English 1101

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!  Stay in touch! ALL FINAL WORK for the class is due DECEMBER 19th.

• Upload Unit 3, plus separate reflection paragraph at the end, to the Unit 3 Google Drive (under MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS) by Monday 12/13
  • Your 1-paragraph reflection should address the following: how or why you became interested in the topic; the purpose of your piece; why you decided to write in the genre you did,  for this particular audience; How it went (the extent to which you feel it was successful and why); where you think this might be published or shared beyond our class
• Project Presentations: 12/14 in class. Be prepared to speak about your Unit 3 work for 3-5 min. Present your slides/video or have one visual up on the screen while you talk about your topic.
• Final Course Reflection  (leave a comment below) Due 12/17.  Write a 1-paragraph final reflection that addresses the questions below.
  • What have you learned about yourself as a reader and writer this semester? What were your early assumptions/beliefs about yourself and writing, and what do you believe now?  How would you compare/contrast work done early on in the semester to now?   What was particularly challenging for you in our course this semester and how did you overcome this (or attempt to)? What advice would you give to students taking this course next semester? Discuss what you learned in this class and how you might transfer this knowledge to other writing tasks or situations in future English classes, courses in other subjects, academic or job applications, and your community.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19_vwiGYANMidIFwX17hyDWri9z1uqIATjAm1W7EB9fA/edit

We are now in the home stretch for the fall semester. You should have a good sense of your course grade up to this point (please check the Gradebook). Speak with me after class about any questions or concerns. All final work for the class will be due by 12/19. This includes the final course reflection on OpenLab, plus revisions to Units 1, 2, 3.

In-Class:

•  Read Annie Correal’s “Love and Black Lives, in Pictures Found on a Brooklyn Street.”
• Listen to the  Podcast,  FOUND: “To My Darling Etta Mae”
• Discuss
  • 1. What do you notice about the way Correal begins and ends her essay? What effect does this approach have on the reader?
  • 2. How does the podcast differ from the NYT article?  What does the podcast genre offer us that the newspaper article does not/ what does the article offer us that the podcast does not?

HW:

• Continue working on Unit 3!  We will review different genre guides together. Google Doc Template to copy and paste into our Class Unit 3 Google Drive folder
• Unit 3  is due in the Google Drive 12/10.   Remember you can access the Drive under MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS.

Everyone,

Happy Wampanoag Day. This week I am not assigning any new work. Let us take this time for resting, catching up, and/or beginning to think further about Unit 3.  I will post our next assignment at week’s end.

Things you can catch up on:

1. Finish or revise Unit 2 RAB and upload to Google Drive Unit 2 Folder; email me if you want me to review your revision in Google Drive or discuss how to approach the revision
2. Revise Unit 1 and upload to Google Drive Unit 1 Folder; email me if you want me to review your revision in Google Drive or discuss how to approach the revision
3. Complete any missing OpenLab posts, including Weeks 12/13 (note: Gradebook not yet updated; please get your posts in!)
4. Review your grades in the OpenLab Gradebook; contact me with any questions
5. Schedule Writing Center appointments in advance, as we are nearing the end of the semester!
6.  Call or text me with any questions or concerns

Hi Everyone,

As we discussed in class today, many folks need to finish up Unit 2. I have left comments and grades for all who completed the work already. Others, please be sure to turn in the assignment by this Sunday, 11/21.

Next Tuesday, we will not meet as a class. We will use the time for catching up with previous work and/or revision work on Units 1 and 2, moving forward with Unit 3 (I will post a new assignment at the beginning of next week), and taking care of ourselves.

As I mentioned, I will be available for phone conversations and Zoom conferences next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Do not hesitate to reach out if you would like to go over any of your class work, or if you have any questions.

Read:  NYT article: Kyle Spencer, “The Memory-Keeper of SoHo” (2015)

Watch: Documentary (14 min):  Or Szyflingier and Jonathan Baez, “The SoHo Memory Project” (2020)

• Comment:
  • 1. Below, write a 1-paragraph response to the article and the film. You may focus on anything that interests you– ideas from either work that you found interesting, connections you can make to your own neighborhood or experience of New York or another place,  something you noticed about the writing or filmmaking, images from the film that you found important, how different genres (newspaper profile of Yuki Ohta vs. documentary) affect our understanding of a story, or any other topic.
  • 2. After considering genre with this new material, think about your Unit 3 project.  Re-read the assignment (under MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS). What is your topic, and what genre have you chosen?  Has your thinking changed about what genre you’d like to work in for your project, after our discussion of genre with the SoHo Memory Project?  How will your choice of genre help tell your story and get the word out?
  • 3. EXTRA CREDIT OFFERED for writing a 1-paragraph response to the event, below. If you were unable to attend you can watch the event here

This week we complete our Unit 2 RAB in the class Google Drive by

• incorporating a rhetorical analysis for each source we already have
• adding one more RAB entry for a *non-print* source: personal interview, video, podcast, song, poem, photograph, tweet, slide show, mural, street art, etc
• writing a conclusion paragraph for the entire RAB
• editing and proofreading. NOTE: I strongly encourage sharing a complete draft with me by 11/4 if possible, so I can give you feedback for revisions
• checking your work against the Unit 2 RAB Complete Model (download for your computer)

Directions:

1. For rhetorical analysis, address SOAPSTone: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone

• Speaker: who is the author?
• Occasion: time, place, reason for this piece?
• Audience: intended readers/listeners/viewers? Consider venue of publication
• Purpose: author’s agenda and HOW it gets conveyed to the reader
• Subject: topic
• Tone: formal or casual? Humorous/angry/serious/critical/neutral? Choice of words?

2. Write one more RAB entry on a non-print source. Consider how this new source informs your research and adds to your understanding of the subject
3. Write your conclusion (200-300 words): Reflect on what you have learned and why this new knowledge is important. Identify a potential audience for your ideas and consider which genre would be most appropriate to express them, in Unit 3.

RAB Components  Checklist:

• Introduction (200-300 words)
  • Introduce your topic, why it interests you, and what you wish to find out more about

• List your 3 sources in alphabetical order, each with its own MLA citation and info below (400-500 words each)
  • 1-paragraph Summary
  • 2-3 Key Quotes (include citation)
  • 1-paragraph Rhetorical Analysis (Who is the author? What kind of publication is this?  How do you feel the author’s writing style, awareness of audience and purpose (reason for writing), choice of genre and storytelling techniques affect the meaning and credibility of the document?)
  • 1-paragraph Response (what do *you* think of these ideas? how does this source add to your knowledge?)

• Conclusion (200-300 words)
  • Reflect on what you have learned and why this new knowledge is important
  • Identify a potential audience for your ideas and consider which genre would be most appropriate to express them

Hi Everyone,

As we progress with Unit 2, we also have the revision for Unit 1 going on. The revision grade replaces the initial one. I encourage you to invest in this revision process, as it can yield rewarding results.

1. We did our BP revision exercise in class; apply the lesson on descriptive detail, with a particular example,  to each BP.

2. You also have specific feedback from me to take into consideration as you revise. If you would like to meet with me to discuss the revision process or ask any questions, you are more than welcome to do this! We can meet before or after class or at another time– just let me know.

3. Finally, I strongly encourage visiting the Writing Center to review your revised draft. See RESOURCES> Writing Center to make an appointment.  Warning: we have had a problem with No Shows. If you cannot make the appointment, be sure to cancel it in advance.

The revision is due at the end of the semester, but you can turn it in before that if you would like.

In-Class Unit 1 Revision Discussion and Revision exercise

The weather is getting cooler, and we are midway through the semester, continuing with Unit 2: Good Trouble, the Reflective Annotated Bibliography.

After narrowing down your topic in conversation with me, AKA Prof. Hellman, begin researching.  Start with a search on The New York Times website, and also check out Opposing Viewpoints through the City Tech Library website.  Aim to find 2  sources that you can use for your bibliography.

Begin scaffolding your Reflective Annotated Bibliography draft in a Google or MS Word doc.

****Please check out this student Unit2-RAB-Model; you can work from this Word document or at least use it as a template.     Update: we will work in Google Drive Unit 2 folder  if you have not already pasted your work below, simply work on it in the Drive  

1. Write out your introduction paragraph, which should include what you are interested in researching, why this interests you, what you already know about it, and what you hope to find out/ some questions you have.

2. Begin your source entries. For each one of your 2 sources, write:

• the MLA citation. Input your source info on www.easybib.com to come up with the citation format
• 1-paragraph summary of main ideas (aim for 4-5 sentences)
• 2 key quotes you found that represent important ideas, with citation info (paragraph number)
• 1-paragraph response to the source, with your own opinion on the content (here you distinguish your own ideas from those of the author/artist) and why you chose to include it in your bibliography. You could also include a response to some of the quotes you chose. (5-6 sentences)
• We will mix in the final ingredients of the RAB (Rhetorical Analysis and Conclusion)  next week!

Hi Everyone,

I’ve given feedback for Unit 1 and posted mid-semester grades, so please check OpenLab Gradebook and Google Drive. We will talk more about this in class.

Unit 2: Reflective Annotated Bibliography (Good Trouble)

• View and write down main ideas:  John Lewis,   CCNY 2019 Commencement Speech
• Read and write down main ideas: John Lewis, “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation”
• Understanding-Unit-2PPT
• Answer below:
  • 1. After reading Lewis’s editorial and watching his CCNY speech, what ideas do you think are important?  What does he mean by good trouble? Do you think you have ever pursued, or wanted to pursue, good trouble in your own life?
  • 2. Write a 1-paragraph Unit 2 topic proposal: what you’re thinking of writing about, why you’re interested in it, what you think or know about it already, and some potential questions you have.

• Transforming your rough draft into a final draft
  • How can a piece of writing be improved? What is the difference between revising and proofreading?
  • Target areas: hook (attracts reader’s attention);  argumentation (clarity and quality of ideas); organization (each BP advances the story and contains a fresh idea); development (detail and text connection fleshed out); grammar and sentence structure (sentences are clear, without many grammatical errors)
  • Follow the Writing Process guide for the *quote sandwich* and *essay formatting*

• Complete Peer Review with partner (in class). Share google doc link with partner or email them feedback.
• Revise Unit 1 essay with feedback from Writing Center tutor, Professor, peer review partner
• Copy and paste your partner’s peer review feedback at the end of your essay document.
• Upload your final draft to the Google Drive Unit 1 folder  by 10/11  (Major Assignments–> Google Drive–>Unit 1). If you have a separate rough draft still in the Drive, delete that.
  

• Mentor Texts
  • Modeling connection:  2019 LAF student video on Olivarez
  • Modeling use of detail
    • Barack Obama, A Promised Land (excerpt) and Interview
    • Mamadou Diallo, “A Rare Gift”

• Resource Library
  • Writing Process PPT
  • How to Write a Summary PPT
  • In addition to Obama and Diallo above, other possible texts for connection:
    • Diana Diaz, “Overnight Pandemic” (2020); Caroline Hellman, “In Defense of the Classroom” (2020); Mike Bunn, “How to Read Like a Writer” (2011); Toni Morrison, “The Reader as Artist” (2006); José Olivarez, “Maybe I Could Save Myself by Writing,”  “(citizen) (illegal),” and “Mexican American Disambiguation” (2018)

• Deliverables
  • Schedule appointment at Writing Center  (optional)
  • Upload your Unit 1 Rough Draft to the Google Drive by Sunday 10/3

This week, we continue *scaffolding* Unit 1.

Now it is time to transform your topic proposal into an outline. Compose your outline using this template: Education Narrative Outline

Please refer to this sample outline as a model: Sample Outline 

You can copy and paste your outline below in a Comment, or write the outline in a Google Doc and paste the link in your Comment.  Either is fine.

In class Tuesday 9/21 we will work on these outlines and if we have time,  begin our rough drafts.

In Class:

• Review Weeks 2 and 3 HW;  Reading strategies, summarizing and responding, identifying rhetorical choices and their purpose
• Read José Olivarez, “Maybe I Could Save Myself by Writing” and “Mexican American Disambiguation”  and “Citizen Illegal” (2018)
• Watch 2019 LAF student video on Olivarez
• Discuss Unit 1 and brainstorm
• Download and save to your computer class folder:  Writing Process PPT

Homework Assignment (number your answers in the Comment below):

1. Write a 1-paragraph summary of one of Olivarez’s texts, using the Summary Powerpoint template as a model. Include a quote from the text that you feel represents an important idea. Can you connect with this idea? Explain.

2. Use your brainstorming material from class to write a  paragraph about an educational experience you have had in life, inside or outside of a school setting. Your paragraph should set the scene for the reader: when, where, and what, before describing the experience and what you learned in the process.  This will ultimately be fleshed out and become your Unit 1 essay (see Major Assignments).

3. In our next class we will work on transforming this paragraph into an Outline for your Unit 1 Education & Identity narrative.  For #3 here, start thinking about how you would like to tell your story.  Where do you want to start, and where do you want to end? What are some important ideas and memories? What are some compelling details you can provide throughout the narrative, to support your ideas? What might your paragraph order be?   You could address these questions in a paragraph, or copy and paste the outline (delete the example text) in your Comment  and fill in the information there.

Hi Everyone,

1. To comment on any post, click on the title/heading. Then scroll down to LEAVE A REPLY below the post. That is where you want to comment.  Please number your responses according to the numbers in the assignment (1, 2, 3, etc…)

2. Main tip: regularly check our course site. Each Monday I will post our new weekly assignment and you will have the week to complete it.

You can reply below if you have any questions.

We kick off Unit 1, Education, by reflecting on online vs. in-person educational experience, and thinking about both the ideas in a text and the writing techniques the author employs.

Class discussion: LAF 2021 Welcome video; Diana Diaz, “Overnight Pandemic” (2020) in City Tech Writer;  Toni Morrison, “The Reader as Artist” (2006); Google Doc Annotation of Morrison

ASSIGNMENT:

• Read and apply reading strategies to Mike Bunn, “How to Read Like a Writer” pages 1-6 (2011); bring notes to class for discussion
• Save to your computer folder for this class and review  Reading Strategies and How to Write A Summary Powerpoint
• Apply Reading Strategies to Caroline Hellman’s “In Defense of the Classroom” (2020)
• Reply below this post, numbering your answers. IMPORTANT: GO WITH YOUR OWN IDEAS! AVOID READING YOUR CLASSMATES’ POSTS UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE COMMENTED!
  • 1. Copy and paste a quote (1-2 sentences) from “In Defense of the Classroom”  that you found meaningful. Then paraphrase (put the quote in your own words)  and explain why you were drawn to it, commenting either on the idea or the writing technique. You might reference relevant ideas from Mike Bunn’s ” How to Read Like A Writer. “
  • 2. Consulting the Summary Powerpoint slides,  write a complete 3-4 sentence summary of “In Defense of the Classroom” in your own words. Check your finished summary against slide #5 and revise as needed.
  • 3. Respond with your own thoughts about the ideas in my article.   Be creative, be honest! College is about independent thought!

• In our next class on September 14, we will finish our summary of Morrison’s “The Reader As Artist” and also  discuss “In Defense of the Classroom” and “How to Read Like A Writer.” Be ready to share some unfamiliar words that you looked up and ideas/questions that arose for you while reading.

Everyone: you may have received a msg about this class being reassigned to a different prof. DISREGARD THAT MSG!  Our department had reassigned the class but then gave it back to me. I will 100% be your professor this semester! See below info to get started.   

Welcome!  Our class meets Tuesdays 2-5:20pm on Zoom (link on right side and in Course Info> Weekly Schedule). See you 8/31!         In the meantime, get signed up and get started!

1.  Sign up for your OpenLab account with your name and a profile photo.  Log in, then return to our course site. Click on COURSE PROFILE (to the left of HOME), then JOIN THIS COURSE (under the avatar photo). If you need  help,  contact the OpenLab Community Team

2. Fill out the technology and access survey below (AFTER Step 1!).

3. Look around our course site to familiarize yourself

4. Introduce yourself.  To write a new post, click the + sign at the top of the page, fill in the subject heading with your name, then add your info and photo below.  After your work is complete, scroll down and check off OUR COMMUNITY under Categories (right side of page), then click Publish.

• • Paragraph 1: Include how you would like to be addressed, your pronouns, and any other info you’d like to share. This could include where you are from, where you reside now, your academic interests or major, any hobbies or NYC activities you enjoy, how you feel about beginning college. Feel free to be creative!
  • Paragraph 2:  Include a photo of something (place, space, person, pet, object, etc ) meaningful to you, and tell us about it.  You can paste the photo into the body of your message, or Add Media  to upload it to your post.
  • Before next class, check back to read your classmates’ responses and reply to a few. Getting to know each other, we start building our community.

We are all in this together!  See you soon!

Please tell me about the technology and working space that you have available to complete your coursework.  Feel free to share any additional information in the last question box. All responses are private.