Hello,
Packet #4 information below. This is due to be completed by Wednesday.
This is actually a video to view...it is approximately 17 minutes long.
You may want to jot down a few notes about the video so you can recall it during class discussion.
http://www.ted.com/talks/deborah_scranton_on_her_war_tapes.html
Also, since class had to be cancelled on Friday, we will, as I mentioned in the blog from Friday, complete what was planned for Friday, tomorrow. That means Packet #2 is due to be read and we will have Journal #2.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Reading Packet #3, due to be read by Monday, November 1st
"War Revisited"
By Nick Miller $ Kel Munger
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=928683
Happy Halloween...
I will post Reading Packets 4 and 5 over the weekend.
645 am...Friday, October 29, 2010
Good morning,
I truly apologize for such late notice. I realize most of you will not read this until it is too late.
I am going to have to cancel class today, Friday, October 29th.
I am having some unexpected transportation issues. :-)
We will complete what is scheduled for today...on Monday.
Have a safe weekend.
I truly apologize for such late notice. I realize most of you will not read this until it is too late.
I am going to have to cancel class today, Friday, October 29th.
I am having some unexpected transportation issues. :-)
We will complete what is scheduled for today...on Monday.
Have a safe weekend.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 28
Greetings,
below is a copy of the handout I distributed awhile ago--How to Critically Read an Essay.
Be sure to bring your copy to class tomorrow and/or until we complete our discussion regarding it.
See you tomorrow.
English 1A , College Composition I
C. Fraga
How to Critically Read an Essay
Educated adults exist in a delusional state, thinking we can read.
In a most basic sense, we can.
However, odds are, some of us cannot read, at least not as well as we would like.
Too many college students are capable of only some types of reading and that becomes painfully clear when they read a difficult text and must respond critically about it.
Intelligence and a keen memory are excellent traits and most students have learned to read in a certain way that is only useful for extracting information. Thus, students are often fairly well skilled in providing summary.
However, the act of reading to extract information and to read critically are vastly different!
The current educational system in American primary schools (and many colleges) heavily emphasizes the first type of reading and de-emphasizes the latter.
In many ways, THIS MAKES SENSE.
Reading to extract information allows a student to absorb the raw materials of factual information as quickly as possible. It is a type of reading we all must engage in frequently. However, each type of reading calls for different mental habits. If we do not learn to adjust from one type of reading to another when necessary, we cripple our intellectual abilities to read critically.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN READING TO EXTRACT INFORMATION AND READING CRITICALLY.
1. They have different goals. When students read to extract information, usually they seek facts and presume the source is accurate. No argument is required. On the other hand, when students read critically, they try to determine the quality of the argument. The reader must be open-minded and skeptical all at once, constantly adjusting the degree of personal belief in relation to the quality of the essay’s argument.
2. They require different types of discipline. If students read to learn raw data, the most efficient way to learn is repetition. If students read critically, the most effective technique may be to break the essay up into logical subdivisions and analyze each section’s argument, to restate the argument in other words, and then to expand upon or question the findings.
3. They require different mental activity. If a student reads to gain information, a certain degree of absorption, memorization and passivity is necessary. If a student is engaged in reading critically, that student must be active!!! He or she must be prepared to pre-read the essay, then read it closely for content, and re-read it if it isn’t clear how the author is reaching the conclusion in the argument.
4. They create different results. Passive reading to absorb information can create a student who (if not precisely well read) has read a great many books. It creates what many call “book-smarts.” However, critical reading involves original, innovative thinking.
5. They differ in the degree of understanding they require. Reading for information is more basic, and reading critically is the more advanced of the two because only critical reading equates with full understanding.
ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE WANT IS THE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF OUR READING SKILLS, SO WE CAN MOVE BACK AND FORTH AMIDST THE VARIOUS TYPES OF READING.
FIVE GENERAL STAGES OF READING
1. Pre-Reading—examining the text and preparing to read it effectively (5 minutes)
2. Interpretive Reading—understanding what the author argues, what the author concludes, and exactly how he or she reached that conclusion.
3. Critical Reading—questioning, examining and expanding upon what the author says with your own arguments. Skeptical reading does not mean doubting everything your read.
4. Synoptic Reading—putting the author’s argument in a larger context by considering a synopsis of that reading or argument in conjunction with synopses of other readings or arguments.
5. Post-Reading—ensuring that you won’t forget your new insights.
below is a copy of the handout I distributed awhile ago--How to Critically Read an Essay.
Be sure to bring your copy to class tomorrow and/or until we complete our discussion regarding it.
See you tomorrow.
English 1A , College Composition I
C. Fraga
How to Critically Read an Essay
Educated adults exist in a delusional state, thinking we can read.
In a most basic sense, we can.
However, odds are, some of us cannot read, at least not as well as we would like.
Too many college students are capable of only some types of reading and that becomes painfully clear when they read a difficult text and must respond critically about it.
Intelligence and a keen memory are excellent traits and most students have learned to read in a certain way that is only useful for extracting information. Thus, students are often fairly well skilled in providing summary.
However, the act of reading to extract information and to read critically are vastly different!
The current educational system in American primary schools (and many colleges) heavily emphasizes the first type of reading and de-emphasizes the latter.
In many ways, THIS MAKES SENSE.
Reading to extract information allows a student to absorb the raw materials of factual information as quickly as possible. It is a type of reading we all must engage in frequently. However, each type of reading calls for different mental habits. If we do not learn to adjust from one type of reading to another when necessary, we cripple our intellectual abilities to read critically.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN READING TO EXTRACT INFORMATION AND READING CRITICALLY.
1. They have different goals. When students read to extract information, usually they seek facts and presume the source is accurate. No argument is required. On the other hand, when students read critically, they try to determine the quality of the argument. The reader must be open-minded and skeptical all at once, constantly adjusting the degree of personal belief in relation to the quality of the essay’s argument.
2. They require different types of discipline. If students read to learn raw data, the most efficient way to learn is repetition. If students read critically, the most effective technique may be to break the essay up into logical subdivisions and analyze each section’s argument, to restate the argument in other words, and then to expand upon or question the findings.
3. They require different mental activity. If a student reads to gain information, a certain degree of absorption, memorization and passivity is necessary. If a student is engaged in reading critically, that student must be active!!! He or she must be prepared to pre-read the essay, then read it closely for content, and re-read it if it isn’t clear how the author is reaching the conclusion in the argument.
4. They create different results. Passive reading to absorb information can create a student who (if not precisely well read) has read a great many books. It creates what many call “book-smarts.” However, critical reading involves original, innovative thinking.
5. They differ in the degree of understanding they require. Reading for information is more basic, and reading critically is the more advanced of the two because only critical reading equates with full understanding.
ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE WANT IS THE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF OUR READING SKILLS, SO WE CAN MOVE BACK AND FORTH AMIDST THE VARIOUS TYPES OF READING.
FIVE GENERAL STAGES OF READING
1. Pre-Reading—examining the text and preparing to read it effectively (5 minutes)
2. Interpretive Reading—understanding what the author argues, what the author concludes, and exactly how he or she reached that conclusion.
3. Critical Reading—questioning, examining and expanding upon what the author says with your own arguments. Skeptical reading does not mean doubting everything your read.
4. Synoptic Reading—putting the author’s argument in a larger context by considering a synopsis of that reading or argument in conjunction with synopses of other readings or arguments.
5. Post-Reading—ensuring that you won’t forget your new insights.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 26th
Hello!
Here is the link for Reading Packet #2, due to be read by Friday, October 29th.
"Down & Out in Fresno and San Francisco"
http://www.esquire.com/print-this/down-and-out-0709?page=all
Be sure to print out the article and bring to class on Friday.
See you tomorrow!
Here is the link for Reading Packet #2, due to be read by Friday, October 29th.
"Down & Out in Fresno and San Francisco"
http://www.esquire.com/print-this/down-and-out-0709?page=all
Be sure to print out the article and bring to class on Friday.
See you tomorrow!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday evening, October 25th
Good evening!
Just a few reminders...
1. Remember to write out or type out your working thesis statement and bring to class on Wednesday, Oct. 27th.
2. Be sure to bring the handout that we started to discuss in class today (How to Read an Essay) with you to class until we finish the discussion.
3. Check the blog every day for updates, assignments, changes, etc.
Have a wonderful and safe Tuesday.
Just a few reminders...
1. Remember to write out or type out your working thesis statement and bring to class on Wednesday, Oct. 27th.
2. Be sure to bring the handout that we started to discuss in class today (How to Read an Essay) with you to class until we finish the discussion.
3. Check the blog every day for updates, assignments, changes, etc.
Have a wonderful and safe Tuesday.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saturday evening, October 23
Good evening.
Reading Packet #1 is due to be read by Wednesday, the 27th.
Below is the title of the article to be read and the link to the article. Be sure to read the entire article...it is four pages long.
"The Magic of the Family Meal"
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760,00.html
And of course, remember to print a copy of the article and bring it to class on Wednesday, the day it is due to be read.
Reading Packet #1 is due to be read by Wednesday, the 27th.
Below is the title of the article to be read and the link to the article. Be sure to read the entire article...it is four pages long.
"The Magic of the Family Meal"
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760,00.html
And of course, remember to print a copy of the article and bring it to class on Wednesday, the day it is due to be read.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday evening, October 18th, 830 pm
Hello,
I apologize, again, for the assumption this morning that you had already completed a journal assignment.
:-)
Also, I am including below a copy of the handout we discussed in class today.
See you Wednesday.
English 1A
FROM SOURCE TO ESSAY
Topic: Joining a Girl Gang as a Rite of Passage
Thesis Statement: In the past, as a rite of passage, young girls joined gangs in order to develop self-esteem; however, most girl gangs today are less friendly and more competitive among members.
Bibliography Card (3”x5”):
Vida, Vendela. Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Drive-bys, and Other Initiations.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999. Print.
Note Card (4”x6”):
Vida 89
Initiation into the Bentral Valley Bloods(B.V.B.), a girl gang in Central Valley of CA:
initiate gets “jumped in”
• has to walk down a line with sixteen girls on each side of her, beating her
• has to sleep with a male gang member
In Text Citation
In the Central Valley of California, there are several girl gangs, including the Bentral Valley Bloods (B.V.B.). In order to become a member, each initiate must be “jumped in.” This rite of passage initiation requires the girl to walk down a line with sixteen girls on each side of her, who beat her continuously. She must also sleep with a male gang member (Vida 89).
I apologize, again, for the assumption this morning that you had already completed a journal assignment.
:-)
Also, I am including below a copy of the handout we discussed in class today.
See you Wednesday.
English 1A
FROM SOURCE TO ESSAY
Topic: Joining a Girl Gang as a Rite of Passage
Thesis Statement: In the past, as a rite of passage, young girls joined gangs in order to develop self-esteem; however, most girl gangs today are less friendly and more competitive among members.
Bibliography Card (3”x5”):
Vida, Vendela. Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Drive-bys, and Other Initiations.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999. Print.
Note Card (4”x6”):
Vida 89
Initiation into the Bentral Valley Bloods(B.V.B.), a girl gang in Central Valley of CA:
initiate gets “jumped in”
• has to walk down a line with sixteen girls on each side of her, beating her
• has to sleep with a male gang member
In Text Citation
In the Central Valley of California, there are several girl gangs, including the Bentral Valley Bloods (B.V.B.). In order to become a member, each initiate must be “jumped in.” This rite of passage initiation requires the girl to walk down a line with sixteen girls on each side of her, who beat her continuously. She must also sleep with a male gang member (Vida 89).
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Saturday, October 16
Hello, hope your weekend is going well.
Reminder...have the topic for essay 2 decided by Monday. To help you decide, be sure to do a bit of preliminary research to be sure there is adequate information available.
Reminder...have the topic for essay 2 decided by Monday. To help you decide, be sure to do a bit of preliminary research to be sure there is adequate information available.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010--around 4 pm
Greetings!
I apologize for seemingly not allowing enough time for you to complete the quiz today in class.
In the past, 35 minutes has been sufficient, but it did not seem to be enough for many of you.
So, I am not going to even look at the quizzes this weekend.
I am going to give you time on Monday to look at your responses again and finish or at least double check your answers.
:-)
I apologize for seemingly not allowing enough time for you to complete the quiz today in class.
In the past, 35 minutes has been sufficient, but it did not seem to be enough for many of you.
So, I am not going to even look at the quizzes this weekend.
I am going to give you time on Monday to look at your responses again and finish or at least double check your answers.
:-)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Wednesday, October 13th
Hello! Here is a copy of out of class essay assignment #2--assigned in class today.
And one more reminder...remember your Rules of Thumb textbook. If there are any of you that have not purchased this text, I highly recommend that you do immediately. :-)
English 1A, Sections 3 and 84
Fall 2010
Course Theme: The Significance of Home
Instructor: C. Fraga
Out of Class Essay Assignment #2 (worth 200 points total)
Assigned: Wednesday, October 13
ROUGH DRAFT: If you wish to have me review a rough draft of this assignment, please submit it to me NO LATER Friday, November 5.
Due: Wednesday, November 10 (note date change on course outline)
(YOU HAVE FOUR WEEKS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AND WRITE YOUR ESSAY…PLAN YOUR TIME ACCORDINGLY)
• Essay must follow MLA format exactly.
• Essay must be typed and double spaced.
• Essay must have a minimum of five sources on the Works Cited page. You are welcome to use the Internet for sources, but at least one of your sources cannot be found on the Internet (for example, use a book, watch a film, conduct an interview, etc.)
• You may certainly utilize the Wikepedia website to gain background information and to locate reference sites, but you may not use it as one of your documented sources on the Works Cited page.
Essay Prompt:
• For this essay, you will first select a group of people from another culture/country that you are genuinely interested in finding out more about.
• You will then conduct research in order to discover and then write about at least three significant ways in which someone from this culture/country must adapt to life in the United States.
• You will then begin by writing a thesis that is assertive and debatable.
For example, imagine that you selected the adaptation of the Hmong once they arrive in the US. After conducting some research, you decide to present information on male and female roles in marriage, religious practices and diet as the three areas of adjustment you feel are most significant and would make the most interesting reading.
Your thesis might read something like the following:
Hundreds of Hmong people immigrate to the United States every year and face many difficult challenges, particularly in the areas of religious practices, changes in diet and male/female roles within a marriage.
(An essay that asks you to address a topic such as this one would be difficult to complete in less than five or six pages, approximately.)
And one more reminder...remember your Rules of Thumb textbook. If there are any of you that have not purchased this text, I highly recommend that you do immediately. :-)
English 1A, Sections 3 and 84
Fall 2010
Course Theme: The Significance of Home
Instructor: C. Fraga
Out of Class Essay Assignment #2 (worth 200 points total)
Assigned: Wednesday, October 13
ROUGH DRAFT: If you wish to have me review a rough draft of this assignment, please submit it to me NO LATER Friday, November 5.
Due: Wednesday, November 10 (note date change on course outline)
(YOU HAVE FOUR WEEKS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AND WRITE YOUR ESSAY…PLAN YOUR TIME ACCORDINGLY)
• Essay must follow MLA format exactly.
• Essay must be typed and double spaced.
• Essay must have a minimum of five sources on the Works Cited page. You are welcome to use the Internet for sources, but at least one of your sources cannot be found on the Internet (for example, use a book, watch a film, conduct an interview, etc.)
• You may certainly utilize the Wikepedia website to gain background information and to locate reference sites, but you may not use it as one of your documented sources on the Works Cited page.
Essay Prompt:
• For this essay, you will first select a group of people from another culture/country that you are genuinely interested in finding out more about.
• You will then conduct research in order to discover and then write about at least three significant ways in which someone from this culture/country must adapt to life in the United States.
• You will then begin by writing a thesis that is assertive and debatable.
For example, imagine that you selected the adaptation of the Hmong once they arrive in the US. After conducting some research, you decide to present information on male and female roles in marriage, religious practices and diet as the three areas of adjustment you feel are most significant and would make the most interesting reading.
Your thesis might read something like the following:
Hundreds of Hmong people immigrate to the United States every year and face many difficult challenges, particularly in the areas of religious practices, changes in diet and male/female roles within a marriage.
(An essay that asks you to address a topic such as this one would be difficult to complete in less than five or six pages, approximately.)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 12th
Greetings!
Please bring your Rules of Thumb book to class tomorrow AND Friday (October 13 and 15)
See you tomorrow!
Please bring your Rules of Thumb book to class tomorrow AND Friday (October 13 and 15)
See you tomorrow!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday, October 10th
Hello!
Hope your weekend has gone wonderfully.
A few things:
remember to bring your copy of Rules of Thumb to class tomorrow.
It is an open book quiz.
Also, a minor change in the schedule for this week.
We will not discuss your second out of class essay assignment until Wednesday.
See you tomorrow!
Hope your weekend has gone wonderfully.
A few things:
remember to bring your copy of Rules of Thumb to class tomorrow.
It is an open book quiz.
Also, a minor change in the schedule for this week.
We will not discuss your second out of class essay assignment until Wednesday.
See you tomorrow!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sunday, October 3rd
Greetings! Hope your weekend is going along especially well.
A few reminders and to recap briefly what we discussed on Friday in class:
Remember a blue/or green book for Monday.
Pen or pencil is fine.
Bring along any notes you wish that you took during the movie and/or during class discussions--and from viewing any websites about the film.
You will be asked to write only on one prompt. The prompts will generally focus on the following:
1. Why did Heidi have the experience she did upon her return to Vietnam? And could it have been different?
2. Is this documentary, in your view, an effective or ineffective one?
3. What do you think Heidi's definition of "home" was before her travels to Vietnam? How do you think she would define "home" now?
Whatever prompt you choose, remember that you will want to be as specific as possible.
See you Monday!
A few reminders and to recap briefly what we discussed on Friday in class:
Remember a blue/or green book for Monday.
Pen or pencil is fine.
Bring along any notes you wish that you took during the movie and/or during class discussions--and from viewing any websites about the film.
You will be asked to write only on one prompt. The prompts will generally focus on the following:
1. Why did Heidi have the experience she did upon her return to Vietnam? And could it have been different?
2. Is this documentary, in your view, an effective or ineffective one?
3. What do you think Heidi's definition of "home" was before her travels to Vietnam? How do you think she would define "home" now?
Whatever prompt you choose, remember that you will want to be as specific as possible.
See you Monday!
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