NO CLASS TODAY

Going to be out sick today (Thursday, 9/30). See you next class.

Thesis Statements

Using the method we discussed in class, use the list of interrogatory terms and the topic you brainstormed to craft 3 questions about your topic and the craft it into 3 thesis statements. Please post them as 3 post of Qustion/Thesis sets below.

Moving from Topic to Thesis Slideshow

Basic Reading 3: Reading Schedule for the Natural

• ·      Oct 7    pgs 1-59
• ·      Oct 14  pgs 60-123
• ·      Oct 21  pgs 124-185
• ·      Oct 28 pgs 186-end

·       

In order to actively participate in the discussion, you will complete 2 TSR Journals for each discussion plus draft 2 questions pertaining to the reading for that class.

Here is what I am looking for:

Take note of any questions you have while reading and then prepare them for class where you will offer them to the group for analysis.  These should be typed and prepared ahead of time as a for credit assignment.

Here is an example of a well-constructed question:  

·      How does Roy’s mother influence his feelings toward women?

or should be something you did not understand about the novel or circumstances in the novel, for example:

·    Why does the author portray baseball as being so different from its current reputation as a sport?

Questions should not be asked for the sake of fulfilling the assignment but should have merit for discussion or to clarify a point about the reading.  An example of a poorly constructed question would be: 

·      Who wrote The Natural?

or points that are clearly stated in the text, making the question useless:

·      What sport did Roy Hobbs play?

·      What happened to prevent Roy from the tryout? 

    

You do NOT need to answer the questions you pose, but you DO need to ask them!

Please feel free to use Spark Notes as a resource in ADDITION to reading the novel.

Prewriting Assignment

Homework: Due Tuesday

Take a topic of your choosing and create 3 prewriting methods with it-- choose from freewriting, brainstorming, mapping and outlining. Show all of your work. All portions should be typed (except mapping) but feel free to use pen or pencil to underline important ideas or make annotations such as circles and stars.

Check it out

Check out Tracy's blog and follow her!

Harvest of Anger

Answer the following questions based on the reading, Harvest of Anger, in 4-6 sentences and then respond to 2 of your peers for a total of 6 posts.

1. Pick out one quote that was significant to you. Explain it and why it was significant.
2. What biases did you have, for or against the subject, while reading this text? When did you become aware of it and did it hinder your evaluating the text in an objective way?
3. What ideas were you unfamiliar with from the text and how did you approach that information?
4. Pose one question you have about the text. Then, attempt to answer someone else's question.

More Atheists Shout it From the Rooftops

Answer the following questions based on the reading, More Athiests Shout it from the Rooftops, in 4-6 sentences and then respond to 2 of your peers for a total of 6 posts.

1. Pick out one quote that was significant to you. Explain it and why it was significant.
2. What biases did you have, for or against the subject, while reading this text? When did you become aware of it and did it hinder your evaluating the text in an objective way?
3. What ideas were you unfamiliar with from the text and how did you approach that information?
4. Pose one question you have about the text. Then, attempt to answer someone else's question.

Book Update

According to the textbook manager, Nick, the textbook and the novels are all in. He will allow you to exchange your books up to this Friday. If you have any problems with the staff not being aware of this extention, please ask for Nick to resolve this with him. Likewise, if you get news that the books are NOT in, please also ask for Nick to resolve the matter.

Please see that you have the text by Friday, as I will be assigning reading in it for Tuesday's class.

AF

Novels

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

The Natural by Bernard Malamud

Assignment Schedule for September

Assignment Schedule for September 

Class 1
Review of Syllabus
Introductions 
Writing Sample
Homework: Purchase Textbook

Class 2
Discussion: Reading, Writing & Literacy-- Thinking about texts & communication
Journaling & Freewriting Handout- 
Freewriting by Peter Elbow
Journal: 10 Minutes of freewriting
Homework:Bring in a textual artifact from your life OR one printed from the website Foundmagazine.com  Submit a one-page reflection paper about the artifact that follows the submission format rules outlined for you. Due Thursday.


Class 3
Discussion: Reading critically and interacting with a text
The TSR Journal
Ugly Kids Get Parental Short Shrift


Homework: 
Using our discussion and TSR Journal Handout as your guide, create 2 TSR Journal entries based on the Ugly Kids article. Remember submission guidelines. Due Tuesday.

Class 4
Reading critically: More Athiests Shout it from the Rooftops
Lab: Blog
Homework:
Finish Blog


Class 5
Discussion: Test taking and reading critically for the exit exam
Homework:
Read chapters in textbook

Class 6
Review of key concepts in text pages 4-60
Audience/main idea and supporting details: Harvest of Anger
Homework: Finish blogging
Read chapter 4 in textbook


Class 7 
Prewriting strategies


Homework:

Take a topic of your choosing and create 3 prewriting methods with it-- choose from freewriting, brainstorming, mapping and outlining. Show all of your work. All portions should be typed (except mapping) but feel free to use pen or pencil to underline important ideas or make annotations such as circles and stars. Due Tuesday.

Found Text Assignment

Write a one page reflection on a textual artifact from your life-- a text message, a letter, a news clipping or story--using the standard submission format discussed in class. 

Reflections may discuss why the artifact is meaningful or interesting to you, and how you came by the artifact.

You may use Found Magazine's website for ideas or to locate an artifact that you find interesting. Due Thursday.

Welcome

Dear students:
Welcome to Spring 2010. We will be using our blog as a forum for written communication and as resource for course-related information. You will find information such as a general outline of what is taking place in class/what will be due in the upcoming weeks, PDFs and links of select handouts and extra materials of interest to you, as well as the course syllabus should you lose it. Please check this site frequently, as it is updated regularly. 

I recommend the following:A Gmail account to make it easier for you to interact with and sign on to our blog, which is powered by Google. That you save your log in and password somewhere accessible so you are not delayed when assignments are given if you forget your information. That you "follow" the blog. It will make it easier for you to find the link.That you write the web address accurately in your notebook for use at home. (Note: http:// without the "www") That you copy, cut and paste information from Word into the comment field of our blog just in case there is a problem. (Students have sometimes run into glitches and lost their carefully thought out responses. Don't let this happen to you!) That you read your comments for coherence, spelling and logic, making sure it applies to the questions asked. 


In addition, you may wish to sign up for a Twitter account and add me to your followers. You will be able to get Tweets from me that may give you more frequent updates and send me tweets to stay in contact with me to ask for help or give feedback. My Twitter SN is AferranteHCCC. You can see Twitter updates on the left hand side of the blog and the link will bring you directly to my page.

Wishing all you a successful semester,
Angela Ferrante

Read These Directions First: Online discourse and discussion

Read These Directions First: Online discourse and discussion 

Read These Directions First! Online Discourse & Blogging 

So here is how this will work: I will get the online discussion started by positing a consideration, offering an opinion, or posing a set of questions based on an article.

Each of you will not only respond to me first, but to at least three students after your first comment. We'll keep the language professional and academic, as is the case for your homework and in-class assignments. As for a minimum response, let's begin with an "oversized" paragraph of 5-7 sentences per response per individual.
Be sure you are answering the question fully and completely.

Remember to:Proofread your work before you hit that "Publish" button.Create at the appropriate number comments (each between 5-7 sentences)—to me and to your peers.Keep the language professional, academic, and on-point.Sign your full name at the bottom of each response you make.Comment within the appropriate post.


*Tip- you may find it helpful to work in Word so that you can spell check your response and as a precautionary measure against losing your response should something "happen" during the publishing process.

Reminders:


Do not use IM language (e.g., ";-)," "u r kewl," "lol," "brb," etc.)--this is a college-level discussion, not a private conversation. Do not use slang--again, this is a college environment where people use professional and academic language. Do not state an opinion without stating why you think/feel the way you do. Do not re-phrase someone's comment or just agree with him in order to have something to say--"Think before you type" means exactly that. This is what a typical student comment should look like:


Response to Alba: So in other words you're saying that people who are not beautiful have no opportunity in life to succeed because of the way we judge them. I think that is wrong. Children are very sensitive and they can sense when adults make fun of them or treat them differently because of their look. Those children are the same people, that when the grow up, they also become ugly from inside, as a result of the way they were treated when they were child. That is still one of the biggest taboo that we have, judge someone for their look, before we even give them a chance to talk.-- Yuleina Mac Donald

Lastly, the ideas presented in your responses should be your own, or you should be adding something new to the discussion. Hopefully, this weblog will grow as your skills grow and this will also serve to put a new spin on an old "tried and true" method of collegiate discussion.

Participation on this blog counts as an assignment. Inappropriate, rude, or offensive language is unacceptable and will be removed from our blog. Three such offenses during the semester will result in questionable comments being submitted on paper to me, a NC for each offense, and could also result in failure for the course.

Comments that do not meet the minimum requirements will be deleted.