Friday, December 10, 2010

FINAL INFORMATION BREAKDOWN

PLEASE finish My Writing Lab completely. The difference between finishing it and not finishing it could be the difference between an A- and B+ or passing and failing the class.

PLEASE finish your journals. I'll still accept them until the last day of class. They can make the difference between grade levels as well. Having all 10 journals with a 5 can still get you 10 bonus points.

PLEASE finish your hero paper redone with the standards that are on this website - not doing this 110 point grade (out of 1430 total points in the class - I divided your total by 1400) could take an A to a B or take many grades to sub passing. Once your final starts, this must be in.

FINAL POINT BREAKDOWN

10 points to sign on to Angel, 10 points to sign onto mywritinglab, 10 points to e-mail that you were on the class website. (30)
5 points per journal (Max) x 10. (50)
3 60 point summaries. (180)
110 point hero paper and 110 point hero paper redone. (220)
350 point research paper. (350)
110 point article critique. (110)
10 points for research paper topic (10)
25 points for Death of an Innocent (25)
40 points for the Outline on National Parks (40)
25 point Midterm (all points for no down arrow) (25)
100 points for grammar test (100)
150 points for My writing lab -3 for each section not completed (150)
Online quizzes (20 for Jackie, 40 for Aron, 8 others / 6 people and journal and paper issues) (140)

There will be occasional e-mail help today (Friday), tomorrow (Saturday), Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

There will be NO HELP on Sunday due to my graduation and family activities that will be occuring before and after it happens.

YOUR FINAL SCHEDULE:

MONDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY 1-150 - Your final will take place in Room Berks 607 on Wednesday from 100-300.

MONDAY WEDNESDAY 2-320 - Your final will take place in Room Berks 607 on Monday from 330-530.

TUESDAY THURSDAY 8-915 - Your final will take place in Room Berks 602 on Tuesday from 8-10.

TUESDAY THURSDAY 930-1045 - Your final will take place in Room Berks 602 on Tuesday from 8-10.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Last week - hero paper redone rules

Purdue Owl is overwhelmed right now.

Final exam essay - in case you lose it:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1007/Why-laptops-in-class-are-distracting-America-s-future-workforce

Try the source here
http://library.osu.edu/help/research-strategies/cite-references/mla/
for help.

This is for class this week.

Monday or Tuesday (for 2 day of the week classes): Pushups test (not towards your grade), Hero Redo rules, and grammar questions.
(on Wednesday for M,W,F class).
Wednesday or Thursday: real deal 100 point grammar test. (on Friday for M, W, F class).

Research essay due at the beginning of your first class of the week with pre-writing.

Checklist of the Hero Essay PART 2

How to Go above the Mendoza Line and Be Great

1. Your paper is typed Times New Roman, 12 point type, and everything is double-spaced. There are no gullies (additional spaces beyond double) between your paragraphs. You will also have an MLA header in the header section – not the first line of the paper.

2. There are ABSOUTELY no references made to there being an I, a YOU, or an US in your paper. Any words that imply these things lose points.

3. Your paper is about WHAT MAKES A HERO. It is not about a person who goes from bad to good. It is not about a role model. It is about what makes a person heroic (in this IT IS NOT a paper on any particular hero, but you can use examples of heroes). My ORIGINAL sample paper reflects on the heroic. Your paper must do this as well. I find it very hard to think of more than a handful of people who have done heroic things in my 39 years of existence on this planet. I have seen them on television and read about them, but I rarely encounter them. That said, I have met a great many role models that I can look up to, but let it be said that there is a difference between these 2 terms. Unless, you attended a lecture by a superb example of mankind, I’m almost 100% sure that you haven’t met a true blue hero either. If your concept of a hero is something less, then I will deduct points from that. Any example you use is subject to scrutiny. For this, YOU WILL NOT exemplify ANY FAMILY or FRIENDS in this paper. If you do, you WILL LOSE POINTS. See www.values.com for what it means to be heroic and a role model. For example, just taking care of kids is not heroic. If a person brought life into the world, then he or she has the responsibility to care for life (ALL family must look out for family). This is our most basic responsibility as people – not some extraordinary accomplishment. While I realize that some people don’t give a hoot for family, that doesn’t make those who do heroic. It makes those who don’t care for the people in their lives less. Really. That said, those who take care of us are our role models, and we would do well to learn from them.

4. ON THE FIRST PAPER, many students reflected my words back at me. This was especially evident in their attempts to utilize phrases like “role model.” This paper is supposed to be a culmination of YOUR UNDERSTANDING of a hero. While it must reflect the truly heroic (not just “I like him or her’), it is not a plagiaristic repeating of my words. Doing this will cause you to lose points on the final paper.

5. You will use 3 sources. They will all be from the databases on the RACC Yocum library site. You MAY NOT use the Internet. You MAY NOT use books. http://www.racc.edu/Yocum/onlineDatabases/default.aspx

You can find all of the information you need here. We will go over this in class.

6. How to cite an article from an online database.

Works Cited:

Clark, Zsuzsanna. "From Saturday-Night Poetry to Big Brother." New Statesman 132 (21 July 2003): 32. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Sept. 2010.

Parenthetical:

(Clark)

http://library.osu.edu/help/research-strategies/cite-references/mla/mla-style-guide-electronic-resources/

7. This paper is to be 8 paragraphs. It is not to be 7. That would be short. It is not to be 9. That would be long. More is not better. Jump through the hoops and follow my directions, or you will lose points.

8. Follow ALL OF THE RULES in the Issues in Your Paper handout. Not some of them – all of them.

9. Your paper is due the minute that your class’s final exam starts. If you are not at your class’s final exam, you will fail. If you are late, you will lose that time for the final exam. If you want a redo, then you should get help in advance as there is no redo permitted. If you do not hand this assignment in, you will be evaluated to see if you are above passing. If you are not passing, you will fail the class.

10. You must have a rough draft with this essay. It must be SIGNIFICANTLY different than the original draft. In this, you should write ALL OVER it so that I can see your changes. If you do not hand write all over the paper, then you have not done a rough draft. No rough draft = ten points lost out 110 points. A rough draft implies that you wrote THE WHOLE PAPER – not 3 paragraphs and then added 2 more to the final paper later. Effort is everything. If you’re not trying, then you’re probably failing.

11. If you have to send me this document, please do so as a .doc, a .docx, or an .rtf. If you just cut and paste this in the body of the e-mail, I’m not accepting it. No questions asked. If you tell me that you have sent it to me, we will open it up before you take the final to see if it is all there.

12. Do your best. I know that you can win, but if you don’t check your work against my rules, you’re causing yourself to lose points that you shouldn’t be losing. Remember: this isn’t how you or I think papers should be. It’s how the book says papers must be.

13. Spell and grammar check is your friend. Use it.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Checklist for MLA essay on Monday or Tuesday

This is what you need to look over for the MLA essay that is due on Monday or Tuesday.

Checklist for the MLA Research Paper

Do you want a good grade? If so, follow this list.

1. 12 point type

2. Times New Roman

3. Header (your last name and the page # continuously numbered and on the Works Cited page)

4. First LINES (your name, my name, class, date).

5. EVERYTHING including the first lines and Works Cited page are double spaced with no extra spacing beyond the double spacing.

6. 4 FULL pages of text.

7. This is not a biography – it is explaining how historical actions create a hero. It is 20% research – 80% your expression of what the information means.

8. 3 sources bare minimum – 2 Internet and 1 print bare minimum.

9. 4 sources total for more than the 75% MAXIMUM grade that you can get for doing the MINIMUM work.

10. Does your paper look like my sample paper (Weisel and Frankl)? Does it look like the sample paper in the book (Chapter 12)?

11. Purdue Owl MLA is always correct. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

12. See my research PPT and all materials in the MLA research paper section of Angel.

13. Is every citation in the paper referenced on the Works Cited page?

14. Is every entry on the Works Cited page referenced in the paper?

15. If you have a word for word quote, MUST it be in the author’s voice in those exact words? If not, it MUST be paraphrased. Not paraphrasing where you should will lose points.

16. If you have a word for word quote, is it incorporated into the flow of the text?

17. If you have a word for word quote, does it meet the 1 sentence maximum rule?

18. Are book titles in italics and article titles in quotes?

19. Did you read this paper out loud for clarity?

20. Did you run spell and grammar check?

21. There is no redo – do your best!

22. Prewriting is worth 50 points. It must include the sheet with SQ3R items COMPLETELY filled out. It must include a typed rough draft that is significantly marked for errors in handwriting (not just typed and given for examination so that I can figure out what is wrong).

23. I will look over Works Cited information this weekend if you would like me to. All requests must be in by Sunday at 8pm.

24. Watch out for PLAGIARISM.

25. Do your best. There is no redo. I believe in you.

Friday, October 22, 2010

VERY IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR THE REST OF THE WAY THROUGH!!!

THIS IS THE SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF THE WAY. IGNORE ANYTHING DIFFERENT ON THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE.

The classes of week 11 – We will begin research and work on it all this week. The article critique is due the last day of the week (Friday) AT THE LATEST no matter what class you come to. This means I would preferably like it earlier, but I will accept it until then. I will also accept all essays that have been due up until then. If you would like a redo, contact me and go through the usual process. If you want to know what you're missing, contact me. Your first class of the week is the last day for all of your journals to be in FOR BONUS POINTS. I'll still accept journals after that, but not for bonus early credit and bonus all perfect credit.

The first class of week 12 – Collect Journal #9 – your choice at the Beginning of Week 12. The rest of the week, we will work on the Aron Ralston video and preparing you to do the online assignment, which will be due by 6am you first class of the next week.

The first class of week 13 – Aron Ralston online peer review Assignment 1st class of week 13 - we will go over this and work on a lot of researching stuff and grammar if time allows.

The first class of week 14 – Collect Journal #10 – being a better writer Beginning of Week 14. We will go over this and work on a lot of researching stuff and grammar if time allows.

The first class of week 15 –We will go over this and work on a lot of researching stuff and grammar if time allows.

The first class of week 16 – Research Paper comes in the 1st class of week 16. There is no redo on this paper as there isn't time to correct it and for you to truly make it better. Do your best the first time. The Pushups Grammar Test is the 3rd to last day of class. The Grammar Test is the 2nd to last day of class.

The first class of week 17 – Essay 1 redone and souped up for the last day of class – your ticket to the final. www.mywritinglab.com must be done today (all undone sections are multiplied times 3 and subtracted from 150 to find your final score). All you do today is the final exam that leaves you finished with COM051. Since you have worked hard, you get to enjoy the rest of the year without any more papers or anything like that to worry about. Congratulations! You’re through with your first semester and you have achieved success. I am very proud of you. If you don’t have a final essay, you will automatically fail this class. Don’t let this happen. This will make both of us sad.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Pat Tillman Essay for Mid Term

Tillman Sample Essay
Many people are aware of Pat Tillman, the hero who gave up an NFL career for a life of higher purpose as an Army Ranger. However, very few people know that if it wasn’t for the actions of a single female judge, Tillman might never have been the person that he became in upholding the presence of what it meant to be an honorable American in the wake of 9/11. As a result, Jon Krakauer has written these chapters in Where Men Win Glory to show what is meant by punishment, penance, and redirection in the course of discipline.
The first thing that Krakauer focuses on is that Tillman was a good kid who went horribly wrong. One could say that Tillman went into the fight with the best of intentions when he sought to defend his friend from harm; nevertheless, by beating the tar out of Rosas, he showed an unchecked aggression that should have been controlled. While he quickly realized his error and looked to make up for it, it was abundantly clear that something greater would have to change Tillman’s ways or he might resort to this violent rage the next time he felt a “cause to battle evil.” Thus, it was necessary to have a tough figure enter his life to deliver a message of punishment that would correct Tillman’s ways and not let him feel that he had gotten away with almost murdering someone.
To this challenge, an anonymous female judge entered the picture. Krakauer’s description of her shows that she had built a reputation of delivering messages and doing the right thing. Despite having two attorneys fighting for opposite ends of a possible punishment, it would be her job to render a verdict that would take into account the feelings of the victim and Tillman’s potential for a college football scholarship, which would be otherwise lost if he was given a felony charge for his animosity. In doing this, she realized that the point of punishment is to teach people a lesson that they can learn from rather than to keep them from ever doing anything again, for if Tillman would have lost his potential for scholarship and college, he could have been a career criminal, a ward of state aid, or a victim of the neuroses that creep in when a life fails to reach potential. To the judge, none of these were acceptable when the potential for a future was on the line, so Krakauer expressed how the judge handed out the most severe and non-permanent solution available to her.
Thus, Tillman goes to jail with a misdemeanor assault charge, but he never loses the scholarship to go to Arizona State University. Here, he gets serious about life opportunities. He excels at school. He overcomes his diminutive size and dominates at football to the point where he stars for ASU, and when he finishes his collegiate career, he enters the NFL by getting drafted by the Cardinals. Eventually, he reaches all star status, but suddenly in the aftermath of September 11th, he quits this to pursue higher honor as an elite soldier in Afghanistan. Somewhere in the course of this life he has rebuilt for himself, he learned that the goal of punishment is not to inflict pain, but to create an opportunity for penance. Thus, he never makes the same mistake twice. Instead, Krakauer sees him become a man who is committed to fulfilling his life’s potential.
Thus, it is clear to see that Tillman was “not who he was at his worst moment.” By having someone believe in him, he became something greater to America. Thus, Krakauer’s portrayal of this heroic man succeeds in showing society that if a person understands that to be punished is not a permanent consequence, but instead an opportunity to redeem him or herself, then she / he has truly made amends for their misgivings.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Midterm - if you didn't get this e-mail, contact me immediately.

See the attached midterm (if you are seeing this on Angel Online, you will find the article at the bottom of the materials section).
Read chapters 5+6. Don't take notes - just read and look for the one main idea that sumarizes why the author wrote these chapters.
Then re-read and take notes.
REMEMBER, you aren't writing a biography - just a summary. You don't need to tell me everything - just what it means and why the author wrote it.
This is from Jon Krakauer's Where Men Win Glory. Since this is a book, the title needs italicized.
You are allowed to use 1 3x5 note card for notes. However, you shouldn't need to write so much that you need a magnifying glass to see it all.
Write this as if you were writing an in-class article summary. See the attached rules.
You will need to write a standard 5-paragraph setup.
You will have the entire class to do this.

Because of the confusion on the class webpage, there will be extra credit regarding Doris Voitier on the midterm. This will not affect your midterm grade, but it will make up for the fact that you did not take the online quiz. If you want to do this to replace your online quiz grade OR because you didn't do your online quiz, then I will be happy to let you - on the day of the midterm and only that day.

Please keep in mind that the Valeen Schnurr online quiz IS DUE ON MONDAY OR TUESDAY (depending on when your class takes place).
Mid term grade possibilities
1st and foremost, there is no pass or fail scenario on this test - just the final. The midterm is worth 25 points as long as you do not get an F or a down arrow.
However, this is preparation for how you would do on the final and to help you decide whether to withdraw from the class or stay in the class.

A - clearly good and no need to worry.
Up arrow - overall good, but could see some improvements.
Up and down arrow - borderline. Could be ok for the final, but could fail the final. Make improvements immediately.
Down arrow - would most likely fail the final and thus fail the class. Make improvements immediately and / or decide whether to stay in class or withdraw before the last day to withdraw from class.
F - you are in a position where there are too many errors to make up in too little time, and thus, you will fail the class.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Week 7 to 10 Scedule

The first class of week 7 – Collect journal #5 – where were you on 9/11 Beginning of Week 7. At the beginning of class, we will collect the Abraham Lincoln article summary and then go into part 2 of the National Parks Outline Assignment. We will assign the Anne Frank article for 6am on the 2nd class of the week. You will read the article and then answer the questions. This is worth 10 points. http://ngadventure.typepad.com/blog/deep-survival-lessons-from-anne-frank.html . The rest of the classes for the week are focused on grammar.
The only class of week 8 (except for M,W,F 1-150 – they will have grammar the second day they are here – their quiz will also be due on Monday) – Collect journal #6 – your choice at the Beginning of Week 8. Collect Anne Frank article summary. The assignment for 6am on the day of the next class is to access the Doris Voitier quiz online. You will read the article and then answer the questions. This is worth 10 points.
http://reason.com/archives/2007/08/31/myths-of-hurricane-katrina We will go over note taking skills and prepare for the Cornell Method Assignment the final day of the week. You will get the article for the midterm the first day of the next week.

The first class of week 9 – The midterm is the first class of the week. If you have 2 classes of the week, we will go over Doris Voitier before the final. If you have 3 days of the week, we will only take the midterm. If you want to do an article summary on Doris Voitier, this will be due on your next day of class at the very beginning of class. Collect journal #7 – your choice Beginning of Week 9. Discuss the note taking process and do the Cornell Method Assignment the final class of the week. This must be finished in class (except the written part of the assignment, which will come in the next class).
The first class of week 10 – Individual meetings with me concerning where you stand and what you can expect to achieve based on your midterms. Even if you don’t want to meet with me privately, you must show up since that won’t take all class.

The Rest of Week 10 – Learn how to do the article critique version of the summaries. This is due the first class of Week 11. You must redo one of the article summaries you did to make this summary better.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Class Schedule Week 3-6

Due to Labor Day holiday, Monday / Wednesday 2-315 will have their library time at a later TO BE ANNOUNCED date.

First class of week 3 (Tuesday the 7th or Wednesday the 8th) – Collect journal #2 – positive accomplishment Beginning of Week 3. Then, we go over the article critiques quiz. Then, I will assign you to write essay 1. I will teach you how to do this for the remainder of the class.
Last class of week 3 (Thursday the 9th or Friday the 10th) – Report directly to the library. You will be getting your library tour on this day. You need to know how to use all of these resources ASAP. You will need them for every class that you take, but you will also need them for your final paper. The first papers that you do WILL NOT HAVE ANY outside references, but you may need to look up information to understand the things that you are reading about. For that, it’s better to do this sooner than later.
First class of week 4 (Monday the 13th or Tuesday the 14th) – Collect journal #3 – education philosophy Beginning of Week 4. At the very beginning of class, you must hand in the HERO DEFINITION PAPER. As long as it is in by the beginning of class, you can get a redo. If it is late (minutes or days), there is no redo and you will get what you get. If you are late more than 1 full week (first class of week 5 at the beginning of class), you will take a 0/110 for the assignment. This will most likely cause you to fail the class because a person can’t recover from not turning papers in. Don’t let this happen to you. AFTER THIS, will assign you to read your first article critique option (you must do 3/5 options that are presented to you). However, everyone must take the online quiz for 6am the next class of the week. You will read the article and then answer the questions. This is worth 10 points. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/e60/news/story?id=3695819 We will finish the class doing a continuation of grammar.
UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, CONSIDER ALL TIME NOT SPENT WORKING ON ESSAYS AS A CONTINUATION OF GRAMMAR. BRING YOUR NOTES AND HANDOUTS AND COME PREPARED.
2nd class of Week 4 and the rest of the week – We discuss the Adam Bender article and go over the quiz. If you want to do a summary of this story, then you will turn it in the first class of week 5. We will spend the majority of this week doing a complete discussion of grammar.
1st class of Week 5 - Collect journal #4 – Stephen Covey quote Beginning of Week 5. Then, we will conclude with going over your essays since I DON’T EVER begin class by giving back your essays. This detracts from the learning process, and I need you focused on learning instead of your grade from an assignment past. To start the day, I will collect the Adam Bender essay. The assignment for 6am on the 2nd class of the week is to access the Kwame James quiz online. You will read the article and then answer the questions. This is worth 10 points. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/the_bonus/08/15/kwame/index.html The rest of the time is still more grammar fun, which is how I will spend the rest of the week that I am not assigning you to finish the Kwame James article summary (that we will go over) by the 1st class of Week 6.
1st class of Week 6 - Collect the Kwame James essay. We assign the Abraham Lincoln article and go over the quiz on the 2nd day of the week http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Lincolns-Contested-Legacy.html . If you want to do a summary of this story, then you will turn it in the first class of week 7. No grammar fun this week (unless we’re ahead of the curve) since we’ll be discussing pre-writing and outlines and we will finish up the week with the National Parks Outline Assignment part 1. We will do part 2 together during the first class of Week 7. You MUST bring your notes since you will get points for them AND you will need them to complete the assignment.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

First 2 Weeks of Class Schedule

PLEASE NOTE!!
There will be ABSOLUTELY NO e-mail contact on Thursday after 745am until Friday morning as this is my birthday and I will be celebrating that after class is over. If you have ANYTHING that you need answered, please get it to me prior to that.

First 2 weeks of class – I meet you! We go over the Bad Letter handout and I explain to you why you need to do well in English (If I can’t tell you this, then the class has no foundation). I tell you to access Angel Online so that you can see the Can You Pass My Class handout with all assignments and rationales on it, the philosophy of education paper (optional), the RACC rules for students (as does every other teacher that you have), and the journals paper (not optional). You will read through the entire journals handout (not optional). I explain to you the syllabus and you will read the To My Students letter (you will sign off on having read this), the Plagiarism explanations, and the Sid Stocker Memorial Assignment Book (to be honest, everything you need to prepare yourself for the first 2 week stretch is listed on there). Here you get the link and handout to get into the Angel site for access to my class. Since this class was MARKED AS WEB-ENHANCED, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO GET INTO THIS VERY IMPORTANT INTERNET LOCATION. Not having a computer is not an excuse. If it is, you WILL NEED TO SWITCH to a class that isn’t web-enhanced since you pay a technology fee to the school, AND you are now accountable to being able to access my items. Thus, you can use RACC’s computers if necessary (they’re not just for Facebook and Myspace). I also tell you that you should get a USB drive to store all of my attachments on (trees don’t have to die for ALL of the handouts that I give to you (and I give you a lot of handouts and PowerPoints to help improve your chances of success)). We go over the introduction to this class Power Point (also available on Angel, which I’m reiterating you must visit). From there, you must send me an e-mail (the only one that you’ll ever send from the Angel site) to prove that you were there and read the RACC Rules for Students), and you will watch the GOOD THINGS IN LIFE video. I also assign you to go online and see the class website (www.onlymypride.blogspot.com), and then you send me the officially marked material (you can’t just send me anything – I need what it tells you to send – anything less than this is zero credit with NO chance for points time 2) so that I know that you know where the website is and so that I know what your RACC e-mail is (by your final class of the week – no personal e-mails – just RACC e-mail via SCHOOL POLICY).
I give you the assignment to read Death of an Innocent and take notes for an in-class quiz on your 2nd day of class. (http://outside.away.com/outside/features/1993/1993_into_the_wild_1.html ) On that day, you take the Death of an Innocent quiz. If you aren’t prepared, you lose your first points because I don’t do makeup tests for any reason EVER (since there are extra points built into the system). If you are prepared, you can inflate your grade since I have bonus points on this test. I’m just saying that you might want to read. On the 3rd day of class, we go over the Death of an Innocent quiz and watch a bonus features video from the movie.
For the 3rd class, you go online and print out the Right Word handout and the Issues in Your Paper handout. In short order, we will go over this. I CONTINUE TO STRESS the idea of completing your journals early. For the 3rd class, you must type a FULL page journal on what made you come to college. The rules for this are in conjunction with the online quiz that you will take by 6am the morning that the assignment is due (in Journal Information). If you do this and the rest of the journals as they are due, you get full credit. If you procrastinate, you WILL lose out on “free points” AND you will find yourself bogged down when other assignments are due. I warn you that while you are very smart and capable (and that I see your potential success), equally smart and capable students have failed this class because they procrastinated doing their journals (and other assignments). This goes DOUBLE for www.mywritinglab.com .
On that note, for the final class of the first week, you will be set up on www.mywritinglab.com . You will have a handout that will help you do this. This is worth points to your final grade. You must be processed by the end of the first week of class AND you must be done with the practice tests by the beginning of class for your first class of week 2. These are not short and simple things. Take the time to do it right. If you do, there will be less work to complete later. Really.
We discuss the concept of journals as a whole. We discuss appropriate college writing.
We take a grammar test so that I can see what you know and to see how you improve by the end of the semester. This will happen on the final day of the first week. While it does not count towards your final grade, it can be worth points to you if you are the high grade in the room. Otherwise, it is solely for my “learning” purposes and to see how much you improve by the first unit’s end. Thus, I can focus on teaching you things that are important to your learning.
I tell you to go online and start looking over the Karate Kid Method of Learning Grammar handout since we begin grammar during week 2. You will have the choice to print this out and bring it to class or to take your own notes. It’s up to you. I suggest printing it out since I know what makes people pass and fail this class.
If you feel like you have extra time, you can always look at stuff like the Image Handout and 15 Rules for Class and Life if you want to figure yourself out and learn how to be better at school and life. They’re not required, but they’re there to help you (if not now, then maybe later).
The assignment for 6am on the final class of week 2 is to access the Jackie Robinson quiz online. You will read the Time 100 Jackie Robinson article and then answer the questions. This is worth 10 points.http://205.188.238.109/time/time100/heroes/profile/robinson01.html
ASAP, I want you to take the opinion quiz on Survey Monkey Dot Com. Your name is not attached to it, so don’t worry about being “connected” to your opinions. We will use the data from this at a later date. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VMFLLNX This may take a while. Give yourself some time to make it happen (30 minutes).
The final class, we will discuss the Jackie Robinson article and go over the quiz. Since YOU HAVE to learn the rules for how to write article critiques before you do them, you will look at what is right and wrong with the sample critiques. Trust me; this is MEGA IMPORTANT! You will then take the peer review quiz on the Jackie Robinson article critiques by class 1 of week 3.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Final Exam for English COM121

What is the most important event of the last 40 years?
Smithsonian Magazine has a list of where they feel we're going and where we've been.

I'm not concerned with your personal life's best (i.e. getting married or having a kid). I want to know about the most imporant event in history, technology, culture, or anything else.

7 paragraphs. Intro / Conclusion / 5 developed reasons why.

This will be done in class on Wednesday (and only in class on Wednesday).

Monday, July 26, 2010

Global Warming Sample Essay

The House of Commons’ Science and Technology Committee recently came to the conclusion that a leading climate research center did not tamper with data to exaggerate evidence that global warming is a threat. The Associated Press (AP) released a report that was featured by FOX and MSNBC on their web sites. Both FOX and MSNBC managed to put their own subtle spins on what was essentially the same report. The FOX News headline reads “Scientists Cleared - - After One-Day Probe,” while MSNBC went with the AP headline reading “’Climategate’ inquiry largely clears scientists.” MSNBC followed its headline with the summation, “British lawmakers say science sound, but want transparency.” FOX’s lead-in line refers to the fact that the investigation was based on “just a single day of testimony.” Each network conveyed a soft message right at the start of its report. MSNBC included a paragraph explaining what was meant by an e-mail “reference to a ‘trick’ that could be used to ‘hide the decline’ of temperatures.” The explanation stated that “hide the decline” was merely scientific shorthand to refer to the discarding of erroneous data, while “trick” was intended to mean simply a “neat way of handing evidence” and not a suggestion of underhanded activity. In MSNBC’s report a statement was included that the controversy would ultimately support global warming science because researchers would be forced to share their information freely, including the comment that “The winner in the end will be climate science itself.” FOX, on the other hand, incorporated several paragraphs highlighting the fact that scientists who are skeptical about global warming theories were upset by the outcome. FOX quoted one such scientist and included a link to his rebuttal of the decision. This scientist specifically argued against the innocence of the terms “hiding the decline” and “trick.” He called the conclusions of the panel “absurd” and stated that the “trick” reference was an intention to trick readers into “receiving a false rhetorical impression” about the climate data. It is clear to see that each of these networks was able to convey the story with its own particular slant. Neither did so in an overt manner, nonetheless they were able to guide the reader's thinking in a certain direction. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36104206 http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/03/31/climate-gate-inquiry-largely-clears-scientists/

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Tom Friedman / World is Flat Answers

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “MIT Milestone Celebration / Keynote Address.” Youtube. January 11, 2008. Web. April 15, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcE2ufqtzyk.

Friedman, Thomas L. The World is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007. Print.

Response
There are many things that the American tax dollars could finance and there are many different opinions on the subject. 47/56 people think that the money should be put towards new school, schools are what the future generations need to learn and the only way the can learn is if they can go to school. If there are no schools the future generations will not be able to keep the economy running. On the other hand 8/55 people think that the money should be put towards sports stadiums, this number is so small because these stadiums are nice, but they are not necessary for the future growth of the country. 53/57 people think that tax money should be put to National Parks, which is a great idea because there are so many things we can learn from national parks and state owned facilities. National Parks can teach about nature, how we are affecting nature and what we can do to help change our past mistakes. Many people also think that money should be put towards libraries. 50/57 people think that some tax dollars should be put towards libraries because they are allowing people to learn and read, which helps to make people more knowledgeable. Then there are the 48/56 people who don’t think that the tax dollars should go to bailing out failed corporations because these companies did this to themselves why should our tax dollars help them. Companies should be able to manage their money just like any other small business. There are many business owners who are struggling and these corporations need to learn how to spend wisely.

3)Increased use of Predator Drones- 43.9/14.0- Many Americans feel that if we can replace humans with technology, then it would decrease the amount of casualties caused by war. In addition, by increasing the use of Predator Drones, America will have to further its technology which would result in more educated jobs and will greatly advance our use and invention of future technology. 4)Punishing people for texting while driving- 89.1/10.9- People have noticed the danger in using cell phones while driving, and are trying to change their habits. Although Americans always seem to be in a rush, they realize the dangers and new laws in cities have already proved to lower the rate of automobile accidents. 5)Death penalty in cases of murder- 69.6/26.8- This statistic reveals that many Americans feel that if a person takes a life, then they should have their life taken also. If America would install this this as a law, then the jails would be less crowded and our tax dollars would be lower. Also, the Americans would feel safer knowing that the worse people in their societies are no longer able to escape and potenionally seek more harm on them and their enviroment.

Response
A women's right to birth control consisted of results of 96.5/3.5 its obvious that most people were in favor of a women having the right to birth control to protect herself from pregency. Therefore many people agree that in order to prevent pregency and even abortion in a sense is a logical reason for a women to have access to such a contraseptive. Increased individual checks before boarding airplanes had results of 77.2/15.8. This means many indivduals are still very worried about terrorist attacks on planes due to the incidents of 9/11. Punishing people for texting while driving had results of 89.1/10.9. Due to these results it is evident that many people believe text while operating a motorized vehicle is very dangerous to not only the driver but also bystandards aswell. Therefore people find it extremly dangerous to text while driving because of the increased risk of an accident to occur. The U.S. should legalize anyone who is here illegally had results of 3.6/91.1. This means almost all people would be apposed to allowing illegal citizens citizenship because there could be numerous reasons as to why they should or should not have U.S. citizenship. If the country would just allow citizenship to anyone no one is to say who would be living in our country and taking davantage of all we have to offer. Abortion during the third trimester results were 5.4/89.3. Meaning many people would be opposed to the abortion of a fetus that has matured this far, it would almost be like killing an actual baby because of the length the pregency was let go. Also the mother should have been more responsible to have gotten an abortion earlier in her pregnecy it she would have choosen to.

Response
With the world entering a new type of globalization, many people will be caught off guard. The work force industry will change and the world will see less factory jobs and more creative jobs. Instead of competing for a job in the local town, Americans will be forced to compete for jobs against the rest of the world, such as China, Japan and Great Britain. Although these Americans will have to cope with these changes over time, many of them will not be able to obtain these newly creative jobs due to the lack of education, technology, and ambition. Studies have shown that there is a developing gap between the education of U.S. students and those of China and India. The biggest cause of this gap is the lack of leadership and tough love in America. Many parents today do not want to force a career path on their kids, although at the same time they do not want to push them to become better than the average student, which results in the children not being able to handle the rapid change of job titles throughout the world. They simply lack the knowledge and ambition that China and India are teaching their students to become the new creative thinker of tomorrow. If the United States wants to fix this growing problem, they must install influential leaders that will push students to a new academic standard which will result in an overall higher education. This will allow future children to be better than the rest of the world and allow them to become the leaders of tomorrow. The second biggest problem that the U.S. residents face in the changing world is the lack of technology that the rest of the world has. In today’s world, Japan and China lead in the technology race, and are continuously developing new and affective measures to aid the average person. Because of the lack of technology in the United States, many citizens do not understand how to use the “simple stuff” such as computers and cell phones. This failure of understanding technology causes many people to not realize how important technology is to their everyday lives and results in the slower development of new ideas within the country. If the American population wants to solve this problem, they must first strive to improve the internet system within the country and then continuously educate and train its residents on the ever changing technology. This will allow them to eventually catch up in the technology race and soon lead the world in its new globalized state. Lastly, many Americans simply lack the ambition to become better and are satisfied with having an average, mediocre lifestyle. Although their competitive edge is strong, they are competing for the lower end jobs instead of inventing new ones and setting higher standards. Americans often view these jobs as being impossible to reach and are simply dreams that they could only wish to fulfill. If the United States ever decides to overcome this obstacle, they must teach the new generation to strive for their dreams and to never give up. An average life is no longer acceptable in today’s world and that the only way to survive is to be the best, not only within their country, but in the entire world. Overall it is clear to see that the United States faces many problems in the way its citizens view life, and if they ever want to achieve victory, they must start to teach the new generation of students how to successfully accomplish their dreams. If they fail to do this, the U.S. will slowly continue to slide down the totem pole and become the weakest link in the chain. In the end, it is possible to solve these problems; however they must start today and continue striving for success.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Week 6-8 Schedule

July 19-20 – Tom Friedman Assignment on the World is Flat and introduction to making statistics mean something. This is due on Wednesday. We will make every attempt to do as much of this in class as possible, but you are responsible for the overflow time.
July 21 – More Making statistics mean something and inferences. Begin the Global Warming Assignment, which is due on July 26.
July 22 – Global Warming Assignment on conservative and liberal bias in the media. This is due on Thursday. Final questions on APA. We will make every attempt to do as much of this in class as possible, but you are responsible for the overflow time.
July 26 - Collect your essays as soon as class begins. If it’s not in today, you have until Monday the 2nd to turn it in at the beginning of class or you will not pass this class. When we are done, we will go straight into the Aron Ralston peer review assignment. You will have to complete this at home for Tuesday, which is when we will go over this. You will also need heroes to compare for tomorrow as well.
July 27 – Begin MLA discussion. Approve topics
July 28 – Continue MLA discussion and making statistics mean something. For tomorrow, you will turn in a first paragraph, outline, and 2 website printouts. I will look over these while you are doing group Internet research and give them back to you.
July 29 – Group Internet research day on 9/11 after we redo the pushups grammar test to prepare you for the Grammar Test on Tuesday.
August 2 – Little Big War in class assignment. We will work in groups. If you come ready to play, you get the attendance points. If not…
August 3 – The Grammar Test is today. This won’t take the whole class. After this, it’s the final day to discuss MLA and help you one on one with your essays, which must be in tomorrow to get to the final exam.
August 4 – Your MLA essay must be in by today. If it isn’t, you will not pass this class. You will not need to take the final if that is the situation that you are in since the final is only pass or fail. For those people that are prepared, you will take the final exam that leaves you finished with COM121. Since you have worked hard, you get to enjoy the rest of your summer without any more papers or anything like that to worry about.

Monday, July 12, 2010

You have an article. You need to read chapters 5+6.
If you don't have it or you can't read it, then you have several options.

1) Go on Angel in the 7 articles section of materials and get the word file.
2) Go to Borders or Barnes and Nobles and read chapters 5+6. You don't have to buy it; you can just sit there and read it.

When you're done, you will take ONE 3x5 NOTECARD MAX on the information that you will need to do an article critique on the author's reason for writing this article. You are not writing a biography, but you will need details. As I said in class, one sentence sums up the whole article.

Directions are located on the how to do article critiques ppt. (last 3 slides),which is also in the 7 articles section.
You will have 1 class to do this. It must be done in class on Monday.
Question? Contact me ASAP.

Homework for Monday:
1) midterm
3) journals
4) Stephen Hawking essay is due
5) any redo papers that you need to do and that you have gotten permission to do (no permission, no redo - REALLY).
and for Tuesday...
6) the Anne Frank quiz on Angel. This was originally due Monday, but it is now pushed back until Tuesday.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Week 4+5 Schedule

July 5 – If you come to class, then you’ll be alone. It’s our Fourth of July holiday. If you don’t want to do extended picnics, vacations, and fireworks, then you can work ahead on my assignments. One way or another, your essay is in at the beginning of class on Tuesday.
July 6 – Collect your essays as soon as class begins. If it’s not in today, you have until Monday the 12th to turn it in at the beginning of class or you will not pass this class. When we are done, we will do the in class Longwood Gardens Creative Assignment. I will collect this at the end of the class. You are assigned to begin to look over the APA material for tomorrow. You need to have a topic that is persuasive and that fits with my essay writing requirements for tomorrow.
July 7-12 – Research, Persuasion, APA, and all things essay writing with citations will be discussed for 3 days. I do APA before MLA because that’s what you need most in your classes. This is my attempt to be proactive for your other summer classes. If you need MLA guidelines for papers prior to us doing that, just ask. I need you to have a typed first paragraph, 2 printed out websites (not just the URLS), and a typed outline (handwritten is the same as not done – you can e-mail this to me) for the beginning of class on the 14th. For the 12th, we will do the in-class group discussion for the grizzly bear. If you’re not prepared, you’re marked absent.
July 13 – Pat Tillman Midterms will be given for the first 45 minutes. When this is over, I will call you each into the room 1 on 1 to discuss your essay with you. I will then let you know where you stand with regards to passing or failing the class. This allows you to choose to take a W in the class or fight for the A that I know that you’re capable of. In the end, it’s your choice. I just provide the objective facts of where your grade is at the given moment and why.
July 14 - We will assist you with your essays in class. Any time left will be devoted to your friend grammar. Isn’t that how it always is?!!
July 15 – Grammar the 7-headed monster from the netherworld is back, but don’t worry since you will completely slay him. Questions on your persuasive essay, which is due a week from Monday (I’ve given you an extra week; however, there are 2 big assignments in class, so don’t get behind since all of the next week’s stuff leads perfectly into researching MLA style).

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Week 2+3 Schedule

June 21+22 – Begin grammar. Discuss the Karate Kid handout. Discuss the Grammar Terms PPT. Begin to discuss What’s Wrong With this Sentence PPT.
June 23+24 – Introduction to essay writing and concepts associated with The Blindside essay. All info will be gone over and everything will be set up (to include The Blindside journals that will go with the essay).
June 28 – Discuss prewriting. Do the in class outline assignment with National Parks of the Colorado Plateau video. This is worth 50 points, so you will need to be here. This is due by your Wednesday at the start of class. In addition, you need to work on the outline of your essay at this point. Outline sheets are available online as well.
June 29 – Continue grammar. I’m going to say this a lot. This is because grammar is everything to your ability to write well.
June 30 – Collect National Parks Outline Assignments. Go over good essay (Shoes) and bad essay (Judging Individuals by Their Music). Discuss final issues to be concerned with for the first essay due on Monday. All essays must be turned in on Monday to redo if you get less than a 90. If you do not turn in during our class on Monday (all excuses are equal), then you will not get a redo. If you do not turn this essay in by the following Monday, you cannot pass the class as the rules for my class specify doing all 3 essays at a minimum to pass the class. You will be advised to drop the class or face failure at a D minimum (most likely an F). Students will also be assigned to create a topic for their research essay, which will be due (typed) on Monday with a brief summary of what they hope to prove in research as opposed to just telling me straight up (report). For example, a biography of Lincoln is not acceptable, but a paper explaining how his leadership contributed to the North’s success in the Civil War would be acceptable.
July 1 – Final questions for the Blindside Essay, which is due on Tuesday. We will discuss the Cornell Method, and then, we will do the Civil War Assignment. You will do all of this in class.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Week 1 Schedule

Week 1 of class – I meet you! We go over the Bad Letter handouts and I explain to you why you need to do well in English (If I can’t tell you this, then the class has no foundation). I tell you to access Angel Online so that you can see the Can You Pass My Class handout with all assignments and rationales on it, the philosophy of education paper (optional), the RACC rules for students (as does every other teacher that you have), and the journals paper (not optional). You will read through the entire journals handout (not optional). I explain to you the syllabus and you will read the To My Students letter (you will sign off on having read this), the Plagiarism explanations, and the Sid Stocker Memorial Assignment Book Page (to be honest, everything you need to prepare yourself for the first week stretch is listed on there). Here you get the link and handout to get into the Angel site for access to my class. Since this class was MARKED AS WEB-ENHANCED, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO GET INTO THIS VERY IMPORTANT INTERNET LOCATION. Not having a computer is not an excuse. If it is, you may want to switch to a class that isn’t web-enhanced since you pay a technology fee to the school, AND you are now accountable to being able to access the vast quantity of items that I have created for this class. If there be any issue, you can use RACC’s computers if necessary (they’re not just for Facebook). I also tell you that you should get a USB drive to store all of my attachments on (trees don’t have to die for ALL of the handouts that I give to you (and I give you a lot of handouts and PowerPoints to help improve your chances of success)). We go over the introduction to this class Power Point (also available on Angel, which I’m reiterating you must visit). From there, you must send me an e-mail (the only one that you’ll ever send from the Angel site) to prove that you were there and read the RACC Rules for Students), and you will watch the introduction to my class video. I also assign you to go online and see the class website (www.onlymypride.blogspot.com) and then you send me something from the first entry so that I know that you know where the website is and so that I know what your RACC e-mail is (by your final class of the week – no personal e-mails – just RACC e-mail via SCHOOL POLICY).
I give you the assignment to read Death of an Innocent and take notes for an in-class quiz on Wednesday. (http://outside.away.com/outside/features/1993/1993_into_the_wild_1.html ) On Wednesday, you take the Death of an Innocent quiz. If you aren’t prepared, you lose your first points because I don’t do makeup tests for any reason EVER (since there are extra points built into the system). If you are prepared, you can inflate your grade since I have bonus points on this test. I’m just saying that you might want to read. On Thursday, we go over the Death of an Innocent quiz and watch a bonus features video from the movie. This allows me to see that we’re all on the same page when it comes to knowing how to answer questions on the “COLLEGE LEVEL.”
For the 2nd class of the week, you go online and print out the Right Word handout and the Issues in Your Paper handout. By the end of the week, we will go over this. I CONTINUE TO STRESS the idea of completing your journals early. If you do them, you get full credit. If you procrastinate, you may lose out on “free points” or you will find yourself bogged down when essays are due. I warn you that while you are very smart and capable, equally smart and capable students have failed this class because they procrastinated doing their journals (and other assignments).
We discuss the concept of journals as a whole. We discuss appropriate college writing.
We take a grammar test so that I can see what you know and to see how you improve by the end of the semester. While it does not count towards your final grade, it can be worth points to you if you are the high grade in the room. Otherwise, it is solely for my “learning” purposes regarding what I teach you and to see how much you improve by first unit’s end. Thus, I can focus on teaching you things that are important to your learning (that’s what it’s all about).
That more than covers everything that we will have time for. What we don’t do, we will continue with next week.
For next week, I tell you to go online and start looking over the Karate Kid Method of Learning Grammar handout since we begin grammar next week. You will have the choice to print this out and bring it to class or to take your own notes. It’s up to you. I suggest printing it out since I know what makes people pass and fail this class.
If you feel like you have extra time (you probably won’t since the summer term is rushed), you can always look at stuff like the Image Handout and 15 Rules for Class and Life if you want to figure yourself out and learn how to be better at school and life. They’re not required, but they’re there to help you (if not now, then maybe later).
ASAP, I want you to take the opinion quiz on Survey Monkey Dot Com. Your name is not attached to it, so don’t worry about being “connected” to your opinions. We will use the data from this at a later date. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VMFLLNX This may take a while. Give yourself some time to make it happen (30 minutes).

Friday, May 14, 2010

Someone who impresses me.

Blindness no barrier to degree for Alvernia University student
Grad school ahead for Luis Fontanez Jr. after graduation from Alvernia University with psychology degree

By Greta Cuyler

Luis M. Fontanez Jr. of Muhlenberg Township will graduate from Alvernia University on Saturday.

Seven years after Luis M. Fontanez Jr. went completely blind, he's set to graduate magna cum laude from Alvernia University on Saturday.

It's been a tough but triumphant road for Luis, 26.

The son of Anna E. and Luis M. Fontanez Sr. of Muhlenberg Township, Luis was 4 years old when he lost vision in his left eye to congenital glaucoma.

And as a junior at Reading High School in the fall of 2000, he was hit in the right eye during an impromptu game of dodgeball.

A few months later he was diagnosed with a detached retina, likely caused by a miniscule tear when the ball hit his eye.

Despite six surgeries over nearly two years, doctors could not save Luis' sight.

"The vision loss was very rapid," Luis said. "Every day I woke up I was able to see less and less. It was as if the lights were being turned out one light bulb at a time."

Luis said he summoned inner strength when he lost his sight completely at age 19.

"I decided there was only one way for a blind, Hispanic man to make his way in life," he said. "And it wasn't sitting in my room feeling sorry for myself. It was going to be going to college and studying and doing something with my life."

Luis earned an associate degree in liberal arts from Reading Area Community College in 2006 and enrolled at Alvernia in 2008.

He earned a nearly straight-A average and will graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in history. Luis plans to attend graduate school and become a school counselor.

Before he lost his sight, Luis earned his high school diploma from Reading High in June 2002.

He got a mobility cane in January 2003, a month after his 19th birthday. Two months after that, he started classes at RACC.

A mobility specialist from the state Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services helped him get a feel for the layout of both the RACC and Alvernia campuses through guided tours, but Luis learned to expertly navigate on his own through trial and error, he said.

With accommodations provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Luis says he's been like any other college student.

He learns course material by attending class and tape-recording lectures. He listens to textbooks on compact disc. He uses a laptop computer that reads aloud each letter as he types. Test questions are read to him and he either responds orally or by typing on his laptop.

"Any blind student can be successful here as long as you're willing to work hard enough and have the drive and determination to be a successful college student," Luis said.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Final procedures for the end of class.

This will happen Thursday or Friday (depending on when your class meets).
You must show up for your ACTUAL class.

The paper is due at the beginning of your ACTUAL class. You can come to an earlier class, but not a later class. If you want to begin early, you can come at 8am IF YOU CONTACT ME TO ENSURE THAT I WILL BE THERE. If nobody contacts me, I will get there when I get there.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A FINAL ESSAY WHEN YOU COME TO CLASS FOR THE LAST TIME THIS WEEK, YOU WILL NOT TAKE THE FINAL BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE FAILED THE CLASS.

Final exam rules:

1) you can have A notecard for David Sedaris and A notecard for 1 (and only 1) of the following persuasive essays:

A) Phoebe Prince's bullying case - persuade me what we should do in punishment to her abusers.
B) The Gulf Coast oil spill - persuade me what we should do to fix the spill and the effects of it.
C) The immigration law in Arizona - is it right or wrong - and if so, how should we enforce it or change it.
D) The Times Square attempted bomber - how should we punish him (civil courts or military tribunals) and is he a terrorist / criminal.
E) Elena Kagan is Obama's pick for Supreme Court Justice. Acceptable or not?

The last 4 can be found extensively at www.cnn.com and www.foxnews.com since they're all ultra current events.

2) the persuasive essay must be done as a 7 paragraph absolute argument.
3) the David Sedaris essay is a standard 5 paragraph essay.
4) you must pass the final to pass the class.
5) if you bring in an essay from home, I will tear it up and you will start fresh.
6) you have Friday + 1 final period to finish 2 essays.

Tu,Th - B001 Tuesday at 8am until 10
MWF9am - 8-10 on Wednesday.
MFW10am - 1030-1230 on Monday.

7) If you're late, you lose the time.
8) If you're sick, you lose the time.
9) You can show up to your final time or a time that is earlier than that, but not 1 that is later than that. For example, if your final is Wednesday, you can come Monday (if you e-mail in advance). You can't come Wednesday for a Monday final.
10) If you're going to do that, you must contact me in advance.
11) Due to the length of time involved with the test, 50 minutes is not enough. If you finish 2 essays in 50 minutes, you are pretty much choosing to hand in whatever, which means that I'm going to be grade uncorrected essays. For this reason, you need to come to the 2 hour final IF ONLY to edit your essays for clarity and grammar (most likely to write 1 entire essay and make corrections). I will give you your final paper back at this session as well. If you are beneath passing, I will let you know so that you do not have to waste time taking the rest of the final (since the final is pass or fail, it can only hurt your % grade - not raise it). When you leave, you will know your grade.

You will need the following.
What your chosen group of people knows and needs to know about your topic (also, who is your chosen group of people).
a sufficient amount of notes - as long as it doesn't look skimpy and as long as your paper is long enough, it's ok.
a typed rough draft that is different than the final paper.
all of your URLs printed out.

the paper has

a title page
an abstract
an outline (typed)
4 pages+ of essay.
a references page.

It is set up in APA

You will have 5 sources bare minimum.
2 Internet or database
1 print
2 whatever.

standard checks to see if everything is there for grammar and APA just like you did with MLA.

Good luck.

There is a sample essay that is almost done (I'm finishing that now).

Monday, April 26, 2010

Maxwell Assignment

First, the purpose of this isn’t to depress you, but since disasters are real and you are now familiar with 2 of John Maxwell’s Laws of Leadership, you will have the skills to confer with the President of the United States on what he should do to aid in the situation based on what a good leader should do in the event of tragedy.
Your job will be to look at possible deaths, injuries, and needs of the survivors. You will have 30 minutes to work in your group to contemplate a rationalized persuasive argument. Remember, you are brilliant, but if you’re not sure, you can do an Internet search to figure out what to do.
Your first job is to exchange e-mails and confer on how you will search and brainstorm. When you come in to your next class, you and your partner will both have a full page journal and a discussion web completed. If you both do them, then you get 25 points. If only you come in prepared (one or the other), you get 12 points. However, if you don’t want to work in a group, you must do both parts.
This will help teach you:
1. How to persuade.
2. How to apply leadership knowledge.
3. How to use the Internet for SCHOLARLY research.
4. How to predict possible consequences based on facts.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Checklist for Essay 2

STILL NEED A HERO? How about this guy?

1. Do you have all of the pre-writing?

What do you know? What do you want to know (questions)? A sufficient amount of notes (if your paper isn't 4 pages, you don't have a sufficient amount of notes). A TYPED rough draft. Printed URLs (all that you use in your paper).

2. Do you have 6 total sources to include 1 print, 2 Internet, and 1 primary source for each person and heroic trait site? These must MATCH for in text citations and works cited citations.

3. Have you followed the rules from Purdue OWL? If it's on there, I'll let it go. Be careful with changes from the book!

4. Did you make sure you didn't write a bio (instead explaining how the heroic trait is exhibited by an action or event from said person's life)?

5. Is your paper at least 4 pages (not including works cited page)?

6. Did you make sure that there are no quotes over 1 sentence long and if there are quotes, they need to be there in that person's voice?
7. Are you sure that you're paraphrasing in your own words?

8. Did you spell and grammar check?
9. Is there 1 idea fully explained per paragraph? FACT / DETAILS / AND SO... (please don't use those words - vary transition).

10. Transition is your friend. Use it!

11. Does your MLA heading look like my sample essay MLA heading?

12. If you're using the header information, is it in the header and not on the first line of the essay? If you don't know how to do this, don't have a header - just have the heading (your name, my name, class, date THEN a title centered (all double spaced).

13. Are you being extra obsessive with MLA format? That's why I gave you my ppt. Trust me; I just finished a 12+ page paper, and I was overly meticulous and I STILL went back to fix more. This isn't easy - even when you do this for a living.

14. Did you ask the ol' man any questions that you might have (that's what I get paid for)?

Library time Monday 11-2
Time after class in the library on Tuesday 930-11

You should all have the handouts for the rest of the way through. If not, please e-mail and I'll bring them. Otherwise, I'll be filing them away until next semester.

I'll explain all of the Friedman / Internet assignments during class 1 this week. Don't sweat it until then.

Presidential scavenger hunt is due the last day of clas with the final essay, which is your ticket to the final exam.

Have a great weekend.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Some new stuff for you.

After spending EXTENSIVE TIME comparing the textbook to the Purdue OWL (the definitive source for all citation information and CHANGES with MLA and APA), it seems that there are significant differences between some of what is posted and some of what is in the book.

As a result, the actual due date for paper 2 will now be on April 14th (Wednesday instead of Monday the 12th) OR April 15th (Thursday, instead of Tuesday the 13th).

Please note the ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN the Purdue Owl and what I want is that if you are using Internet sources, you MUST HAVE AN ACTUAL URL with your citation so that I can make sure that you didn't plagiarize.

This means that I will have to update the SQ3R / Researching ppt and go over this stuff with you when you come back. I will go over this essay when you return as well.

GLOBAL WARMING IS STILL DUE ON MONDAY WHEN YOU COME BACK (IT MUST BE FINISHED BY 10PM SUNDAY NIGHT).

Also, you may not use either of the names in this sample essay (Elie Wiesel and Victor Frankl) for this paper.

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Academy of Achievement. If you don't have heroes, check this out.

You can end a sentence with a preposition!

The state of Pennsylvania education "success."

For Monday (or Tuesday), I want you to look at where RACC, Kutztown, Alvernia, Albright, Penn State Berks, University of Penn, and Penn State Main Campus stand. All you need to do is print this out and circle the numbers OR just list the numbers with the schools. Other than that, just start thinking why we're doing so good or bad.

An article that talks about why this is would be here.
Another article would be here.
And still another one would be here.

This is the best way to lead in to Thomas Friedman EVER.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me ASAP.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

RICKETTS GLEN JOURNAL OPTION

Last year, a young girl (aged 18) was in a hiking accident at Ricketts Glen State Park in northern PA. You can read about that here. You can see pictures of what it would have looked like here or you can watch the videos below. The pictures and video are mine. I was not with the girl. I do not know the girl, but...
Your OPTIONAL journal assignment is to consider the following questions?
A) is it fair that they may charge her with a crime?
B) is it not her right to go into land that she technically owns (since it is funded with tax dollars)?
C) what should the responsibility of rescue workers and state parks be to those who tread foolishly and unprepared into places that they aren't prepared for?

Technically, you need crampons, an ice ax, and a rope at the minimum to go in.
These are pictured below.
The final picture is close to the area she fell into. The video is right before where she fell. She was coming in from the top, so she didn't get to this section. Had she tried this area, she could have been drowned or dead from hypothermia (had she fallen into the water).
Granted, she had her accident in late March and these pictures were in January, but still...
Also, park maps are located here. Check out the first one - between the Delaware and the Seneca on the upper left hand side is where she went in.





















More videos are here and on the other pages of my videos.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Aron Ralston video on Monday

You can look up a lot of information on him, but a good start would be here, here, here, and here.

You don't have to do anything with it, but we'll be doing note taking the first hour and 15 minutes you're in class next week.

Then, we'll move to phase 2 of the project. It might help to know whose story we're watching.
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I added 11 slides to the 150 slide presentation (now 161). It's in grammar stuff in materials on Angel.
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Also, I'm out of touch this weekend and won't be available until Monday at 8am.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Marcus Luttrell Rubric and Sample Essay.

Marcus Luttrell Rubric and Sample Essay.
25 Perfectly flowing and constructed 5-paragraph article critique that answers author’s intent, how he shows it, and whether it works.
20 Minor flaws should have been seen, but as a whole, your article critique was sound.
15 Excessive flaws should have been seen, and minor issues existed with your article critique.
10 Excessive structural flaws, you didn’t answer what I was looking for, you didn’t have enough details, and other related issues.
5 Your wrote a biography
0 There was no evidence that you read the story or you just didn’t comprehend it AND / OR you wrote something that wasn’t even close to what I need from an article critique.

Marcus Luttrell wrote Lone Survivor about his time spent in a Navy training session, which was known as Hell Week. Here, he was forced to confront the toughest challenges that could have possibly been presented to him in an effort to weed out those who didn’t have what it took to be a Navy Seal from those people that did. In writing this story, he wanted people to see that the only option for a person is to give his or her all to be the best that he or she can be because this will show that the meaning of life is pride in accomplishment and not quitting on the opportunity for excellence.
The first thing that Luttrell wanted the reader to see is that he was training with some of the hardest and toughest guys around. These were guys who were being trained to be Special Forces commandos. They had trained for this moment for their entire lives, and now, the things that were happening in their minds were either going to keep them moving or allow them to ring the bell and quit. Luttrell describes various men who just gave up after repetitious cold water training, log carrying, boat rowing, pushups, runs, and other mental intimidations. In this, he shows that while they could physically do this, their minds kept focusing on tasks that hadn’t happened yet, and as a result, these men gave up on themselves. Luttrell and the other Navy Seals that had made it through this training would know forever that they did what they had to do and can wear the pride of accomplishment as an eternal badge of success while those men that had quit will always wonder “what if?”
In addition, Luttrell looks at the mental preparation that goes into creating a warrior that will be forced to endure some of the toughest terrains and environments known to man while he is being sent to destroy evil and to avoid being killed by it. To this, Luttrell reasons that a person who can’t perform in sub 60 degree water in San Diego would never survive if he was surrounded by the assault rifles of the Taliban. In the end, Luttrell wears a badge of pride that says he has completed the same training as his heroes, and while some of these people were viciously killed in foreign lands, he takes pride in knowing that they gave all to be the best of the best and to protect America with what made them stand out from those who weren’t quite as exceptional as they were.
Finally, Luttrell wants people to understand that life is about how we bear up under challenges. There is a universal in a group of tired and weary sailors holding a log above their heads for excessive amounts of time and that is to do what one needs to do to succeed. Failure is not an option. In this, completing homework assignments and essays is not any different than succeeding at Coronado. There will be long nights without sleep. There will be sacrifice. There will be blood, sweat, and tears, but when a weary body marches to the finish line and says, “I did this,” then it’s all worthwhile.
As a result, Luttrell succeeds in showing what it takes to be great. In this, the confidence course that is Navy Hell Week serves as the birthplace of the American hero that Luttrell truly has become. More importantly, the lessons learn transcend the military and provide examples of leadership and self determination that can apply to any challenge that comes before people in life.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Civil War Note Taking Assignment

This is the Cornell Method of Note Taking.
You need to fill it out to get credit for the assignment.

Thus, here are the steps.

1. List what you know about the causes of the Civil War. Not writing anything = no credit. Some people just don't know and that's why we do this assignment.
2. List 10 questions that you want your notes to answer. Not writing 10=partial credit. I asked you to think about this. Use your "W" words (Who, What, Where, When, Why, hoW). You're in college now. Challenge yourself and impress me. It's all about the hoops.
3. Finish the out of class sections at home after finishing the in class note taking section.
4. Finally, finish the whole thing with a TYPED (if it's not typed, it's not done - really) journal on how your notes are different from the ones that you used to take (such as the ones in your National Parks Outline - I'm looking for focus in that for points).

If you need it, you can look at the following links:

Cal Poly Note Taking Systems - this will help with this assignment and the first steps of the research paper.
Bloom's Taxonomy - Higher Level Thinking Questioning, which will help with the essay completion and my goals for you to achieve. See analysis, synthesis, evaluation.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Essay 1 requirements UPDATED

Checklist for Essay 1 due your first class of March at the beginning of class (if you're late, it's late and you don't get a redo).

UNTIL THEN, print out bad essay + shoes (sample essays) and emotionally valuable (1st essay). We'll do them in class this week.

1. Dresser Drawer Method (10 points)
2. Extended Outline (10 points)
3. 2-3 typed pages of notes (3-4 handwritten - when in doubt, print out an extra draft) (15 points)
4. TYPED rough draft (15 points).
5. ALSO if you turned in any rough drafts to be corrected, turn those in as well. If I can't see a difference between notes, rough draft, and or final paper, you won't get full credit for pre-writing.


The paper is worth 200 points
20 for length
20 for format
20 for effort
60 for sentence sense
40 for grammar
40 for transition

Next
1. Underline your thesis
2. Label each paragraph as to what its main point is (write next to it)
Then look for the following errors:
1. Is your paper 12 point type
2. Is it written in Times New Roman
3. Is the whole paper double spaced
4. Did you make sure that there are no gulleys
5. Is the paper AT LEAST 2.5 pages long
6. Did you make sure that you didn’t change the margins
7. Is there any bold type
8. Is there any italic type
9. Is there use of the words YOU, WE, OUR, US, and anything else that implies you are talking conversationally to the reader (I is ok)
10. Is there any profanity, slang, or undefined abbreviations

By turning in this essay, you UNDERSTAND THAT THIS PAPER IS GOING TO COME BACK TO YOU FILLED WITH A MYRIAD OF SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU MUST CORRECT (up to 5 statements, 12 errors marked off). YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE IN THIS CLASS TO LEARN, AND THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU CAN LEARN IS TO HAVE YOUR MISTAKES POINTED OUT TO YOU. YOU ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU DON’T REDO THIS PAPER, IT WILL GET THE ORIGINAL GRADE ON IT. PAPERS THAT ARE LATE OR ARE MARKED AS NOT USING SPELL AND GRAMMAR CHECK WILL NOT GET A REDO. MR. GLASS WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY EXCUSES FOR IT BEING LATE. IF YOU DO NOT TURN IT IN ON TIME, YOU HAVE 1 EXTRA WEEK TO TURN IT IN PROVIDED THAT YOU MEET WITH ME AND WRITE A JOURNAL FOR ME ON WHAT YOU DID WRONG AND WHAT YOU CAN DO BETTER. THIS JOURNAL IS ALL ABOUT YOU - NOT ME. ALL PAPERS THAT AREN'T TURNED IN BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS THE FIRST DAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF MARCH WILL RECEIVE A ZERO. THEY WILL NOT BE LOOKED AT. YOU WILL FAIL THE CLASS.

INTRO
FORECAST / REASON 1
FORECAST / REASON 2
FORECAST / REASON 3
FORECAST / REASON 4
FORECAST / REASON 5
FORECAST / REASON 6
FORECAST / REASON 7
FORECAST / REASON 8
CONCLUSION

Thursday, February 4, 2010

FIRST PARAGRAPHS - not due yet - we just talked about them in class, so...

FOR THOSE THAT NEED TO KNOW HOW TO WRITE A FIRST PARAGRAPH FOR THIS CLASS, PLEASE SEE ALL OF THE EXAMPLES BELOW.

NOTE: 1) THERE ARE NO FACTS. 2) THERE IS NO USE OF WE, YOU OUR, US, AND I. 3) THESE FEATURE 2-3 VAGUE GENERALIZATIONS INTO A THESIS.

Over time, people have pondered as to what exactly is the meaning of life. What makes this question tougher is the contemplation of whether life has meaning after the person has become physically unable to "truly be alive." With that said, when a person contemplates being euthanized, there are a host of things to consider before acting on this extreme answer to a complex situation.

Over the years, time has changed the cost and performance of automobiles. Where once a person could buy and run a car affordably, things have changed, and now, a person can be bled dry with the cost of not only parts, but most pointedly, with fuel. Because of this, the automobile and technological industries have combined efforts to create alternative fuels for cars.

Throughout the past century and a half, people have been arguing about the concept of evolution vs. creationism. On one side, people believe in Creation’s beauty and purpose in life to provide beauty, functionality, and purpose. However, on the other side, mankind’s development has been argued to have happened after a long period of adaptation and discovery. With this, it is clear to see that there are 2 sides to the argument that must be understood before one formulates an opinion on the argument of evolution and creationism.

Since its creation in 1789, the Second Amendment has caused a great deal of controversy as to what it does and doesn’t say. This argument is especially true in a modern society where gun ownership is not thought of with the same regard as it was even 50 years ago. That being said, the NRA and other gun lobbyist groups have done a great deal to help protect and educate on gun rights in America.

Throughout the world, there are many different ways to show the news. As a result of this, people react in different ways to what they have viewed. Some of these ways that news is shown can manipulate people into being propagandized into believing different things. As a result of this, the news media can be very dangerous.

From their inception in 1947, cell phones have offered a new and useful form of communication. As a result, they have become very popular. While they are generally viewed as a good thing, some people tend to think that they can cause cancer. Other people tend to view this as untrue. Thus, a debate has cropped up with a variety of statistics that prove both sides of the debates.

Off shoring is a big issue in the United States today. As profits can escalate much higher due to cheap labor and decreased taxes, this will continue to happen. As a result, it becomes very important to understand this negative trend in society and what has caused it to flourish in the world economy.

Technology offers the best and worst of many aspects of future society. One place where this is clear is with the concept of stem cell research. On one hand, diseases might be cured due to these studies. On the other hand, one wonders if it is ethical or humane to harvest cells in this way. Because of this, stem cell research is an intense debate into the future of medicine.

Abraham Lincoln was an intelligent man who made important decisions during his presidency. While he made a lot of decisions, none were more important than his decisions regarding the Civil War. In this, Lincoln used his management skills to overcome the challenges associated with keeping the Union together.

While many people are willing to openly discuss sex or discuss that they don’t want to talk about sex with the youth of America, it is important to have a stance on this issue and to be vocal about it. Most people think that this is solely talking about the “birds and the bees,” but there is another option. That option is abstinence, and it represents an alternative in the complexity of the sexual situations with many of this country’s young people.

For over the past decade, society has been barraged with the concept of global warming. However, many people have been so confused by the technical and argumentative points of this concept that they aren’t sure of the dangers of it. Nevertheless, there are certain groups and individuals that are working hard to prevent what could be a very real nightmare from happening. With these ideas and concepts, they are eliminating many of the dangers of global warming from ever affecting the Earth.

In society, people are often faced with grave danger from potentially dangerous actions and actual criminal situations. As a result, police officers are called into the conflict to make a snap judgment on how they should neutralize the threats at hand. In some cases, this can be with talk or minimal aggression, but in other cases, deadly force needs to be used. While this decision happens in a moment’s time, the police officer is actually trained over his / her career to be ready to make the correct decision of what to do when these incidents arise.

Baseball has always been America’s national pastime, but for 60 years, African Americans were not allowed to play the game. Fortunately, this changed when one man stepped to the plate in 1947. That man, Jackie Robinson, not only revolutionized the sport of baseball, but he also changed the face of American sports.

Many artists in the recording industry today are influenced by one man, Michael Joseph Jackson. From the music that he made to the innovating dance moves and onto the charitable contributions that he gave, he was on top of the music game for 25 years. As a result, Michael Jackson’s career defines and creates the MTV generation of music.

Throughout much of society, there is an extreme emotional feeling that arises when people think about capital punishment. This seems to reflect the myriad of influences that people have. As a result, the death penalty is a complex issue that will continue to be debated for its legality and controversial aspects.

In society today, many children are adversely affected by their parents’ actions, and thus, they end up in foster care. However, while these children are there, they often are not able to receive the help that they need to truly thrive into adulthood. As a result, many social organizations and leaders are trying to improve the foster care situation.

Throughout the history of tennis, there have been many revolutionary accomplishments, but until the past decade, most of these changes kept tennis within the same stereotype that it has always existed: an affluent suburban game of privilege. Nevertheless, with the rise of 2 sisters from the inner city of Compton, California, this has changed. As a result, Venus and Serena Williams are the driving force behind making tennis a game for all players from all locations.

On an average day, people are barraged with a variety of ads featuring scantily clad models that are trying to sell them goods that have no relation to the products at hand. As a result, people form a belief that thin and beautiful is in. Nevertheless, for many young girls and women that cannot meet these standards, there is a downside to this media-induced belief. This downside, the onset of eating disorders, is a concept that threatens to destroy the mental health of many impressionable females.

Over the past several decades, people have contemplated whether the death penalty is just, and if it is acceptable, who it is just for. In that time, many people have sought for the execution of sexual offenders before they can reoffend and continue to prey on children. As a result, the case for the death penalty for sexual offenders is a complex and emotional issue that the states must weigh in on.

Throughout the history of its existence, Mercedes has represented the top of the line car. Each year, the company is constantly challenged to come up with something greater than it has previously achieved. As a result, this year, Mercedes seems to have outdone itself with the C63 AMG, which takes its company to a new level of success.

There are many sports stars that don’t see the light after their early crimes and mistakes. As a result, instead of serving as role models, they are actually offering a “how not to live one’s life” lesson. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the mix of sports and personal life issues that Adam “Pacman” Jones has exhibited in the past few years.

Over the years, the subject of homosexuality has gone from one of taboo to inclusion. This has happened because of homosexuality’s prominence within society as a whole. To this, these new found attitudes are a result of the media and the social sciences looking at complex issues in a specific way.

Over the past several decades, people have contemplated whether the death penalty is just, and if it is acceptable, who it is just for. However, while many people are arguing in favor of it as an extension of “an eye for an eye,” other people are seeing it as an unjust and evil menace that must be abolished. As a result, the case for the death penalty is a moral issue that the states must weigh in on.

Throughout history, there have been horrific examples of patient abuse in the medical system of the United States. As a result of these actual events, stories are passed on to new generations, and eventually, unexplained and paranormal situations arise. Nowhere is this more pronounced and exemplified than in the eerie effects that have transformed the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky into a real life haunted house.

Throughout society, art comes in many forms and different styles. Unfortunately, many people do not realize how simple and fun art can be since they seem to believe that art has to be professional or similar to the classical designs of “great” artists past. Nevertheless, the Do It Yourself Movement has sprung up to speak with its own voice.

In the lives of many people, comedy is an essential force that makes people feel better. However, for some comedians, they take this humor and apply it to social situations to better educate people on issues that are occurring in society today. Perhaps more so than any other comedian of his time, George Carlin represents the mixing of humor and politics in a way that many people can find equally vulgar and informative.

Monday, February 1, 2010

INTO THE WILD FURTHER QUESTIONS - optional - 1 page each if you do them!

For those contemplating Into the Wild, all of these are optional.

Everyone should think about this for Wednesday or Thursday:

“Men are not free when they are doing just what they like. The moment you can do just what you like, there is nothing you care about doing. Men are only free when they are doing what their deepest self likes.” Excerpted from STUDIES IN CLASSIC AMERICAN LITERATURE by D.H. LAWRENCE

Potential journals for writers (based on Into the Wild video from in class)
1. How do you get attached to your subject?
2. How do you get close to the character that you are playing?
3. How do you become dis-attached from the reality of the character that has now been turned to “art” by someone else and allow him / her to be portrayed in a movie?
4. How do you channel ideas into a powerful personal connection?
5. Can you write about something without experiencing that something?
6. Must a writer write the absolute truth of a real incident or can he / she take artistic liberty to create something slightly different?
7. What duty do real “characters” have to the creative process?
8. Where do we find inspiration and guidance to write?
9. How can an artist / musician feed off of an incident to create art?
10. Are personal connections important to writing about real “characters?”
11. When a book is turned into a movie, what is gained and what is lost?
12. What traits does one need to truly be able to research a topic fairly and objectively?

ALSO - Would you take a $200,000 a year job if it meant being on call 24/7 (to include vacation)? What's more important - family moments or financially supporting a family in unlimited comfort?