The final went well today at Jim's. Students brought their abstracts and after realizing we would not be able to hear each other, we decided to write our comments on student abstracts. Take these comments into consideration when completing your self-reflection. It doesn't have to be long. Put in the section at the end called Final Presentation.

Congrats to Sarafina on graduating from high school and a acceptance at the college in Oregon. Congrats to Dylan and Sam on their transfers, Evelyn on her return to UC,  Delondo and Harold on graduation from COA and transfer, Mariah on her matriculation from COA and acceptance at St. Mary's.

Good luck to everyone. If you are still on campus this fall drop me a line sometimes and let me know how you are doing. You can always send me an email through my website.

Just in case you didn't hear me, portfolios are due tomorrow at 12 noon, but if you need more time, you have until Monday, May 27 at 12 noon. I will be on campus Tuesday, May 28, all day grading. You all have my number, call me if you have any questions.

I am reading essays now. Quite a few are not pasted and attached, which means I will not be able to read them until next week, if they are not resent correctly. My laptop is low in memory.

When I respond to your portfolios tomorrow and Monday-Tuesday, if they are missing anything or incorrect, I will email and call you.

Final at Jim's Coffee Shop

Our final, Thursday, May 23, 10-12, will be held at Jim's Coffee Shop, 2333 Lincoln Avenue, Alameda, CA, (510) 523-5368  http://www.jimscoffeeshop.com/lincoln/index.php

After much deliberation we decided on this spot (smile). Come hungry with abstracts for your classmates. We'll sit around and share arguments. Thanks Andres for the tamales offer. We appreciate it.

If students missed today's class and have missed assignments, do not plan to present, but you can join us at breakfast. Let me know if you plan to come.  I made reservations for the 19 of us present this morning.

Outstanding revisions are all due by Friday, May 17, 2013, tomorrow, unless other arrangements have been made. Plan to drop by on Tuesday between 9-12 or 1-3 in A-205, for the Portfolio Workshop. There are no regularly scheduled classes next week.

Students let me know if I have missed their assignments. I will be grading assignments this weekend. Everything should be returned with grades by tomorrow. If you have a passing grade, put the revision (if required) in the portfolio.

Call me or drop by Tuesday with any questions. I have finals all day, 8-4 Wednesday.

Final Exam

The final is next Thursday, May 23, 2013, 10-12 noon. Students can present an essay written this semester. Presentations are to be 3-5 minutes. Bring a copy of an abstract for each classmate and me. No abstract, no presentation, no exceptions.

We will meet in A-202. If anyone wants to organize a party with refreshments, let me know (smile). We could also meet at a restaurant and present over breakfast. Any suggestions for an establishment?

English 5 Spring 2013 The Portfolio and Final Essay

The portfolio includes all the WLTC assignments completed. If they were completed in the book, just include the score where appropriate. Freewrites, reading logs, essays--all graded drafts and narratives (completed/revised). The only new essay is Analyzing an Extended Argument.

If you'd like to get feedback on the essay prior to submission send it to me and I will read it. Monday, May 20, 2012, when I am on campus all day, is a good day to do this. 

Cover page:
Include in the Portfolio Coversheet: Student Name, Address, Phone and Email, Course Name, Code and Semester

Narratives or Introduction to the Portfolio

Each narrative is about 250 words (you can write more) and they are the introduction to the portfolio.

Narrative or Essay 1 

Talks about the 18 week course: what you learned about writing and logic and thinking critically that you will carry forth into your lifelong pursuit of learning. 

Using the language of argument talk about the nature of critical thinking and what you are now capable of given this academic experience. Reflect on induction and deduction, the different fallacies and the kinds of arguments written: Rogerian, Definition, Taking a Stand, Extended Analogy, etc.

Also speak to the culture of the class: group work and peer critiques. How was this helpful with your own writing?  You can talk about books and other instruction materials.

Essay 2

The second narrative also 250 words minimally will talk about your revision process and what specifically you have learned about yourself as a writer that makes you a better writer at the end of the course than you were at the start. Use one-two graded essays as evidence. Also include citations from the essay(s) and a scholarly source like Diana Hacker's Rules for Writers. Make sure your MLA is perfect: in-text, works cited and essay formatting such as the heading and the header. 

Portfolio Guidelines for Submission and Assembly

This checklist can serve as the table of contents. Put a check next to the items to show inclusion in the portfolio. Use as the second page to the portfolio, after the cover sheet. Number the pages with a header. 

Name ______________________________
Date ______________________________
Class including class code and semester ____________________
Address _______________________________________
Phone number __________________________________
Email address__________________________________

ENG 5/ENG 211 Course codes: 20134, Tuesday/Thursday 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM

Class Meetings: January 22-May 16
Location: Room A-202

Final Exam: Thursday, May 23, 2012, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Portfolios due via e-mail by Friday, May 24, 2013, 12 noon. Students can submit the portfolios earlier to coasabirenglish5@gmail.com)

May 21 9 - 12 noon; 1-3 p.m. 
Drop-in Portfolio assembly workshop in A-205 _______________

Portfolio Due Date
Portfolios due via e-mail by Friday, May 24, 2013, 12 noon. Students can submit the portfolios earlier electronically. Make sure you receive a receipt for your submission. No paper copies, no exceptions. 

Narratives 1 & 2

Writing Logically, Thinking Critically
1. Writing Assignments from WLTC

2. WLTC Assignments (If they were posted on the blog, copy and paste it here. If they are in the book, do not worry about it.)

The Arguments
Baldwin
Related assignments _______

Essay(s)________
Peer Reviews___
Revisions (how many?)_________
Revision Goals _______
Grade________


Tim Wise
Related Assignments______

Essay(s)________
Peer Reviews___
Revisions (how many?)_________
Revision Goals _______
Grade________


The Happiness Project
Related Assignments ________

Essay________
Peer Reviews___
Revisions (how many?)_________
Correction Essays_______
Grade________

The Central Park 5

Related Assignments_______
Essay________
Grade________

Final Argument

Final Presentation______
Abstract______
Grade on presentation_______

Self Reflection________

Freewrites and Cyber-Assignments 
Freewrites and Cyber-Assignments not connected to a text or already listed elsewhere in this portfolio. How many? ____________ 

Grade Justification
What grade do you think you've earned this semester? What evidence supports this conclusion? Use one of the three argument styles appropriate to your audience to prove your point. Use evidence as well. Do not forget the works cited page. 


Extra Credit_________
Students can turn in a graded essay from another course if the other teacher doesn’t mind. It has to use research and MLA style documentation, so certain courses are not applicable. 

Anything else? _____________________________________________

Teacher research

Can I use your work in presentations and publications? Would you like to be anonymous? If I plan on using your essays or work in a book, I will let you know and share any proceeds. 

Yes, I agree.
No, do not use my work.


Grades

Portfolio checklist _____________
Portfolio Essay 1_______________
Portfolio Essay 2_______________
Portfolio Grade_________

Course Grade_________

Final Week of Classes

Today we completed the film, The Central Park 5. Develop an Initial Planning Sheet and outline for
Writing Assignment 11 Analyzing an Extended Argument on Thursday (143-144). This is WA 12 in the 6th Ed. (151-154).

Complete the exercise. We will talk about fallacious arguments connected to TCP5 Thursday, May 16, 2013.  We will also complete the exercises assigned last week.

I will post the Portfolio Checklist today. Let me know Thursday, if there are any ungraded assignments outstanding.

The Central Park 5

Today we watched an hour of the film, The Central Park 5, dir. Ken Burns (TRT 119 min.). Reflect on the film. Think about what you know about critical thinking. What fallacious arguments were presented? What do we know about motivation or intent? Think about the parties involved?

What arguments were used to criminalize the youth? Do any present cases come to mind? Historically this case is said to be similar to that of the Scottsboro Boys, nine teenage boys accused of the gang rape (in 1931) of two white girls in Alabama. The boys, like these kids 58 years later (1989) also didn't all know each other. All also professed innocence yet were convicted and later exonerated.

What would be Tim Wise and/or James Baldwin's take on the case? Baldwin is a native New Yorker who left the country because he could not abide its racism.

Homework: Writing Assignment 12 Questioning Generalizations (187). Choices 5 and 9. Use the story of the Central Park 5.  Respond in 250 words.

Thursday, May 15, 2013, we will look at Writing Assignment 11 Analyzing an Extended Argument on Thursday (143-144)

WLTC Week of May 7-9, 2013

Today in class we will revisit inductive and deductive argument. We use Euler diagrams to make these arguments visual (WLTC 7th ed. 157-160) Exercises: 7C, 7D, 7E.

Homework: Read chapter 7, complete exercises 7F, 7G, 7H  (pp. 172-175).

Thursday, May 9, 2013 Exercise 7L Evaluating Inductive Reasoning (184); Exercise 7J Distinguishing Between Correlation and Causation (185-6); Excercise7K Collecting Generalizations (186).

Writing Assignment 12 Questioning Generalizations (187)

Week ending May 2, 2013

This week we completed parts 1 and 2 in Writing Assignment 9 (or 10, WLTC 6th Edition). Today in class we shared in a Writing Workshop the essays. Students read the essays and as a Writing Community we shared our critique. The comments were positive and students gave concrete examples of how to improve the essay which is due next week.

Here is a recap of the assignment:

The essay assignment for The Happiness Project will be Writing Assignment 9 (116-119);Writing Assignment 10 in 6th Ed. (124-128).

I want students to practice using appositives in this essay, which will be a conversation with Gretchen Rubin and an analysis of her definition of happiness, juxtaposed with the writer's definition of the same. I also want the writer to critique the strategy Rubin employs and discuss a few of her assumptions, hidden or otherwise.

You will complete Step 1 and Step 2 (117;126). If you like you can write two short discourses, in the form of two letters. One will be the writer to Rubin giving his or her own definition of happiness, the second will be Rubin's response with her definition of happiness. In both cases one has to assume Rubin's perspective. 

We will look at this assignment Tuesday, April 30. Spontaneous drafts will be due on May 2. Bring in several copies (5) to share in a writing workshop setting. 

Homework, Notice a few Changed Elements

The final draft will be due Tuesday, May 7 by 12 midnight. Do your best writing. There will be no revisions of this essay. We will not watch the film The Central Park 5 in class that morning. 

Essay Portfolio

1. Final Draft of Essay (do not forget the Works Cited page (cite Rubin); Bibliography (2 sources)

2. IPS

3. Outline

4. Writing Assignment 9 part 1

5. Summary of Writing Workshop Comments

6. Revision Goals Narrative.

7. Freewrites related to Happiness

8. Cyber-Assignments related to Happiness
Students were to watch the interview or read a review of The Central Park 5. Tuesday we will look at one of two argument forms: Toulmin or Aristotelian. Which ever one we do not cover Tuesday, we will look at the following week.

We are not watching a film Tuesday. We will watch a film Thursday. I am thinking of switching from The Central Park 5 to a film called: The Happy Movie dir. Roko Belic.  

See: http://www.thehappymovie.com/film/

Students do not have to prepare for either film for Tuesday. We'll clarify and talk about the film, Tuesday, May 7.