Wednesday, May 16, 2007

 

Final Class

Today, not many students showed up for either section, so in the first section the four of us read the essay on Mothers-in-law (Classification) and the essay on Spanglish (Definition). We also looked at the chapters on revision strategies and the last chapter on Argument.

We discussed the final topic on Frankenstein: What's Love Got to Do with It? For the afternoon class, the few students who came by the Writing Center worked on their portfolio essays. The finals' schedule is below, along with the check-list.

Extra Help
I am going to be available for a study session on Monday, May 21 from 12 noon to about 2 for those students who want to have me look over their portfolios. I'll be in the Writing Center. The door will be unlocked, so come in. I will be finishing up the English 201 10-12 class final.

Remember, your portfolio is due as a electronic file on a CD or diskette Wednesday, May 23 by 2 p.m. I will be giving a final from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in the Writing Center. I gave students diskettes today in the afternoon class. If you need one, I'll be in my office tomorrow: 10-12.

Presentations
Please prepare an abstract answering the following questions: What is the problem your social entrepreneur identified? Why did s/he care--were they a part of the effected community? What was the solution s/he developed? What are some of the measurable results?

Don't forget to include your name. Please bring 10 copies. If you want me to make copies, email this to me by Friday, May 18.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

 

Portfolio

Tomorrow is our last class. Congratulations to all of you who are still here. It was a pleasure meeting you all and I hope you are pleased with the sojourn, now that it is almost finished. I also wish you well in your other endeavors here and elsewhere.Please let me know if I can be of service to you as you matriculate through the high education maze.

Finals are next week: Monday, May 21 10-12 in the Writing Lab (10-12 class), and Wednesday, May 16, 12-2 in the Writing Lab (1-3 p.m. class).

For your final, you will present your paper. This presentation need not be longer than 5-10 minutes. Please include visuals and let me know in advance if you need multimedia equipment like a projector, CD player, or laptop. You can do PowerPoint from a desktop computer. You can also use the Internet. (We will not have an overhead projector or a TV/DVD player unless you tell me.

We will look at Definition, Compare and Contrast and Argument in WW. Please read all the sections on Revision (pp. 190-191; 221-222; 253-254) in WWT, plus pp. 237-259.

Here is a draft of the portfolio check-list. If I forgot any assignments, please let me know. I didn't have time to check the assignment checklist I gave you at the beginning of the semester, not did I include yesterday's assignment. If it was unclear, re: Frankenstein, you can respond to one of the chapter themes on pp. 227-228 in 250 words.

The portfolio essay (2 essays)
1. The narrative will look at the 18 weeks, the themes we looked at this semester, nature vs. nurture, and how what you've learned and discovered this semester about writing and yourself, college and life, have transformed or changed you. Do you have a choice over what happens in your life or are you a victim of circumstances?

What have you learned about yourself this semester? What have you learned about the discipline you are studying here: reading and writing that you plan to carry forth into your lifelong pursuit of learning.

Please also comment on the texts and whether or not they were helpful in this process. You can also talk about the instruction, culture of the class and the teacher.

2. The second part of the narrative looks at the writing process and what you have learning about yourself as a writer. Take two graded essays and talk about the planning, research and revision strategies you used. It helps to choose an early paper and compare to a later paper. Often you can more easily see the differences in your writing and a better example of mastery of certain concepts. Also discuss skills you need to improve and how you plan to address that.

Besides the two essays, I also want you to include the midterm essay and research essay. We will work on the narratives together next Wednesday, May 16 in the Writing Lab. You can meet me in the smaller room, L-226.

You have a copy of the assigned essays this semester. The check-list is the same with grades posted next to the assignment. We will look at this the last day of class. Our finals are Monday, May 21, 10-12 and 12-2 in your designated classrooms.

Your portfolios are due Wednesday, May 23, by 2 p.m. in my office, L-236. (I'll be completing a final exam in the Writing Center, so if you arrive early, come in quietly.)

I'd like you to make me a copy of the freewrites and any other pre-writing activities you did in class also. (If you'd like me to make the copies, I can.)

Grade justification:
One student who had me before asked if I'd include the grade justification. If you'd like to argue for a certain grade, please feel free to add a third essay where in let's say 100 or so words you tell me why you deserve the grade you want. You have to document this essay with examples from your essays. This essay is optional.

Assigned Essays:
Writing with a Thesis essay: Narrative, Description, Examples

Frankenstein essays: Cause and Effect, Process, Division and Classification (in class), Definition (not assigned)

Other cyber-essays: State of the Union, War in Iraq, Hand gun violence, Writing process, Love, Grazed by a Bullet, Making of a Criminal, Frankenstein and Justine: Race to Execution (Compare Contrast essay)

Other assignments: Visual Arguments, Love essay, Love essay presentation

Jurassic Park Writing: Midterm, plus other writing and workbook


Bring your work into class Wednesday on a disk so we can talk about how to arrange it. I will also answer any questions you might have about the portfolio essays.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

 

Process Essay

Today in the 10-12 English 201 class we looked at portfolios and I told students to look for a check-list before Monday here. We then read the How to Write a Personal Letter in WWT, talked about the use of "you" in essays (it okay to use this form of address), and then proceeded to list the process of creating a monster: Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his creature. We agreed that both the doctor and his creature were not born bad, rather their experiences and choices made their behavior "monstrous." The assignment for the weekend is to write a process essay describing how either Dr. Frankenstein or his creature became monsters. Choose one, don't write about both.

Before we made our two lists, we did a freewrite where students developed three thesis sentences in response to the questions: What is a monster or How to Make a Monster? You do not have to respond to one of these statements, in fact, Sarah and Erick had really good responses and if they email their sentences to me I will post them here also for students to see.

1. Although Dr. Victor Frankenstein's intent was to create a new human life to alleviate suffering in the world, his ego prevents him from acknowledging his loss of control over this entity once he allows it to escape.

2. Dr. Frankenstein is so caught up in the process of discovery, he does not consider the consequences of his decision to use decayed scrapes of human flesh, and so creates something so horrible he cannot look upon it.

3. Distraught over his creators rejection and his isolation in the world, the creature acts out in pain upon the one who has caused him the most harm--Dr. Victor Frankenstein.

In the 1-3 English 201 we did this last week. You will write your essays today. Remember, we started them.

Homework:

All students:
Complete the novel. Read in WWT pages pp. 221-2 Revision, Help from the Audience, and Classification pp. 223-230, and 233-236. We will read Mother-in-Law (237) on Monday, May 14. Think about the categories: monstrosity vs. humanism.

Do the two lists overlap in anyway?

What happens to a thing when you place it in a category or classify it in any way? Is the process of naming a thing a form of negating it as well?

Monday, May 07, 2007

 

Monday Announcements

Congratulations to everyone who got their research essays in on time. I hope to have them completed by Wednesday. I have tickets reserved for an author event 5/8. Let me know if you'd like to attend by sending an email to professorwandasposse@gmail.com. I reserved 20 tickets.

Be prepared to write a process analysis essay in class on Wednesday. Refresh your memory on the writing strategies there. Our theme for the WWT essays for the rest of the semester will come from Frankenstein. You should be up to Chapter 21 in the book by Wednesday. Bring your grammar book and a dictionary to class.


Fieldtrip


Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, a Community Conversation with Don Cheadle and John Prendergast, sponsored by Facing History and Ourselves and The Allstate Foundation, is Tuesday, May 8, 7-8:30 p.m.at the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium | 1111 California Street @ Taylor, San Francisco

The Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium is located between Jones and Taylor streets, immediately opposite Grace Cathedral. Limited parking is available on-site for a special event rate of $15 per car, payable upon entry in CASH ONLY. There are other garages in the area; however, they do not offer discounted rates for attendees of Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium events.

Visit www.masonicauditorium.com/location.html for a local map, parking and driving directions, as well as public transportation information. You may also call (415) 292-9151 for directions.

Doors to the auditorium open at 6:00 PM. Tickets are general admission; please plan to arrive early for best seating. Stand-by seating will begin for non-ticket holders at 6:45 PM. If you have not arrived at the theatre by this time, you may forfeit your seat.

Other important details
The first 1,000 attendees will receive COMPLIMENTARY copies of Not on our Watch. Again, we encourage you to allow ample time for traffic and parking, plan to arrive early, and to ensure that you receive your copy of this highly-anticipated book! Not on Our Watch will also be available for purchase for $14.95 in the auditorium lobby.

No cameras, audio, or videotaping will be permitted for this event.

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