Cyber-Assignment re: Library Orientation English 1A 4-5:50 class

Yesterday evening, English 1A, 4-5:50 met in the Library classroom with Professor Fields for a very informative session on the academic research process. This made the third and last orientation for this semester. As of yesterday, all students irregardless of section have completed this lecture.

Each  librarian approached the topic uniquely, Mrs. Fields no exception. She used what she called, the Big Six (6). See handout. We also practiced the strategy suggested in an exercise called: Dream Vacation (smile).

We reviewed the databases, MLA, how to find books on the shelf and how they are categorized, not to mention the importance of having a student ID card. She also reminded us that students have to sign up for a Learning Resources class in the Open Lab before they can use any of the academic labs: Writing, Math or Accounting, so sign up.

Students cannot print either without signing up for this free class.

In a 3 paragraph reflection, write about the orientation, what you learned, and what information was reinforced. Use concrete examples.

Why is research important? Why do we document sources? How do we evaluate sources and why? What is the difference between a scholarly and popular document?

Other homework is to write a three paragraph summary using The Happiness Project. Use the templates from They Say, Chapter 3.  Use direct quotes. Students from other classes have already posted this assignment. Look at theirs for an example of the assignment.

Post your homework assignment there, not here. Here just post the 3 paragraph library reflection.

Tim Wise Event

The Tim Wise event was streamed live yesterday from USF. When I checked to see if it as archived for the public, I did not find any links yet, but there is a promise (smile). http://www.usfca.edu/stream/diversity/wise/

Oh, Angela Davis is speaking and reading from her new book on Friday evening at Marcus Books in Oakland at 3900 Martin Luther King Jr Way, (510) 652-2344.

Cyber-Assignment: Library Orientation for English 1A 1-2:50 p.m.

Professor David Sparks covered a lot of ground today in class. In a short response, reflect on his presentation from the welcome to the brainstorming to the various handouts and tools he introduced to you. Why is it important to know the differences between scholarly and popular texts? What is the CRAAP test all about?

Were any questions about citing sources to avoid plagiarism cleared up for you?

Secondly, explore your topic, "happiness" using at least 3 of the resources available to you. Discuss what you used and using MLA document the source so that classmates can also find it.

The other homework is listed in the post below.

I returned more papers, we should be caught up by Monday.

Cyber-Assignment for Eng. 1A 9-9:50 AM and Homework for Everyone

Today in the 9-9:50 a.m. class we looked at incorporating what They Say into what I Say (Chapter 3 pp. ). Students worked in groups based on where they were in the text. Each group was to use 3 templates on pages 46-47. Students were also to use the quotation sandwich.

The commentary-summary should be three paragraphs. Students were not aware that a paragraph could be just a sentence long (smile). Each paragraph should incorporate 1 citation. I wanted students to use direct quotes.

When we shared, students were to 1. listen and comment on how each group integrated and framed the citation or quote (see They Say 44-46) and 2. Blend the authors words with their own (see They Say 48-49).

Post the paragraphs here. Students should then comment on at least one other groups short essay and how well they accomplished their task using the language "integrated, framed, blended, etc."

Homework

Besides READ (smile), students are to summarize or comment on another chapter not used in this assignment in 3 paragraphs on Rubin's quest for happiness.

Bring to class electronically tomorrow. In English 1A 9-9:50 students will meet in A-205. Students will post the assignment in class and comment on another classmate's assignment. All other classes will post their summary-comments by our next meeting. Comment by Wed., March 6 before class.

We will look at essays from 50 Essays tomorrow to discuss chapter 4 and perhaps complete exercise 2, chapter 3.

In the 9-9:50 a.m. class we met in Lit Circles to discuss The Happiness Project. We then looked at They Say and shared "quotation sandwiches."

Homework: Read THP. We are up to page 220 this week.

Week at a Glance

This week we continue with They Say and Hacker. We are looking at integrating what they say into our writing. Specifically this week we are continuing our look at signal phrases, summary, paraphrase and how this works to our advantage when presenting our argument.

We will use Rubin a lot this week as well as authors from 50 Essays. Students are behind in the reading. It isn't because you find the reading hard, it is because you have not fit reading into your schedule. Fit it in. It will make the discussions in class much more lively and useful.

In both afternoon classes, not many students were at page 220. We complete the book in two weeks. By then, we will be almost through They Say and about finished with 50 Essays too. These two books lay the foundation for our writing. Most of these essays are narrative, but this is not unusual for essayists, who tend to explore issues connected to their souls. The term essay means " an attempt or try." Essayists often write to clarify their ideas and find answers to questions. The writing doesn't always reveal the answer, but writing has a way of opening the space between what is known to what is unknown.

We are reading and writing as a way to make room in our mind for questions to appear (smile). 

What has Rubin been up to this week? English 1A 1-2:50

Students collaborated on writing summary analysis on this week's reading for THP.  Questions posed for this writing assignment are: Do you think Rubin's time has been well-spent recently? Why or why not? use citations to support your arguments. See They Say (Chapter 2-3 pp. 30-51).

See also Hacker pp. 543-550. We reviewed this in class.

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, the English 1A 1-2:50 p.m. class will meet in the library (LRC 1st floor) with Professor Jane McKenna for an hour. We will return to class afterward for the final 40 or so minutes.

Students started off the class with THP discussions followed by a brief lecture on citations, signal phrases, ellipses marks, brackets, and long quotes (4+ lines). I introduced what I call the "amen" factor (smile). Students later on pursued Rubin to answer the question posed in They Say, exercise 1:1. We then shared as a group.

If anyone wants to post their Rubin selections and rationale, feel free to do so. 

Homework is to keep reading the essays in 50 Essays and They Say. We might have time to do exercise 2: 51 Wednesday with one of the selected readings for this week. I really like chapter 4 in They Say: "Three Ways to Respond."

Two students indicated interest in attending the Tim Wise lecture tomorrow. We can probably caravan over tomorrow. Let's confirm this tomorrow early afternoon. I finish teaching at 12:15 p.m.

Just Walk on By. . . Cyber-Assignment for Eng. 1A 9-9:50 a.m.

Today in the 9-9:50 a.m. class we read Brent Staples's essay in 50 Essays (383). The discussion was lively and lengthy (smile), so we didn't have time to practice free paraphrasing.

I gave each student a sentence from the essay to do a free paraphrase. Post the original sentence and the free paraphrase. Remember, except for shared language, that is, words common to daily use, you cannot use any of Staples's words. Keep the sentence structure. This means, that if he uses a list, you have to use a list. If he uses an adjective and a noun or a verbal phrase, so do you.

Maintain his intention at all times. Chose synonyms that convey the same emotional meaning or connotation.

Homework is chapter two in They Say. Post on the blog. Again for exercise two, use one of this week's assigned essays to summarize. The summaries do not have to be long, just complete. Make sure, you capture the writer's intention with concrete, powerful verbs and nouns.

Bring to class electronically if you have a laptop or on paper (if you do not). The 9-9:50 a.m. class electronically is fine. We will meet in A-205 Monday morning.

Homework once again is to Read They Say, The Happiness Project and 50 Essays.  After our review on Monday morning, we will spend time in all classes on THP. Make sure you bring your notes and books and have read the week's assignment.

Don't forget to post weekly in the Happiness Project Cyber-Cafe (smile).

Today in the 1-2:50 class we practiced paraphrasing sections from Mair's essay, On Being a Cripple. For the most part students did excellent work. Some of the selections were harder than others to paraphrase. If anyone wants to post their paraphrase please feel free to do so. Include the original and the literal paraphrase.

We then read the Brent Staples's essay from 50 Essays and after discussing it a bit, practiced summarizing. Students ran out of time and so we worked together on a 3 sentence summary (smile).

In BS's classic essay JWonB. . . he shares his experience with racial profiling. He compares himself to a beast stalking his prey--white women, all women and how he had to transform himself to still the terror his physical presence unintentionally causes when he dare occupy "public spaces."

It is a bit spruced up from the original (smile).

In the 4-5:50 p.m. we read the Staples's essay and completed literal paraphrases of selections. Students posted the literal paraphrases here with the original. 

Also, in the 4-5:50 class we had a chance to work in Stewart Pidd's Paraphrase Progressions and Summary Secrets.
Before class ended we shared literal paraphrases. Students posted their paraphrases before they shared. This exercise is a work in progress.


1. Paraphrase vs. summary

2. They Say-- pp. 40-41, Ex. 1&2. Cyber Assignment, posted below. Bring to class too to share.

3. Stewart Pidd's Paraphrase Progressions and Summary Secrets (we didn't get to in the 1-2:50 class)

4. Reading Homework-- 50 Essays; Chapter 3 in They Say (skim)

5. Field Trip 2/26 to see Tim Wise at the University of San Francisco, 4:30 p.m. (It's free. Tim Wise is a political writer, whose latest book is called: Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority.) I am going. Let's talk Monday.

Here is a link to the event: 

Tim Wise to Speak on “Colorblindness” at USF

Tuesday, Feb 26 4:30p

2130 Fulton St., San Francisco, CA, 94117

San Francisco, CA

This public lecture is based on his book, Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity, and is free and open to the public. During his time at USF, Wise will speak about the harmful effects of colorblindness and what he calls “illuminated individualism” — acknowledging the diverse identities that have shaped peoples’ perceptions and the role that race continues to play in the United States today.

Library Orientations for the other English 1A classes

English 1A 1-2:50 p.m. will meet with Professor David Sparks at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013

English 1A 4-5:50 p.m. will meet with Professor Barbara Fields Wednesday, Feb. 27 as well. 

All classes will post responses in the same place. I will add summaries to the cover assignment recap. 

Cyber-Assignment for Library Orientation. . . .

Today the 9-9:50 a.m. class had a library orientation with Professor Steve Gerstle. Most students did not remember that we were meeting in the library today. Please put important dates in your datebook. I do not always remember to remind you.

Professor Gerstle's presentation centered around research: how to find articles in the library database, which is available on campus without a password; however, at home you need a password and access information. Pick up a handout at the reference desk.

He gave us two handouts, one on Information Literacy, the other on how to determine if a document is from a popular or or scholarly periodical. We also watched a short film.

In a short reflection (100-250 words) talk about the reasons why one might use research in one's writing and why it is important to know the difference between popular and scholarly documents. 

Note new information. I hope everyone has a student identification card. If you do not, get one. They are free. You cannot use the labs without one nor can you check out books. All of your essays will require research. It's what we do in English 1A (smile).

Students posted their assignments from yesterday in the wrong place. Post them again in the proper place. I will erase them. If you look at the assignment. It has not been assigned yet.

Cyber-Assignment "The Believing Game"

Post your responses to exercise 1 and 2 here (They Say pp. 40-41). Due Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 (9-9:50 A.M.)

For exercise 2 on page 41, use one of the essays assigned for 50 Essays this week (Feb. 18-21). Use the exercise questions as a model to structure your two summaries. The questions at the end of the essays might help.

Post here and bring in a copy to class (1-2:50 and 4-5:50 classes). If you have your laptops, that's fine. 

Make sure you post your assignments where they are given. I plan to erase all posts that are not on topic.

Week at a Glance and Cyber-Assignment

This week we will fine tune our summarizing and quoting skills using 50 Essays and The Happiness Project as a resource. We are in chapters 2-3 in They Say. In class today we reviewed the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing. We spoke about literal vs. free paraphrases and "shared language." Hacker was the resource for our query.

Post the group summaries here.

Homework is to do the exercise chapter 1:40, Peter Elbow's Believing Game. Bring into class to share. Post on the blog tomorrow. I will put a link for it today.

Read or skim chapter 3: "As He Himself Puts It" (42-51).  Read David Zinczenko's "Don't Blame the Eater" (41).

Read Staples's essay in 50 Essays (383-386). For those without the book here is a link: http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/rspriggs/files/staples%20just%20walk%20on%20by%20text.pd

What's Love Got to Do with It?

In class over the past two days we have completed the Multiple Choice Exam 1, a grammar exam which students graded. Make a study plan and email the plan and your total score along with your score section by section.

In all classes we have been using essays from 50 Essays as examples to talk about They Say, chapter 1. There were four exercises this week, two from the Introduction, two from Chapter One. Two were cyber-assignments, one from both chapters.

If you have Steward Pidd Hates English, the boot camp starts next week.

Homework is to read Chapter 2 in They Say. Keep reading Rubin and Cohen.

Post your freewrite here.

"On Being a Cripple"

For students without 50 Essays, I have been finding the full text of these essays on-line. If I can find them, you can find them:  www.smartercarter.com/Essays/.../On%20Being%20a%20Cripple.doc 

I found "No Name Woman," "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" and "On Being a Cripple" in less than 5 minutes. If you do not know how to do this, ask one of the tutors in the Writing Center for help or me.

Resourcefulness and creativity don't cost anything except effort. If you do not talk to me, I cannot help you.

Other three essays I found:
http://www.mpsaz.org/mtnview/staff/lmbormann/class4/course_materials/files/anzaldua-wild-tongue.pdf

ursulastange.com/courses/documents/NoNameWoman.doc

www.umt.edu/udwpa/docs/vowellsept.doc

Here is Sarah Vowell on This American Life, a great radio show: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/81/guns

Cyber-Assigmments

In the 9-9:50 class we started reviewing 50 Essay assignments up to now. We broke into groups based on the readings. Many students, about half the class had read all the essays. I let them decide which essay they wanted to talk about using They Say (part One) to discuss the "moves" the writer makes.

There is homework from They Say (28-29). Bring to class tomorrow to share in groups.

We will continue with another essay tomorrow, perhaps Maxine Hong Kingston's "No Name Woman." We will also spend a few minutes looking at President Obama's speech: his thesis, how he transitions between ideas, his use of history and examples to drive home his argument and his conclusion.

If you'd like to preview this, see http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/us/politics/obamas-2013-state-of-the-union-address.html?_r=0

To watch: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50140940n

For the 9-9:50 a.m. class, post your responses to the freewrite and to They Say, 14:1 and 14:2 below at the link.

Also, students are missing too many classes. I will check the policy in the College Handbook and post it here; however, there are students who have not attended class for two weeks consecutively  Just today, there were students who were here yesterday and absent today and vice versa. Everyone is not ill or taking care of a sick parent or off drilling.

Homework is to read the four essays in 50 Essays (last week and this week combined). Should I give pop quizzes and change the syllabus so that those who are prepared do not suffer? If students do not step up, I am speaking to 9-9:50 specifically and everyone this applies to generally, then I will start giving quizzes on the readings which will not be able to be made up and count significantly towards the final grade.

We have a library orientation next Wednesday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m. with Professor Gerstle in the library. We will meet there. Put this location in your calendars.

Cyber-Assignments and Freewrite

1. Post your freewrite response to the query re: a Happiness Soundtrack. Make a list of songs, albums . . . you'd include in the score.

2. They Say (14:1 and 14:2). The topic for exercise one is "happiness." Make sure you include the names of all the student writers. If you get to exercise two, post it here as well. If you do not get to it as a group, complete for homework individually and post here before class Wednesday.

We started class with Happiness Lit Circles, then shifted in They Say.

3. 50 Essays (Peer Review instead). We did not get to the peer review, so students exchanged email addresses. Send your essay to a classmate. Classmates need to get the essay back to the student by Wednesday before class. Students have until Thursday, Feb. 14, to write a reflection on the peer review, what was shared, and share with me, your plan for revision of the essay. 

Peer Reviewers: use Hacker to shape your responses (38). 

The Word document includes:
Revised Essay
(don't forget the works cited and/or the bibliography)
Initial Planning Sheet
Narrative on Peer Review and Revision

In the subject line of the email, include your name (If it is not obvious from the email), the class and time and the assignment.

4. Homework: In thinking about Gloria Anzaldua, how does she in her essay introduce what "they say" and standard views into her essay (23)?

Cite those places here. Does she use the templates indicated in the textbook? If not, what are the clues?

Review pages 24-27 and discuss which points of view Anzaldua addresses in her well-crafted essay. We will do this again on Wednesday using Nancy Mairs's essay and perhaps Kingston or Vowell.

We will complete 40:1 in class.

Homework for the 1-2:50 and 4-5:50 classes on Feb. 13, 2013, will be to summarize a reading for this week from 50 Essays and post at the link I provide (smile).

Don't forget there is the Happiness Depot available for students to drop in and share insights. Make sure you do so at least once a week.

Lesson Plan for Week of Feb. 11-14

This week we continue review of essay structure. For the past three weeks we have looked at paraphrase, summary and thesis sentences as we also developed ideas to write about (invention).

We tried our hand at introductions and incorporating text into our work. Whether or not students were successful with this is yet to be discussed (smile). They Say, which we will begin this week, will help us become expert in differentiating between what we say from what others say, as well as letting our audience know whether or not we agree, disagree or agree and disagree.

Today students were to have an opportunity to discuss Rubin's book and then work on their own Happiness Project. We have read a lot and it helps to bounce ideas and concepts off another person. Sometimes a discussion helps clarify what one has read.

In the early class, I showed students how to submit their essays to me.

Homework: Catch up on all the outstanding readings from 50 Essays and They Say.

English 1A 9-9:50 a.m. Some of this is new information

Today in class we did not get to The Happiness Project. Everyone got a copy of the package. You can have them (smile). Read the package and bring to class daily. We will spend time in groups Monday since you did not get a chance to have your first Group Meeting.

We are moving along in the book. Spend this weekend reading and writing logs, jotting down questions and making plans for your Happiness Project. Think about the questions Rubin poses to help us identify what in our lives we'd like to change. As mentioned in previous posts. The package you received today is on the website for the book. There are links in earlier posts.

Today, students had their first peer review. I gave students a lot of handouts, one was optional (smile). Students used stars, plus marks and question marks to indicate areas in the student papers they read which were brilliant, needed expanding or clarifying; were confusing or unclear. We did not have time to use words. Afterward, students then talked about the papers.

Each of you is to complete an Initial Planning Sheet on the completed essay. Normally, the IPS is the first step, but you just received it (smile).

Secondly, each of you has to write a summary of the comments on this draft and include this with the essay you turn in. Call it peer review response. Lastly, in the Peer Review Response, tell me what steps you took as a writer in response to this feedback.

Students are to bring their work electronically to class on Monday. I am going to reserve a classroom with technology for us to use to send the essays to me. The email address is: coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com

The remainder of the class will be spent in discussion. Don't forget to respond to the Happiness Project Spot.

The Happiness Project Cyber-Station

Each week, students are asked to post reflections on the reading and on their personal Happiness Project (post your resolutions developed this week). Feel free to share freewrites, questions and comments on the text. We have completed chapters 1-4.

For this week, also reflect on the first meeting with your group. What are your hopes for the group?

Rubin writes: 

Identify your aims

The First Splendid Truth will help you identify areas to tackle in your Happiness Project.

Ask yourself:

▪ What makes you feel good? What gives you joy, energy, fun?
▪ What makes you feel bad? What brings you anger, guilt, boredom, dread?
▪ What makes you feel right? What values do you want your life to reflect?
▪ How can you build an atmosphere of growth—where you learn, explore, build, teach, help?

Students can be anonymous here. Use your student IDs. The blog is a safe space. Keep the comments positive, even when you express a complaint. Pose a solution, not just the problem unless you do not know the answer.

Use Rubin to help find answers. Even though you are anonymous, use a proper heading and put the time of your class meeting. Again, this link is a weekly check-in. These reflections can be multiple. They should be minimally 250 words. If you need more space continue your post in another comment (smile).

You can also respond to others. We are not in silos.

Here is a link to Rubin's site: http://www.happiness-project.com/get-started/get-started/

Checking In

Today in class many students were lost, so this post is an attempt to clarify where we are and where we are going and a plan to make the weeks go a bit more smoothly.

In the 9-9:50 class we read a bit from 50 Essays, Gloria Anzaldua's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" (33-45).        
It was wonderful hearing the language read so poetically in Spanish (smile). Homework was to once again, complete the reading assignments, which was to read: They Say--Read Preface and Introduction (xiii-17).

Don't worry about reading Hacker in advance. I will give you a lecture and then you can read the section in the book. I don't know if this will make your task easier, but I hope so (smile).

Twice Weekly Meetings
In the MW classes, it can feel rushed and overwhelming if you do not stay on top of the reading. I am not asking you to do a lot of writing. We are still completing the first essay.

Our focus has been for the past three weeks on thesis sentences and essay structure. We have also looked at how to develop ideas to write about. We have not talked about conclusions much or transitions, nor do I expect you to be an expert with connecting ideas or transitioning between ideas. 

What I expect is that you keep up with the reading, write your short summaries for each essay and note any questions you might have.

We touched on works cited and in-text citations a little bit. Don't worry, you will be an expert by the end of the semester. When we go over a concept in class from Hacker, your job is to read the section more thoroughly. We used Hacker to talk about each other's essays today (38). In the 1-2:50 p.m. class I had students put stars where the writing worked and question marks where the writing was unclear.

We didn't have a lot of time in this class, so students were not able to have lengthy conversations about their questions, but hopefully they were able to share. Once again, there are many students who are no keeping up. Twice weekly classes are accelerated. You have to keep up, if not you will get lost.

I make a list of where we are going for each class or the plan and write it on the board. I will start posting the plan in advance beginning next week tomorrow (Friday). It will just recap the syllabus with more details.

I will continue to write a reflection after each class with action items or assignments for each class, which will state the reality--that is, what really happened. For the 9-9:50 a.m. class. I will have a separate Cyber-Assignment post link for you to eliminate confusion since we meet daily MTWTh.

In the 1-2:50 p.m. class, there were handouts: The Initial Planning Sheet, the Literature Circle guidelines, Socratic Seminar, Leo: Thesis Statements, and The Happiness Project Group Starter Kit. I collected the Starter Kits after the first group meetings. Students can print their own copies. There are 2-3 other handouts we didn't get to: 3-Part Thesis, Spider Chart and two other invention worksheets, one for outlines, the other for mapping. I made another handout available, which is a copy of the first section of Writing with a Thesis. It is great practice on thesis sentences, what they are and how to recognize good ones. By Thursday, the 9-9:50 a.m. class will have these handouts too.

We reviewed in both MW classes (1-2:50 and 4-5:50) Tips and Suggestions, Frequently Asked Questions, and in groups students reviewed Topic 1: Your first set of resolutions. I have never taught this book before, so the plan is organic, in that we will adjust the activities to make them work in an academic setting. The 9-9:50 a.m. class will have its Happiness Group Meeting on Wednesday-Thursday. It will depend on time.

I told students to start with summaries of the assigned readings in Rubin (Lit. Circle), to talk start each gathering with conversation about any specific aspects of the chapters each member of the group wants to share with the others in the group. The next step is to begin developing Resolutions. The goal here is for students in the group to have take aways--at least 3-5 resolutions for their personal Happiness Project.

The Happiness Project Assignment is multifaceted: 1. An essay connected to Rubin's book, 2. the student's selection based on a person who is happy, 3. and lastly the social entrepreneur, a person whose service brings happiness. 4. The poster presentation pulls all these elements together in one document with different elements for general audiences who have not studied happiness as we have (smile). The goal is hopefully to convince such audiences that without a happiness project one cannot achieve one's personal goals/objectives with joy or a sense of contentment and peace. The Happiness Project allows us to lead an intentional life, not that we can control others or all circumstances, but the plan will help us stay focused.

If life is a book we have to read, then we can read the book with a pencil in hand and engage it in discussion -agreeing and disagreeing, or we can passively let the words and concepts wash over us. The assignment is there, life is given to us, what we can control is our response to it. We are going to get older, time is going to pass, what we can control is how we use the time. Are we going to determine what happens in these moments or are we going to let others tell us what to do with our lives?

How can anyone tell us what we want to change in our lives for the better? Why would be give this power to another? Of course we can ask for guidance, but the choice, the choice or action steps are ours to determine. The Happiness Project outlines Rubin's choices. She is a woman, married, successful, married, a mother, well-off, "happy." One might not be able to relate to her life, but this is not the point. Read about her 1-year journey. Your journey will differ. Many of you are still living at home, some of you are not even 18. Regardless of age, sex, point in your life that you are at which brought you here to COA, you are here.

Take the Happiness Project Seriously. It is a major part of this class and your grade (smile).

50 Essays
The short essays 1-2 (250-500 words) are practice essays. We use these essays to practice concepts, like for the essay on Literacy and Freedom, we are practicing developing thesis sentences, familiarizing ourselves with MLA for essays and both in-text and works cited pages.

What else? Buy the books and read them. If you do the reading and keep reading logs with annotations in the books, you will stay on top of the class. We do not have time to do the reading in class, as we have done  this week.

Homework for the 1-2:50 p.m. class is to complete the essay for Monday. Bring it to class typed. The essay can be about 4 paragraphs:

1. Introduction (which we reviewed in Hacker (26)

2-3: and perhaps 2 body paragraphs and a conclusion. Each character or subject can have his or her own  paragraph, followed by a

4. Conclusion

The other homework for this class for all students is to catch up on the reading. Read ahead, esp. in The Happiness Project. Finish the book, then when your group meets you will be free to just focus on discussion and your own Happiness Project.

Independent Book Project
As soon as you complete the book, start thinking about what book you'd like to read and let me see it for approval.

Homework for all classes
Homework for all students is to complete your essay and turn it into me electronically by Monday, Feb. 11. Email to coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com Include your IPS with the essay. Do not forget a works cited page. Paste the essay and its components along with attaching it.

2 items in the 1 Word document:
Essay
IPS

Today the day seemed to fly by. We reviewed developing thesis sentences and shared the sentences we developed for homework (smile). Some sentences were composed in class.

We perused Hacker today as well, jetting between sections where we looked at Thesis Development (18-19; 26-31). There are exercises on p. 31. For the MW classes, complete the exercises, if we didn't get to them in class. Also go on-line to hackerhandbooks.com/rules < The writing process > 2-2 to 2-4 for more practice: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rules7e/#t_669460____ 

We started a five-day survey of our lives 0-12 to see what we can recall of our earliest memories of happiness. Beginning today, spend a few minutes reflecting on this time in our lives to see how many memories we can recall. Each day give yourself time to write substantively about this time when perhaps like Helen Keller, we didn't have words yet. You can reflect on one moment over the week or choose another place to enter the discussion daily. For the MTWTh class, we will spend time in class daily on this. Perhaps students can share the journey on Thursday with each other, and for the MW classes, share stories Monday.

Keep reading the scheduled reading assignments, esp. The Happiness Project. These early weeks we will be reviewing essay writing structure, just to make sure we are all in the same place.

In the 9-10 a.m. class students were to develop introductory paragraphs for tomorrow. Bring in the paragraphs (10 sentences) to share in the morning. In the 1-2:50 class, bring the introductory paragraph to class Wednesday to share. We will complete the essays in class on Wednesday.

I will have to look at the syllabus to see where we are in the text (smile).