Preparing for the Final Exam - Thursday, 12/9, 10:30 am

·    Students may use a dictionary or dictionaries (Hard copies only.  No electronic anything!)

·    Students may use irregular verb lists but no other references (except dictionaries).

·    Desktops should be cleared of all but bluebooks, topics, dictionaries, irregular verb list and a few sheets of scrap paper for the draft.

·    All students at all levels should be given two hours and ten minutes to write.

·    Students should be continuously supervised.

·    Students should not be allowed to help each other.

·    Instructors should not answer questions about grammar or content.

·   Students may not leave the classroom during the exam.

·    Instructors should not point out errors or help students write.

·    Students must write compositions in the blue books provided by the Department.  No computer printouts will be accepted.

·    The classroom should remain quiet.

Before class tomorrow, go over your composition from today:
1. Did you address the topic?
2. Did you use complete sentences?
3. Are  your words spelled correctly?
4. Is your handwriting legible?
5. Is the main idea (thesis/opinion) in the first paragraph/introduction?
6. Where is the main idea (topic sentence) in the second, third (fourth? fifth?) paragraphs?
7. Did you include a well developed conclusion?
8. Is your essay at least 250 words?

Bring in your essay and your responses to these questions to class tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! (and then...)

DO NOT COME TO LAB ON MONDAY!! YOU WERE RIGHT: THEY ARE CLOSED. 
Dear Class:
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving! When we come back, we will have two weeks of class left before the final: December 9! Please keep in mind that all homework (including reading responses and compositions revisions) not only counts as part of your final grade, it makes you stronger as a reader and a writer of English. You need these skills to pass to the next level!

Homework:

1. Finish reading the novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring.

2. Write a Reading Response to the last section and post it on your blog. (If you have not written a Reader Response for the previous sections, do these.)

3. Write a 250-300 word composition in response to the following: Pieter has asked Griet to marry him and her parents are also encouraging her to do this. However, Griet is hesitant and keeps telling Pieter she is too young. If you were a friend of Griet’s, what would you advise her to do? Do you think she should marry Pieter? Express your opinion in the introduction (thesis statement) and then give reasons in support of your opinion. Refer to specific parts of the book to support your points.

Be sure to include an introduction and a conclusion. Please note that you do not need to summarize the story. The questions are asking you to focus on a particular aspect of the book. Be sure you understand the question before you begin writing.

Please post your composition on your blog by Monday, 29 November!!

4. Revise composition 4, 5, and/or 6 if you have not done so already or if I asked you to revise any of them again.

5. If you have not done so already: Read and do the exercises in Grammar Troublespots for Chapters 16 and 19.

Looking toward November 15...

1. Continue work in Grammar Troublespots (see below). Bring the book Tuesday!
2. Post revisions for both COMP 5 BY Monday!
3. Complete the reader response for "Girl with a Pearl Earring. A Reader Response includes

• a summary,
• a part you liked,
• a part you found confusing,
• at least two questions you have, AND
• an interpretation!

A LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE...



 Schedule of reading Girl with a Pearl Earring:

By 11/15: read through middle of  page 110

By 11/22: read through page 169

By 11/29: read through page 233 (the end)!

Schedule for Grammar Troublespots

Week of 11/22: Chapter 20

Week of 11/29: Chapter 16 and 19

Schedule for Compositions

Week of 11/15: Complete all revisions/argument

Week of 11/22: Complete all revisions/argument

Week of 11/29: Composition 7 (Girl with a Pearl Earring: Argument)

Week of 12/6: Composition 8 (Practice for Final)

12/9: Final Exam!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Hello, Class!
I am not able to make it to class today. :-(  I'm sorry!
Catch up on your work:

• Composition 6 will be rescheduled for Tuesday, November 16.
• Continue reading Girl with a Pearl Earring (up to page 110). (What's a camera obscura?)
• If you have not posted your Reader Response (up to page 67), please do it today.
• Work on your composition revision(s) and post them on your blog.
• Continue to work on Grammar Troublespot 13 (Articles), Troublespot 14 (Pronoun and Pronoun Reference), and Troublespot 18 (Relative Clauses). (Untangle this from yesterday's sentences:   

I refuse to this kind of custom, because I don’t want that my next generation including my son and many children continue with this Horrorific tradition I’m not support, and will not support to see as many kids and parents have to kill their own family only because of a tradition.


See you tomorrow!
Professor Jerskey

Due For Class, Thursday, November 4 (and a look toward the future)

1. If you have not done so already, complete all the exercises for Troublespot 13: Articles. Bring the book!
2. Post revisions for both COMP 3 and COMP 4 BY FRIDAY!
3. If you have not done so already, complete the reader response for "One of These Days;" POST IT ON YOUR BLOG!  Bring the story!
A Reader Response includes

• a summary,
• a part you liked,
• a part you found confusing,
• at least two questions you have, AND
• an interpretation!

We will go over your reader responses tomorrow. Be sure to post them on the blog.

** Begin reading Girl with a Pearl Earring; By Monday, November 8, finish reading up to page 67. Write a reader response to post on the blog no later than end of lab class on Monday.

A Reader Response includes

• a summary,
• a part you liked,
• a part you found confusing,
• at least two questions you have, AND
• an interpretation!

A LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE...



 Schedule of reading Girl with a Pearl Earring:

By 11/8/10: read through page 67

By 11/15: read through middle of  page 110

By 11/22: read through page 169

By 11/29: read through page 233 (the end)!

Schedule for Grammar Troublespots
Week of 11/8: Chapters 14 and 18
Week of 11/15: Chapters 16 and 19
Week of 11/22: Chapter 20
Week of 11/29: Chapter 16 and 19


Schedule for Compositions
Week of 11/8: Composition 6 ("One of These Days")
Week of 11/15: Complete all revisions/argument
Week of 11/22: Complete all revisions/argument
Week of 11/29: Composition 7 (Girl with a Pearl Earring: Argument)
Week of 12/6: Composition 8 (Practice for Final)
12/9: Final Exam!

The week of November 1st!

1. In Lab: Read "One of These Days." Write a description of the setting. Write also, a Readers Response to it-- including a summary, part you liked, part you found confusing, questions you have, AND an interpretation! We will go over the story on Tuesday and Thursday.

2. Based on my feedback, revise both Composition 3 and Composition 4 and post them on the blog by Thursday a.m. before class. If you have any questions about my comments, please see me. I'm happy to talk about them with you. (It also might make it easier and more productive for you!)

3. This week we will be going over Chapters 11, 12, and 13 in Grammar Troublespots. Be sure you have finished the exercises and to bring your book.

4. Our next composition will be on Wednesday. Remember to bring your dictionary, your irregular verb chart, and pens to write with. It will be based on our discussion about  The Lottery.

REMINDER: Over the weekend, you will begin reading "Girl with a Pearl Earring." Be sure you have a copy of the book and bring it to class!

Homework over the weekend - October 21st

• Post your revision for Composition #3 by Monday.
• Read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and post your Reader Response by Tuesday.**
• Read Chapters 10 and12 in Grammar Troublespots; do exercise 1 (p. 75) and exercises 1 and 2 (p. 92) due in class on Tuesday.

Tuesday: Composition #4 begins promptly at 10:30 am. Be on time. Bring your paper dictionary (no electronic dictionaries!); pens; irregular verb charts.

Have a great weekend!!

**

SUMMARY : Tell what happened in the story in your own words.  Your summary should be five to eight sentences long .

A PART YOU LIKED: In one sentence or two tell which part you liked and explain why it appealed to you.  You can choose one or more paragraphs of the story, a sentence, or even a phrase.  Write down the page number where this paragraph, sentence, or phrase appears so that you can read it to the other members of your group.

A PART YOU FOUND CONFUSING: This can be a sentence, a paragraph, or even an entire page.  If you found more than one part confusing, you should mention it as well.  Put the page number where this part appears.

QUESTIONS: You should ask at least two questions that occurred to you during or after you read the story.

INTERPRETATION: Your interpretation of the story is an explanation of what the story meant to you.  It’s your  analysis of the story.  You can talk about why you think the characters behaved the way they did or what you think the point of the story is.  You can also discuss broader issues raised  by the story.  

Important Points for a Good Conclusion

Options

• Frame your essay by reminding your readers of something you referred to in your introduction and by reminding readers of your main point.
• End on a strong note: a quotation, a question, a suggestion, a reference to something you talked about in the introduction, a humorous insightful comment, a call to action, or a look to the future.

What to Avoid

• Do not use the obvious "In conclusion."
• Do not apologize for the inadequacy of your argument ("I do not know much about this problem") or for holding your opinions ("I am sorry if you do not agree with me, but...").
• Do not use the identical wording you used in your introduction.
• Do not introduce totally new ideas. If you raise a new point at the end, readers might expect more details.
• Do not contradict what you said previously.
• Do not be too sweeping in your conclusions. Do not condemn the whole medical profession, for example, because on person you know had a bad time in one hospital.

Important Introduction Points!!

Options

• Make sure your first sentence stands alone and does not depend on readers' being aware of the essay title or an assigned question. For instance, avoid beginning with "This story has a complex plot."
• Provide context and background information to set up the thesis.
• Indicate what claim  you will make in your essay, or at least indicate the issue on which you will state a claim.
• Define any key terms that are pertinent to the discussion.
• Establish the tone of the paper: informative, persuasive, serious, humorous, personal, impersonal, formal, informal.
• Engage the interest of your readers to make them want to continue reading.

What to Avoid

• Avoid being overly general and telling readers the obvious, such as "Crime is a big problem" or "In this fast-paced world, TV is a popular form of entertainment" or "Since the beginning of time, the sexes have been in conflict."
• Do not refer to  your writing intentions, such as "In this essay, I will..." Do not make extravagant claims, such as "This essay will prive that bilingual education works for every student."
• Do not restate the assigned essay question.

Homework for Monday, October 18th and Tuesday, October 19th

Due Monday, October 18th
Read and complete exercises on a separate piece of paper for Chapter 8, Past Tense Verbs, in Grammar Troublespots. (You will hand these in during lab.)

Write a reading response to A Chip of Glass Ruby. Post your reading response on the blog by Monday.

SUMMARY : Tell what happened in the story in your own words.  Your summary should be five to eight sentences long .

A PART YOU LIKED: In one sentence or two tell which part you liked and explain why it appealed to you.  You can choose one or more paragraphs of the story, a sentence, or even a phrase.  Write down the page number where this paragraph, sentence, or phrase appears so that you can read it to the other members of your group.

A PART YOU FOUND CONFUSING: This can be a sentence, a paragraph, or even an entire page.  If you found more than one part confusing, you should mention it as well.  Put the page number where this part appears.

QUESTIONS: You should ask at least two questions that occurred to you during or after you read the story.

INTERPRETATION: Your interpretation of the story is an explanation of what the story meant to you.  It’s your  analysis of the story.  You can talk about why you think the characters behaved the way they did or what you think the point of the story is.  You can also discuss broader issues raised  by the story.  

Due Tuesday, October 19th

Hand in your typed, revised exploration paper for Professor Mettler.

Homework for 6 October 2010

Finish reading 12 Angry Men (or as much as you can).
Write a paragraph that explains how your juror changed his mind from "guilty" to "not guilty." Find the place in the book that best shows this.
Diana, you can choose juror # 10, 11, or 12.
Bring Grammar Troublespots. 

Homework for Week 4 -

1. Have a great weekend!
2. Revise Comp #2; bring to lab on Monday to workshop; hand in with original on Thursday.
3. GTS: Chapter 3, exercises #1 and 2
4. Read 12 Angry Men: p. 5 - 48
5. Post on the blog for Monday night: A description of your juror. This should be seven to 8 sentences long. Choose at least 3 quotes to support your description. What do you know about him?
Irani = Juror #1; Yuan = Juror #2

NOTICE: COMPOSITION #3 WILL BE ON TUESDAY ON SUNDAY IN THE PARK: BRING YOUR DICTIONARY!!!!

Homework due Monday and Tuesday; Reminders

1. Have a great weekend!
2. Revise your composition #1. Remember ARMS: A=Add; R=Remove; M=Move; S=Substitute! Bring your revised composition to lab on Monday. You will post it onto your blog so if you can bring it on a flashdrive or email it to yourself, that will be great. THE TUTORS CAN HELP YOU MAKE FINAL TOUCHES TO YOUR ESSAY BEFORE YOU POST.
3. Read Sunday in the Park. For Tuesday's class, write a short summary of the story (7 - 8 sentences) in paragraph form. Also include at least two questions you have about the story, a word, a sentence, or a paragraph. Please post the paragraph and the questions on your blog by the end of lab on Monday so I can read it!
4. Next week we will cover Troublespot 2 in class. Please read it! You will do all the exercises by the end of the week so if you want to start doing some over the weekend, that would be great!

Bring to lab on Monday:
1. Your revised composition #1 with questions for the tutors; be prepared to post it on your blog.
2. Bring your paragraph and questions for Sunday in the Park.
3. Bring your dictionaries!

Bring to class on Tuesday:
1. Grammar Troublespots
2. Sunday in the Park

MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE 12 ANGRY MEN. We will begin reading it October 5.

Homework for Wednesday, September 22nd (First day of Autumn!)

Hello, Class!
For tomorrow's homework:
Please post on your blog your paragraph summarizing the story "Reunion."
Do Exercises 2 and 3 in Grammar Troublespots. Bring your homework and Grammar Troublespots!

Welcome to our main blog!

Dear Class,

This is where I will post announcements, blog assignments, changes in the schedule, homework, assignments, etc.

First, create your own class blog in Blogger. You'll see that there are many formats you can choose from. The main thing you'll do today is:

1. Create an account.

2. Create a blog and give it a title that has your name in it. 

3. Copy your blog's complete URL. 

4. Submit your full name and the URL as a Comment to this post.

5. Create your own blog list.

Good job!