Tuesday, April 30th, 2013--530 pm

Greetings,

For tomorrow's class, I will be meeting with each of you individually as I read and score your out of class essay #3. This way, at the end of class, you will leave with your graded essay and can utilize the weekend to revise if you wish.

As you wait to conference with me, you may want to use the class time to work on your Portfolio Defense Letter.

Tuesday evening, April 23, 2013--10 pm

Greetings,
Below you will find a copy of the official Portfolio Defense Letter assignment that was distributed and discussed briefly on Monday.

English 11, Spring 2013

PORTFOLIO DEFENSE LETTER ASSIGNMENT—200 POINTS POSSIBLE

·      Assigned, Monday, April 22

·      Rough Draft due, Monday, May 6 (YOU MUST BRING TWO COPIES OF YOUR LETTER TO CLASS)

Unlike your three out of class essays, you must write, revise and edit this letter completely on your own.

The purpose of this letter is to convince me that you are ready to complete English 10/11 and move with confidence to the next required English class.  What have you learned about your strengths and weaknesses as a writer and reader?

This letter will also demonstrate that you can write an articulate, well developed essay/letter without my guidance and feedback.

Requirements:

·      Letter must be typed and double spaced.

·      Letter must be at LEAST three pages in length.

·      Letter must explain specifically how you met the goals set for this course (English 10 and 11). (One of the best ways to approach the goals is to consider your experiences and process writing and revising the three out of class writing assignments. You will also want to recall all the various activities and lessons that took place over both semesters)

·      Letter must be dated and addressed to me.

·      Letter must be signed by you.

Monday, April 15, 2013--7:45 pm

Greetings,

Important Items and Reminders:

1. On Wednesday, please bring the sample student essay distributed in class today. Be sure you have reviewed the entire essay and have noted your observations. As you know, we just had time to discuss the first paragraph only.  I am posting a copy of this sample essay below for those who may have been absent today. If you WERE absent, you will need to get the list of specific issues to focus on while reading it from another student in class. Use your Class Contact List.

2. On Wednesday, you will be completing In Class Essay #2. You will have 50 minutes to complete the essay. Please remember to bring a green or blue book to class. If you have enough space to write the essay in the blue book you utilized for In Class Essay #1, you may certainly use it again.

3. To prepare for In Class Essay #2, please read the following article. You will want to read it a few times and make notes and/or annotate BEFORE YOU COME TO CLASS. You may refer to the article while you plan and write the essay.

"Writing in America: Banned in Tucson" by Luis J. Rodriguez

https://www.facebook.com/notes/california-gold-the-sacramento-valley-chapter-of-reforma/banned-in-tucson-luis-j-rodr%C3%ADguez-progressive-april-2012/292771537459843


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SAMPLE STUDENT ESSAY—ENGLISH 11—SPRING 2013

ESSAY #1 ASSIGNMENT

Life before the Internet

            What was life like before the internet? It was a time when most things were done by hands like writing and mailing out invitations to parties, baby showers and weddings.  Young students didn’t use the internet to help them on  homework, but they used actual hardcover textbooks.  Now, some people just create a quick event on a social networking site and invite just about everyone. It also became easier for students to plagiarize other people’s work.  Although the internet has made our everyday lives more convenient, it has caused people to become overly dependent on it.

            Before the internet became a big part of my life, I was always outdoors playing with the neighbor kids.  I played hide and seek, board games, tea party, and much more.  There were so many things to do that I would never get bored.  Since the internet became more in, I have been less active and more attached to the internet for entertainment.  People using up all their time using the net are unhealthy because they are more likely to not exercise, and they’re not able to interact with people face to face.  For an example, in South Korea, children are not willing to leave their room because they’re too busy playing online games.  These kids sometimes lose track of time and forget to rest and do stretches to loosen up muscles, which can lead them to their death.  It also became harder to focus in class when a teacher lectures.  Sometimes class lectures can be interesting, but I often “zone out” and crave for a different topic to be discussed.  As my attention span decreases, it is hard to stay focused on homework for even five minutes without constantly waiting to surf the Net for interesting news to gossip with friends.

            Many people make up excuses as to why they can’t finish their work on time.  According to the article, “Does the Internet Make you Dumber?”: “People who are continually distracted by emails, alerts, and other messages understand less than those who are able to concentrate”(223).  It seems easy to sit down and start doing homework until the phone starts vibrating.  Even taking an online class might tempt a person to check out other time draining sites which causes the person to either pull an all-nighter or rush through homework an hour before class. Usually, people who wait until the very last minute to do everything do not get much out of it; whereas, people who actually put all the distracting devices elsewhere to finish a piece of homework are able to understand the subject better.

            The internet provides many reliable sources to gather information that people take advantage of in order to save valuable time.  In fact, may wonder why money is being wasted on books if the Net has all the information. There was a time when my little sister was doing her English homework and she came upon a word she didn’t know the meaning of.  Instead of looking the word up from a dictionary, she typed the word onto Google for the definition.  Out of curiosity I asked, “Why as Google for all the answers when textbooks have all the information you need?”  Her only response was, “It’s faster than flipping through pages to look for a piece of information and I never really used a dictionary before.”  I find it sad that young children are starting to lose a simple skill such as using a dictionary.  Even though the internet does provided many trustworthy sites, it doesn’t mean a person should always trust information that is provided on the internet.  There are some sites that give false facts.  Anyone can easily post general news on the World Wide Web without any sources to back up their facts.  Textbooks are more reliable because writers need to find many sources on all the materials that are needed.  As technology starts advancing, it will be difficult to retain the practical skills that don’t involve any internet connection.

            Things that were once done by hand are slowly disappearing.  In the past, students who had to write essays, book reports, or research papers only had textbooks as a resourceful tool.  Information didn’t come pouring out of the books as fast as the internet.  According to “Your Brain on the Computer”: “Before the Computer Age, chess grandmasters used to study chess books before matches” (229).  People didn’t have to worry about books causing viruses or identities getting stolen.  Businessmen had to handwrite letters and take them to the post office.  It can take days for someone to receive a letter that was sent by mail instead of by email.  Love letters used to have more meaning but now people are cowards and hide behind a computer screen to send a loved on a message.  Friends met in person and not just on some random social networking site.  Sure the internet helps people get things done at a faster pace, like keeping in touch with long distant relatives and friends.  It takes boredom away with all the entertainment the Net provides.  Many people can watch free movies online instead of driving to Blockbuster to rent a good movie.  I’m sure some human beings don’t know how to read an actual map to get from one area to another without a GPS guiding the person the whole way.  Sometimes, it is better to take a break from these technologies and go explore the world.

            When I think about how reliant the future generation is becoming, the thought of it scares me.  What if all the technologies crash one day?  I fear many people would be lost without any devices in hand.

Second Posting--Sunday, April 14th

Hello, below is the reading due to be read for tomorrow. You will note when you are on the site that there is an audio component, around 26 minutes. You may want to listen to the audio and follow along as you read.

"Kyoto Prize Winner Explains the Benefits of LIving in a Diverse Society"

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/aug/19/kyoto-prize-winner-explains-benefits-living-divers/

Sunday, April 14th, 2013--noon

Hello,
I am attaching a copy of out of class essay assignment #3, which was assigned last Wednesday in class.

English 11, Spring 2013

C. Fraga

OUT OF CLASS ESSAY ASSIGNMENT #3 (200 points possible)

Assigned: Wednesday, April 10th

Optional Rough Draft Due: Wednesday, April 24

Final Draft Due: Wednesday, May 1

The readings in this chapter, “Between Cultures,” explore the many situations and issues connected with being a part of or being exposed to more than one culture. Some even describe it as having one foot in one culture, and the other placed firmly in another.

In this country, most specifically in California, we are daily exposed to a plethora of different cultural backgrounds. In fact, most of us probably take for granted the wealth of interesting, curious, rich and diverse people, language and ideas that surround us.

Prompt:

Write an essay in which you explain how and why being surrounded by a variety of different cultures impacts your life and makes it richer, more interesting.

You are not required to do any outside research for this essay. (In other words, no in text citations or Works Cited page, etc.)

I want you to focus on you and your experiences up to this moment in your life. What have been the most powerful influences, insights and/or lessons you have received from others who celebrate and honor another culture than yours? What is the value of living in such a diverse world, attending school at such a diverse campus?

YOUR ESSAY MUST BE:

·      DOUBLE SPACED

·      MLA SET-UP/FORMAT

·      TIMES NEW ROMAN FONT

·      EDITED CAREFULLY FOR CARELESS SENTENCE LEVEL ERRORS

IT MUST BE AT LEAST FOUR PAGES MINIMUM. I realize I am going against my own philosophy of no word or page requirement…but after reviewing the most recent research essays, I feel inclined to set some guidelines. J

Sunday, April 7th, 10:30 pm

Greetings,
the good news is...that I have all the research essays graded.
The NOT so great news is...
in the last hour I have developed a killer migraine. Ugh.
(hopefully it was not due to reading the research essays...hee.)
In fact, I am going to have my husband drive me to Urgent Care to get a shot...it appears it is going to be THAT kind of migraine.
I am so sorry!
Have a good and safe Monday and I will see you on Wednesday.