Hi Class,

That was a lot of information! We will unpack these databases and more about the Annotated Bib on Wednesday.

Homework for Wednesday: Read Kyle D. Stedman’s article “Annoying Ways People Use Sources” (Readings menu tab) and in your notebooks, write a four sentence summary. I apologize for saying it was four pages long; it is actually fourteen pages long. That said, I think you will find it helpful and entertaining. Be prepared to read your summary in class on Wednesday.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

Homework: Read Alexandria Lockett (Readings menu tab) and the Wikipedia article on “Research” (see link below); then write Coffeehouse #3: Six things you learned while reading these two articles (perhaps three things from each article). 300 words minimum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research

NOTE: if you have not submitted the Intellectual Home Essay, I suggest that you email me.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

Hope today’s details on peer review and revision were helpful.

Homework: Many of you have already done the first three–thank you!

1–Post First Draft of Intellectual Home Essay on OpenLab (if you haven’t done so, you should, although it will be late)

2–Post Peer Review as a Comment on OpenLab  (if you haven’t done so, you should, although it will be late)

3–Submit Final Draft of Intellectual Home Essay on Blackboard (see Content) by 10 am on Wednesday

4–Read article titled: “Research Starts with Answers” and write a four sentence academic summary (in your notebooks–you will not turn this in).

ACADEMIC SUMMARY: (From our second class) 

1-introduction: introduce the article by stating the full name of the author, the title, the source, and the date if available

2-thesis: what is the author’s thesis?

3-more specific thesis ideas: what are other important ideas or sources that the author uses to deliver his/her main ideas?

4-author’s conclusion

**Note: if you have a question, please email me. But I will not check my email after 7pm on Tuesday (use your City Tech email)

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

It looks like everyone is working hard either posting their first draft of Essay 1 or working on peer reviews. Let’s spend Monday’s class figuring out how to make sure each of you can submit a final draft of essay 1 that you will be proud of. Therefore, if you can turn in the final draft by Monday morning, great–and you will get extra credit points. If, not, then the new due date is Wednesday, March 10. For those of you who can turn it in on time, it will definitely be worth it.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

Thanks for your questions. I hope that today was helpful. The key is to spend some quality time revising your essay according to what you learned today. The first page of Essay 1 is vital.

Homework: Post revised two-page draft of Essay 1 by Wednesday, 10am [Category: Essay 1 Draft]. Please look over our shared Notepad Google doc and the student sample as your revise. Make sure to proofread with care. Write down any questions, and we will get to them on Wednesday.

Looking ahead: Peer Reviews will be due next Monday, March 8.

Here are directions for the peer review again:

Hi Class,

Please post your drafts of your Essay 1 to this CATEGORY: Essay 1 Draft.

After you post, then answer these PEER REVIEW questions in a COMMENT right under the essay you select to review. PLEASE DON’T BEGIN TO PEER REVIEW UNTIL I HAVE GONE OVER THE DIRECTIONS ON MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY (March 1, 3).

DIRECTIONS: First copy and paste these questions in a COMMENT under the essay you have selected. Second, answer each question as completely and helpfully as possible. Make sure to review a draft that has less than two reviews. If it has two reviews, then select another one.

Please note: I will GRADE your peer review. If you answer all seven questions in a caring, supportive manner,  you will get all ten points (please proofread with care). Important: Do not correct grammar mistakes. Instead, suggest that when the student revises the essay he or she should work on comma rules or capitalization or spelling or varying verbs, etc (see below #7).

QUESTIONS:

1–Is the title of the article, the source, and the full author’s name provided in the first or second sentence? Be specific if something is missing.

2–Does the student define the author’s Intellectual Home and their own?

3–Does the student explore a brief personal educational experience?

4–Are the thesis and method clear?

5–Copy and paste your two favorite sentences from the students essay. Then explain why you like them. Sample explanation: not only is this an example of the college sentence, this sentence highlights an important turning point that you experienced in high school in a very clear way–I get it completely.

6–Copy and paste two sentences that are confusing. Then explain what is confusing about them. Sample explanation: you may have mixed up the terms Intellectual Home and Personal Anecdote, please check to make sure you have the right term for a brief account of your best exam experience ever.

7–Make two concrete suggestions. Sample suggestion: expand the description of your room because that is where all your studying takes place–what is on the desk that makes you calm? Sample suggestion: instead of using the verb “like” three time in the first paragraph, consider different varying the idea by using “love” as in “I love my old computer…”  Sample suggestion: when you revise your essay, change the lower case “i” to “I”–Prof. Scanlan will definitely say something about that. Sample suggestion: I suggest revising the thesis into the “While X, I think Y” format instead of writing two short sentences.

Peer review deadline: Friday, March 5, by 5pm

Final Draft of Essay 1 deadline: Monday, March 8, by 10am

**Click on the comment icon below for additional ways to phrase peer review suggestions:

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/profscanlan-english1101-ol22-spring2021/2021/03/01/seans-test/#comments

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

Thanks for the contributions–and for the outside-of-class communication network. I hope that it will help everybody. Of course, if you have a question the group can’t handle, please ask me.

Note: I updated the Notepad to include all the information I typed on that Word document.

FOR MONDAY:

1–Please complete Quiz 1 by 5pm tonight. Follow the directions on Blackboard (see Content). Email any questions.

2–Write a 1-2 page draft of Essay 1. What I want the class to focus on is the first page. The set up of the essay is fundamental to doing well on this assignment. Please reread the Essay details (see Assignments menu tab). Also, I’ve posted a model first page in the Readings menu tab–at the top. This student example is a very good example of a first page–but I want you to take your essay in the direction that feels natural for you.  I hope my margin notes are visible. You do not have to post your first draft by Monday–but we will by Wednesday. Our goal on Monday is to read and workshop specific parts of the first page as we move toward peer review.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

Good contributions today!

Homework for Wednesday: Read Howard Gardner and prepare for Quiz 1, which will be over readings. The format of the quiz will be short answer questions dealing with major ideas in the readings–such as Intellectual Home. For example, one possible question might be: What is one lesson to be drawn from Salvatore Scibona’s article?

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

New Note:

The City Tech Literary Arts Festival is now accepting submissions. It’s a fun way to get involved in writing for yourself and others.

Check out the advertisement here: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/literaryartsfestival/

—

Hi Class,

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with reading and answering questions. It really helps the energy of the class.

Homework for 2/22: Read the personal narratives by Malcolm X and Helen Keller (in Readings menu tab). Then write Coffeehouse #2: write your own personal narrative on a meaningful learning experience you’ve had within the past five years (300 words minimum). Make sure to select the right Category before posting your work (Coffeehouse #2). Due before class on Monday, Feb 22.

NOTE: We will begin Monday’s class by thinking about the Intellectual Homes of Santiago and Rahmani.

NOTE: Next Wednesday, we will have Quiz 1 over selected readings

NOTE: Sorry we didn’t get to the sentence types/categories. We will catch up with ease.

Best wishes,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

REMEMBER: NO CLASS ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15!!

Great job with the freewrites and the close reading of Scibona. For Wednesday, Feb 17:

Homework: Due: before Wednesday’s class on the 17th:

PART I: Use the Five-Part Reading Tool to examine essays by Esmeralda Santiago and Bilal Rahmani (Find the tool and the essays in the Readings menu tab). Do this in your notebook.

PART II: Comment on a classmate’s Coffeehouse Post #1. The rule here: select a post that has fewer than three comments. Write about two things in the post that you liked — approximately 100 words. Make sure to be kind and detailed. End with a signature. [note: you must be logged into OpenLab, and you must also have previously joined the class]

Also, you can still turn in homework if you are behind. Email me!

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

Thanks for the help reading Alexie’s article. Hopefully, the slow are careful reading we performed was helpful.

Here’s a brief refresher on the Compound sentence:

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses.

First Example:

I love the City Tech Cafe, but my students love Starbucks.

(The independent clauses are in blue. This sentence contains no dependent clauses. Note the position and use of the comma. And note the use of but as a coordinating conjunction. Remember “FANBOYS” are coordinating conjunctions–they join independent clauses)

Second Example:

I love the City Tech Cafe; my students love Starbucks, and we all love holidays.

Sometimes a compound sentence contains more than two independent clauses.

Third Example:

I can name several conjunctive adverbs; consequently, my friends are impressed.

Sometimes longer linking words can be used. Note that consequently is the conjunctive adverb (It connects two independent clauses. And it often requires a semicolon and a comma)

And here’s the homework:

Definition of Intellectual Home: The place(s), people, and activity(ies) that help a student do their best academic work.

 

Homework: Read Salvatore Scibona (Reading menu tab) and write Coffeehouse Post #1: 300 words that answer this question: what is Scibona’s Intellectual Home?

How to post:

Best,

Prof. Scanlan