Week 1 of class – I meet you on day 1! Including the final exam, I see you 45 times. 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 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 how to access Angel Online so that you can see all of the handouts that are listed on the Sid Stocker Memorial Assignment Book Page. I give you the syllabus (which I explain to you), the rules sign off sheet, the To My Students letter (you will sign off after having RECEIVED this and listening to my 15-20 minute overview of class), and the Plagiarism explanations, which you will keep for future reference (if necessary, but hopefully, you won’t need this). The most IMMEDIATELY important stuff online (other than the schedule) are the Can You Pass My Class handout with all assignments and rationales on it, the RACC rules for students (as does every other teacher that you have), the Issues in Your Paper handout, and the journals paper (not optional). You will read through the RULES SECTION of this and take the quiz by Monday January 31st at 6am (or you will be locked out and unable to take the quiz). You will do the same thing for the Issues in Your Paper quiz. Students, who don’t read, don’t do well. I’m just saying. You are told to go on ANGEL where you must send me an e-mail (the only one that IN CLASSROOM STUDENTS will ever send from the Angel site – on the other hand, ONLINE STUDENTS WILL SEND ALL OF THEIR E-MAILS TO ANGEL) to prove that you were there and have read the RACC Rules for Students). When this is done, 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 read and follow the directions 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 (ASAP, but prior to your first class of week 2 – no personal e-mails – just RACC e-mail via SCHOOL POLICY).
I give you the assignment to read Death of an Innocent and take an online quiz prior to the beginning of class on Friday (6am in the morning it shuts off). The story can be located at the following hyperlink and in Week 1 stuff as a Word file. (http://outside.away.com/outside/features/1993/1993_into_the_wild_1.html ) On Friday, we go over this test and watch the video associated with how this magazine article became my favorite book and then a very good movie entitled Into the Wild.
On Wednesday, you take an in class grammar “pushups” test so that I can see where you stand. While this doesn’t count towards your final grade, the highest grade in each class will be rewarded. You will redo this test the last week of real class to see how much you have improved. Also, for the 2nd class of the week, I touch on journals, Issues in Your Paper, the Right Word Handout, and an introduction to prewriting. 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). Your first 1 (why you are at college) is due ONLINE ONLY prior to the first class of week 2. I do not accept paper replies in an effort to eliminate paper waste – trees are more important than printing every handout and homework assignment down the pike.
I also want a topic and 8 reasons why sent to me on ANGEL online that answers the question “SOMETHING THAT IS EMOTIONALLY VALUABLE TO ME.” Don’t write the paper yet. I’ll teach you how to do that over the coming weeks.
That more than covers everything that we will have time for. What we don’t do, we will continue with next week.
Week 2 - I tell you to go online and start looking over the Karate Kid Method of Learning Grammar handout since we begin grammar this 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. While not all handouts are necessary, this 1, the Big 10, and Issues in Your Paper are. The Journals paper is a book, so keep that on your computer for this class and every other class you ever take. It’s a lot of good research topics – really.
If you feel like you have extra time, you can always look at stuff like the Image Handout (a journal option) 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).
For the first class of week 3, you should be done with journal 2 (a positive accomplishment). From here on out, you need to finish a journal a week. They will be listed on the ANGEL site with which one is due. You will have 10 of these total, and you need to make sure they’re getting finished and submitted.
Week 3+4+5 – Continue grammar. Discuss the Karate Kid handout. Discuss the Grammar Terms PPT. Begin to discuss What’s Wrong With this Sentence PPT. Go over Grammar Errors PPT (which one to be determined). 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 (DUE DATE PENDING HOW LONG EVERYTHING ELSE TAKES). In addition, you need to work on the outline of your essay at this point. Outline sheets are available online as well.
WEEK 6 – Discuss all things that need to be done to get you going and finishing your essay by the first class of week 7. Continue grammar. I’m going to say this a lot. This is because grammar is everything to your ability to write well. 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 (an F). Students will also be assigned to create a topic for their persuasive research essay, which will be due (submitted on ANGEL) on Monday with a brief summary of what they hope to prove in research as opposed to just telling me straight up (report). Since this is persuasive, you have to find something researchable to persuade me on (not why you should have an A).
Sunday, January 23, 2011
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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/
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