur, plus the document search here:

1. What motivated this person to want to change something in society?
2. How did this person get the community's support for the project?
3. What did the community gain?
4. What did the social entrepreneur gain?

Your essay needs to answer all of these questions; you can structure it like a typical problem/solution essay or cause and effect.

1. Today in class the freewrite is a response to one of poems Alehouse "Poetry on Tap." . Post your response here.

2. Post your answers to the questions for your social entrepreneur, plus the document search at the link given.

3. Monday, April 27, bring in all your graded work or a list to complete Portfolio Checklist 1. We will meet here (L-202E).


Si No Hablamos



Si no hablamos para alabar a la Tierra,
es mejor que guardemos silencio.

Loa al aire
que llena el fuelle del pulmón
y alimenta la sangre del corazón;
que lleva la luz,
el olor de las flores y los mares,
los cantos de las aves y el aullido del viento;
que conspira con la distancia
para hacer azul el monte

Loa al fuego
que alumbra el día y calienta la noche,
cuece nuestro alimento y da ímpetu a nuestra voluntad;
que es el corazón de la Tierra, este fragmento de lucero;
que quema y purifica por bien o por mal.

Loa al agua
que hace a los ríos y a los mares;
que da sustancia a la nube y a nosotros;
que hace verde a los bosques y los campos;
que hincha al fruto y envientra nuestro nacer.

Loa a la tierra
que es el suelo, la montaña, y las piedras;
que lleva los bosques y es la arena del desierto;
que nos forma los huesos y sala los mares, la sangre;
que es nuestro hogar y sitio.

Si no hablamos en alabanza a la Tierra,
si no cantamos en festejo a la vida,
es mejor que guardemos silencio.



© Rafael Jesús González 2009



Escrito especialmente para el Congreso Mundial de Poetas,
Tai'an, Provincia de Shandong, China, otoño 2005

(Siete escritores comprometidos: obra y perfil; Fausto Avendaño, director; Explicación de Textos Literarios vol. 34 anejo 1; diciembre 2007; Dept. of Foreign Languages; California State University Sacramento; derechos reservados del autor.)







If We Do Not Speak



If we do not speak to praise the Earth,
it is best we keep silent.

Praise air
that fills the bellow of the lung
& feeds our heart's blood;
that carries light,
the smell of flowers & the seas,
the songs of birds & the wind's howl;
that conspires with distance
to make the mountains blue.

Praise fire
that lights the day & warms the night,
cooks our food & gives motion to our wills;
that is the heart of Earth, this fragment of a star;
that burns & purifies for good or ill.

Praise water
that makes the rivers & the seas;
that gives substance to the clouds and us;
that makes green the forests & the fields;
that swells the fruit & wombs our birth.

Praise earth
that is the ground, the mountain, & the stones;
that holds the forests & is the desert sand;
that builds our bones & salts the seas, the blood;
that is our home & place.

If we do not speak in praise of the Earth,
if we do not sing in celebration of life,
it is best we keep silence.

© Rafael Jesús González 2009



Written especially for the World Congress of Poets,
Tai'an, Shandong Province, China, Autumn 2005

(147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainability: Connecting the Environment, the Economy, and Society; Timpson, William M. et al, Eds., Atwood Publishing Co., Madison, WI; 2006; author's copyrights



Rafael Jesús González
P.O. Box 5638
Berkeley, CA 94705

my blogs/mis blogs:

rjgonzalez.blogspot.com (English)
rjgonzalezg.blogspot.com (español)

April 22, 2009, we spoke about inductive and deductive arguments (handout for inductive and deductive proof). We also practiced developing thesis sentences using the 3-point thesis guidelines. The topic was Earth Day. Post your thesis sentences here.

See the research paper assignment for the homework assignment due today, April 23.

Today in L-202E students opened Bedford Handbook and reviewed the section on Research. Use this section to develop a plan. We will continue talking about this Wednesday in class. We'll meet in the D-bldg. Thursdays we meet in L-202E.

We spoke about the Obama essay, and I returned some and others I will return on Wednesday with comments. You have a week to get it back to me revised/corrected. We will continue in Stewart Pidd. We'll review Essay 4 4/22. Bring in questions re: pp. 174-196. You will write it on 4/23 from your completed templates in L202E. We will complete the Peer Reviews in class in pairs on-line or for homework and post a narrative and a grade.

Stewart Pidd Hates English Essays

We have two more in-class essays and a final essay from Pidd, plus "To Be" and "Subject/Verb Agreement." There are also quizzes we'll do in class, so you can monitor your progress.

Possessives Part 7 pp. 216-227: April 23-April 27. Templates in class: April 28 pp. 228-241 (more later)We'll write the essay in class April 29 (handout).

Tomorrow, April 21, take the questions you have responded to re: the Frontline World Social Entrepreneur and answer them for the SE you plan to profile. You will work independently tomorrow. I will see you Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day). Bring in something to share for the Earth's Commemoration.


Homework due by 4/22:
Complete the website evaluation (handout given out). Choose one website and answer the questions on the two page handout. If you missed class or don't have the handout, the link to the pages are here.

Visit http://alameda.peralta.edu/projects/20013/EnglishSabirpathfinder.doc

http://alameda.peralta.edu/projects/20013/EvalWebWksht.doc for the assignment: Evaluating a web page.

Other resources
http://alameda.peralta.edu/Projects/20013/researchsteps.pdf


Assignment: Social Entrepreneurs: Engaged Citizenry

The questions you want to ask after you have identified a person are:

1. What motivated this person to want to change something in society?
2. How did this person get the community's support for the project?
3. What did the community gain?
4. What did the social entrepreneur gain?

Your essay needs to answer all of these questions; you can structure it like a typical problem/solution essay or cause and effect.

The person has to be alive. Try to find someone local, who is living in the San Francisco Bay Area or in California. The person has to have been doing this work for 10-20 years. You need to locate 5-10 sources on your subject to form a bibliography; you don't have to cite 10 sources. The sources can be published or broadcast interviews, books, articles, and films or you can interview them yourself. The person cannot be a relative. You can work in groups and share data. In fact, I encourage it.

Due dates
The planning sheet and 5-10 sources are due Thursday, April 23 to share and post.

An outline is due: Monday, April 27 posted and shared (L-202E).

An introduction and conclusion are due Wednesday, April 29 in class (bring in a copy) and posted on website by Thursday morning, April 30.

We will spend Thursday, April 30, writing in class L-202E and giving feedback.

The first draft is due Monday, May 4 for peer review 1. Peer review 2 is Tuesday, May 5. Peer review three is Wednesday, May 6.

Final draft is due Thursday, May 7 posted and as a paper copy. We meet in L-202E.

This draft needs to include a peer review and a meeting with me somewhere in the process to review the essay. Ask the tutor or writing center teacher comment on the five areas we consider when reviewing another’s work (Hacker handout) and on any specific questions you might have.

You will post the essay, the planning sheet, and all the works cited and bibliography pages on the blog that day in class.

In class today we completed 1 (one) Frontline World analysis. The other two are due sometime before April 20. We also practiced developing thesis sentences in the 9-10 AM class(handout).

Example:
Topic: Delancey Street
Founder: Mimi Silbert

subtopics or keywords: Homelessness, Mental health, Drug abuse, Crime

Thesis sentence: Although Mimi Silbert’s program Delancey Street deals with ex-cons, the homeless population and addicts, she is fostering change in the community, because there is a measurable record of success.

Thesis sentence: Although Mimi Silbert’s program Delancey Street deals with ex-cons, the homeless population and addicts, she is fostering change in the community, because there is a measurable record of success.

The "although clause" introduces the controversy or the part of the statement we can agree is true. The highlighted section of the sentence is what you have to prove. The "because clause" introduces a piece of evidence.

You do not have to highlight or italicize the sentence. I did it so you could see the parts. Oh, if you missed class or are in the 8-9 AM class don't worry about this assignment. We will continue on 4/20.

Assertion you have to prove: Delancey Street
Mimi Silbert
Homelessness
Mental health
Drug abuse
Crime


With your Frontline World segment, do the same thing. Develop 1-3 thesis sentences and post.

Obama Essays:
I will leave your graded essays in the Writing Center (L-234), if you can't get by between 12 noon and 3 p.m. if you didn't turn your essay in and didn't make arrangements with me prior to the due date, your grade drops one grade level. Turn it in April 20.

Ask one of the teachers or tutors for the envelop today or tomorrow, if you miss me. I think the Writing Center closes at 2 p.m. on Fridays. It is open until 6 p.m. today; at 4 p.m. the teacher moves to the tutoring center, but you can ask for the paper and perhaps someone can get it for you.

I'll jot down the grades and if you call me I can tell you what it is.

Today in class we watched a segment from the New Heroes program: Delancy Street, Mimi Silbert. Students answered the questions, which I have posted below. Students turned in their Obama essays. We meet in L-202E Thursday, April 9. There we will watch one Frontline World episode and respond on the blog and to each other on the blog. Students should complete two other episodes by Monday, April 20. It doesn't take too long.

Students will not have homework, per se, but I want you to think about who you'd like to profile for your research essay. I gave students a handout to identify potential subjects for their research.

We will complete the worksheet "Evaluate a Website," in class in groups April 22. Oh my, I just realized that when you come back we're going to hit the ground running because the month is over in just a week. Let's say the first draft will be due the first week in May. I'll give you something formal later.

I will post the essay assignment here on the blog also.

Frontline World Assignment: Research Essay Part 1Frontline World Cyber-Assignment Post
Visit http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/socialentrepreneurs.html

Respond to 3 stories by 4/20 (one is due 4/9)
Post your Frontline World Responses (3) here.

Answer the following questions in your response to the program.

Outline:

1.Who is the social entrepreneur profiled?
2.What problem did the person profiled identify?
3.What is the name of the organization they started?
4.Describe their relationship to the community that they serve?

• Why they decided to address this issue?

5.What is the local component?
6.How does the community own the process?

Use these same questions to respond to the New Heroes Series shown in class. These questions also form the basis of your essay. Use them as an outline for your paper.

Short Essays Cyber-Post

The numbers are dwindling as Lent draws to a close, Good Friday approaches, the Resurrection, Spring Break and financial aide checks finally come in ... perhaps? I don't know what it is, but the numbers are down and I'm not certain if this means drops or absences.

On a brighter note, Obama papers are due in the morning and I am looking forward to reading them. We'll meet in L-202E on Thursday. We'll be talking about the research essay and watching a Frontline World episode on the computer. If you own headphones, bring them to class 4/9.

Today we practiced writing a three paragraph essay using a citation in each paragraph. Students were to write the five sentence paragraphs, 14 original sentences for the short essays, in 15 minutes, no more than 30. It was collaborative.

If I asked your group to post yours please post it here. It is an exercise in integrating sources: paraphrase, in-text citation and block quotes. We are going to try to talk about "passive and active verbs," Part 6 in SPHE.

Students are doing well on the essays. The MLA especially the works cited pages still need work. Pick up a handout in the library from the carousel or on-line at the COA Library Website for your notebook. The SPHE appendix doesn't have information for all the media you are going to encounter in your scholarly work such as: interviews, TV show, film, radio broadcast, magazine, and other types of sources.

I forgot to mention the end of the Season of Peace, April 4, the anniversary of Martin King's assassination. I hope you did something for peace on the anniversary of the tragedy, a day Bay Area residents celebrated the birthday of a man inspired by Dr. King, Cesar Chavez, another man of peace.

This is National Poetry Month, so please bring in poetry to share. It can be set to music--rap or hip hop. National Library Week is also this month, which is National Jazz Heritage Month too. If you have HBO, Brave New Voices is premiering this month, a show that follows young poets as they travel the country vying for the slam championship.

Today in class we did a peer review of the essays due today. Students have the option of turning the essay, plus peer review into me tomorrow or Wednesday, it's your choice. I am only going to allow you to revise if the essay is not a passing essay. If it is a C or better the grade I give you is the one you keep.

Important note: I will be looking for pronoun agreement perfection, independent and dependent clause perfection, sentence punctuation perfection, no confused words, no POV shifts, and all quotes opening with segues or signal phrases, in other words, MLA perfection. The Works Cited needs to be perfect too. If any of these areas are less then perfect, your grade will suffer. I am looking at form and content equally.

You can slip on the SV Agr. and VT, a little but nothing obvious.

Tomorrow we will look at Part 6, in SPHE (174). Hopefully you have been doing the exercises so we can work on the error paragraphs. I want to complete this essay before or by Thursday. There is no homework, well not much over the holiday.

The Dreams essay is 4-5 pages. Include a works cited page. State your thesis clearly at the end of your introduction. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. Use a block quote (4-5 sentences), an in-text citation, and a free paraphrase, one per page for a total of 3 citations for the entire essay. If you want to include evidence from your article(s), you can cite this source also. Use no more than four (4) citations for the entire essay. The works cited page would be page 5 or 6.

(I hope this is clear. I had to give students their papers back today because they had too many citations.)

Today we started our essays with topics taken from Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama. They are due Monday, April 6. Post your early drafts here.

Today in class we looked at essay Planning Sheet (handout), and the outline, which is as follows:

Thesis
1st Major Point
Evidence (the evidence should include the page numbers from Dreams and/or your articles where the proof is)

2nd Major Point
Evidence

3rd Major Point (and so on)
Evidence

Concluding sentence

The Dreams essay is 4-5 pages. Include a works cited page. State your thesis clearly at the end of your introduction. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. Use a block quote (4-5 sentences), an in-text citation, and a free paraphrase, one per page for a total of 3 citations for the entire essay. If you want to include evidence from your article(s), you can cite this source also. Use no more than four (4) citations for the entire essay. The works cited page would be page 5 or 6.

(I hope this is clear. I had to give students their papers back 4/6 because they had too many citations.)

The essay is due Monday, April 6, 2009 in class. Please include your planning sheet and outline. Post the drafts at the link (4/2).

Tomorrow you can bring in an introduction and a conclusion, along with a planning sheet and outline. You can post your introductions here as well for feed back.