Grammar Matters-Especially on Your Tattoos

Class Update for April 4th

Class,

Please add three more paragraphs to your essay. At this point, you will need to start typing up your drafts. This is easier for revisions and readability, plus all final papers need to be typed. Remember to save your progress! This will save you time! You should be well beyond the halfway point this week. In fact, 9 paragraphs in total should have you through five pages!

This next week, you will look for an image to include in your research paper. Remember, visual rhetoric can be very powerful, so choose a picture, a graph, or chart to help back up your information. This image cannot exceed half a page, so size accordingly.

Also, we will have our vocabulary quiz over March's words. Those are all posted on the blog. And your reading is the first 30-40 pages of The Hobbit. Remember, pay close attention to the political environment in this novel. Things aren't always what they seem. There are larger messages for us if we choose to pay attention. :)

Tuesday's class begins a new month, so please remember to bring your tuition.

Kindly,
Heather

What to Expect March 28th

Class,

Hopefully, you have been working on your research paper. This week, you should have written four more paragraphs to add to the other two you've already written. You also should have finished reading F451. We will continue working on our research papers this week, but you will write three paragraphs for this following week, and make any necessary revisions on your previous writings. Writing is re-writing. I suggest you type up your work at this time, if you haven't already. It will be much easier to work on your drafts this way. It will also be reassuring to see how much you are accomplishing. Six well-developed paragraphs should have you into your third page of composition. By the end of this week, you should have half of this research paper written. Next month, we will finish this paper. That leaves us a couple of weeks to make our final revisions. You are almost done! Hang in there!

We will be spending most of our time discussing the book in class, so be prepared for discussion. Bring in any questions, comments, confusions, etc. We will also work on our new vocabulary words and review the past lists. We will have our vocabulary quiz the beginning of April.

Our next book is The Hobbit! If you need to order it, go ahead and do so now.

Kindly,
Heather

The Power of Punctuation

Vocabulary Words- March

Class,

Since there are either absences or lost vocabulary handouts, I'm going to place them online from now on. We will still go over them in class, but hopefully, this will help all of you to keep track of our words.

Here are the words for March:

Lesson 1: 
brusque (adj.) Slightly rude in speech or manner (My grandfather can be brusque and impatient.)

hone (v.) to make more pointed (My appetite was honed by fresh air and exercise.)

espouse (v.) to support (The politician espoused the president's opinions and worked to help get the bill passed.)

odious (adj.) extremely unpleasant (Charles was assigned the odious task of laying off the entire division.)

posterity (n.) all future generations (At Ground Zero in New York, victims names are read aloud each year for the sake of posterity.)

Lesson 2: 
transgress (v.) to break a rule of boundary (There are legal consequences for companies that transgress labor laws.)

lithe (adj.) having a long or flexible quality (The ballerina's lithe body seemed to defy the laws of physics.)

saccharin (adj.) artificially sweet (My mother-in-law's saccharin smile convinced me that she was lying.)

aloof (adj.) emotionally uninvolved (The co-workers at my new job were polite, but somewhat aloof.)

traverse (v.)to travel across or through (I traversed the tangle of picnic tables as I made my way through the food festival.)

Lesson 3: 
sacrosanct (adj.) regarded as too important to be changed/interfered with (An individual's freedom of speech is held as sacrosanct in the U.S.

livid (adj.) extremely angry (The Hollywood starlet was livid at being left off the guest list.)

opaque (adj.) not able to be seen through; not transparent (The opaque glass used in the bathroom ensured people's privacy.

trite (adj.) lacking originality or flair (A good writer works to avoid trite ideas.)

opulent (adj.) showing great wealth and luxury (The prom couples enjoyed the opulent comfort of their limousine.)


Tomorrow, we will go over these in class and have a little fun with them. Also, remember to be through the second part of F451. My book says that's page 107. There was no writing assignment due for tomorrow, but you will be writing four academic paragraphs this week towards your research paper. That's less than a paragraph a day, but it will knock out about 1/4 of your research paper due mid-May. If you are struggling, I am happy to help! Don't suffer alone. Tell me where you are needing more assistance. You can email me, leave messages on this blog, or see me after class for extra time. I will allow the last fifteen minutes of each class time to answer questions about the research paper, so feel free to ask questions. If you need some extra help, chances are your classmates do too. I will also bring in my computer to answer any formatting questions. It's easier for me to show you than to explain some steps on Word or Pages. 

Fake News, Research, and Spring Break

I think our examination of the different articles went really well today. You can see how easily it is to be duped into believing false news. You also can see how even our credible sources might not always be so credible. Who would have thought the New York Times and Washington Post's credibility might be questioned? Hopefully, we all see how dangerous memes can be and that we can recognize them as a modern example of propaganda. If you have a strong emotional response to something, double check the source and its claims. Also, many news sources are upfront with their bias, so this helps you to see that their news likely isn't going to be balanced. If your website is in the field of ConservativesRuleDemocratsDrool.com or IhateTrump.org, you can be pretty sure you are getting a biased report with a very clear agenda and muddled facts. Don't fall for it! Just like our discussion earlier this year on the Muslim ban, go to the source! Pull the actual document off the government website and read it yourself. These documents are primary sources and are welcome for use in research.

So what kind of sources can you use? Where can you search for credible sources? There are several great resources available to you. Check out Google Scholar, for starters. If you type in Google Scholar in your search engine, it will take you to another page full of scholarly articles. These are generally good articles to use. You will bypass blogs, unverified sources, and a whole lot of mess. Another great tool is to visit Wikipedia and scroll to the bottom of the page. Wikis have a reference section that is often compiled from legitimate sources. If you have access to Academic Search engines, like JSTOR, one of my favorites, you have hit the jackpot. Usually, you have to pay for access, be a student of the university, or visit the local library for this access. You can also visit the Texas A&M University-Central Texas library and ask to use their computers. They have access to all of these wonderful databases and the librarians are huge advocates of credible research. Outside of the internet, you can use reference sections of the library or books written by scholars or experts in their field. If you are unsure about a source, send me the info and I will help you verify its credibility.

So next week, we have an optional class. If you want extra help on your research or any topic we have covered so far, come on in. I will be there. If you would like to take a spring break or have plans with your family, enjoy! I will not assign homework for next week. I only ask that you keep reading F451. When we meet again in two weeks, on March 21st, be through the second part. We will finish this book by the end of the month and start The Hobbit in April. (I can't wait!)

Good work today in class! I hope you all learned to be more discerning and skeptical with news from the Internet. Have high standards for your information and you will be far less likely to be duped into believing Kim Jong-Un was the "Sexiest Man Alive for 2012."

Spring Break: Optional Attendance

Class,

March 14th falls during KISD's spring break. In order to provide students with an opportunity for a break, I am making that class optional. This means that I will not assign vocabulary or work for this week. However, I will come in during regular class hours to help students working on their research papers. If you need some extra help, discussion, or planning, I am happy to work with you. If you feel very comfortable with your progress, use this time to relax or gather more information.

Kindly,
Heather

Fake News?

There is a lot of chatter in social media, news outlets, and even presidential addresses about "Fake News," but what exactly is it? Is this the satire we commonly see on sites like The Onion? Or is this different? What is the difference between fake news and satire? These are some of the questions we are going to be discussing this month. Current events often provide context and examples for English Composition :) In this case, since we are beginning our research, we need to learn a little discernment. You can google "Is Soy Healthy?" and receive several thousand hits arguing either side. Who's right? This is where research skills are coming into play. When we have to sort out someone's blog from peer-reviewed research, information can feel overwhelming. This is why we need to be selective of the sources we choose for research. Information is a commodity. This means folks make money (usually) by distributing it. We need to be wise consumers.

Here's a video C-SPAN put out on fake news. Do you agree with this? What are some problems with the research? What are some really good or logical points? Can you see ethos, pathos, and logos in use here?

Fake News Video  (this is only about four minutes long, so fix something to drink and relax and learn)

We will be discussing one of the first and most interesting sources of fake news this week in class, demonstrating how harmful misinformation can be. How much responsibility does journalism have when producing news? How much responsibility does the consumer have? Some questions to think about this week...

Assignment for March 7

Class,

Remember this week is fairly light, which gives you some extra time to begin your research. Just read the first 30-40 pages of F451 and write two paragraphs towards your research paper. With these two paragraphs, you are establishing credibility. These paragraphs need to include information by experts.  For example, you could say something like, "British historian Paul Johnson has an interesting view of the American Revolution and argues...." Or "Astrophysicist and cosmologist Neil DeGrasse Tyson says the atoms in our bodies can be traced back to particles of the stars." I think you get the idea here. Whatever topic you are writing on, follow the general academic paragraph. Make a claim about your topic, define your terms, use credible evidence and quotes, explain how this supports your claim, conclude. If you have any other questions, let me know.

Also, March tuition is due Tuesday. Prompt payment helps me to pay the Cove Art Lab on time. Thank you!

See you Tuesday!