Friday, September 28, 2007

Day 5

English 101 Day 5

Names—Quiz
Getting started on “Why Now?” question.

My notes on Intro

Chapter 1 and 2 at your tables—two or three interesting things for us to look at.
As a class

The essay is a compare contrast, with greater emphasis on the compare. But first we have to know what to look for. What was it like in the Southern Great Plains 1930’s? Look at the forest, not the trees. Look for a thread.


What is the big picture, so far?

My notes

3-5 pages isn’t that much, so we’re really looking for 3-4 similarities and maybe 1-2 differences.

HW:
Read WHT: Ch 5 (Saturday Ch 7; Sunday Ch 8; Monday Ch 9; Tuesday Ch 12)

WHT Notes Intro-Ch. 2

WHT Intro Notes: Characters+Horror

2: the story of this place: how the greatest grassland in the world was turned inside out, how the crust blew away, raged up in the sky and showered down a suffocating blackness off and on for a decade.

as if a curtain were being drawn across a vast stage at the world's end.

at a time when ¼ were out of work.

2-3: an old woman burns her husband's dust bowl diary

4: dugout

land act of 1909

5: 29-39. After a big run up, prices crashed. The rains disappeared…for years on end.

A scoop shovel was needed to clean the house in the morning.

Cows "they found stomachs stuffed with fine sand"

7: over 100 degrees for 35 days, on the 36th, 117.

Dust drills

Black Sunday—April 1935. Sky went purple. Electricity. Great pp

9 14 mil fled. Exodusters, mostly tenant farmers.

10: 2/3 stayed; now pigs and prisons

Dust bowl #1 weather event of 20th cent. Worst prolonged environmental disaster.

After, farmers got religion…but it didn't last. But now global farm commodities era.


 

Chapter 1: Bam White + History+ Warnings

15: Pre and colonial history of plains: Coronado in 1541

Apaches in 1700's; Comanches in 1800's

16: Bison

Medicine Lodge Treaty 1867: Comanche to GP's.

17: Killed bison by the millions (7 million pounds of bison tongue). 25 million killed.

18: Red River War: killed 1k horses. (Sheridan).

19: 10 years to eliminate the bison

19: XIT Ranch—Cows and Cowboys

Grassands covered 21 percent of US. Texas it was 2/3rds.

20 Capitol Syndicate 1882: bought it for 1.23.

How to Get Rich in the Plains.

21: Barbed wire invented in 1874

22: Bison are thermal regulators, cattle are fragile.

The Great American Desert.

23: Uninhabitable by people who depend on ag.—Report of 1820

24: Turns to real estate

Dry farming/Rain Follows the Plow

Use the dust for mulch.

Steam trains helped it rain.

25: The panhandle was good for ONE THING: Growing grass.

The best side is up…don't plow it under.

Sodbusters v. cowboys

26: Miles to water, miles to wood, and only six inches to hell.

27: Growing corn for brooms killed by vacuum. Corn for booze.


 

Chapter 2: Boise City, WWI+Grain prices, tempting fate

32: Boise City (tree/city) a lie twice.

33: Hyperbole/selling

34: Five flags: Spain, French, Mexico, Texas, US

36: Northern Plains abandoned already 1910-1930

37: Windmills reach aquifer. Windmill kits. Vast lake below the surface.

"The supply (of water) is inexhaustible."

38: Fire, flood, cow dip

39: The Great War: Turn the ground…as fast as you can.

42-3: Grain price spikes during WWI ($2 a bushel Government guarantee)

43: If the farmers of the High Plains were laying the foundation for a time bomb that would shatter the natural world, any voices that implied such a thing were muted.

What had been an anchored infinity of grassland just a generation earlier became a patchwork of broken ground.

47: Tractors speed plowing.

48: Loans to buy tractors, mortgages.

50: Maybe rain did follow the plow. The banks seldom said no.

50-51: If it was hubris, or 'tempting fat' as some of the church ladies said, well, the US gov. did not see it that way…. "The soil is the one indestructible, immutable asset that the nation posses," the Federal Bureau of Soils proclaimed as the grasslands were transformed. "It is the one resource that cannot be exhausted, that cannot be used up."

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Day 4

English 101 Day 4


  1. Names—Quiz Friday

  2. Questions about the class and teacher

  3. Getting started on "Why Now?" question.


    1. Intro and Chapter 1 at your tables—two or three interesting things for us to look at. (Leader, notetaker, reporter?)

    2. As a class
  • The essay is a compare contrast, with greater emphasis on the compare. But first we have to know what to look for. What was it like in the Southern Great Plains 1930's? Look at the forest, not the trees. Look for a thread.

    • What is the big picture, so far?

    • 3-5 pages isn't that much, so we're really looking for 3-4 similarities and maybe 1-2 differences.

HW: Read WHT: Ch 2


Change (get used to this) to the reading schedule: Cut chapter 3, 4 and 6 (so far) and read 5, 7 and 8 over the weekend instead. Chapter 9 for homework Monday and I'll have a revised schedule after that. I'm trying to get us all the way to the epilogue.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Day 3

English 101 Day 3

  1. Names—Quiz Friday
  2. A favor for the English Department
    1. Back at you—No English classes Monday.
  3. When you're done, read.
  4. Tomorrow, questions and getting started on "Why Now?" question.

And…

HW: Read WHT: Ch 1

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Day 2

Engilsh 101 Day 2

  1. Learning begins with questions. –Aristotle
  2. Group the tables
  3. What do we do about it?

    1. One idea
    2. But…
    3. Oops…
    4. Oh, And this, too…
    5. Stay tuned

  4. Assumptions
    1. Right
    2. Class
    3. Teacher
  5. Questions

    1. Front
    2. Teacher

  6. Syllabus cont.
  7. Rewrite questions about the class
  8. Read WHT: Intro

Tomorrow, a favor for the English Dept.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Welcome to YVCC English 101






Why Now?
Why Here?
What About You?



Lesson Plan Day 1

English 101 Day 1

  1. Learning begins with questions. –Aristotle

  2. What is your dream for after college?
  3. What dreams have you left behind?
  4. What is your goal this quarter?
  5. What do you have to get done this week?
  6. Group the tables.
  7. The Dust Bowl
  8. YHR from Saturday
  9. What do we do about it?
  10. Assumptions
  11. Right
  12. Class
  13. Teacher
  14. Questions
  15. Front
  16. Class
  17. Teacher


  18. Syllabus
  19. Rewrite questions about the class

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Syllabus

Yakima Valley Community College—English Composition 101

Glenn-Anthon 121

Dan Peters, Instructor dpeters@yvcc.edu 574.6800.3194

Office Hours: Fall 2007

Course Description:

In the first of two college-level courses, English 101, students will learn to write clear, unified, coherent, and well-developed essays of increasing complexity. These essays may be about literary and nonliterary texts, or they may rely upon such texts as points of departure for the discussion at hand. Through reading, writing, and discussion, students will learn to critically examine their own assumptions and opinions and to consider the facts and reasoning of others. When documenting sources in their essays, students will use the basic citation methods of the Modern Language Association. Students successfully completing English 101 should be adequately prepared to succeed in the second college-level composition course, English 102.

Prerequisites:

ASSET placement score: 46-54

Students who complete English 75 with a minimum grade of S or ESL 102 with a minimum grade of B+ are also eligible for English 101.


Course Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

01

Write clear, unified, and coherent essays that show active engagement with a topic

02

Write essays that show a developed analysis

03

Critically read texts

04

Use and articulate an effective writing process

05

Use MLA conventions accurately when integrating and documenting sources

Course Objectives

01

Generate content from personal experience, readings, class discussion or other appropriate means

02

Write essays with a thesis or central idea and develop a narrative, descriptive, or analytical essay according to organizing principles

03

Use evidence to support assertions

04

Paraphrase, summarize, and quote accurately

05

Anticipate and respond to the needs of a reading audience

06

Practice MLA documentation conventions

07

Improve writing through revising, editing, and proofreading drafts

08

Respond to peer's writing and consider feedback from readers

09

Reflect on one's own writing process, strengths and weaknesses, and progress

10

Practice critical reading strategies

Abilities:

Students will have the opportunity to practice the following Abilities as they meet course objectives:

Analytical Reasoning (AR) and Communication (C).

Required Texts/Materials

  • A Writer's Reference, Hacker 6e
  • The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck
  • The Worst Hard Time, Egan
  • Three Ring Binder
  • Spiral bound notebook
  • A good college-level dictionary

Suggested: highlighter pens, mini-stapler, blue & black ink pens, thumb drive


Labs and Internet:

We will meet Mondays in the lab. Room number:

There is also a blog associated with this class: www.yvccenglish101.blogspot.com
This site is unofficial and updated when I can get to it. I'll try to post lesson plans, useful links and reading schedules, but you should not rely on this site for anything beyond supplementing your classroom experience. That being said, it will be a big part of this quarter in particular.

Required Work

  • Three complete assignment sequences. Sequences will center on three related topics—

    Essay 1: Why Talk About the Dust Bowl Now?

    Essay 2: A Creative Response

    Essay 2: Why Talk About the Dust Bowl Here?

  • These sequences will include various prewriting activities, a rough draft and a second draft of all three essays.

Reading and commenting on students' papers. Your comments on papers should help others to revise and improve their work.

  • Readings as assigned.

Participation in class discussions and activities.

Preparation for class activities.

Quizzes on readings

A final revised essay for an improved score


Attendance Policy


If you miss 5 classes for any reason, you will lose one letter grade.

If you miss 10 classes you will lose two letter grades

If you miss 12 classes, you will be withdrawn from the course.


Coming 10 minutes late is absent. Leaving 10 minutes early is absent.


Please, come on time. Turn off the electronics. Lean in.


Requirements for essays and homework

All essays and homework are due on the date assigned.


Late work will not be accepted. Don't push me on this. It works for everybody. You will be given opportunities to make up these lost points through bonus point activities.


  1. Essays are required to be between 3 complete pages and 5 pages long, double-spaced, in a normal sized (12 point) font or type comparable to Times New Roman. Essays not meeting the minimum length requirement, whether through failure to complete 3 pages, use of a larger than normal font, or crayon pictures of a house or a kitty, or large margins, will have a reduced grade. Failing to complete page 3 by a line or two won't affect your grade, but stopping your essay on the middle of page 3 certainly will. Works Cited pages, graphics, charts, etc. do not count toward the minimum page requirement.

  2. All essays must be typed or printed on a computer printer.


  3. Essays must be typed in MLA format: with your name and page number in the top right-hand corner. Double-spaced. Correct heading

Keep a HARD COPY of your essay, so that you will have a back-up in case of loss, fire, flood, locust, jelly donuts, terrorists, disk crash, etc. Anyone working on computer should have a back-up copy of his/her essay on disk.

Plagiarized work will be scored as a 0 and will not be eligible for revision/rescoring.


Grades

Your grade will be broken into two parts:

  1. The first will be for all the work you do prior to a second draft (D2).
    1. This work will account for 40% of your final grade.
    2. These assignments will either be assigned a point value (ex: 7/10) or be graded on a +, \, - basis.


  1. The second part of your grade is your first and second drafts.
    1. This work will account for the 60% of your final grade.
    2. These are essays that I will read, give comments on and score from 0-100.
    3. Rubrics will be distributed at a later date.


  2. The third part of your grade will be bonus points. Because of activities related to the Big Read, there will be a record number of bonus point opportunities this quarter.


Scale:

A= 93%

A-= 90

B+= 87

B= 83

C+= 77

C= 73

C-= 70

D= 60


Course Adaptation: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please talk with me as soon as possible.


English 101 Rubric Essay One

Ideas and Support

(AR—Supports claims with evidence) 40 points

Unacceptable

Developing

Acceptable

Proficient

The student's essay does not have a clear focus and includes little credible or relevant evidence.




0-27

The student's essay has a focus and offers some relevant supporting evidence, but also offers additional claims, evidence from questionable sources, and/or evidence of questionable relevance.

28-31

The student's essay has an identifiable claim; the student supports his or her claim with appropriate evidence that is generally relevant to that claim.



32-35

The student's essay has a unique, arguable claim; that claim is supported using appropriate, sufficient, and relevant evidence from credible and varied sources.



36-40


MLA Style

(AR—Applies discipline-specific conventions) 20 points

Unacceptable

Developing

Acceptable

Proficient

The student produces an essay that does not use MLA documentation appropriately (i.e. lacks in-text documentation or lacks a reference page; paraphrases border on plagiarism, etc.).



0-11

In the essay, the student includes sources information, but does not fully integrate them; the student demonstrates some understanding MLA documentation, but struggles to consistently and correctly apply it.


12-15

The student produces an essay in which sources consistently and accurately quoted or paraphrased and are cited (in-text and on Works Cited page) according to MLA format.




16-17

The student produces an essay that complies with discipline standards: the essay is formatted correctly; sources are integrated effectively and are properly quoted/paraphrased and cited in-text; Works Cited page is complete, accurate, and correctly formatted.

18-20


Standard Written English

(C — Uses contextually appropriate language and conventions; AR – Methods) 20 points

Unacceptable

Developing

Acceptable

Proficient

The student's essay includes many major errors—in grammar, syntax, and diction—that distort meaning and interrupt flow of reading.




0-11

The student's essay includes a number of distracting minor errors or some major errors that distort meaning, though overall meaning is not lost; at times, sentence structure disrupts flow, and word choices lack variety and precision.

12-15

The student's essay contains few distracting errors in syntax, diction, grammar, or mechanics, and the errors do not detract from the meaning;




16-17

The student's essay contains few or no noticeable errors in grammar or mechanics and errors do not distract reader; sentences fluency and word choice enhance the readability and "voice."



18-20


Organization

(C) 20 points

Unacceptable

Developing

Acceptable

Proficient

The writing lacks a clear sense of direction. Ideas, details or events seem strung together in a loose or random fashion; there is no identifiable internal structure. No real intro or conclusion.

Connections betw. ideas are confusing or missing


0-11

Problems make it hard for the reader to get a grip on the main point or story line. The paper has a recognizable intro and conclusion. The introduction may not create a strong sense of anticipation; the conclusion may not tie up all loose ends.

12-15

The organization structure is strong enough to move the reader through the text without too much confusion. Intro and conclusion grab reader's attention. Transitions often work well.




16-17

The organization enhances and showcases the central idea or theme. The order, structure, or presentation of information is compelling and moves the reader through the text. Organization flows so smoothly the reader hardly thinks about it.


18-20