Class Notes/Homework

Please note that we are meeting today only for our 11:30am class session. We will not be meeting for the earlier lab session at 10:00am. Attendance will be taken as usual at 11:30am, and will count for both sessions.

Those who have not presented on their Research Project, this is your last opportunity to do so. Please ensure you arrive on time if you wish to present.

I will also be returning Research essays to those students who submitted them on time (and completed their Oral Presentations).

Today was our Final Exam.

Note: We will not be meeting for the lab hour on Wednesday, 12/18. Our last class will be on Wednesday, 12/18, from 11:30am-12:45pm. If you have not yet delivered your Oral Presentation for the Research Project, this will be your final opportunity to do so. It is imperative that you arrive on time, or you may miss your chance!

We continued with Oral Presentations in the Lab section.

Then, we had our end-of-semester celebration and review. Final exam articles were handed out, and Research papers were collected.

Homework

1) Read and annotate the article handed out in class today for the Final Exam on 12/17. Please arrive 5 minutes early – we will begin the exam promptly at 11:30am. Use the bathroom before coming to class, as you will not be allowed to leave during the exam.

2) If you did not hand in a Research Paper, 12/17 is the last day you can submit it.

3) All essay revisions are due on 12/19. You must turn in the original draft, the revised draft, and the tutoring slip.

Notes to come…

Homework:

1) The Research Paper is due this Wednesday, 12/12 at the beginning of class. Students who arrive late will receive a late penalty. Any papers that do not conform to the MLA formatting rules, or the requirements as set out on the Research Project handout will be returned. Make sure to read over the Research Project handout carefully before you come to class to ensure you have met all guidelines for the paper.

Your paper must be STAPLED or CLIPPED together and have a properly formatted bibliography with at least 5 secondary sources.

2) Wednesday (12/12) will be our Final Exam Review/End-of-semester celebration. Please bring in a small food item/snack to help us celebrate (i.e., cookies, cake, fruit, chocolate, chips, etc.). 

3) Prepare for the Final Exam!! See the preparation guidelines under the “Exams” tab, then click on the “Final Exam” tab to take a practice exam.

Today we had our cumulative grammar quiz. Then, we started the first half of Research Project Oral Presentations.

Homework:

1) Continue revising/completing your Research Paper essay. If you presented today, please take into account your Oral Presentation. The questions raised in class by myself and your peers point to holes in your argument and support. Please make sure to address them and research the areas/questions that require further attention. If you do not address these issues, your paper’s argument will be weak and most likely receive a low grade.

2) Next Monday, we will continue on with the second half of Oral Presentations.

Reminders: Arrive on time! Have your presentation read on a flash drive and via email to ensure it’s ready to go. Additionally, you must have your printout of your PowerPoint presentation in order to present. You may print out 6 slides per page to save paper.

Today’s class was devoted to our Peer Review Workshop.

Homework:

1) Continue revising/completing your Research Paper essay based on today’s Peer Review Workshop and my comments on your outline (if you submitted one).

2) Prepare for the cumulative grammar quiz to be held on Wednesday, 12/5.

3) Prepare for your Oral Presentation (to begin 12/5). The order in which students will present on their research will be according to the sign-up sheet. Please note that days/times are tentative and you must be ready to present on either day. If you are not ready to present when you are called, you may not get another chance and forfeit the opportunity (which results in a “0” grade).

Please back up your PowerPoint presentation on a flash drive and via email to ensure you have it and it’s ready to go. Additionally, you MUST print out a copy of your PowerPoint presentation to submit to me (you can print 6 slides to one page to save paper). If you do not have this, you cannot present.

Details (from Research Project handout):

Students must create a PowerPoint presentation based on their research project and present it to the class in a 5-minute presentation. Each presentation will be followed by a short Q&A session (2 minutes). You will be evaluated on: (1) content and organization; (2) presentation skills; (3) PowerPoint presentation; and (4) audience participation.

To help your listeners stay focused on your presentation, use transitional words. You must speak loud enough, slow enough, clear enough, and with enough modulation in your voice to be heard and understood without difficulty by everyone in the room. Don’t read from a prepared speech. Rather, use notes and make eye contact. Your grade will suffer if you merely read and don’t ever look up. Instead, practice your presentation aloud several times before class to be sure that it is smooth and well-timed.

You can select some of the following questions to help you generate ideas for your presentation but do not simply answer them in order. Your presentation should have a logical flow, just as your paper will.

1. What did you argue?
2. What supporting reasons did you use to support your main claim?
3. What assumptions allowed you to arrive at those reasons?
4. What was some of the strongest evidence you found to support your argument?
5. Who was your opposition? How did you account for the counterevidence?
6. What did you think about your topic before the research process began? How did your research shape the way you think about your topic? Did your research cause you to change your mind?

Lastly, make sure to organize your presentation. Chances are that your material will evolve in a progression that resembles your essay. Here is one potential way to think of it:

1. State Point of View: provide direct statement of position on the topic at hand.
   II. State Reasons Why: provide broad reasons why you hold this point of view.
   III. Present Evidence and Examples: provide data to support the stated point of view and reasons. Discredit counter evidence.
   IV. Restate Point of View: drive the argument home.

And finally, be advised that you will need to be an active listener as well. You must listen attentively, and be prepared to answer/ask question(s) about each presentation. Students who are absent or do not actively participate will receive lower grades.

 

Today students worked on the Oral Presentation for their Research Projects.

Homework:

1) In preparation for our peer review workshop on Monday (12/3), please produce a draft of your research paper. Bringing in a full draft of the paper will be most productive. However, at minimum, each student MUST have a draft of their full introduction, 1 body paragraph, the counterargument paragraph, and a bibliography. Print out 3 copies of your draft and bring them to Monday’s class. DO NOT BE LATE. If you are excessively late or do not bring 3 copies of your draft, you will not able to participate and will not receive credit for the day’s work.

2) Prepare the PowerPoint presentations for your Oral Presentation on your Research Project to be delivered in class during 12/5 and 12/10. A sign-up sheet will be passed around on 12/3.

Students will be called to present in the order of the sign-up sheet. You must be in class and ready to present when you are called. If you are not, you will forfeit your chance to present. You must provide me with a printout of your PPT presentation (you can print 6 slides to one page to save paper). If you do not have this printout, you will not be able to present.

Practice your presentation skills. You must speak loudly, slowly, and clearly. You can use note cards during the presentation, not a prepared speech. Eye contact and voice modulation are key. Also, don’t forget to time yourself. Your whole presentation should be delivered within 5 minutes. This will be followed by a 2-minute Q&A.

3) Prepare for the cumulative grammar quiz.

1. Is my paper argumentative, not simply informative?
2. Have I answered all the questions in my selected research prompt?
   
3. Have I followed the structure for body paragraphs:

-Topic Sentence
-Evidence to support (not limited to one piece)
-Link to thesis
-Transitions

4. Have I followed the structure for the counter argument paragraph structure:

-Clearly explain what the strongest argument is from the opposition
-Acknowledge that the opposition has a point
-Rebuttal
-Evidence
-Link back to thesis

5. Secondary Sources – Make sure whatever appears in your Bibliography is also parenthetically cited within the body of your essay & vice versa

Parenthetical citations:

(author’s last name page number) — (Smith 45)

(author’s last name paragraph number) — (Smith par. 4)
(abbreviated form of title page number/paragraph number) —  (“2000+ Reasons” par. 8)

 

Today the group debates were held.

Homework:

1) Continue drafting your Research essays. Using your outline, develop the body points into full paragraphs. Please note you will need to have a full draft of your essay for our last Peer Review Workshop to be held on 12/3.

2) I will be giving you class time to work on your Oral Presentation for the Research Project (to be presented 12/5 and 12/10), so bring in any materials to class on Wednesday. You may bring in a laptop to work on the PPT presentation.

3) Finish essay on two articles we read on GMOs. Due in class on 11/28.

Prompt: Evaluate the strength of the arguments posed by JoAnna Wendel and John Robbins in their respective articles. First, clearly state in your own words what they each argue. Then, go through each of their main points and analyze their weakness/strengths based on the way they unfold and the evidence provided. Finally, based on this analysis, conclude which author has a more convincing article (in terms of evidence, credibility, attention to audience, persuasiveness, language, etc.).

4) Prepare for the cumulative grammar quiz by reviewing all of our previous quizzes and the readings in our Grammar Guide. Quiz will be given next week. *This will be your last opportunity to improve your overall grammar quiz grade.

 

Students worked together to finalize their group debates. Meanwhile, I spoke individually to each student regarding their outlines and research progress.

Homework:

1) Research Project Outline due in class on 11/26. (Only those who submitted a proposal can submit an outline.)

2) Final group debates to be held in class on 11/26. Be present and on time! Groups will be called up at random, so if you’re not there, the group will have to debate without you (and they will not be happy with you).

3) Finish essay on two articles we read on GMOs. Due in class on 11/28.

Prompt: Evaluate the strength of the arguments posed by JoAnna Wendel and John Robbins in their respective articles. First, clearly state in your own words what they each argue. Then, go through each of their main points and analyze their weakness/strengths based on the way they unfold and the evidence provided. Finally, based on this analysis, conclude which author has a more convincing article (in terms of evidence, credibility, attention to audience, persuasiveness, language, etc.).

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!