ESOL 021 W Spring 2017

This homework assignment as a few steps.

• Read Unit 1, Reading 2 (pages 10 and 11) in your book.
• Read this article.
• Answer these questions as a comment to this post:
  • 1. What are some similarities between McIntyre’s and hitchBOT’s experiences?
  • 2. How was their experience different?
  • 3. McIntyre had a good experience traveling and hitchBOT had a bad one. Does the robot’s experience negate McIntyre’s? Why or why not? Be sure and discuss empathy’s role in your answer.

Number your answers when you comment.

This counts as a homework grade. Follow all directions and do your best work to get full credit. Late blog assignments do not receive credit, so be sure to get this in before the start of class on Tuesday.

NOTE: If you did not finish your rewrite in class, be sure and finish it over the weekend. You may type it if you prefer, but “I didn’t have time to print it” is not an acceptable excuse for not having your paper on Tuesday.

Bring your Northstar books to class on Tuesday, May 23rd.

Only AFTER reviewing the article I gave in class on Thursday, look over these notes if you want to test yourself on your summarizing.

Your summary should contain these components:

• Historical study in American schools has been decreasing.
• Our form of government necessitates having an informed populace
• An understanding of history is necessary for citizens to come to informed conclusions
• Without historical reference, voters are easily swayed by unimportant factors

This article lists facts. You can argue that you disagree that history class is important (maybe explaining that politics/history are more readily available online than in the past) if you want, but you cannot disagree with the premise of the article, which is that historical study is declining and it is best when voters are informed.

Otherwise, you can simply begin your thesis with words like…

• After reading this article, it is clear to me that…
• I am amazed that Americans don’t learn much history in school. This can have many consequences, such as…
• I think it is horrible that Americans don’t learn more history. It clearly shows in who they elect to public office, because…
• etc…

There are an unlimited number of options; these are just a few examples.

The focus of your essay would likely be about the effect of an uninformed populace on the government and citizenry of a country. You would support your discussion with specific examples in America that shows why you believe what’s in your thesis, or maybe you would outline the way things are done in another country and explain the benefits of this other system and why America should be more like them.

Either way, you would need to support your points and connect them back to the article with direct references.

Please remember that these are just examples, and you might have a perfectly good idea that doesn’t quite fit with what I’ve discussed here. That being said, please review your CATW materials, especially on structure and what should be included in each portion of the essay. I woudl recommend going back over the rubric too, and don’t forget the CATW Student Handbook is available in the Information section of this site.

BEST OF LUCK ON YOUR EXAMS NEXT WEEK!

I’m online doing OpenLab tutoring right now until 7pm. You can ask any questions here if you’d like to participate!

This is where you can find out more information on online tutoring in general, and how to use the online tutoring site: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/onlineesoltutoring/

Tuesday will be your in-class writing exam. We will go over your papers from today’s class and then you will have 90 minutes to write.

Thursday will be your in-class grammar exam. We will cover/review some important grammar before the exam.

I have printed out all the exams that have been sent to me on time. Please check your email and be sure I did not write back saying there was an error accessing your attachment. If you did not hear back from me, assume I have received your exam. I will have them graded for us to go over on the 25th. If you did not send your paper on time, you may not be able to receive a graded copy on the 25th and your midterm grade will temporarily reflect this missing assignment.

There is an additional and optional CATW activity below this post if you are interested.

Thanks to those of  you who got me your work on time, and I hope you all have a fantastic rest of the break!

If you want to work more on CATW prep over the break, I have provided a CATW prompt for you below. This is for independent study and is not required and not for a grade.

Suggested study:

Turn off your phone and remove other distractions. Set a time for 90 minutes, and work as if you are taking the CATW, using only a paper dictionary and not taking any breaks. (Remember, time management is very important on the test, and you can’t get better at it without practicing.)

Read the below prompt and follow the CATW writing instructions to write your best possible CATW essay. Then, click the link below to see my own notes on the article, the things that are expected to be included in your summary, and some possible response planning tips and topics. Compare your work to the examples and assess for yourself how you did.

Don’t forget that the CATW Student Handbook is also available in the information tab above.

Read the passage above and write an essay responding to the ideas it presents. In your essay, be sure to summarize the passage in your own words, stating the author’s most important ideas. Develop your essay by identifying one idea in the passage that you feel is especially significant, and explain its significance. Support your claims with evidence or examples drawn from what you have read, learned in school, and/or personally experienced. Remember to review your essay and make any changes or corrections that are needed to help your reader follow your thinking. You will have 90 minutes to complete your essay.

Only click this after you have done your own work and are looking for feedback:

Faux Friendship Discussion

If you want brief commentary on your response, you may bring a copy of this to me on Tuesday, April 25th. I will not grade it, and I will not comment on your summary and introduction since the above worksheet covers that, but I will comment on the relevance of your discussion and your aptitude connecting your ideas to the article if you like.

Your Units 3 and 4 exam is below this post. Please scroll down for your exam.

On Wednesday, a new post will be up with an optional CATW activity. This activity is not an official assignment and is not for a grade. It is just for additional study if you’d like. It will go up early Wednesday morning and will remain up throughout the break.

Please scroll down to your exam after this post. 

Attached below you will find both your exam and your exam answer sheet. This is an open-book test. You will read all the questions on the exam PDF and put all your answers on the answer sheet. You can either type your answers or print the page, answer by hand, and then scan it and email it to me. Only the answer sheet needs to be turned in.

All answer sheets must be emailed to my CityTech email address (kfox@citytech.cuny.edu) before Wednesday, April 12th. In other words, your work is due by 11:59pm on Tuesday, April 11th.

I recommend printing this test for your records and so it’s easier to go over the answers in class after the break.

Click the links below to access the test and the answer sheet:
Units 3 and 4 Exam
Units 3 and 4 Answer Sheet

Read pages 100-101 in your Northstar book, then answer comprehension questions 1-7 on page 102 before class on Thursday.