Homework and Recap.

1. Today in class we looked at Thesis Sentences (Rules pp. 27-31). handout: Writing with a Thesis. Complete all the exercises. Do not type out, write on the paper. Bring to class.

2. Argumentation: Lecture. Read in Rules pp. 84-110.  
Also look at https://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/argument/

3. Watch this video: When the Shotgun Questions the Black Boy by Sonya Renee Taylor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImN6zCJ_BKM

4. Analyze the poet's argument (250 words about 3-4 paragraphs).

What is her claim? is it a claim of policy, value or fact?
See http://www.scsk12.org/scs/subject-areas/research_paper/claim.htm

What is the author’s argument? What evidence does she use? How does she set it up? Are you familiar with at least one of her analogies? What is an analogy? What does she mean when she says the poem is from the
perspective of the gun? What is a metaphor? Can guns talk? So the gun is a metaphor or personification of what?

Use evidence to support your claim. Cite the video at the end. See Rules page 512.

5. Before you write the essay continue reading the Lecture  

When we talk about argumentation, for those who looked at Hacker, an argument is a persuasive discourse; someone is trying to change your mind about something. In this case, what is the poet trying to change your mind about?

There are different kinds of claims, claims of value, claims of policy and claims of fact. Often an argument or claim will straddle a couple of perspectives. Which claims does the poet touch on?

Value says X is better than Y.

Policy says we need to write laws to change X and Y because neither is fair.

Fact says that the black boy was killed because he was black, plain and simple. (The fact is debatable not absolute).

We also have two types of arguments: deductive and inductive.

Deduction looks at the case makes a universal assumption based on the case and its relationship to a particular example of the case in point. Take for instance:

If A is true: Black boys with hoodies are more likely to be seen as criminals and shot.

And B is true: Trayvon Martin was a black boy wearing a hoodie.

Therefore C is true: Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

Induction moves from the evidence to the conclusion.

Induction says here is the evidence:

Black boys, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo, Alan Blueford . . .  hoodies, night time, day time, age doesn’t matter, but youth is a plus, hand guns, rifles, fear or arrogance, police, ordinary white male citizens –

This is what we can probably conclude: Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

Another thing, when we talk about argumentation we are speaking of rational thinking and reasoning processes. We call this LOGIC or being LOGICAL. To be logical does not mean you are right, it just means what you state or think or the actions you make based on what you think or believe make sense to other thinking beings (us).

So obviously there are many Americans who believe shooting black boys makes sense.

There is such a thing as fallacious arguments. A fallacy is flawed thinking or reasoning. In deductive arguments there is something wrong with the form and the fallacy is call formal fallacies.  Even if the first argument is true, there is something wrong about such conclusions, isn’t there?

In the inductive argument, the fallacies involve the evidence. These fallacies are material fallacies.
There is something incorrect about the evidence. Again, in our example the evidence is not incorrect, but the reasoning seems to be so. 

5. Continue reading Rubin. Catch up.

Feb. 3-7 prepare: pp. 69-111
Feb. 10-14 prepare pp. 112-140
Feb. 17-21 prepare pp. 141-193
Feb. 24-28 prepare: pp. 194-220
Mar. 3-7 prepare: pp. 221-257
Mar. 10-14 prepare: pp. 258-292

For March 1, 2014
 Look for homework for next week next Saturday, March 1. I'd like everyone to find two articles from the library database on Rubin and another on happiness from a scholarly perspective.

Assignment
Visit http://alameda.peralta.edu/library/article-databases/  If you have trouble accessing the data email the Virtual Librarian at http://alameda.peralta.edu/library/distance-education-resources/

I will put this in a separate post. This is just a preview. 

Sam Berns on Happiness Cyber-Assignment

Today we watched a TEDx talk on Sam Berns, a child living with the disease progeria. Develop three argument based on Sam's definition of happiness.

Under each statement list three pieces of evidence.

1. Statement

A. Evidence
B. Evidence
C. Evidence

Here is a link to the talk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36m1o-tM05g

Here is a link to the article we read: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/11/us/progeria-sam-berns-dies/

here is a link to another article: http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/13/sam-berns-remarkable-teen-who-battled-rare-rapid-aging-disease-dies-aged-17/

The Happiness Project Essay Assignment Due dates beginning week of March 17-23

Essay Prompts for The Happiness Project Essay & Grading Rubric

Students will be graded on:  how well s/he makes what “they say, I say,” in other words how well the conversation the writer is entering is articulated. Students will also be graded on how well they “agree, disagree and agree/disagree.” Lastly, students need to use the quotation sandwich and other forms of introductory remarks to both introduce and place quotes in context.  We are looking at They Say chapters 1-4.

Students will also be graded on the MLA for an essay, which includes both in-text citations and the Works Cited page.

Students will be assessed on the structure of the essay, the thesis sentence and subsequent topic sentences; also the way the writer uses the text to support their ideas or arguments.

Lastly, students will be assessed on the grammar. Do the errors interfere with the delivery? Errors that one should look for are as follows: pronoun case errors; sentence fragments; comma splices; run-on sentences;  subj. verb agreement errors; vague pronoun references; clarity; too many be-verbs, misspelled, wrong words, and missing words.

First essay on Rubin’s Happiness Project due: Week of March 17-23 with Initial Planning Sheet and Outline. Polished draft due March 24-31 for a peer review. Final Draft due to me Week of March 31-April 6.

Week of March 17-23, 2013

1. Initial Planning Sheet and outline which includes a thesis sentence are due in class

2. Using the COA Library database, find two articles that support your thesis for The Happiness Project (THP).  Summarize the article. This summary will be a part of the Essay Portfolio.

3. Three (3) sources in MLA format with summaries of scholarly articles and Rubin’s book (THP)

4. Fast draft is due for peer review session (in Moodle as a Forum for online class. Bring to class this week electronically and on paper (4-5 copies) Hybrid Tuesday/Saturday classes--March 18 or March 22.)

Polished Draft for Peer Review Week of March 24-31 (in Forum for online Moodle class. Bring to class Tuesday/Saturday classes electronically March 25 & March 30.)

Final Draft of Essay due electronically with Revision Goals April 1-6
Saturday English 1A class send to: coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com Online classes post in Moodle.

Essay Portfolio includes:

1. The final draft of the essay
2. A peer review and narrative comment from student about comments
3. Initial Planning Sheet
4. Outline
5. Reading Logs
6. Cyber-Assignments and Freewrites connected to The Happiness Project (most at They Say Assignments and writing from THP Workshops.

(This is an electronic document. No paper copies necessary.)

The Happiness Project Essay Prompts

Choose 1 prompt to respond to in a 3-4 page essay. For each essay include minimally three (3) citations, no more than 5. 1 of the citations has to be a block quote and another has to be a free paraphrase. The last can be either a shorter citation or another free paraphrase.

The Assignment with due dates proceed this document.

1. In Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun, is a book that chronicles her year off contemplating how she could intentionally infuse her life with more happiness, how are her goals and objectives filled with inexplicable and unexpected results?


2. What does Grechin Rubin’s learn about herself half way through her journey that is reaffirmed at the end?

3. Gretchen Rubin uses a particular strategy to address her project. Analytical and extremely goal orientated she develops what she calls commandments, secrets of adulthood, and splendid truths. Discuss her process of discovering the potential for perpetual or reoccurring happiness.

4. Gretchen Rubin states at the beginning of her journey that how she tackles this phenomenon will vary from person to person, yet despite our individual differences, The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun, is an instructive and useful guide. Discuss how this is proven true over and over again throughout the 12 months.


5. How does Gretchen Rubin simplify access to something most people take for granted, yet find so valuable? How is her happiness project a road map for those seeking happiness?


6. After reading Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun, what conclusions support  “its pursuit”? How is happiness connected not just to one’s humanity, but to one’s citizenship in this great nation?


7. Choose three chapters from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun, and discuss the principles highlighted there and how Rubin’s quest builds on each subsequent step in the process towards her goal.

8. Look at the book’s organization and Gretchen Rubin’s writing. Choose three chapters then look at the form of the writing, Rubin’s inclusion of experts and the refinement of her developing argument which at the end of the book states what?

9. Gretchen Rubin admits that she is happy, but is focusing on happiness to steel herself against the inevitable tragedy or catastrophe that happens in many of our lives, often when we least expect.  Can one prepare for such loss? Is Rubin’s year long quest preparation for this eventual loss of her beloved husband?

10. What checkpoints rescue Gretchen Rubin’s Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project from narcissism?


11. Choose three (3) chapters and discuss the scholarly nature of Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. How does this establish Rubin’s credibility early on?

12. What does Gretchen Rubin’s work ethic say about happiness?

13. Gretchen Rubin states often that personal happiness is tied to our relationships with others, not necessarily just those we are intimately connected too either. Talk about a few of these primary relationships and how Rubin uses them to push herself more closely to her goal.

14. If Gretchen Rubin’s goal for more happiness meant she had to transform in the process, illustrate her change from A to L and M to Z.  Let us see a before and an in-process don’t remove the sheet yet; then shift our gaze to the perhaps not complete, yet a whole lot more happy Gretchen outcome (smile).

Week February 10-15; Week 17-22 Assignments with links

To make it easier to navigate this week I have put links for each assignment here. Do not worry about dates. As long as you get all the assignments completed by Saturday you are fine. You might find yourself having to backtrack to respond to classmates. I give dates as a way to pace yourself; however, if you are swamped then just make sure you get everything posted by Feb. 15, 9 a.m. and Week 2, Feb. 22, 8 a.m.

You will then have the weekend to respond to classmates. The new week begins that Monday. Let me know how this works for you.

Recap of February 8 Meeting and Projection for the next two weeks. This is just a projection. http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/2014/02/recap-on-saturdays-meeting.html

Monday-Tuesday Feb. 10-11
http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/2014/02/they-say-chapter-1.html

Wednesday-Thursday Feb. 12-13
http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/2014/02/they-say-chapter-1-for-thursday-feb-13.html

Monday, Feb. 17
http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/2014/02/they-say-chapter-2.html

Week of Feb. 17-22
http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/2014/02/they-say-chapter-four.html

Week of Feb. 17-22
http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/2014/02/they-say-chapter-four-february-17-22.html

The Happiness Project Reading Schedule: 

Feb. 3-7 prepare: pp. 69-111

Feb. 10-14 prepare pp. 112-140

Feb. 17-21 prepare pp. 141-193

Happiness Project Weekly Discussion topics. These discussions will not be on the blog; instead students will email their writing group peer(s). You can also email me so I can give you credit for the Discussion Assignments. Make sure you indicate what the topic is in the subject line for your peers and me. Save all conversations for inclusion in your essay portfolio for this first essay. 

Week 1 (Feb. 10-15) Topic 1 Your first set of resolutions. Introduce yourself and then identify three or four resolutions to tackle. Email these responses to your writing group members. Send me a copy. Respond to each other by week's end (Feb. 15, 8 a.m.).

I gave everyone a copy of the Happiness Project Starter Kit in class, but just in case: http://www.gretchenrubin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/StarterKit.pdf

Week 2 (Feb. 17-22) Topic 2 Personal Commandments 

First part half of email, Resolutions check-in; second half, write and share your list of personal commandments. Again, respond to each other by week's end (Feb. 22, 8 a.m.)

They Say, Chapter Four, February 17-22

Read chapter Four "Yes/ No / Okay/, But" (55-67).

Exercise 1 Read one of the essays from 50 Essays referenced here, identify those places where the author agrees with others, disagrees, or both (67).

Exercise 2 (67).

Answer the questions at the end of the chapter for one of the essays. Post here as well.

Sarah Vowell's "Shooting Dad" (Cohen 412-419)
http://www.livingston.org/cms/lib4/NJ01000562/Centricity/Domain/732/shooting%20dad%20full%20text.pdf

Connections essay link: http://wiki-cik.wikispaces.com/file/view/Mukherjee-2WaysToBelong.pdf

Brent Staple's "Just Walk on By" (Cohen 383)
http://nicolejenkins.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/file/view/Just%20Walk%20on%20By.pdf

Add to this set of questions, the following: connections Compare Staples's reaction to race-infected encounters to James Baldwin's reaction to the encounter in the restaurant in "Notes of a Native Son"(linked here). What might the differences twll us abou the individuals and their perspective times?

http://english.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/baldwin-native-son.original.pdf

They Say, Chapter Three, Monday-Saturday February 17-22

Look at the subtopics in the chapter on The Art of Quoting (42-51).

The authors look at relevance and framing quotations. Beginning writers tend to quote too much. It is important to "introduce quotations," "explain quotations," "frame quotations," "how to blend the author's words with your own," "how to explain without over analysis," and definite no nos in quotation introductions. This is a really important chapter, as scholars use analysis of other's work often in their research.

Exercise 1 (50)
Instead of finding any piece of writing, use Rubin's THP and analysis a chapter. Look at April, May or June for this exercise.

If your first or last name is:
A-J --April
K-P -- May
Q-Z -- June

Exercise 2 (51)

They Say, Chapter 2, due Monday, Feb. 17

Complete Exercises 1 and 2 (40-41) by Monday, Feb. 17.

Respond to 2 classmates summaries using the critique in Rules for Writers: Guidelines for writing a summary (76). 

They Say, Chapter 1 for Wednesday-Thursday, Feb. 12-13

Complete Exercises 1 (28) and 2 (29). Post your answers to each here.

For all exercises, do not spend more than one hour tops on two exercises (seriously). If you don't understand the assignment, email a peer, go to the Writing Center, call me. If you are still unclear, complete the assignments you understand and then watch the blog for answers to see if a classmate's response helps. Exercises are a way to practice concepts.

Read and respond to the questions in two of the essays and post here. If you have Cohen's 50 Essays, ignore the links and just answer the questions and don't neglect to complete the connections question:

Gloria Anzaldua (Cohen 33-45)
http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/calabj/282/how%20to%20tame%20wild%20tongue.pdf

Amy Tan (Cohen 396-402)
http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/mcunningham/grapes/mother%20tounge.pdf

Nancy Mairs  (Cohen 244-56)
http://independentreadingforcollegestudentssummer2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/On+Being+A+Cripple+by+Nancy+Mairs+from+50+Essays+A+Portable+Anthology+SMALLER+FILE.pdf

Questions for Mairs's essay

1, 2 Okay
3. connections Mairs rejects the labels "handicapped" and "disabled," preferring "crippled," even though many see it as offensive. How does her handling of her condition compare to David Sedaris's handling of his in "A Plague of Tics" (p. 359)? How does he label himself and his condition? Does he accept or eschew labels? Why?

http://www.sanjuan.edu/webpages/lunderwood/files/a%20plague%20of%20tics-sedaris.pdf (Read)

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/52/edge-of-sanity?act=3 (Listen)

They Say, Chapter 1 due Monday-Tuesday, Feb. 10-11

Complete Exercise 2 (15). Post here. Due Monday-Tuesday, Feb. 10-11.

Respond to the exercises in two of these essays here.

Frederick Douglass 
http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/rspriggs/file /douglass%20learning%20to%20read%20and%20mc%20questions.pdf

Malcolm X
http://www.gordonstate.edu/pt_faculty/jmallory/index_files/page0096.htm

Sherman Alexie
http://articles.latimes.com/print/1998/apr/19/books/bk-42979

Recap on Saturday, February 8 Meeting

This Saturday we completed various exercises in They Say, I Say using the text and themes from Rubin's THP January-March for content.

The one writing assignment was collaborative. Students completed exercise 1 (14). The replacement word was "happiness." The content varied as each set of students were assigned one of the three chapters.

In the concluding time in class we looked at They Say, chapter 1 (23-28) and students chose three moves and found an example of each in Rubin's THP. We then shared with analysis.

We do not meet on Saturday. The campus is closed for the Presidents' Day Holiday weekend, Friday, Feb. 14-Monday, Feb. 17.

I gave students handouts for Writing a Reading Log. For this book students will keep a chapter by chapter reading log.

Homework this week and next week will be taken from THP, They Say and 50 Essays. I will divide the homework into two separate weeks. I hope this lessens confusion.

Reading homework: Read up to August in THP. Of course you can finish the book if you like.

Recap on assignments:

Students have all written an essay response to the American Way article. Some students emailed their essays to me last Wednesday. Some students handed them into me the week before. Many students did not get feedback from their peers on the essays. It is important that you respond in writing to your classmates who are in your peer writing circle. It is a time sensitive writing circle.

I will get back to you with comments and a grade within the week.

Over the past two weeks we have had several cyber-assignments: a freewrite on Language, an extra credit
assignment on the President's recent State of the Union Address, How to Mark a Book, and Ann Lamott's Shitty First Drafts and the more recent They Say Assignment. There was also the Syllabus response. I hope you are keeping up. 

For this week students will read and respond to two essays from 50 Essays, complete six exercises in They Say.

Week 2: Students will continue with They Say, Chapters 3-4, and corresponding exercises (all). In 50 Essays students will read and respond to two more essays. Some of the They Say essays will reference readings in Rubin's THP and Cohen's 50 Essays.

Each week there will be a Happiness Project prompt freewrite to respond to. After you post, respond to at least 2-3 classmates.

They Say Assignments Exercise 1 (14)

We substituted the term "happiness" for "vegetarianism." Post new paragraphs here. Include in the heading names of both collaborators.

Reflection on Second Meeting

Today in class we started out in D-205 then moved into the A-building. We went outside for a warm up exercise where we tossed the planet between us as we shared our names.

In class we reviewed summarizing and annotating using Anne Lamott's essay. Students then teamed up and wrote summaries of assigned paragraphs. Next week will will continue summarizing. This week's homework assignment from They Say looks at summarizing. We talked about the stylistic similarities between Mortimer Adler's essay on annotating --"How to Mark a Book" and Lamott's.

About 6-7 students completed their essay assignments. I made four writing cohorts who will all read each student essay and then respond with comments (3-4).

1. Before reading your peer's essay see Rules pp. 38 (guidelines for peer reviewers) and pp. 71 and 83.

2. Choose 3-4 areas to comment on. Note what is strong and note where you are not clear what the writer means and state your question. If you have a solution to the problem, you can offer a resource. (See Rules Matt Watson's classmates' comments pp. 43-44. The comments do not have to be long to be effective. Again note the comments Matt's classmates make.

Reading Log's for Rubin

Other homework is reading. I mentioned last week that you will keep reading logs for THP book. Read Rules pp. 76-79; 83.

I suggest students also keep a list of vocabulary words they needed to look up in a dictionary or references Rubin uses which are not clear.

In-class chapter presentations should be fun. We will discuss the first three chapters and introduction next week.

Lastly, Students have assignments in They Say, I Say. 


Handouts
I gave students handouts on Thesis Sentences. One is a chapter from a book, Writing with a Thesis. We will review this next week.

Homework

I paired students to email essays to for peer reviews. After you get a response from two classmates. Write a revision narrative and then email the narratives and final draft with the early draft to me. This is due Wed., Feb. 5, 2014 to coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com

Put in one Word Doc:

1. Final Draft
2. Initial Planning Sheet
3. Revision Narrative(s)
4. First Draft

In the subject line write: Essay Response to "The Growl of Poetry" w/student comments and Revision Goals (See Hacker's Rules for Writers pp. 41-49. Matt's Goals are on page 45.)

Reading Assignment: THP (xviii-89).  The class was divided into three groups. Each group has to present a chapter next week.

Other reading: They Say: Read chapter Two pp. 30-41; and Chapter 3 pp. 42-51. Complete exercises 1 and 2. Bring to class electronically and on paper.

We will respond to one of the essays I gave you links for last week in a short freewrite. Make sure you have read at least two of them.

Anne Lamott Cyber-Assignment

Post your summaries here.

The Plan for Week Two

Link to essay.

Review essay structure
Review thesis sentences (see Library information--Hacker on-line)
Activities in pairs

Read Shitty first drafts together  http://wrd.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/1-Shitty%20First%20Drafts.pdf

Peer review essays, speak about what works well in the paper--find five elements to reflect on

The Happiness Project
Divide class into chapters for Saturday presentations: Everyone--intro
Group 1--Jan
Group2--Feb
Group 3--March

Frederick D Divide the reading into groups

Each group will write a summary to share.
KWL--What do you KNOW? WHAT do you want to know; What did you LEARN

MX
SA
HK--summarize and paraphrase in class--do paraphrase progressions

Homework--skill development
Review--How to Mark a Book

Talk about arguments: Claims of fact, policy, value
Evidence. . . because. . .

Homework:

THP Reading
Exercises in 50 Essays
They Say: The Believing Game