Archives

Reflective Essay

B”H

Please work on your reflective essay at home or in the WISE lab on Tuesday, independently.  Do not turn in the reflective essay to InSite, just post it directly to your e-portfolio on the appropriate page.

Here is the essay topic:

Reflect upon your writing before you were in WISE English, and as you moved through the program this year.  What is the most significant thing you learned this year, and how do you think it will prepare you for your future?

Checklist for WordPress e-Portfolio

Your e-portfolio, and what is in it, is important to your grade.  Please make sure it is updated before the end of the semester.  Also, your blog MUST BE ACCESSIBLE TO ME (DRKBLOG).

The following is a checklist for things that MUST be on your blog in order to award you a grade this semester in English 106WS:

  1. Blog should have a page for English 106WS.
  2. Blog should have a completed “About Me” section.
  3. Please make sure that your slave narrative group project link is on a page entitled “Slave Narrative Group Project,” and that you include the names of others in your group.
  4. Please include pages with the following titles in this order:   

Please note that this e-Portfolio is made up of the papers you completed for class.  It does not include the discussion board and quizzes you took, or your attendence grade.  Please make sure you have completed Discussion Board #1, and #2, and you have taken all the quizzes (including the exit exam on April 26th).

The Essay Exam Results

B”H

Dear classes,

The most significant problems I saw in the practice essay exams that I graded over the weekend were these:

  1. TITLE:  You must provide a title for your exit exam essay.  If you forget the title, the evaluator will take off points.
  2. PARAGRAPHING:  Make sure that your paragraphs are clearly defined, that they do not go off-topic, and that you format them correctly.  Don’t put an extra space between paragraphs, and make sure you indent your paragraphs.
  3. SPELLING/GRAMMAR:  The most frequent errors in this category were final “s” errors (subject/verb agreement), and forgetting to put a period at the end of the sentence.  Please watch out, when you are writing, that you are remembering to finish what you have just said before you start a new sentence!
  4. DEVELOPMENT:  Some of you were late to the test, so you didn’t adequately develop your essay.  You will need at least five clearly defined paragraphs with a good conclusion for a passing grade.  Make sure you are on time on April 26.

April 9, 2011: Practice Exit Exam

B”H

Today we will do a practice exit exam in class.  It will take 50 minutes.  Please be on time!  I will grade this by next Tuesday, so you have some feedback.

And, just so you know why I won’t be in class for that Exit Exam on April 26th (it will be proctored by Ms. Johnson), here is a little video about Passover entitled “Google Exodus.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIxToZmJwdI&feature=player_embedded]

Take Home Quiz: WEB Dubois and Nella Larsen

B”H

Please make a page under English 106 entitled “Dubois/Larsen Quiz” on your blog and post your answer to this question:

How does the first Chapter of Nella Larsen’s Quicksand comment upon WEB Dubois “Talented Tenth” speech?  What do you think Nella Larsen’s character, Helga Crane, would say to WEB Dubois about the status of education in her black school in Naxos?

Some Syllabus Changes, and an Exit Exam

B”H

We are not going to have time to do the Literary Analysis paper.  I know you are disappointed, but I have to cut something because there is a new requirement for our class that I hadn’t anticipated.

We will be taking the English Department exit exam on the last day of class (April 26th).  In order to prepare you for that exam, we will be going over some specific skills you may need for that exam and reviewing the English Department Exit Exam booklet, which I will be handing out in class.

The Exit Exam will not determine whether you pass English, as it does in regular English 106, but I will be giving you one quiz-grade in credit for taking the exam on the 26th.  THERE IS NO MAKE UP EXAM.  Please be there, on time, to to take the exam!!

Today, we will be discussing that exam in depth.  Also, I will post a take-home quiz for WEB Dubois/Nella Larsen so that I can make sure you read the required assignment.

Cultural Analysis Rough Annotated Bibliography Due Thursday 3/24

Getting that paper done!

You should be working very hard on the annotated bibliography for your Cultural Analysis paper in my class.  Remember, my paper is slightly different from Professor Underwood’s paper in the following ways:

  • I want you to tie history to popular culture or to a current event to show how an understanding of history can help you better understand the present
  • My annotated biblography and paper are in MLA style, not CMS. (Don’t even THINK about inserting a footnote or an endnote into your paper!!)

The rough draft of your annotated biblography is due on Thursday.  Please see my previous post for specific instructions.