Tuesday, December 3rd, 2012--4:30 pm

Hello,

Thank you to all those who completed their oral presentations today. I know it is not always easy or comfortable to address the entire class. I look forward to hearing the rest of the presentations on Wednesday.

I did not have an opportunity to really talk about the results of out of class essay #3 today after they were returned. There are many students who really produced admirable work. However, there were far too many who did not. I should not be giving the lowest scores of the semester on the last work of the semester.

You had weeks to plan and write the essay. The average length of the essays I received was two full pages (?????). Not only did many lack development but there was often little evidence of proofreading and editing. There is really nothing more I can say that can emphasize how important (even crucial) that you manage your time and proofread and edit anything you attach your name to.

Interestingly, after the essays were returned today, I overheard one student in the hallway remark something along the lines of...."Wow. I have one unacceptable error and now I get a D for the class."
(I assure you, that one unacceptable error did not earn you the D. What it means is that you probably did not apply yourself well enough if only ten points makes such a huge difference.)

Can you hear me sighing?! :)

Thursday, November 29, 2012--7:30 pm

Greetings...

a few reminders and a few items of importance....

1. There is no class tomorrow, Dec. 30th.

2. Oral presentations will take place next week, on Monday and Wednesday. The minimum one page paper that accompanies your presentation is due on the day you present. Remember, you will not receive the 100 points possible if your paper has any unacceptable errors. You will instead receive no points at all. No exceptions. Also, you will NOT be receiving this paper back. Assume you have earned the 100 points unless you hear from me about unacceptable errors.

3. Please attend class on Monday, Dec. 3rd, to support your fellow classmates, EVEN if you are not presenting until Wednesday.

4. I will be returning out of class essay 3 on Monday. If you have not already revised out of class essay 1 or 2, you do have the option to revise this #3 essay. The revision is due no later than Monday, December 10th. IF YOU DO PLAN ON SUBMITTING A REVISION ON THE 10TH, YOU MUST EMAIL ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT YOU HAVE PLACED THE REVISION, WITH THE ORIGINAL GRADED ESSAY, IN MY MAILBOX IN THE ENGLISH DEPT. As always, please submit your revision as instructed on the syllabus.

5. On Wednesday, December 5th, please come to class WITH ALL OF YOUR GRADED WORK FROM THE SEMESTER AND WITH YOUR GRADE WORKSHEET FILLED OUT. I believe we can take care of the grade worksheet "check" on Wednesday after the presentations. This way, you can have Friday the 7th off. Wednesday will then be our last class session for the semester.

Monday, November 26th, 2012--7:45 am

Good morning.

I am adding one more item to the Packet, and this will be due to be viewed by Wednesday's class. It is a short video on youtube, approximately 8 minutes in length. I recommend that you jot down a few notes while watching so you can remember the main points, etc.

"Operation Homecoming--To the Fallen"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqKIBNxRmT0

Sunday, November 25th, 2012--7:30 am

Hello,

I have had three emails from students in the past 24 hours who read the blog entry that WAS posted here on November 19th at 8:15 pm. That blog was MEANT for my English 10 students; I accidentally posted it here.

There was ALSO an entry I posted at 8:30 pm on the 19th on this blog as well. THAT one is still posted and is the CORRECT one.

I truly apologize for the confusion. If you have any questions, please email me at
sacto1954@gmail.com. I DO NOT check my SacState email very frequently, as you know.

ALSO!
Please be sure to have the handout from a few weeks ago about how to critically read an essay. I will be completing that lecture tomorrow in class. A copy of this handout is below just in case you have misplaced it.

English 1A-- College Composition I

C. Fraga

How to Critically Read an Essay

Educated adults exist in a delusional state, thinking we can read.

In a most basic sense, we can.

However, odds are, some of us cannot read, at least not as well as we would like.

Too many college students are capable of only some types of reading and that becomes painfully clear when they read a difficult text and must respond critically about it.

Intelligence and a keen memory are excellent traits and most students have learned to read in a certain way that is only useful for extracting information. Thus, students are often fairly well skilled in providing summary.

However, the act of reading to extract information and to read critically are vastly different!

The current educational system in American primary schools (and many colleges) heavily emphasizes the first type of reading and de-emphasizes the latter.

In many ways, THIS MAKES SENSE.

Reading to extract information allows a student to absorb the raw materials of factual information as quickly as possible. It is a type of reading we all must engage in frequently.  However, each type of reading calls for different mental habits. If we do not learn to adjust from one type of reading to another when necessary, we cripple our intellectual abilities to read critically.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN READING TO EXTRACT INFORMATION AND READING CRITICALLY.

1. They have different goals.  When students read to extract information, usually they seek facts and presume the source is accurate.  No argument is required.  On the other hand, when students read critically, they try to determine the quality of the argument.  The reader must be open-minded and skeptical all at once, constantly adjusting the degree of personal belief in relation to the quality of the essay’s argument.
2. They require different types of discipline.  If students read to learn raw data, the most efficient way to learn is repetition.  If students read critically, the most effective technique may be to break the essay up into logical subdivisions and analyze each section’s argument, to restate the argument in other words, and then to expand upon or question the findings.
3. They require different mental activity.  If a student reads to gain information, a certain degree of absorption, memorization and passivity is necessary. If a student is engaged in reading critically, that student must be active!!! He or she must be prepared to pre-read the essay, then read it closely for content, and re-read it if it isn’t clear how the author is reaching the conclusion in the argument. 
4. They create different results.  Passive reading to absorb information can create a student who (if not precisely well read) has read a great many books. It creates what many call “book-smarts.”  However, critical reading involves original, innovative thinking.
5. They differ in the degree of understanding they require.  Reading for information is more basic, and reading critically is the more advanced of the two because only critical reading equates with full understanding.

ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE WANT IS THE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF OUR READING SKILLS, SO WE CAN MOVE BACK AND FORTH AMIDST THE VARIOUS TYPES OF READING.

FIVE GENERAL STAGES OF READING

1.      Pre-Reading—examining the text and preparing to read it effectively (5 minutes)

2.      Interpretive Reading—understanding what the author argues, what the author concludes, and exactly how he or she reached that conclusion.

3.      Critical Reading—questioning, examining and expanding upon what the author says with your own arguments.  Skeptical reading does not mean doubting everything your read.

4.      Synoptic Reading—putting the author’s argument in a larger context by considering a synopsis of that reading or argument in conjunction with synopses of other readings or arguments.

5.      Post-Reading—ensuring that you won’t forget your new insights.

Saturday, November 24th, 9:30 pm

Hello and greetings...
this posting is only for section 16 students....it is from Divya, your class mentor....some good information!

How is your thanksgiving break coming along?

I was talking with my friend about some of the services that they offer here at Sac State, and she did not know about some of them…and she is a graduating senior! Needless to say, I thought I would make this post about some of the services you can get on campus (if you did not know about them already):

-ENS: The Emergency Notification System gives “urgent announcements automates delivery of urgent announcements to faculty, students and staff. The system sends out text messages, phone calls and email in the event of a critical situation that may cause harm or imminent danger.” ENS was used last year, when there were fire drills that happened around Mendocino Hall, to alert students and faculty to cancellation of classes. You can sign up for it here:http://www.csus.edu/ens/signup.html.

-The Night Shuttle: Available from dusk to 11 pm, the night shuttle can transport students to any place on campus they want to go to. However, they only operate on campus. I use this A LOT, because I take evening exercise classes at the WELL. You can call them at (916) 278-5483, and for more information, you can visit their website athttp://www.csus.edu/aba/utaps/Hornet-Night-Shuttle.html.

-The WELL: Besides the amazing gym located in the WELL, there is also CAPS which stands for Counseling and Psychological Services at the second floor of the WELL. They provide counseling of any kind, and they are definitely extremely helpful! You can contact them at 916-278-6416 or find out more information athttp://www.csus.edu/psysrv/CommunityRes/MentalHealthAgencies.html. There is also the office next to the COVE on the first floor, where you can schedule a three day-diet analysis there. These are beneficial, I do them every semester!! You fill out a sheet with some information on the front (eg: height, weight, if your goal is to loose weight, etc). You then track your food intake for three days (two weekdays, and one weekend). After you turn in this sheet, you can then pick a time to meet a peer health educator, or even the nutritionist that works on campus, and they can give you information and answer your questions concerning health, weight, and dieting. These are some of the many resources available at the WELL, check them out!!

-Lassen Hall: I’m sure all of you have been there for your first year advising (if not, you better get it done soon, otherwise you will have a hold on your registration)! Lassen Hall has the academic center, which deals with first year advising, general education advising (they cannot go into specifics concerning your major), and much more! It also has the career center. There, you can send in your resume and coverletter for editing, go through an interview process with a career counselor, go through career exploration (where you figure out what you want to do with your job). You can contact the career center/academic office through: (916) 278-6351.

There are plenty other great services out here, but these are some of the ones that came up at the top of my head. If I figure out any more, I will write them down!
Like I said, my biggest regret is not using the services that Sac State provides us with. You are paying for these services, and they are actually really beneficial! So use them!

Monday, November 19, 2012--8:30 pm

Hello,

I want to wish all of you, again, a very safe and wonderful holiday week.

Below is the assignment for our last reading packet, Packet 8.

PACKET 8

"Boots to Books: The Rough Road from Combat to College"
(This is an approximately 14 minute video and a short article)
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=8c310eacfeb08aba2e7f1e29411543e9

"For Many Returning Veterans, Home is Where the Trouble is"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/opinion/03mon4.html


Also...if you did not attend class today, you are still responsible for signing up for your oral presentation. You will need to ask me for the sign up sheet that was passed around in class today.

And...there are a few students who have not submitted out of class essay 2. Please refer to the syllabus, which states that a student will not pass 1A if he/she does not complete the three out of class essay assignments, regardless if the essay is submitted so late that it does not earn any points. English 1A has a word requirement dictated by the English Dept. at Sacramento State.

Thursday, Nov. 15th--4:30 pm

Hello,

As I am looking over the (very few) rough drafts of essay 3 I received on Wednesday, it occurs to me that I need to remind you of something I have discussed in class briefly and have written on several of your other essays.

The issue is about tense.

When you are writing about something you have read or viewed, it is much better to write about the contents of the article or film in present tense. This eliminates wordiness and really helps to engage the reader.

For example:
Here are a few sentences written in past tense:

Kien began the story of his journey on his fifth birthday. Throughout the book we saw him turn into a young man.  He not only developed physically but mentally as well. Kien remembered his mother, Khuon, as a beautiful woman, but she came across as selfish most of the time. She seemed to pay more attention to herself than she did to Kien and his brother, Jimmy.

REVISED--IN PRESENT TENSE

Kien begins the story of his journey on his fifth birthday. Throughout the book, readers see him turn into a young man.  He develops both  physically but mentally. Kien remembers his mother, Khuon, as a beautiful woman, but she is also selfish. She pays more attention to herself than she does to Kien and his brother, Jimmy.

If you feel you need more explanation, please ask me in class and I will be happy to explain further.

ALSO, a few of you asked me yesterday if I was planning to extend the rough draft due date (which was yesterday) for out of class essay 3.

In all fairness, I am not going to extend the due date.

By this time in the semester, if you have not learned some time management skills, giving you an extension is not going to aid in that endeavor. :)

(The workload for this course is not huge. However, many of the assignments require PLANNING, TIME and REFLECTION.)