Thursday, August 29, 2013

Recap for Thursday, August 29

Today in class we reviewed paraphrasing, summarizing and reading critically. We compared the various authors we have studied so far as we looked at the checklist on page eight (8) in 50 Essays. We also reviewed the Initial Planning Sheet which reflects in many ways the concepts explored in more depth in 50 Essays. We talked about the difference between summarizing and analytical reading (Hacker).

Homework for this class and all other classes is again to choose 2 questions from the reading to comment on in a short response, let's say about three paragraphs each. use a direct quote and a free paraphrase in each response. If you are unclear, check Hacker.

Many students left class today without submitting their response the King speech. If you were one of these students, make sure you give the assignment to me Tuesday. You also have the option of emailing it to me. Some of the responses were excellent. If you would like to share your response to the reading with classmates, post at the link I have submitted with such heading. If you want to use your student ID instead of your name, that is fine, for all posts. Just make sure you submit it to me with your name added.
 
Many students post assignments and then later email me and ask me to remove their comments. Using Student ID numbers would eliminate such tasks.  Again, if you post using your Student ID, this means that you will have to email me all your posts as well, so you will get credit for them.

If you don't want to be anonymous, then use your name.

I am sitting in A-205 and no one has come, if next week is like today, I might cancel the Writing Workshops.

Frederick Douglass Cyber-Assignment 1 Due by Sept. 2

In the English 1A 8-8:50 a.m. please post your response to two (2) of the discussion questions following the essay. Each response should be three (3) paragraphs (min.)  Include two citations, one free paraphrase and one direct quote in each response.

Secondly, respond to one classmate's post.

"I have a Dream" Paraphrases, Summaries and Critical Reading Responses

In the English 1A 8-8:50 AM, please post your paraphrases of the assigned paragraphs here. Include the original and the literal and then free paraphrase.

The other classes submitted critical reading reflections and summaries. If you so desire, post them here. As I mention in a later post, you can post using your initials and Student ID. (You will have to submit the assignment twice: one posted; one emailed with your name in the heading.)

A few of the critical reading assignments I read were very well written.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Today in the 8-8:50 a.m. class we read aloud King's "I Have a Dream" speech had a bit of discussion then students got into discussion groups and first analyzed the speech looking at King's literary strategies, and the text itself. Students were then assigned sections of the speech to do a literal paraphrase of.

Students in this class are to bring these paraphrases into class tomorrow to share and then convert to free paraphrases.

Homework

Tomorrow for all classes the plan is to discuss Frederick Douglass's essay, wrap up any loose lecture ends, answer questions and review what is to come next week. There will be an essay assignment for next week, due Tuesday, on the topic of Literary and Freedom.

In the 10-10:50 a.m. class and the subsequent class students are to reflect in 250 words or 1 page on the speech, either by continuing the discussion begun in class, expanding the further developing these ideas or writing something entirely different. There is no incorrect way to respond to this assignment. Bring this essay to class to share. Two students asked if they could continue their point by point analysis, I told them yes. If you see this, in class I will ask you to tack an introduction and conclusion on the ends of the discourse (smile). 

Future Assignments

Students will choose two essays: Douglass, Alexie, Keller or Malcolm X to discuss this topic. The essay will be two pages minimally, three with the Works Cited page. The students should incorporate 2-3 citations, one quote and 1 free paraphrase.

Students will also include an Initial Planning Sheet. This essay will be your benchmark. Hopefully at the end of the course. From the assessment given, students will make a detailed plan for the semester, stating how they plan to improve their writing.

Writing Workshop Starts Tomorrow 12:30-2 p.m. in A-205

The plan was to give students the Grammar Exam 1, but we have run out of time this week. Tomorrow at the Pidd Workshop, 12:30-2 in A-205, we will start with this assessment (smile).

Bring the book Stewart Pidd Hates English to the workshop if you have rented or purchased it. If you have not, don't worry. Come to the workshop first, take the test and see if you think you need to participate in the workshop. Believe me, it will not hurt your performance and actually probably boost your grade an entire letter grade.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Today in class we looked at what it means to think critically about a text and then used Sherman Alexie's essay as an example for discussion. Students were to use the questions in 50 Essays (pp. 7-8) to frame the discussion, along with the four questions at the end of the essay.

I hope students spoke about the writing's form and how Alexie developed his topic and organized his thoughts on how he learned to read and value literacy, which he says saved his life.

Tomorrow's homework is to read MLK Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and bring the essay to class annotated using the tools on pp. 7-8 in 50 Essays. Hacker also has a nice section on pp. 70-71 that looks at "Writing about Texts."

If you like, read also the essay in 50 Essay by King called "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" (203). What stylistic similaries do you notice between the two speeches? Is there a difference in tone? Who is the audience? What kinds of examples does King use? Does he vary them? How so?

Even if you have not read "Letter," think about the questions raised, as well as what type of argument King raises here. Is it a claim or policy, a claim of fact or a claim of value? Does he use inductive or deductive reasoning?

What assumptions does he raise? What are the pivotal moments in the oration? Think about the imagery. What analogies does he cite?

If you could do a rewrite, what would you add or update or subtract with what consequences?

What makes his speech timeless and timely at the same time?

Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream Speech and the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington (August 28, 2013-August 28, 1963).
There have been many activities connected to this event over the past weeks, culminating in tomorrow's historic date. there are also many activities following tomorrow's anniversary.

I Have a Dream: http://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf  (text)

 http://www.religionnews.com/2013/08/16/video-martin-luther-king-i-have-a-dream-speech-august-28-1963/ (watch it here)

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/26/martin-luther-king-anniversary-radio-4  (famous humanitarians read the speech)

For information, visit http://50thanniversarymarchonwashington.com/

http://www.democracynow.org/special/50th_anniversary_of_the_march_on

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23935094/bay-area-bus-riders-recall-cross-country-trek

http://swampland.time.com/2013/08/25/on-50th-dream-anniversary-obama-seeks-mlk-moment/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/08/26/president-obama-president-clinton-and-president-carter-commemorate-50th-anniversary-

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/23/presidential-proclamation-50th-anniversary-march-washington-jobs-and-fre

Monday, August 26, 2013

Week 2, First Day and Cyber-Assignment

Today in all the classes we broke into discussion groups, known as Literature Circles. I loved watching students engaged in fruitful conversation about Mrs. Rosa Parks. The 11-11:50 a.m. class actually completed their discussion of the first 71 pages.

If any students was not prepared today,  there will be an opportunity later this week, perhaps Wednesday, for students to discuss the text assignment for this week.

For those students who participated in the Literature Circle, please reflect on the process and what worked best for you re: such a discussion.

We reviewed the syllabus and how the weekly reading goes. This week we are reading Alexie and Douglass from 50 Essays. Note the readings for Hacker. Tomorrow we will talk about Alexie.

I also collected Keller from the 10-10:50 class. If you would like feedback, turn the summary in. There is no summary requested for Alexie or Douglass. Read and annotate the selections. I put links to the essays in Friday's post.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Day 4

Well we have complete the first week of classes. Congratulations! It is often tough getting through the beginning formalities. I hope everyone is registered, can access her Peralta email, has all class materials and is ready for an exciting journey of discovery (smile).

Summarizing Skills

We shared summaries again in most of the classes Thursday. I read a few model summaries taken from the MX assignment. We also read the section in Hacker on summarizing and outlining (page 76). I also pointed out the sections on analysis (p. 77.) Hacker cross references in the text. When reading alone follow the line of thought. You can also go on-line to hackerhandbooks.com/rules for exercises and other resources. The text links to these resources as well at the bottom of the pages in a gray highlighted area.

See http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rules7e/#t_669460____

Students then read each others summaries of the Keller essay and rated it (smile). The highest number possible was a 7 out of 7.

I did not collect the Keller essays. Students will turn them in with the first short essay portfolio from 50 Essays. I did not record the grades on the MX essays, so don't lose them. If the essay was not typed, students still need to turn it in once completed electronically.If you wanr feedback on the Keller essay, you can email it to me with your score. I would hope writers would revise essays first.

This coming week we will read two more essays from 50 Essays: Alexie and Douglass. (See syllabus). Since Monday, August 26, students have a lot to prepare, I am going to make the Keller summary writing assignment optional for the 8-8:50 class. Just read and annotate the essay.

Here is a link to a PDF for the Keller essay. http://www.neiu.edu/~circill/sreenan/ling120/daylancam.pdf

We had fun (my word) discussing the "Learning to Read" (from 50 Essays) in the first few classes. I shared my notes with students, and encouraged them to annotate their essays, if they had not done so.

Bedford Handbook
is also Hacker. This resource is on many of the college desktops such as in the Writing Center (LRC) and in the Open Lab (LRC). I saw one student had A Writer's Reference, also by Hacker. I don't know this book to compare it with mine.

I spoke to the college librarians and they plan to purchase most of the textbooks.These books will be on reserve.

Homework

Other homework is to read up to page 71 in The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Park. See the syllabus.

I gave most classes a Reading Log handout. Here is a link to the handout here: http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/2012/08/in-hacker-see-5-70-83-in-7th-ed.html

Here are links to the Alexie and Douglass essays. We are reading these two essays next week, August 26-29: http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/rspriggs/files/douglass%20learning%20to%20read%20and%20mc%20questions.pdf

http://www.qcounty.com/SCC/Spring10/Eng305_10035/Readings/ShermanAlexie--Superman.pdf

Resources

I have found the essays from 50 Essays relatively easily, which means students who are still raising the money should be proactive and look as well. I am not going to do this for the entire book. Also, check with a classmate to see what the questions are that follow each selection.

Permission Numbers

For students who would like permission numbers, you have to purchase or rent the textbooks. My permission numbers expire Sept. 1, which means students need to get them by Thursday, August 29.

Classrooms for Technology in the A-Bldg.

This week a few of the classes met in classrooms with technology: A-205 and A232. If I can reserve these two labs, we will meet there once a week, Thursdays.

Library Orientations: Mark you calendars!

Library orientations are scheduled for the following times and date. Note, the 11-11:50 class is not scheduled yet. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013: 8-8:50, 9-9:50 and 10-10:50 will meet in the COA Library in the reference section with Professor Steve Gerstle. Put this in your calendar. We will not meet in the classroom that day. Bring your notebooks and something to write with. 

I will post the final orientation when it is scheduled.

This is all for now. Have a great weekend!





Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Include a heading on all posts. If you have posted a comment about the syllabus and not included a header, respost it and I will delete the one which is incorrectly submitted.

Heading:

Student Name
Professor Sabir
English 1A (time of class)
Day Month Year
Assignment

Title of Writing

Day 3

Today in class we reviewed summaries of the MX essay (both the handout and the essay in 50 Essays, a longer version of the same essay.) In the 11-11:50 class we welcomed a few new students. In the 9-9:50 class, we had a cozy number of students (9-10). Perhaps there was a chore which kept the other students away. Only one student completed his assignment (Joan Didion's Why I Write.)

Homework in all classes is to respond to the syllabus (on the blog, if you know how). I was able to demonstrate how to post a comment using a gmail address to 3 of the 4 classes. tomorrow I will show the 9-9:50 class how to comment on the blog.If a student does not have a gmail account, create one before class tomorrow. Use your first and last name.

Homework for the 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. classes is to read the Helen Keller essay. Annotate it and write a summary. See Hacker page 76. It gives precise and specific detailed instructions on how to write a summary. You can also visit this link for assistance: http://www.ucwv.edu/uploadedFiles/University_of_Charleston/Communications_Resources_Center_%28CRC%29/Summarizing.pdf

I apologize for the quick pace this week. We will review everything in depth subsequent weeks. I do not know what you know. However, I will try to respond if not in class, here and subsequently in office hours and in follow-up class sessions.

Many students did not hear me when I suggestions students cite Malcolm X's book instead of the section from an anthology, just because you do not know where the essay was published. Here is a link to a cite which will help you cite a book: http://dianahacker.com/pdfs/Hacker-Cit-MLA-Book-RD4.pdf

Here are the details for the book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/autobiography-of-malcolm-x-malcolm-x/1002064844?ean=9780345350688

I am not going to give you this kind of support all the time, so enjoy it (smile).

For the Helen Keller essay use the following to write the citation: http://www.neiu.edu/~circill/sreenan/ling120/daylancam.pdf

(NEIU is Northeastern Illinois University). This is what I found on their cite:
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
Helen Keller (1880-1968) became blind and deaf at the age of eighteen months as a result of a disease. As a child, then, Keller be- came accustomed to her ...
www.neiu.edu/~circill/sreenan/ling120/daylancam.pdf
Assignment for English 1A classes that meet 10 and 11. For the other two classes, read for Monday. I will give you the Keller essay in the morning. It is not in 50 Essays. These two classes will not write summaries.
The Keller summary should be between 100-250 words. Include one citation. Also include a works cited page. Bring to class tomorrow.

Weekend homework for everyone is to locate the essays we will be reading next week and get a copy of Theoharis so that you can do the reading for Monday, August 26, 2013. We will have a Grammar Exam next week. We will also write a compare and contrast essay in class utilizing one the the four essays read on literacy: MX, Helen Keller, F. Douglass and Sherman Alexie.

Note:
We will practice in-text and works cited in class next week as well. If you do not have your materials you will not be able to participate in class next week. If you are having difficulty, I suggest you find a person in class to share books with. Students can rent the textbooks from the bookstore (Cohen and perhaps Hacker and Graff/Birkenstein.) I already mentioned that Theoharis is probably at a local public library and maybe at Laney where the author teaches.

There is not enough time left to order on-line. If you haven't already done so, buy the books from the bookstore. You do not have a week, unless you can share with someone else. 



Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Gmail Account Needed to post to Blog

To cut down on spam, I am going to ask that you create a gmail account for this class. I get so much spam. So go to google.com and create an email account for this class. Please make it your first and last name. If you already have a gmail account, use that.

We will see at the end of the semester, if this helped filter out the spam (smile). Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Day 2

Today in the 11-11:50 class, the chancellor of the Peralta Community College District came by! I was so excited to see Dr. Ortiz. The students were not as impressed (smile). But Dr. Ortiz to a professor is like President Obama coming by to say hi.

The door was locked. He asked if that was my policy. It's not, but the lock sticks sometimes and to unlock it is often a labor-intensive activity. Many students walked in late. The class is only 50 minutes. Try to come on time and if you do not have 50 Essays see if it is on reserve in the library. I have not put a copy there, but it might be there already. Also, many of the essays are on-line.

Check in advance to see if it is.

Homework is to write a summary of the Malcolm X essay. In the text, the essay is on page 257. The essay in the book, also an excerpt from The Autobiography of Malcolm X, is longer, so you will not be able to summarize it in 100 words. Do so in 250. In both summaries, include a direct citation.

Also write a Works Cited section or page of the essay. Bring the summary to class tomorrow. In one class, (9-9:50 a.m.) we read Joan Didion's essay Why I Write. So your summary is that essay. For attribution, look on-line and find where it is published for your citation.

Students need to get their books. We are already using them. In Hacker we looked at the sections on summary, paraphrases, thesis sentences and tupes of sentences.

I gave students handouts: Leo: Thesis Sentences; Initial Planning Sheet; Grading Rubric. We reviewed the first one. We will review the IPS and the Rubric tomorrow. We will also review how to post comments on the class blog.

If you know how already. you can respond to the syllabus at that post. If not, wait until tomorrow for clarity. We are following the syllabus.

In the 11-11:50 a.m. class, bring your thesis sentences developed tomorrow to class to share in groups with the summaries. You will post your summaries on the blog tomorrow as well.

Some students are having trouble accessing their email. I will post the emails here as well. Yesterday's email was an updated syllabus and a link to Email Etiquette. Here is a link to the article: http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/09/30/18-etiquette-tips-for-e-mailing-your-professor

I suggested students who are not able to access their accounts, ask one of their classmates to forward the emails to them.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Day 1

Today in class we reviewed the syllabus whether reading it aloud or discussing it. In the second English 1A class, we did not read the entire syllabus aloud which meant we had time to get into groups where students interviewed each other. We didn't have time to do any writing connected to the interviews, but from the level of conversation, it seems that the students enjoyed the conversations.

Questions asked were: Where are you from (ancestry). What is your major? How old are you? What book(s) have you read lately? Why are you taking this course? What languages do you speak other than English? How would you fill in this blank: If you knew me, you would know_________.

We will do this tomorrow in the other classes or play networking bingo. We shall see. If you have 50 Essays, bring the book to class tomorrow; also bring Hacker. I will give students two essays this week from the text so we don't get behind.

We are looking at paraphrasing and summarizing this week. Next week, students will write an essay so I can evaluate where you are with the writing and if students are in the right place. We will also talk about Pidd (smile).

We will also review MLA for essays, just in case, students are rusty or weren't taught how to set a paper up. Next week, we will review thesis sentences and outlines. We also start discussing The Revolutionary Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks next wee. Week 3 we start They Say.

Homework is to complete Assignment 1: Email an introduction of yourself to me at coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com

Thursday, August 15, 2013

COA ENG 1A Fall 2013 Syllabus Professor Wanda Sabir Revised

English 1A Composition and Reading (3 classes)

Class code: 40002 Lec 08:00-8:50 AM MTWTh  meets in A 202
Class code: 40007 Lec 10:00-10:50 AM MTWTh meets in D205
Class code: 40008 Lec 11:00-11:50 AM MTWTh meets in D205
Class code: 44043 Lec 09:00-9:50 AM MTWTh meets in CV200

Class Meetings: August 19-Dec. 5; Holidays: 9/2; 11/11; 11/28-Dec.1;

Final Exam Week: M-F, Dec. 9-13 (Portfolios due via e-mail by Friday, Dec. 13, 12 noon).

Drop dates: Sept.1 (w/out “W” and a refund); Nov. 16 (w/W). Sept. 8: Last day to file for PASS/NO PASS Grading Options for Regular Session Classes

Finals Schedule:
Class code: 40002 Lec 08:00-8:50 AM: 8-10 a.m., Fri., Dec.13;

Class code: 40007 Lec 10:00-10:50 AM:10 a.m.-12 noon, Mon., Dec. 9;

Class code: 40008 Lec 11:00-11:50 AM:10 a.m.-12 noon Wed., Dec.11.

The finals are conducted in the classrooms, unless otherwise noted. The final is not optional.


Syllabus for English 1A: College Composition and Reading
http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/

English 1A is the first transferable college writing course. Don’t get nervous, hopefully you took English 201 and passed with a B or better. Perhaps you’re fresh out of high school, did okay on the placement exam and voila wound up here. Maybe you’re returning to college after a significant hiatus and aren’t confident in your writing, yet once again passed that placement exam, which, if you recall, tested grammar not writing.

Hang in there and you’ll do fine in the class if you:

1. Know what an essay is
2. Have written one before
3. Are ready to commit yourself to the task of reading, writing and thinking

Plan to have a challenging, yet intellectually stimulating 18 weeks, which I hope you begin by setting goals for yourself. Make a schedule and join or create a study group. Writing is a social activity, especially the type of writing you’ll be doing here. We always consider our audience, have purpose or reason to write, and use research to substantiate our claims, even those we are considered experts in.

I believe we’re supposed to write about 8000 words or so at this level course. This includes drafts. What this amounts to is time at home writing, time in the library researching, reading documents to increase your facility with the ideas or themes your are contemplating, before you once again sit at your desk writing, revising, and writing some more.

Writing is a lonely process. No one can write for you. The social aspect comes into play once you are finished and you have an opportunity to share.

In the past I have used primary sources, this semester I am using a textbook. Models are helpful and this collection provides many great writing samples from a wide array of sources. It is my hope those 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology, Third Edition by Samuel Cohen, will give students the kind of guidance often needed by beginning writers no matter how skilled. We will read the essays by topic, which means we will skip around in the book. We might not read all 50, but we will make a serious dent in the book. You will definitely get your money’s worth (smile).
One of the primary goals of Freshman Comp is to familiarize students with academic scholarship, how one reads a variety of sources and then through synthesis comes up with new, often original, ideas. Scholarship is based on sound texts and the way the writer shares his or her document trail to the audience is through what is called MLA (Modern Language Association) documentation in the form of both in-text and works cited pages at the end of the essay. There are specific standardized ways to note this research and at the end of the course, students might not have all of the forms memorized, but certainly one should leave the course a lot more familiar with how to find the answer in your grammar style book (Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers Seventh Edition). Bring this book to class daily.

Recommended for students who feel shaky on the writing front is Stewart Pidd Hates English by Gary Pollitt and Craig Baker. These two Cal State University Fullerton professors wrote this book in response to the horrific papers freshmen turned into them. Fast drafts are fine. The problem comes into play when a writer does not know how to edit her work. Based on Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers, the professors take the more common errors, create a character called Stewart Pidd and in a series of essays teach students how to correct Pidd’s essays and thus, transfer these skills to their own writing.

Whether students purchase or rent the book or not, each of you is held responsible for the material within its pages. Students are welcome to visit me in my office to look at the book. I will host a series of workshops for students who are interested in the Pidd Refresher Workshop.

Stewart Pidd reviews many of the more common writing errors and topics such as free paraphrase and summaries, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement, parallel structure, plurals and possessives, pronoun agreement and confused words, not to mention correct MLA for essays and how to write works cited pages and bibliographies.  Stewart Pidd will provide a context for essay writing which will hopefully allow students the opportunity to become conversant about the writing process and use grammar in context, as well as, employ MLA documentation. We will begin the class with a Grammar Exam. From there, each of you can decide how much an A is worth. Students who make the errors reviewed in SPHE textbook will not make an A in the class. Good ideas couched in poor writing are not rewarded. Writers should be able to identify and edit out such errors. What I see should be polished writing, your best work. Do not submit rough drafts.

Week four-six, Sept. 16-19; Sept. 23-26; Sept. 30-Oct. 3, we will have a Writing Intensive using SPHE. All are welcome. I will host this workshop on Thursdays, 12:30-1:30-2 p.m. I am looking to have the workshop in an electronic classroom if I can reserve one. More later.

Office Hours


Students are encouraged to drop by and visit me at my office hours at least twice this semester. Come prepared with questions. It is a good opportunity to get to know one another. My office is located in D-219 (an office space with a separate entrance.)  Office hours will be Thursday 2-4 by appointment, Wednesdays, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in D-219
located in the D-216 suite.

My campus number is (510) 748-2286. Leave messages on my cell number.
I am available on Monday afternoon by appointment after 3:30 p.m. as well. Tuesdays I am available by appointment after College Hour. I will give students my mobile number, please use it to text and call when you have questions. 
 
The email I check is: coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com. Let me know the day before, if possible, when you’d like to meet with me. I am more of a phone person.

Take time to exchange email and phone numbers with classmates (2), so if you have a concern, it can be addressed more expeditiously. Again study groups are recommended, especially for those students finding the readings difficult; don’t forget, you can also discuss the readings as a group in the Lab with a teacher or tutor acting as facilitator. There are study rooms available in the library. Ask at the reference desk.

Thematic Content con’t.

This semester we are looking at what it means to question social norms, rules or standards of conduct. Mrs. Rosa Parks challenged such codes, written into law when she refused to give up her seat, yet before that fateful event etched in the American psyche she was already challenging systems asking questions rebelling against injustice not always nonviolently.
What does it mean to rebel? Do you know any rebels and do you consider yourself one? What code of conduct is written on your conscience and how many chances does an adversary have to ignore your code before you respond? Perhaps you’ve never been tested.

The book we will be reading is Jeanne Theoharis’s The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. This is Mrs. Parks centennial year. There is a new commemorative postage stamp and a bust of her likeness was unveiled at the Whitehouse this year.
As we read this book, we will develop a profile of Mrs. Parks noting certain aspects of her character that perhaps are characteristics that most rebels embody.
You will develop an argument and write a short research paper using the primary source (Theoharis’s book) along with two other documents to support your claim. The paper will be 4-5 pages including the bibliography.  It will be students’ first big paper. It will be due the week of September 23. This includes essay planning as well as peer reviews, narrative writing and a final draft emailed to me.

The second aspect of this book at rebels with a cause will entail a personal identification of a rebel depicted in literature. Each student will choose a book which profiles a person or character who embodies what we have determined are social justice qualities. This book can be a work of fiction or nonfiction. Students need to get approval for the book before they start to read it. Essay 2, which takes its argument from an analysis of this character, will be due the week of October 21. It will also be between 4-5 pages, including the works cited page. If there is a bibliography, the page length will be longer.

The final essay due in November is a profile of a person, who lives in Northern California whose work contests a system which he or she believes (and you agree) hurts society, environmentally or economically or in other ways the writer will identify. This champion for social justice, let’s call the person a social entrepreneur or change agent (rebel) works to build a parallel system which through its existence is a reminder of how bad the social ill is it seeks to reform.  This research paper will be due week of November 18. We will be discussing this assignment and students will be doing the research after the person is identified and approved of while reading their book for Essay 2.
You will have to multitask for this assignment. Many times, students have a hard time focusing, however, since the book is not one shared collectively. There is no need to wait to discuss the final essay.

Finals
For the final students will synthesize what is meant by the term “rebellious” and common characteristics traits and motivations those who rebel embody using the lives of Rosa Parks, the character or person profiled in the work of fiction or nonfiction chosen by student in the second essay, and lastly, the social entrepreneur profiles who challenges a system by creating an effective alternative system in its place.

I suggest an interactive poster presentation, about 2-5 min. long.

Tentative Reading Schedule—students are encouraged to read ahead. Finish the book.

Getting started:

For August 26-29: Prepare Introduction vii-xvi to Chapter One (1-16); Two (17-45); Three (46-71). Include in the preparation a reading log and a vocabulary log. Also include a list of terms and questions encountered in the reading you’d like to discuss.

We will read about 60 pages a week (15 X 4). The book is 244 pages long.

For Sept. (2) 3-5: Prepare Chapter Four (72-115); Five (116-164).  Include in the preparation a reading log and a vocabulary log. Also include a list of terms and questions encountered in the reading you’d like to discuss.

For Sept. 9-12: Prepare Chapter Six (165-200). Include in the preparation a reading log and a vocabulary log. Also include a list of terms and questions encountered in the reading you’d like to discuss.

For Sept. 16-19: Prepare Chapter Seven (201-Conclusion 244). Include in the preparation a reading log and a vocabulary log. Also include a list of terms and questions encountered in the reading you’d like to discuss.

Essay due dates recap:

First essay due: September 23with Initial Planning Sheet and Outline. The final draft is due that Wednesday-Thursday.

Second essay due: October 21with Initial Planning Sheet and Outline. The final draft is due that Wednesday-Thursday.

Third essay due: November 18 with Initial Planning Sheet and Outline. The final draft is due that Wednesday-Thursday.

The essays connected to the textbook are practice essays. See the grade analysis to see how they are credited.

Reading Logs for Text Analysis

Keep a reading log for Theoharis. In the log, note how she defines “rebellious” with specific instances in Parks’s life. Develop a working definition for the word. Does Parks ever define what she does as rebellion? If so, how does she do this? Note Theoharis’s scholarship and what she cites as the ways she could have written a better book or done a better job had other material been available. What lives does she compare Parks’s too given the way her papers and other effects are handled?  How does Theoharis use what little there is to come up with counterarguments? How is this a sign of a true scholar? How does she validate her query and the direction of her research? Do you agree with the direction her query takes—why or why not? Whenever there is a question, note it for later discussion in class in your literature circles. We will start meeting in two weeks. Everyone needs a book.

Writing about the Literature for Essay 1

Include a brief summary of each chapter and what stood out most for you as a reader—of course this note will vary based on individual experience. These reading notes are to be typed and will be turned in with the essay electronically. We will practice developing a reading log. This is the only book that requires such writing this semester.

Literature Circles

Discussion groups will meet each week beginning Wednesday-Thursday, August 28-29. If you are a slow reader, start reading early. We are going to complete the book in three weeks. The reading log/journal/ will include key vocabulary and arguments listed, with primary writing strategies employed: description, process analysis, narration, argument, cause and effect, compare and contrast, definition, problem solving.

Literature Circles will meet each week. Students will also keep a reading log/journal/notes with key ideas outlined for each discussion section. There are roles for the participants in the Literature Circles: Discussion Director, Vocabulary Enricher, Summarizer, Literary Luminary, and others. The roles are fluid and each week students can switch roles, so that by the end of the text, everyone will have had an opportunity to try several if not all performance hats. If the group is not working, do not suffer in silence. Let me know in private, so that adjustments can be made.

Stewart Pidd Hates English Grammar Review

For English 1A, Stewart Pidd Hates English is a review of grammar and essay writing skills students should be familiar with already. If you are struggling, come to the drop-in workshop and/or come by my office for extra assistance. Students can also get help in the Writing Center and Tutoring Center in the Learning Resources Center (LRC), located on the second level of the L-bldg. where the library is located. To use these services students have to enroll in the free class LRNE 501 (Supervised Tutoring). It takes 24 hours for the class to become effective, so enroll now.
Using 50 Essays, students will write essays demonstrating mastery of each rhetorical mode which fall between narration, exposition and argumentation (9)—I happen to believe that everything is an argument (smile). These short essays (250 words max) will be an opportunity for students to practice for the larger essays which will determine their grade in the course.

50 Essays and They Say, I Say Assignments:

Schedule
Week 1—
Aug. 19-22
M—
Course Introduction
T-Th Writing Assessments; Review of summaries and paraphrasing
Essay handouts: Helen Keller; Malcolm X

Week 2—
Aug. 26-29
Education
M: 50 Essays: Sherman Alexie, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” pp. 15-19; Getting Started and Finding a Focus (Hacker 1-18)
T/W: 50 Essays: Frederick Douglass, “Learning to Read and Write,” pp. 129-35.
Sketch a plan (Hacker 19-23). Developing a thesis (Hacker 23-33).

Week 3—Sept. (2)-5
Identity
M-T
Lec: Developing and Organizing Ideas 50 Essays: Gloria Anzaldua, “How to Tame a Wild tongue pp. 33-45. Hacker: “Revising and Editing (33-45).
W-Th:
50 Essays: Nancy Mairs, “On Being a Cripple,” pp. 244-56; Hacker: Writing an Argument and Thinking Critically” (84-109)
They Say: “Entering the Conversation” xiii-17

Week 4—Sept. 9-12
Family
M-T “Top Ten Problems and Basic Grammar Review”
50 Essays: Maxine Hong Kingston: “No Name Woman,” pp. 221-33
Research Basics. Hacker pp. 419-451.
W-50 Essays: Sarah Vowell,Shooting Dad,” pp. 412-419.
Part 1. They Say 17-42

Week 5—Sept. 23-26
Gender/Ethics
M –T: 50 Essays: Brent Staples, “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Spaces,” pp. 383-386.
Research essay workshop—sources
W- 50 Essays: Barbara Ehrenreich, “Serving in Florida,” pp. 136-145. 50 Essays: Susan Sontag, “Regarding the Pain of Others,” pp. 373-78.
They Say: Part 1, The Art of Quoting  pp.42-52

Week 6—Sept. 30-Oct. 3
History and Politics
M-T 50 Essays: Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue,” pp. 396-402. Lec.: “The Five C’s of Style”
W-Th 50 Essays: Bharati Mukherjee, “Two Ways to Belong in America,” pp. 280-83 or student choice.  They Say: Part 2. “I Say,” pp. 53-67; 68-102.

Week 7—Oct. 7-10 (Instructor absence (Oct. 7-9)
Special Assignment: TBA. Thursday: Presentations

Week 8—Oct. 14-17

M Race and Culture
50 Essays: James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son,” pp. 50-71
T-W 50 Essays: Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” pp. 203-20 and/or
N. Scott Momaday, “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” pp. 273-279. They Say: Part 2 con’t.
They Say: Part 3, “Tying it all Together,” 103-138.

Note: While we are reading these essays and reviewing the various writing concepts indicated, we will also consider the templates in They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: Second Edition, by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein.

Weeks 9 -11Oct. 21-24 & Oct. 28-31 Students can choose 4 essays we haven’t read to analyze if there is time. 

They Say
, Review of Parts 1, 2, 3. Part 4: “I Take Your Point,” “What’s Motivating this Writer?” pp. 103-155.  Students can read on if they like section 13 and 14.


Grading:

Essays and comments on peers’ essays from 50 Essays and They Say, I Say, are 25 percent of the grade.

The three mastery essays are 40 percent of the grade:

1. Rosa Parks Essay

2. Book Report Essay and presentation (by or about a “happy” person”

3. Profile and Presentation of Rebel with a Cause, the Social Entrepreneur whose work challenges political, social or economic systems (the person has to be alive and living in Northern California).

Final Poster and Presentation are 15 percent of the grade.

The student Course Work portfolio is 20 percent of the grade as well.

Students will also need a notebook for in-class writing with a folder for handouts. You also need a couple of ink pens, a pencil with an eraser, a hole puncher, and a stapler.

Cyber-Assignments

These often daily assignments are posted on the class blog. The 50 Essays for the most part will be cyber-assignments. Keep a copy of all posted assignments. You might want to create a private blog for the class:

http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/

To post comments select “ANONYMOUS,” and then type your name in the post. Students do not need to get Gmail accounts. I read the cyber-assignments. If a student wants specific feedback from me ask. For many of the assignments, students are to engage each other (min. 2) in conversation.

Research Project

Social entrepreneur essay. This paper will be about 4-6 pages. This will include a works cited page and bibliography.

New Heroes

Visit http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/ to read about social entrepreneurs. PBS.org has another program call: Frontline World which also explores social entrepreneurship. Visit: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/socialentrepreneurs.html. We will explore this assignment more, later in the course. The Skoll Foundation lists many SE as does the San Francisco Foundation and other foundations and charities. You are profiling a person who is alive, not the organization.

Taking Stock

Jot down briefly what your goals are this semester. List them in order of importance.

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.

Email the following data to me: coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com today, Monday, August 19, 2013

Your name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail answer, along with answers to the following questions:

What strengths do you bring to the class?

What skills or knowledge would you like to leave with once the class ends?

What can I do to help you achieve this?

Is there anything I need to know, such as a hidden disability, childcare issues, etc., which might jeopardize this goal?

Bring your laptops to class. Once the semester is under way, we will meet in a classroom with technology once a week (if need be).

Homework Assignment 2:


This is a Cyber-Assignment. Post on the blog by August 21, 2013 6 p.m.

Respond to the syllabus on the blog, so I have a record of your reading it. Make sure to include examples from the syllabus to support your points. Include your impressions, whether you think the syllabus is reasonable, any questions, and/or suggestions. This is our contract. I need to know that you read it and understand the agreement.

If ever, a post is too personal for all eyes, students have the option of sending it to me at coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com Let me know in advance or after it is sent, so you get credit for the assignment.

The Writing Center


The cyber-essays posted on the class blog are practice analytical essays. Initially, plan to visit the Writing Center (L-234-231, (510) 748-2132) weekly. Have a tutor evaluate your essays for form and content; the aim is lucid, precise, and clear prose. Remember, these comments are suggestions. If you do not agree, do not change the writing.

Portfolio

This is a portfolio course, so save all of your work. You can average the grades to see how to weigh the various components. Participation is included in the daily exercises and homework portion of the grade, so if your attendance is exemplary, yet you say nothing the entire 18 weeks, you lose percentage points. Students cannot make up cyber-assignments after the date has passed or when they are absent unless arranged in advance.

Each book will have collected writings or essays. This in itself is its own “portfolio.” Save all of your work. There will be four mini-portfolios: 50 Essays, Theoharis’s Rebellious Life (notes and essay),  the Book Report Essay and the Social Entrepreneur or Rebel with a Cause Essay.  You can average the grades to see how to weigh the various components.

The Writing Center is a great place to get one-on-on assistance on your essays, from brainstorming and planning the essays, to critique in areas like clarity, organization, clearly stated thesis, evidence or support, logical conclusions, and grammatical problems. In the Writing Center there are ancillary materials for student use. These writing programs build strong writing muscles. The Bedford Handbook on-line, Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers on-line, Townsend Press, and other such computer and cyber-based resources are a few of the many databases available. There is also an Open Lab for checking e-mail, a Math Lab. All academic labs are located in the Learning Resource Center (LRC) or upstairs from the library. The Cyber Café is located in the F-bldg.

Again, students need a student ID to use the labs and to check out books. The IDs are free. Ask in Student Services (A-bldg.) where photos are taken.

Have a tutor of teacher sign off on your essays before you turn them in; if you have a “R,” which means revision necessary for a grade or “NC” which means “no credit,” you have to go to the lab and revise the essay with a tutor or teacher before you return both the graded original and the revision (with signature) to me. Revise does not mean “rewrite,” it means to “see again.”

When getting assistance on an essay, the teacher or tutor is not an editor, so have questions prepared for them to make best use of the 15-20 minute session in the Lab. I will give you a handout which looks at 5 areas of the essay you can use as a guide when shaping your questions for your peer review sessions. Please use these guidelines when planning your discussions with me also.

For more specific assistance, sign up for one-on-one tutoring, another free service. For those of you on other campuses, you can get assistance at the Merritt College’s Writing Center, as well as Laney College’s Writing Labs.

Correction Essays; Essay Narratives


All major essay assignments you receive comments on have to be revised prior to resubmission; included with the revision is a student narrative to me regarding your understanding of what needed to be done, that is, a detailed list of the error(s) and its correction; a student can prepare this as a part of the Lab visit, especially if said student is unclear over what steps to take. Cite from a scholarly source the rule and recommendations for its correction.

Students can also visit me during office hours for assistance; again, prepare your questions in advance to best make use of the time. Meeting times are 15-30 minute segments, esp. when there is a line. Do not leave class without understanding the comments on a paper. I don’t mind reviewing them with you.

Student Learning Outcomes

Reading:


Apply strategies for understanding and evaluating a range of professional and public writing and be able to express and synthesize the main ideas.


Writing:


Assess clearly in writing the tools and materials in the workplace and in the community and be able to suggest changes in order to increase personal and institutional effectiveness.

Critical Thinking:


Recognize messages and arguments in speech and text, analyze and critique such messages, and act accordingly.


Diverse Perspectives:


Expand and deepen understanding of diverse life experiences and differing perspectives, identify their impact on written and spoken communication, and express sensitivity toward the values and ideas of coworkers, family members, and local and global neighbors.

More on grades, and portfolio

We will be honest with one another. Grades are not necessarily the best response to work; grades do not take into consideration the effort or time spent, only whether or not students can demonstrate mastery of a skill – in this case: essay writing. Grades are an approximation, arbitrary at best, no matter how many safeguards one tries to put in place to avoid such ambiguity. Suffice it to say, your portfolio will illustrate your competence. It will represent your progress, your success or failure this session in meeting your goal.

In past semesters, students have skipped the portfolio and/or the final. Neither is optional.

More on Logs

Keep a vocabulary log for the semester and an error chart (taken from comments on essay assignments). List the words you need to look up in the dictionary, also list where you first encountered them: page, book and definition, also use the word in a sentence. You will turn this in with your portfolio for 50 Essays and The Rebellious Life.

Students are expected to complete their work on time. If you need more time on an assignment, discuss this with me in advance, to keep full credit. You lose credit each day an assignment is late and certain assignments, such as in-class essays cannot be made up. All assignments prepared outside of class are to be typed, 12-pt. font, double-spaced lines, indentations on paragraphs, 1-inch margins around the written work. See SPHE and Hacker.

Cheating

Plagiarism is ethically abhorrent, and if any student tries to take credit for work authored by another person the result will be a failed grade on the assignment and possibly a failed grade in the course if this is attempted again. This is a graded course. There might be an option to take this course C/NC Peralta College Catalog.

Textbooks Recap:

Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Third Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print.

Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2010. Print.

Hacker, Diane, and Nancy Sommers. Rules for Writers. 7th Editions. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martins. Print. If anyone has 2006, make sure it has a sticker with “2009 MLA Update” indicated.

Theoharis, Jeanne. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.  Boston: Beacon Press., 2013. Print.

Recommended:

Pollitt, Gary, and Craig Baker. Stewart Pidd Hates English: Grammar, Punctuation, and Writing Exercises. Fullerton: Attack the Text Publishing, 2011. Print.

Students also need a dictionary. I recommend: The American Heritage Dictionary. Fourth Edition.

The Prepared Student also needs...

Along with a dictionary, the prepared student needs pens with blue or black ink, along with a pencil for annotating texts, paper, a stapler or paper clips, a jump drive to save work from college computers, a notebook, three hole punch, a folder for work-in-progress, and a divided binder to keep materials together.

Also stay abreast of the news. Buy a daily paper. Listen to alternative radio: KPFA 94.1 FM (Hard Knock), KQED 88.5, KALW 91.7. Visit news websites: AllAfrica.com, Al Jazeera, CNN.com, AlterNet.org, DemocracyNow.org, FlashPoints.org, CBS 60Minutes.

The syllabus and course schedule are subject to change, at the instructor's discretion, so stay loose and flexible.