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.
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