Cyber-Response 2

Today in class we watched two New Heroes segments in the early class. The sesond program was a profile of Inderjit Khurana, Orissa, India. Here is the profile from Hew Heroes about the Train Platform School.

In the second class we watched profiles of Albina Ruiz, Pucullpa, Peru, and Tete Leal in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Respond to the shows seen here. Go to the website for the New Heroes (posted below 3/29). The social entrepreneurs share characteristics; what are some you observed?

Respond to the program re: the same questions asked of Mimi Silbert's involvement in Delancey Street.

Inderjit Khurana

Project: Ruchika School Social Service Organization (RSSO), Train Platform Schools
Location: Orissa, India

As a schoolteacher, Inderjit Khurana used to take the train to work. And each day, in the stations, she would come into contact with dozens of children who spent their days begging from train passengers rather than attending school. She learned that it was not a rare or isolated problem and that millions of children in India live on the streets.

Convinced that these children would never be able to escape their conditions of poverty and homelessness without education, and realizing that it would be impossible to enroll these children in school, Inderjit decided to create a model program for "taking the school to the most out-of-school children."

Khurana's "train platform schools" aim to provide a creative school atmosphere and equip children with the basic levels of education necessary to allow them to work productively, enjoy many of life's pleasures, and become positive contributors to their communities.

Khurana's ultimate goals reach far beyond the 20 platform schools she and her colleagues have created in India's Bhubaneswar region. She is determined that her program become a model for effectively changing the lives of the poorest children throughout India and the world.

Homework today was to complete SPHE Essay 3, Point of View and to bring it in typed tomorrow, March 30, 2010. Also tomorrow if you haven't already done so, bring in your book you plan to write your book report on.

Wednesday, March 31, students will make a brief presentation about a woman they admire. If there is a poem or a song or a picture that captures this admiration concretely, bring this in as well. The poem, song, or art work can be original. If there are lyrics, I can make copies if you give me the documents in advance.

Our freewrite will be connected to the assignment, and might be homework if we run out of time. Just note there is a written component to the assignment. I will post a link 3/31.

Mimi Silbert: Delancey Street Cyber-Assignment

Today in class we watched another New Heroes episode about a social entrepreneur, Mimi Silbert. What do you think of Silbert and her program? Answer these questions as a part of your response.

What problem did Mimi Silbert identify?
How did Silbert address the problem?
How did she get by in from her constituents?
What population does Delancey Street target?
What are the measurable results?
Would you use Delancey Street services?

Visit http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/silbert.html

In 1971 Mimi Silbert founded Delancey Street with four residents, a thousand dollar loan and a dream. She envisioned a place where substance abusers, former felons and others who had hit bottom would, through their own efforts, be able to turn their lives around.

Silbert has since built an empire grossing 20 million dollars a year with locations in New York, New Mexico, North Carolina and Los Angeles. She has never accepted a single penny of government funds.

Since those early days in a single house, Mimi Silbert has empowered more than 14,000 people to lead crime-free, drug-free lives in mainstream society. They have acquired skills, they attend college and they are part of the workforce.

Silbert says she has spent her career cultivating a "university of the streets." She calls it a "Harvard for losers," where the students are former pimps, prostitutes, junkies, drug dealers and armed robbers.

Her program's name comes from Silbert's own past. Delancey Street is a place on Manhattan's lower east side where immigrants like her parents came to make a new life for themselves (http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/silbert.html).

Today we had a visit from Faraj to talk about an art campaign to stop rape. See http://www.healththroughart.org/Site/HHREC_Special_Projects.html

For extra credit, students who send me a photo of one of the pieces of art at a bus shelter along with a brief description of the work and its perceived affect on the problem. You can send the photos to me as attachments and I can post them here through May 2010.

Bring in your essays in the morning. We will have our second peer review. If you see this, meet us in A-232. The doors open at 8 AM, go in and start reviewing another student's essay.

Today we looked at organization and coherence. Tomorrow we will look at style, tone, transitions, and the use of evidence or citations. If there is time I want students to note 3 places where the student is doing something well in the paper. Read the introduction and the conclusion and state whether the student follows his or her plan or deviates from it.

Also note what kind of conclusion it is: synthesis, summary, call to action, prediction, question, quotation, anecdote, restatement of the importance of the topic, connecting the ideas to another idea which is connected but not overtly: the idea is transcendent--upward and outward. (See handout.)

I'll come by the class to meet students who don't see this tonight. Remember, no classes Thursday, March 25--Staff Development.

If you have your essay electronically we can use Microsoft comment.

The 8-9 AM class will take their Grammar Exam 1 during the first part of the class. Students will have half an hour to complete it. Quite a few students came by my office to write their midterm essay. The rest of you made other arrangements (I hope).

We are in Part 5, Essay 3, Parallel Structure. We will write this essay next week, perhaps in class as well.

We will set aside class time to check-in and discuss progress next week (5 minutes per student, so have your questions developed in advance).

I will return your midterm with verbal comments in the morning. Students will be able to revise the Synthetica or midterm in class next week as a freewrite assignment, so bring it with you.

There is a saying that the stupid question is the one you didn't ask, or maybe the saying is, there are no stupid questions.

I have also heard that one shouldn't ask a question one doesn't want to know the answer to, because the answer could be no.

The questions I choose not to answer in class are the ones lazy students ask me, well maybe the students aren't lazy just lack self-confidence. I don't mind clarification questions, but if I think a student is shifting their critical thinking skills off on me, I get miffed and through it back like a hot potatoe.

If you ask me questions because you lack self-confidence then woman or man-up! Be bold, even when proven wrong later.

State your claims with conviction!

I am wrong a lot, but one would never know it when I take a stand. Being wrong is okay, being afraid to be wrong is not okay. Take a chance and have an opinion, take a stand even when you are the only one on your side of the chalk line.

In order to learn, one has to take chances and with chance, sometimes you win and often you lose; sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong. Sometimes you loose and you are right, but you loose because you don't control all the elements in the equation. Take for instance you want to attend college in the morning, and when you check with your boss she says she needs you in the morning, so you have to drop the morning class and go to school in the evening.

You tell your friend that you will see her in class in the morning, but because of circumstances outside of your control, you can't.

Being wrong is not intentional. I am not saying lie or be false. What I am saying is to make a decision based on the best evidence you can muster in the decisive moment.

What's great about taking a stand is the learning that occurs. In the case of the morning class. Next semester, perhaps the employee needs to meet with his supervisor before he registers to see how the two, employer and employee, can compromise so both win.

Over time, you will know more than you know now: you will be a better researcher, a better planner, be able to anticipate objections, clear objections to your views and perhaps even mitigate them in advance.

Such person will make fewer mistakes.

Dare to be wrong. I dare you.

Quite a few students and their friends met for the play Sunday evening. After the talk-back a few of us stopped at the Burrito Restaurant down the street for dinner and then we got on BART close to midnight.

If any students want to post a reflection on the events this weekend, please do. If you want extra credit for the writing email it to me as well.

Extra Credit Cyber-Assignment

Reflect on the WAR which has it's anniversary this weekend.

Do you remember the shock and awe campaign seven years ago? it looked like July 4th at Jack London Square, the only thing was, these were bombs and no one was celebrating.

Today we completed the midterm essay. Many students were not able to take the exam because they weren't prepared for multiple reasons. Do not expect extensions on all in-class essays. There are three more.

There are no tricks with SPHE, just follow instructions. You can ask questions but there is no deception and when I tell you the essay is easy and that it should only take 15-20 minutes to complete, I am not making an unreasonable estimation. Trust yourself, trust me. SPHE is not hard if you follow instructions. Grammar is a language, and like most languages when one stops using it, one forgets certain details. You might be able to communicate, but not as well as someone who has been living in the land where the language is spoken. If you haven't been in an English class in a while or near a grammar class in a while, these concepts are probably familiar but maybe you can't name them. SPHE helps you name the concept and correct errors. This is important as you move through the academy and take other courses where you have to produce writing.

It's tedious, but in the end you will have tools which will make college a lot easier. So, learn to follow instructions and SPHE will be a cinch.

Homework is to write the Half the Sky essay. Bring to class Tuesday for a peer review.

In class today students wrote introductory paragraphs for their essays. Everyone should have an Initial Planning Sheet, an Outline and an Introductory paragraph (10-15 sentences). Bring all of this to class with your essay on Tuesday along with your chapter notes and freewrites printed out if they were cyber-assignments.

Make sure you look at the SPHE pages indicated in the posts below pertaining to signal phrases and in-text citations.

We didn't get to complete the Grammar Exam 2. We will do this on Tuesday-Wednesday.

Today in class the 9-10 AM class completed half the Grammar Exam. We will spend a few minutes completing it Wednesday. The 8-9 AM class will do the exam tomorrow morning. You will have half an hour for the Grammar Exam 1 (8-9 AM class) and 20 minutes for the Synthetica essay. Bring the templates to class typed in an electronic form.

Check your sentences against the errors recap:

1. ". . . Ditch wanted to come with Camper and I . . ." (1).

2. "the General attacked two of the hill divers, Camper and
I . . ." (1).

3. ". . . Ditch was smarter than Camper and me . . ." (1).

4. "Me and Camper laughed . . ." (2).

5. "It was me . . . " (2).

6. "you are almost as pretty as her" (2).

7."[I]f the Pidd men, Sid and me, can do a little camping . . . (2).

The authors wanted me to give you the answers with ellipses, but I have confidence that you will write the answers correctly (smile).

For homework this weekend, review the sections in the SPHE Appendix on citations and signal phrases. The essay is due Wednesday, March 25, 2010 for peer review. Bring the essay in electronically. We will use Microsoft Comment (insert menu). The final draft is still due Friday, March 27 via email.

Look at SPHE pages 330 In-text Citations, 331 Common Parenthetical Citation Errors, 333 Ellipsis Marks: Omitting Parts of a Sentence, 335 Telling and then Showing, 336 The Quotation Sandwich, 356 Signal Phrase Structure: Simple vs. Complex, 357 Creating Context: A Writer’s Credentials and Title, and related exercises.

Tickets for Mirrors in Every Corner are $12 each. The Artistic Director of Intersection told me that cast members will be available after the show on Sunday, March 21, 8 PM, to speak to us about the play. I reserved 13 seats. I counted 11 reservations from the sign-ins last week. Students can bring the money with them Sunday. If you plan on attending, just call me in advance to make sure there are tickets left. Right now there are plenty.

We can meet on Sunday and ride BART (West Oakland Station) over together. We exit 16th Street Station. It's really easy. We thought about having dinner in the Mission beforehand.

Re: Speak Out Now with Ise Lyfe Friday, March 19, 8 PM. I only received $10.00 which means I need $90 more dollars for the group rate, otherwise 17 and under are $10 and 18 and up are $20. We are not going as a group, but if you plan to attend let me know and perhaps we can meet and sit together. Call me.

Today students will take Grammar Exam 1. Afterward we will review the templates for the midterm or Synthetica and the Initial Planning Sheet. I reviewed student homework re: block quotes and signal phrases. Some students pulled examples of block quotes and signal phrases from Half the Sky. The assignment was to compose signal phrases and block quotes using Half the Sky.

In class Tuesday, students took the Pronoun Case and Ellipsis quizzes.

We practiced filling out an initial planning sheet and reviewed the Half the Sky assignment which is posted here along with all the other writing assignments for Spring 2010: Book Report and Social Entrepreneur. The only assignment not posted are the portfolio essays.

Homework is to bring the templates typed and in an electronic form. You will not have time to type the essay in class. I will give you the introduction, a checklist and instructions for the conclusion and title. I will return the midterm to you at our next class meeting. If any student is absent, he or she needs to take the exam prior to our next meeting. Call me.

Homework, prepare for presentation and bring book to class you are reading to share. The first draft of your Half the Sky essay is due next week as well. Check the dates.

Today in class we looked at block quotes and signal phrases, using Half the Sky as a resource to find and analyze such phrases. Homework is to develop three (3) signal phrases and block quotes on one's own. Use Half the Sky as the resource.

Bring the citations to class typed tomorrow. Remember, a block quote is a citation that is more than four lines of text and is set off (4 spaces from the left margin, left justified).

A signal phrase introduces the speaker or the citation.

Tuesday we will develop questions for our essay and practice completing the Initial Planning Sheet. We will also work on our outlines for the essay. I also plan to give students the two quizzes: pronoun case and ellipses.

You will only have about 15-20 minutes on the essay. I will give you half an hour on the Grammar Exam 1 on Wednesday. We will grade them in class. If you miss class, you will have to make the exam up in office hours.

Thursday, students need to bring the Pronoun Case templates typed and in an electronic format to class, and be prepared to write the essay.

Posted below are all the assignments for the rest of the semester. This does not include freewrites. The remaining three paper assignments are posted here along with a preliminary portfolio checklist.

I will give you paper copies of everything this week; please hang onto the assignments and note the due dates. Stewart Pidd assignments will be handled concurrently.

Tickets for Mirrors in Every Corner are $12 each. The Artistic Director of Intersection told me that cast members will be available after the show on Sunday, March 2, 7 PM, to speak to us about the play. I reserved 13 seats. I counted 11 reservations from the sign-ins last week. I need the money by Wednesday/Thursday for the play. We can meet on Sunday and ride BART over together. It's really easy. We thought about having dinner in the Mission beforehand.

Re: Speak Out Now with Ise Lyfe Friday, March 19, 8 PM. I only received $10.00 which means I need $90 more dollars for the group rate, otherwise 17 and under are $10 and 18 and up are $20.

Half the Sky Essay Assignment
Spring 2010

We have been reading Half the Sky for over a month now and have had many discussions in the class about the issues raised about global gender equity. It is now time for students to formulate their thoughts and develop a question to answer in a persuasive essay.

If students like some of the topics we have already explored and their freewrite responses, certainly they can expand on previously contemplated topics such as microfinance as a way to purchase freedom for many women in the world of Half the Sky, the benefits of education, and the power of alliances with other women and men within and without one’s society.

Other topics we have explored are the semantics of freedom—what is “power” or “empowerment”? Does the definition change when we compare regional change in the worlds of the women we meet in Half the Sky, or is the definition relatively consistent?

Is there a prototype or archetype for this philosophical empowered woman? What does she look like? Can we do selective breeding and mass produce these women so that the world changes overnight? Can we inject girls with a serum to prevent oppression once and for all?
Cultural traditions supported by women often continue oppressive practices many men are opposed to. How do women participate in their own oppression and disempowerment (if this is a word)?

Half the Sky is a sobering look at women abroad. It is written, however, in a way which makes all readers look for inequities at home, gender-based inequities at home. Yet, despite the huge job in front of us (empathetic readers) the writers seem to balance despair with hope. How do they accomplish this task? Look at the text’s organization for clues.

Rape is one of the worse forms of violence against women. In societies which have centered its core values in the chastity of its women, a rape mares the reputation of the entire family. Rape dishonors the family name and often causes irreversible harm to the woman’s status thereafter—no one will marry her. These women and girls are often tacitly encouraged in some cultures to end their lives. In Half the Sky, though, we are introduced to women who do not think their vagina is a symbol of their worthiness. Who are these women and how are they fighting back?

Feel free to develop your own questions to explore. We will talk about this further next week. Each question needs to look at Half the Sky as a resource, of course, and then use two articles outside the book to support the movement (thinking) of these issues outward. Try to find a local or western or first world nation connection in your search for related materials. Use the library database where possible. Students do not have to cite the source in-text, just read it.

The essay will be between 3-5 typed pages long. This includes a works cited page. Each essay will include 3-5 citations, one of the 3-5 citations, 1 should be a block quote and another, a free paraphrase. Students will also have to use ellipses in their block quote or in-text citation.

NOTE: The 3 page essay can only have 3 citations. 1 citation per page. English 201 students need only write a 500-750 word essay.


Half the Sky DUE DATES:
Planning March 15-17
Planning Sheet, Outline, Thesis due March 17_________
First Draft March 24_________
Final Draft emailed by March 26__________

In package include Half the Sky freewrites, also include reading logs
Turn all of this in with essay. Students can email me the essay and print me a copy as well.

Book Report Assignment

This semester we are looking at Women’s Stories

Each student was asked to choose a book by a woman author or about a woman. The author needed to be alive and living in the Northern California and if the book was about a woman the woman profiled needed to be alive and also living here, the San Francisco Bay Area.

If the author is a woman, and you want to take about her fiction writing, this is okay.

For each essay, students need to find three articles: a published book review or analysis, and for the author, if she is a woman, see if there is something on the author in Literary Criticism, (on-line in the Library Database and in COA library (public libraries as well). Third, find an article that addresses one of the themes in the book. Include all of these sources in your works cited page.

The essay will be 2-3 pages and in it you will summarize your book’s major themes and analyze them. If your author is the woman you are profiling, talk about her life and her source or impetus for writing the book you are sharing. If the book is a biography, feel free to tell us something about the author and how he or she comes to know the person he or she writes about.

Abstract
The presentation is weighted heavily here, so prepare well, and please include an abstract which includes the title of the book, the key points you plan to make and any arguments you’d like us to consider. Bring in copies for each student.

Book Report
Planning April 12___________
Planning Sheet, Outline, Thesis___________
First Draft Wednesday, April 14___________
Final Draft Friday, April 16 via email____________
Presentations: Monday-Wednesday, April 19-21___________

Book Report Presentations: Monday-Wednesday, April 19-21
Grade is an “A “for all presentations or “-0-“ for opting out. The presentation is a quarter of the grade for this assignment

Social Entrepreneur Worksheet

Assignment: Social Entrepreneurs: Engaged Citizenry


Introduction
Open with the problem statement. Be descriptive.

The thesis sentence names your social entrepreneur as a person who is addressing the problem identified in the introduction.

Body paragraphs
Background on the social entrepreneur and what brings them to the work. You can cite statistics here to illustrate the problem

Introduce the organization or business venture. Does the work grow out of the community? How do the SE and the community interact?

Are there any partnerships with other organizations and/or government?

Are there any peer reviews or industry reports?

What are the measurable results for the community? Share a story here.

What are the measurable results for the SE. You could quote the SE here.

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 (the length of time is negotiable; see me).

You need to locate 5 sources on your subject to form a bibliography; you don't have to cite them all. 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.

You will have three citations: 1 in-text citation, one paraphrase, and one block quote in the essay. The rest of the writing has to be your own. The essay should be 4 pages (English 1A); 2-3 pages English 201. This does not include the works cited page or bibliography.


English 1A Social Entrepreneur
Planning Due by Monday, April 26 (share)_____________
List of sources (5) minimum in MLA format due Monday, April 26 (share in class)___________

Essay: Planning Sheet, Outline, Thesis is due: Tuesday, April 27 ______

An introduction and conclusion are due Wednesday, April 28 ________

First Draft May 4-6 (Wednesday-Thursday, May 5-6 peer review)__________
Final Draft Monday-Tuesday, May 10-12-14 (set up appointment with professor to check off essay______________

SE Presentations: Monday, May 17-19___________
The presentation is a quarter of the grade.

Supplementary Assignments

On-line Frontline World (on-line responses 3) Start Thursday-Wednesday, April 15-21_______
Library Research sheet: Wednesday, April 21 _______________
Website Evaluation completed (worksheet) by April 22 (in-class)_____________

English 1A 2010 Class Notes


SPHE Quizes:
SPHE Quiz 1MLA, 2 PA, 3PC, 4 Ellipses, 5 Parallel Structure, 6 Be Verbs, 7 Subject Verb Agr. 8 Possessives. Grammar Exam 1, (Wednesday, March 17)

*Note: The quizzes are given in class; we grade them together and I am keeping a record of scores. For the essays, students will develop templates for the errors, write an essay analyzing the errors and resubmit the revised essay along with the error analysis essay for a passing grade.

Each student can revise an essay once; for subsequent revisions the grade drops one to one half point (my discretion). After SPHE, I expect students to be experts at revision and editing. If a student isn’t careful, a 4.0 can slip to 2.0.

Grammar Exam 2: Monday, May 3
For Pidd, we will complete an essay a week or thereabouts for English 1A (so keep up)

SPHE Essays: Midterm (3/18) or Synthetica, Point of View, Possessives, Parallel Str.,
*Template Essays (where needed) for Half the Sky, Book Report, and SE Essay

Pidd Essays: 1, 2, 3, 4 (at home). The other essays are in-class essays.

Half the Sky
Planning March 15-17
Planning Sheet, Outline, Thesis due March 15-17_________
First Draft March 22_________
Final Draft March 25__________

In package include Half the Sky freewrites
Also include reading logs
Turn all of this in with essay. Students can email me the essay and print me a copy as well.


March Presentations
Bring book to class Wednesday, March 17 to share________
Women’s History Month presentations: Monday-Tuesday, March 29-30__________
Bring in a song, poem, speech of a woman you admire to share___________
There will be a cyber assignment attached to this assignment (250 words) due April 1, 2010__________

Lysistrata
We will read Lysistrata in class___________

War Stories
We will also look at the Poetry of War March 15-18 (handout)__________
Spring Break is April 4-10. Finish your book.__________

Book Report
Planning April 12___________
Planning Sheet, Outline, Thesis___________
First Draft Wednesday, April 14___________
Final Draft Thursday, April 15____________
Presentations: Monday-Wednesday, April 19-21___________

Book Report Presentations: Monday-Wednesday, April 19-21
Grade is an “A”for all presentations or “-0-“ for opting out. The presentation is a quarter of the grade for this assignment

Abstract___________
Self-reflection__________
Feedback_____________
(the last three are cyber-posts, which should be included in the portfolio)

Social Entrepreneur
Planning Due by Monday, April 26 (share)_____________
On-line Frontline World (on-line responses 3) Start Thursday-Wednesday, April 15-21_______
Library Research sheet: Wednesday, April 21 _______________
Website Evaluation completed (worksheet) by April 22 (in-class)_____________
List of sources (5) minimum in MLA format due Monday, April 26 (share in class)___________

Essay: Planning Sheet, Outline, Thesis__________
First Draft May 4-6 (Tuesday, May 6, peer review)__________
Final Draft Monday-Tuesday, May 10-12-14 (set up appointment with professor to check off essay______________

SE Presentations: Monday, May 17-19___________
The presentation is a quarter of the grade.

Cyber-Essays:
Love Essay__________
Love presentation____________
Lysistrata Essay_____________
Frontline World responses to videos______________
New Hero essay responses____________

Other cyber-assignments
Women's History Month presentation__________
Student comments to posts___________
Reflections on presentations_______________
Martin King Response___________
Response to Obama re: State of the Union_____________
Women’s History Month_____________
Book Report______________
Social Entrepreneur Essay______________

Extra Credit essays: Half the Sky event, Mirrors in Every Corner. Speak Out: Tim Wise, Pistols and Prayers_____________________

May 12-18 Portfolio assembly
Workshops May 19-20_______________

Portfolios due: Monday-Wednesday, May 24-26 electronically. Make sure you receive a receipt for your submission. No paper copies, no exceptions.

Final Grade
Portfolio checklist _____________
Portfolio Essay 1_______________
Portfolio Essay 2_______________
Portfolio Grade_________

Course Grade_________

Cyber-Freewrite

Developing Thesis Sentences
I moved the freewrite posts from below and reposted them here per student request for a separate post for today's freewrite: John Rawson, Joshua Duong, Juan Li, and Crystal Cortez

Question: Are women who patiently tolerate abuse: physical, emotional, and/or psychological weak? Use Half the Sky as a measure. Write three sentences. Use three women as examples to support your claim.

Examples:
Srey Momm (37)

Srey Momm, a Cambodian prostitute, tolerates mental and emotional abuse because of her addiction to methamphetamine.

Goretti Nyabenda (199)

Goretti Nyabenda, married, mother of six, tolerates her husband's abuse because of her Muslim faith and for economic reasons; her husband is the breadwinner.

Cyber-Assignment

Today in class students continued developing their profiles. We defined the "power" and looked at the prefix "em" as in empower and what it meant to be empowered. In the world of Half the Sky what does a powerful or empowered woman look like?

Students were asked to post their findings and from these case studies develop a prototype of archetype of the "empowered woman." If girls could be inoculated against patriarchy and oppression these characteristics or ingredients would be a part of the preventative medicinal formula.

Post your group work here. Each student should then respond to another's post. Use an example to support your claim (response).

Do you agree with the group's evaluation? Can you expand the profile further? How does what happens to women in the Third World impact women in First World nations? What separates us from them or are we closer than we like to think?

Homework
1. Students are to complete Half the Sky

2. Continue working on SPHE. We are in section 4. Don't forget to also do the elipses exercises in the appendix.

Tuesday in class we discussed the impact of finances on women profiled in Half the Sky. Is power something money can buy? What are the semantic implications of power vs. empowerment? Are women objectified in a different way when they are contributing to household finances?

It was interesting to note the pride women felt being able to support their families: husband and children. The men seemed happy to be "kept", living lives of leisure. I wonder if this novelty will eventually wear off, that is, women taking care of their men.

I am trying not to see the scenario from a western perspective, that is, seeing the men as gigolos--living large off their women, women they maligned and mistreated. While I am happy for the women and their daughters. That with keys to the vault wives call the shots in the home; it seems as if women still don't have autonomy or a respect alone, that even the worse man is still better than no man.

While walking around in class Tuesday morning in the second class, students and I spoke about rape and its use to subdue and control women in many societies, even ours. We reflected on the anti-rape device women could wear which impaled the rapists (Half the Sky). The students shared with me a film, "Teeth," which is about a woman whose vagina has teeth. Sounded like a great topic for an essay which takes from Half the Sky the themes of resistance to oppression and how women fight back.

Students should be thinking about topics to reflect on in an essay. We will explore this more Thursday and Monday. We will continue our literature circle discussions today.

Students developed profiles on three entrepreneurs. The goal is to isolate the similarities. Is it possible to teach girls to be powerful to prevent the trauma? Most of the women profiled were victims before they were saved or saved themselves. Is it possible to create an environment where girls don't have to suffer?

There are examples of this in the book, places where minds are changing. I agree with students who say true change will involve men as well. This is not Half the Sky's premise, but certainly the authors support all avenues which lead to better lives for women.

Comment on another group's evaluation. Do you agree? Can you expand the profile further? How does what happens to women in the Third World impact women in First World nations? What separates us from them or are we closer than we like to think?

We also completed the Pronoun Agreement Quiz.

Field Trips
Consider attending the Speak Out event: Pistols and Prayers, 8 PM, Friday, March 19, 2010 at the Berkeley Rep. Visit http://www.speakoutnow.org/

Also I'd like to have a theatre party. I am looking at Thursday, March 18, 8 PM or Sunday, March 21, 7 PM, at Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco's Mission District. Let me know by Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 12 noon about the play. You can respond on the blog with the number of tickets for each and which dates for the play (3/18 or 3/21). If you can do both let me know. We can meet at BART in the East Bay and go together.

Visit http://www.theintersection.org/ Let me know if you are interested in either or both by tomorrow. The play is selling out. You can read my review at http://wandaspicks.com

Tickets prices will range between $10-$15 each event. Don't let finances keep you from attending. Talk to me. We might be able to make arrangements, especially for the play.

Mirrors in Every Corner
From Intersection's acclaimed resident theatre company Campo Santo and The Living Word Project (the resident theater company of Youth Speaks) comes the world premiere of Mirrors In Every Corner, written by emerging playwright Chinaka Hodge. This genre breaking and strikingly original theatre work chronicles an Oakland-based African American family alternately in the present and in 1988 after the mother gives birth to a Caucasian baby. Examining how race is lived in and through the body, this world premiere play attempts to unearth the reality and the fictive construction of race - what makes someone black, what is blackness, what is family, and what is lineage- as a family grapples with the issues of race and identity in contemporary America. The play is directed by performance innovator and the Living Word Project's Artistic Director Marc Bamuthi Joseph; and features Daveed Diggs, Margo Hall, Dwight Huntsman and Traci Tolmaire; with a score by composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire with original mixes by DJ Treat U Nice, and a dual visual art installation and scenic design by artist Evan Bissell; and a collaborative team of Alejandro Acosta, Ray Diaz, Ben Fisher, Tanya Orellana, Joan Osato, Kate Purnell,and Ricky Saenz.

FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 | 8 PM | One Night Only
"Pistols and Prayers," Written and Performed by ISE LYFE featuring Melanie DeMore and Michael Fecskes, with DC from KMEL 106.1 on the 1's and 2's at The Thrust Theatre (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), 2025 Addison St., Berkeley

A cultural collage of spoken word, African American folk spirituals, classical music, Hip Hop and theater, Pistols and Prayers is a celebration of the African Diaspora and its impact on urban America.

Acclaimed spoken word Hip Hop artist Ise Lyfe provides a glimpse into his coming of age as a man, artist and advocate for social change. His journey is accompanied by the African American folk traditions of renowned singer-songwriter Melanie DeMore and young Master Cellist, Michael Fecskes with DC from KMEL 106.1.

International Women's History Day!
Freewrite: Where would you be without women? Reflect on a special woman in your life. You can post your reflection here as well if you'd like to share.

Cyber-assignment 2:
Today in class we reflected on how innovation and invention is at the heart of women's empowerment. Muhammad Yunus is a man who demonstrated such with the establishment of Grameen Bank. Muhammad Yunus is mentioned in Half the Sky. How is Muhammad Yunus's bank and popularizing of microlending an important step in women's empowerment?

Homework is to respond to the New Heroes video. Talk about how microcredit helps women take control of their lives. In three paragraphs use examples of what Yunus has done with Grameen Bank to support what the authors talk about in the section on microcredit (pages 185-198). This response should be three (3) paragraphs.

Include a citation in each paragraph. Don't forget the signal phrases and the works cited page.

For information on Muhammad Yunus go to kqed.org (New Heroes). Visit http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/yunus.html

Homework
Come to class prepared to discuss Half the Sky. Students will reflect on the three areas the authors identify as priorities and list 3-4 profiles of women who were victims and have now turned the situation around.

Each group will outline the strategies employed looking for similarities and differences in strategies.

Lastly, when one reads Half the Sky is the thought that passes through one's head, "that's over there and here things are different" or does one see parallels between so-called First World and Third World nations?

Bring the book to class you are planning to do your book report on to share Wednesday, March 17.

Half the Sky
I'd been looking forward to this film since Lucia told us about it and the experience was worth the anticipation. I had a great time. I think the part I enjoyed the most were the stories about the women, the film about Woineshet, whom we'd read about in the book, and the opportunity to hear a discussion from a panel of experts: Maria Bello, Dr. Helene Gayle; Nicholas Kristof; Rachel Mayanja; Sarah, Duchess of York; moderated by Sheryl WuDunn.

Hearing India Arie perform, along with Angélique Kidjo (from Benin), the other artist(name?), were of course highlights, but the true stars were the women profiled, the women who truly hold up half the sky. Earlier this afternoon Dominique and I went to San Francisco to the CARE office to get tickets for students who hadn't purchased theirs yet. The turn out was pretty impressive this evening. I think we were one of the larger groups. I didn't see anyone else posing for photos in the lobby.

A percentage of ticket sales will support CARE's work in more than 70 countries.

"CARE is proud to once again celebrate International Women's Day with a rousing one-night-only event in theatres across the country," says Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE. "HALF THE SKY is more than just a night at the movies – it's a rallying cry to stand up and join a growing worldwide movement to empower women and girls to fight global poverty" (www.care.org).

For those students who were fired up this evening, please post your responses here for extra credit and send me a copy as well so I can send you a grade (smile). Send to the new email address: COASabirEnglish1A@gmail.com

Post the essay on Women's Empowerment using the paragraphs already posted in today's the cyber-free write assignment.

Select three paragraphs and write a fourth. Be sure to include your name. On the cyber-freewrite everyone who was a part of the collaboration is already listed. Do not include anyone else's name on your 4-paragraph essay.

For students who want to attend the film screening tonight in Emeryville and need tickets call me. We plan to meet at the Elephant Bar beforehand at 6 PM. It is in the same complex as Bay Street Emeryville Theatres.

Women's Empowerment Collaborative Essay

Post your paragraphs here. Indicate the argument: thesis or pro-argument; antithesis or con-argument; synthesis or conclusion. Puts the names of the authors on the post.

For homework, develop an introduction and take three paragraphs and structure an essay.

Complete the exercises on pages 329-332 (1st edition) and pages 319-323 (2nd edition). These exercises help students with in-text citations. If you want to continue in the book, the next exercises (ellipses will be assigned for the Synthetica essay.)

Homework is to continue reading in Half the Sky. We will spend Monday and Tuesday in Literature Circles and writing about themes from the book. We will complete the Synthetica essay in class next Thursday. Wednesday we will do Grammar Exam 1. Come to class on time.

New email address for assignments. Please use this address: coasabirenglish1a@gmail.com to send papers and queries beginning today March 3, 2010. Thanks!

Cyber-post
Post your in-class freewrite here.

1. Look at three profiles in Half the Sky. Focus on 1 case and show how it supports or proves the authors' premise stated on page xxi.

2. SPHE Essay 2 templates typed are due tomorrow. The essay is due Wednesday, March

If students have not gotten a grade on Essay 1 or a passing grade on a revision, they need to get the papers in today. Call me and let me know you have sent them. I need to see a narrative and the final draft, along with the graded draft.


3. Love Presentations
We will spend 15-25 minutes on the Love Presentations. Come on time. If you are late you will not be able to present. We will list the names on the board at the beginning of class. The essays are due now and response to a student presentation and essay are due by 3/3.

A good time to respond is when one is in the moment.


Notes for the Month of March

1. I will give students dates for the rest of the essays due this semester as requested. The dates are not flexible so plan ahead and don't get behind.

2. This month we will write our Half the Sky essay. We will share titles for the book report essay due in April.

3. We will have a Women's History Month party, celebration, presentation (2-days). the dates will be announced. Students will share a poem, song, reflection or story about a woman they admire. Last year, one student made brownies.

4. We will read a play aloud and students will reflect on the experience in a cyber-essay.

5. We will try to get through at least 3 SPHE essays, maybe 4. There will be more quizzes and the Synthetica essay is an in-class essay (midterm and there is a 50 question Grammar Exam also in class).