Today in class we shared books, reviews and biographies of the authors. Post summaries of the book  reviews and author biographies here for your book. Talk about your expectations for the read and what you hope to take away from the experience.

Due: Tuesday/Wednesday, October 1-2, 2013

We also reviewed the next two essays and students got a handout and we looked at sample assignment sheets from Spring 2013.

I will have the assignment sheets posted by Wednesday. Remember, next week students will be working independently. I'd like everyone to identify their Social Entrepreneur so that October 15, I can approve him or her and you can start your research.

We also spent a bit on the They Say Assignment. We will continue tomorrow. Look at the syllabus, catch up on any They Say reading.

Cyber-Assignment from They Say

Homework will be to bring in a copy of your book you'd like to read for the Book Report Essay. Also bring in a published book review of at least 1-2 pages (250-500 words).

Bring in as well a bio of the author.

Reading: They Say Part 2, Chapter 4 (55-67). Complete exercises 1 and 2 (67). For number 1 choose a chapter (different from the summaries) in Theoharis.

For 2, using the same chapter for this essay (67).

Suggestions:
Look at Rosa Parks's life after the Bus Boycott or look at the political scope that was her life.

You could also choose a part of the biography where the Mrs. Parks you encounter is surprising and unlike the icon you have been led to know.

How does Theoharis entertain the skeptics and those who do not know Mrs. Parks, or do know her and choose to dismiss or ignore the breath and complexity that was Mrs. Parks's life?

Essay 1 Portfolio Assembly

Today in class we are assembling our first essay portfolio. Assemble all the components in a Word Doc. It should look as follows:

1. Polished Essay, that is, Final Draft pages 1-5,6 or 7. (The length reflects whether the essay was 750 words or 1,250 words (5 pages) with the works cited and bibliography following immediately.)

2. Revision Goals with Peer Review and Draft (Hacker 45)

3. Initial Planning Sheet

4. Outline

5. Cyber-Assignments (Summaries and perhaps 1 They Say Assignment)

6. Freewrites (theme Rosa Parks)

7. Reading Logs

Redo your header and count from page 1. Students can put a title page between 5-7. You do not have to add headings for any of these; however, if headings are there, do not delete.

Email to me at: coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com  Paste and Attach

Include in the subject line: the assignment, the class time and your name. 

Make sure the dates on the essays reflect their due dates. The peer review was on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Students can also put under the dates on the respective essays: Final Draft and Peer Reviewed Draft. Make sure the peer review comments have the reviewer(s) names included.

Yesterday in class students reread each other's essays with special attention to the thesis (Hacker 19). We completed the exercises on page 31 in Rules.

Students were also encouraged to revisit their conclusions (Hacker 35). I added to this list conclusion as synthesis of ideas shared in the discourse and an answer to the question: Where do we go from here?

Do not use a summary conclusion in your essays unless you have a specific reason for doing so.

Today in the 8-8:50 class we used Microsoft Comment (Review section) to make comments on the students essays using Guidelines for analyzing a text (Hacker 83). Students were free to ask their peers to comment on specific areas of their essay.  Some students use Google Doc, however, when you submit essays, please use Word and always paste the document and attach it.

I added these comments from They Say: Does the writer use templates effectively? Are there places in the writing where you would recommend their use and why?

What to bring tomorrow to class:

1. We reviewed the student essay 3f in Hacker (41-49) as an example. Tomorrow students need to bring the essay with comments, a Revision Goals plan, and the final draft (Hacker 45; 46-49). Also bring in typed and electronically the Initial Planning Sheet and Outline. They should follow the essay, not be on the same page.

2. Students also need to capture from the blog any assignments connected to this first essay, that is, which use Theoharis's book as the example text. Most of these are They Say assignments.

3. For tomorrow if you own one, bring your laptop (classes 10-10:50 and 11-11:50) so we can organize the essay to submit. If you would like me to read your essay and grade it, let me know tomorrow. I'd like to read at least three essays so students will get a feel for what a passing essay looks like.

Writing Workshop continues

At 12:30 p.m. those students who did not have a laptop and who would like help submitting their essays or would like me to read and grade it, I can probably read three more during the workshop time (12:30 to 2 p.m. Thursday).

I think the month is up. I will renew it. 

Future Assignments

Students have been bringing in their books to share. Bring them back next Thursday. I'd like everyone to have an opportunity to share their reading material with the class. So far, the selection looks good. It is a mix of fiction and nonfiction.

New Borns

Congratulations on a successful delivery! Bring those babies back in the morning for a preliminary photo shoot. Don't forget fathers to bring bottles and pacifiers in the tool kit along with Initial Planning Sheets and Outlines. 

Tomorrow we will focus more on the structure, introductory paragraphs, supporting evidence, topic sentences--identifying the glue that holds the ideas together and how the writer concludes--does the argument feel finished?

What strategy does the writer use? Where might you offer assistance from They Say or Rules. Give reasoning and page numbers.

Recap

Today in class we shared our fast drafts. Most students were able to participate. Tomorrow come to class with a more polished draft.

Bring the IPS, outline and if left out before a completed Works Cited page and Bibliography. Check the database citation against Hacker. Make sure it is correctly spaced and that there is a hanging indent for multiple lines.

Wednesday the final draft is due. Thursday students will submit their essays with Revision Plans to me.

Many students seemed to find it hard to focus in what was working well, especially when asked to identify the WHAT? as opposed to using the catch all word GOOD. 

Peers don't have to agree with the interpretation; they are looking at evidence and whether or not the evidence supports the view. If not, tell the writer that he or she needs better evidence.


Note:Always email your essays or writing assignments to yourself. Paste and attach them.


See Hacker, page 34-35 Revising with comments. 

Conclusions
Page 35 looks specifically at the conclusion.

There are four other strategies you might consider besides "briefly summarizing your essay's key points." Other ways to conclude and essay are to "propose a course of action", "offer a recommendation," "discuss the topic's wider significance or implications" and to "pose a question for future study" (Hacker 35).

As you read over your essay tonight, think about your conclusion. Summary conclusions are good when there are difficult concepts involved, often technical and the writer wants to make sure her audience understood all the components.

Generally in a short essay (under ten pages), summaries are unnecessary and redundant, so avoid them. 

Homework Recap:

Fast Draft due typed Monday, along with the IPS and outline, and all references written in MLA documentation. Today, I found the Directory to MLA in-text citation models and to the Directory to MLA works cited models in Hacker.  See pages 458-459. 

This will make finding the type of citation form needed based on the literature or reference a lot easier to find.

 

Topical Invention

Today in class students were given time to complete their Initial Planning Sheets. The reason why the form is called IPS is that it is often the first stop in the invention process. This means that what you write here can and often does change (smile).

If what you write initially here does not reflect completed the final draft of your paper, do not feel that you have to rewrite the plan to fit the completed essay. The IPS is just a tool.

That said, Topical Invention is also a tool. Just as one uses clustering and mapping and listing and outlining as a way to interrogate one's topic, topical invention is a more sophisticated methology I shared with students in English 1A 8-8:50 today. See Hacker (1b page 13-23).

There is a handout taken from my graduate school notes. It is optional. I just want students to know how to use this tool. With topical invention we develop four decalrative sentences that respond to questions asked to generate them.

What is it/was it--definition
What caused it/did it cause/will it cause--consequence
What does an authority say about it--testimony
What is it like or unlike--analogy

All of these questions can be looked at in an historic context, as we did regarding Mrs. Rosa Parks, our topic this morning.

Definitions, analogies, consequences and testimony come from this invention process, thus the name: Topical Invention. 

Notice how Rosa Parks's name is in all the sentences.

We started with a brainstorming or mapping session on the board to see what we knew about Rosa Parks, the topic of our study. There were other topics we could have chosen given the scope of Theoharis's book, but as her task was to share a political biography of Mrs. Parks, then we chose Rosa Parks as the topic rather than "the Civil Rights Movement," "the Bus Boycott," or "rebelliousness" (which was a bit too broad for our purposes)

The sentences developed are as follows:

In her political biography, TRLofMRP, CUNY professor, JT, states --MRP's work grew from. . . " (--).

RP's early recollections of being bullied by white kids set her later life in motion.

Mrs. Rosa Parks's activism stems directly from her first hand experience with segregation.

MRPs is more than a poster child for the CRM.

MRP's legacy burns brightly eight years after her death.

Cyber-Assignment Library Orientation

Briefly state what you learned about scholarly research you didn't already know. Secondly, state what knowledge was reinforced in the presentation. Be specific. 

What do you want to know more about that you will visit the library again and speak to the librarian about?

Start your search for the two-three articles needed for the bibliography. Complete the MLA citations and bring to class Monday. Students in the 11-11:50 class started this at the orientation.

The first two classes spent a bit of time on Expanded Academic, the article database.  Professor Gerstle shared links to tutorials. If you were in his session, watch or read, then share a summary of what you watched and what you learned.

He also talked about the Social Entrepreneur essay (Essay 3). What is included on the worksheet? Where can one find this information on-line? Be specific, the last class did not get this information.If anyone wants a handout, I have many extra copies (smile).

11-11:50 Class
In the last orientation with Professor Anne-Marie Basso she spent more time on plagiarism. She gave students a handout. If anyone else would like one, I have extra copies. What new information, if any, did you acquire from this part of the presentation?

The librarian also looked as Library Databases. Which database did she recommend. How does a student access a database from home?

What are some of the cool innovations of the databases, especially scholarly articles. Hint: MLA What tricks did she share with you.

What steps did she outline and tell you to write down. List them.

What is scholarly? What is peer review? Why is this important?

What is an abstract? What do we use punctuation in the search to frame the terms? How do you search faster? How do you collect data as you search?

We also found book reviews, which while not scholarly are often helpful when writing about a book. How did we do this? What did you learn about this search? What I learned was how precise one has to be with the search term. If there is no space between an element, the engine will not find it. Look at this:

1. The Rebellious Life of Mrs.Rosa Parks

2. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Guess which one didn't work?

Cyber-Assignment for Quotation Sandwich

Today in class we reviewed the first essay assignment from the blog. After I clean up the grammar and spelling, I will give students a copy (smile).

Students than shared their quotation sandwiches with classmates then wrote an original one or two. Post those examples and original citations here.

In the latter two classes we wrote a quotation sandwich together. We didn't complete the bottom slice in the 11-11:50 class. Students were to write a closing commentary and post here. I hope students copied the first part of the quotation sandwich down. I have not posted it here yet. 

Homework for Sept. 19

Homework for Thursday is to read They Say: "Yes/No/Okay, But" (55-67). As you read this chapter, think about how Theoharis in Mrs. Rosa Parks "agrees and disagrees with a difference" (Graff Birkenstein). Find 5-10 instances of this.  See Exercise 1 page 67.

You will use a move from this chapter in your essay due next week as well. Sometimes the move is more philosophical than literal, that is, you keep the players in mind at all times and think about whose view might be left out.

Other Homework for next week

For Thursday, Sept. 26, bring in a book you'd like to read for the Book Report essay.

Today in the 8-8:50 class we shared the They Say assignments posted last week: Peter Elbow's Believing Game and the summaries of the David Zinczenko article, "Don't Blame the Eater."

In the subsequent classes we looked at the posts and answered the questions for some together.

Some students brought in their assignments written in longhand. I do not take handwritten assignments. If you want credit, it needs to be typed (your choice). If you do not understand a concept, type the exercise out.

Secondly, homework is to look for Quotation Sandwiches in an essay, your choice, we have read in 50 Essays. Do not type the examples out, just highlight five (5) in your book.(See page 46 in They Say and the following examples).

In Hacker note these pages re: integrating sources into your writing and ways to avoid plagiarism: 473, 455-456 (box), 55c: 453-454.

Reading Homework (from the syllabus)

Continue in They Say. The next section is I Say (55-101). Read Chapter 4: Yes/ No/ Okay, But? We will work on this tomorrow after students share their Quotation Sandwiches taken from an essay in 50 Essays.

Note: When assigned, do not spend hours on any exercise. They are just practice. If you do not understand something, skip it and ask about it the next day.

Note 2: We are not reading essays from 50 Essays this week. Finish Theoharis.

The prompt for Essay 1: A Definition Essay due Sept. 26

In a 750-1250 word essay (3-4 pages), define the term "rebel" using Mrs. Rosa Parks as an example of such. Critique Theoharis's claim that Rosa Parks attributed to herself in your analysis. Use Topical Invention strategies to define your term.

Theoharis's book is your primary source; however, I would like students to read a scholarly article on the topic along with another type of source (2-3). Both will be a part of the bibliography.

For this essay just site Theoharis, not other sources.

Suggestions on what other documents needed for the assignment:

I always suggest students 1. visit the author's website and read about her and 2. perhaps listen or read an interview with the author on the topic 3. read a scholarly article or critique of the book (a scholarly review).

Students are not limited in the outside reading.  

Essay Length recap
Including the works cited and the bibliography, the essay will be 6-7 pages. Included with the essay will be peer comments and a revision plan (Hacker 3f Student essay (41-44; 45); the cyber-assignments; any exercises from textbooks connected to the writing (They Say or 50 Essays); the reading logs.

Each section will have a heading and its own section. The entire document is one word document sent to me as an attachment and pasted.

Make sure the header counts from page 1. I will show you an example of what I mean and we will submit the essays in class Thursday, Sept. 26 with all the components.

Rubric for Essay 1

1.Essay needs to thoughtfully and analytically address the topic

2. Students incorporate a free paraphrase, a shorter citation and a block quote into the text using the "quotation sandwich" (They Say 46). Each page has one citation, no more than two.

3. The citations expand and extend the ideas the author is expressing where used. The citations are not repeating an already stated idea. They are provocative and powerful evidence that proves or supports the argument.

4. Students use templates (from They Say Part 1-2) where apropos in the essay to make appropriate academic moves.

5. In-text citations all have correct punctuation.

6. Organization suits the writing purpose explained in the Initial Planning Sheet and student outline.

7. Writer's revision plan takes into consideration alternative viewpoints and where necessary she adjusts or revises her work.

8. The writing is original and/or expresses a perspective perhaps not articulated in such a way prior to this reading.

9. The writing is free of grammatical errors which would distract from the writing or impair our understanding of its meaning. Errors like sentence fragments, comma splices, subject-verb agreement, vague pronoun references, overuse of be-verbs or passive structure, faulty parallel structure, repetition or redundancy, wrong-words, missing-words, confused words . . . need to be corrected in the polishing portion of the edition process.

Your peer reviewers are not editors, nor am I. Writers need to be able to recognize these errors themselves and correct them. Thus the Grammar Review Plan submitted after taking the exam a few weeks ago. 

Due Dates:

Monday, Sept. 23

Due: A fast draft along with your Initial Planning Sheet and your outline. Students will share these documents in class.

Tuesday, Sept. 24

Due:  A more polished essay to share. It needs to be completed. You will have a written peer review.

Wednesday, Sept. 25

Due: A revision plan and another draft for another peer review.

Thursday, Sept. 26 Essay Portfolio filed

Bring in all the components electronically to email to me in class. If anyone wants me to use their essay anonymously to demonstrate the "read aloud protocol" a way of externalizing the reading and thinking process let me know in advance, send it to me in advance.

The Believing Game and Summaries from They Say pages 40-41 link

Do not post here, but if you could not find the assignment, here is a link: http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/2013/09/they-say-cyber-assignments.html

If you posted your assignment in the wrong place, repost at the link. Assignments are to be posted where assigned.

Checking-in

Many students are asking for clarity on what assignments have been given so far. 

The assignments include three from They Say. One per chapter up to page 41.  A couple from 50 Essays and/or the Helen Keller essay (Alexie, Douglass, MX) and now the summary based on a chapter from Theoharis (1-6 your choice; 4-6 in class).

Some of the assignments were turned in, some were shared or written in class, some were a little of both. The big assignment is the first essay based on a text, Essay 1 using Theoharis's book.

Summaries Posted so Far; A Few Tips

I noticed in reading the two summary essays posted that one has a unifying idea and the other does not; in the one that does not, it seems as if each paragraph is disconnected from the previous one(s). This is an essay, in summary form. Like all essays, it should have a unifying idea.

If the thesis, stated or implied is, the Bus Boycott's impact on the community was a positive step towards the end to legally sanctioned racism in Alabama, then such should be clear to the reader.

Each paragraph would support this claim in its examples. If let's say the thesis, stated or implied was the Community's support of Mrs. Rosa Parks was largely due to her track record in civil rights, then the supporting paragraphs would give evidence for such.

As a writer, decide what you'd like to highlight in the chapter summary. Choose a template from They Say per paragraph that works to help further articulate such points. Then add evidence from the text that gives unquestionable support for your statements as well.

If you need to use the Initial Planning Sheet to plan the summary. Do so, that is what the tool is for.

It is hard to write collaboratively, so the lesson is in the process, not necessarily the product. Again, you can be anonymous on all posts.

Secondly, if you do not need specific assistance on an exercise and sharing with your classmates is enough, then you do not have to type it, unless it is also a cyber-assignment. Students have the option of turning in every assignment for comments from me.

Do not turn in handwritten assignments, but I will read it in class if you have a question.

The Readings

In Hacker's Rules for Writers, we have read the section on Summaries and In-text Citations, like blog quotes, quotes within quotes. . . . We have also looked at how to cite in a Works Cited page a selection from an anthology (50 Essays). 

We have reviewed analytical reading and writing about texts in Hacker. We have also reviewed the qualities of a good thesis in Hacker (an exercise). If you'd like to review or work more on any of these topics, you can find much of these topics addressed with examples and mastery exercises in hackerhandbooks.com/rules

In The Rebellious Life we are finished with Chapter 6. We have completed the book next week or by the start of the following week. Some students have not been writing reading logs, thus the difficulty in writing a summary. We will spend more time with Theoharis next week, returning to 50 Essays after the essay is written.

Students are not stuck in any particular section or group. You can sit anywhere and join any discussion group, so keep moving until you find a place where you feel intellectually challenged and supported. If you need suggestions, let me know. Today I noticed that students who'd completed assignments were sitting at tables with students who had not completed the assignments or the reading to complete the assignments. Such student should move or talk to me.

Water seeks its own level for a reason. If you are a diver and in a shallow pool your skills will not increase at that location. Think about it and move or talk to me. None of you are firefighters who have to be able to carry someone from a building translate help pass this course; you only have to worry about rescuing yourself.

Cyber-Assignment Summary of Theoharis Chapter 4, 5 or 6 and Homework

Post your summaries here. it is okay if you didn't complete the essay. As individuals, for homework, write another three paragraph summary of another chapter 1-6 and post here by Sunday night. However, if you really want to summarize chapter 4 again, do so.

There is an event Sunday commemorating the bombing of the church in Birmingham 50 years ago. Spike Lee made a film about it, entitled, 4 Little Girls.

Other Events Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington (from wandaspicks.com)

50 Years Later: Commemorating the Birmingham Bombing

A Northeastern University School of Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice project featuring Dr. Angela Y. Davis and Professor Margaret Burnham in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham bombing. $25 admission benefits the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project: http://www.northeastern.edu/civilrights/ 

The event is at the First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA, Sunday, Sept. 15, 5:00-7:00 p.m.


Dreaming On: 3rd Annual Critical Diversity Fall Forum at the University of San Francisco

Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the University of San Francisco McLaren Complex, 2130 Fulton Street, the third annual forum, “Dreaming On,” will feature speakers Jose Antonia Vargas and Sandra R. Hernandez, performances by Awele Makeba and the USF Gospel Choir. It is a free event. 

Instructions:

1. In a 3-paragraph summary essay based on Theoharis's chapter 4, include one template from They Say in each of the four original sentences in each paragraph. The templates can come from The Art of Summarizing or The Art of Quoting (your choice). Think about the purpose or what's missing from the summary in your selection.

The citations in each paragraph make it 5+ sentences long. Use one of the following in each paragraph: free paraphrase, shorter citation, and block quote.

2. They Say, the "Believing Game"--post on the blog where indicated. In the 8-8:50 class we will share in class. Bring to class and turn in later afterward. (If we don't get to this in other classes it is your homework as well).

Other homework or outstanding assignments:

3. Amiri Baraka freewrite. Watch the performance and read the poem. You will notice scholarly responses to the prompt. Do not feel intimidated.

4. If you are behind in the reading, catch up. Start thinking about a question you might want to investigate in an essay for Theoharis's book. The one I pose is: How is Rosa Parks's life as portrayed by scholar Jeanne theoharis, Ph.D., in her treatise, The Revolutionary Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, emblematic of revolutionary fervor?

The Parks Essay: Notes 

Students will have to find two other sources to supplement their research on the topic. The other sources need to be scholarly (1) and the other can be for general consumption, such as a trade periodical or a news article. One article should be a biography of the author or an author interview. Students are not limited to three sources (I am counting the book as one); writers are free to include more titles in their literature search. We are practicing in the first essay the use of templates and the writing of Works Cited pages and bibliography and how well we cite in-text.

Wednesday, Sept. 18, you will have an opportunity to research such at the library orientation. Ask questions of the librarian if he does not answer your questions. You will also have the opportunity to visit the reference desk with future research questions, and MLA questions later on your own.

Today in the 8-8:50 class, we started with sharing homework assignments. The conversation was also on President Obama's conversation last night to the nation. His claim, why America should issue a "strike" on Syria. Multiple students, for extra credit, analyzed his argument.

They Say Homework
There were quite a few students who did not understand how to do Exercises 1 and 2 (pages 28-29) in They Say, difficult. If you received a check-plus on your assignment and would like to share, post it here. You can be anonymous.

I am thinking of Susan, Daniel, Jacky and Melon presently. 

See http://www.npr.org/2013/09/10/221186456/transcript-president-obamas-address-to-the-nation-on-syria

We then shifted to They Say again, the chapter on summarizing. Students were to, in groups, use the templates to write a three paragraph summary of a chapter. We chose chapter 4, when no one could claim chapter 5 or 6.

Pedagogy

The way this class is run, is, students are to come to class each week with all the readings completed. FYI for the future.

We will write a summary together tomorrow, or at least a paragraph. I thought the task would be easy, given each students' notes for each chapter.

We didn't get to "Somebody Blew Up America." We will listen to the poem tomorrow in all classes.

Homework (all classes) is to complete the two exercises at the end of the chapter on "The Art of Summarizing" in They Say. Do not forget what we learned about summarizing in Hacker (76).

Freewrite Wednesday, Sept. 11 Cyber-Assignment

Today we will listen to Amiri Baraka's poem: Somebody Blew Up America. Here is a link to the performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEu-pG1HWw

Here is the text with a comment by the author, who was Poet Laureate of the State of New Jersey and because he would not recant his poem, he lost the honorific: http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/poetry-throw-down-conscious-spoken-word/17836-somebody-blew-up-america-amiri-baraka.html 

A paper which analyzes the poem: http://cas.umkc.edu/english/publications/youngscholarsinwriting/documents/DEFINITIONRHETORIC.pdf

Read Baraka's response to the request that he resign his post as Poet Laureate, then post your responses here.

If you decide to be anonymous (use student IDs).

They Say Cyber-Assignments

Today in class we reviewed the homework, where students identified signal phrases from Theoharis's Mrs. Rosa Parks.

Homework is to read: "The Art of Quoting" in They Say (if you have not) pages 42-50 and complete the exercises on page 28-29 and bring to class.

Cyber-Assignment
Homework for Wednesday will be Exercises 1 and 2 pages 40-41. Bring to class and post here sometime between Wednesday and Thursday.

In class tomorrow, we will revisit 50 Essays and practice summarizing and using citations.

Cyber-Post Options for Anzaldua and Mair Assignments

For those students who completed the 50 Essay questions for discussion assignments last week for the two essays: Anzaldua and Mair, and would like to post them, here is a link.

Reflection on Class Participation (emailed to Peralta address)

I wanted to let students know that I push the conversation in class because we only have 50 minutes. If I seem short or impatient, I am not feeling impatient or angry. (I will have to work on my affect)--

Don't worry, I am just watching the clock (smile).

I look at the clock often in the class to make sure we can get to my bucket list on the board at the beginning of class. When I ask if students have the book, I expect those that don't to MOVE quickly. Don't just sit and act like you are able to participate.

I need students to BE SHARP and respond in a reasonable time to discussion questions. We do not have a lot of time.

Again that watching the clock thing.

I enter the class with the assumption that students have done the reading for the week. I know it is a lot, but if you do the reading, keep logs and annotate, then you can participate.

When we reference the books, I explain what I mean, yet students walking in late want to stop the class and ask clarifying questions. If you are late, listen and try to pick up the lesson from the conversation. I do not have time to reintroduce the lesson again. If you are lost . . . you will catch up or find an appropriate time to inquire. Do not stop the class. Do not ask a classmate to explain.

There are usually lulls in the conversation. I ask questions and then wait for a response, sometimes for several minutes (smile).

I don't mind waiting, but. . . . There is that darn clock (smile). 

Seriously, you will have to bring your A Game to class and be sharp and participate. This is a laboratory where active learning is happening. I know most students would rather participate in groups; however, sometimes you have to be the lone voice in the classroom. Think of it as a chance to solo. The choir has your back and will catch you if you falter (smile).

None of us wants you to fail or look bad on stage, so don't worry. You don't have to have all the answers before you volunteer. 

I don't expect you to be an expert on anything except what you bring re: experience and primary knowledge, and even then yours is just one perspective. The strength is in the collective mind, all of us sharing what we know and that expanding as we converse, exchange ideas, grow from these interactions.

 Monday Homework:

Be brave and speak up. I don't do this often, usually at the beginning of a class. Today it was for the entire class. It was a rehearsal for the rest of the week and homework tonight, which is the identify 5 citations from Theoharis's Mrs Rosa Parks, for tomorrow. Sometimes I must lecture, and today was one of those days.

You will share in class in groups tomorrow (yah!). Then as a group students will develop a three paragraph essay about one of the essays we have read in 50 Essays. Each group will have a different essay to reference. Your choice unless taken (smile).

The short essay will be 3 paragraphs long and will utilize moves from They Say (19-29). The short essays will be posted here.

References: Hacker: Signal phrases 58b, 58c (473-479). Section 59 is next and it looks at in-text documenting sources MLA style (479-489).

Block or long quotes: 58b: 475

Brackets: Hacker: 39c: 337

sic explained  39c: 337 We had a question about what this term meant [sic] in the text used by Theoharis in the 11-11:50 class.

Ellipses marks: 39d: 338


Parentheses: 39b: 336


38 End punctuation: 333-335

39 Other punctuation 335- 339. There are exercises here (339-340) and further exercises on-line at hackerhandbooks.com/rules   Section >Punctuation > 39-2


Tuesday homework:

Homework will be They Say page 28:1-29:2. Bring to class on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Week 3, Day 4 Cyber-Assignments Thesis Sentences, Summaries from They Say (1:14)

Today in the English 1A 8-8:50 class a couple of students shared their They Say homework, (1:14), where writers were to write a new paragraph using the topic "literacy and freedom." In the example the topic is vegetarianism.

I think some writers were confused about what to replace. Keep just what was italicized: They see, However, On the contrary, For the truth, In this essay, then.

This is the form or template. Replace the other words with ones of your own. If you misunderstood the assignment, rewrite it and email it to me.

We reviewed the exercises in Hacker on Thesis sentences (28-29).

In the early class we developed thesis sentences on the topic: Mrs. Rosa Parks: Rebel. The sentences were: definitions (what is it or was it), analogies (what is it like it unlike), consequences (what caused it, did it cause, will it cause), and testimony (what does an authority say about it).

In each instance, replace the "it" with Mrs. Rosa Parks, rebel.

Students were to post their sentences here. I developed the following as examples:

Definition:

Mrs. Rosa Parks is a rebel, because she resists oppression.

Consequence (by the way this is a paraphrase too--smile).

Mrs. Rosa Parks's rebellion was connected to a lineage (Theoharis 62).

Testimony/consequence:

Mrs. Rosa Parks, like most rebels, had not planned to resist or protest; however, she says, she "'had been pushed as far as [she] could stand to be pushed . . . [and] couldn't take it anymore'" (Theoharis 63].

Note how in each sentence, the words Mrs. Rosa Parks and rebel appear.

Homework:

In the classes where we did not get to Exercise 2 in They Say, complete this section and bring to class Monday. In English 1A 8-8:50 students did this for homework.

Some students did not answer the questions at the end of the Andalzua essay, "On Taming a Wild Tongue" inn 50 Essays. Don't worry about it. If you did it and gave it to me you have credit.

Reading assignments: See the syllabus. Do the reading and annotating.We are at chapter 6 in Mrs. Rosa Parks for next week.  Many students have not read They Say. Read the next section for next week. Catch up in Hacker. 

We will continue talking about essays from Cohen's 50 Essays next week. Catch up. We did not get to talk about Mairs essay, "On Being a Cripple." 

Today in the 11-11:50 class, we did the exercise in They Say together. We did not get to thesis sentences in Hacker or topical invention.

In subsequent classes we didn't get to They Say in the 11-11:50 a.m. class, but two students were able to have a literature discussion. I am not certain if they completed the discussion. If not, I will leave time for a continuation tomorrow.

Most of the class was spent reading. Other students who missed the MCE 1, completed it in the 11-11:50 a.m. class.

Students had not completed the reading in 50 Essays or They Say in some classes. If you do not have your books yet, this is not a reason to fall behind. The books are in the library, and I am also around and I have the books too.

We have a lot to do tomorrow (smile). We will talk about How to Tame a Wild Tongue and perhaps On Being a Cripple. In the 11-11:50 a.m. class, the homework was to bring in a response to the questions at the end of the chapter. We will talk about thesis sentences, organization, supporting evidence and what are some of the elements of a strong thesis or argument.

We will look at conclusions and organization and the thinking behind the author's choices and whether or not you think it was a good choice (smile). We will also consider alternatives.

Read the section in They Say. We will complete Exercise 1-2 in class in groups in the 11-11:50 English section.

There is so much to talk about. I am going to skip the comparative essay I mention in the syllabus. I think students have written enough now to know where they stand and what they need to improve on. If you are unclear, let me know and we can talk more about it.

We will look more at MLA for intext citations beginning next week. I have exercises we will complete as well as short three paragraph essays taking their topics from the essays in 50 Essays.

Each of these practice writings will use: 1 free paraphrase, 1 direct quote and 1 block quote. This will often be tied to an exercise in They Say. I expect the students writing to improve. Watch your errors, in fact list them, and do not repeat them. If you do not know where the correction is referenced in Hacker, make certain you talk to me to get clarity.

Pidd Workshops continue tomorrow

I hope students come to the Pidd Writing Workshops on Thursday. Last week, only one students showed up, and not for that (smile). I am making myself available for two hours on Thursday for a month: 12:30-2 p.m. in A-205. Take advantage of this to get ahead.

Today in class (8-8:50 a.m.) we spent the first part of the class in Lit. Circles. We then talked about the New Bay Bridge opening (yah!) A digression on my part. I rode it last night with others until closing at 8 p.m. It is really lovely. I suggested a class ride. Anyone interested in riding this weekend? Let me know.

Back to class, however, we then corrected the balance of the MCE. Don't forget, your study plan is due via email to me by Friday, Sept. 6, 2013.

We had time to talk a bit about They Say. Homework is to complete the exercises on pages 14-15. Students were a bit confused. This week, your reading included an overview of the first section of this book. If you are behind, do not attempt to complete the exercises before you complete the reading.

For Exercise 1 (14) the topic we are using is: Literacy and Freedom. Bring the completed work tomorrow to class to share and turn in.

Thursday, we will continue with Mrs. Parks and 50 Essays. We will divide the class into sections and each group will talk about a different essay. I love both the essays: "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" and "On Being a Cripple" (Mair) ("Wild Tongue" is great read aloud.)

We will devote more time to Andaluza's next week, perhaps Monday. Next Wednesday, we will meet in the library for the entire meeting. It is our semester orientation. Do not skip the class.

Week 3, Day 2

Hope Labor Day was one of R&R for everyone (smile). Unfortunately, I learned this morning that many students worked.

1. Today in class we reflected in a freewrite on the following prompt: If human beings are made not born, reflect on key characteristics you've discovered in Mrs. Rose Parks. List, then think about which ones you also embody or want to cultivate.

 2. MCE 1 (We took the "Multiple Choice Exam 1" which looks at grammar and punctuation errors most often encountered in writing. We didn't finish correcting it. Tomorrow in all the English 1A classes students will have for homework the assignment to develop a study plan using Hacker to improve where there were the most errors. Students will email me their plan and their scores, per section and the overall score out of 50 possible.

There is a MCE 2 we will take at the end of the semester, to see how students have improved. This will be a part of the final portfolio.)  The study plan is due by Friday, Sept. 6 via email to me. Students who missed the exam can take it during my office hours. Talk to me.

3. Writing with a Thesis handout (we didn't get to this)

4. They Say (Entering the Conversation) new book --We didn't get to this either.

5. Homework-- Catch up on any incomplete reading for the week in our texts: Theoharis's Rebellious Life, Hacker's Rules, Graff's They Say, Cohen's 50 Essays.