Greetings,
A few things:
Be sure to complete your viewing of the entire first season of Breaking Bad by Monday.
As you will note in your course outline, there will be a quiz on Wednesday. The exact pages are indicated on the course outline as well. It will be an open book quiz.
If you wish to submit a rough draft of Essay 2, remember that it must be submitted by Monday, Oct. 31st.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wednesday, October 19th, 10 pm
Greetings,
Below you will find the link to Packet #6. As you course outline indicates, this is due to be read by Monday.
The reading focuses on the issue of immigration. As with health care, it is considered a very "hot" topic for many. It does not rear its head in Breaking Bad specifically in this first season, but it is an issue in the shadows, especially where Hank is concerned.
Also, just a reminder to be sure to purchase a blue (or green) book for Wednesday's In Class Essay #2. It will be a practice essay in preparation for the WPJ exam. We will discuss the WPJ in more detail on Monday.
Have a wonderful weekend and a safe one.
READING PACKET #6
"What are the Solutions to Illegal Immigration in America? Pros and Cons"
http://immigration.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000842
Below you will find the link to Packet #6. As you course outline indicates, this is due to be read by Monday.
The reading focuses on the issue of immigration. As with health care, it is considered a very "hot" topic for many. It does not rear its head in Breaking Bad specifically in this first season, but it is an issue in the shadows, especially where Hank is concerned.
Also, just a reminder to be sure to purchase a blue (or green) book for Wednesday's In Class Essay #2. It will be a practice essay in preparation for the WPJ exam. We will discuss the WPJ in more detail on Monday.
Have a wonderful weekend and a safe one.
READING PACKET #6
"What are the Solutions to Illegal Immigration in America? Pros and Cons"
http://immigration.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000842
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011, 730 pm
Hello,
below is the assignment for Packet #5, due to be viewed by Wednesday, October 19th. It is a short talk to view on TED Talks.
http://www.ted.com/talks/abraham_verghese_a_doctor_s_touch.html
Be sure to view Episode 6 of Breaking Bad by Monday.
Have a wonderful weekend and be safe.
See you Monday.
below is the assignment for Packet #5, due to be viewed by Wednesday, October 19th. It is a short talk to view on TED Talks.
http://www.ted.com/talks/abraham_verghese_a_doctor_s_touch.html
Be sure to view Episode 6 of Breaking Bad by Monday.
Have a wonderful weekend and be safe.
See you Monday.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011--8 pm
Hello,
Three things...
1. Please print out and bring to class the following handout below, HOW TO CRITICALLY READ AN ESSAY.
2. The following TWO readings about U.S. health care are due to be read by Monday and are considered READING PACKET #4.
3. We will have a guest speaker this week who will give a brief overview of everything you ever wanted to know about the WPJ.
English 20 , College Composition II
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.
*************************
READING PACKET #4
The issue of health care certainly rears its head in the Breaking Bad episodes. It seems fitting that the series features an ordinary high school chemistry teacher whose health care benefits do not cover his treatments for lung cancer. He is desperate to get money for his treatments and to leave money for his family in the event of his death.
(Walter's former business partner, Elliott, was willing to pay for Walter's entire treatment. This "private sector" option was rejected out of jealousy and spite toward his friend's success. White, who quit the company before it went big, believes his friends ripped him off. One of his friends is the current wife of the company's CEO and also White's ex-fiance, whom he left. His resentment toward their success drives him to reject their offer.)
"Middle Class Struggling with Health Care Costs, Report Finds"
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043764-84.stm
"Why Does Health Care Cost so Much?"
http://www.newamerica.net/node/8920
Just a quick note...
When you are accessing the two required readings for Monday please make a note that the article titled
"Middle class struggling with health care costs, report finds" is the one I want you to read. It is an article by David Templeton from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It is the link I gave you, but just in case you notice another listing when you google this title, it may be the entire PDF of the report. I do not want you to read the entire report, just the article ABOUT the report.
Three things...
1. Please print out and bring to class the following handout below, HOW TO CRITICALLY READ AN ESSAY.
2. The following TWO readings about U.S. health care are due to be read by Monday and are considered READING PACKET #4.
3. We will have a guest speaker this week who will give a brief overview of everything you ever wanted to know about the WPJ.
English 20 , College Composition II
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.
*************************
READING PACKET #4
The issue of health care certainly rears its head in the Breaking Bad episodes. It seems fitting that the series features an ordinary high school chemistry teacher whose health care benefits do not cover his treatments for lung cancer. He is desperate to get money for his treatments and to leave money for his family in the event of his death.
(Walter's former business partner, Elliott, was willing to pay for Walter's entire treatment. This "private sector" option was rejected out of jealousy and spite toward his friend's success. White, who quit the company before it went big, believes his friends ripped him off. One of his friends is the current wife of the company's CEO and also White's ex-fiance, whom he left. His resentment toward their success drives him to reject their offer.)
"Middle Class Struggling with Health Care Costs, Report Finds"
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043764-84.stm
"Why Does Health Care Cost so Much?"
http://www.newamerica.net/node/8920
Just a quick note...
When you are accessing the two required readings for Monday please make a note that the article titled
"Middle class struggling with health care costs, report finds" is the one I want you to read. It is an article by David Templeton from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It is the link I gave you, but just in case you notice another listing when you google this title, it may be the entire PDF of the report. I do not want you to read the entire report, just the article ABOUT the report.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011--830 am
Greetings,
below you will find the out of class essay #2 assignment we discussed in class on Monday.
Also, a few reminders, etc. about the in class essay #1 for tomorrow:
1. Remember to bring a blue or green book to class
2. I mentioned in class that the prompt will only focus on Walter White, Sr but in fact you will have your choice of main characters to focus on. I had forgotten that I changed the prompt slightly during the summer class.
Later today I will post some information you will need to print for class next week
English 20, Fall 2011---Sections 14 & 16---C. Fraga
Date assigned: Monday, October 3
Rough draft (optional): due no later than Monday October 31
Final draft due: Monday, November 7
(you have five weeks to research and write this essay)
Details:
1. MLA format
2. At least 4 outside sources on your Works Cited page
3. Please, no Wikipedia
4. No formulaic, 5 paragraph essay
OUT OF CLASS ESSAY ASSIGNMENT #2
Among many things, the series Breaking Bad focuses on the family entity and what happens when something quite extraordinary occurs—how do members of the family cope, adjust, and/or “deal” with the event/situation? (In the case of this series, obviously it is Walter’s cancer that is the ‘event’).
I am not referring to the everyday bumps in the road that occur for all families. Instead, I am asking you to consider the family unit when faced with an especially challenging situation. These situations could include but are not limited to:
• death
• birth
• infidelity
• serious injury
• dementia
• serious illness
• divorce
• unemployment
• new employment
• moving to a new home/state/area/country
• the return of a war veteran
• moving BACK home after initially moving OUT
• alcoholism
• drug abuse
Select ONE situation that you are most interested in exploring. You will conduct research (and possibly personal interviews, if possible) in order to write an essay that offers the reader background on the topic and makes an assertion about what elements impact a family in the most challenging of ways and supports it logically and interestingly.
Your thesis might read something like this:
When a family member develops dementia, the challenges are often devastating, yet the disease definitely impacts family members more than the dementia patient.
Or…
When a couple divorces, it most certainly impacts the children still living at home; however, it is the older children who have already moved away that are most affected by the split.
below you will find the out of class essay #2 assignment we discussed in class on Monday.
Also, a few reminders, etc. about the in class essay #1 for tomorrow:
1. Remember to bring a blue or green book to class
2. I mentioned in class that the prompt will only focus on Walter White, Sr but in fact you will have your choice of main characters to focus on. I had forgotten that I changed the prompt slightly during the summer class.
Later today I will post some information you will need to print for class next week
English 20, Fall 2011---Sections 14 & 16---C. Fraga
Date assigned: Monday, October 3
Rough draft (optional): due no later than Monday October 31
Final draft due: Monday, November 7
(you have five weeks to research and write this essay)
Details:
1. MLA format
2. At least 4 outside sources on your Works Cited page
3. Please, no Wikipedia
4. No formulaic, 5 paragraph essay
OUT OF CLASS ESSAY ASSIGNMENT #2
Among many things, the series Breaking Bad focuses on the family entity and what happens when something quite extraordinary occurs—how do members of the family cope, adjust, and/or “deal” with the event/situation? (In the case of this series, obviously it is Walter’s cancer that is the ‘event’).
I am not referring to the everyday bumps in the road that occur for all families. Instead, I am asking you to consider the family unit when faced with an especially challenging situation. These situations could include but are not limited to:
• death
• birth
• infidelity
• serious injury
• dementia
• serious illness
• divorce
• unemployment
• new employment
• moving to a new home/state/area/country
• the return of a war veteran
• moving BACK home after initially moving OUT
• alcoholism
• drug abuse
Select ONE situation that you are most interested in exploring. You will conduct research (and possibly personal interviews, if possible) in order to write an essay that offers the reader background on the topic and makes an assertion about what elements impact a family in the most challenging of ways and supports it logically and interestingly.
Your thesis might read something like this:
When a family member develops dementia, the challenges are often devastating, yet the disease definitely impacts family members more than the dementia patient.
Or…
When a couple divorces, it most certainly impacts the children still living at home; however, it is the older children who have already moved away that are most affected by the split.
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