Hi everyone,

This will be my last post before the final exam. The readings were distributed in class on Thursday. If you were absent and did not receive the reading, I will be on campus early on Tuesday and can coordinate with you for delivery. You must email or comment below for this privilege.

As you know, you may bring the one sheet of readings into the exam, with whatever notes you choose to write on that one sheet. The exam will be during our normal class period—1 hour and 15 minutes. Before class, you’ll likely want to annotate the writing, write a summary statement of the reading, look up any words you don’t know, and think about your own opinion of the author’s thesis (remember our practice final exam). This also involves understanding the author’s purpose, audience, and strategy—something we’ve been working on all semester long with every piece we’ve read. You can’t truly understand a piece of writing unless you can identify the author’s argument.

Don’t forget to review the exam rubric to know EXACTLY what I’ll be looking for when I grade your essay. Remember to pay attention to structure (thesis, topic sentences, paragraphs focused around a single point that helps prove the thesis), textual evidence (use quotes from the reading and show that you know how to signal and cite properly), and grammar (no comma splices please!). You must write legibly, and you may want to make some notes about these things on the reading sheet you can bring into the exam.

For any last minute questions, comment below. See you Tuesday, and good luck!

Oral presentations, day 1.

Even if you went today, you are still responsible for being in class and writing in your notebook for each presenter on Thursday. It is also important that you attend class on Thursday to:

a) turn in your essay #3 revision
b) turn in your in class writing notebook
c) receive the readings for the final exam

HOMEWORK

1. Oral presentations for your argumentative essay will continue on Thursday, May 14th.

2. Essay #3 revisions are due Thursday, May 14th.

3. In class writing notebooks must be turned in on Thursday, May 14th. If you do not turn your notebook in, you will not receive credit for any of the in class writing you have done since your first turn in (and if you did not turn it in at the first due date, and do not turn it in on the 14th, you will not receive credit for any of the in class writing you did over the course of the semester).

4. Our final exam is Tuesday, May 19th. Readings will be distributed on Thursday.

Today we did our final free write, and our final round of sentence corrections. In addition, the final draft of your proposal and annotated bibliography was also due today.

HOMEWORK

1. Oral presentations for your argumentative essay will begin on Tuesday, May 12th. You must be prepared on Tuesday, as names will be drawn at random. View the assignment, and criteria, here.

2. Essay #3 revisions are due Thursday, May 14th.

3. In class writing notebooks must be turned in on Thursday, May 14th. If you do not turn your notebook in, you will not receive credit for any of the in class writing you have done since your first turn in (and if you did not turn it in at the first due date, and do not turn it in on the 14th, you will not receive credit for any of the in class writing you did over the course of the semester).

4. Our final exam is Tuesday, May 19th. Readings will be distributed the class before.

Today we discussed the Oral Presentation, which will happen next week. Everyone must be prepared for their presentation on Tuesday, as the names will be drawn at random. Please view the assignment if you missed class.

Then we discussed the practice final from last Thursday, discussing in detail what will be expected on the actual final. Remember, this is an argumentative essay. You are not talking about your experience for the sake of talking about your experience. Below you will find a sample outline, drawing on all the information asked in the prompt.

• Introduction
  • Hook
  • Introduce article (summary)
  • Introduce your experience.
  • Thesis
• Describe Mydans’ article
  • the point of it (his argument)
  • What is he basing it on?
  • Why does he feel it is important?
• Talk about your own experience of change (or an experience you’ve read/heard about)
  • Describe the agent of change and its effects
  • What you learned from this experience
• Compare Mydans’ view to your experience
• Conclusion
  • Some summary
  • A point to drive it home

HOMEWORK

• Post thesis rewrite to Open Lab
• Annotated bibliography revisions due Thursday 5/7.
• Start preparing for oral presentations on Tuesday, 5/12.

Today in class, we did a practice final exam. This was actually the final exam from a previous year and is a great indication of what you can expect on the real final. Remember, if you don’t pass the final exam, you will not pass the class. We will discuss the practice final next Tuesday.

HOMEWORK

1. Essay #3, in its entirety, is due Tuesday, May 5th.
2. Revisions to your proposal and annotated bibliography are due Thursday, May 7th (remember, this alone is worth 5% of your final grade). Please review the assignment and sample here to make sure you’ve done everything correctly.
3. Oral presentations will be the week of the 5/11 (we will discuss this in detail next week).
4. In Class Writing Notebooks will be handed in on Thursday, 5/14.
5. The final Exam will be on Tuesday, 5/19.

Today, we had a peer review session for essay #3.

HOMEWORK

–  Work on essay #3. Your final draft is due Tuesday, 5/5/15.
–  Proposal and annotated bibliography revisions will be due Thursday, 5/7/15.

INTEGRATING SOURCES

You should never have a quotation standing alone as a complete sentence, or, even worse, as an incomplete sentence, in your writing. All quotations need an introduction in the student writer’s own words. This often includes a signal phrase.

There are 4 main ways to integrate quotations:

 1. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon.

 McWhorter points out that grammar is a low priority in schools, and thus the state of an applicant’s grammar is often beyond his or her control: “It’s more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).

“The Story of an Hour” ends with a devastating irony: “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills” (Chopin 58).

** This is an easy rule to remember. If you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, you need a colon after the sentence. Be careful not to confuse a colon (:) with a semicolon (;). Using a comma in this situation will most likely create a comma splice, one of the first grammatical issues we covered this semester.

2. Use an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separated from the quotation with a comma.

Because of grammar’s low priority in schools, McWhorter argues, “[Poor grammar is] more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).

One can assume that Sylvia did, in fact, understand Ms. Moore’s lesson when she says, “Ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin” (Bambara 659).

**You should use a comma to separate your own words from the quotation when your introductory or explanatory phrase ends with a verb such as “says,” “thinks,” “believes,” “claims,” “argues,” “questions,” and “asks” (and many more). You should also use a comma when you introduce a quotation with a phrase such as “According to”: According to McWhorter, “[Poor grammar is] more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).

3. Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your own words and the words you are quoting.

Because of grammar’s low priority in schools, McWhorter argues that “[poor grammar is] more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).

One can assume that Sylvia did, in fact, understand Ms. Moore’s lesson when she says that “ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin” (Bambara 659).

**Notice that the word “that” is used in the examples above, and when it is used this way, “that” replaces the comma which would otherwise be necessary. You usually have a choice, then, when you begin a sentence with a phrase such as “McWhorter says.” You either can add a comma after “says” (McWhorter says, “quotation”) or you can add the word “that” with no comma (McWhorter says that “quotation”).

4. Use short quotations—only a few words—as part of your own sentence.

Because of grammar’s low priority in schools, McWhorter argues that poor grammar is “more likely the fault of the individual’s education than laziness” (McWhorter 1).

People’s applications shouldn’t be discarded just because they “don’t quite know their way around a semicolon,” especially if they are qualified for the job in other ways (McWhorter).

**When you integrate quotations in this way, you do not use any special punctuation. Instead, you should punctuate the sentence just as you would if all of the words were your own. No punctuation is needed in the sentences above in part because the sentences do not follow the pattern explained under number 1 and 2 above: there is not a complete sentence in front of the quotations, and a word such as “says” or “asks” does not appear directly in front of the quoted words.

REVIEW

• Rule 1: Complete sentence: “quotation” (citation).
• Rule 2: Someone says, “quotation”  (citation).
• Rule 3: Someone says that “quotation”  (citation).
• Rule 4: If Rules 1-3 do not apply, do not use any punctuation between your words and the quoted words.

A FEW NOTES ON PUNCTUATION:

If there are no parenthetical citations in the sentences (no author’s name and page number in parentheses), the commas and periods go inside the final quotation mark (“like this.”).

Question marks and exclamation points go outside of the final quotation mark if the punctuation mark is part of your sentence–your question or your exclamation (“like this”?). Those marks go inside of the final quotation mark if they are a part of the original–the writer’s question or exclamation (“like this!”).

Use brackets ([ ]) to change verbs or other parts of the original quotes when necessary, and ellipses (. . .) to shorten a long sentence. These techniques are especially useful for maintaining present tense in your paper.

If your quote is longer than 4 typed lines, it must be offset in your essay.

SUMMARY:
A summary is when you condense a substantial amount of material into a paragraph or perhaps a single sentence. Summaries are used when you don’t want to provide too many details, just a central idea.

• Summaries are objective (no opinion)
• Your annotated bibliography requires you to summarize.

PARAPHRASE:
A paraphrase retells the information of a source in approximately the same number of words, clinging much more closely to the intent and content of a particular line or passage.

• Be careful not to follow your source’s wording too closely as this will constitute plagiarism.

HOMEWORK

• Integrating Sources exercises due Thursday.
• Read A Debate About the Death Penalty, which includes two short pieces: “The Penalty of Death” by H.L. Mencken and “Execution” by Anna Quindlen (pgs. 443-453). Post a single reading response to OpenLab.
• Revisions to Essay #2 also due Thursday!
  • Note: Altering a few sentences is not going to change your grade. You really have to rework the paper at its foundation to improve.
• Work on your research project. Your proposal & annotated bibliography, as well as your essay’s first draft, are all due on Tuesday, 4/28.

NOTES FROM CLASS

In class, we discussed “Peak Performance” and answered questions in groups.

1. Why did Goleman write this article? What is it a response to? (If all research starts with a question, what might his question have been?)
2. What message do you think the experts quoted in this essay are giving to young people who want to excel in something? What do you see as the impact of this message?
3. Who is the audience? In other words, who would benefit from reading about the research reported here? In what way would they benefit?
4. What is the impact of Goleman’s pointing out that the marathon runner who won an Olympic gold medal a hundred years ago could barely qualify for the Boston Marathon today?
5. What are some of the sources (strategies) Goleman uses? How does the use of diverse authorities and sources strengthen Goleman’s essay?

We also reviewed Essay #2. Remember, practice makes perfect, and just like chess masters and basketball stars, writers only improve through practice (and that means revision).

Revision does not mean changing a few words. It involves a complete reimagining of the essay, especially if you struggled with structure. Altering a few sentences is not going to change your grade. You really have to rework the paper, improving both the scaffolding (structure) and facade (sentences). Sometimes, what’s in your head isn’t being translated properly to the page.

Some really important things to focus on, besides a clear structure, are:

• Thesis sentences: make sure you have a thesis that expresses your argument, and your how you plan to prove that argument. In this case, the how are likely your 3 categories.
  • Some of you received decent grades without developed theses, and I understand you may not want to bother revising, but I’m warning you now: if you cannot write a thesis by the time your final rolls around, you may not pass the course. The thesis is THAT IMPORTANT!
• Topic sentences: if you’re using the alternating pattern, which most of you are, you’ll want the topic sentence to speak to the specific category you are discussing, say businesses that exist, and relate that topic back to the argument.
  • If your argument is that your neighborhood is a better representation of NYC, then your topic sentence can likely relate to the fact that TS has chain restaurants/shops that you can find across the country, while your neighborhood has little mom and pop shops that are unique and special. Then follow with a few sentences of evidence about the chain restaurants and clothing stores in TS, and a few sentences the unique restaurants and shops in your neighborhood. Details should work to prove the argument. Don’t talk about how great Olive Garden in TS is if your argument is that the uniqueness of your neighborhood trumps Times Square’s flashy appeal.
    • NOTE: If you start with Times Square, all paragraphs need to start with Times Square.

Also read your work aloud to see if it makes sense. Focus on details, specifics, and clear language. Keep it simple. Say exactly what you mean, even if it sounds too simple. It’s better to be simple and clear than complicated and confusing.

HOMEWORK

• Read Shitty First Drafts and post your reading response to Open Lab.
• Work on your research project. Your proposal & annotated bibliography, as well as your essay’s first draft, are all due on Tuesday, 4/28.
• Revisions to Essay #2 are due Thursday, 4/23.

LIBRARY INTRODUCTION 

Make sure to activate your City Tech ID at the library’s circulation desk ASAP. This has many advantages, most notably that all your academic research can be done at home! You do not need to be in the library to use the library’s resources (or any CUNY library’s resources).

You can always ask a librarian for research help (in person, phone, or email).

When googling for sources, don’t forget to evaluate your evidence using the RECAP method. You need to make sure your sources are legitimate.

Library website: http://library.citytech.cuny.edu/

When researching, try to think of keywords to use in your search. Don’t search by typing in a full sentence, but rather keywords for your search. If you’re not getting many hits, try removing or changing the keywords.

Remember: City Tech’s database shows results by date of publication, not relevance.

To open an ebook, click on CUNY under availability, and then access for all CUNY users.

Use the “How to Cite” link to help with your works cited list by having a bibliographic citation generated for the specific text you’re using (don’t forget to double check). Also look at the “Bibliography” for more relevant sources.

You can renew your books online (unless someone else put a hold on that book).

Your tuition helps pay for free access to thousands and thousands of subscriptions. You can access all of these articles/magazines/newspapers through the library database, without having to pay to access these articles.

There are many databases to use. Academic Search Complete is a great place to start. It has mostly academic content and full articles, and is good for scholarly journals and professional/trade news. After you search, there are many ways to help narrow your search (by date, by subject, etc).

Lexus Nexus is great for newspapers and news articles across the globe.

You can email articles to yourself so you don’t lose them or forget where you found them. You can also often generate a citation for articles.

HOMEWORK

• Start collecting research and working on your research project!
• Read Daniel Goleman’s “Peak Performance” and do your reading response.

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS:

Technically, argument and persuasion are two different processes. Persuasion is commonly based on emotion. It uses highly emotional, biased language and appeals to feelings and instincts. Argument is based on rationality and depends on logical explanations and appeals to intelligence. For example, advertising and political writing cluster toward the persuasion end of the continuum, whereas scientific writing and grant proposals cluster toward the argument end.

Seldom does persuasive writing appeal only to emotions, and seldom does argument rely entirely on reason. Neither approach is “better.” When people write to convince, they appeal to both emotions and intelligence, varying the balance of emotion and reason according to their audience and purpose. Generally speaking, people who write effective arguments do what a good trial lawyer does: they present a case persuasively but give strong reasons to support their assertions.

PURPOSE:
The goal of argument is to get your reader to agree with you despite active opposition. However, not all people who write arguments are trying to win a dispute. You might argue or persuade to:

• support a cause or make a commitment.
• get people to take action
• try to change a situation.
• change behavior or attitude
• refute a theory
• arouse sympathies
• stimulate concern
• win agreement
• provoke anger.

Many of these purposes can be combined in one piece of writing.

AUDIENCE:
More than any other kind of writing, persuasion and argument ask you to think about your audience. To write effectively, you must have a clear idea of who may read your writing, or who you want to read your writing, what kinds of attitudes and biases those people have, and what they expect from your essay. Usually, you can assume that your readers will fit into one of four categories:

1. Readers who already agree with your ideas and are reading mainly for reinforcement or encouragement.
   1. These people want to see their position stated with vigor and conviction—they may not expect a perfectly structure, sound argument.
2. Readers who are interested in and inclined to agree with the issue you are discussing but want to know more.
   1. These readers are interested in your evidence, but will not object to emotional appeals.
3. Readers who are neutral on an issue and want explanations and arguments based on evidence and logical reasoning before they make up their minds.
   1. For these readers, you must make a carefully developed and factual argument, although you can also reinforce facts with opinions.
4. Readers who are skeptical about an issue and will not take a stand until they hear both sides of an argument explained in detail.
   1. These people expect data and documentation and expect you to be knowledgeable of the subject.

STRATEGY:
Research!

Your argumentative essay will likely be longer than five paragraphs, but the whole thing will evolve in much the same way as a 5-paragraph essay does. The structure involves:

1. A clear, concise and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph.
2. Clear and logical transitions between the intro, body and conclusion.
3. Body paragraphs that include evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, anecdotal) and revolve around topic sentences.
4. A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.

In addition, the strongest arguments consider what others will say to refute your argument, or, in other words, the counterevidence. Showing how your way of seeing things is better reveals you, the author, as a thoughtful, reasonable, thorough individual.

• Don’t raising only the weak or silly arguments that your opponents might raise; your paper becomes strong by taking on the strength of the opposition.
• Never belittle or threaten your opposition.
• Respect for the opposition goes beyond sportsmanship; giving the enemy its due makes your argument all the stronger.

This does not mean, however, that you are comparing and contrasting the two sides. Your second essay required you to, more or less objectively, explore the two sides, and then come to a logical conclusion. This is not the same. Instead, you are presenting the other side, merely to strengthen your side. You are presenting it, and then tearing it down (nicely).

HOMEWORK

• Finish the research questions in your In Class Writing Notebook, if you did not do so in class.
• Read “Thinking Critically About Research” pt. 2 (pgs. 9-16)
• Start collecting research and working on your research project!
• GET AHEAD: Read Daniel Goleman’s “Peak Performance” for Thursday, 4/16, and do your reading response.
• Lastly: you have a one time offer to complete missing homework from OpenLab. It must be posted (with proper category) by Tuesday, before class. Last chance to make up missing work for half credit (better than no credit)!

And DO NOT FORGET!!!!! We are meeting in front of the library on the Tuesday we come back from break for your library introduction!